Homily: November 30 - Saint Andrew, Apostle & Martyr - The Brave Fisherman

The Byzantine Church honors the Apostle Saint Andrew with the title: Protokletos, which means, “the first called” because he was the first of the Apostles to be called and to follow Jesus.

At least six of the Twelve Apostles were fishermen, Andrew was one of them, along with his brother Saint Peter.

Though he was Jewish, his name Andrew, comes not from a Hebrew word, but a Greek word: andreios, meaning “brave” or the virtue of the warrior.  The Apostle Andrew like a Warrior bravely followed Christ, bravely worked for the spread Christ’s Gospel, and bravely witnessed to Christ in martyrdom. 

Tradition says that Andrew preached the gospel in Greece and in the year 60 was crucified on an X shaped cross.  He hung on the cross for two days before he died, and it is said that he continued to preach the Gospel while hanging from the cross. 

Through his preaching, Andrew truly became a fisher of men, and by his preaching Andrew converted hearts, and instilled in souls knowledge, understanding, and conviction of the faith, and inspired others to follow Christ.

The Lord calls each of us to bravely follow him, and to courageously live His Word: by living virtuously, striving to be free from sin and selfishness, and spreading His truth.  It might just take a pamphlet on confession and a word of encouragement to help someone return to the faith, it might take bravely undergoing their verbal attacks while patiently explaining the truth over a period of weeks or months.  It might take bravely saying yes to one of the many service opportunities we will offer this advent, through which God will work miracles.

Saint John Chyrsostom once said that if every Christian acted as a Christian, prayed, and did his part in the Church militant in the world, that the whole world would become Christian.

Through the help and prayers of the Apostle Saint Andrew may the Gospel of Christ be spread to every corner of the world and into every heart for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Friday - Quiet blooming of fig trees

Chapter 21 of Luke’s Gospel begins with some pretty frightening images.

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, he tells of the awful calamities which will precede the end of the world and his second coming, he tells how his followers will be persecuted; that Christians will be hated because of his name; and at the great tribulation there will be signs in the sky, people will die of fright.

Then comes today’s Gospel passage: consider the fig tree and the other trees, when you see their buds burst open, you know that summer is now near.  In the same way, when you see these things, know that the kingdom of God is near.

What a contrast: from scenes of destruction to the image of blooming fig tree buds.

I love how this Gospel appears as we prepare to pass into a new liturgical season.  The last weeks of Ordinary Time are filled with these readings of persecution and violence, reminding us to remain faithful to God during these turbulent end times.  In less than 48 hours we will pass, almost seamlessly into the new liturgical year, the season of advent, the season of peaceful waiting, a season of expectation, which reminds us so much of the last few weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, full of expectation and hope and the birth of her child.

The alarming images at the end of Ordinary Time here remind us to take head, to be aware that we will be tested and tried during these violent end times.

But as we prepare for Advent, we are reminded by this Gospel in particular, that just as flowers and trees bloom serenely and quietly, the full flowering of the life of grace comes about through quiet prayer, daily perseverance, daily waiting, patience, and hope.

Catholics are to be attentive to the rhythms of the spiritual life, like the rhythms of the liturgical year.  It is a good day to reflect upon the spiritual practices that the Holy Spirit might be urging us to take up for Advent: particular books set aside for spiritual reading, extra time scheduled amidst all the busy-ness of December for quiet prayer. 

As we prepare for the end of the liturgical year, and the beginning of Advent, may God’s Holy Spirit continue to shape and form our minds and hearts, that we may know his love, and be found faithful in his service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thanksgiving Day - President Lincoln's Promulgation of Thanksgiving Day

Yesterday, down at the school we had a prayer service with the school children.  It began with the first graders processing up the aisle carrying pictures of things that they were thankful for, which they had made themselves.  One child carried a picture of his house, another of his family, there were pictures of nature, like beautiful trees and mountains, and there was a picture of our church building. 

They sang songs like “for the gifts of His Creation, thanks be to God”, and “father, we thank thee who has planted, thy holy name within our hearts.”  They concluded with the song “America the Beautiful” giving thanks to God for our nation, asking God to bless it and protect it. 

In the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November. 

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday next, as a day of Thanksgiving  and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.  And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.”

Thanksgiving Day is a civil holiday, yes.  Whose origins, before the scourge of atheism and indifference to God swept over our land, our nations looked to the God of Creation in thanksgiving and praise for his blessings.

In a few weeks, the busyness of the Christmas season will be upon us, and we will be reminded to keep the Christ in Christmas, to remember that his glorious birth is the reason for our celebration.  Today, I think, we do well, to keep the Thanks in Thanksgiving.  To recall the blessings of our life, food, shelter, family, the beauty of nature, and of course our faith, which promises everlasting life.  Those first graders who recalled their blessings were so full of joy.  There is always a connection with gratefulness and joy.  The truly grateful heart is also a joyful heart.

In the Gospel, 10 lepers received healing, but it was the one leper, who returned to the Lord to give thanks who was saved.  True thanksgiving opens our hearts to the eternal.  True thanks is not just focused on the things of this earth, but sees in them goods that come from God, which we have a responsibility to use wisely.

President Lincoln also encouraged humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience. What is perverseness other than misusing the goods of the earth for selfish ends.  Selfishness and thanksgiving are like oil and water.

So we pray today, that God free us from all forms of selfishness, and give us grateful hearts, that we may know his salvation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday - A Kingdom that shall never be destroyed

Yesterday, we heard how Daniel, because of his faithfulness and obedience to God was given “the understanding of all visions and dreams.”  Today we hear how Daniel, uses this gift, and interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Through the prophet Daniel, God wanted King Nebuchadnezzar to know that his kingdom, so dear to him, could and would undergo destruction.  Other kingdoms would take its place, but they, too, would last only a time.  The prophecy of Daniel foreshadowed the words of Jesus, when he spoke of the Temple of Jerusalem:  it, like everything built by human beings, will be destroyed.  These are not the sorts of things to place our hope in.

Daniel also prophesied that God would set up a kingdom that would not be destroyed.  Daniel did not know that he was speaking about the Church: not church buildings, of course, but the Church herself, made up of “living stones”.  Those who place their faith in Christ the King will have eternal life.

Everything that’s built by human beings can be destroyed.  That’s why something like the Great Pyramids of Egypt are so awesome:  not simply because they are so colossal, but because they have—to an amazing extent—survived the ravages of time.  You can think of one of the large cities on the West Coast of our own country (Los Angeles, for example):  from the air, as you fly into the area, you can be filled with awe.  And yet an earthquake could destroy everything in the area in a matter of minutes.

