13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Die to sin and live for God

 For a few Sundays now, following Corpus Christi Sunday, the priest has been wearing the liturgical color, green. We’ve really had the whole spectrum these past few months; we’ve had the purple of Lent, rose on Laetare Sunday, the white of Easter, the Red of Pentecost. I wore gold on the feast of the Sacred Heart, black for funerals. And now back to liturgical green. 

I’ve always been partial to green. For one, it was the color of my first car, a hunter green 1992 firebird. But, green is also the color of my childhood: I grew up running through the green forests and fields of my hometown of Madison, which is much more rural than here in the city. Also, in high school and college, during the summers I would work in the nurseries, taking clippings from the different plants, grafting branches. Two whole summers, for 8 hours a day, I simply watered plants and trees. So I associate that color green with new life. And liturgically, too, green is the color of new life, not simply of plants and trees, but the new life and growth which is to occur in our souls during Ordinary time (this season after Pentecost.) 

In fact, though we Roman Catholics wear red on Pentecost, some Eastern Catholics and Orthodox wear green on Pentecost—to symbolize the new life the Holy Spirit brings to the Church and to the Christian soul. 

Spiritual growth is one of the foci of Ordinary Time. In the spiritual life we are either growing or rotting, there is no in between. We are either growing toward God or falling away. We are either growing in our prayer life or diminishing, growing in self-sacrifice or tending toward selfishness, becoming more patient or less patient, increasing in virtue or becoming hardened in vice. 

The Green of Ordinary Time is a reminder that God wants growth for his children, constant growth. He wants us always learning, always developing, always increasing in grace, always producing spiritual fruit, maturing spiritually, improving in the use of the many gifts he gives us. 

And in our Second Reading this weekend St Paul provides us with two important laws of spiritual growth.

The first law of spiritual growth is that we must die to sin: “You too must think of yourselves as dead to sin,” St. Paul says.

Christians must seek to eradicate sin from our lives. Sin is poison to the soul. Becoming dead to sin means rooting out the tendrils of selfishness which choke out the life of God in us. We all have self-centered, selfish, immoral tendencies, and they must be brought under control. 

Flirting with sin, making little compromises with the commandments, or simply giving up and giving in to sinful inclinations and habits, these things suffocate the life of Christ in our souls, families, and parish. And instead of living with interior peace, joy, meaning, wisdom, and courage, sin deprives us of these things. 

Now, dying to sin is hard - because temptation is tempting. But God is on our side. The heart of Jesus burns with ardent desire to purify us from our sins. And if we pray for his help to overcome sins, he will give it to us!

There is a story of from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The great saint was being overwhelmed with temptations to break his vow of chastity. He would pray, but the temptations just got worse. He knew something had to be done to wake himself out of this cycle of temptation. So on a particularly cold winter’s day, he stripped down naked and threw himself into a ditch full of snow. It was a shock to his system, and it was a way of showing the devil that he is willing to suffer in order to remain faithful to God.

Sometimes we only think of St. Francis as having this unique relationship with animals. But, the man was serious about uprooting sin from his life. Uprooting sin is pleasing to God. 

Of course, Our Blessed Lord is merciful to the most hardened sinner who repents, but he also calls us to purity, chastity, moral fortitude, obedience to the commandments. So, if there is a particular sin which keeps lingering, we do well to make frequent use of the sacrament of confession, and to practice some mortification, some fasting, some act of self-sacrifice to put those temptations in their place. Effort will be rewarded by God. 

So St. Paul tells us, firstly, we must die to sin. The second law, he says, is that we must live for God. Paul writes, “you too must think of yourselves… as living for God in Christ Jesus.”

Dying to sin, bridling our self-centered tendencies, is necessary for spiritual growth, but it is not enough. We also need to do something for God. We must live for God. Our daily life must be marked by godliness. We are to engage in works of Charity, such as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Faith without works, after all, is dead. And honestly, when you engage in authentic charity, sin loosens its grasp. 

Two groups in particular here at St. Ignatius focus on those works. The Legion of Mary which focuses on the Spiritual Works, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which focuses on the corporal works. If you are having a difficult time finding opportunities to engage in the corporal and spiritual works consider joining one of those two groups, or the garden club, or the share-a-meal on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, or the food pantry on 2nd Tuesdays. Or if there is some other work that you’d like to around here, please let me know. 

The saints give us countless examples of what living for God looks like. July 1 is the feast of St. Junipero Serra. 

