December 30 2024 - Sixth Day of Christmas - The allurement of the physical world

 During the Octave of Christmas, our first readings are taken from the first Letter of Saint John. 

In his old age, the apostle wrote to his spiritual children to guide them in growing in Christian maturity—that the life and light and “love of God might be perfected” in them.  Like his Gospel, this letter is profound, yet simple.  Mysterious, yet clear enough for a child to understand it.  

John begins his letter speaking of the Incarnation—"what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands.” By taking on our human flesh, the one born for us on Christmas was able to be heard, and seen and touched. 

God who is love, according to his loving plan for our salvation, took on the flesh, entering the material physical world. And yet, in today’s readings, John speaks of the continued dangers of the physical world—how the flesh can lead us away from God if gone unchecked. He writes, “For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.” 

Remember, John is writing to Christians because he wants Christians to know and love God. But he is honest that there are certain elements to living in the world that can hinder us.

Not everything that looks good is good for us. In fact, everything in the world has been contaminated. Everything can become an occasion for sin, if we allow our selfishness to prevail over our desires for godliness. 

The world is enticing and seductive. Love of the world keeps us from loving God. Love of the things of the world keeps us from the Christian perfection God desires for us. Thinking ourselves entitled to the things of the world is a pretension deadly to the spiritual life.

Especially as we enter into a new year, we do well to identity an object or an activity or habit or a pastime, that we need to love less, that we may love Christ more. 

To love Christ more: that is the gift God offers to each of us at Christmas. To love him more than the passing enticements of the world. And to allow that love to animate our lives, to form the way we treat others, to deepen our conviction for spreading his Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God’s loving plan and mindful of the call to draw closer to Christ, let us bring our prayers before the Lord:

That all Christians may recognize and turn away from any worldly attachments that hinder our relationship with Christ, and embrace a deeper conversion this new year.

For those who do not yet know the love of God: That through our witness and service, they may come to hear, see, and touch Christ’s presence alive in our midst.

For those struggling with illness, addiction or harmful habits: That they may find healing, support, and freedom in God’s grace, and discover the lasting peace Christ desires for them.

For the faithful departed: That through God’s mercy they may enjoy eternal rest, beholding at last the glory of the Incarnate Lord.

Loving Father, you sent your Son into the world so that we might experience the fullness of your love. Hear our prayers, and by your grace, help us cast aside anything that keeps us from you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

7th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Ordinary Christianity is Extraordinary

 

After five weeks of Lent, Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, Easter Sunday, seven weeks of Paschaltide, and Pentecost, we’ve returned to Ordinary Time.  We will observe Ordinary Time, from now until the end of the liturgical year in November.  

The major seasons of the liturgical year—Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter—bring with them extraordinary anticipation and preparations and the celebration of extraordinary events—the birth of Christ and his saving death and resurrection.

But let us not forget that in ordinary time, when we are considering the ordinary teachings of Christ throughout his public ministry—the Lord’s ordinary activity is anything but ordinary. 

Jesus Christ is God speaking to us and teaching us. And the words, lessons, and actions of his ordinary public ministry guide us to become extraordinary. The ordinary life of the Christian is extraordinary compared to the ordinary life of the world. 

The ordinary way of the world is broken and Christ offers extraordinary wholeness. The ordinary way of the world is foolish and Christ offers extraordinary wisdom. Left to its own devices, the world ordinarily sinks into chaos, man devolves into tribalism, selfish individualism, warfare over resources. But Christ offers another way—an extraordinary way—of order, unity, and peace. 

Today’s Gospel is a perfect example of the extraordinary way of Christ. The disciples are arguing about who will be first, who will be at the top of the hierarchy. They are arguing about power and status and privilege and greatness. In other words, they are thinking as ordinary human beings do—fighting over power.

But then the Lord illustrates another way—an extraordinary way—he says that true greatness involves becoming like a little child before God—true power involves becoming a servant to every one, being first means becoming last.  Becoming humble and servant-hearted will bring you wholeness, it will make you extraordinary—the sort of extraordinariness that is valued by God and truly longed for by the human heart. And everything else is a waste of time and contributes to the fallenness of the world.

