November 17 2023 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Charity without expectation of repayment

 “What good is it if we only show charity to those who show charity to us” we hear in the Gospel today. 

The Christian life is to be marked by charity. Our love for God is to be seen in our charitable works—our patience, kindness, and generosity toward our fellow man and our attentiveness to the needs of the poor. But that charity isn’t to be shown simply to those who show charity to us, rather, true charity is to be shown to all, especially those who have no ability or no intention of repaying us. “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.”

To be honest, it is easier to love the grateful than the ungrateful. The grateful give us that instant gratification of a positive response for our good deeds. It’s easier to lend to someone as a favor. Not only do you know you are going to be repaid, but now they owe you a favor. The lender profits from the favor. That’s not really charity, that’s self-interest. 

Rather, t Jesus teaches us that his followers are to be motivated by more than self-interest and instant gratification. The Christian is not simply to be motivate by natural inclinations, but by supernatural grace, and the teaching of the one who embraced the cross. We are to give, not just to those who can repay, but to those who are unable to repay, to the helpless. We are to improve our own standing, but that of others, at the cost of ourselves.

At first, our self-interested selves recoil from this sort of behavior, but do it enough, and you begin to develop the virtue of real charity—which is a share in the very life of God.

Today we honor St. Elizabeth of Hungary. During a severe famine, the noblewoman Elizabeth exhausted her family treasure to feed the poor and sick. She built a hospital from her family funds, tending to the sick, feeding them, often by hand—sometimes 900 patients every day. She provided for the welfare of orphans and helpless children. 

Many criticized her material benefactions as excessive, but can one be excessive in caring for Christ? “That which you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me.”

St. Elizabeth is revered as the patron saint of third order Franciscans, but no doubt, she has something to teach us all about the Lord’s invitation to conversion and true holiness, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

For blessings upon the Bishops as they conclude their meeting in Baltimore, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations may be for the good of the Church and the mission of the Gospel. 

For our consecrated religious, and all third order Franciscans under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may they be strengthened in their works of charity and sustained 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.

32nd Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - Wisdom and Slaves of God

 

This last Sunday, our first reading was taken from the book of Wisdom, and we will read from the book of Wisdom all this week.

The book, which is sometimes called, “The Wisdom of Solomon” was not written by Solomon who lived 1000 years before Christ, rather, the book of Wisdom was written just a century or two before Christ by an anonymous Jewish author who seems to have lived in the Greek city of Alexandria, Egypt, the world’s center of Greek learning at the time.

The title was not meant to deceive anyone, but to express the author’s admiration for Solomon and to claim to be a disciple and imitator of Solomon’s wisdom.

The book is a synthesis of ideas from Jewish religion and Greek philosophy and literature. Its main lesson is much like that of the rest of the Old Testament: we need to be faithful to God; when we are faithful, we are blessed; when we are unfaithful, there are consequences.

Today we read a passage that is often chosen for Christian funerals. Just from chapter 2 of the book, the biblical author is spelling out the eternal ramifications of faithfulness. Faithfulness, living by God’s wisdom, living justly, righteously, in a manner that gives proper obedience and honor to God, brings eternal reward: “the souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them.”

Wisdom puts the sufferings of our lives in perspective. Yes, the just will suffer in this life, but for the faithful, that suffering is more like the refinement of gold in a furnace, than a sign of God’s displeasure. We don’t suffer simply because we’ve been disobedient, but because suffering endured for the sake of righteousness cultivates blessedness.

Wisdom also brings consolation. It helps us even see death in its proper perspective. Death is not the end. When a just, faithful person dies, we shouldn’t despair because they go to God.

The Gospel today contained a parable in which the Lord deepens our understanding of the Christian’s relationship with God. In this parable, the Lord explains that a slave does not serve his master because he hopes to be rewarded for it, rather, he serves because it is his nature to serve. So, too for the Christian. Our baptism makes us servants of God, and what motivates us to acts of service, isn’t simply the hope of heavenly reward, but because it is now in our nature to do so, as it was the nature of the Son of God to do the will of the Heavenly Father.

The Christian is elevated in nature, but now also bound, and at the same time freed, to live entirely for God. 

