August 8 2022 - St. Dominic - To contemplate and share the Truth

 

The Opening Prayer calls Dominic “an outstanding preacher of truth.” Truth. Veritas, in latin, is an important aspect of Dominican Life.

One of the mottos of the Dominicans is, “To contemplate the truth and to share with others the fruit of contemplation.”

The contemplation of truth for the Dominic occurs through prayer and study. 

Through prayer we encounter Jesus who said, I am the way, the Truth, and the life. Through prayer, a people who dwell in darkness encounter the light of God. Personal meditation, celebration of Mass, recitation of the liturgy of the hours, and the rosary, make up a significant part of the daily life of the Dominican, so the light of God can infuse their own souls and be shared with others.

Also, study. The Dominican life is also supported by study. The mention of “study” might conjure images of boring classrooms or abstract and impractical discussions. But study is also meant to bring our minds and hearts in contact with Truth. The study of theology, history, liturgy, the writings of the spiritual masters enriches us. St. Dominic knew that the habit of study was important for the preaching mission of his religious order—for study cultivates an attitude of discovery and the discipline—which all Christians need a bit more of, don’t we?

Christians must never stop learning and studying our faith, after all, we are perpetually disciples. Disciple means student. We are to never study studying the words of our Master, Christ the Teacher. Like a child who studies the faces of his parents, we are never to stop studying the face of Christ. There is always something to discover about our faith, for there is always something to discover about Our Lord. 

Pope Benedict XVI took up the topic of Truth in his second encyclical titled Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth.    

He writes: “Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived… Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality.  Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way…The word “love” is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite.  Truth frees charity from the constraints of emotionalism… Truth opens and unites our minds in the lógos of love”

Through study and prayer we seek the contemplation of the One who is Truth, that we may learn to truly love Him, and to love as He loves, to share the contemplation of the truth with others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

That all Christians may seek to grow in truth and love through study and prayer. 

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, especially for the Dominican Orders. 

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

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

Hear Our Prayers, O Lord, and through the intercession of St. Dominic, help us preach the truth of Christ always and everywhere. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - "Evidence of things not seen"

 

You may have seen recently images from the new James Webb Space Telescope offering the deepest and sharpest infrared images of the distant universe to date. The James Webb Telescope is taking images not just of stars but of galaxies made up of billions of stars.

For those who believe in God, these images are certainly sparking a sense of wonder and awe at the greatness, power, and intelligence of God the Creator—Creator, not just of our planet or solar system, but of all those galaxies and stellar phenomena. “How numerous are your works, O Lord. You made them all in your wisdom,” says Psalm 104.

Now for those who do not believe in God, these images are surely fascinating, but without faith, stars are just stars, the result of undirected and ultimately meaningless cosmic forces. 

It reminds me of the story of Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut and the first human being in space. Orbiting Earth in his spaceship, Gagarin said he looked down and saw how beautiful the planet is. And he urged his fellow man to preserve the beauty of the earth and to increase it. A beautiful sentiment certainly congruent with our faith. The earth is beautiful and we have duty to preserve it’s beauty. 

Now, for many years it was claimed that Gagarin made another pronouncement not so much congruent with our faith. Supposedly, while Gagarin orbited the earth in outer space, the cosmonaut said, “I looked all around, and I did not see God.” 

This was reported by the Communist Government, and now come to find out it was actually the Atheist First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, who made the statement mocking the idea of God. The pronouncement was ascribed to Gagarin in order to further the party line: you can’t see God in outer space, therefore God doesn’t exist. Some, sadly draw the same conclusion from the new James Webb Telescope images.

But again, for those who believe, the complexity, and structure, and beauty of the cosmos—the beauty of the earth—are signs of God, they are “evidence of things not seen” as the letter to the Hebrews puts it—they are visible evidence of the unseen Creator.

For believers, the fingerprints of the Creator are all over creation—and science can help us discover them. Creation is beautiful, logical, and consistent because the Creator is beautiful, logical, and consistent. Creation is magnificent for the human mind to contemplate because the Creator is magnificent for the human mind to contemplate.

But theology and our Christian faith tell us something, that the physical sciences cannot reveal: while unknown galaxies spirate in silence millions of light years away according to the laws and will of the Creator, at the same time, God is still concerned with your toothache, your anxiety over tomorrow’s meeting, your physical and emotional needs, your soul: the nitty-gritty, day-to-day events of our lives.

