11th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Friday - What do I treasure?

 Today’s scripture readings challenge us to ask ourselves, “What do I treasure?” “What do I value most?” “Do I treasure the things of this world or do I treasure the things of God?” “Which do I treasure most?”

In the first reading, it is very evident where St. Paul’s treasure lies.  

St. Paul enumerates his sufferings for the spread of the Gospel: dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from fellow Jews, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers instigated by false Christians; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, frequent fasting, cold and exposure, daily pressures, all for the sake of the Gospel. 

St. Paul suffered not to build an impressive resume.  When he’s listing off all that he suffered, he’s not complaining.  Rather, he embraced all of these sufferings  because he treasured the Gospel above all else, and desired to share that treasure with others.

 ‘What do I treasure?’ St. Paul highlights an important connection. What we treasure can be equated to what am I willing to suffering for? What will I go out of my way for to obtain? 

St. Paul reminds us that heaven is obtained not by sitting idly, but by embracing the cross. Broad is the way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Meaning, we attain heaven and eternal life, not simply by doing what is easy all the time. Oftentimes we will need to fight against our fallen nature, our slothful nature, the part of us that just wants to relax and self-indulgent. Jesus says we need to “strive to enter the narrow gate”. 

Effort is needed to pray, to fast, to do penance, to engage in the works of charity, and spread the Gospel. 

St. Paul, then, is a great model for us, a model most necessary for us at every age, lest we excuse ourselves from the necessary work of the Gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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Let us place our needs and the needs of the world before our heavenly Father.

For the Church: That all the baptized may treasure the Gospel above every worldly good and, like Saint Paul, willingly embrace the sacrifices needed to proclaim Christ to every nation.

For the nations and their leaders: That those entrusted with authority may govern justly, defend human dignity from conception to natural death, and foster lasting peace among peoples.

For the grace to treasure the things of God: That we may resist the lure of worldly comforts, strive each day to enter through the narrow gate, and devote ourselves generously to prayer, penance, works of charity, and the spread of the Gospel.

For the sick, the suffering, the poor, and the afflicted: That all who bear heavy crosses may unite their trials to Christ’s Passion, receive comfort and healing, and be supported by the charity of the Christian community.

For the faithful departed: That those who have died in Christ may inherit the eternal treasure of heaven and rejoice forever in the presence of God.

O God, source of all true riches, hear the prayers we bring before You, and grant that, treasuring Your kingdom above all, we may share its everlasting joy. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

11th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - Earthly or Heavenly Treasure

 When Jesus says “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” he is not imposing a ban on all possessions, of course; it is not a sin for us to own things. The Catechism speaks of a right to private property. Nor is Jesus forbidding us to “stock up” and save for times of famine.  The book of proverbs tells us to look to the example of the ant that stores up in the summer for what it will need in the winter and calls foolish those who make no provisions for their families or the future.

We do well to make good prudent use of the material goods of the earth, but we must not treasure them, or live for them, especially at the cost of our spiritual welfare. Holiness cannot be measured by the size one of one’s bank account. 

We are to be particularly on guard against materialism. Holy Father Pope Francis has spoken often about the dangers of materialism. Recently he said, “Whenever material things, money, worldliness, become the center of our lives, they take hold of us, they possess us; we lose our very identity as human beings”.  Materialism, he says, makes us “self-absorbed” and “finding security in material things ultimately rob us of our face, our human face.”

Instead of loving people and using things, Materialism leads us to use people and love things—to treat others as material goods for our own pleasure.  It is not a coincidence that as materialism spreads so does pornography, prostitution, human trafficking, and sexual violence.  

We all do well to examine our lifestyles in light of Jesus’ teaching today. Do we love people and use things, or have we begun to love things and use people? Have we begun to take false security and false trust in the goods of the earth? Are we guilty of excessive accumulation?

Rather than living for the earthly, the Lord calls engage in the heavenly, to store up treasure in heaven—to engage in the works that merit heavenly grace. Rather than being servants of Mammon, His disciples are to be wholeheartedly devoted to works of holiness: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the corporal and spiritual works of charity. 