The U.S. government can collapse, as have countless governments and dynasties throughout history have collapsed.

Yet the Christian, is not terribly shaken by this “bad news”.  It causes us to reflect upon our trivial pursuits, and to repent of them, and to renew our commitment as citizens of the kingdom that does not pass away.  We react to the certainty of the total destruction of everything we can see, not with despair or depression, but with thanksgiving and commitment to Christ, for this earthly life is but to prepare us for life in a kingdom that does not pass away.

To be involved in purely worldly matters is in the end foolish and useless.  Psalm 127 reminds us if the Lord does not build the house, in vain does its builders labor.

The Letter to the Hebrews states, “"Wherefore, we who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should hold fast to God's grace, through which we may offer worship acceptable to Him in reverence and awe"

We worship God in reverence and awe, praying that as the earth passes away we may be found faithful to Christ who died that we may have eternal life, that we may be found laboring always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 34th Week of Ordinary Time - Monday - Daniel's Obedience

During this final week of the Church’s year, our First Readings are taken from the book of the Prophet Daniel. 

Some of the most famous and arresting stories in the Bible are found in this book, including the three young men in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, the “hand writing on the wall” written by a disembodied hand, prophesying the sudden doom at King Belshazzar’s feast, which we’ll hear proclaimed on Wednesday, and of course, Daniel in the lion’s den.

The name Daniel means “God is my judge”.  And Daniel seemed to prophesy during a time when God was bringing his judgment down upon an Israel who had turned away from the Lord’s commandments, for their idolatry.

And so today we heard how the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar came and carried away some of the children of royal blood, to be brought to the king’s palace to be raised, as Babylonians.  And among these men of Judah were: Daniel, Hannaniah, Azariah, and Mishael.  Yet, these young men, though they had been brought to the table of the heathen king, insisted on remaining true to the Lord. 

This reading should remind us of the story of old Eleazar last week in 1^st Maccabees, who when ordered by King Artaxerxes to eat pork, refused to break Jewish dietary law. 

"In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom."  The secret to the exceptional greatness for the four Jewish young men, was in fact their commitment to obey the law, to remain faithful, even while in exile, when all of the supports to their faith were stripped away, when all that they had was what they carried with them, inside of them.  They remained faithful, and there is a great power in obedience. 

At this time, the Church is in exile similar to that of Daniel.  She is tempted by the heathen food of secularism, many of our children have been captured by the glamour of the world.  Our marriages and families are in disarray.  Two out of three registered American Catholics disobey the Lord weekly by not going to Sunday Mass.  The culture’s attitudes of forgiveness, prejudice, impurity, profanity, carnality, perversity bombard the Church.  Instead of being a great light to the nations, disobedience makes the Church so mediocre, like so many secular institutions. 

It is no coincidence that these readings at the end of the liturgical year have to do with being tempted to disobey.  They are a reminder that during these end times, we will be bombarded with temptations from the world. 

Knowing this, we must turn now ten times the more to seek Him, to reject the food of disobedience and draw our strength a from the food given to us from heaven, to nourish us, to protect us, to transform our lives for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Christ the King 2013

Today the Church celebrates with great joy the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and, in many ways, the culmination. All of the feasts and all of the seasons of the Church Year in a way, celebrate and point to this reality, that Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe, the Lord of all. 

Every Mass is a celebration of this truth: Christ sits victorious upon the throne of heaven, for he has saved our souls by the power of God’s unconquerable love.

Every time we receive Holy Communion we should desire that this authority and power and glory of Christ should infuse every dimension of our life.  It is here that we show our loyalty and our allegiance to Christ our sovereign Lord.

I was in the classroom with 5^th graders talking to the children about the importance of Sunday Mass.  I asked, “is there anything more important than Sunday Mass? Is Sunday Mass more important than staying at home and playing video games?  Yes Father.  Is Sunday Mass more important than going to a Cleveland Browns game? Yes Father.  I then asked, “What else is attending Mass more important than” A bunch of hands went up, which is always good to see.  “Sunday Mass is more important than shopping,” one said.   Mass is more important than doing chores, one boy said grinning ear to ear.”  Sunday mass is more important than sleeping in even if you had a sleep over the night before and stayed up late talking, one girl said. 

Then I asked, is spending time with your family more important than Sunday Mass?  Some of the kids were a little slower to answer that one.  But we finally agreed that even though spending time with family is good, you need to go to Mass.  If a grandparent is in the hospital or nursing home, you should go to Mass then go visit them.

Then I asked, what if your mom or dad said, we aren’t going to Mass anymore, because I don’t like those priests at Saint Angela’s.  One young boy said, well, I would try to tell them that you aren’t so bad, Father, and that we should go anyway, because Mass is more important than the priest who celebrates it.  Then one little girl said, well, I’d tell my mom if we don’t like the priests at St. Angela’s that we could always go to Saint Christopher’s!

Then I asked, what if the president made a law, that said it was against the law to go to Sunday Mass?  One girl said, he can’t do that, the Constitution said so.  I was impressed.  Then I said, what if the Constitution was changed, and the law of the land said it was illegal for Christians to gather for worship.  One boy said, “I’d go to Mass, even if it was against the law.”

And we then talked about how, in the first centuries of the Church it was illegal for Catholics to gather for Mass.  And so the Catholics would gather in people’s homes, and in they would gather in the Catacombs during the night so they wouldn’t get caught. 

Some Roman emperors decreed that Catholics caught going to Mass would be arrested and thrown to the lions in the Coliseum.  Some said that priests and Bishops would be arrested and put to death.

But we agreed as a class that going to Mass is so important that we would risk getting arrested or worse because practicing our faith is our first allegiance.

John Henry Newman had a prestigious and lucrative professorship at Oxford University.  During his professorship Professor Newman began to feel the call to convert to the Catholic Faith.  But because of Oxford’s religious affiliations, Professor Newman knew that he would lose his job if he converted.

When his friends tried to dissuade him from converting, they reminded him of the nearly $100,000 income he was giving up.

They were silenced when he answered: "What is $100,000 when compared to one Holy Communion?"

When we approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we are expressing our faith in Jesus and our desire for his continued friendship, that he be the King of every dimension of our life.

This is why the Church requires us to repent of and confess mortal sins such as missing Sunday Mass before receiving Holy Communion.  Because mortal sin is a rejection of Jesus’ Kingship of our life. 