And I’ve met some Catholics, who, sadly, do not really believe this. I’ve heard them say it: God is so great, so immense—"that he doesn’t really care about me…he doesn’t have time for me.” And that’s really an old heresy—Deism—which says, God set creation into motion but is now really not at all concerned with the innerworkings of Creation including us. Some of the U.S. founding fathers were Deists.

And some of the Catholics use their Deism to justify acting as if they can simply slide into heaven under the radar. God doesn’t notice me, so it really doesn’t matter how I act. It doesn’t matter if I pray, it doesn’t matter if I go to Church, it doesn’t matter if I follow ALL the commandments. 

But God knows and counts the number of stars and galaxies, the number of hydrogen atoms in the universe, and also the number of hairs on your head. He knows the inner workings of your heart, the motivation for your decisions, your secret fears, your hopes and dreams, your aches and pains, your virtues and sins. He has all the time in eternity just for you. He loves you with love beyond words and desires your well-being more than you do. He hears every one of your thoughts and prayers, and longs for a living, vibrant, authentic friendship with you—he is waiting for you to pray, waiting for you to utilize the grace he bestows upon you in abundance. 

He's waiting for you to open your heart to Him, to let Him more deeply into your life, to allow Him to shape you and form you into the person he made you to be.

In a way, the James Webb space images and other scientific marvels remind us, that God invites our curiosity, our seeking. He wants us to cultivate our minds in order to understand the logic and discover the beauty of the universe—how in the words of Psalm 19 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” He wants us to seek Him and discover Him—and His providential love for us, and His desire that we glorify Him by our lives.

But, in order to reflect the goodness and beauty of God, we need to make conscious efforts to do so. After all, His act of Creation was a conscious willed effort. So, make something beautiful this week: a poem, a drawing, a painting, a short story, a song, a craft, a carving, a sculpture that glorifies God. Spending time using your gifts to make something beautiful will fill you with more happiness than any amount of television, video games, social media debates, or shopping ever could. 

Secondly this week, spend  some prayerful time cultivating that sense of God’s love for you. Spend time with a crucifix in your hands pondering God’s love for you, or meditate upon a bible verse that speaks of God’s love for you, his plans for you, his desires for you, his mercy bestowed upon you in Christ. 

Lastly, exercise the gift of faith this week, the virtue of faith. Faith is a muscle, the more we use it, the stronger faith will become: When you see a beautiful sunset this week or the stars in the night sky say, "Thank you Lord; I believe in you." When you visit a loved one who is sick or dying, say, "Lord, I believe in you; don't abandon this person, give them strength." When you experience life's sorrows, say, "Lord, you suffered for me; teach me to suffer with faith for you." When you experience life's joys, to say, "Lord, this is just a small hint of your love for me; teach me to believe in you more deeply."

At this holy Mass, the Lord comes to us specifically in Holy Communion. Let us exercise our faith, to believe in his real presence, whose body and blood, soul and divinity becomes food for our souls, that we may grow in love and live by faith, becoming the people God made us to be, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

18th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - But for Wales?

 One of my favorite scenes from The Man for All Seasons, the movie version about St. Thomas More, is when St. Thomas has been brought before the high court and is being questioned by his former friend Richard Rich. From the beginning of the movie, it is clear that Richard is an ambitious man, he had high ambitions to become a powerful man in the English government. St. Thomas cares for Richard’s soul, and tries to convince Richard to consider a humbler profession, that of a school teacher, in which he may even become a great teacher.

St. Thomas had become chancellor of England, the stripped of his office and imprisoned when he would not sign a declaration that the King, rather than the Pope was head of the Church. Richard is brought forward as a witness in Thomas’ trial, and offers false testimony, accusing Thomas of treason, which carried the penalty of death.

Thomas then notices the new chain of office around Richard’s neck, he had been appointed the new Attorney General for Wales. And then Thomas delivers one of the great lines, echoing the Gospel today: “Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . But for Wales!”

You see, Richard had conspired with the government to offer false testimony against St. Thomas in exchange for political office. “But for Wales”. 

