2nd Week of Lent - Thursday - "There is no such thing as a successful life without sacrifice"

Blessed John Paul II said one Lent that the “excessive desire for possessions prevents human beings from being open to their Creator and to their brothers and sisters”.  In the Gospel we hear of this rich man who isn’t even aware of the poor man at his very gate—the things of the world so cluttered his life that he was unaware of the things that really mattered.  And this had eternal consequences.

On Palm Sunday 2009, Pope Benedict, spoke of the things that “really matter”.  “An upright life always involves sacrifice, renunciation. To hold out the promise of a life without this constant re-giving of self is to mislead. There is no such thing as a successful life without sacrifice.  If I cast a glance back over my whole life, I have to say that it was precisely the moments when I said yes to renunciation that were the great and important moments of my life.”

In the final hours of his pontificate, the Church turns to the Lord in thanksgiving for the sacrifices made by such a loving Pope. 

Even before his election, Pope Benedict called us out of that selfish individualism and material preoccupation plaguing modern man.  One author put it, “For a people easily distracted by an infinitely multiplying, utterly inconsequential number of small things, he turned the bright beam of his intellect on the big things: the things that mattered: hope, faith, love”

He reached out to increasingly secularized western civilization reminding us that “God’s love is so fundamental for our lives (DCE 2)” and called upon the members of Church to renew their faith that the Church may be an ever more potent instrument for the spread of the Gospel of Our Lord. 

Before the two hundred thousand people gathered for his final General Audience yesterday, Pope Benedict reminded us, the Gospel’s word of truth is the strength of the Church: it is her life. The Gospel purifies and renews: It bears fruit wherever the community of believers hears and welcomes the grace of God in truth and lives in charity.

May we be free from all that keeps us from being open to God and to all those in need, and may the Gospel continue to purify and renew us in faithful service for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

That Pope Benedict XVI, who has served the Church faithfully as Supreme Pontiff, may find peace and consolation as he turns to a life of prayer for the Church.  We pray to the Lord.

That the tireless efforts of the Holy Father in fostering unity and communion may bear fruit in the hearts of all Christians.  We pray to the Lord.

That as the Holy Father taught us that God and that we are saved in hope, he may be strengthened in hope and knowledge of God’s love for Him now and for all eternity.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Holy Spirit’s guidance upon the Cardinals of the Church who prepare for the next papal election.  We pray to the Lord.  We pray to the Lord.

2nd Week of Lent - Wednesday - Christian Greatness

Yesterday’s Gospel ended with the words: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.  And today, the mother of two of Jesus’ Apostles, James and John, the sons of Zebedee comes seeking an exalted position for her sons in Jesus’ kingdom. 

She wants greatness for her sons, as any mother would.  So there is something commendable in her words, she wants the best of her children, and she has come to believe that Jesus was destined to be king.  Yet, that belief is a misunderstanding of what the Messiah’s kingship means and entails. 

James and John seemed pretty ready to grasp at it the worldly greatness, perhaps dreaming of endless wealth, celebrity recognition, political power, and command of military might. 

Jesus, however, defines “greatness” very differently.  Greatness comes from giving, and service, and sacrifice. Whoever wishes to be great must become a slave, he says.  Greatness comes in not being loved greatly, but in greatly loving, in serving others with one’s entire life. 

It is good to strive for greatness.  But, whose version of greatness do you strive for, the world’s or Christ’s?  The royal road to Christian greatness is the cross.  The Christian strives for great sanctity through great self-sacrifice.  The greatness of the saints is found in their ability to die to their own ambitions, and to pour themselves out abundantly in service to the kingdom of God. 

Jesus promises that James and John would drink of the same cup he would drink—the cup of torture and death for the salvation of souls.  James was the first of the Twelve to drink the cup of Christ when he was beheaded in Jerusalem about ten years after Jesus’ death by Herod Agrippa.  And although John was the only apostle to die a natural death, this was not before experiencing great hardship and exile.  One could say John lived a martyr’s life even if he never died a martyr’s death.

Are you leading a martyr’s life?  Does the courageous blood of the martyr’s flow in your veins in readiness to be poured out in service to Christ?

Through our intensified prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we pray that we become more conformed to Christ who suffered that we might have life, that attitudes of entitlement and self-preoccupation may be conquered within us, and that we continue to be lead in the way of self-sacrifice and service, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.  

2nd Week of Lent - Tuesday - Christian Humility

"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

Jesus probably emphasized humility more than any other person who has ever lived; someone once said, humility was Jesus’ favorite virtue.

Jesus’ humility is beyond comprehension.  Last night we considered Jesus as the face of God's mercy.   He is also the face of humility.  Jesus, emptied Himself and became a human being.   Jesus chose to be born in a stable at Bethlehem. As a baby, he was a Refugee in Egypt. He lived in the obscure village of Nazareth. He had the menial job of a carpenter. During His public ministry, Jesus had nowhere to lay His head. Paul writes to the Philippians, “He humbled Himself even to death on a cross, the death of a slave.” 

The Lenten journey is one of humility.  We began Lent sprinkling our foreheads with ashes while hearing the words, “Remember man, you are dust, and to dust you will return.”  The word humility derives from the word meaning “earth”. 

Lenten acts of humility remind us of our need for God, our need for a savior. 

Humility is the virtue which combats the deadly sin of pride.  Where Pride refuses to face the truth, humility embraces the truth.  Where pride runs away from God in selfish independence, humility prostrates itself in surrender, beating it’s breast saying “have mercy on me a sinner.”

