Sacred Heart of Jesus 2025 - Our model of love

 

In 1899, Pope Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. In the accompanying encyclical, the Holy Father wrote, “There is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another.”

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is not simply about honoring a pious image or recalling an abstract concept of divine love. It is about encountering the personal, sacrificial love of Jesus—a love that searches, suffers, and saves. His Sacred Heart beats with mercy for sinners, compassion for the suffering, and longing for those who have strayed.

When we contemplate the Sacred Heart, we remember that we are not loved vaguely or from a distance. Christ’s love is tender, personal for each one of us, and unrelenting. He is the man in the Gospel who has left the ninety-nine in order to seek after the lost. 

The Lord gave everything, allowing himself to be treated as the lowliest slave, enduring torture and the death of a criminal, to bring about the highest good of each of us, our salvation. His love embraces unfathomable suffering and the darkness of death so that you and I may be redeemed.

The heart of Jesus also desires to transform us into our highest selves in which we, too, radiate with his love. We, like him, are to have a heart for the lost, to forgive the undeserving, to carry the broken, to love even when it costs us. The Sacred Heart is our model as well as our refuge. We must allow the love of the Sacred Heart to penetrate our lives more deeply, so that we can become vessels of that love to a wounded world in need of healing.

Today, may we renew our trust in the love of Jesus and strive to reflect that love in our own lives, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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We bring our needs to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Please respond to each of these petitions, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us”

That the Church may be continually cleansed and sanctified by the blood and water that gave us new birth.

For all who have fallen away from the Church, for those who lack faith, and in reparation for all ingratitude toward God, for all sin and all blasphemy.

For all those who are sick or burdened in any way, may they come to know and experience the refreshment of Christ’s love. 

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, Good Jesus, that we may live in you and for you. Protect us in the midst of danger. Comfort us in our afflictions. Give us health of body, assistance in our temporal needs, your blessing on all that we do, and the grace of a holy death. Through Christ Our Lord.

6th Week of Easter 2025 - Wednesday - The Spirit of Truth

 “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.

“Truth” is an important concept in John’s Gospel, and for Christians. “He who practices the truth comes to the Light” the Lord says. “The truth will make you free” “I am the way, the Truth, and the life”. “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink”. Those who believe in jesus will be known by God as true worshippers, who worship in Spirit and Truth. “Quid est veritas?” asks Pontius Pilate. What is truth? 

The Gospel notion is truth is not the same as the accumulation of scientific fact. The sending of the Holy Spirit isn’t so that we can understand quantum physics better or how an air conditioner works. 

But when the Lord speaks of the truth that “makes you free” he’s not talking about scientific knowledge. Rather, he’s speaking about the truth that frees us from moral, theological, and spiritual evil—the light of truth which frees us from darkness of sin and death.

The truth Jesus speaks of—the truth that sets us free—is not merely informational, it is transformational. It’s not just something we know; it’s someone we follow. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” To live in the truth, then, is to live in union with Him—to see reality as it really is, to understand who we are, what we are made for, and how we are to live.

And because the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth,” He helps us not only to recognize the truth but to remember it, to live it, and to proclaim it. He strengthens our consciences, enlightens our minds, and gives us courage to witness to the truth in a world that often prefers comfortable lies.

Living in the truth frees us from the slavery of sin—because once we know the truth about our dignity, about the mercy of God, about the purpose of life, we can no longer be content with mediocrity or the chains of sin and addiction. Truth makes us hunger for holiness. 

About three and a half centuries after the Gospel of John was written, St. Augustine wrote “Victoria Veritatis est caritas”—”the victory of truth is love”. Through Christ, God conquers the darkness of error which debilitates us and divides us from the life of God.

May the Truth of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bring victory in our lives and in our mission for the spread of the Gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.  

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Knowing that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who guides us, strengthens us, and sets us free, we offer our prayers to God with confidence:

For the Church, that she may always be a faithful teacher of the truth, leading all people into union with Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

For those who govern nations and influence public life, that they may seek truth and justice in all their decisions and uphold the dignity of every human person

For those caught in the chains of sin, confusion, or addiction, that the truth of Jesus Christ may free them and restore them to new life

For our young people on summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the poison of sin and strive to live in the freedom and truth of Christ. 