One of the reasons many Protestants become Catholic is because of the Catholic mass.  At the Catholic 

Mass the most important thing is not the sermon, like it is in the Protestant service.  Catholicism doesn’t just offer words about Jesus, Catholicism offers Jesus.  He comes to us truly and really in the Eucharist. 

Our King doesn’t remain apart from us. He shows up even when the homily is boring and the music is mediocre.  Of course that doesn’t happen here at St. Angela’s. The Mass is that the Mass doesn’t just offer words about Jesus, Jesus truly becomes present, and feeds us with his body and blood.

We owe our loyalty to our king, and we show our loyalty, primarily by coming to Mass and celebrating the Eucharist as he commanded.

We come this weekend to the end of the liturgical year and the end of the Year of Faith.  Hopefully, this year, we have taken the opportunity to grow in our understanding of the faith, that we can better explain it to others. 

The Feast of Christ the King challenges us to examine where our loyalties lie.  Is my first loyalty to Christ and his Body the Church? 

If not, why not?  Our King’s love is so great for us. Pope Francis wrote that the Eucharist is the nourishment for the life of faith.  When we don’t come to Mass, we deny ourselves the nourishment Our Lord wishes to give us, to strengthen us in holiness.

We see so often, lukewarm mass attendance is linked to lukewarm faith.  But we aren’t meant to be lukewarm, our King desires hearts set on fire with love for him.

We renew our love and loyalty for our King today, our faith in his real presence in the Eucharist, and pray for the grace to make him the center of our life, that we may never be intimidated by any earthly power or seduced by worldliness, that we may not be discouraged by the weight of our earthly crosses, but become heralds of the victory of our King over sin and death for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 22 - St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr - Making one's life into a hymn of adoration to God

St. Cecilia is one of the most famous Roman martyrs.  She was committed to lifelong virginity. 

St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians; stained glass windows often depict her holding a harp or playing the organ or violin.

The legend goes that she was arrested and sentenced to death because of her faith.  Her executioner botched his worked as he tried to behead her.  He gave-up after failing to behead her multiple times.  Cecilia lingered, and as she lay dying for three days, she sang Gods praises.  In pain, dying, she praised God.

What a powerful image: the St. Cecilia, the martyr, singing praise to God as she goes to her death to witness to Him.  She witnesses to God in her consecrated virginity and purity throughout life, and makes her death into a song of adoration to him.

We are all called to make our lives into a song of adoration to God.

The preface prayer for the feasts of the martyrs refers to the “new song of adoration” which all of creation will sing in praise of God in the new heaven, which the martyrs foreshadow in this life.  In the book of Revelations, John’s vision shows 144,000 saints in heaven, singing a hymn before the throne of God and playing their harps. 

St. Augustine describing the Christian life once said, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.”  

The Christian life witnessing to the victory of Christ over sin and death is to be a song which resounds to all corners of the world.  Whether in good times or in bad, in times of suffering, or in times of joy our life is to be a hymn to God.  It is Christ’s victory over death, which enables us to sing alleluia even in the face of martyrdom.

St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, telling them, “ be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, may all we do today be transformed into a hymn of praise to our God, that all of our thoughts, words, and deeds, might be harmonized with Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 21 - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today’s feast is ancient.  It has been celebrated by Christians since the 6^th century and commemorates an event before the birth of Christ. When Mary was a young girl of the age of 3 her parents, Joachim and Ann brought her to the Temple in Jerusalem to be presented to God and that she might be raised by the holy women who lived there.

The practice of presenting daughters to the Temple was part of the Jewish custom.  There, they would receive their formation—they would be educated and brought up by the holy women who lived there until around the age of 15, when they were ready to be married.

There is a tradition behind Mary’s presentation.  We know for many years of her marriage, St. Ann was childless, and she began to pray earnestly for God to bless her with a child.  And she made a promise to the Lord, that she would bring the child to the Temple to be raised in service to God.

And of course, God answered her prayers with an incomparable grace in human history, the Immaculate Conception. 

So, St. Ann was faithful to her promise, and brought the little Immaculate Mary to the Temple.  We know that from the moment of her conception, Mary belonged entirely to God.  The Church Fathers also write how Mary herself desired to be brought to the Temple, to be presented to God in a formal, solemn, and public way to demonstrate to all that she really did belong to God.

There in the Temple, she was busy always with prayer, work, and studying the Sacred Scriptures and loving God with her whole heart.  What a wonderful example she must have been to the other young girls there, to the holy women, and to the priests of the Temple.  And what a wonderful example for us.

On this day, consecrated persons renew their vows to the Lord in memory of the offering of Mary to the Lord’s service.  How appropriate for us to also reflect on how at our baptism we became dedicated to the Lord and we seek to serve him, through prayer and work.  We do well also to consecrate ourselves to our Lady in an unlimited and irrevocable way, that she may teach us to love God as she does, that we may be presented to God as a worthy offering for His glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 33rd Week in Ordinary Time - Wednesday - Remaining Faith in times of persecution

Alexander the Great had embarked on an incredible military journey—his goal was to Hellenize the world—that is, to spread the greek language, the greek culture, the greek Gods.  He conquered the known world stopping just shy of India.  But Alexander suddenly leaving his vast empire, which included Canaan, to his generals.  

The rule of the Greeks was originally fairly sensitive and tolerant of the Jewish religion, but there was a power shift within the Greek Empire which led to the tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes coming to power, whose name we’ve been hearing this week. Antiochus Epiphanes imposed a program of Radical Hellenization—he wanted all traces of the Jewish faith wiped out, under penalty of death-- the Jews could not worship, nor could they practice their faith in any way that distinguished them from the Hellenists— they could not observe the Sabbath, not only were they not to observe the laws of circumcision, they were supposed to cover up the mark of their circumcision. 

Today and yesterday, we heard how the Jews were being forced to deny their faith by violating publically Jewish dietary law.

Yesterday, we heard of the courageous old man, Eleazar, who refused to eat pork because it was contrary to Jewish dietary law.  Moreso, he refused to pretend to eat pork to appease the king.  He refused this offer to save his life because it would cause scandal to the young people.

Today, we heard of a mother with seven sons.  The youngest son had been offered riches and happiness by the king, if he but broke the Jewish law.  The son wouldn’t, so the king appealed to the mother to persuade her son to accept his offer to save his life.  She betrayed her faith to save their lives.  After she repents of betraying her faith and asking her sons forgiveness, her son stands courageous and remains faithful.

A priest, here in our diocese was teaching a class on the persecution of the early church.  How Christians, in a similar way to the Jews in these stories from Macabees, were forced to offer pagan sacrifice to the emperor in order to save their lives.