Yet, in any sin, we settle for so much less. We exchange the good of our souls, for a passing pleasure, a forbidden piece of knowledge, a petty act of revenge, a chance to climb the ladder of ambition. Sin, in the end profits us nothing, the Lord says in the Gospel today, not even if we were to gain the whole world. For the result of sin is the destruction of our soul, perhaps even its eternal loss. 

Rather, when we are being tempted to sin, we must deny ourselves, practicing self-control, temperance, and prudence—recognizing that we were made for so much more than sin. 

The Lord acknowledges that to fight against temptation sometimes feels like being nailed to a cross, but those who deny themselves, will find something—obtain something—more valuable and glorious than anything their sin could ever hope to acquire—divine life, divine grace, peace that the world cannot give, joy, that is made perfect in us by the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord keep us strong against temptation, helping us to value the things of heaven over the things of earth, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - 

That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

For newly consecrated Bishop Michael Woost, new auxiliary for the Diocese of Cleveland, may he know abundant blessings in his new ministry, and aid the Church in stirring up the flame of faith and witnessing to the Gospel.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race

For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. 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 desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

18th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Make our faith great

 Earlier this week I spoke about virtue. How virtue is like a muscle: to exercise it will strengthen it, to neglect it will cause the virtue to weaken.

In the Gospel today, the Lord praises the faith of the Canaanite women. Faith. Faith is a virtue, one of the theological virtues. And like all the virtues, the virtue of faith is a muscle that needs to be practiced in order to be strengthened.

And this virtue is a powerful conduit for God to work in our lives, as He did in the life of the Canaanite woman. Her great faith was a conduit for healing in her family. There are a number of healings in the Gospel that come through the faith of others. And, if you remember, the gospel writers tell us that Jesus did not perform many miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith.

So, if faith is a muscle, a virtue—how can we strengthen it, that it may become a more powerful conduit for God to work in our lives and in our families?

Firstly, Pray daily for great faith, especially by praying the Mass and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently. In the words of the father of the demon possessed by in Mark’s Gospel, pray, “Lord help my unbelief”

Secondly, Hear, read, study, share, and practice God’s Word daily, for St. Paul tells us faith “comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ”

Thirdly, assemble with other Christians who encourage your faith and help you deepen your faith. The book of Acts tells us how the early Christians, “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.”

Fourthly, you have to cut out sin. Sin is like injecting poison into a healthy muscle. Venial sin will weaken the muscle, mortal sin will kill the muscle. It might look like it’s alive for a while, but it will die. Many Christians who have failed to confess their mortal sins, are in state of dying faith. 

From time to time, I meet folks who say they are going through a crisis of faith: they can’t see God working in their life, they doubt God’s plan. And quite often, come to find out: they don’t pray, they don’t read and meditate on the scriptures, they don’t come to mass, they don’t confess their sins, they aren’t involved in their parish.

Well of course you are going through a crisis of faith, you’ve allowed faith to wither. And like a neglected muscle, it will take some time to rehabilitate withered faith. But there is no magic wand for faith to become strengthened again. It requires effort on your part and real reliance on the transforming grace of God.

But when faith is rekindled and strengthened, spiritual sight will return, what was dead is brought back to life, and God’s grace once again begins to animate one’s life. Lord make our faith strong, make our faith great again, help our unbelief, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

For Bishop-elect Michael Woost who will be consecrated bishop this week, for blessings upon his ministry as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race, and for a rekindling and strengthening of faith.

For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. 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 desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

August 2 2022 - St. Eusebius of Vercelli - Constancy to affirm the Lord's divinity

 The time was the third century, the challenge facing the Church was the heresy of Arianism which denied the Divinity of Christ.

A synod was called by Pope Liberius in 355 to help settle the growing split between loyal Catholics and the Arians, and the Pope’s delegate was the first bishop of Vercelli, Bishop Eusebius.

During the Council, the Arians were vicious in arguing that the Son of God did not always exist, that he was inferior in divinity to God the Father.  The Arians wanted their opponents to condemn the writings and teachings of St. Athanasius who defended the true faith at the First Council of Nicaea.

Eusebius and other bishops loyal to Rome refused to go along with the condemnation of Athanasius.  Instead, Eusebius laid the Nicene Creed on the table and insisted that all sign it before taking up any other matter.  The Roman Emperor, himself an Arian Heretic, began to put pressure on Eusebius and the loyal bishops.  But Eusebius did not relent, in fact he confronted the Emperor for attempting to use secular force to influence Church decisions.