We might in fact live in the most arrogant, prideful ages in human history; for we have never seen such self-divorce from the divine.  But the humility the world needs begins in my own heart, seeking to serve others rather than its own selfish fascinations.

The Greek New Testament word for humility, tapeinophrosyne , literally means, thinking myself insignificant and lowly.  Think of yourself as the slave of others, as did our Lord.

St. Theresa of Avila, great mystic and doctor of the Church said, “The foundation of the entire edifice of prayer is humility.  Nothing matters more than humility.” 

We will never advance in the spiritual life, in sanctity, without humility, and lots of it. 

Humility recognizes that without God we can do nothing of any importance, and that the growth our soul truly longs for is found in deep surrender and deep obedience and devout service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 2nd Week of Lent - Monday - "Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful"

Both the reading from Deuteronomy and the Gospel speak of God’s mercy.  Mercy is an important Lenten theme—for, our own Lenten journey, includes reflection on what it means to be a sinner and a recipient of God’s mercy.

Saint Faustina wrote that God’s mercy is never exhausted, and that God will not deny his mercy to anyone who turns to him in repentance. 

Pope Benedict said, “Jesus Christ is divine mercy in person: Encountering Christ means encountering the mercy of God.  Jesus willingly gave himself up to death so that we might be saved and pass from death to life.  Mercy has a name, mercy has a face, mercy has a heart.” 

At the beginning of Lent, we prayed for God to give us compunction—that realization that I am a sinner and  Jesus died for me.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” the Lord instructs in today’s Gospel

The one who is deeply aware of the mercy he has received will in turn show mercy towards others.  Many of the saints engaged in feeding the hungry and clothing the naked out of a knowledge of how God had loved them even when they were unlovable due to their sin. 

Because God has been merciful with us, we engage in the corporal works of mercy: Feed the hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, Clothe the naked, Shelter the homeless, Visit the sick, Visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.  Sometimes we forget too about the spiritual works of mercy: comforting the sorrowful, counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, praying for the living and the dead, forgiving injuries, bearing wrongs patiently, and admonishing the sinner.  These are actions born out of a knowledge that God has been so merciful with us, now we need to be merciful to others in return.

In connection with this call to be merciful, Jesus warns against judging others.  In doing so, He is not saying that we are to turn a blind eye to sin.  When politicians work to normalize abortion or perverted lifestyles, we are to meet their public evils with public condemnation.  When a family member is failing to bring their children to Sunday Mass, we are to take them aside and gently admonish this failure in hope that the behavior is corrected.  We admonish and correct not because we are angry and don’t care, rather, because we do care about their souls and their eternal salvation.

What Jesus is forbidding is that condemnation that says someone is beyond my mercy and beyond God’s mercy. 

Saint Josemaria Escriva  said that  “you must never treat anyone unmercifully.  If you think someone is not worthy of your mercy, you should realize that you don’t deserve mercy either”. 

May we deepen in our mercy towards even the most unlovable in our midst, in measuring out mercy according to the infinite mercy we have been shown by God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 2nd Sunday of Lent - Mount Tabor & Mount Calvary

On the 1^st Sunday of Lent, every year we hear the Gospel story of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, how he fasted for forty days, how he was tempted by the Devil, and how he remained faithful to his Father. 

On the 2^nd Sunday of Lent every year, we hear the Gospel story of Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

Jesus had taken his three closest apostles, Peter, James, and John, up Mount Tabor and there, he was transfigured in front of him—Jesus began to radiate this dazzling light, the glory of God shown about him.  If that wasn’t enough, Moses and Elijah appeared with him.  Moses representing the law, Elijah representing the prophets—showing Jesus to be the fulfillment of both the law and the prophets.  And if that’s not enough God the Father spoke from heaven saying this is my beloved Son, listen to Him.

Even blockheads like the apostles could see that Jesus was very special.  God himself spoke and attested that Jesus was his Divine Son.  How could Peter, James, and John not have Faith.  We might even say that Faith was easy that day.

Why did Jesus do this strange thing?  Why did he expose his apostles to this display? 

Right before the Eucharistic prayer today, the preface will speak about the why of the transfiguration.  The priest will pray: “For after he had told the disciples of his coming Death, on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory, to show, even by the testimony of the law and the prophets, that the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection.”

“the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection.  In the Transfiguration Jesus was helping to prepare his apostles for the horrors, the suffering, and the tortures of His Passion by giving them a little glimpse of Easter, so that when the darkness of Good Friday came, they would not lose faith, but remember the dazzling light in the darkness. 

One of the important dimensions of ordained priestly ministry is to be with people in times of darkness.  So often, when we visit the funeral home, walking in to this time of sadness, gloom, darkness, and death, the family of the deceased has arranged around the funeral parlor, these displays of pictures from the life of their loved ones.  Pictures from holidays, and weddings, and vacations, and happier times.  I think it’s very important at those moments to share their happy memories of their departed loved ones—the times of happiness, and joy, and light and life—the time that grandpa took us fishing, the time when we took that family vacation.

In the moment, of loss, and sadness, and pain, and sorrow, it is important to remember the times of light.  I really think that’s what Jesus was trying to do there on Mount Tabor through the mystery of his transfiguration—to provide a moment of brilliant light for his apostles to remember when things got dark.

