Homily: Sept 30 2016 - St. Jerome - Understanding Scripture

Though he lived nearly 1700 years ago, St. Jerome’s impact upon the Church—upon the intellectual and spiritual live of Christians—has been profound. The Opening Prayer today refers to St. Jerome’s “living and tender love for Scripture” And his work in this area is his greatest gift to the Church. 

The Second Vatican Council in the document on Sacred Scripture, Dei Verbum, quoted St. Jerome: “For if, as St. Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”  The Catechism quotes him as well, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”

That’s a pretty bold claim, isn’t it? St. Jerome, a Doctor of the Catholic Church, meaning, he teaches us how to be Christian, urges us to recognize that serious Bible study is a necessity, not an optional luxury.

Though our liturgies are full of Scripture, scripture informs our every prayer, merely hearing scripture as a passive observer is not enough. Vatican II, in the same document on Scripture, says that Scripture is “food for the soul”. The way many of us treat scripture is like smelling the food baking in the oven without actually consuming the food without.

And it’s somewhat understandable, there is often hesitation on the part of Catholics to be familiar with the Bible. It’s a complex book. Yet, for those who open its pages, the Scriptures are refreshing, they are consoling, they are instructive, and corrective, they are more valuable than gold. 

We should read, and meditate on Scripture every day.  Having a “living and tender love for Scripture” leads us to a living and tender loving care for God and the willingness to follow his Holy Will. 

St. Jerome is not alone in encouraging us to read Scripture. St. Augustine wrote in his confessions the beautiful words: “Let your scriptures be my chaste delight…O Lord, perfect me and reveal those pages to me!  See, your voice is my joy.  Give me what I love…May the inner secrets of your words be laid open to me when I knock.  This I beg by our Lord Jesus Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  These are the treasures I seek in your book.” 

In reflecting on God’s Holy word, may we encounter God’s great love for us, and learn to ourselves to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

Homily: Sept 29 2016 - Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

When we recite the creed at every Sunday Mass, we profess God as the Creator of “all things visible and invisible.” The “invisible” refers to the non-material: the creatures of pure spirit, known as angels. The Catechism says, “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scriptures usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of faith.” The angels are called in the letter to the Hebrews “ministering spirits” because “With their whole being the angels are servants of God”

When we started using the new translation of the missal in 2011, one of my favorite changes was the mention of the different choirs of angels in the Eucharistic prefaces: “with angels and archangels, with throne and dominions and with the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory.”  Angels, archangels, thrones, dominions and powers are among the different choirs of angels, along with the cherubim, seraphim, principalities, and virtues. 

Today we celebrate the feast of the Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. 

The Archangels are considered chief or ruling angels in virtue of the special and important significance of the messages they bring or the actions they have to perform.  It was an angel that brought the message of the birth of Samson, but it was the Archangel Gabriel who announced the incarnation of the Son of God. Every angel works to drive back the darkness of evil, but it as the Archangel Michael who was placed by God as Prince of the Heavenly army who drove the Lucifer and the rebellious angels out of heaven. The angels bring healing, and cheer, and inspiration, and protection; but it was the Archangel Raphael who brought healing to the blind Tobit and accompanied Tobias on his special journey.

Because of the special messages Gabriel brought he is a special patron to those in the fields of communication. If we ever have a difficult message to deliver: a word of rebuke or correction to a disobedient child, an invitation to a fallen away Catholic to return to the sacraments, we do well to invoke Gabriel.

If we need special healing: a serious illness, a friend with an addiction, difficulty forgiving someone who hurt us, we do well to invoke Raphael; also before we make a pilgrimage or dangerous journey. I like to invoke Raphael for safety in air travel especially, as the airplane is speeding up on the runway.

And we do well to invoke St. Michael to defend us from the great evils of this age. From those who work to take away our religious freedom, for all persecuted Christians, for all those involved in the occult, for those experiencing any form of demonic oppression, for the great sexual immorality and pandemic of pornography that plagues our culture.

Through the Mass, each day, we have the great blessing of joining the angels and archangels in their worship of God on the throne of heaven. May we seek their help and know their intercession to pray every more fully, consciously, reverently, and devoutly—in order to be strengthen in holiness, charity, and zeal for the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For Pope Francis, Bishop Lennon, and all Church leaders, that they may guide the Church to be strong in faith and generous in offering works of mercy to those in need. We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Raphael may all who suffer from loneliness or sickness know the healing graces of our loving God.  We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Gabriel, may God’s strength be with all those who work for the Spread of the Gospel.  We pray to the Lord.

And through the intercession of St. Michael, may all who are persecuted for the faith be protected against the wickedness and snares of the devil.  We pray to the Lord.

Homily: Sept 27 2016 - St. Vincent de Paul - Freed from slavery for service

St. Vincent was the son of a poor, but pious farmer in southwestern France in 1581. Even though it meant a great sacrifice for his family, his father, knowing of the boy’s intellectual gifts and believing him to have a vocation to the priesthood, payed for his studies and encouraged his vocation. Vincent was ordained at the incredibly young age of 20. He was a genius and mastered his philosophical and theological training. Though, his motives for ordination were not entirely pure. It is said that he had ambitions to secure a wealthy benefice, so he could help his family out of poverty.