May Divine Wisdom guide all of our actions this day, enabling us to live more freely for God in loving service of the Divine Will, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the U.S. Bishop gathering in Baltimore this week for their plenary meeting, for the Holy Spirit to govern their deliberations and conversations and given them courage and apostolic zeal for the true good of souls.

For an end to the violence and poverty that displaces so many people from their homes and homelands, and that migrants, refugees, and strangers in our midst, may know the kindness and compassion of our local Church.

That the Holy Spirit may raise up great saints in our own land, and give us missionary zeal for spreading the Gospel at home and abroad. 

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

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 prayer book, all deceased parishioners and benefactors of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for 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 prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023 - The Kingdom of Heaven

 Throughout the Gospels we can find the Lord giving teachings and offering parables about the kingdom of heaven. 

“The kingdom of heaven” is a phrase appearing over 100 times in the New Testament—30 times just in Matthew’s Gospel.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “You are Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price which a man…sells all that he has to purchase. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” “The kingdom of heaven is like what happens to these 10 virgins” in the Gospel today.

The kingdom of heaven stands at the very center of the Lord’s preaching. After emerging from the desert after 40 days of fasting and withstanding the temptations of the devil, the very first words Jesus proclaims are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Metanoeite ēngiken gar hē basileia tōn ouranōn” in St. Matthew’s Greek. 

What does he mean, the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom is the realization and fulfillment of God’s kingship—God’s sovereignty, God’s will for creation. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”. 

The fall of man occurred when we set our wills against that the will of God, thus introducing disorder, suffering, and death into the world. But the kingdom of heaven involves a turning away from disorder and evil, toward the goodness of the will of God. Our feelings, our opinions, our sentiments, and our choices are disordered when they fail to conform with the will of God. So to be part of the kingdom is to allign your mind, your heart, and your will in union with the will of God.

Second, every kingdom has a throne, and the throne of God’s kingdom, is in heaven: “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” From heaven Christ the King descended from the bosom of the Father, he established the Church as the beginnings of his kingdom on earth, and that kingdom will have its final consummation again in the eternal kingdom of heaven. 

Thirdly, this kingdom isn't simply God's reign over individual people. God’s kingdom involves a communion of people—a gathering together of a people in the Spirit—a people of faith—a community of sons and daughters. Creation is brought into a beautiful and heavenly harmony when we join together as willing subjects and servants of our God and King.

During this life of ours, we are given a choice—of which kingdom will we pledge our loyalty, our lives. Will we follow serve the fallen kingdom by simply giving into the passions of our fallen nature, or will we choose to ally and exercise our wills with God through discipleship of Jeus Christ. 

And this choice isn’t simply about giving God lip service. God sees through our lip service. For "Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven"

In the Gospel, the Lord offers a parable illustrating the great choice, the most important choice: will we choose to be like the wise virgins, who are prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or like the foolish virgins who are locked out of the heavenly banquet forever. This is the most important choice, because it is the choice between heaven and hell. 

This choice for heaven or for hell is one that is made in the many choices of our life, a choice that is finalized at the moment of our death, when each of us faces our particular judgment. The Catechism says, “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, -- or immediate and everlasting damnation.” 

This judgment will take into account the state of our souls at the time of death—did we die in a state of grace, or with our souls devoid of grace because of sin. Did we accept or reject grace, truth, faith, and love? Did we harden our souls toward God through pride, or open them up to the life of God through humility? Did we seek to live by wisdom or to abide by foolishness?

Heaven is at stake for us. But heaven is promised to the wise. But what is heaven? It is peace and joy and life forever. Catechism says, in heaven the blessed will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, or self-love, that destroy or wound…The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion.”

In heaven, God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Scripture speaks of heaven in so many images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, rich wine, banquet, rooms in the Father’s mansion, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

Unsurpassable joy will be experienced in the participation in God’s eternal “kingdom of justice, love, and peace.” The blessed will be raised to the resurrection of life, and the wicked to the resurrection of eternal condemnation.

Heaven is the greatest reward for those who finish the race, and the loss of heaven is greatest tragedy for those who run away from it. The parable shows us that spiritual preparation is rewarded and spiritual procrastination—putting of repentance, putting off conversion, putting off faith, is perilous. 