As if what Jesus was saying to Peter, James, and John was “You see me now in all my radiance, in my glory, it’s easy to have faith, it’s simple to believe in me—that I have come to bring you freedom from the dark powers of evil and life eternal.  But pretty soon, there is going to be another mountain, this one not called Tabor but Calvary.  Where I’ll be alone, and I’ll be abandoned, and I’ll be treated unjustly, where I’ll be bloodied, and beaten, and nailed on a cross and dead.  Pretty soon there will come a very dark Friday afternoon, when II will cry out to my heavenly Father and I’m not going to hear his voice, like I did on mount tabor.  There will be a day where it will hard to believe in me.  So don’t lose faith.”

Sometimes it is easy to believe in Jesus—to believe in his saving Gospel—to believe that his word brings freedom to captives.  But sometimes, perhaps for long periods of time in our lives—it is hard to believe that Jesus’ Gospel brings life—it is hard to believe in his promises. 

So it’s important for us to remember, that each of our lives will have both shares in Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  We’ll have health, and we’ll have sickness.  We’ll have times of financial success, and we might have times where you don’t know where the next house payment is going to come from.  There will be joyful moments of friendship and times of intimacy, and times of profound loneliness.  There will be times when our lives our filled with meaning and direction, and times where we despair and feel lost.

What the Transfiguration teaches us is that God is with us always—that the cross is not proof the darkness has won, or that God has abandoned us.  For Jesus promised us a share in the cross—he promised it. 

A great temptation is to forget God and ignore God in times of happiness, and to curse Him in times of sadness.  It’s a grave mistake, when we are riding high, feeling good, to forget that God is the source from whom all blessings flow.  And it’s a grave mistake when times get tough, when suffering comes, to blame God.”  Rather the Christian message is to praise and thank God in times of blessing, and to trust in him, to remember his promises in times of darkness.  That’s called faith. 

God is with us in times of consolation—in times of sweetness, when the presence of His Spirit abounds; and times of desolation—in times of dryness, when God seems so very far away.  He is there.

Blessed Mother Theresa, as many of you know, underwent a forty year period of extreme dryness in her prayer life.  When she turned to God in prayer, he seemed so very far away.  But it was during that time, that God perfected her ability to love others.  She persevered in prayer, spending at least an hour in adoration of the Eucharist every day; she persevered in service, raising the abandoned out of the gutter; she preserved in faith, proclaiming the truth of the Gospel in word and deed, all the while experiencing a forty year Good Friday in her prayer life.

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict wrote in his Lenten message that, “The Christian Life consists in continuously scaling the mountain to meet God and then coming back down, bearing the love and strength drawn from him, so as to serve our brothers and sisters with God’s own love "

This morning from Rome, the Holy Father addressed the thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter’s square concerning his retirement.  He said, “The Lord is calling me to "climb the mountain", to devote myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church, indeed, if God is asking me to do this it is so that I can continue to serve the Church with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done thus far, but in a way that is better suited to my age and my strength.”

An important Lenten lesson today, as we continue our Lent journey, reflecting upon all that Jesus suffered to save us from our sins, that amidst the Mount Tabor’s and Mount Calvary’s of life—the joys and the sufferings, we recall God’s presence guiding us to our eternal homeland for his glory and the salvation of souls.

1st Week of Lent - Saturday - Pray for those who persecute you

Jesus’ teaching this morning must have been a startling teaching for the original hearers.  If it was startling for them, it may be something with which we have also struggled.  “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”  In first-century Jewish Palestine, “your enemies” and “those who persecute you” would have immediately brought to mind the Roman oppressors.  Jesus challenges his disciples to love and pray for the very people who occupy their land, tax them heavily, and treat them with violence and injustice.

Such radical love for their persecutors is precisely what will make them children of God who is Love itself.

The call to imitate God in his holiness and love was not a new concept.  The Levitical law commanded Israel to be Holy, just as the Lord is holy.  The was interpreted as a call to separate yourself from the unholy—make sure you don’t keep the company of sinners—make sure you are ritually pure, make sure you have nothing to do with non-believers.

Jesus, however, calls his disciples to imitate God by being perfect in love.  He enters in to the life of sinners—he sits with them, eats with them, and calls them to God’s mercy.  This love seeks what is best for others—even one’s enemies.  It is a call to reflect the Father’s perfect, committed, selfless merciful love in our own lives.

This is an important Lenten lesson.  Our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving throughout Lent is meant to help us practice self-discipline, it is also to help us do penance for our sins; but it is also meant to make our hearts more like Christ’s.  We are to pray and fast FOR our enemies, yes, so that they can be converted, but also so that we can love them as God loves them.

If you can think of someone who you consider an enemy, to yourself, or to Christ, and you haven’t fasted a day in your life for them, have your really followed Jesus’ command here “to pray for those who persecute you”?  Fasting is not only changing our bodies but our hearts.

May our Lenten practices grow our hearts in loving as our heavenly Father loves for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: February 22 - Chair of Peter

Throughout the Church year, special days are set apart to honor particular saints, like St. Peter Damian, yesterday; or important moments in the life of Christ or his Mother, like the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, the Feast of the Transfiguration, the Feast of the Assumption; twice we celebrate the dedication of two major basilicas: the basilica churches of St. John Lateran and Saint Mary Major.  Well today, we celebrate a chair.

Every diocese has a “cathedra”; the “cathedra” is literally, the fixed seat of the Bishop, found in the mother church of a diocese, which for this reason is called the “cathedral” and is the symbol of the authority of the Bishop and of his teaching and preaching office.  Bishop Lennon is a successor of the twelve Apostles, called by Christ to maintain and govern the Church.

When the Bishop takes possession of the diocese entrusted to him, wearing the miter and carrying the pastoral staff, he sits on the cathedra. From that seat he will guide his flock, as teacher and pastor.