During the time when our founding Fathers were fighting for our nation’s independence, the Franciscan Priest Father Junipero Serra was traveling up the coast of present-day California, establishing missions, laboring for the spread of the Gospel.  Father Junipero was originally a university professor in Spain and a very learned man. But he detected the Holy Spirit urging him to grow. Sometimes, spiritual growth means giving up something good for something better. So he gave up his university career to come to California to teach the Native Americans about the Lord Jesus. And mind you, this was a time in our history when the civil authorities were violating the humanity and rights of the indigenous people. And Padre Serra stood up for these people, helped them to improve their spiritual and material well-being, while boldly fighting against their mistreatment.

St. Junipero Serra is now celebrated as one of the great patron Saints for vocation promotion because not only did he spread the Gospel among the native americans, he was also successful in cultivating priestly and religious vocations among them.  There is even an international group for the promotion and support of vocations called Serra International who have a chapter here in Cleveland and meet regularly to pray for vocations. If you’d like information on this group, let me know. 

When his body was exhumed for the purpose of the canonization, it was shown that Fr. Serra had cancer of the legs. Those journeys up and down the coast of California must have been grueling for him. Yet, he did so, out of love for God’s people, fueled by zeal for souls. 

We might not be called to travel halfway across the globe to engage in missionary work, but each of us are called to help others know Christ, likely at the cost of some suffering on our part, to die to sin and to live, not just for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again for us. This week, perhaps every day, ask the Lord what is the growth you want for me today, what is the work you have for me today, what are the sins you are calling me to die to today, who am I to share your goodness with today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Active in Bringing Christ to the World

On Saturday I had the great honor of presiding over the diocesan celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Legion of Mary down at the Cathedral. We celebrated Mass and processed with the Eucharist throughout downtown.

For those of you not familiar with the purpose of the Legion of Mary, it is a lay apostolate founded by a Mr. Frank Duff in 1921 in Dublin Ireland. Members engage in works such as door-to-door evangelization, visitation of shut-ins and the homebound, prison ministry, distribution of Catholic literature and sacramentals in parishes and county fairs, encouraging fallen away Catholics to return to the Sacraments, driving the homebound to Mass and parish events, leading rosaries with the grieving at funeral parlors and cemeteries, organizing novenas. 

At my home parish, Legion of Mary members visited by grandmother as she lay dying, praying the rosary with her, and bringing her much consolation.

During COVID, Legionaries adapted to the difficult situation by hosting Virtual Events, continued contact with the sick and isolated, writing letters and sending cards. Auxiliary members, not able to engage in the active work, support the apostolate through their daily prayers and penances.

I recommend joining in this wonderful group of apostolic work which looks to the holy example and intercession and guidance of Our Lady for spreading the reign of Christ through Mary.

I bring up the Legion of Mary, not just because the events downtown today, but because they are a wonderful example of some of the lessons from our Scripture readings this weekend.

In the first reading, we hear of God telling Isaiah to proclaim to those whose hearts are frightened:  Be strong, fear not!

A lot of those works of the Legion—visiting the imprisoned, encouraging the fallen away to return to the Sacraments, praying with the dying, these are thing that intimidate many people. I remember in seminary the first time visiting the Cuyahoga county jail, it’s scary. Walking into the room of a dying person, brings you face to face with death. And so Isaiah, in a sense, is speaking to all of us facing fear, especially when doing the work of God—the works of charity. We are not to be afraid of doing good, good works, going to those intimidating place to bring God’s presence there.

The nice things about belonging to a group like the Legion of Mary, intentionally created for these works, is that having fellow legionaries at your side engaging in these intimidating activities, can embolden you. Again, this is why I encourage membership in this group, because membership can help you have the courage to do things you wouldn’t normally do on your own. The Lord sent his disciples out two by two, because doing these things alone can be intimidating, and so part of being a member of the Church is knowing that there are people who support you, you will walk with you into the darkness, so to speak, in order to bring the light of God. 

After telling them not to be afraid, Isaiah announces to the people that God is drawing near, God is going to be with His people in a way that he never was before, and that is source of our courage. When was I most afraid in my ministry? In my first assignment, I got a phone call, that a young boy had drowned in the swimming pool of his aunt and uncle. A terrible thing, only 3 or 4 years old. And I was asked to be there, as the parents were going to see their dead child for the first time. 