May the Holy Spirit help each of us to be faithful to the teaching of Jesus, to be free from all that keeps us from loving God and neighbor with undivided hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That our nation’s bishops, concluding their spring General Assembly, may be guided by the Holy Spirit in their deliberations and their call to work for Church unity and the clear and courageous witness of the Gospel. Let us 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.  Let us 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. Let us 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.  Let us 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.  Let us 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. Let us 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.

October 19 2020 (EF) - St. Peter of Alcantara - Where your treasure is

 “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.”

By the mere fact that we honor him as a Saint, we know that Peter of Alcantara, who we commemorate today, treasured Christ above all things.

Peter of Alcantara was of noble birth, but gave up his earthly treasures, his earthly inheritance, to pursue Christ as a Franciscan of Strict Observance. Treasuring sanctity above earthly comfort, he lived out his vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to such an extent that his holiness was quite evident during his life.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.”

St. Peter certainly treasured prayer, as well. He is the patron saint of nocturnal eucharistic adoration, as he was known to keep prayer vigils throughout the night before the Blessed Sacrament, treasuring prayer even more than sleep. And yet, he discovered the secret to great joy, for, in prayer, he was frequently experienced prayerful ecstasy--he would be consumed with the warmth and light of the Holy Spirit. His heart was on heaven and this love would even cause him to levitate. 

He also drew others up to heaven too. He was renowned for his preaching, setting hearts on fire  with love for God. He brought reform to his own Franciscan order, and also to other religious orders as well. He corresponded with St. Theresa of Avila and encouraged her to work for reform among the Carmelites.  

When he was close to death, when he was offered water he refused it saying, "Even my Lord Jesus Christ thirsted on the Cross." He valued imitation of Christ even over the quenching of thirst. 

“Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.”

What do I treasure? It is probably overly simplistic to say that you can tell what someone treasures by how they spend their time. Two people working the same job and the same number of hours might treasure two entirely different things: one might treasure the money he will earn because it will enable him to pursue earthly pleasures, and another can grow in real sanctity through his occupation because he treats it as a way for providing well for his family, the needs of the poor, and work of the Church. 

Because the second treasured heaven over earth, he is able to store up treasure in heaven as he engages in earthly activity. Prayer, mortification and good works, help to keep our hearts set on heaven as we engage in earthly work--—earthly activity is even transformed into work for God.

May St. Peter of Alcantara help us to treasure Christ above all things, and help us to work for what truly lasts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

June 21 2019 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Treasures in heaven

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born into a noble family in Renaissance Italy.  16th-century Florence was not very different from 21st-century America.  It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. Though he had been to exposed to society’s corruption, brutality and lust, Aloysius, at the age of 7, had a profound spiritual awakening. He saw the decadence around him and vowed not to be part of it. 

By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great penances. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus, though it took four years for him to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

In 1591, a catastrophic plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened up a hospital.  The young Jesuit novice, Aloysius, nursed patients, carried them on his shoulders, washed them, and made their beds.  As a result of his tireless care of the sick, Aloysius caught the disease himself. He was overcome with a great fever and died at the age of 23 in 1591. His holiness was so evident that he was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1605.

Aloysius Gonzaga is a patron saint of catholic youth and teenagers, and also AIDS patients and their care-givers. Would that we all were dedicated to helping our young people form hearts like St. Aloysius!

He is often shown in sacred art and statues as a young man wearing the black cassock of the Jesuits and contemplating a crucifix or praying to the Blessed Virgin.

Aloysius took seriously the words of our Lord in the Gospel today: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up treasures in heaven.” The saints show us precisely how this is done.

The young saint, once said, “He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for his sake.” Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, may each of us consider how God is calling us to grow in holiness, to serve the needy, to do penance, to pour ourselves out in service of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will recommit themselves to fervent prayer as to grow in greater love and holiness.

That we may fast often from the things of the world, in order to seek and value the things of heaven.

That the Church may commit to almsgiving and acts of charity in order to care for the needs of the poor and store up treasure in heaven.

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for those with HIV, AIDS, and their caregivers, 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 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 repose of the good Jesuits who have served the Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.