Labor Day 2020 - Labor and Human Fulfillment

For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

Likely, not many of our contemporaries will be focusing on the spiritual meaning of work today, they simply see today’s civic holiday as a celebration of not having to work.  

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  Laborem Exercens is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times—teaching that touches upon the Catholics involvement in society, and what makes a just society which reflects the values of heaven.

John Paul wrote that Human work is a fundamental dimension of man’s existence on earth.  In the very first words of the book of Genesis, our Creator tells man to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”  Through work, we earn our daily bread, and are able to provide for ourselves and our loved ones.  

Work is not merely a necessary evil. St. John Paul said, “Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes "more a human being".” So, not only does work transform the world out there…it transforms the soul in here. 

The saintly Pope recognizes though that that without God man loses his way, work becomes disordered. Without God we begin to misuse the things of earth, abuse his fellow man. This evil causes us to be less human, sin dehumanizes us.  But when our priorities are straight, when we are in right relationship with God, our work  glorifies God, and we regain and develop our authentic selves—we become more human.

Becoming more human requires work.  Being human, being good to each other, being virtuous, building a just society, fulfilling our religious obligations to God requires work.  

Eight years ago on Labor Day weekend I had the great honor of celebrating the Wedding of my little sister.  The day before the wedding, a parishioner came into the office and said,  “Father, you look happy,” she said.  “Well, I should be,” I said, “tomorrow I get to celebrate the wedding of my beautiful and dear sister Ashley.”

“That’s wonderful, Father,“ she said.  “My husband and I got married 46 years ago on Labor Day weekend, too!  And that’s what it’s been, Father.  46 years of Hard Labor!  But Father, I love him more today, than on the day I married him”

I told that little story at my sister’s wedding, and tried to emphasize that important lesson: that holy, healthy, happy marriage takes work—it’s a real effort—a labor of love. And so is society. And so is the Church. And so is our eternal soul. A labor of love that requires work, effort.

Perhaps, we do well today to recognize some areas in our life where we have grown slothful, where have I failed to labor for the good of my soul, the good of my fellow man, my family.

May this Labor Day be a time of rest for workers, but also a time of reflection, that workers can ensure that their priorities are in check, that they are serving God rather than themselves, that they are setting good Christian example to their fellow workers in their speech and in their deeds.  May all of our workers be strengthened in Spirit this day, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls. +++

That all Christians will work together in harmony for the building up of the Church and the spread of the Gospel

That our young people, especially those at risk of disengaging from society, may come to discover the fulfillment found in work and self-sacrifice.

For the unemployed and underemployed, and that all who work may receive a just reward for their labors.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, those who have supported us by their work, those who fought and died for our freedom, for all of the souls in purgatory and for X, for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, you created us in your divine image, hear our prayers, and grant us the help we need to work always for your Holy Will, through Christ Our Lord.  

23rd Sunday in OT 2020 - Intervention & Fraternal Correction

 

A few years ago, a television show premiered on the Arts&Entertainment network called “Intervention”. I haven’t seen it in a while, but I guess the show is in its 21st season.  The show follows one or two participants who are abusing or severely addicted to drugs or alcohol. Relatives and friends of the addict are interviewed, who detail the effects the addiction has had on the family—the sadness, the grief, the lies that often accompany addiction. And they share their concern for the harm the addict is doing to themselves and the family.

A trained intervention specialist then prepares the family for staging an intervention, in which the family and friends gently confront the addict about their addiction. At the intervention, the addict is given a choice: enter a rehabilitation program or risk losing contact and financial assistance from their relatives. From what I’ve read, the show has had tremendous success in getting help for addicts and their families. 

I’ve had some personal experience with intervention: In seminary, I volunteered at a drug and alcohol treatment facility for teenagers, and I would participate in group family counseling sessions, in which parents and relatives would gather, in a very gentle setting. And they would share with their teenager how the addiction has brought harm to the them and the family life. 

Most priests are not trained intervention specialists or drug counselors, but for families facing these issues, the Church can help connect your family with those with this expertise. 

This method of loving confrontation is biblical. As we heard today, If your brother falls into sin, try to help them, confront them. If they don’t listen to you, bring another with you. A family effort is often needed in helping someone who has fallen into addiction, sin, or unhealthy behavior. Notice, the Lord doesn’t say, embarrass the sinner by bringing up their faults in public. That’s not ever one of the steps, is it? Rather, correction is done in private. Calmly, rationally. Not out of revenge, but concern.

It’s interesting to note that the Lord’s teaching on intervention follows his parable of the lost sheep, in which the Lord speaks of the love his heavenly Father has for those who have strayed into sin and error. Jesus, the Son, is sent by the Father to seek out the lost sheep. 