The Bishop who sits on the “cathedra” of the Church of Rome has a very important mission, not only to the Christians of the city of Rome, but in the mission of watching over the entire People of God.  The ancient church fathers attest to the importance of the church of Rome.  Rome, the city of Peter’s death, became recognized as the church of the successor of St. Peter. 

Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair or Peter with a little sadness in our hearts.  In less than a week’s time, the chair of peter will be vacant, as Pope Benedict abdicates the Papacy. 

No matter who is elected as Pope Benedict’s successor in the weeks to come, today’s Feast reminds us that the Pope of Rome is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the rock, upon whom Christ built his Church. 

We’ve been blessed in the last hundred years to have tremendously holy Popes, so wise in guiding the Church as the world changes so rapidly.

And we pray today that we may always remain in communion with him who sits on the “cathedra” of Peter, so that we may always remain in communion with He who sits on the throne of heaven. 

Homily: 1st Week of Lent - Thursday - Ask, Seek, Knock

During Ordinary Time, our Gospel readings typically are taken in sequential order.  During Lent, our Gospel readings are organized more according to the different Lenten themes: fasting, conversion, liberation, penance, almsgiving.  Today’s Gospel from Matthew comes at the tail-end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus encourages his disciples to ask, to seek, and to knock with the expectation that God will respond.

Those are some pretty big promises, aren’t they?  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  It sounds as if the Father will give us virtually anything we ask for, regardless of what is best for us. 

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “ask, and you will receive anything you ask for”, “seek, and you’ll find anything you are looking for”.  Jesus isn’t saying, if you haven’t won the lottery yet then you haven’t prayed hard enough.  Or, if you haven’t beat cancer yet, you haven’t prayed hard enough.

Rather, he’s making a more important promise, one that leads to eternal life.  The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ great teaching on the kingdom of God.  So the object of the asking, and seeking, and knocking is something very particularly—but in the end the most important thing—eternal life—meaning—holiness.

It is a promise to the young person who is lost amidst all of the competing voices of our culture—that he will find God if he truly looks for him.  It is a promise to the sinner that he really can turn his life over to God.  It is a promise to the Christian that he can grow in holiness if he seeks it. 

Jesus then explains how this is true.  A human father who truly loves his children goes to great lengths to feed them.  Our Father in heaven is bursting with a greater love than that and the willingness to give us the good things we need in order to do his will, to become free from sin that keeps us from loving as we should. 

I think this is a powerful promise to remember during Lent.  As we spend time reflecting on our sinfulness and selfishness, our failures to love, and be the people God made us to be, we hear this promise, that God leads us out of the darkness of ourselves when we turn to Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st week of Ordinary time - Wednesday - Call to repentance

The Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent take on a more penitential tone.  And our readings are literally about people repenting and the Lord praising their repentance. 

The third chapter of Jonah contains one  of the most dramatic responses to the call to repentance in the entire old covenant—the entire a city of Nineveh—about 120,000 people—everyone, the nobility, the peasantry, even the cattle and sheep—all repented when God sent Jonah to preach to them. 

When the Ninevites repented, they expressed their repentance by fasting, covering themselves with sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. But better yet, they had the best sort of repentance, as they indicated their sorrow "by their actions how they turned from their evil way".

During lent we undertake the external practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to show our repentance, as signs of repentance, and to bring about that entire conversion which will have an effect on our behavior, attitudes, and choices. 

In the Gospel, Jesus says, this generation is an evil generation.  Why?  Because it was so resistant to repentance.  It didn’t want conversion, it didn’t want to be open to God’s message as the Ninevites were, it wanted signs, it wanted a magic show, it wanted to be entertained.  Sounds familiar. 

The people of Nineveh, wicked as they were, made the connection between their sins and impending destruction. These people frequently brutalized and butchered large numbers of people. They were pagans, spiritually dead, the least likely to repent. Yet the prophetic word pierced their hearts, and they repented en masse. Jesus commended their repentance.

When people are in sin, telling them to repent is not unkind or cruel. It is an act of love, because only in this way can they correct their lives and receive eternal life.

For weeks the diocese of Cleveland has been hosting television commercials to advertise that every parish in the diocese will have confessions this evening from 5 to 8pm.  If there is anyone in your life who has fallen away from the Church, please invite them to confession tonight, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st Week of Lent - Tuesday - Lectio Divina

The season of Lent is often referred to as the Church’s annual retreat.  While in seminary, we would take an annual retreat, often times, it would be a silent retreat, where the seminarians would spend the day in silence, so they could pray and rest and pray some more.  While on retreat we were to practice a way of prayer quite central to a healthy Christian prayer life called lectio divina.  Lectio Divina is latin for Divine Reading.   It is a method of praying with scripture, just a few verses at a time, reading them unhurriedly and reflectively so that we can listen for the message God has for us there.

Today’s reading from Isaiah describes what should happen while using Lectio Divina.  God’s word, descending into our hearts, like rain falling from the heavens to make the earth fertile and fruitful.   

Back in 2006, Pope Benedict addressed the youth of the world gathered for World Youth Day on the subject of Lectio Divina.  

“My dear young friends,” he said,” I urge you to become familiar with the Bible, and to have it at hand so that it can be your compass pointing out the road to follow. By reading it, you will learn to know Christ. Note what Saint Jerome said in this regard: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" A time-honoured way to study and savor the word of God is lectio divina 

After the lectio, which consists of reading and rereading a passage from Sacred Scripture and taking in the main elements, we proceed to meditatio. This is a moment of interior reflection in which the soul turns to God and tries to understand what his word is saying to us today. Then comes oratio in which we linger to talk with God directly. Finally we come to contemplation…Reading, study and meditation of the Word should then flow into a life of consistent fidelity to Christ and his teachings.

