23rd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Restoration through Christ and His Apostles

 Making our way through the Gospel of Luke at these weekday Masses, one of the themes that has been evident from the start is that of restoration. The Lord has come to restore what was lost through sin, what has been damaged through mankind’s involvement with evil. 

We’ve seen the Lord cast out a demon in the synagogue of Capernaum, restoring him to freedom, bringing a sort of restoration to the synagogue community itself, whose prayer and gathering had been thrown into chaos by this demonic activity. The Lord has worked many healing miracles so far, restoring many to health. He is restoring man’s conscience—his moral and religious conscience—a conscience weakened and clouded by error and sin—in his call to repentance and belief in His Gospel.

The theme of restoration is also at work in today’s Gospel about the establishment of the Twelve as the Apostles of his Church. The number Twelve of course has profound biblical significance—through the twelve apostles, the Lord Jesus is regathering the twelve tribes of Israel in fulfillment of Israel’s hope for ultimate restoration. Israel, scattered, oppressed by the political powers of the world, and inundated with sin hoped to be restored by God as a holy nation, a royal priesthood, through the ministration of the Messiah. 

In building his Church on the twelve Apostles, Jesus was fulfilling Israel’s hopes of restoration and ushering in the final stage of human history. This is the era of the Church—the New Israel in which all humanity is gathered in union with God through Christ and restored through his teaching and grace.

In the Church we see individual restoration—in the call to conversion from sin and a healing of our vices, a personal restoration of our estrangement from God. We also see the communal restoration—foreshadowed by uniting of the Twelve Tribes of Israel into a united people—humanity divided is reconciled with each other through Christ.

As Catholics, we know well that the bishops, the successors of the apostles continue to exercise a very important role in the life of the Church—to help us remain united in faith, hope, and love throughout all the challenges faced in our modern world. Sadly, disunity and division continue to occur when we stray from the apostolic faith, when individuals and groups stray from apostolic unity and also when the apostles are negligent in their duties.

So we pray for the Church and pray for the bishops that the Lord may continue to restore us through the Gospel—to restore our humanity, to restore the unity God designed for humanity from the beginning, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For Pope Francis, successor to the apostle Peter, our diocesan Bishop Edward Malesic, and all the Bishops and Clergy, that they may lead the Church in Spirit and Truth and in faithfulness to all that Christ teaches. 

For those who have strayed from the flock of Christ, for those who have fallen to the empty, seductive philosophies of the world, for their return to the life of grace.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, the imprisoned, the unchaste, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. 

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

December 17 2019 - May God's Wisdom Order Our Lives

Today, December 17, begins late Advent. The O Antiphons begin to be used in the Church’s liturgy, the countdown to Christmas intensifies.

And on this first day of late Advent, our first reading is taken from the very end of the first book of the bible, the book of genesis. Late in the life of Jacob, Jacob, son of Isaac, lays on his death bed, and speaks to his sons. Surrounded by the twelve, who will become the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob issues a series of prophetic oracles about their futures and the future of their tribes.

One would expect Jacob to predict the greatest blessings to be upon his first-born son. But God had other plans. It is not for Jacob’s first born, Reuben, nor his second or third, Simeon or Levi, that he predicts the most exalted future. But, as we read today, it is for Judah that Jacob foresees a royal future. Jacob calls Judah a lion, the king of beasts, and from Judah shall come a ruler, a king.

In our Gospel, today, St. Matthew traces the royal lineage through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then Judah, leading to the great kings of Israel, David and Solomon, and then generations later, to the king of kings, Jesus who is called the Christ.

The O Antiphon for this first day of late Advent sings of the “sapientia”, the wisdom which comes forth from the mouth of God. As a King wisely orders his kingdom, God wisely ordered the generations of Abraham to make way for the Christ. So too, God will order our lives, when we conform our lives to his wisdom. 

God has a plan for our lives, just as He had a plan for Jacob and Judah and the generations to follow. And when we surrender to that plan our lives become ordered mightily and sweetily from end to end and begin to resound with his glory. May we open our ears to receive His wisdom, our hearts to receive His Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That the Pope and all the clergy may always be guided by the Wisdom of God.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with divine wisdom, justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the wisdom of God may direct the hearts of non-believers to the truth of the Gospel.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

29th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Empty, seductive philosophies

Since last Wednesday, we’ve been reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. It’s a short letter, only four chapters; you can read the whole thing in 10 minutes.

Like most of Paul’s letters, Colossians is divided into two parts.  The first two chapters make up the first part.  They are theological and doctrinal.  The second part, which we’ll read tomorrow, begins the practical application.  And the two parts are connected: the Christian life is comprised of both right belief and right action.

The need for right belief is why Paul gives such stern warning today: “See to it that no one captivates you with an empty, seductive philosophy, according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.”

We know all too well how the world seduces Christians away from Christ and away from the Church. And that “seduction” often begins with errors, false beliefs, philosophies contrary to the teachings of the Church. The error begins in the mind and then effects the way of life.

For Paul, right doctrine and right action are inseparable. Christianity opens the mind and heart to what is truly pleasing to God, and the Christian, knowing what is good and pleasing, acts accordingly. Caritas and Veritas, love and truth are inseparable—they are the two faces of the same gift that comes from God. As Augustine said: “nothing conquers but truth, and the victory of truth is love.”

In the Gospel, we hear of the Lord’s naming of the Twelve Apostles. The Apostles and their successors, the bishops, are integral in the Lord’s plan for the Church. They are to safeguard us in the Truth. In the great diversity of peoples and nations, they, by their teaching and preaching are to labor to help us remain united to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They, like good shepherds, are to fight off the wolves and thieves that seek to steal the sheep from the flock.

So we certainly commit to assisting the bishops with our prayers and penances, and to do our part in reclaiming for Christ all those who have fallen to the empty, seductive philosophies of our day by our own preaching and living of the saving Gospel of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For Bishop Nelson Perez, and all the Bishops and Clergy, that they may lead the Church in Spirit and Truth and in faithfulness to all that Christ teaches.
For those who have strayed from the flock of Christ, for those who have fallen to the empty, seductive philosophies of the world, for their return to the life of grace.
For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, the imprisoned, the unchaste, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.