So, as a charming young priest, Vincent made many wealthy friends, he became chaplain to a queen moved through the comfortable and luxurious aristocratic spheres of society. But while he was on his way down to Marseilles to pick up some old widow’s inheritance, he was captured by Turkish pirates and brought to Africa as a slave for two years.

That was the beginning of his conversion. He could have, like Job in the first reading “opened his mouth and cursed” the day of his birth. But his heart began to open, his faith began to awaken. He saw the miserable condition of the slaves.

Some time later, he was accused of stealing 400 crowns by an acquaintance. 400 crowns was an enormous amount of money back then. And Vincent could have used his genius intellectual gifts to prove his innocence. But he simply said, “God knows the truth. I didn’t steal it. If God can free me from captivity, God can free me from this.” Six months went by, and the acquaintance had denounced Vincent as a crook. But after six months, the real thief came forward, and everyone was edified by Vincent’s trust in God’s providence.

The final turning point in his priesthood was when he was hearing the deathbed confession of a poor peasant. His heart seemed to burst for the crying spiritual needs of the poor.  A wealthy friend helped Vincent draw together a group of missionaries who came to be known as the Congregation of the Mission, known later as the Vincentians.

Over time, Vincent established many confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick.  Out of these groups grew the Vincentian nuns or Daughters of Charity who have served in our own diocese for many years. 

Pope Leo XIII named him patron of all charitable societies.  This includes of course, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul founded in 1833, almost 200 years after his death, which was founded by his admirer and devotee, Frederic Ozanam.

Vincent’s spirituality can be summarized in his saying: “It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor…I belong to God and to the poor.”    His heart truly belonged to God and the poor—and after 350 years, the relic of his heart is still found to be incorrupt.

May we learn to love others like St. Vincent, and recognized that our souls were purchased out of slavery of sin by the blood of Christ, so that our lives may be given wholeheartedly to the service of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 26 2016 - Sts. Cosmas and Damian - Suffering Servants

The next few days we will be hearing from the book of Job. We’ll hear how Job is afflicted with tremendous suffering; he loses everything precious to him: he bears the grief of seven dead sons and three dead daughters.  He becomes repulsive to his wife, loathsome to his brothers, he loses his land and property.  He’ll lay in unrelieved misery for months with open sores all over his body.  At first, he’ll bear these calamities with amazing trust in God and faith, but as his misery continues over many months his faith begins to waver. 

Perhaps some of us can relate. Extended periods of suffering, the loss of that which we hold dear, can really be a trial for our faith.

Today we honor two saints, who patiently endured their trial, and did so with tremendous grace, and an outpouring of Christian service.

Cosmas and Damien were twin brothers born at the end of the third century in Syria.  They were physicians and were known as “the moneyless ones”, because they didn’t charge their patients.  They were actually the first surgeons to successfully perform a limb transplant, and this was in the early fourth century. They could have become world famous and wealthy, but they chose faith over fame, and like Christ became sufferings servants of those in need.

Christians who openly professed their faith, in the early fourth century during the persecution of Diocletian, did so at great risk.  For openly practicing their faith, for living and seeking to pass on the Gospel of Christ, Cosmas and Damien were arrested, tortured and beheaded.

Cosmas and Damien are examples for us of what Christianity is all about: sacrificing ourselves for others., living generously for others, pouring ourselves out in service, witnessing to the love of God, and the truth of the Holy Gospel, even with our lives.

And though each of us are afflicted in our own way, like Job, we are still to look outside of ourselves, to look for opportunities to serve, to help, to uplift, even when this would bring upon us the scorn of the world.

May the grace of the Eucharist today bring about in us an increase of charity for those in need, fervor for the spread of the Gospel, and courage to face our trials for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 23 2016 - Padre Pio - Mystical Phenomena & Humility

Padre Pio is certainly recognized for the incredible phenomena associated with him…the holy stigmata, he bore the marks of Jesus’ crucifixion on his hands for 50 years, the fact that he could read people’s souls, people would come to him in confession, and he would know their sins before they confessed them; he was capable of bilocating—on several instances he appeared in the United States while he was also still in Italy.

When Pope Paul VI visited Padre Pio’s tomb about five months after he died, he said the greatness of Padre Pio is not in these extraordinary mystical phenomena. The greatness of Padre Pio was in the fact that he was a humble friar, who humbly celebrated Mass, heard confessions from dawn to dusk; he was a man of suffering and prayer.

It would take him 3 hours to celebrate the Mass, as he was so mentally and spiritually engaged in these sacred mysteries. When Mass would begin at 4:30am, people would line up outside just to celebrate Mass with him. And he didn’t even preach, he simply celebrated Mass with ineffable humility. Padre Pio is said to have experienced very deeply the events of Calvary as he celebrated, and through his humble celebration, he would bring the fruits of the cross to the people. So great was his participation in the cross, that he literally shared Christ’s wounds.

He was, as Paul VI said, a man of suffering and a man of prayer. When asked if the wounds of his holy stigmata caused him suffering, he said, “well, the Lord didn’t give them to me for decoration.” But he also suffered the calumnies of those who were jealous of his relationship with the Lord. In their jealousy, some of his superiors placed unjust disciplines upon him, which he bore, humbly and quietly.