A woman in the class raised her hand and said, “I don’t know what the big deal is…if a soldier with a machine gun came into this class right now, I’d pretend not to be Christian to save my life.”

Today, our faith is once again being attacked.  Many of the baptized do not even step inside a Church once a year, let alone identify themselves first and foremost as Christians.  Their faith, likely, would not stand against a persecution.

It is not always politically or socially acceptable to profess the Christian faith.  But we profess it because it is true.  Jesus is the only name by which we can be saved, we must not deny him, but profess him courageously.

May the Lord grant us true courage is professing our faith, and make us models of faith for others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 33rd Week of OT - Tuesday - Zacchaeus and the Dark Night of the Soul

“Zacchaeus, come quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  Almost the whole spiritual life is contained in that one line…the Lord calling out to us personally, wanting to take up residence in our life. 

Jesus, addressing us by name, wanting to come ever deeper into our life, wanting to come stay in our houses, in our souls.

In the 15th Century, St. John of the Cross wrote a poem called “On a Dark Night” or “The Dark Night of the Soul” in which the human soul, finally having freed itself from worldliness and selfishness, meets God in mystical union.  The poem begins:

One dark night,

fired with love's urgent longings

- ah, the sheer grace! - 

I went out unseen,

my house being now all stilled.

In the Gospel, we see Jesus, breaking into Zaccheaus’s life, in a moment of sheer grace.  The free act of God, calling out to him because he loves him.  Zacchaeus, responding in love, coming down quickly to meet the Lord. 

As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus had a lot of responsibilities, he no doubt worked hard.  Upon hearing that Jesus was coming to Jericho, he could have made excuses, not to go out, not to seek the Lord.  Similarly, we make excuses not to pray, and let worldly pursuits keep us from that deeper more intimate encounter with the Lord in prayer.

St. John of the Cross teaches us the need to make still our houses, that we may encounter more deeply the Lord’s love for us.  In other words, to quiet ourselves down, to quiet our lives down, and to make room in our lives for him, to seek above all that deep union with God.

The Lord calls out to us, personally, “come quickly, I wish to stay in your house”.  Could you imagine if Zacchaeus would have said, “sorry, there is no room in my house for you, it is too distracting, my life is too busy for you”.

Rather, Zacchaus made room for Jesus and welcomes him with joy into his house.  So too, we find joy, when we take those next steps on the interior journey, where we seek to be free from worldliness and worldly pleasures and worldly attachment, and meet the Lord in the quiet, having stilled our houses, stilled our souls.

This meeting of the Lord in prayer in the stillness of our houses, is what our souls truly long for.  May we respond generously to the Lord’s call today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 18 - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne - "Woman-who-prays-always"

 

Today we celebrate St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who came to this country as a missionary to the Native Americans.  Many people have never heard of her, for she was canonized rather recently, by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

She was born in France, just prior to the French Revolution.  Without telling her parents, at the age of 19, she entered the convent of the Visitation sisters who had educated her.  When they found out, she remained there, despite their opposition.

As the French Revolution broke, hostilities towards the Catholic Church caused many convents to close, including that of St. Rose.  However, She risked her life by continuing to take care of the poor and sick and opened a school for homeless children.

When the Revolution ended, she attempted to bring her community back together, but she was unsuccessful.  So she and the few remaining nuns joined the young Society of the Sacred Heart, whose young superior, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, would be her lifelong friend.

Meanwhile, Rose longed to go to America as a missionary among the Native Americans.  Her first mission offered almost every hardship the American frontier had to offer, cold, hunger, poverty, native hostility, but Rose’s indomitable courage overcame the obstacles. 

At the age of 72, in poor health, she began a mission at Sugar Creek, Kansas, among the Potawatomi tribe.  Their convent was a wigwam and they slept on the bare ground.  Let me say it again…at the age of 72!  They opened a school for the Indian girls, but she had great difficulty in learning the native language, and had to spend her time praying and caring for the sick. 

The severe winters and the lack of proper food sapped her health, and she died, thinking herself a failure.

She was the first missionary nun among the Indians, and courageously blazed the trail for a host of valiant women who were to follow her.

She did not convert people by her speeches, she converted them by her prayers and her charity towards them.  A priest said of her, “her kindness was like water, pure and fresh, to which the Indians could come and drink.” 

Her example spoke volumes to those she served, and the natives gave her the name “woman-who-prays-always”. 

St. Rose wrote, “we know that God does not require great achievements from us, but a heart that holds nothing back for itself.”  Through the Eucharist we celebrate today, where Jesus gives himself totally for our salvation, may we give our entire hearts to be poured out in service of those in need, hearts to be transformed by grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - By your perseverance you will find eternal life

Malachi 3:19-20 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 View Readings

Psalm 98:5-9 Luke 21:5-19

November always seems like a time of endings.  The warmth of summer finally comes to an end, and the chill and the cold set in.  The luscious green leaves, have faded from their vibrant autumn colors, and the trees go bare.  Grass turns to stubble and gardens begin to decay, for winter is coming. 

In November, the liturgical year also comes to a close.  And as it does, the readings from Scripture are also about endings.  The end of time and the judgment of souls which will occur at the end of time; which also means, the end of wickedness, the end of corruption, when the sun of justice will shine forever. 

In that stark little passage from the book of the prophet Malachi, which is the last book of the Old Testament, the end of the Old Testament, we hear of the end of time: Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch.” 

The Jews believed that there would come a day when God would come definitively into history, and manifest his judgment upon the enemies of Israel.  They called that “the Day of the Lord”.  On that day, God would put an end to wickedness and usher in an eternal kingdom of peace and righteousness.  And Christians believe the same thing.  Every Sunday when we profess the Nicene Creed, we say, “I believe Jesus will come in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.”

On that day, says the prophet Malachi, “those who fear the name of the Lord, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” Imagine being cooped up all winter, coming out into the bright warm rays of the golden spring sun.  Such that final day will be like for those who fear the Lord and have walked in his pathways.

In the Gospel, the Jesus, the fulfillment of the prophets, speaks also of the end times.

As the Gospel passage begins, people are standing on the temple mount in Jerusalem.  Remember, the temple was one of the great, most beautiful and impressive buildings in the ancient world. And people were standing there, admiring the temple, looking at its artistry, its jewels and adornments, its magnificence. 

I remember the first time visiting St. Peter’s basilica in Rome; it is so big and beautiful, and takes your breath away.  These folks in the Gospel had never seen ANYTHING like the Temple before, coming from the backwaters of Galilee or surrounding Judea. 

