31st Week of Ordinary Time - Wednesday - Discipleship: Everything to lose, everything to gain

Three times in the Gospel this morning Jesus lays down the conditions for discipleship.  Strikingly, Jesus says that we must hate our fathers and mothers, spouses and children, and hate even our very lives, that we must carry the cross, and that we must renounce all our possessions.

First, the one who will be a disciple of Jesus must “hate” father, mother, spouse, and children. The word ‘hate’ seems at odds with the Lord’s teaching elsewhere to love one another, not to mention the third commandment, to honor one’s father and mother. Without a doubt, the Lord uses hyperbole here, common for Jewish rabbis, to emphasize the radical commitment of discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus, He must come first—before family, nation, ethnicity, race, politics, or any other earthly relationship. Christian Discipleship come first, before all else, or it’s not really Christian discipleship.

The second condition is that the Christian disciple must “carry his cross”.  Discipleship entails hardships: of proclaiming unwelcomed truths, of real personal sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom.  Following the Lord will often entail suffering, persecution for his sake, mockery from the world. Many people claim that anything worth doing is worth suffering for, but many are unwilling to suffer in order to follow Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of the Church. But discipleship requires the cross—change, effort, cost no matter how great that cost might be.

The third condition for discipleship is the renunciation of all possessions. This does not mean that we must become socialist and renounce private possessions, BUT, it does mean that everything we have is first at the disposal of God. In a sense, my possessions are not my own. They belong to God, and has put me in charge of using  my possessions at His discretion

Discipleship sounds costly.  And it is.  The cost of discipleship is everything. But through discipleship we gain eternal life and merit glory. If we are counted among his disciples on earth, we will be counted among the Blessed in heaven. Rejecting discipleship we have everything to lose, but embracing discipleship we have everything to gain.

The Saints who we celebrate this week show us why discipleship is so important. Through discipleship we cultivate love. And the degree of love we cultivate here on earth, corresponds to the degree of glory the disciple will experience in eternity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

For an increase in faith, hope, and love among all of Jesus’ disciples, and that following the Lord’s teaching, we may take up the missionary call to make disciples of all nations.

That all newly elected officials may head the Lord’s teachings in their civic duties, personal and private lives, and labor always for the good of all.

That we may be ever more attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, the despairing in our midst: for their comfort, relief, strength, health, and peace.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for all the souls in purgatory, for our parishioners and benefactors who died this last year, 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.

All Souls 2021 - Praying for the Dead

 Yesterday, All Saints' Day, we celebrated the great multitude of saints: the ranks of martyrs, apostles, confessors, virgins, and holy souls who upon their earthly death were judged by God to be immediately worthy of entrance into heavenly glory. 

Today Catholics join in praying for the faithful departed, who died in friendship with Christ, but were judged by God to still be in need of some purification prior to their entrance into heaven. Instead of entering heaven immediately, these souls were taken by God to the spiritual hospital called purgatory.

As the old Roman Martyrology puts it: Holy Church, our good Mother, after having exalted with fitting praise all her children who now rejoice in heaven, strives also to help all those who still suffer in purgatory, and to this end intercedes with all her power before Christ, her Lord and Spouse, in order that as speedily as possible they may join the society of the elect in heaven.

Today is a day of sadness as we remember our dear loved ones who have died. And yet, our grief is tempered by hope in heavenly glory for the faithful departed. Our Lord in the Gospel is presented as the Good shepherd who does not want to lose even one of His sheep. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me.  Our loved ones who have died in friendship with Christ are not lost. 

And yet, we also acknowledge that those who die with vestiges of sin and selfishness must be cleansed before entering that place prepared for them in heaven. There is some suffering in purgatory. It is like when we were children and were got full of mud and grime while playing outside. Before entering the house we had to be sprayed down with the hose, maybe even scrubbed with harsh bristles. 