I’ve often given as a penance in the sacrament of confession practicing lectio divina with the Lord’s Prayer.  Recite the prayer, then recite it again very slowly, then begin to meditate on the meaning of the words.  What does it mean that God is OUR Father, what does it mean that he is our FATHER, what does it mean for God to deliver me from evil, for example.  Then let that meditation turn into a sort of conversation with God—speaking the desires of my heart to God and listening for his voice, and finally, letting that evolve into a wordless contemplation of God’s presence and his love.

Lectio Divina, a powerful method of prayer employed by saints for over a thousand years.  May God’s word this Lent make our hearts fruitful and fertile for witnessing to the truth of Christ’s saving Gospel, for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st Week of Lent - Monday - Compunction prepares us for the Great Judgment

The readings and prayers of the first half of Lent are aimed at arousing in us the disposition of compunction—compunction—knowledge of our sinfulness, sorrow for our sins, repentance, the desire for God’s mercy, the desire for deeper conversion.

Examining our conscience in light of the commandments, such as those who read this morning from Leviticus should bring us to compunction: “Have I stolen, have I defrauded another, have I acted dishonestly in rendering judgment.”  If, I have, it is a good thing to be brought to sorrow for failing to be as holy as God calls us to be.

Likewise, the reading from Matthew’s Gospel should help us examine our conscience.  The preceding parables in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus had been urging the disciples to be ready for the day when the Son of Man returns.  And today’s passage is that description of the Great Judgment. 

Compunction is about being ready, for the Lord will “repay everyone according to his conduct”.   The fact that this judgment will be eternal—should bring us to compunction and conversion. 

So we take very seriously this call to examine our lives—have I been cared for those in need—the hungry, the naked, those in prison, the stranger, as we should?

If we are honest, the answer is probably no.  Many of us have never visited a prisoner or given more than a token offering to the starving. Even the sick we've visited have been relatives and friends and not the least of the brethren. Really, it’s going to be impossible to stand on our record, because we all fall short of being as holy as we are meant to be.

But perhaps the compunction of Lent is the very attitude that we should be cultivating, so that when the Lord does come in judgment, we may meet him humbly, seeking to turn more and more of our lives over to him, for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st Sunday of Lent - Pre-Cana Mass

[I did not preach at the main parish masses this weekend. This homily was given at Mass with our pre-cana couples]

We celebrate the first Sunday of Lent, in which we prepare for the celebration of the Paschal mysteries.  

I think as Catholics we take preparation very seriously.

The two most important feasts of the Church year, Easter and Christmas, are both preceded by periods of preparation.  The season of Advent helps us to prepare for Jesus’ coming, and the celebration of his birth at Christmas.  And the season of Lent helps us to prepare for the new life available to us through Jesus’ Passion Death and Resurrection celebrated at Easter. 

In the life of the Catholic there are periods of preparation preceding the reception of the sacraments of initiation.  An adult preparing for baptism goes through a lengthy process of learning the Church’s doctrine, learning about the prayer life of the Church, learning about the moral teachings of the church before they are made members of the Church in the sacrament of baptism. 

Hopefully, it isn’t too distant of a memory, but when you were preparing for your first holy communion, you learned about the Mass, you learned about how the Lord nourishes us with His body and blood in the eucharist.  In the 80s we had to make special felt banners with wheat and bread and grapes and chalices. 

And as young people you also prepared for the sacrament of confirmation; you learned about the gifts of the holy spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, piety, fortitude, which are strengthened in you in Confirmation.

In preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Orders, I prepared in seminary for 8 years, preparing for a life of ministry as an ordained priest.  And now you find yourselves in a period of preparation for married life. 

Even before we come to Mass, we kneel down in our pews, in silent prayer, to prepare for the great mystery we are about to celebrate.  Even better, is to prepare for Sunday Mass by reading and reflecting on the Scripture readings during the week.

We take preparation very seriously? Why? 

For one reason, I think, so we know what we are getting into.  The adult preparing for baptism needs to know what being a Christian entails.  He needs to know the demands that are going to be made on him, he needs to know that being a Christian involves sharing in the Lord’s cross.  He needs to know, that Jesus promised that we would be persecuted for the faith, and that temptation continues after baptism, in fact, the temptations of the devil may be even greater than before baptism. 

The priest preparing for Holy Orders needs to be prepared for the challenges of ministry.  He needs to know his theology, he needs to gain some skill in ministering to the sick and the dying and the doubtful.

The couple engaged for marriage needs to be prepared for the challenges of being a married couple in the 21^st century.  What will be your temptations?  Will there be a temptation to skip Sunday mass?  Yes!  Will there be the temptation to use contraception! Perhaps.  Will there be a temptation to call it quits when things get difficult?  God forbid, but maybe. 

So we prepare well, by learning the Church’s teaching, and growing in awareness of the ways we are tempted. 

Secondly, I think we take preparing very seriously, so that we can come to a greater understanding of how God works through the Sacraments.

The adults I’ve worked with in preparing for baptism have told me that they have a profound encounter with the Lord Jesus and his purifying grace; that they truly feel infused with new life in their baptism.

In working with the 2^nd graders, you can detect their excitement as the day of their first Holy Communion comes, and many of them speak of profound moments of grace when they receive the Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time.

Personally, I’ll never forgot that moment, and the closeness I felt to Jesus upon receiving him for the first time.