As we transition back to Ordinary Time, we are reminded that the seemingly routine aspects of Jesus' teachings and ministry are profoundly transformative. Although the liturgical year features peaks of spiritual intensity and celebration, it is in the day-to-day application of Christ's teachings where the true extraordinariness of our faith is revealed. Ordinary Time offers us the space to reflect on and integrate the profound lessons of servanthood, humility, and the reversal of worldly values that Jesus espoused. 

These teachings guide us to live lives that starkly contrast with the ordinary ways of the world, providing a path to true greatness and wholeness God desires for us. As we embrace this period of Ordinary Time, let us cherish and apply these extraordinary lessons in our everyday lives, transforming our ordinary existence into an extraordinary journey towards spiritual fulfillment and unity with God for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That Christians may respond generously to the perpetual call to prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

That during this month of May, all people may turn their hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, imitating her example of Faith, Hope, and Love.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, 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 all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

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

6th Week of Easter 2022 - Tuesday - The Holy Spirit will convict the world

 Nearing the Feast of Pentecost, our Gospel readings continue to be taken from the Lord’s Farewell Discourse from John’s Gospel. In today’s passage, the Lord reveals that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world.” He will Convict. Here, the word “convict” is used in the legal sense: a criminal is convicted of a crime, meaning, his crimes are brought to light, it becomes clear that he is guilty of committing evil. So, the Holy Spirit will convict the world, bringing to light the evil in the world, the criminal errors and behaviors of the world. 

And the Lord mentions 3 particular areas in which the Holy Spirit will convict the world: in regard to sin, righteousness, and condemnation.

The Holy Spirit, through the preaching and teaching of the Church shows that the world is all wrong about sin. The world say “sin isn’t real. Right and wrong are simply subjective to the individual. What’s wrong for one person is right for another. God’s commandments are fabrications of the patriarchy for the purposes of controlling the vulnerable. It doesn’t matter what you believe in, how you act” FALSE.

Sin is real. Behaviors, decisions, choices, and attitudes contrary to the divine law are evil. And choices which are not in conformity with the goodness of God cause real harm to souls. Sin mutilates souls, darkens intellects, weakens will, deepens the attraction to graver evils. Sin begets sin. The deeper one falls into sin, the farther one falls away from God. The world is wrong about sin. 

It is also wrong about righteousness. We cannot make ourselves righteous by our own activity. For, righteousness comes from being in communion with God, allowing the life of the living God to fill one’s soul, to make choices in conformity with the Divine Will of God.  The world will always fail in its attempts to build a utopia because it divorces itself from God. There can be no secular utopia. We cannot hope to accomplish anything of lasting good value without God.

Rather, we are to “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Unless God is the builder of our lives, our families, our nations, our building is in vain. 

So the world is wrong about evil, the world is wrong about goodness, and finally it is wrong about condemnation. The world says all roads lead to heaven. This is false. All roads except the road of Jesus Christ lead to eternal condemnation. “No one comes to the Father except through me” Jesus says himself. In the end “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two.”  

As baptized members of the flock of Christ, we are sent into a hostile, unbelieving world. But unbelievers and even hostile anti-Catholics will be converted, will be attracted to the Truth when they see the truth evidenced in our lives—the truth that the life of Christ bears fruit that the world cannot produce—true lasting peace, joy, gentleness, chastity, patience—and leads to life everlasting.

You want to proof that Jesus Christ is truly God and Lord? Look at the evidence produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Look at the courage of the martyrs; look at the saints he has produced, look at their miracles, their righteousness. Look at the unity he has brought among the disparate people of the world who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at the patience and joy and understanding and knowledge he gives to ordinary people who pray.

The world is convicted by the Holy Spirit working in our lives. May we witness to the saving Gospel in every conversation and decision today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence.

God the Father bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory, may our minds be filled with the light of faith.

Through the resurrection of His Son, the Father opened for us the way to eternal life, may we be sustained today in our work with the hope of glory.

Through His risen Son, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world, may our hearts be set on fire with spiritual love.