For the sick, the ill, the poor and afflicted, that the truth of God’s love, closeness, and mercy may abound in their lives and give them meaning and strength.

For the faithful departed, that they who strove to live by the truth may now behold the glory of God face to face

Father of Truth, hear the prayers of your people. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may we live in the truth that sets us free and walk always in your light. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent 2025 - More than a superficial faith

 There’s a story about a wealthy king who wanted to find a bride. And not just any bride, the king wished to marry a woman who would love him, not for his wealth and power, but for who he was as a man. He knew that if he rode through the streets in his royal robes, with trumpets announcing his intentions, his quest would be compromised. This would attract a superficial bride.

So, he set aside his crown and dressed as a simple peasant. He lived among his subjects, working alongside them, and shared in their struggles. And in time, he met a woman who loved him not for what he owned, but for who he was. Only then did he reveal his true identity.

In today’s Gospel, Peter, James, and John are given an extraordinary grace: they see Jesus transfigured in dazzling white, standing with Moses and Elijah. It is a revelation of His divine glory, a brief unveiling of who He truly is. And yet, Jesus does not remain in that state. He does not go back down the mountain glowing, proving to the crowds that He is the Son of God.

We might wonder: why not. If he wished to attract disciples, why didn’t Jesus appear like that all the time? Why doesn’t He display His full power to the whole world and remove all doubt?

While it seems logical that if Jesus displayed His divine glory all the time, people would believe, but the Scriptures repeatedly show that miracles and divine manifestations do not automatically lead to lasting faith, hope, or love.

The Israelites in the Wilderness saw the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, and God's presence on Mount Sinai, yet they still doubted and turned to idolatry.

Many who witnessed Jesus healing the sick, feeding thousands, and even raising the dead still did not follow Him. In John chapter 11, the chief priests and Pharisees respond to the resurrection of Lazarus not with faith, but with a plot to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.

If people could witness these direct interventions of God and still reject Him, then even if Jesus appeared in transfigured glory to the whole world, many would still dismiss it as an illusion, exaggeration, or something that could be explained away.

God desires a relationship with each of us, not based on mere compulsion or overwhelming evidence, any way, but on our choice to believe, and hope, and love Him.  If God simply overpowered us with His glory, it might force knowledge of his existence, but we would lose our ability to have faith. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" Jesus says after his resurrection.

The Transfiguration was a moment of divine revelation, but it was not the ultimate proof of Jesus' deepest identity. For ultimately, He is the one sent by God not to overpower humanity through undeniable proof of God’s existence, but rather to show the depths of God’s love to those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Jesus did not walk around permanently transfigured in dazzling light because that dazzling light would have veiled and obscured—his identity as incarnate love willing to undertake supreme suffering for his beloved. 

His identity is revealed most fully, not in the transfiguration, but in the crucifixion. His identity is love. God is love. And there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

Notice that this was even the topic the Lord was discussing with Moses and Elijah while he was transfigured. He spoke of how he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die to deliver us from the slavery of sin and death. But he goes willingly because he loves us and wants to see us free.

If God’s goal was simply to make us believe in Him, he could have done so easily. Just like the king in the story could have easily found a bride through crown and treasury. But Jesus desired a bride who would love Him with true love. And he goes to the cross to show His love for us, his bride. 

And of course he goes to the cross to give us an example to follow—to in fact show us the road to heaven—the road we must follow. We must take up our cross and follow him in all things. 

To be Christian is not simply to walk around with the idea that God exists in our heads. Rather, to be Christian—to be heirs of the kingdom—is to conform ourselves in thought, word, deed, in obedience to God, to Jesus Christ—to love as he loves—to work for the good of others at cost to ourselves. True love is costly, as our Lord shows us. But we have been redeemed so that we may be transformed into love with Christ.

How are we to experience this transformation? Again, I stress the importance of our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during this season. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving signal our openness to the transformation God wants for us.