Nor will I ever forget laying down on the cold marble of the Cathedral, and kneeling before the bishop with my hands in his, swearing obedience to him and his successors, promising to remain celibate, to pray daily for the Church.  I will never forget celebrating Mass for the first time as a priest, and saying the words of institution: “this is my body, this is my blood”. 

Nor, I hope will you ever forget your wedding vows.   But I pray you may also have that deep, profound experience of God’s presence as He binds you and your future spouse together in the Sacrament of Marriage indissolubly. 

But again, if you aren’t going to Mass, as you should, if you aren’t praying daily as you should, if you aren’t practicing chastity as you should, your wedding day is not going to be as it should, your wedding night, will not be as it should. 

Lent is a call to return to God with all our hearts.  And I pray, that this Pre-Cana day is helping you, break down some barriers that might exist, have some difficult conversations that you may not have had, and helped you recommit to following God’s plan for your marriage. 

The season of Lent is a period of intense prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for Christians to help renew our commitment to Christ, to purify us from all that keeps us from witnessing to Jesus.  Easter can come and go without us really being affected by it, if we don’t take seriously this time of preparation. 

Jesus himself was tempted in the desert as he prepared for public ministry.  You too will be tempted in preparation for marriage.  But just as he was faithful to his Heavenly Father, you can be faithful to God when you are obedient to His commandments, and pray and fast with Jesus.

Again, please know of my prayers for you and the prayers of the pre-cana team as you prepare for the new life of marriage, with all of its responsibilities and challenges, may you know the strength that comes from being faithful to God and having his Holy Spirit dwelling in you, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday after Ash Wednesday - The Cross is the royal road to Heaven

The book of Deuteronomy is one long speech, spoken by Moses, as the Israelite people prepare to enter the promised land after 40 years in the desert.  They stand on the precipice of a new life, their exodus from Egyptian slavery complete.  Moses would not enter into the land of Canaan, and his farewell sermon was instruction and encouragement and warning for the generations that would be born in the promised land. 

The essential point of Moses’ sermon is simple: there are two ways to available: the way of obedience to God and the way of disobedience.  “If you obey the commandments of the LORD…you will live… , however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen…you will not”.  These roads lead to two different destinations just as surely as two different physical roads lead to two different physical destinations.  The way of obedience leads to inheriting all God’s promises.  The way of disobedience brings misery and failure.

Lent is an opportunity for the members of the Church to reflect on their lives, and root out those attitudes and behaviors which are contrary to the will of God—those acts of selfishness, those acts of bitterness to others.  The prayer, and the fasting, and acts of charity are to strengthen us against those self-serving narrow, selfish tendencies that are opposed to new life in Christ—the life which is marked by compassion, concern, obedience to God.

Juxtaposed to Moses’ sermon was Jesus’ bold claim “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  It is so hard for the world to believe but the cross is the path to life.    

Thomas Kempis, the author of the spiritual masterpiece “The Imitation of Christ” wrote of the Cross as the Royal Road to the Kingdom of Heaven.  “Why, then, do you fear to take up the Cross-, which is the road to the Kingdom? In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. Take up the Cross-, therefore, and follow Jesus, (Matt. 16:24) and go forward into eternal life. (Matt.25:46) Christ has gone before you, bearing His Cross; (John 19:17) He died for you on the Cross, that you also may bear your cross, and desire to die on the cross with Him. For if you die with Him, you will also live with Him. (Rom 6:8) And if you share His sufferings, you will also share His glory.”

This Lent, see how the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ in which he has given you a share has become the tree of everlasting life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls

Homily: Ash Wednesday - Compunction

Over the past week, down in the day school we have been discussing the significance of Ash Wednesday.  What do ashes have to do with being followers of Jesus?  What do ashes have to do with Lent? 

One of the third graders so bluntly and so clearly said, they remind us that we are going to die.  “We will die, and be buried, and turn into dust”, the 10 year old said.  That really woke up a couple of his classmates.  “Why is that important for Lent,” I asked him?  He said, “we will die, and be judged by Jesus, so the ashes remind us to get ready.”  I could not have said it better.

After the distribution of Ashes and the reception of Holy Communion today, the final blessing will contain a word we do not hear too often, but which is essential to the season of Lent.  At the final blessing the priest will pray: “Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God, on those who bow before your majesty”.  Compunction. 

The faces of those third graders when his classmate said the ashes remind us that we are going to die, is a form of compunction.

Compunction comes from the word puncture.  It is something that pierces us.  It pierces through our illusions, it pierces through the haze. 

The ashes and the reminder that “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” is a prick of the conscience.  It’s that jarring reminder of our mortality and a reminder that we will be judged for our sins. 

Compunction is the profound realization that our sins have real consequences—that our sins offend God, that our self-indulgent behavior has real damaging effects on our relationships, that our sins are real missed opportunities to grow in holiness.  Compunction is a sorrow over time wasted by our laziness, selfishness toward our neighbor, and how often we have turned to worldly things to fill our hearts instead of turning to God in prayer.

Just like a pin stuck in a balloon causes the balloon to deflate, so to holy compunction deflates our inflated egos, it pierces through our self-deceptions and brings us to sorrow for our failures to live faithfully as disciples of Jesus. 

Ashes on ash Wednesday are just a bunch of dirt on our faces unless it brings us compunction—sorrow for our sins, the desire for mercy, and moves us to prove our repentance through Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  The Lord blesses us now—saying to us it is good to be sorrowful for our sins, to come to him with pierced and rent hearts.

Many mystics through the ages have described the experience of compunction as the first step into the genuine spiritual life. Thomas Merton said: "Compunction is a sorrow which pierces, which liberates, which gives hope, and therefore Joy.” 