And Jesus kind of saddles up along them and says, the days are coming when all you see here will be destroyed, there won’t even be left a stone upon a stone.  This monument, so expansive, looking so unshakeable, so beautiful that you want it to last forever, and Jesus says, all you see will be destroyed. 

Again, It’d be like standing in front of beautiful St. peter’s, to people who had traveled half way across the world on pilgrimage to that holy place saying describing how this magnificent structure will turn to dust. 

That may have shaken his listeners a little, especially if they believed that God was sending a Messiah soon to deliver them from the Romans, and that Jerusalem was to be that holy city to which all the nations of the world would come to worship and that the Temple would be the center of that worship.

Then Jesus made three further predictions.  First, that people will come claiming to teach in his name who will try to deceive his followers.  Second, that there would be wars and insurrections, nation will rise against nation, powerful earthquakes, famines and plagues, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!  Thirdly, his faithful followers would be persecuted, arrested, and put to death.

Not very comforting words.  But, looking back, he’s been right. His predictions have come to pass.

 The temple was destroyed.  Many, many people have come since his ascension, claiming to teach in his name, all the while twisting his truth, leading people way from right relationship with God, there have been false prophets and false teachers.  There have been wars and famines and earthquakes.  His followers have been persecuted.  Saints and martyrs up and down the centuries have been arrested and persecuted and put to death.  10 of the 12 apostles were killed.  For the first 300 years of the Church, Christians were officially persecuted under the Roman Emperors.

Even after the edict of Milan in 313, there have been martyrs killed for their faith; martyrs like St. Andrew Kim and the martyrs in Korea, St Paul Miki and the martyrs in Japan, St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the martyrs in China, St Charles Luwanga and the martyrs in Uganda, St. Isaac Jogues and his martyed companions here in the New World, St. Lawrence Ruiz and martyrs in the Phillippines. 

Last October 2012, 50 Catholics were killed by terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda while celebrating Mass, including the priest.  Two days after that a subsequent bombing killed 64 more Catholics, and wounded 200.  Christians are slaughtered and killed in their homes, not 1700 years ago, but today, in 2013. 

But just like in the passage from the prophet Malachi, in the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that evil does not get the last word.  “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

The words uttered over and over by Jesus in the Gospel, his most repeated phrase, is “do not be afraid” Early in the Gospel of Luke Jesus teaches, “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said blessed are you when men persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me, rejoice and be glad for your reward shall be great in heaven. 

Do not be surprised in discouraging times; do not be surprised when people twist the teaching of the Church, and twist the authentic teaching of the bishops and the popes to justify sinful lifestyles, do not be surprised when good people suffer in times of natural disaster and civil unrest;  Don’t be afraid even when parents, and relatives and friends abandon you when you are faithful to Christ. My father knows your faithfulness and he is pleased to grant you eternal life.

Jesus in the Gospel this week is doing something very profound.  He shakes us up a little, but he really causes us to question, where do I put my trust? 

The temple in Jerusalem, all of our churches and religious buildings will collapse one day; the buildings collapse, but the Church remains.  Our faith remains even when the church building where we were baptized needs to close, as beautiful as they are, as recent times have shown here in Cleveland.

Jesus teaches us here to keep the faith amidst church closings and false prophets and Hollywood celebrities and government pressures and natural disasters and family tragedies.

By your perseverance you will find eternal life.  By clinging to the Gospel, by not abandoning it when things get tough, when things look bleak, when people mock you, when governments pressure you, when your families and friends have abandoned the Church, you must persevere in faith. By your perseverance you will find eternal life, “for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays”…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 15 - St. Albert the Great - Human Wisdom joined to Divine Faith

On November 10, the Church celebrates the first Pope with the title “great”, Leo the Great.  Today, we celebrate Saint Albert the Great. He wasn’t a Pope, but he was considered the most learned man of his time, the 13^th century.  In fact, he was the teacher of the greatest theologian of all time, Saint Thomas Aquinas. 

St. Albert was born in Germany at the beginning of the 13^th century.  As a young man, he went to study in Italy, to one of the most famous medieval universities in Padua.  There he devoted himself to the study of grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, and he had a characteristic interest in the natural sciences. 

Recall the words of this morning’s opening prayer, “O God, who made the Bishop Saint Albert great by his joining of human wisdom to divine faith.”  God makes all the Saints great in holiness, by raising their human virtues to heroic levels, by making their outpouring of generosity great and shining examples.

He is one of only 33 people in human history known as a doctor of the Catholic Church—doctor, coming from the Latin word meaning “Learned One”.  Saint Albert could be named one of the patrons of this Year of Faith for he reminds us that we are to seek to understand the faith to the best of our ability and pass it on with faithfulness and generosity.

In Pope Benedict’s Document, “Porta Fidei” which opened this Year of Faith, he wrote “knowledge of the content of faith is essential for giving one’s own assent, that is to say for adhering fully with intellect and will to what the Church proposes.” 

We do not just profess faith mindlessly, but seek to understand that faith to the best of our knowledge—to use our God given intellects, to understand the faith, that we can better live it out.

Catholics should always be engaged in some kind of intellectual formation.  Now, you don’t have to sit by the fireside with the newest tome on particle physics, but the works of the saints, the works of church history have never been more accessible; you can get Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica on your Kindle!

Albert was called “the Great” even during his lifetime by his contemporaries because of his immense scholarship and knowledge of philosophy.  Yet, his true greatness lie in employing his God given talents in service to God.

May the prayers and example of St. Albert the great help us to deepen our knowledge and love of God, for the building up of the Church for His Glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 32nd Week in Ordinary Time - Thursday - The Kingdom of God is Among You

Wisdom 7:22—8:1 View Readings

Psalm 119:89-91, 130, 135, 175

Luke 17:20-25

During the final weeks of the liturgical year, the readings at Mass focus more and more on the full coming of God’s kingdom at the end of time.  I love these readings because they already seem to prepare us for the season of Advent, when we focus on Christ’s coming in history, mystery, and majesty.

The Gospel for today even tells of the Pharisees asking Jesus “when the Kingdom of God would come”. 

On one hand, Jesus says the kingdom of God will come some time in the future, and there will be no wake up call, no sounding of trumpets.  There is an urgency to “be prepared” for that day.  On the other hand, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is already here.  He says, “The kingdom of God is in your midst.” 

I think Catholics are pretty comfortable with this truth.  God’s presence is already in our midst.  In every tabernacle in the world and at the celebration of every Mass, God is present in the Eucharist.  He is here, now, really present, through the Sacrament which Jesus instituted for his Church. We try to raise our children to be reverent when they come into the Church, teaching them to genuflect to the tabernacle, bending the knee to our Lord and Savior present in the tabernacle.