So, the Lord warns us, “stay awake”. There are so many forces in our world that seek to lull us to spiritual sleep, so many voices seeking convince us that taking religion seriously is only for silly fundamentalists and scrupulous fanatics. The world says, everybody goes to heaven anyway, so why put forth any effort. These are lies. Heaven is not a guarantee. If it were, why would the Lord so often stress the importance of choice: the choice to believe, the choice to live, the choice to forgive. The path to heaven begins here with the choice of Christian discipleship until our last mortal breath. 

May each of us, with the help of God, exercise that personal responsibility for our souls, that requires us to seek and live according to the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 10 2023 - Pope Leo the Great and the Barbarians

 Today we honor the first Bishop of Rome to have been called Leo, a name used subsequently by 12 later Popes, the latest being Leo XIII at the turn of the 20th century.

Leo was a native of Tuscany. Around the year 430, he was ordained a deacon of the Church of Rome. 10 years later, he was sent by Pope Sixtus III on a diplomatic mission to Gaul to resolve a difficult conflict. While Leo was carrying out this mission of Peace, Pope Sixtus died. Leo was elected Pope to succeed him, and his Pontificate lasted for 21 years, which is quite long for a papacy, the ninth longest, in fact.

Constant barbarian invasions and the gradual disintegration of the Roman Empire, certainly made the papacy of Pope Leo the First a challenging one. And yet, his papacy was so effective, and his holiness so evident, that he is the first Pope to be given the title, “The Great”. Leo Magnus, Leo the Great.

In 452, the Pope received reports that Attila the Hun was invading northeastern Italy with his horde of barbarians. So, the 52 year old Pope rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with Attila to call off his invasion. The leader of the Huns, impressed by the Pope, left Italy.  Unfortunately, a few years later, another barbarian horde, the Vandals, attacked and sacked Rome. Again, the Pope, defenseless went forth to meet the invader to implore him to desist. The Vandal leader promised to spare the great Basilicas of St Peter, St Paul and St John Lateran, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

We live in barbarous times, again no? The barbarians may not be riding in on horses and laying waste to our beautiful structures and ransacking our treasures. Rather, modern culture—through mass media and even the so-called education system, breeds attitudes which are antithetical to culture and civilization itself. (As a priest friend of mine recently said) and the barbarians are not just at the gates, they are in the seats of power collecting their spoils of war from good honest people. They traffic human beings and murder babies. And they are proving to be quite resistant to the Gospel.

And yet, we ride out to meet them, not with swords of steel, but with the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God. For maybe, some of them will be converted. And after, they have laid waste to our land, the Church will remain, as our Lord promised in the Gospels, “the gates of hell shall not prevail”—the Church has endured barbarians before, and we’ll do it again. Our task is to keep the faith until the Lord returns, to keep the flame of faith alive during the difficult times, and to spread it as we are able, to stave off cultural decay as we can, to turn away the barbarians from their destructive ways as we are able through pleas of peace, to preserve the faith when peace is rejected, and keep our souls from sinful discouragement, to witness to the truth of the Gospel with our lives and work always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis all Bishops and clergy: that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ. 

In reparation for sins against the innocent unborn, for an overturning of laws which disregard human life and dignity, and for courage in bearing witness to the Gospel of Life.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

For the impoverished and sick and those experiencing any sort of trial: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will be instruments of God’s mercy for all those in need.  

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, 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.

31st Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Adultery, Abortion, and Carrying our Crosses

 In the epistle this morning, St. Paul reminds Christians to keep the commandments of God. In the wake of the passing of issue 1 last night, two of the commandments are particularly glaring: you shall not commit adultery and you shall not kill. 

The abortion industry, which thrives on the killing of the unborn, thrives in large part because of our nation’s disregard of God’s prohibition of adultery. Rampant adultery, pre-martial and extra-marital sex, leads to so-called unwanted pregnancy, which leads to the justification of abortion.

The Church has a great task to work for the reversal of these diabolical attitudes, to do penance for the sins of our world, and to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

This is not a pleasant task. It is part of our cross. And this morning, the Gospel reminds us that “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Christ cannot be his disciple.” 