Prayer: it’s not just about asking for things; it is about aligning our hearts with God’s will. Through prayer, we allow God to reveal Himself to us—not in overwhelming signs, but in the quiet of our hearts, where He gently calls us to trust Him.

Fasting: it’s not simply an act of self-denial or discipline; it is a concrete way of expressing our hunger for something greater than what the world offers. When we give up certain foods, comforts, or habits, we remind ourselves that our deepest satisfaction is found in God alone.

Almsgiving is not the cold fulfillment of a religious obligation, rather it shifts our focus from self to others. When we give to those in need—not just from our excess, but in a way that costs us something—we imitate Christ-like love. Our almsgiving signals that we are allowing Christ’s love to transform us into people who give of themselves as He did.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. They are signs of our willingness to be changed. Through them, we tell God: “I want to know You” “I want to be freed from what holds me back” “I want to love as You love”.

Again, it is not through some undeniable sight of Christ’s divinity that God transforms us. But choosing those actions to become like Jesus in his self-giving. By choosing to pray, fast, repent and engage in works of charity, our spiritual sight is made pure to know God’s presence with us in this life and to behold God’s glory in eternity for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

5th Week of Lent 2024 - Monday - Susanna, the sinful woman, and the Shepherd

Our two readings this morning—that of Susanna and the woman caught in adultery are linked by the beautiful responsorial Psalm—psalm 23rd—the great shepherd psalm—in which our merciful God is depicted as a shepherd who provides guidance, protection, assurance, and deliverance.

Psalm 23 begins with the powerful affirmation, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." In these words, we find solace in the shepherd's provision, knowing that God cares for our every need. Similarly, Susanna and the adulterous woman both experience God's provision and care in their moments of desperation. Susanna finds vindication and deliverance from false accusations, while the adulterous woman encounters the merciful forgiveness of Jesus, who protects her from the stones of condemnation.

As the psalmist declares, "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." In Susanna's story and the encounter with the adulterous woman, we witness the transformative power of God's mercy and forgiveness. Both women experience restoration and guidance as they encounter the divine presence in their darkest moments. Through the prophet Daniel and the compassionate words of Jesus, they are led on the paths of righteousness and offered a new beginning.

Psalm 23 continues with the comforting assurance, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." In Susanna's trial and the Woman Caught in Adultery's moment of condemnation, they find themselves in the valley of darkness, facing imminent danger and death. Yet, God's presence is their comfort and strength. Through Daniel's intervention and Jesus' merciful intervention, they are delivered from harm.

Finally, Psalm 23 concludes with the proclamation, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Encountering the Lord’s mercy, both women are able to begin a new life, especially the woman caught in adultery. She is invited by the Lord not to return to her former life of sin, but to “go and sin no more”—to a life in which she strives to live free of sin—as all Christians are called to do.

May our Lenten journey help us and all people to encounter more deeply the shepherding care of the Lord—in times of trial, his deliverance, in times of sin, his mercy, and the promise of eternal life with him forever, for the glory of God and the 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. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

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.

6th Week of Easter 2023 - Friday - "you will grieve, but your grief will become joy."

 These last few weeks of the easter season we’ve been reading from John chapters 13-17, Jesus’ address to the apostles at the Last Supper. And throughout these chapters, the Lord prepares his disciples for his passion and death on the cross, while also preparing them to take up their own crosses in the evangelizing mission.

The Lord explains in today’s passage that the Apostles experience will sometimes feel like the sufferings of childbirth. Now, none of the Apostles had ever experienced the pains of childbirth, themselves; but no doubt, they knew it to be one of the most intensely painful human experiences.

The Apostles would truly experience great suffering. They would see their Lord and Master crucified in what appeared to be ultimate defeat. Then they would experience the feeling of abandonment following the Lord’s Ascension. And then in their work for the spread of the Gospel around the world, we know they would undergo terrible sufferings for the sake of the Gospel. They would face persecution in nearly every corner of the earth. 