I believe like Padre Pio we are called to more devoutly enter into the Mass, to prepare our hearts for Mass, to truly lift up our hearts to heaven during the celebration of the Mass, to unite ourselves the suffering Christ during the Mass, to put the Mass truly as the source and summit of everything we do, and thank God deeply for the graces we receive from the Mass.

Also, as Padre Pio was so deeply devoted to the Sacrament of Confession, he heard confession often for 12 hours a day, we do well to invite those who have fallen away from Confession to return. Not only those who have fallen away from the Church, but there are many who receive Holy Communion sacrilegiously, coming to Communion though they are guilty of serious sins. So many who struggle with habitual venial sins would find great advancement in the spiritual life from more frequent confession.

We also do well to learn from him how to bear wrongs patiently and without complaint. There is also great spiritual growth to be had if when we just learned to stop complaining about little things and talking about the small wrongs done to us by others—family members or strangers.

Homily: Thursday - 25th Week of OT 2016 - Vanity of Vanities

Early in Luke’s Gospel we hear how the Tetrarch Herod had John the Baptist executed. John had spoken the Word of God clearly: Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law was illicit. John called Herod, as he had to so many, to repentance. But, instead of turning away from his sin, Herod killed John, hoping that the message would be buried with the messenger.

To Herod’s consternation, however, the message lived on—even more powerfully—in Jesus and his disciples. St. Luke tells us, “Herod was deeply perplexed” when he heard about Jesus preaching the same word as had John. Perhaps Herod did not understand how or why someone else would take up John’s mantle, so to speak, in proclaiming the call to repentance.

Jesus, we know appeared before Herod, after he is arrested. But, instead of learning from his experience, that God desires his conversion, Herod chose to be part of Jesus’ crucifixion. Imagine what Herod thought when news of Jesus’ resurrection reached him!

Sometimes, we, like Herod, don’t want to hear the Word of God. The world certainly does not want to hear the Word of God. God’s word challenges us, it calls out our illicit behaviors, it calls us to repentance, and sometimes we don’t want to give up our sins. So we run away from the Gospel. The world seeks to have the Gospel silenced. 

Christianity is labeled as bigoted, intolerant of certain lifestyles. Think of the great hostility the Church faces in calling for the protection of the unborn and end to abortion! Abortion and contraception enable illicit sex on demand. And so the Church is hated because she teaches the Gospel of Life, even though the Gospel is the only road to heaven.

She is hated because, like Qoheleth in the reading from Ecclesiastes, she reminds us that all of our foolish, selfish, sinful pursuits, are “vanity of vanities”. Qoheleth, in his wisdom, looks back on all of his vain, earthly pursuits, and recognizes that they did not profit his soul.

St. Paul tells us, “put to death, the parts of you that are earthly”… put to death: “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” Why? Because these things, instead of giving us life, take it from us, instead of leading us to God, lead us away from Him.

God desires that we come to share in his very life. He want to make us like himself, full of generous self-giving and limitless charity, to glorify him in seeking and living out His will.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we continue to seek to put to death all of our vain pursuits, engage in only those endeavors which profit our souls, seeking the spiritual life God wants for each one of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

Homily: Sept 20 2016 - St Andrew Kim and holy martyrs of Korea - "those who hear the word and act on it"

Saint Andrew Kim was the first native-born Korean priest, and he was beheaded for the faith. He, and St. Paul Chong Hasang with their 111 companions were martyred over the course of many years, but were canonized together by Saint John Paul II in 1984.

For centuries, Catholicism was seen as a threat to Korean customs and traditions, so Christianity took root in Korea only after much struggle and effort. But when it did begin to take root, those roots were strong.

Andrew wrote to his fellow Christians the following words: “We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”

What good is baptism if we are Christian in name only? Jesus offers a similar sentiment in the Gospel today: what good is it being simply being called a brother of Christ? “My brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The martyrs, through their faithful witness, show us what it truly means to be a brother of Christ. Because he so cared for the souls of his fellow Koreans, St. Andrew risked his life smuggling missionaries into Korea, so that his native countrymen might have the Word of God preached to them—that they might discover how Christianity isn’t a threat to Korea, it is the path to it’s true greatness. He was captured, tortured, and killed for his care for souls.

At their 1984 canonization ceremony, Saint John Paul II called Saint Andrew Kim, Saint Paul and their 111 companions “the leaven” that lead to the splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.
How are we called to be “leaven” today—the leaven that will lead to the flowering of the Church in our own land? What will we do today that will lead souls to Christ? What will our Christian witness look like today in our own limited capacity?

How might we, like St. Andrew, "smuggle" the Gospel into the lives of our grandchildren, neighbors...

The blood of the martyrs is the most powerful leaven in the Church, inspired by the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs, may the Holy Spirit teach us to pour ourselves out in faithful service this day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 19 2016 - St. Januarius - Age of Martyrs

There is a very unique relic connected to the feast of Januarius, a vial of the saint’s blood, which has dried.  However, several times a year, including today, his feast day, the relic is brought out for public veneration, and the blood liquefies.  This miracle has been occurring for over 600 years and it’s one of the most scientifically studied religious phenomenon in the world.  Scientists have been unable to explain this miracle.