The cross of our times, one that we share, is to preach the Gospel and live our Faith in a nation that is growing increasingly hostile to the message of Christ. We do not choose the times in which we live, but we can choose how we live in our time. And our choice must be to carry our crosses faithfully. 

May God help us, sustain us, strengthen us, and give us courage to carry our crosses in union with Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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In reparation for sins against the innocent unborn, for an overturning of laws which disregard human dignity, and for courage in bearing witness to the Gospel of Life.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

For the impoverished and sick and those experiencing any sort of trial: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will be instruments of God’s mercy for all those in need.  

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, 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.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Conversation with an athiest tailor

 A few years ago I had to pay a visit to our local tailor, as, surprise, after a few years of priesthood, I needed my cassock and a few pairs of paints to be let out a bit. 

After taking care of business, the tailor says to me if she could ask me a personal question. I love personal questions, so I said, “Of course.” She said that she had been raised without any faith, and didn’t  believe in God, and that she came from a land very hostile toward religion. And she would like to know why a young man such as myself (I did say this was a few years ago), why a young man like myself would want to be a priest. Now, I’ve told my vocation story to Catholics, but now speaking to an atheist, I knew my answer had to be a little nuanced. 

After a moment’s reflection, I said, “I think both you and I know how much evil is in the world, yes? Well, I believe much of that evil comes from people not knowing about God’s love—from turning away from God; and I want to help people turn toward God.” She became quite pensive at that, and she then began to explain how the Stalinists, the Atheistic Communists, caused so much destruction and suffering in her country, and of course, outlawed religion. But, she claimed that Stalin has been replaced, and even though religion has been allowed again, many of the people who worked for Stalin were now in religious leadership, and they still seem to be oppressing the people. They exchanged the hammer and sickle for the cross, but they did not change their hearts, and now used the cross to control people. So the tailor sees Christians as largely hypocritical. 

What do you say to that? I told her that God is not fooled by actors. God sees to the heart. And we will be judged by our true intentions and actions in this life. There will be justice.

Throughout the Gospel, the Lord is constantly confronting the scribes, elders, pharisees, and Sadducees for their religious hypocrisy. He uses that word hypocrisy quite a bit. For at that time, the word hypocrite was a technical word, it was a mask-wearing play actor. The actor changes his mask depending on the character he is playing. And so the Lord calls these people hypocrites because they were wearing the mask of the religious leader, but they were in fact leading God’s people away from God. As we heard in the Gospel today, these so-called religious leaders were seeking places of religious authority and power, but using it to oppress and mislead--they were guilty of the grave misuse of power and God was not pleased with their masquerade, their corruption of religion. 

Religion: it can be the best thing around, and it can be the worst thing around. When religion functions well, according to its own deepest purpose, it brings us into friendship with God, it brings out the best in us—it brings relief, and mercy, and peace, and joy. But, when it is dysfunctional, when religion goes bad, it goes really bad, and it can bring out the worst in us—and be a source of misery, rather than mercy.

The ancient Romans would say: “Corruptio optimi pessimo”, the corruption of the best is the worst. When the best thing goes bad, it really goes bad. And that’s certainly true for religion. Dysfunctional religion can be very dangerous. It can create murderous terrorists who commit acts of violence in the name of God; it can lead to the exploitation of good trusting people; it can create terrible scrupulosity where the love of God is replaced by a false image of God as a tyrant; it can lead religious leaders to abuse their power, and lay people to become filled false piety and self-righteousness.

Now notice, how even though Jesus points out the religious failure of the Scribes and Pharisees, he doesn’t discredit religious leadership altogether. Were the Scribes and Pharisees in many ways corrupt? Yes. But does that mean that the whole idea of teaching authority and religious leadership is altogether corrupt? Absolutely not. After all he founded his Church on the religious leadership of the Apostles. Regarding the apostles he says, "those who listen to you, listen to me. those who reject you, reject me"

Contrast the corrupt religious leadership of the Pharisees with the great humility and authentic leadership of the saints, who we celebrated this week on the Holy Day of Obligation, All Saints Day. The saints do not use religion to inflate their own egos, rather, they seek to become empty of ego, to serve others and help others to be as holy as possible. Their humility is truly humbling, their goodness is truly inspiring. The saints never preach what they are unwilling to do themselves. They are the first ones in the confessional when they’ve sinned, and are the first ones with a cup of water, to give drink to the thirsty. They illustrate our religion’s highest ideals; they show us how God transforms those who follow Christ in holy surrender to the Divine Will. 