Lent begins with compunction that it may give way to the joy of freedom from sin and the heights of sanctity God desires for us.  Ashes remind us of our mortality, yes, but also the hope of abundant and eternal life available through God’s love mercy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 5th Week of Ordinary Time - Tuesday - Lip Service

“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”.  Rebuking the Pharisees for valuing the human tradition of ritual purification prior to eating, Jesus quotes to them that passage from the Prophet Isaiah.  Another translations puts it, “This people pays Me lip service but their heart is far from Me. Empty is the reverence they do Me."

From time to time a parishioner explains that when they come to Mass, they feel like they are just giving God lip service, or as they put it they are “just going through the motions”. 

There is a vast difference between coming to Mass and wanting to offer God true worship of the heart and feeling a sort of emptiness, and this sort of lip service Jesus is condemning today.

Coming to Mass, and “going through the motions” but fully desiring to honor God is a virtue.  That spiritual dryness is not a reason to stop coming to Church, in fact, just the opposite.  God can use that spiritual dryness to purify us, and to teach us, and to help us desire Him and Him alone all the more.

Rather this lip service of the Pharisees is a form of self-deception.  They honored God with words, but dishonored him in practice. Again, they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from me.   We might think of many of our Catholic politicians who are Catholic-in-name-only.  They claim to be Catholic, but work to undermine Jesus’ teaching by enacting legislation abhorrent to God’s laws.  Or the cafeteria Catholic who picks and chooses which of the Church’s teachings they feel like following on any given day…If we are not obeying God’s commandments we must repent.

Rather the saint seeks to honor God with his lips and his heart and his actions.  He seeks to conform himself fully to God’s commandments, heart, mind, body and soul. 

One of my seminary professors warned us against, “ worshiping in vain”: saying the words without meaning the words and wanting to be changed by the words.  When we come to Mass, we must want to be changed, sanctified, healed, purified—we must desire to become more like Jesus Christ in his selfless self-giving to God.   

As we celebrate this Eucharist may we give God true worship of the heart, desiring evermore to be conformed to his Son—for His glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: February 11 - The retirement of Pope Benedict XVI

As many of you have heard, this morning Pope Benedict XVI, announced that due to health, he is resigning the Petrine ministry.  I would like to read to you this morning his letter of resignation which he presented this morning in a consistory of the Cardinals of the Catholic Church.

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.

After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to steer the boat of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects.

And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff.

With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

The option of a pope to resign is explicitly written into the Code of Canon Law. It says a pope may step down, but stipulates that the decision must be made freely and “duly manifested”, which the Holy Father has done.  This has not happened in over 600 years, but has occurred four other times in Church history.   The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will now begin to make preparations for a conclave to elect a new pope in March.  Our duty of course remains, to fast and pray for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Please stand as we offer our prayers for the Church and for the world.

For Benedict XVI, that as the Holy Father concludes his ministry as Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff  of the Church, the Lord may bless him with peace and reward him for labors.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Cardinals of the Church, that they may be deeply attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they prepare for the next papal election.   We pray to the Lord.

That as the Christian faithful prepares to enter into the purifying season of lent, the Church will be blessed through our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  We pray to the Lord.

For all the needs of the sick…

For all those who have died…

Homily: 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Put out into the deep

When the new millennium began, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to the Church and used the words of Jesus to Peter from today’s Gospel.  In latin, they are “duc in altum”—“put out into the deep”. 

You might imagine Peter’s confusion or perhaps rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, when Jesus, a carpenter, spoke those words to him, a professional fisherman, telling him how to do his job.  Peter and his crew had just fished all night and had just finished cleaning all of their equipment when Jesus instructed Peter to cast his net into deep waters. 

Even though it contradicted his professional sensibilities, trusting his master, he cast out into the depths of Lake Genesseret, and catching so many fish, they had to call for another boat to bring them all in. 

In his uncertainty, he placed his deep trust in the Lord, and that made all the difference.  Pope John Paul II, knowing all of the challenges the Church faced at the turn of the millennium, failing economies, impending wars, a culture becoming bent on instant gratification and materialism, he called us to, just like the Lord did to Peter, to cast out into the deep.  The Holy Father wrote how each individual Christian needed to go deeper in his or her spiritual life. 

He had offered the same message when in Saint Peter’s square in 1978 in the opening address of his pontificate, he said, “Do not be afraid to Open wide the doors of your heart for Christ.”  Cast out into the deep, open wide the doors.  For if we don’t, not only are we at risk of being mediocre Christians, but our very souls are at risk.  For, the key to withstanding the overwhelming barrage of temptations and distractions of the world, the key to avoid assimilated to the culture, and the key to becoming an effective instrument for the spread of the Gospel is to cast into the deep and open wide the door of your heart to Christ.  

In one sense, to put out into the deep, means to be extremely generous in the time we give to God in prayer. 

In that same letter, the Holy Father wrote how our parishes and families must become “genuine 'schools' of prayer” where we meet Christ in prayer not only in imploring his help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion “until the heart truly 'falls in love'". 

If we are only praying when we want something, if we only treat God like he’s Santa Clause, then we will never really fall in love with Jesus.  Rather, the Holy Father calls us to a deeper prayer life: time set aside every day for adoration and contemplation and listening.

In another sense, those words, “put out into the deep” is a call to every Christian, no matter what their state in life, to take up the missionary mandate of the Church: to reach out to those who do not have faith, to reach out to the poor and suffering, and to not be afraid to witness to the truth of the Gospel in the public sphere and the political realm.  Just like Peter casting out into deep waters to bring in this miraculous catch of fish, we too can make a miraculous catch, when we cooperate with Jesus. 