This feast is celebrated with great festivity in Naples where he is called “San Gennaro” and many towns in southern Italy.  Over a million people will gather in the Little Italy section of New York today for festivities. Italians in San Francisco have also begun to hold annual festivals for Gennaro.
Januarius was a bishop of the early church who was martyred. in the last major persecution by the Roman Empire, that of Emperor Diocletian.  In the year AD 305, were thrown to the lions. But according to legend, the lions were so astonished by their faith and they did not attack them. So they were beheaded for refusing to worship pagan idols.

When we consider the martyrs, we remember their courage, for we live now in another age of martyrdom. There were more martyrs in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries combined. Martyrdoms in Spain, Poland, Germany, Pakistan, Uganda, and Mexico. And martyrdom continues in this 21st century in places like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and recently Father Jacques Hamel, a priest murdered by ISIS loyalists while he was celebrating Mass.

At the Mass honoring Father Hamel, Pope Francis said, “Persecution against Christians is worse today than in the early days of the Church…Today, there are Christians murdered, tortured, imprisoned, beheaded because they don’t deny Christ.”

A Pew Research Center Study in this decade showed Christians were harassed either by the government or social groups in 102 of 198 countries. There’s been a 309 percent jump in attacks on Christians in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

When the World Trade Center was destroyed, America proclaimed “Never Forget!” “Never forget those who died on American soil” Not to belittle that terrible tragedy, but Christians are being killed now, in 2016. We must not only “never forget” we must become aware of the great suffering our brothers and sisters are experiencing NOW.

We do well to pray for those who are persecuted, to fast and do penance in solidarity with their sufferings, and to meditate on the suffering and courage of the martyrs, that when we are called to witness to Christ we may be faithful for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 25th Sunday in OT 2016 - Serving God with undivided hearts

Remember, it was this time last year, when Pope Francis visited the United States. He visited Washington and presided over the Canonization of St. Junipero Serra, he addressed the United Nations and visited the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial in New York, and he spoke to families at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

While in Washington, the Holy Father also addressed Congress. There he invited people of all faiths to consider one of the great American champions for justice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He spoke of Dr. King’s “dream” of civil and political rights for African Americans, and his call for all Americans to work together to build a nation of justice and peace.

In his famous “I have a dream speech” Dr. King, evoked the prophet Amos, from whom we read today. “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a mighty stream!” What is Justice? The prophets over and over again speak of justice, what are they talking about? The Catechism, the Popes, the saints, call upon Catholics to work for justice in society. So what is justice? Simply, Justice is when people receive what is owed to them—our natural rights—the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.

It is a matter of justice to give people the respect they deserve, safety, medical help, the type of education which helps them to flourish. When they are deprived of these things, it is an injustice. The prophets, over and over again speak of justice. “The Lord is a God of Justice” Isaiah says. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Zechariah says, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.”

Jesus himself, in recalling the Great Commandments teaches us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” even to go out of our way, like the Good Samaritan, to help those in need.

This particular topic sometimes causes us to squirm in our seats a little bit, because we know, deep down, that often we do not give enough, we do not care enough, volunteer enough, pray enough.

Listen again to Amos: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!
"When will the new moon be over," you ask, "that we may sell our grain; and the Sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”  What’s he saying here?

The festival of the new moon was a key religious Jewish observance and during that time you didn’t do business.  And of course, the Sabbath day, was a day of rest, a day of prayer, of sacrifice; we are to avoid work on the Sabbath, in keep with the 3^rd commandment.

So, Amos is speaking to those who are so concerned with their business operations and money making that they squirm with impatience during the religious observances.   They can’t wait to get back to work and get this religious stuff over with so they can make money because deep down they love money more than they love God and certainly more than they love the poor.

Jesus in the Gospel, today speaks of the choice we must make: choose your master: God or mammon. To serve a master requires total, exclusive commitment. Though many people seek to serve both God and money, Jesus points out that this is not possible. It is an injustice when we love money and serve money because we are failing to give our true, full, and undivided devotion to God.

God is to be our master. We are to give him our undivided hearts. That in a sense, our wealth, our money, our time do not belong to us. They are meant to be used for God’s will, not our selfish pursuits. If God is the master, we are but stewards. Of course that means taking care of our families, providing shelter, education, and some healthy leisure for ourselves. But our wealth, our time, talent, and treasure, is not meant to do our own will, but the will of God.

I think Pope Francis has done a very challenging thing in calling this Holy Year of Mercy, challenging every one of us, like the prophets challenged Israel, to consider how we are using our time, are we using our time justly, mercifully?

Jesus in this parable of the steward calls us to be prudent, honest, intelligent and generous stewards of the gifts we have been given, to ensure we are giving God the first fruits, not the left overs. Stewardship is a matter of justice.

In the Old Testament we find the ancient devout practice of tithing, giving 10% to the Lord. To some this might seem excessive, but it at least causes us to consider how much do I give? There are 168 hours in a week, let’s say we spend a third of that sleeping. Let’s say roughly 110 waking hours. Besides the hour we spend at Mass on the weekend, do we come close to giving 10% of our time to God in prayer, scripture study, meditation?