Yet, as people of faith, we also prepare for Christ’s coming at the end of time.  We pray well by lives of prayer, generous charity, and by cultivating the sort of wisdom we’ve been reading about in our first reading over the past few days: wisdom which “passes into holy souls from age to age.”

Eyes and hearts focused on wickedness, self-centeredness and worldly pursuits do not perceive the Kingdom of God present now and are not prepared for Christ’s coming again.  The very first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are, “Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.” 

We deepen in our faith in his presence now and prepare for his coming again by turning away from our sins and being faithful to his Gospel.  May he find our hearts ready and prepared  for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 12 - Mother Cabrini - Inexhaustible Energy for Serving God

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was known during her life as Mother Cabrini, and was the first American citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. 

As a young girl, Francesca dreamed of being a missionary.  She would dress up her dolls like nuns and put them in paper boats pretending to send them to China to spread the faith.  

She was rejected by several religious communities because of her frail health.  But she was advised by her bishop to start her own religious community.  So she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1877.  Within a few years she and her sisters had opened six orphanages.

Early in 1889 Pope Leo XIII asked her to go to the United States to care for the Italian Immigrants who came to the US.  Within a few years, she opened a Catholic school in New York City, founded an orphanage and hospital for the immigrants which had wards which were free to the poor.    She built other hospitals in Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, New Orleans, and Chicago.

Her thirty-seven years as a missionary sister saw her constantly on the move, her energy for the kingdom of heaven seemed inexhaustable.  When she died in 1917, she left behind sixty-seven convents in Europe, the United States, and South America housing 1500 Sisters.   

Mother Cabrini’s relics are enshrined in the Church’s altar at her shrine in Manhattan, where she served so many Italian immigrants. 

At her canonization in 1946, Pius XIII said in his homily:

Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties?  She accomplished all this through the faith that was always so vibrant in her heart; through the divine love that burned within her; and, finally, through the constant prayer by which she was so closely united to God…She never let anything turn her aside from striving to please God and to work for his glory for which nothing, aided by grace, seemed too difficult or beyond human strength.

Mother Cabrini lived deeply the mission of the Church to bring Christ’s compassion and care to all people.  May we find through prayer and Sacraments and Mother Cabrini’s intercession, that same inexhaustible energy for serving God’s kingdom for his glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: November 12 - St. Josephat, martyr - Working for Christian Unity

St. Josephat spent his life laboring for the unity of the Church and was a martyr for Church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome. 

He was born into an orthodox family in 1580, but as an adult he joined one of the eastern churches that had recently returned to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.  He became a monk of the Order of St. Basil and was just a few years later consecrated an archbishop.  As Archbishop his challenges were many.

Through education, reform of the clergy and personal example, Josephat succeeded in winning over the majority of the Orthodox in his diocese to full communion with Rome.  But those who opposed Church unity and communion with Rome plotted his death, and he was martyred in 1623. With furious cries of “Kill the Papist!”, He was struck on the head and shot and thrown into the river— killed by a mob who opposed his efforts. 

The Cathedral for the Ukranian Catholics in Parma is named after Saint Josaphat. 

The prayers for his feast emphasize the great sacrifice Josephat made for Christian unity.  In the Opening Prayer we prayed, “God, Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Hosaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep.   In the Church there is a wonderful diversity, many people with a rich cultural traditions and liturgical heritages which enrich the Church, and many different gifts for the building up the Church. 

However, our cultural and political differences must not become sources of division.  In our diversity we are called to profess one faith, one Lord, one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ.

We know too well how painful divisions in family, community, nation, and Church can be.  Family members who don’t talk to each other, politicians, whose inability to work together hinders the common good.  

On the night before his death, Jesus prayed, that we may be one, so that the world might believe.  Our unity as a Church is meant to show the world that Jesus really was sent by the Father to save us from our sins.

St. Josephat worked for that unity, and we too are called to work for Christian unity, that the wounds of sin and division might be healed by God.

May the example of Saint Josaphat inspire us to spend our lives working for the honor and unity of the Church and the healing of human hearts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: November 11 - St. Martin of Tours & Veterans Day

On November 11, 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed an Armistice Day to be observed annually, to honor the armistice ending World War I—with major hostilities formally ending at the 11th hour of the 11th day of  the 11th month of 1918.  After WWII, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law, that November 11 would be a day to honor all veterans, and so today our country celebrates Veterans Day.

And this is quite fitting, for today is a feast day of one of our Church’s well known and beloved soldier Saints, a patron Saint of soldiers along with St. Michael, St. George, and St. Ignatius, and St. Joan of Arc.

St. Martin of Tours, born of pagan parents, was the son of a veteran, a soldier and officer in the Roman army, though Martin was actually forced to serve in the army against his will at the age of 15.  While, serving in the army, Martin began to desire Christian baptism, and was enrolled as a catechumen.

There is the famous story when on a bitterly cold day ,the soldier, Martin met a poor man, almost naked, trembling in the cold and begging at the city gate.  Martin had nothing but his weapons and his clothes.  So he drew his sword, cut his cloak into two pieces, gave one to the beggar.  Some of the bystanders laughed at his now odd appearance, wearing only half a cloak; others were ashamed at not having relieved the man’s misery themselves.  That night in his sleep Martin saw Christ dressed in the cloak he had given to the beggar and said, “Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with his garment.”

At the age of 23 he told his commander: “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ.”  Martin was discharged from the army and became a hermit under the direction of another saint, St. Hilary.

Martin was elected bishop, dedicated much of his efforts to evangelization, founded a monastery, and attracted many vocations to the monastic life.  He continued to live the ascetic life as a bishop, always keeping to heart, “that which you did for these least of my brethren, you did for me” as he did for that beggar.

St. Martin reminds us of our duty as Christians towards those in need, and our duty to conform ourselves to Christ whatever our vocation—through prayer, detachment from material things, prayerful and right living, that our whole lives might be put at the service of our King and shepherd, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For all veterans: as we celebrate Veterans’ Day this week, may the Lord bless and reward those whose sacrifices have preserved our nation in freedom.  We pray to the Lord.

Homily: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Zacchaeus and being a fool for Christ

Wisdom 11:22—12:2 2 Thessalonians 1:11—2:2 View Readings

Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14 Luke 19:1-10

As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus must have been loathed by his fellow Jews.

Remember tax collectors were seen as cheats and collaborators with the Roman occupying forces and therefore betrayers of their people.   