Well our sins of pride and lust and selfishness are a lot more grievous than mud. So the suffering of purgatory is also serious. But, the holy souls in purgatory, and they are holy souls, as they have been saved by Christ, the holy souls want to be in purgatory as long as they need to be. If I were to visit the Pope, I would want to get cleaned up, put on my absolute best clothing, out of respect for his Holiness, how much more would we want to get our souls cleaned up for God in heaven. 

The souls who would refuse purgatory, obstinately, refuse heaven.

Just as our prayers, penances, and sacrifices can aid souls in this life, obtaining for them help from God, so too our prayers, penances, and sacrifices aid the souls in purgatory. Again, just as a mother offers prayers for her son as he commences on a journey, we pray for the souls of the dead, as they make the journey from earthly life to heavenly life. The mother doesn’t stop praying until she receives notice that her son has safely reached his destination, so we do not stop praying for the souls in purgatory until we obtain from God some definitive proof that they have reached heaven, like their canonization. Until a particular soul is canonized, we do not err in praying for them.

And we pray because we love. It is an act of love, an act of mercy to pray for the souls in purgatory. We love them, and we want them to reach their heavenly destination. That which you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me. A prayer for a soul in purgatory helps them take one step closer to heaven, and brings them comfort, relief, and assistance on their journey.

And so, we who are members of the Church Militant here on earth, can help the members of the Church Suffering in purgatory, arrive more quickly to their eternal destination: the Church Triumphant in heaven.

May we be generous in our prayers and acts of charity toward our beloved dead, that with them, we may come to see God face to face in heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

- - - - - - - 

God, the Almighty Father raised Christ his Son from the dead; with confidence we ask him to save all his people, living and dead.

That Christ, Son of the Living God, who raised up Lazarus from the dead, will raise up to life all the dead who have been redeemed by his precious blood.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ, consoler of all who mourn, who dried the tears of the family of Lazarus, will heal the pain and dispel the darkness and doubt that comes from grief…..  Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ, our Savior, will destroy the reign of sin in our earthly bodies, and grant us eternal life.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ, our Redeemer, will look on all those who have no hope because they do not know him, and bring them to faith in the resurrection and in the life of the world to come.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died. For our beloved dead who we pray for in a special way today, this All Souls day and during the month of November. For all of the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom; that those we remember in prayer may pass over to a dwelling place of light and peace. Let us pray to the Lord.

God our shelter and our strength, you listen in love to the cry of your people: hear the prayers we offer for all those who have died.  Cleanse them of their sins and grant them the fullness of redemption.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - A priest's rosary

 You may remember, all the way back at the beginning of the month, I shared how the month of October is traditionally devoted to the Holy Rosary, and how the Holy Father and the Bishops encourage us to pray the rosary daily during this month. 

Pope Francis offered a message about the rosary recently. He said, “I invite you to pray the rosary, and to carry it in your hands or in your pockets. The recitation of the rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary; it is a contemplation on the stages of the life of Jesus the Savior with his Mother Mary and is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations.”

Catholics often get frustrated because of the many difficulties that arise in prayer, how difficult it is sometimes to pray. But, the Rosary is easy enough that a child can pray it, profound enough for a mystic to pray it, and they do, and concise enough that a busy person with a lot on their minds can pray it.

I’d like to share with you a method of praying the rosary that I’ve been using for a number of years now. I offer each decade of the rosary, each set of 10 hail mary’s for a particular intention. No matter which set of mysteries I am offering: the joyful mysteries, the sorrowful mysteries, the luminous mysteries, or the glorious mysteries, I offer each decade for a specific intention. 

The first decade I offer for my greatest challenges. If I have a difficult decision to make, or if I am having a difficult time being patient or charitable with a particular person, I offer that decade for them. The Lord says, pray, pray, pray for those who persecute you. So I offer that first decade for an expansion of my heart to love those it is difficult for me to love.

The second decade I offer for those who are sick and suffering. As pastor, many parishioners ask for my prayers, and during this second decade I bring to the Lord those of you who are sick and suffering. Those who are lonely, those who are addicted, those who are anxious, those who are preparing for surgery or dealing wit heavy burdens, those who are dying or grieving.