There is of course no absolute demand that 10% of one’s income is given directly to the Church, but when we consider our finances, what percentage is really going to charity and the upkeep of the parish?

Am I even involved in any form of merciful work, volunteering, helping to make the world a kinder, gentler, more peaceful place?

What changes in my own life need to be made, so that I can truly say I give an undivided heart to Christ?

Not that we should expect anything back, but we never regret the time we give to God, the time we give helping others. We often discover we receive so much more than what we give.

When I think of the type of Christian I want to be, the type of priest I want to be, I think of our dear good priest, Father Wendelken. As many of you have heard, perhaps yet, you haven’t, Father Wendelken passed away on Wednesday evening, the feast of the exaltation of the holy cross, after being diagnosed with cancer several months ago.  Father Wendelken had a gigantic heart for those in need, had a deep, passionate love for the Church and the priesthood, and was filled with tremendous joy after a life of prayer and sacrificial priestly service.

Father Wendelken was the beloved pastor of St. Rita parish for many years, and it is there that his funeral and wake will be held this week. Beginning with a prayer service presided over by Bishop Lennon, his wake will be held at St. Rita church in Solon from 3 to 7pm on Tuesday. Bishop Gries will be the main celebrant of the funeral Mass at St. Rita’s at 11am on Wednesday.

After his retirement Father Wendelken returned to reside here at St. Clare. He spoke often of how blessed he was for being here, for the kindness he was shown, by the parishioners here. Please remember Father in your prayers this week.  He died very peacefully, surrounded by his family, after having received the refreshment of the Sacraments.

Please prayer for his soul this week, and for the consolation of his family, and those who touched so deeply in his priestly ministry. And this week, may each of us be generous in asking the Holy Spirit to lead us to work for justice, righteousness, and peace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 16 2016 - Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, martyrs - Bearers of Mercy

Persecution of the Church was so great in the 3rd century that we didn’t have a Pope for 14 months.  Following that interval, today’s saint, Cornelius was elected Pope.

In order to prove their faithfulness to Rome, Christians were being forced to offer incense to the Roman gods. Some Christians bribed the authorities to obtain a document stating that they had offered the sacrifice, others gave in and apostatized, denying Christ by participating in the pagan worship.

Once the persecution died down, a controversy arose when the apostates wanted to be readmitted to Holy Communion. Should these lapsed Christians, who denied Christ publically, be readmitted to the Sacraments?

A priest named Novation claimed the Church did not have the power to reconcile apostates, apostasy being considered the greatest betrayal of Christ. Novatian had strong support for this rigorist view and was even consecrated the Church’s first anti-Pope.

In the year 251, Pope Cornelius called a synod in Rome, and declared Catholics could be restored to the Church with what he called, “the usual medicines of repentance”.  Through penance and firm purpose of amendment, a sinner could be readmitted to Communion again. He was supported in this by many bishops, but especially the North African bishop Cyprian, who was one of the most important theologians and writers of the time.

Persecutions resumed the following year.  Cornelius was arrested and deported.  A few years later, down in Carthage, Cyprian was also arrested and martyred.

Both Saints Cornelius and Cyprian are mentioned in the First Eucharistic prayer for their importance to the early Church.  Yet, are they not two wonderful examples for this Holy Year of Mercy.

There is no sin so great that it cannot be absolved in the Sacrament of Confession. God reaches out to the sinner, those who have publicly denied him, those who have rejected his mercy in the past. I think of many atheists who have publicly claimed to not believe in God, some of them were raised Catholic. For whatever reason, anger at God, pride, public pressure, they renounced their faith. God is even reaching out to them.

We pray for apostates: as long as they breath it is not too late for them to repent. The Lord might even be preparing some of us to witness to the faith to them, preparing us to be apostles of mercy, instruments for the conversion of sinners. And we must make use of the opportunities God give us to grow in mercy and knowledge of our faith.

Through the intercession of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian may we faithfully bear God’s mercy to all those in need of it, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 15 2016 - Our Lady of Sorrows - Mother of they Dying

In times of great sadness, suffering, and loneliness, we think of our mothers. No doubt, it brought such great consolation to Jesus, as he hung upon the cross, that his mother was with him, even though it brought her great pain to do so.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,

All his bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

Mary, we know, looks upon all of us as her sons and daughters. For from the cross, as we read in the Gospel today, Our Lord gave to her all of his disciples throughout all the ages to be her spiritual children. She has such great compassion for us all, and comes to the aid of her children.

Mary comes especially to the aid of the dying, in the final moments when salvation may be won or lost. We read numberless instances in the lives of saints and devout souls in which Mary appeared to them and aided them on their deathbed. The rooms of the dying are Our Lady's special sphere of activity, for those who are in their last agony are her beloved children. Mary draws close to the dying, helping them prepare for eternity.

In Dante’s Purgatorio, one soul explains how because of his wicked life he had become destined for hell, but in his last breath he was inspired to speak the name of Mary, and this was enough to save his soul.