As members of the body of Christ on Earth, the Lord continues this effort of seeking lost sheep through us. One of the ways God seeks out and saves his lost sheep, is through us: through family members who lovingly and gently confront those who struggle with addiction to drugs, gambling, pornography, internet shopping, video games, parents who act as watchmen over their children, as we heard in the prophet Ezekiel today. If a family member stops going to Church, ignores Church teaching, blasphemes in public, we have a duty to gently correct them, especially parents toward their children.

Of course, the point of correcting fellow Christians when they fall into sin isn’t to prove that we are holier than they are. The point is concern for their souls, and helping them to be the people God made them to be. 

God loves lost sheep, which is why he sends us out. God loves addicts. Many people I’ve known who have struggled with addiction have great intellectual gifts, have tremendously large hearts. And sometimes they turn to addiction because they feel emotions like grief so deeply they turn to other mind-altering substances to numb their pain. Though they act in unlovable ways, the addict is a child of God, loved by God.

Intervention and fraternal correction aims to help people who sometimes become incapable of helping themselves, who have fallen into a cycle of hurting themselves and their families, who have started making self-destructive choices. Part of being pro-life, is to help people when they are making anti-life decisions, choices that are destructive to their eternal life, their spiritual life, emotional life, physical life, or family life.

In the Reading from Romans today, St. Paul teaches that all the 10 commandments, don’t commit adultery, don’t break the sabbath day, don’t commit murder, don’t steal or covet, can all be summed-up by the command: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Fraternal correction, confronting the sinner, the addict, is done out of love. Parents correcting their children when they act selfishly, gently correcting your spouse when they act selfishly is done out of love. Helping someone to be the person God made them to be, to walk righteously in the Law of the Lord, is an act of love.

It takes a lot of courage, doesn’t it, to confront someone. It’s easier to ignore it, minimize it, or justify it. And to confront someone personally, is hard. It’s easier to go over their heads, or to complain on the internet, even to join a mob and protest and riot. But to calmly and rationally bring your concerns to another. It’s hard. 

Not to mention how important it is to ensure that we aren’t just complaining about behavior we don’t like. Engaging you fraternal correction, you better have your facts straight, you better think before you speak, you better be rooted in the truth of the Gospel, thinking not as the world thinks, but with the mind of Christ. You better not be reacting out of a bruised ego, but out of patience and love. That’s hard! This isn’t an easy Gospel. 

One of the reasons it is important to take up this difficult task is because we would want someone to help us, if we fell in to sin. It’s easier to fall into some of these sins and addictions that require outside intervention than we’d like to readily admit. But if it was me whose life was on a downward spiral of self-destruction, if it was me choosing a lifestyle contrary to the Gospel, I hope I’d have people in my life who loved me enough to see the truth about my actions or false beliefs. 

“Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” That includes openness to being corrected if it is for the good of my soul or my family or the Church. The Christian must always be open to correction, to change, to confronting difficult truths about our own habits or personal choices. 

May each of us be humble enough to receive the correction we need to grow in holiness, to help others become the people God made them to be, to live in the freedom of the children of God and receive an everlasting inheritance in heaven for the Glory of God and salvation of souls. 

 

Legion of Mary Eucharistic Procession 2020 - Worship, Imitation, Evangelization

The Legion of Mary Handbook states that “The Eucharist is the center and source of grace: therefore, it must be the very keystone of the legionary scheme. The most ardent activity will accomplish nothing of value if it forgets for a moment that its main object is to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts."

Let us consider this. That the main objective of the Legion of Mary, says our founder Frank Duff, is to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts. This is the reason we are here today. This is the reason for all those meetings, week after week, year after year, all that coordination of Legionary Activity, all the good works and the prayers: to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts.

It’s why we process today, we take to the streets. Not to fulfill some political agenda. Not to signal our own virtue. Certainly not because there is some earthly reward for doing so. Not even to vent our frustrations with the failures of earthly leaders to bring about peace and justice in our time.

Rather, we process as a witness to the world and maybe even a reminder to our fellow Catholics, that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Virgin Mary, is true God, and that he wishes to establish his Eucharistic reign in the hearts of all peoples, in every place, in every time. His reign is established when we worship him rightly, reverently and devoutly, when we imitate him generously, and when we share our faith, hope, and love of Him with others. 

And these are certainly three dimensions of a Eucharistic Procession: worship, imitation, evangelization. A Eucharistic procession is an act of worship. By it, we seek to honor God and to extend the thanksgiving and glory we give to God at the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass out in the world. Our processing is a prayer, an act of worship.