And you’d like to think Eusebius’ courage and constancy changed the Emperor’s mind and converted the Arians…well, no. Eusebius, like Athanasius before him, was condemned to exile for not supporting the Emperor’s will and heretical beliefs. And In exile, the Arians continued to harass the faithful bishop, even dragging him through the streets and imprisoning him. 

This reminds me of a line of Mother Theresa: “God doesn’t call us to be successful, only to be faithful.” We might not always be successful in converting the heretical emperor or fallen away family member. But we are called to be faithful to trying.  We are to uphold Catholic teaching, when faced with pressure from the secular world; maybe some will be converted…God willing…when they witness our constancy and fortitude and patience and willingness to suffer for the truth. 

As you know, I like to use the proper readings for the saints on their memorials. I like to preach on the virtues of the saints, and those proper readings are chosen by the Church because there is some confluence between God’s word and the life of the saint, the saint in some way exemplifies and illustrates God’s word by their life. And I find it pretty noteworthy that the Gospel reading for St. Eusebius is the beatitudes. 

It's almost as if the Church is saying, take note of this saint, he exemplifies the beatitudes of Jesus Christ. He was meek as Jesus was meek, he was pure of heart as Jesus was pure of heart, he was insulted and persecuted and had every evil uttered against him because he was faithful to God, and for this, for his faithfulness, he is counting among the blessed and his honored by the Church, but also held up as an example, of what it means to be a holy bishop, and faithful Catholic.

- - - - -  

That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

For Bishop-elect Michael Woost who will be consecrated bishop this week, for blessings upon his ministry as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race

For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. 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 desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

August 1, 2022 - St. Alphonsus Ligouri - Strengthening Virtue

 

Yesterday, at Sunday Mass I preached on the virtue of prudence, which the Catechism defines as “is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it”.

Today’s Saint, St. Alphonsus Ligouri wrote extensively on the virtues. He writes: “All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good. It is part of the love of God to acquire and to nurture all the virtues which make a man perfect.”

If we say we love God with all our heart, we owe it to him to acquire and nurture virtue. For he made us to be virtuous. So to neglect becoming as virtuous as we can, is to fail to love God with all our heart.

St. Alphonsus even recommended practicing a particular virtue each month: January: faith; February: Hope; March: Love of God; April: Love of Neighbor; May: Poverty; June: Purity of Heart; July: Obedience; August: Meekness and Humility of Heart; September: Mortification; October: Reconciliation and Silence; November: Prayer; and December: Self-Abnegation and Love of the Cross.”

You can’t acquire and nurture the virtues if all you have is a general, vague, unintentional desire to become more virtuous. A virtue is like a particular muscle, say your biceps. Your biceps won’t grow stronger if you just go through your normal routine. You have to intentionally train and strengthen your bicep. Same with the virtues. If you want to grow in humility, you have to be intentional about growing in humility. A virtue, like a muscle, is likely to decrease in strength, if you don’t exercise it.

Now you might not have the physical constitution to do a lot of physical training, but all of us are spiritual creatures, who are called to the spiritual training of the virtues.

St. Alphonsus even recommended keeping a notebook or journal—an account of your failures and successes in practicing those virtues. For example, we begin the month of August. Every day we should be conscious and intentional about making acts of meekness and humility.

May St. Alphonsus help us to practice the virtues, to put on Christ, to seek the goodness and perfection for which we are made, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

 

For an increase in virtue for the clergy and all members of the Church.

For Bishop-elect Michael Woost who will be consecrated bishop this week, for blessings upon his ministry as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Redemptorist Order, founded by St. Alphonsus, and for the sanctification of all marriages.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, 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.

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.

 

 

 

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Prudence in Times of Turmoil

 On the news and social media this week, there has been some talk and debate over whether our country is in an economic recession—whether two quarters of negative economic growth constitute a recession. Whatever a recession is, and whether we are in one, rising prices at the supermarket, at the gas pump, utility bills, are concerning to a lot of people.

I’m not an economist of course or a financial advisor, but our faith does offer guidance for how we are to act in a times of turmoil; our faith helps us to know how to act at all times—including times of turmoil.