And remember, the saints weren’t born saints. Many of them lived for decades at odds with God, in league with the Devil, off the path of Christ and his righteousness. But when God broke into their life they responded with faith, hope, and love, thanks be to God. If the corruption of the best is the worst, many of the saints show us how the redemption of the worst, is the best; they show us the marvelous things that can happen when we seek conversion and the growth in holiness God desires for us.

This month, the month of November, the Body of Christ the Church prays in a special way for the souls in purgatory who at the end of life, were found in need of further purification from the effects of sin in their life. Yes, they died in friendship with the Lord, but at the time of death, they still had need of further purgation. So we should seek purification from the effects of sin in this life, now, through penance and works of mercy. For the saints attest to the fact that purification in this life, is preferred, to the purifying sufferings of purgatory.  But our prayers truly help those in purgatory, our prayers are acts of love. 

At first Friday Holy Hour, I recommended the practice of bringing to the Lord the names of your departed loved ones. I recommend taking a note book, and prayerfully writing down the names of the dead who have touched your life. “Uncle Jim, may he rest in peace. Aunt Martha, may she rest in peace.” Anyone who touched your life, pray for them. Anyone who blessed you or hurt you. Anyone who was a model Christian, and those who weren’t, pray for them. When we pray for the poor souls, we also begin to loosen any of the resentments or unforgiveness we might be carrying regarding the dead. And it is vital to let go of those things: they cause us unhappiness on earth, and we will not enter heaven until we are willing to let them go. 

Our religion is so beautiful, because it teaches us to practice love toward the living and the dead, to orient ourselves toward the love of God, the Father of Creation. Through our practice of love, may we witness to unbelievers the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 3 2023 - St. Martin de Porres - The choice to love

 

Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579 to Spanish conquistador and an African Slave, who were not married.  His father rejected Martin at his birth because of his dark skin, and throughout childhood, Martin was given cruel names like “half-breed”.  Despite the cruelty showed to him, Martin had a heart for the poor and despised.  

St. Martin is the patron saint of barbers, because at the age of 12, his mother, apprenticed him to a barber, who also taught Martin several medical techniques—caring for wounds. 

At the age of 15, Martin went to be a “lay helper” to the Dominicans, he did not feel himself worthy to be a full member of the order.  Yet, soon, it was the Dominicans who asked Martin to make full profession as a brother, so moved by Martin’s prayer and penance, his charity and humility.

Martin spent his days caring for the sick and poor, whatever their color, race, or status.  He helped found an orphanage and helped care for slaves newly arrived from Africa.  

He himself lived an extremely simple and austere life and had a great devotion to the Eucharist.  He died at the age of 60, and was immediately venerated as a saintly man.    

Early in life, Martin made a choice didn’t he. He could have become bitter at his difficult lot in life. He could have allowed hatred foment toward his father who rejected him. He could have allowed resentment about his poverty to shape his attitude toward his follow man. But he chose the path of life. The true path out bitterness—he chose to love, to serve.

At Saint Martin’s Canonization Pope John XXIII said, Martin “lovingly comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing, and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers…and slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: ‘Martin of Charity.’

We cannot change the circumstances in which we are born.  Many of the challenges, difficulties, sorrows, and trials of life are beyond our control.  But we are each given a choice.  Will I complain and curse God for my life, or will I allow God to teach me, how to love, how to be like Christ? To do the best with what we’ve been given, the cultivate virtue amidst the constraints that our beyond our control, is the path of life.

As we prayed in the collect, God led Saint Martin “by the path of humility to heavenly glory”, may we “so follow his radiant example in this life as to merit to be exalted with him in heaven” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That religious indifference and religious persecution in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

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

During this month dedicated to prayer for the faithful departed, we lift up to God, the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and all the poor souls in purgatory…

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.