Zaccheaus had become very wealthy, at the expense of others.  So, as chief tax collector he was probably the most hated man in the community.  Yet, in Gospel story after Gospel story we hear how Jesus came to save men just like Zaccheaus and just like us.  So, this Gospel story is for us very good news.  Even someone who is despised and loathed, guilty of extortion and theft, Jesus came to save.

Jericho, in the bible, is always a place of sin.  So this story of Jesus passing through Jericho is a story of Jesus coming into the life of sinners, inviting us into a new relationship with God through himself.

As loathsome and sinful as Zaccheaus was, something inside him urged him to seek out Jesus.  Maybe it was his dissatisfaction with his way of life.  Maybe he saw how all of his wealth really made him no less happier. But something drew him to seek out Jesus of Nazareth. 

Feelings of guilt are good, when they lead us to Jesus.  Zaccheaus is the man who knows something is wrong with his lifestyle, but doesn’t know how to change it.  So he looks to a savior, the savior.

It wouldn’t have been emotionally easy for Zaccheaus to wade through a crowd of people who hated him.  

But he tried.  And when he couldn’t see Jesus, he went to another extreme measure.  He climbed a sycamore tree, not something a grown man would normally do, especially not wearing fancy clothes like he was.

This cost him some physical and mental strain, but he did so to know Jesus more deeply.  Are you willing, like Zaccheaus, to go, “out on a limb” to know Jesus more deeply? 

Suddenly, the Lord looks up, and calling him by name, says, “Zacchaeus, come quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  Almost the whole spiritual life is contained in that one line…the Lord calling out to us personally, wanting to take up residence in our life. 

Jesus address this man by name and he invites himself into the man’s house.  The only people we usually have in our homes are people we are close to, our families, close friends, or people who we want to know better.  Jesus is saying to Zacchaeus, that’s the sort of relationship I want with you, you public sinner, you hated man, I want to know you intimately, and I want you to know me intimately.  Salvation from a sinful lifestyle always involves Jesus coming into our life, more deeply. 

What does the more intimate relationship with Jesus entail?  Spending more time with the Lord in daily prayer, coming to mass throughout the week once and a while, stopping into the Church once and a while to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, seeking the voice of the Lord by reading our Bibles at home throughout the week.  An intimate relationship requires commitment and energy, and that’s the sort of relationship Jesus wants with us.  But that renewed commitment and effort will bring greater peace and joy.

Now, what was the crowd’s reaction to this exchange between Zaccheaus and Jesus?  They grumbled that Jesus was staying in the house of a sinner.  If we decided to spend our lunch hour praying the rosary or reading scripture, yes, our coworkers might grumble, perhaps even mock us. 

Are we afraid of appearing enthusiastic about our Christian faith?  Why?

In I Corinthians, Paul tells us that we Christians are to be fools for Christ, we shouldn’t be afraid of appearing foolish in the eyes of the world.

Coworkers might call us fools for praying at work, we might appear foolish for saying grace before our meals in a restaurant even at a sports event, family members might call us fools for coming to Church every week, government leaders might call us fools for supporting the Church’s teaching on marriage and the dignity of human life; I know a priest whose parents thought he was a fool for entering the seminary, they kicked him out of the house, saying, “no son of mine will become a priest.”  Today, he is a happy holy priest, a pastor of a parish, and his family has since reconciled with the Church.  But he was willing to risk appearing to be a fool for the sake of following the Lord’s call.

Jesus on the sermon on the mount said, blessed are those who are ridiculed because of me.

The encounter with the Lord filled Zaccheaus with joy and he knew that was a changing point for his whole life.  He said, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” How foolish!  Yet, he knew that the encounter with Jesus was life changing.  he couldn't go back to the old way of life.

We see this story playing out over and over throughout Christian history.  In the life of St. Francis, giving up, not just half his possessions, but all of his possessions and embracing radical poverty in order to spread the God news of Jesus Christ.  Mother Theresa, likewise embracing poverty to care for the poor of the poor.

A living saint brimming with joy and spiritual energy is so powerful in bringing others to Christ.  St. Bernard when entering the Cistercian monastery brought 30 vocations with him including five of his brothers and two of his uncles; countless Christians over the centuries have endeavored to imitate St. Francis life of radical poverty for the sake of the kingdom.

Yet, you and I too, are called to draw others to Christ through our joyful life of faith. 

Why couldn’t Zacchaeus see the Lord? The crowd was in the way.  And we need to reflect very deeply, have I made it hard for others to see Jesus, have I set a bad example, by grumbling and arguing and blaming and complaining.  Have I been cold, when I should have been hospitable, have I been closed, when I should have been welcoming, have I been selfish, when I should have been generous, have I been private about my faith, when I should have been public in joyfully witnessing to the saving power of Jesus?  Have I made as much time for Jesus as I have for pursuing my own ambitions?

Many of us made time for trick-or-treating this week, for costumes, and decorations, but did we make time for the Holy Day of Obligation.  If we didn’t, we certainly need, to make time for the sacrament of confession.

A challenging Gospel for all of us, but an open door as well, to encounter the Lord calling out to us, inviting us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with him, that we may extend that same invitation to others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

  

Homily: November 2 - All Souls' Day - Praying for the Dead

Yesterday, on the Feast of All Saints, we gave honor to God for his masterpieces: the saints, those Christians who reached spiritual perfection in this life, and so entered heaven immediately after death.

Today, the world’s one billion Catholics are joined in prayer for the repose of the souls of our many brothers and sisters who died in friendship with Christ, and whose souls still needed to be purified of the effects of their sins.

Yesterday, on the Feast of All Saints, I shared how in teaching about the saints down at the school, I showed them a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  His sacred heart, burning on fire with love for God and mankind, his heart, wrapped in thorns, willing to suffer that we might have eternal life, his heart, shining brilliantly with the light of truth—he is the light of the world.

I shared how the saints, while on earth, seek with every ounce of their strength, to conform their hearts to his.  They seek to love God as he did, serve God as he did, pour out their life like he did. 

In purgatory, those whose hearts are still in need of purification, receive that great blessing from God. 

We rightfully refer to the souls in purgatory as the holy souls, for they are destined to join the ranks of the saints in heaven.  We also rightfully call them the poor souls because they are in need of our prayers.

One of the most devastating and tragic effects of the Protestant Reformation in the 16thcentury, was that Protestants stopped praying for the poor souls.  Yet this praying for the dead is a practice encouraged by Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church and the words and writings of the Saints.