What are the deep waters for us?  Into the lives of the family members who have left the practice of the church, into the public sphere of our culture and the political life of our culture which wants to remove every last vestige of the Christian faith.   Into those places where fishing might seem initially foolish to our sensibilities. 

We need to cast into the deep waters of fallen away Catholics and cafeteria catholics.  For as, Saint Cyprian 1800 years ago proclaimed "He who has turned his back on the Church of Christ shall not come to the rewards of Christ…. You cannot have God for your Father if you have not the Church for your mother."  Fallen away Catholics are in danger, and each one of us is commissioned to be part of the rescue mission.

For as we heard In the first reading, Isaiah was personally commissioned by God to speak his message—the burning ember touched his lips, cleansing him of wickedness so he was able to speak.  So to, every Christian cleansed from the wickedness of sin by the waters of baptism has been personally commissioned to speak God’s message to the world.

What wonderful Sunday readings as we prepare for the season of Lent beginning this Wednesday.  For what do we seek during Lent?  That through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we may be freed from the worldly attachments which hinder our Christian mission.  Cast into the deep this Lent by taking seriously the Church’s call to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Down at the school, I assigned our fifth graders to come up with a Lenten plan.  To write down, on paper, “My Lenten prayer will consist of…”, “my Lenten fasting will consist of…”, “my Lenten almsgiving will consist of…”.  And to really consider, where do I need to fast, what do I need to break my attachment to: attachment to watching television, eating junk food, video games, spending inordinate time on the internet; what sort of daily prayer will really help me grow, what part of my day am I going to set aside for prayer?  And where can I be more generous with my time, talent, and treasure and contribute to the welfare of those in need..

Personally, I encourage all Catholics to be very clear about their Lenten practices, and to be very generous with God in your Lenten practices.

In order to reach the heights of sanctity God has in store for us, we must be generous with Him in casting out into the depths; encountering Him in the depths of prayer, going to great lengths to serving him in the poor, and going to the ends of the earth to proclaim his Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: February 8 - Saint Josephine Bakhita

Today we honor the first saint from the Sudan.  She bravely endured the horrors of slavery and ultimately earned the title of saint.

Born to a wealthy Sudanese family in the Darfur region of Southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of nine by slave traders and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate.   Over the next decade she was sold several times and was forced to endure repeated humiliations and beatings.  She was finally bought by a public servant who turned her over to a family who employed her as a nanny in Italy where slavery was illegal. 

Treated by the family with kindness, Josephine became acquainted with the Catholic faith, and after religious instruction was received into the church.

Several years later she joined the daughters of Charity, also known as the Canossian sisters in Italy.  She became known for her gentle presence and her willingness to undertake any task.

On May 17, 1992, Josephine Bakhita was beatified by Pope John Paul II and was proclaimed Saint on October 1, in the Jubilee year 2000.

During his homily at her canonization Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II said that in St. Josephine Bakhita, "We find a shining advocate of genuine emancipation. The history of her life inspires not passive acceptance but the firm resolve to work effectively to free girls and women from oppression and violence, and to return them to their dignity in the full exercise of their rights."  Slavery and human trafficking continue even in our present age, and through the intercession of today’s saint, we pray for its complete abolishment. 

Again, why is Josephine a model of virtue and holiness? Her life speaks of the value of forgiveness, reconciliation and love, for in her heart she overcame any feelings of hatred for those who had harmed her. She learned from the tragic events of her life to have complete trust in the Almighty who is always and everywhere present, and learned, as we prayed in the opening prayer, to show constant love for the Lord Jesus crucified, to remain steadfast in charity, and prompt to show compassion.

May we, like Josephine, be freed from all forms of slavery and attachment to sin, and live in true Christian freedom, for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 4th Week of Ordinary Time - Thursday - Sent out two-by-two

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives the disciples very specific instructions.  He then sends them out into the world where they are to preach repentance, heal the sick, and drive out demons.  But the instructions are more detailed.  Jesus tells them to go two by two.  Why two-by-two?

 I remember my first year in seminary.  Every seminarian is given an apostolate, sent out into the world to bring the good news: some seminarians went to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, schools to teach.  My first year, I was sent, with another seminarian, two by two, to the Cuyahoga county jail.  We were to learn about and practice jail chaplaincy.  It would have been easy to get discouraged.  But having another seminarian along, we were able to challenge each other to do better, to encourage each other when things got scary, or strange, remind each other about the teaching of the Master, encourage each other to treat those whom we met with charity and patience, correct each other when we might be tempted to take the credit when something good or miraculous would happen, and pray for and with each other.

Jesus tells the disciples to preach repentance, heal the sick, and drive out demons.  It didn’t take many hours in the jail to realize that demons actually existed: demons named addiction, greed, violence, rape, cruelty, racism.  And there is a tremendous need of healing: many criminals have been victimized in some way, by their parents, by their peers, and they have such a desire to learn that they are forgiven by God for their sins, if they but turn to him. 

There is hunger and need for the Gospel out there, in your neighborhoods, in your extended families.  And it is not just the work of bishops, priests, and deacons.  The task of evangelization—preaching the Gospel, preaching the need to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel, is the task of the entire Church.  So it’s not IF the Lord is calling me, but HOW.  Great fulfillment is found when we discover precisely how the Lord is calling me to evangelize in the unique landscape of my life.

For, “true love” of Jesus impels us to share the Good News about Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.