Sharing our Mother’s compassion for the dying, we should pray every day for those in the hour of death, for faithful souls as well as impenitent souls. For we know that deathbed conversions are possible. Mary helps unrepentant souls reach final contrition.

Whenever I visit the dying, I always encourage their family members to pray the rosary with them. For no doubt, as they lay dying, the prayers of our childhood, are so comforting and also so powerful because it helps them to know the closeness of Mary, Mother of the Dying.

Those who die with her as their mother, die as faithful disciples of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. May we show true compassion to all the afflicted, and know Mary’s closeness as we carry our crosses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 13 2016 - St. John Chrysostom - The golden-tongued preacher

St. John Chrysostom said, “the saint who has gone up to heaven has no need of acclamation from human beings in order to arrive at a greater and more blessed place. We, on the other hand, who are meanwhile engaged in matters on earth…need to hear the saint praised in order to be so moved to emulate him.” So we do well to consider the virtue and example of this great saint, that we may emulate his sanctity and arrive at the same eternal reward.

St. Paul teaches us to consider the Church as a Body with many parts. And if the Church is a body, the saint we honor today, St. John Chrysostom is the mouth, or perhaps, the tongue. The name “Chrysostom” means golden tongue.

While studying civil law, he felt the call to enter monastic life, but discerning it wasn’t quite his calling, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest for the Church of Antioch.

And it was soon discovered that the young priest was quite gifted in preaching. So his bishop asked John to dedicate himself to preaching.  And, for the next twelve years St. John preached and taught on virtually every book on the bible. One writer puts it, “The pulpit was his throne, and he adorned it as much as any preacher of ancient or modern times.” And He was as Blessed John Henry Newman said, “a bright, cheerful, gentle soul; a sensitive heart,” who helped the people apply the Scriptures to their daily lives. About 600 hundred of her sermons and commentaries on scripture have been preserved, as well as many treatises on the moral and spiritual life, and a very famous book on the priesthood.

His reputation as a preacher and teacher led, against his will, to his election as bishop of Constantinople, the seat of the empire, which was really, at the time, a moral cesspool.  So St. John began to preach once again, calling the people to reform their lives.  Much of this call for moral reform was directed at the imperial court, and this drew the scorn of the empress who was leading a very depraved life and setting a terrible example to the people.  Once, when he preached on the story of Jezebel, the empress took it as a personal insult. So, she began to conspire against John.  She found an ally in the patriarch of Alexandria who was also threatened by John, and had John deposed on trumped up charges and forced into exile.

The people, however, loved John and so he was brought back to Constantinople.  And he didn’t back off.  He continued to preach the truth, to condemn moral depravity and the vanities of the aristocracy and the imperial court.  The powers-that-be were not pleased and sent the bishop again into exile, into such harsh conditions that he would not return. The old exiled bishop died on September 14, 407.
As a seminarian St. John Chrysostom always fascinated and inspired me.  He was called the Golden Tongue because he preached Christ.  And he was able to preach Christ because he knew Him,
because Christ dwelt in his heart.  And that knowledge of Christ came through prayer and the study of the Scriptures. John Chrysostom knew the scriptures and therefore came to a piercing knowledge of our blessed Lord, and was able to communicate Christ’s love and truth to his holy Church.

May we communicate Jesus to all those we meet today, may Christ be on our lips and in our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 12 2016 - The Holy Name of Mary

For many years, about 200 years actually in our own country, Mary was the most, or nearly the most popular name for baby girls. Around 1970 the name slipped out of the top 10, and starting in about 2009, Mary is no longer even in the top 100. Certainly, this is an indicator of a loss of reverence for the mother of Jesus; no doubt it corresponds to a decline in the practice of the Catholic faith. To our modern culture, there is little reverence for the name of Jesus, the name of Mary, the name of God is blasphemed on nearly every television show.

In Scripture, names reflect the type of person, aspects of their character. The name Jacob means trickster. Prophesying about the consolation of Israel, Isaiah’s name means “May God save”. Sometimes names are changed to indicate a change of personality or vocation: Abram’s name is changed to Abraham after God promises that he will be the father of a great nation. Of course, God, too, has many names in Scripture, and reveals his own mysterious name to Moses.

Calling upon the name of God in Scripture is always connected with adoring him and worshiping him rightly. God reveals his name so that we might love Him.

Though, Mary, her name meaning ‘beautiful’, and truly she is the most beautiful soul ever created by God, Mary was a truly humble woman, living a hidden life in the poor Judean countryside. If not for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, her name may never have been preserved, recorded in Scripture, or passed down through the generations of Christians. But her is name is known and loved. We are meant to invoke her by name, to honor her, and love her.

When we speak her name with love, we imitate our Lord Jesus; for did Jesus not call upon her with love, with filial devotion? We are faithful to Jesus, who told us, “take her as your own mother” when we love Mary as our mother.

When we invoke the name of Mary, we implore the aid of the woman who nursed, cared for, nurtured the Savior of mankind, who must have brought him so much consolation as he carried his cross; we place ourselves under her protection.