Understandably, many Catholics do not like to pray for our departed loved ones.  It can be painful to think of them still awaiting entrance into the heavenly kingdom.  We like to hope that our loved ones who displayed so much love and affection throughout their lives entered immediately into heaven.

But the only members of the faithful departed we know to be in heaven with absolute certainty, are those declared by the Church to be Saints.  

We do not pray for the Saints in heaven, they are not in need of our prayers, as they stand face-to-face with Almighty God in the Beatific Vision of Heaven.  The poor souls in purgatory are in need, so the Church, rightly prays for them.

St. Augustine when asked why he prayed so much for the dead, he replied: I pray for the dead in order that when they reach Heaven they may pray for me.  For once the holy souls enter the place prepared for them in heaven, they join the communion of saints in praying for the church on earth.

The celebration of Mass is the most powerful prayer for the dead, and it is also when the Church is most closely united.  In the celebration of the Eucharist, time and space are transcended, and the Mystical Body of Christ stands united—including all those who are still on the earthly pilgrim journey of faith, all those who have gone before us in purgatory, and the entirety of the saints in heaven. 

St. Padre Pio who had a strong devotion to pray for the poor souls said, “The holy souls are eager for the prayers of the faithful, which can gain indulgences for them. Their intercession is powerful. Pray unceasingly. We must empty Purgatory.” 

During the summer while I was still in seminary I worked at All Saints Cemetery in Northfield.  It can be a deeply meditative, moving, powerful experience to walk through a cemetery praying a rosary, commending the departed to God’s love. 

So many souls have no one else to pray for them, either because their family members have ceased practicing the Faith, or all of their family members are also deceased.

So we continue this celebration of All Souls’ Day with the sure and certain hope that what we do here echoes beyond the veil of death, and truly helps our beloved dead, as they make their way to God.   

Homily: November 1 - Solemnity of All Saints

Throughout the Church year, we celebrate events in the life of Christ, such as the birth of Our Savior at Christmas, His Passion on Good Friday, his Resurrection on Easter; we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we venerate Our Blessed Mother, and celebrate her Immaculate Conception, her “yes” to God’s plan at the Annunciation, her Assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. 

And we also celebrate feast days of the saints throughout the year: Saint Joseph, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Mary Magdalene, the Holy Apostles; martyrs like Saint Stephen, Saint Polycarp, Saint Sebastian, Saint Joan of Arc, consecrated religious like Saint Francis, Saint Dominic, Saint Clare, Saint Therese of Liseaux.  Popes who were saints, farmers who were saints, monks who were saints, widows who were saints.

Today, we raise our eyes to heaven, to the whole great cloud of witnesses in heaven—those saints whose names we know, and those we don’t, those saints who have specific feast days during the calendar year, and those that don’t.  We raise our eyes to heaven in thanksgiving to God for the Saints who pray for us constantly, who teach us by their example, instruct us by their preaching, who are our companions in our difficulties, who encourage us to remain faithful to Christ. 

And we do so with joy.  When a family member wins an award we are joyful.  My little sister was into gymnastics and cheerleading,  And I was happy when she performed well.  Or when our countrymen come win the gold at the Olympics, we are filled with delight. 

Well something greater than Olympic gold is being celebrated today.  The saints, our brothers and sisters in Christ, have won the glorious and imperishable crown, and we rejoice in their glory, especially because we know that they continue to help us be like them and to reach the same heavenly destination.

Down in the school this week, in talking of the Saints, I also showed them a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This is a familiar image.  His heart, entwined with the crown of thorns, burning with the fire of love for His father and for mankind, shining with the light of God’s Truth and Divinity, to be a light for the world.  The saints while on earth seek the transformation of their hearts into his.  Their love for God is not lukewarm, not mediocre, but burning on fire with love-enkindled by prayer and the sacraments and a life of charity. 

The saints’ hearts are transformed into the heart of Jesus, willing to accept suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God and the spread of the Gospel, and by their example teach us to seek that same transformation. 

The saints also encourage us, that though this earthly pilgrimage has many pitfalls, with God’s grace the faithful Christian can reach pilgrim’s end in heaven.  It is possible, just as Christ promised.

Yesterday, at his weekly audience from Rome, Pope Francis spoke of the journey of faith.  He said, Trials and doubts are part of everyone's faith journey "even mine" he said. Bbut Christians know they can get through the hard times with help from God, other Christians and those in heaven. "Who hasn't experienced insecurities, losses and even doubts in the journey of faith?" the pope asked. "It's part of life. It should not shock us because we are human beings, marked by fragility and limits."

In times of difficulty, the pope said, "it is necessary to trust in God through prayer and, at the same time, it's important to find the courage and humility to open yourself to others in order to ask for help."

"All the baptized here on earth, the souls in purgatory and the blessed souls in heaven form one big family,"  And just as we so often turn to family members in times of difficulty, we should learn to turn to the saints, our brothers and sisters in heaven.

Down in the school one week, I was discussing the Saints with the students.  “Please raise your hand,” I asked them, “if you wish to go to heaven.”  All of them raised their hands. “Very good”, I said, “I would hope so.”  Then I asked, “Raise your hands if you wish to be a saint.”  There was a little bit of hesitation, and only about half of the hands went up.  I detected there was a bit of confusion.

Why would they hesitate?  Why did only half of the students raise their hands? When you hear the word saint, what do you think of?  A statue, a fanatic, a figure in a nice story? Maybe they had never made the connection, that God is calling them, personally, to be a saint.  Vatican II reaffirmed Church teaching that all of us are called, not to mediocrity, but to holiness.  The life of Faith is not merely a dimension of our life among others, but the center of our life which is to direct all of our activity.

“Dr. Peter Kreeft one of my favorite Catholic Philosophers once said, “One of the truest and most terrifying sentences I have ever read is this: "If you will look into your own heart in complete honesty, you must admit that there is one and only one reason why you are not a saint: you do not wholly want to be. That insight is terrifying because it is an indictment. But it is also thrillingly hopeful because it is an offer, an open door. Each of us can become a saint. We really can. What holds us back? Fear of paying the price. What is the price? You whole life…giving God a blank check.”

To desire to be a saint is to desire to become who God made us to be—to be filled with the love of God, to be set on fire with love of God in his service.  Do you want to be a saint?  I hope you do!

Today’s feast reassures us that God transforms our lives as we strive for spiritual perfection, that with his help, we can come to that place prepared for each of us in heaven, that striving to become like Christ, even in our suffering for the sake of the Gospel, we have the help of our brothers and sisters in heaven and can be filled with peace and joy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.