I wanted to run away, but I recalled that this was one of the reasons I had been ordained, to be at the side of the grieving. There was going to be terrible terrible grief in that hospital room, and I knew that I had to overcome my fear, and recall that I needed to bring Jesus into that room. If just by the presence of priest, standing quietly, offering words and prayers of consolation. It was fearful, but those times when the Lord had come close to me, in the confessional, forgiving my sins, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, in my ordination, I knew that he was giving me the courage I needed for ministry.

Isaiah foretells of the time when God will open the eyes of the blind, and clear the ears of the deaf enable the lame to leap and the mute to speak. And that time is now. God accomplishes these things through the Church.

The eyes of the blind are opened when Christians help non-believers are the lukewarm to understand the truths of our faith. The ears of the deaf are cleared when Christians patiently explain our faith to those who are resistant to the Gospel, who have stuffed the errors of the world into their ears.

The lame are able to leap when we help sinners develop virtue in their lives, but also when we help those crippled by grief and addiction and depression and unemployment, to get on their feat again. The mute are given the gift of speech, when Christian parents and catechists teach young people, the next generation of Christians, to boldly proclaim and explain the faith out in the world. 

One of the things I love about the Legion of Mary, is that its members recognize that the amazing works that they are called to engage in are only possible when there is a vibrant interior life and love and devotion of the Blessed Virgin. You want the courage to be the healing hands of Christ, you best draw near to Him and His mother in prayer. And Legion of Mary members know that when you are consecrated to Our Lady, when she is your mother, when you have recourse to her in all your works, she will help you do the works of her Son like no one else.

And that true for all Christians. Our Lady wants to help each of us spread the reign of her Son. She wants to draw Christians together in small groups like the Legion, or small groups of Christian families, or groups of widows, mothers, or small groups of men, to help us discern and make us of those diverse and varying gifts, to work together for the building up of the kingdom and spread of the Gospel in our neighborhood and families.

The Church surely isn’t built up, nor is the Gospel spread, by us doing nothing. 

In a few moments, the Lord will fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah in yet another way. He will become present under what appears to be simple bread and wine, but underneath those appearances will be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who comes to do all those things Isaiah promised he would do. 

He comes to us to heal our blindness to his goodness, our deafness to his word, our lameness to walking in virtue, and our muteness in preaching the Gospel. He comes once again to declare Ephphatha to each of us, that we may be opened once again to his divine life in our souls, in order to carry his presence out into the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

November 17 2020 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Patron Saint of Third Order Franciscans

 

Elizabeth was born in the year 1207, right about the time St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscans.

She was the daughter of Andrew II, King of Hungary, and was very devout from a young age.  She would often give away her possessions to the poor and sick, and had a special love for lepers. 

She was placed in an arranged marriage, and, as providence would have it, she was married to another devout soul: Louis, the Landgrave of Thuringia. Her husband encouraged her in the works of charity and they were said to have had an “unusually happy marriage”.  

St. Elizabeth, as part of her charitable works, built a hospital next to their castle, and, would personally tend to the sick and the poor, feeding over 900 people daily.  

Sadly, her husband died on his way to fight in the crusades, and Louis’ brothers, rose up against her, and drove her out of the castle.  She was forced to flee with her 4 children, one of those children being only 2 months old.  She was cast out, like the Holy Family, she could find no place to enter, for people were afraid to take her in out of fear of her husband’s brothers.  Like the Holy family she was granted asylum in a stable.  

The amazing thing, she didn’t complain, she didn’t curse God, she saw this as a sign of God’s favor, and she gave thanks to God for permitting her a share in the savior’s cross and be conformed to the Holy Family.  She continued to work odd jobs, spinning garments and selling them.  She was allowed to come back to the castle under the new emperor, and even built a second hospital.

She died at the age of 24.  Yet, because of the great number of miracles at her grave, Pope Gregory canonized her, only four years after her death. She is invoked as patron saint of third order Franciscans. 

Here was a holy woman, more concerned about the nobility of her soul, than her noble status in the world—more concerned with clothing her soul with virtue, than with the fine garments of a queen—a holy, virtuous woman, industrious in doing good works.  

Because her eyes were set on heaven, when she met the cross, she did not despair; rather, she saw the sufferings of her life as an opportunity to conform herself to Our Lord.  So let us follow in Elizabeth’s footsteps, in performing many good works and accepting all of the trials that God deigns to send us, and learn to accept the cross with gratitude that we may partake in the cross of His son, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our consecrated religious, particularly those under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may they be strengthened and supported in their witness to Christ’s saving Gospel.

That families experiencing division may know the peace and reconciliation that comes from Christ.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, or for those who will die today: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor and consolation.  

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

O God, you 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.