“You will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices.” Not only will discipleship bring a cross, but you’ll have to carry that cross in the midst of a world that will appear to rejoice without the cross. The wicked will prosper while you will suffer for being Christian. You’ll agonize over practicing chastity while the world delights in promiscuity and perversion. You’ll fast while the world feasts. You’ll make less money, you’ll have less power, you’ll enjoy less fame for being Christian. The world will hate you, and mock you, and persecute you. 

 But, just as a woman is in anguish as she gives birth, the Lord explains, once the baby is born, the mother no longer remembers the pain but is filled with joy, the Church’s grief will pass away, and be transformed into joy over the new life experienced through Christ.

Many of our contemporaries are hellbent on trading their souls for pleasure, power, fame, and wealth. They hate the very thought of the cross. But, we are tasked to convince them, or at least invite them to consider, that It profiteth not a man to gain the whole world, but to lose his soul along the way. That following Jesus Christ will result in a joy that outweighs all of the pleasures of the world.

It would be a tough sell. But not only is Christ with us, but the Holy Spirit is producing tremendous fruits in the lives of those who follow Jesus. You don’t have to simply take our word for it. Look at the saints. Look at what happens when you trust Jesus. Look at what happens when you generously dispose your souls to growing in the grace of God. Look at what happens in the lives of those who take the Gospel seriously. They are transformed by grace. Look at how our grief is transformed into joy.

Today, by the way, begins the annual Pentecost Novena. Nine days of prayer perhaps corresponding to the nine months of pregnancy. Nine days of prayer praying for the divine life, the gifts of the spirit and the fruits of the spirit, to grow in us. 

Let us pray fervently these nine days and endeavor to follow the Lord more closely today, to persevere in carrying our crosses, and being transformed by grace and engaging in holy works, be the proof needed to convince the world to follow Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the preaching and teaching of the Church and all that she suffers, all people will come to recognize Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

That those charged with civil authority will show Christian compassion to the poor and marginalized, particularly for the safety and defense of the unborn.

For all Christian families: that the mercy, purity, and peace of Jesus will reign in their hearts and homes. 

That the Church may cooperate with God’s grace for a flowering of new spiritual life during this Pentecost Novena.

For the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.

For the deceased members of our families, friends and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all those who fought and died for our freedom.

O God, who 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.

1st Week after Epiphany 2023 (EF) - Monday - Transformed by the renewal of your mind

One of the themes of Epiphanytide is revelation. Christ is revealed as a light to the nations. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh reveal that the one born at Bethlehem is king, priest, and savior. 

Today’s Gospel is another sort of Epiphany, revealing a profound truth about Jesus. He responds to Mary’s questioning, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” The Lord himself reveals—he is the Divine Son of the heavenly Father, confirming the words of the prophet Isaiah, that Mary would give birth to the one called, “Son of the Most High”. 

The twelve-year old Son of the Father has spent three days in the temple, to the astonishment of Mary and Joseph, because his first priority in this life was to do the will of the heavenly Father. He takes on the Messianic mission because he was sent to do so by the Father and was obedient to the Father unto death. The obedient Son came to reverse the disobedience of Adam’s sin. And through the Son’s obedience, we are redeemed and become heirs to the Kingdom of heaven.

And as the Christ, so too the Christian. Obedience to the will of the Father is to mark our lives, even, when it comes at great cost to our egos and social status and so many other dimensions of our lives. 

But we willingly surrender to the will of the Father because the Son reveals that life is found in doing the Father’s will. 

Conform yourselves not to this age, St. Paul says in our epistle—this age whose errors and depravity are so contrary to the truth and goodness of the Father. There is this pull, this pressure, this temptation to disobey like Adam. It is so much easier simply to conform, to go along with the ways of the world, to swallow the errors unquestioningly. But truth is not determined by a majority vote, as the dear departed Pope Benedict was fond of reiterating.  

Rather than conforming to the world, we, like the Son of God, are to conform to the Will of the Father, through the renewal of our minds, as Paul says. In a commentary on this passage from Paul, Pope Benedict writes: “transforming ourselves, letting ourselves be transformed by the Lord into the form of the image of God, transforming ourselves every day anew… this is the true novelty which does not subject us to opinions, to appearances, but to the Grace of God, to his revelation. Let us permit ourselves to be formed, to be molded, so that the image of God really appears in the human being.”