The third decade I offer for a flourishing of spiritual gifts in the parish. In the third glorious mystery, the holy spirit descends upon the church and in the third joyful mystery the christ is born into the world. So I pray for the Holy Spirit’s gifts, and the life of Christ to fill this parish, to make us more effective in our Gospel mission.

In the fourth decade, I pray for priests. Priests need to support each other in prayer, priests need prayer, constantly. For, the devil hates priests and is bent on the corruption of priests and undermining the holy faith of priests. So I take up the mighty spiritual weapon of the Rosary to pray for the protection of priests from evil and temptation and the flourishing of their ministry.

In the fifth decade, I pray for myself. We need to pray for ourselves—to humbly admit what we need from the Lord, and to pray to by docile to the divine will—to be humble and holy.  I pray for the grace to be crucified with Christ, like in the fifth sorrowful mystery, to honor our lady as queen of heaven and earth like in the fifth glorious mystery, to be broken and shared like the Eucharist as in the fifth luminous mystery, and to find Jesus in the hidden events of my life as he was found in the Temple in the fifth joyful mystery.

I invite you to use and adapt this method, to see if it work and helps to focus your prayers. Our Lady will assist every soul who prays the rosary to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as we heard in the Gospel today. 

On Thursday, I was making my holy hour and about to offer my rosary when I was moved to adapt my method slightly. Since, on holy Thursday, the Lord gathered with his apostles and made them the first priests of the church, and, since this weekend being priesthood Sunday, I thought I would offer my rosary particularly for priests.

So, as I said, I adapted my method a little bit. In the first decade of my rosary, I prayed for the priests that I am challenged to love, the priests who have left active ministry, the priests who have been found guilty of crimes, the priests who spread heresy, the priests whose personalities just rub me the wrong way. I prayed for them by name, and prayed for the grace to love them.

In my second decade I prayed for the priests who are sick and suffering: the priests, I know, who are very sick or dying or diminished by old age, the priests who struggle with substance abuse, addiction, or who are unjustly treated by their bishops, by their parishes, the media, or government. The priests who may be struggling with the promise of celibacy, priests who may be finding it difficult to pray daily as they ought, the priests that may be on the verge of leaving ministry without proper discernment, and priests with clinical depression, and the like.

In the third decade I prayed for a flourishing of the spiritual gifts in the priests of our Diocese. We need priests on fire with the Holy Spirit. We need priests filled with wisdom, who are not timid in speaking the truth, who are tireless in ministry, who are prophetic, who are able to discern and call forth the Spirit’s gifts from their parishioners. We need priests who will preach, like Jesus, in the third luminous mystery,  throughout galilee, going to the margins as Pope Francis would say, to bring the Gospel to the farthest ends of the earth.

In the fourth decade of my rosary, I prayed for the priests who died. Like the fourth luminous mystery, where the Lord shines in Transfigured Light, I prayed for the priests I have known who have died, that the perpetual light of christ may shine upon them, and that their time in purgatory, if any, will be lessened. I have known many good and holy priests who have gone onto their eternal reward, and I’m sure you have as well. Please do not forget them in your prayers.

Lastly, as I do in all my rosaries, I offered the last decade, again, for myself, especially that I may good be a holy priest and receive a share of the spirit that has animated the priesthood of so many of our good and holy priests in the diocese of Cleveland. I prayed for the prudence of Bishop Pilla, the keenness of mind of Fr. Jack Murphy, the warm compassion of Fr. Jim O’Donnell, the indefatigable energy of Fr. Pete Colletti, the liturgical reverence of Fr. Mike Woost, and piety of Fr. Sean Donnelly, and the fortitude in suffering of Bishop Richard Lennon, those close to him know how he suffered for the church of Cleveland like very few have suffered.

On this priesthood Sunday, I ask once again for your prayers for priests. If there have been priests who have insulted or hurt you or your families, please pray for them, and pray for the grace to forgive them, that any lack of forgiveness might not keep you from deep engagement in the life of the Church. Please pray too for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. I do not know the last priestly vocation to come from this parish, but we do well to pray that God may raise up good holy priests from the young men in our midst. The Church will need good and holy priests until the Lord’s return, and it is the duty of every Catholic to promote healthy priestly vocations through prayer and encouragement.