May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free, be the salvation of all those who suffer, particularly those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction, and grief.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

31st Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Renewal of Minds and Sharing Spiritual Gifts

 Our daily readings from Romans have brought us into the final major section of Paul’s great letter. St. Paul has completed his teachings on basic Christian doctrine and has spoken of God’s plan to bring unification to humanity. Now in the last part of his letter he turns his attention to instruction on the moral considerations and consequences of the Gospel—how members of the Church are to treat each other, non-believers, and the poor.

Paul begins his instruction by setting the stage: Christians must not model their lives and their behavior on the contemporary world. For the Roman Christians, they were to avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, and the worldview of the Pagan Romans. What would be his exhortation to us? Avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, the worldview of secular society!

Rather, Paul says, renew your minds, metamorphousthe, he says in the Greek, be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Put on the mind of Christ in all things, study the faith, meditate on the word of God day and night, that you can know what is good, and pleasing to God. Wonderful advice. To the extent of their intellectual ability, every Christian should seek to understand the faith. You are never to old to renew your minds.

Okay, then Paul gets to the exhortations we find today. Rather than conforming yourself to the world, having put on the mind of Christ, Paul explains how God wants communities of Christians to discern and share and make use of their spiritual gifts. The gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, acts of mercy are to be discerned, developed, and shared.

What are these gifts? Ministry is the gift of practical service to others, particularly to widows, orphans, and the elderly. Teaching helps believers and non-believers to understand the faith with clarity. Exhortation encourages others and motivates them to live the gospel with heroic fidelity. Generosity prompts persons to make give liberally of their financial resources to assist the needy and to advance the mission of the church. Community leadership orchestrates the gifts of the community, perhaps helping other discover their gifts. Mercy is reaching out to the hungry, sick, dying, imprisoned and so forth.

We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our parish, to protect us from the errors of the world, to teach us what is good and pleasing to God, and to help us discern, develop and share our spiritual gifts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That God’s manifold gifts may be evident in our Diocese and in our parish.

That our parishioners may be kept safe from the errors of the world and be transformed by the renewal of their minds and hearts through the Gospel.

That during this National Vocations Awareness Week our young people may respond generously to the call of the Lord to serve the Church.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

34th Week in OT 2018 - Thursday - Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons For John’s original audience there would have been no doubt that Babylon—the harlot city in his apocalyptic vision—was Rome, “the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

We have to remember that St. John is not talking about the Rome of Saint Peter’s Basilica or the Roman Catholic Church, as some Protestants claim, but the Rome where Saint Peter was put to death, the Rome which led a persecution of God’s faithful ones. Rome is also symbolic of every earthly dominion or earthly leader, value, or attitude, which puts itself in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.

Not everything about ancient Rome was bad, just like not everything in our own secular culture is bad.  You can hear John’s admiration for what could have been: Rome’s art, her rule of law, her music.  But Rome had fallen into decadence, perversion and vice, violence and error and seemed closed to the true Faith of Christ.

Rome, saw itself as the mother of a new culture, and seeing her values and mores spread throughout the known world, was called the “Eternal City”. Revelation, depicts Rome, in a much different way. Not as a mother filled with faith, hope, and love, but as a prostitute, filled with error, demons, and uncleanliness. Not as an Eternal City, but a city destined for destruction because of its hostility toward God.

Rome was called Babylon in reference to the tower of Babel from the book of Genesis, whose builders sought to build it as a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and by doing so sought to make a name for themselves, to have their fame spread throughout the earth.  So, Babylon is a fitting nickname for any culture which set itself at odds with God’s plans for humanity! In the Gospel, Jesus even says Jerusalem will be destroyed for its opposition.

On this side of eternity, there will always be a Babylon trying to make a name for itself, setting itself at odds with God’s plan, spreading its vile morality.  As the liturgical year comes to a close, here is another reminder for Christians to be in the world, but not of the world.  The values of the modern day Babylon must not be adopted by Christians, lest they share in her destiny.

Today is the first day of the Immaculate Conception Novena. I encourage you to pray this Novena, for what better model of keeping oneself free from the stains of the world, than the Immaculate Virgin whose faith and humble submission to the Divine Will is a model for all Christians. Like her, may we be found worthy members of the heavenly city, this day, and forever, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112918.cfm

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Perez, and all ordained ministers, that their ministry may be effective in leading the Church in Christian faith, hope, and charity.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

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.