Daily may we seek that renewal of our minds through prayer, study, meditation, contemplation, good works, the restraining of vices and penance for sin, that we may be conformed ever more to the Son, and filled with His life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 A reading from the epistle of St. Paul to the Romans

Brethren: I urge you therefore, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned. For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.

A continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke

When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple,  sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

 

10th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - Inner Transformation

 Since the beginning of the week we’ve been reading from Jesus’ most famous sermon, his sermon on the mount. He has taught his followers to be salt and light, not to lose our saltiness and not to hide our light, and of keeping God’s commandments, the smallest letter, the smallest part of the letter of the law of God.

Today the Lord singles out two of the commandments of the law of Moses regarding adultery and divorce, and by doing so, illustrates a grander point.

Not only are Christians to refrain from activities prohibited by God’s laws—for example adultery and divorce—Christians are to root out the attitudes that lead to sin. 

True external conformity to the laws of God is only possible when we have also sought internal conformity to the heart of God.

Two people are standing in the same line waiting for the cashier at the grocery store. One stands quietly, one angrily complains. One approaches the cashier with gentleness, the other rudely belittles the cashier. 

We must root out—or at least control—those internal dispositions to rudeness, anger, complaint, adultery, divorce, and so on, and desire to remain patient in the face of inconvenience, to remain chaste in the face of all lust.

When the Lord says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away” he is speaking hyperbolically. In other words, if you possess some license within yourself, that in some circumstance it is okay to belittle a cashier, get rid of it. If you possess some license within yourself, that in some circumstance it would be okay to commit adultery or some other sexual sin get rid of it, tear out, throw it away.

And if that’s not possible, develop, nurture and grow the ability to practice “self-control” in all circumstances. 

Well, I’m just a little hot-headed sometimes, I’m only human. No. Grace wants to transform those parts of us that are fallen, and bring them under the dominion of God. And the failure to cooperate with transforming grace is our own fault, our own most grievous fault. 

May we seek to cooperate with God’s manifold grace with as much effort as we can possibly muster, for the healing and transformation that God wants for us, God who love us despite our faults, but who seeks our redemption and conversion from sin, and so come to the Beatitude God has planned for us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the preaching and teaching and charitable works of the Church will inspire all people to seek to radical holiness and obedience to the commands of God.

That those in public office may govern with wisdom, put an end to all political corruption, and work for a society of authentic justice and peace with special care for the most vulnerable.

For an end to oppression, racism, hatred, addiction and injustice. For the healing of all the sick. 

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for a strengthening of marriages, for all single people who strive to follow Christ, and for the grace to utilize our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory…

O God, who 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.

 

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Trust and the Miraculous Catch

My guess is that everyone here has in some way experienced a little something of what Simon Peter experienced in today’s Gospel passage. To help digest this experience, I’d like to break down the passage into six stages which correspond to six stages of spiritual growth.

Firstly, there is frustration. We’ve all experienced frustrated when things don’t go our way. For Peter and his crew, their frustration was the result of a miserable night of hard work with nothing to show for it. These were expert life-long fisherman, and it’s almost unfathomable how unsuccessful they were.

There is frustration when we exert effort and have nothing to show for it. This is true for business, or our hobbies, or our relationships. And this is true in our work for God. We set the table and nobody shows up. 

But also, the self-centered life, the life centered on the false gods of the world, is frustrating, for it leaves us unhappy and empty.

But then, what happens in the Gospel. God barges into your life. Maybe in a sermon, or a book, or a powerful conversation with a friend, God shows up and asks you to trust Him. Try again, this time, trust in Me. You might imagine Peter’s confusion or annoyance, when Jesus, a carpenter, told him how to do his job. Peter and his crew had just fished all night and had just finished cleaning all of their equipment when Jesus instructed Peter to cast his net into deep waters.  

And so you have a choice, and it might not be an easy one. Not unlike Adam and Eve in the garden, the Devil often shows up and says, “don’t trust God, his expectations are unrealistic, the consequences for disobedience probably aren’t that bad.” Doubts and confusion sometimes arise whenever it’s time to trust God. Because there’s a lot of spiritual warfare around that choice. Devils conspire against us, an angels are fighting for us.