Secondly, A procession is an act of imitation. As we walk through the streets of Cleveland today, we perhaps think of the Lord walking from town to town preaching the Gospel throughout Judaea and Galilee, walking the streets of Jerusalem, carrying his cross in the hot sun, parched and bleeding, on his way to offer the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary. We too imitate our Lady who presented Christ her Son to the world. Over and over we see in sacred statues and images, Our Lady holding the Christ Child aloft, presenting the Christ child, inviting souls to believe in him and love him. So, we imitate, too then, Our Lady, when we process the Eucharist, presenting him to the world to believe in him and to love him. Perhaps as we process, she will whisper to hearts, as she did at the wedding feast of Cana. “Do whatever he tells you”. 

And finally, a procession is in act of evangelization—a way of inviting others to Faith. How strange we will likely appear to unbelievers believers. Singing our hymns, carrying enshrined in gold, what looks to the world as a piece of bread. Why do they do this strange thing, they might ask. And that can be the beginning of God’s truth breaking into their lives.

In a time of political division and domestic chaos, we process to spread the Goodness, that there is a way to peace the world has not considered: a way not rooted in violence or political activism or the spreading around of wealth. The way to happiness the way to peace the way to eternal life is through union with God through Jesus Christ. 

Particularly through the Eucharistic reign of Christ. St. Mother Theresa, whose feast is today teaches that "The cure for all the ills in the Church and human society is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." The peace that protesters crave is found in him. The truth craved by the philosophers is found in him. The justice desired by those who work for the oppressed is found in him. The wholeness the broken so long for is found in him.

So, like our Lady, let us lift him aloft for all the world to see today. For to be to be true servants and children of Mary, is to bring souls to the Eucharist and bring the Eucharist to souls, to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

September 2020 - First Friday Holy Hour - The wedding Feast and Eucharistic Adoration

Weddings are a recurring theme in the Gospel. The Lord’s first miracle recorded in the Gospel of John takes place at a wedding—the wedding at Cana—where the Lord transforms water into an abundance of wine. And, as we heard in this evening, the Lord compares his ministry—his dining with tax collectors and sinners—to a wedding feast. He is the bridegroom—and can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

The Lord’s original audience would no doubt have picked up on the messianic undertones of the all of this wedding language. The age of the Messiah, the long awaited for final stage of human history, when the Lord’s Messiah would usher in the definitive kingdom of God—is scripturally linked to the wedding feast. Through the work of the Messiah, the Lord God would provide for his people rich food and choice new wines—juicy rich food and pure choice wines.

So, the Gospel reading certainly helped the early church understand their place in history. This is the age of fasting. In the words of the Lord, “the bridegroom has been taken away”—he has ascended to the Father’s right hand. And so, we fast and do penance and prepare our souls for the bridegroom’s return. We are to be like those wise virgins who await the bridegroom with lighted lamps, waiting to be welcomed in the wedding feast. 

And yet, at the same time, the bridegroom is already here, isn’t he? We are already fed with the rich food and choice wine, of the Eucharist. At holy Mass. This is why the Church fathers speak of the Mass as a foretaste of heaven. Already we sit at the banquet table of the lamb. Already we are fed with the rich food from heaven—the Eucharist. And already we are able to mystically experience and celebrate the joining of the bridegroom to his bride—the Church—when we participate at Mass.

And when we come to Holy Hour, and adore the Blessed Sacrament—we are able to glimpse the Bridegroom—with joyful anticipation—like the Bride in the Song of Songs—who rejoices at the sight of her lover right standing at her window. “Here he stands behind the wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks; he says to me, Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!” The bridegroom of the Song of Songs says, “the flames of true devotion are a blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away.”

This night, we gaze upon the bridegroom. May he set our hearts afire with the flames of true devotion—flames that cannot be drowned by worldliness or selfishness or the floods of worldly anxiety. We kneel, and adore, and await his return where he will arrive, not simply under sacramental signs—but in the fullness of his glory…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

22nd Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Inviting Souls to the Feast

Already having gained a number of disciples early on in his public ministry, the Lord attended a dinner in the house of Levi, also known as St. Matthew, a tax collector. And while at dinner in the house of Levi, some Pharisees and scribes begin to murmur about Jesus’ unconventional behavior—of dining with tax collectors and sinners. The word St. Luke uses to describe the Pharisees’ murmuring is the same word found in the book of Numbers, when the rebellious Israelites murmur and complain about the leadership of Moses out in the desert. 

When the Scribes and Pharisees then question the Lord, Jesus compares what he is doing in the house of Levi, and in his ministry, to a wedding feast. The Scribes and Pharisees, quite versed in the traditions of Israel, would no doubt have picked up on the messianic undertones of the Lord’s comparison. The age of the Messiah, the long awaited for final stage of human history, when the Lord’s Messiah would usher in the definitive kingdom of God—is scripturally linked to the wedding feast. And this allusion would not be missed by the Scribes and Pharisees. They would not have missed, that this unconventional itinerant preacher essentially just claimed to be the Messiah.

They would also not have missed the point of his analogy of putting new wine into old wineskins. New wine was also a Messianic image. Through the work of the Messiah, the Lord God would provide for his people rich food and choice new wines—juicy rich food and pure choice wines. 