We do well to call upon her in times of temptation, for God has made humble Mary “full of grace”—powerful in His victory over the powers of evil, sin, and death. We do well to call upon her in times of trial asking her help to carry our own crosses. And like a child pointing out something delightful or beautiful to his mother, pronouncing her name in times of joy and thanksgiving throughout the day. 

May her name truly be "undying on our lips". We call upon the Holy name of Mary to help us become Holy, to help us to be faithful, to be humble instruments of God’s grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 24th Sunday of OT 2016 - Care for your eternal soul

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found the parables of today’s Gospel a bit strange.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

And I always think to myself, “well, I wouldn’t?” Why would you put the 99 sheep at risk in order to find the 1? It’s bad business. If you are a shepherd, and your job is to protect your flock, and one wonders away, wouldn’t just count it as lost? Otherwise, if you go out looking for it, and leave the 99, you’re likely to come back to find that 45 other sheep had wandered away or worse, eaten by wolves, stolen by bandits. Kind of sounds like bad shepherding to me!

But this parable isn’t talking about prudent business decisions here, is it? Jesus is talking about the love of the father. If as a parent you have say six children, and one of them gets lost at the shopping mall, as I used to do…all the time…as a parent you wouldn’t say, “well, that’s okay, I have 5 other ones.” No parent would do that. So God, whose love for us is greater than even parents love for their children, goes to extravegent lengths to save those who have fallen away…all of us.

The parable of the woman with the lost coin is another strange image. She has 10 coins and loses 1 and then turns her whole house upside-down searching for it. The coin in question was a drachma, a silver coin. How much was a drachma worth? Some scripture scholars say it was about 65 cents, others a nickel, others a fraction of a penny. Still, with this coin, you couldn’t buy a loaf of bread for that. And yet, what does she do when she loses this coin? She turns her whole house upside-down. Maybe if I lost a twenty bucks, or a hundred, of course, but for a nickel? Not only does she rejoice when she finds this coin, she calls her neighbors over. Could you imagine, who would call up their neighbors and say, “come over, quick, I’ve got the best news, you’re not gonna believe it!” And they come over, and ask, what’s this about? And beaming, you hold up that shiny nickel…I found it! Your neighbors would slowly back up out of the house and call the men with the white coats.

And I think Jesus knew that this story was strange. For it’s not about the value of the coin…but about this amazing joy over the conversion of sinners. It illustrates just how important our souls are to God. God, in fact cares about our souls, much more than we do.

These parables, along with the parable of the prodigal son, remind us of how much God loves us, the great ends to which he is willing to go to save us, and the responsibility we have to protect our souls from evil now that they’ve been redeemed.

Why does God love us so? Why are our souls so valuable to God that he is willing to suffer and die for us—to go to extravagant lengths to save us?

What is the value of a soul? All the beauties of nature and all of the works of man do not compare in the smallest degree with the value of a soul. For nature is finite, every building or work of art is finite. But the soul is of eternal value. It will never die. You and I are going to live forever. Our bodies will die, but our souls, will never die. Your soul—your spirit—will live forever. And how we live our lives on earth, the moral choices we make, our assent of faith or our lack thereof, will determine whether our souls spend eternity in heaven or hell.

Yes, it is terrible when a person loses his health, or his money, or his friends.. But the loss of one’s soul because we fail to recognize our sinfulness and our need for God, that’s even worse, that is the truly greatest tragedy possible. On this 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the world trade center, we think of that word: tragedy. The loss of life, the violence, all of this is great great tragedy. But again, the greatest tragedy, is when a soul becomes destined for hell. A soul, destined for heaven, choosing hell through its failure to repent, is the greatest tragedy of all.

St. Peter says, God does not wish that any souls should parish, but that all should come to repentance. He gives every soul, each one of us, a super-abundance of opportunities to repent. But whether we truly repent or not will determine our eternal destiny.

It should be deeply concerning to us, when Catholics lose their faith, when they stop going to Church, when they enter invalid marriages, when they turn away from the moral teachings of the Church. Deeply concerning! For we know not the day nor the hour, when this earthly life will end and we will face our judge.

These beautiful parables this weekend remind us that God does not give up on us, he continues to reach out, to call out, He continues to search, to even do elaborate, extravagant things to bring souls to repentance and conversion…crazy things, like sending people like us out to bring in the lost sheep! If you have a family member who has fallen away from the faith, or a neighbor who has no faith, pray for them, fast for them, do penance for them, look for creative ways to bring them into contact with the saving Gospel.

We must also do our part in protecting our own souls from faithlessness. Each of us must commit to a healthy prayer life, studying the Bible daily, engaging in works of mercy. There are plenty of souls who came to church every week, but never prayed. Because they allowed the flame of faith to die out now they neither pray nor come to Church.

Prayer and reading scripture, making a frequent confession, is how we take the care of our souls seriously. Our souls are worth protecting, after all, they were worth dying for.