And this raises an important question: How do we know it’s God asking us to trust Him and not the devil or our own imagination? Well, God never asks anything that violates his commands or the teachings of the Church. Jesus’ command to cast into the deep waters to the fishermen was a strange one, he was asking something that would normally never do, but he wasn’t asking them to violate a commandment. 

So, yes, that little voice must be discerned. Is it coming from God or not? We certainly shouldn’t do anything that puts the welfare of our families in jeopardy—like selling your house in order to buy a bunch of lotto tickets. A good spiritual director, a fellow parishioner known for their prudence and wisdom, can help you discern. But once you discern that it is likely God asking you to trust Him, it is time for trust.

And that’s the third stage: the disciples make the choice to trust. Even though it slightly grated against their professional sensibilities, trusting his master, Peter and the crew cast out into the depths of Lake Gennesaret. 

Another question: Why should we Trust God? Why should we risk wasting our time doing something potentially foolish for God? Because God loves us, he would would never fool us. Unlike the enemy, he would never deceive us. He has our best interests in mind. 

Many young men considering the seminary are given this choice. To the world, even their families, entering seminary, even just for a year, is a ridiculous choice. Spend an entire year, with limited communication with family and friends, to discern something that you might not end up doing? Spend a year learning to pray instead of learning a trade?  

But then something happens, and this is the fourth stage, the result of trusting in God is a miraculous catch of fish. The time in discernment, the choice to trust wasn’t wasted, for God doesn’t waste our time. It’s we that waste our time, when we only follow our own fluctuating and fleeting emotions and impulses.

I’ve never met a young man, who entered seminary even for a year, and regretted it. When you trust generously, “God will not be outdone in generosity” said Mother Theresa. There is always, at least, growth in wisdom, knowledge that will be utilized later in life. But often, God exceeds our expectations. Over and over, people who volunteer their time, engaging in ministry, say that they were blessed beyond what they ever imagined. 

Notice, too, the miraculous catch wasn’t an individual effort, but a joint effort. It took the whole crew to bring in the large catch. God doesn’t just ask us to trust Him, but also others, enough to work together. Marriage is a joint effort. The mission of the parish is a joint effort. Maybe we’ve often been so frustrated because we’ve so often tried to do everything on our own, rather than as a family. But we can catch more fish together than we could on our own.

And then comes the fifth stage, after bringing in the miraculous catch, what happens? Peter falls to his knees. “Depart from me Lord, for I am sinful man”. More valuable than the miraculous catch is the recognition that you are in God’s presence. When God shows forth his generosity, we are humbled. I should have been trusting God all along, God have mercy on me. I’ve been so stupid to trust in my own will. My distrust has not brought me anything good, ever. If I had trusted just a little bit more, my life would have been so different.

And that’s the final stage: the encounter with divine grace changes you. Now that you have witnessed what God can do, the Lord says, “from now you will be catching, not fish, but men.” 

St. Paul speaks about this transformation in the second reading today, the whole reading is Paul explaining how God changed his life when he came to recognize Jesus crucified and risen. Paul, remember, as a zealous Jew, had been on a crusade to wipe out the believers of Jesus. “I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” But encountering grace, in choosing to believe, Paul was transformed, and made the greatest of apostles.

As a result of trusting God, encountering his grace, we are changed, not to become wealthy or successful in the eyes of the world, but to catch souls for Christ, to work for the spread of the Gospel. 

Not every Christian is called to be priest or nun or monk or miracle worker. But every Christian is called to be an evangelist, just as every Christian is called to be a saint. But the path to both vocations is identical. In the frustrations of life, we learn to trust God, and allow him to bring about a miraculous catch. And recognizing what he has done, we humbly kneel before him, and allowing that grace to transform us, He gives us what we need for the work he has planned for us.