We are in this final stage of human history. We are in the end times, when the most important thing we can do, is put our faith in Jesus Christ—this is the work of the Church, the task of every Christian—to invite souls to the wedding feast—to invite souls to Faith in Christ.

Some of the scribes and Pharisees would accept this invitation—many would not. And the same will happen in our age. Some will believe, and some will not. But we must be faithful, faithful stewards of the mysteries of God, as Paul writes in our first reading today. We will be judged, St. Paul says, on how faithful we are to this task. 

So may we fulfill this task joyfully, with great conviction in the promises of Christ, looking for ways and opportunities to bring Christ to those we meet and to bring those we meet to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christians may take up the task of evangelization with renewed conviction, with generosity and creativity, to spread the saving Gospel of Christ.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government and educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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.

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.

22nd Week in OT 2020 - Wedneday - Welcoming Jesus into your home

Yesterday, we heard how the first thing Jesus does upon coming to Capernaum for the first time, in that first stage of his public ministry, he goes to a synagogue and casts out a demon. And so I reflected upon how the Lord desires to use us for that same purpose, of praying for those we come across throughout the day, praying for their deliverance of any demons or any evil they might be wrestling with in their lives. Also, I spoke of the need to place blessed and holy objects in your own home, to protect it from evil—holy objects, like crucifixes and images of our lady, to remind you to avoid evil. 

Today, we hear how after casting out the demon, the Lord makes his way to the home of St. Peter’s mother in law. Jesus enters a home—he enters many homes throughout his ministry. Again, one of the reason it is good to have those holy images and objects in our homes, is to have those constant reminders that we need to welcome Jesus into our homes. His presence should be felt there, by those who visit, in the way that we act and the way that we speak in our homes. 

When the Lord enters the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, he immediately brings healing and peace. So, too, when the Lord is a resident in our home through faith, the home is transformed. Constant arguments between family members, homes devoid of family prayer, are sure signs that Jesus needs to be welcomed more deeply into the home. For a Christian home is to be a refuge from the chaos and evil out in the world. 

The Lord later speaks of the home built upon the solid rock foundations of his teaching—it is able to withstand the winds of chaos and the calamities. 

Jesus would use the home of St. Peter’s mother-in-law as his headquarters, no doubt planning his ministry, his sermons, his visits. So too, the holy Christian home becomes a center for evangelization, where the members of the family plan together how they, as a family, will spread the word of God out in the world. They will pray together, study God’s word together, in order to be guided, inspired, and emboldened. 

The Lord stands at the door and knocks at the doors of many homes, but many in our culture, many swept up in worldliness, refuse him entry. So let us make homes for him and invite others to do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That Christian families may pray together, study the word of God together, and encourage one another to grow in virtue and holiness. 

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government and educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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.

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.

22nd Week in OT 2020 - Tuesday - Driving out Demons

 After the attempt on his life in his home town of Nazareth, the Lord commences his public ministry and enters the town which will be his headquarters for the next three years, Capernaum. And what’s the first thing he does when he arrives? He drives out a demon. 

Whenever a Catholic comes to a new place, they should do the same. When moving into a new home, one should summon the parish priest to bless it. You don’t know what was going on in that home before you lived there. It’s not likely the place was used for holy purposes. Catholics who travel a lot should bring holy water with them, so that they can bless their hotel rooms. I can guarantee those places were not used for holy purposes. 

Holy water, exorcized salt, blessed crucifixes and images of Our Lady, these help to reclaim territory for Christ, territory in which the demons may have had free reign, who have entered into that place through the sins of previous occupants, who may even have been welcomed in through occult practices or open defiance to the teachings of Christ.

The sacramentals, the blessed objects, not only do they drive away the darkness in a place, but they keep us focused on our identity and mission as Catholics. When we are in a room with a blessed crucifix, we do better at watching what we say, as we should. You should put an image of Our Lady near your television or computer screen, so that she can watch you, to make sure you aren’t watching what you shouldn’t. These objects should not just be decoration, but we should look at them with devotion, renewing our faith when we glimpse them.

These objects, too, placed in the various rooms of your home will help visitors know that they are in a Catholic home, a blessed place, where the angels of God stand guard, a place dedicated to the Lord. They may be one way the Lord pricks the conscience of a fallen away Catholic, or someone with a guilty conscience who needs to go to confession.

The Lord wishes to continue to drive out demons, through us—through the exercise of our faith and our devotional life, as we encounter others in the world, we should be praying for them, that whatever demons which may be darkening their intellect or even possessing them, may be muzzled and driven out. 

May we be effective instruments of this exorcizing mission of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church, laity and clergy will be effective instruments for driving out demons and reclaiming souls for Christ.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government and educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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.

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.