Holy Week 2018 - Monday - Charity in the house of Bethany

The Gospel presents two very different attitudes towards Jesus: symbolized by Mary, Martha and Lazarus on one hand, and Judas Isacriot on the other.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus recline with Jesus, serve Him and anoint Him. Lazarus is gratefully aware that Jesus had raised him from the dead and wants to share that joy with others as he invites everyone to a banquet in his home to meet Jesus. Mary lavishly shows her love and affection for Jesus by anointing his holy feet with expensive perfumed oil and drying his feet with her hair.

But not Judas. Judas snickers, Judas sneers, Judas mocks. Judas wants to get rid of Jesus.

The Church is to embody the spirit of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary: serving Jesus, bringing people closer to Jesus that they may share with him in the banquet of life, lavishly pouring out our very best, our very selves to honor and love Jesus.

And very often, the world is like Judas Iscariot. Sneering and snickering at the Church, mocking the Church, trying to turn people away from the Church’s lavish worship of the Lord.

But we must not be embarrassed in our lavish worship of Him, we must not hold back from lavishly serving him, and we must not be hesitant in inviting those who hunger for his goodness, his truth, and his beauty, to the table of the Lord.

What seems like an incredible waste of time and money to the world—our service, our worship, our efforts, is an expression of our immense gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, the blessings he bestows upon us, and the immensity of what he suffers for us, which we meditate upon later this week.

Each of us does well today to reflect upon how we can show our gratitude to the Lord, how we can serve the Lord, and how we can bring others to know the Lord, even perhaps to soften the hearts of the Judases of the world, for the glory of God and 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.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

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.

Homily: Tuesday - 5th Week of Lent 2017 - The most important choice

In the Gospel, we have a continuation of the scene from yesterday, where Pharisees brought to Jesus the woman caught in adultery. After offering God’s mercy to the adulterous woman, one might think to ask, who is this guy? Who does he think he is? As the scribes proclaim in Mark’s Gospel, “Who alone but God can forgive sins”.

Well, Jesus identifies himself today. Twice he calls himself, “I AM”. “I AM” was of course the name of God given to moses at the burning bush. Moses asked, who is this sending me on this mission to deliver the Israelite slaves? And the Lord said, tell them, “I AM sent you.”
Jesus identifies himself today as, “I AM” come to do the saving himself, salvation which could only come through Him.

“For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." This is a choice the Jesus poses to every human soul in every generation. To believe in Him or not. To follow Him or to follow the world.

As Christians, we have been given the gift of faith to know that Jesus Christ is God and our only savior, and yet, we still struggle between these two attractions. The world is seductive. It offers immediate gratification: the saucy television show, internet sight, the juicy piece of gossip. The way the world is set up one is often rewarded for walking in the ways of selfishness.

. It’s hard to be in the world, but not of the world. Likely, this is why we find Lenten fasting so difficult: we like our worldly attachments. And in the age of social media, there are some social pressures not to appear to be “too Christian”—to not be “one of those Christians”. Many young parents struggle with this choice: bring their kids to sports practice or to church? We have a lot of parents who want to raise the next Lebron James instead of raising the next Saint James.

Each of us struggle in our own way with this duplicity. Many Christians go to the grave without ever really seeking to put God first, without really living the consecration of baptism, to put faith first, to make the choice of God or the world.

To be Christian is radical choice, it is to go down to the root of our being. If we truly believe that he is God, then we have to dedicate ourselves to Him—not simply in occasional thoughts in our moments of religious fervor, but in a concrete decision to follow him always, which puts us in contradiction with the ways of the world.

May we have the faith and strength and perseverance to make that choice day after day, moment to moment, for it is the choice that brings true life and brings it to abundance for the glory of God and salvation.
 
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That the Church will experience the graces of profound renewal during this season of Lent.  That we may grow in our eagerness in spreading the Gospel of Christ.

That all Christian families will recommit themselves to putting Christ at the center of their family life, so as to grow in faith, hope, and love.  We pray to the Lord.

For an end to abortion and for the reverence and protection of human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the young people of our Church. May they be strengthened to be witnesses to the Gospel of mercy and work for a future that embodies a genuine culture of life.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  We pray to the Lord.