Friends, every frustration is an opportunity to trust God. So much unhappiness and anxiety could be avoided if in our frustrations we placed our trust in Him sooner. So much boredom and sadness could be avoided, if we allowed his grace to help us realize our potential inworking for the spread of his kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

11th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Year-round Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving

 Today’s Gospel Reading should be familiar to us; we hear it at least twice a year, most notably on Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord teaches his disciples about some important practices that are to mark their spiritual lives: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These penitential practices are to be part of the ordinary life of the Christian. We aren’t to pray, fast, and give alms just during Lent, but all year round. 

Why? Why does the Lord introduce these practices in his great Sermon? His mention of these practices immediately follows his teaching on holiness. Remember, the holiness of his disciples is to surpass that of the scribes and the pharisees. His disciples aren’t merely to avoid the sins that are prohibited by the 10 commandments: even the scribes and pharisees did that. Rather, his disciples are to seek an inner transformation of mind and heart so that the very life of God fills us and flows from us.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the prescribed medicines to bring about this transformation, they are the exercise routine, they are the activities which will open up the floodgates of grace within us. 

Certainly, the Scribes and Pharisees also engaged in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, so even the way Christians do these things are going to be different too. The Lord does simply teach THAT we are to do them, but HOW we are to do them.  Our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is to be marked by humility, not for show, but in a hidden way—humbly trusting that they are pleasing to God. Humility, poverty of spirit, like that prescribed by the first beatitude at the beginning of his sermon, will bring about the inner transformation.

I know a lot of people who don’t like lent. They don’t like the extra effort demanded by the penitential practices. Yet, consider the call to the penitential practices in light of the words of St. Paul today: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We are to engage in these practices cheerfully, eagerly, trusting that what we give to God change us for the better. The person who fasts sparingly will gain little. But the person who fasts cheerfully, eagerly, generously, will reap a bounty in their spiritual life and for the good of the church. There is a spiritual economy at work, to which we can only benefit when we contribute generously.

As part of your ordinary time, ordinary spiritual retinue, ensure you’ve factored in these penitential practices prescribed by the Lord for the transformation of your hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the bishops of the Church will act as true prophets through their faithful teaching, their courageous witness, and their self-sacrificing love. We pray to the Lord.

That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Church’s missions amongst the poor and unevangelized throughout the world, that the work of Christ may be carried out with truth and love. We pray to the Lord.

For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray to the Lord.

O God, who 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.

September 2019 - First Friday Holy Hour - New Wineskins and Eucharistic Adoration

“New wine must be poured into fresh wineskins” .

At mass this morning, I reflected upon how these words remind us of the need for constant renewal in the Christian life. Baptism transforms our souls into new wineskins of grace, but without renewal, prayer, without faithfulness, and the Sacraments, our souls can become brittle again, resistant to the sanctification the Lord desires for us.

We know Catholics, even members of our families, who though baptized, have become resistant to grace. The mere mentioning of the Church at a family gathering, or even a gentle reminder of the need to return to the Sacraments can lead to a heated argument.

So we come before Our Eucharistic Lord tonight for them and for ourselves. We entrust the fallen-away to the Sacred Heart, pleading for miracles of conversion. And we come before Lord asking for conversion for our hearts as well, for the grace we need to be instruments of healing and evangelization.

At World Youth Day, in Cologne, in 2005, Pope Benedict spoke about the profound transformation which the Eucharist both signifies and brings about. He said, “This first fundamental transformation of violence into love, of death into life, brings other changes in its wake. Bread and wine become his Body and Blood. But it must not stop there; on the contrary, the process of transformation must now gather momentum. The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn…His dynamic enters into us and then seeks to spread outwards to others until it fills the world, so that his love can truly become the dominant measure of the world.”

We kneel down in Adoration, there is a profound contact of our heart with His. The Latin word for adoration, after all is, is ad-oratio - an embrace of love. We embrace Him and He embraces us to make us like Himself.

So let us take some time now to become quiet, to adore the Lord who embraces us and transforms us, who longs to heal us of selfishness and fear, we seeks to set our hearts ablaze with the fire of His Sacred Heart.

After a period of silent adoration, we will offer prayers of reparation followed by benediction.
Rejoice, for the Bridegroom is with us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.