Our faith helps us to be prudent—to be prudent. What is prudence?

Prudence, the catechism says, “is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it;” What does that mean? Prudence is a virtue, a disposition of mind, intellect, and will, to know and choose what is good in order to reach our highest end, in our case, holiness on earth that leads to the beatitude of heaven.  

The Book of Proverbs says, “the prudent man looks where he is going”. If you don’t look where you are going, you are likely to steer off course, get lost, perhaps crash, and you’ll fail to reach your destination. So, we are to look where we are going, paying attention to the signs of the times, and act in accord with our faith and right reason.   

St. Thomas Aquinas echoes the Greek philosopher Aristotle when he defines prudence as "right reason in action.” Our reasonings need to be rightly directed. Many people are very good at rationalizing sin and evil actions, that’s not prudence. Prudence is when we’ve done everything we can to conform our intellects with the Truth that comes from God and act in accord with that Truth.

At all times Christians are to be a prudent people, making prudent decisions regarding our time, talent and treasure, and that is especially true in times of turmoil. 

So what does prudence dictate in a time of economic recession? Firstly, it is prudent to avoid foolishness with money. Think before you spend. Examine your spending habits. Limit your purchases of non-essentials. No matter how little you make, try to save a little bit more than normal. Stretch your dollars.

It is also prudent to remain productive. Try to work more diligently. Show yourself to be a valuable employee. Diversify your skill set. If you are retired from work, or in your spare time, you might want to take up some of those old practical life skills again—sewing, gardening, canning, preserving salted meats and fish, or my favorite, fermenting and distilling. 

One of my favorite passages from the book of Proverbs says, look to the example of the ant, you slothful one, observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.” God’s word gives us practical guidance in prudence: follow the example of the humble ant: industrious, self-motivated, thrifty, preparing for times when food is scarce.

Then proverbs says, “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? The sluggard says “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.” In other words, we shouldn’t be like the sluggard, the afternoon farmer who instead of working when we should be, folds our hands on our chest for a nap. Proverbs warns that imprudence, laziness, leads to our provisions disappearing like a thief in the night, like an armed man you won’t be able to resist. 

Now our Gospel today also talks about storing up our treasures. But the motivation of the rich man in the gospel parable is very different from the wise, prudent, and industrious ant of proverbs. 

The rich man in the Gospel, has more than enough, more than he needs, but builds towers to store up his excesses, he hoards more than he needs, disregarding the needs of the hungry and poor. This too is foolishness, for instead of living for God, the rich man in the parable lives for his stuff. And so God calls him a fool, for he has placed his spiritual welfare at risk due to his greed. This too is imprudence, because his life—his actions, his decisions are not aimed at his highest spiritual good, only maintaining a life of luxury.

Catholics rather use the things of the world to help us achieve our highest end, and we of course are called to be generous with our provisions. We are to avoid the extreme on one side of fear and foolishness about spending, but also the extreme on the other side of greed and excessive love of material stuff.

St. Augustine said, you are what you love; and if what you love is stuff, profit, the things of the world, then you are guaranteed only one thing: that you will lose them. You will die with them. They will turn to dust and so will you. If your hope and joy are bound to the material, you will not possess the joy and peace that comes from holiness. 

Christians place our trust in God at all times, in good times and in bad, and set our hearts on God who is the source of peace and joy and hope. So even in times of turmoil, Christians are like the calm center of the whirlwind. We aren’t frantic and hysterical because we’ve failed to prepare for the chaos; we aren’t overly disturbed when we don’t have the same access to non-essential luxuries; we have our hearts set on what matters most. 

Prudence: practice it, love it, live it. For prudence is liberating, it’s freeing, it’s the key to lightheartedness because by it, our lives are ordered, our priorities are straight; we make practical, judicious, shrewd, and pragmatic use of our resources, which frees us to become instruments of God’s generous love and hope for the hopeless.

Finally, prudence dictates that we take Paul seriously in our second reading today when he says seek what is above and put to death the earthly, the worldly. And that comes through prayer. My bulletin column this week speaks of what we mean by prayer. By prayer our minds and hearts reach out to God who sustains us in all things, who liberates us from fear and sin, and causes his life to flourish in us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.