Priest seek to help the church love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. So please pray for priests, Pray the rosary, pray for vocations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - The Lord feeds, heals, and quenches

 All four Gospels contain accounts of the Lord eating and dining. All four record the last supper, for example. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the Lord’s supper in the house of the tax collector Levi and St. John is the only to record the Lord’s attendance at the wedding feast at Cana.

St. Luke is the only evangelist to record the meal in today’s Gospel passage in which the Lord heals the man with dropsy in the house of a pharisee on the sabbath.

This story is not the first time that the Lord has healed someone on the sabbath, but it is the first time he heals someone at a meal. He combines healing and eating. It’s also interesting who he heals. He heals a man with dropsy. Dropsy is a condition in which there is a build-up of fluid in a persons tissues, and so because of this imbalance with fluid, the person with dropsy is always thirsty—they are perpetually thirsty. And so here the Lord combines healing and eating and satisfying unending thirst.

What does that makes you think of? I don’t know about you, but this certainly makes me think of what we’re doing right now. In the celebration of Mass, the Lord feeds, the Lord quenches thirst, and the Lord heals

In the Eucharist, the Lord feeds us with his body and blood, giving us spiritual nourishment for the work of the Gospel and the pilgrimage to heaven. In the Eucharist, the Lord heals us of sinfulness, pride, grief, loneliness, division, and estrangement from God. And in the Eucharist the Lord quenches our thirst for the infinite God—like a dry weary desert our souls thirst for Him, and here that thirst is quenched.

Commenting particularly on the healing properties of the Eucharist, Pope Francis, said a few years ago, that the Eucharist is “powerful medicine for the weak”. We have many weaknesses: fear in preaching the Gospel, timidity in doing the work of the Lord, weaknesses of the flesh, the lack of willingness to suffer for Christ, temptations to sin, concupiscence. And the Eucharist is medicine for these weaknesses. And those who deprive themselves of the Eucharist, refusing to go to mass, deprive themselves of real medicine the Lord wishes to apply to their souls.

The Eucharist is also medicine for the greatest of our weaknesses: mortality. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing to the Ephesians said that the Eucharist is the “medicine of immortality…and the antidote  which  wards  off  death.” It “yields continuous life  in union with Jesus Christ.”

May we dispose our souls as often as possible to this food from heaven, the food that heals, the food that quenches for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

For those who are deprived of the Eucharist, for lapsed Catholics, for the unbelieving, for those who doubt the Lord’s real presence, for those who have hardened their hearts toward God, and for a deeper appreciation of the great gift of the Eucharist among all God’s people. Let us pray to the Lord.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

The Greek word translated “strive” in this morning’s Gospel is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by struggle and strain, like a running athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where he strives, and agonizes, to do the Will of the Father.  

The narrow gate of faithfulness is difficult for us because of our human pride, our attachment to sin, our attraction to worldliness and sensual delight, and of course the opposition of Satan.

Despite the difficulty and opposition, Jesus urges us to strive—to agonize—to enter the narrow gate.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say, stand at the gate, look at it, and complain about how narrow it is.  Some Christians look at the commandments of God and teachings of the Church and reject them, claiming that they are too narrow, too rigid or outdated.  They seek to refashion the gate, and make it wider.  But that’s not what Jesus asks.

Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  Sometimes we are clinging to things that just can’t pass through the narrow gate: our selfish clinging to worldly delights, our grudges, our fears.  We are called to make the adjustment to our minds and hearts, to let go of all that keeps us from following Christ more wholeheartedly.  

Through the Eucharist we celebrate today, may God give us the strength to strive to follow the way of Christ amidst all obstacles and worldly temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

That the faithful of our parish may strive for holiness in their personal habits, their relationships and daily endeavors.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Mustard Seeds of Charity

Yesterday, in the Gospel we heard of the healing of a crippled woman in a synagogue. There was a woman who had been inflicted with a crippling spirit for 18 years, and the Lord delivers her from this spirit, and she is able to stand and glorify God.

After dealing with a bit of criticism from the pharisees for performing this healing on the sabbath, the Lord immediately offers the two parables we heard today, that of the mustard seed and the yeast.

The healing miracle serves as a sort of spark for today's teaching about the kingdom of God. And it may be a bit confusing how the these two short little parables and the miraculous healing are connected. But it’s really not that hard. The kingdom of God starts out small, almost undetectable, like a mustard seed, a bit of yeast, or the healing of poor afflicted woman. 

An act of kindness, an act of goodness, an act of charity appears so small and insignificant, but it can transform the world. 

This is why Catholics must take acts of mercy, acts of charity seriously. Because this is how God wants to spread his kingdom, through small acts with great love, as st. therese the little flower would say, whom we celebrated at the beginning of the month.

We must not discount or underestimate the power, the seed, of giving a coat to a shivering stranger, a hot meal, a listening ear. This is why Pope Francis is constantly urging us to get out of our houses and out into the world to engage in the works of mercy. Couch potatoes do nothing for God. But the Christian who is quietly trying to bring relief to the suffering, the sick, and the lonely, they are transforming the world, souls are being touched, the consoling and blessing hand of God is being extended…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

That the faithful of our parish may engage ever more fervently in small acts of charity with great love for God and neighbor.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

30th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Monday - Crippled by sin, healed by Christ

 The miraculous healing of the crippled woman in the synagogue is a story only found in Luke’s Gospel. While teaching in the synagogue, the Lord notices this woman, hunched over, unable to stand upright. St. Luke tells us that she was afflicted by an unclean spirit for 18 years. Her physical affliction is certainly symbolic of the moral and spiritual state of sinful humanity. We are crippled by sin. Sin cripples our minds, our bodies, and our souls.

Well, the Lord, notices the crippled woman, goes to her, and sets her free from her infirmity. Through this miracle she is immediately able to stand erect and immediately glorifies God. 

This healing, again, is symbolic of the Lord’s entire mission. God has compassion for the waywardness that is ours, humanity’s fallen state. We are crippled by sin, unable to walk in the freedom for which we were created—our intellect is darkened, our wills are weakened. And Through Christ we are liberated, healed, set free, able to walk upright again, and worship God in spirit and in truth. 

In the Epistle we heard of the way of the spirit that leads to life and the way of the flesh that leads to death. St. Paul shows his concern in many of his letters that Christians, who have been baptized, were returning to the ways of the flesh. They were putting their eternal souls at risk, by abandoning the way of uprightness, but returning, willingly to that crippled spiritual state. 

Paul models what it means to be a true pastor here. He doesn’t just want people to get baptized. He doesn’t want Christians in name only. He wants Christians alive in the spirit, free from those temptations to sink back into the immoral muck of sin. 

The spirit of the flesh will always be trying to cripple us, to the point that we are hunched over by self-absorption, addiction, selfishness, materialism, and the like. So we must be vigilant against them by continually remembering our identity as Children of God set free from sin. And when we have willingly given in to these evils, we must allow Jesus to heal us through the Sacraments, especially any serious sins in the Sacrament of Confession.

Healed by Jesus, the woman stood up straight and glorified God. In all spiritual and moral uprightness, may we too glorify God in all of our words and deeds this day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

- - - - - - 

That the effects of sin may continue to be healed in us, that we may walk in the moral uprightness God desires for his children. 

For the healing of all the wounds of division afflicting the Church, for an end to heresy and schism, for turning away from all doctrinal error and hardness of heart.

For spiritual healing and mercy upon all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen to mortal sin, for those who blaspheme, for the conversion of atheists and non-believers.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. May the grace of Christ Your Son, the Divine Physician, bring healing of our sinfulness, and make us worthy of the kingdom of heaven, through the same Christ our Lord.