God comes to us in this Mass, in this Eucharistic celebration, he seeks us out to nourish us, feed us, bring us to repentance, to help us know his love for us. May we respond to his love through genuine repentance and an increased effort to cooperate with his grace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 9 2016 - St. Peter Claver - "slave of slaves"

St. Peter lived in a time when people in Africa were being captured and sold into slavery.  The poor Africans were put on ships where they suffered from starvation, dehydration, and truly disgusting conditions.  Although the practice of slave-trading was condemned by the Popes of the time, it continued to flourish. Many Africans died by the thousand as they made their way from Africa to the Americas.  St. Peter Claver, a priest born in Spain, understood the wickedness of the slave trade.  He came to South America where he would minister to the slaves brought there. As they came into harbor, he gave them food and water and medicine, and told them about God who loves them, and about Jesus who suffered like they did. 

They would ask him for baptism. St. Peter Claver baptized hundreds of thousands of African slaves into the Catholic faith.

Peter Claver recognized the human dignity of the Africans when the rest of the world treated them like property and cattle to be sold, traded, slaughtered if they did not perform. He recognized their humanity because he had learned to see with the eyes of God and love with the heart of Christ.

Peter Claver remarked more than once how it took everything in him at times to go down into the disgusting conditions of the slave-ships filled with filth and stench.  He reminds us that true loving service isn’t necessarily about liking what we do—we might even be filled with revulsion, but loving service means being faithful despite our personal feelings. 

Peter because of his love and care for the slaves was himself despised by the slave-traders and those making a profit from the slave-trade. In 1650 Peter Claver fell victim to an epidemic and was literally abandoned to die in his sickness.

Holiness might indeed lead us to being reviled by the wicked, hated by the world. Peter Claver saw clearly who the Lord was calling him to love and serve, and he responded generously to that call, pouring out his life in humble humble service—he became as the collect said, “a slave of slaves.” May each of us respond to the call to holiness with that same radical generosity for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 8 2016 - Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary - Joy and Light

Two themes pervade the readings and prayers of this feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: joy and light.

“With delight we rejoice in what the Lord has done” – we proclaimed in the Psalm. Saint Andrew of Crete said all creation sings with joy, exults, and participates in the joy of this day....for this is, in fact, the day on which the Creator of the world constructed His temple; today is the day on which by a stupendous project a creature becomes the preferred dwelling of the Creator"

Joy comes from recognizing the importance, meaning, and weight what God has done for us. Considering the truly miserable state of humanity without God, broken, fallen, enslaved, divided, self-destructive; without God, separated from God, we are in darkness. Joy breaks into our souls when we truly appreciate His love for us, in saving us from the darkness.

Today is a feast of joy, because it is part of the story of salvation—God’s light breaking into the darkness of the history of humanity’s sin. The liturgy tells us: “Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.”

There is an ancient hymn about Mary and Christ in which this beautiful theology of salvation is expressed:

1. Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
2. Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine; Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
3. Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread; Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
4. Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
5. Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord; Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
6. Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest; Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
7. Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son. Both ever blest while endless ages run. Amen.

On this side of eternity, in each one of us there is always still some darkness.  And we know all too well, how this darkness continues to pervade our world. This feast reminds us to turn to Mary every day, pray to her, that the light of Christ will banish the darkness of selfishness and sin in us; that as God used her as the Gate to bring salvation into the world, God continues to use her to bring grace into our souls.

If we want joy we need to turn to her devoutly for joy, if we want peace we need to turn to her earnestly for peace, if we want to be with God forever in heaven, we need to turn to Mary fervently for help in following Christ faithfully for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday - 23rd Week of OT 2016 - Called to be saints together

Thanks to St. Paul’s extensive correspondence with the Corinthians, we are better informed about the church at Corinth than probably any other first-century church. In 1 Corinthians in particular, Paul treats a wide range of issues affecting the community of believers, including disunity, food offered to idols, sexual sin, and class divisions at the communal celebration of the Eucharist.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been “sanctified in Christ Jesus” called to “be saints together”. They are called to live differently from the pagan, criminal, morally corrupt, yet they so often seemed to be filled more with the Spirit of the world instead of the Spirit of Christ.

This morning we heard how not only were the Christians quarreling among themselves, they were turning to the secular courts to resolve their problems. The Corinthian court system had a widespread reputation of corrupt judges given to bribery. And the Christians coming to court were availing themselves to this system of corruption.

So Saint Paul urges the Corinthians to deal with their problems internally by taking their problems to the holy ones of the community, those gifted with wisdom.

Christians, we are not expected to be totally free from disputes and disagreements; life is complicated, after all—men of good will can disagree about reasonable things. BUT. Christians, our ability to settle issues, to work together, to pardon each other’s offenses, is to be an example to the rest of the world.  The world should be able to point to the Church and say, “See how they love one another, look how they forgive each other, look how they are patient with one another. Look at the joy of their marriages, look at the faith of their children. Look at the sacrifices they make for the good of others.”  Unity, our ability to “be saints together” as Paul says, is to be a visible mark of the Church.

Jesus came to unite a humanity divided by sin—he came to reconcile us to God and to one another and heal the wounds of sin and division.  The new family of God’s children, the Church, is to live in unity and peace. It’s no coincidence that our Gospel this morning is the calling of the twelve apostles. The apostolic teaching, the authority of the bishops, is to be a source of unity for us. Unholy disunity and division occurs when we stray from the Apostolic Faith. 

But when we assent to that faith, and live that faith, when we are mutually forgiving, patient with each other, we become a beacon of eternal salvation.

With the help of God’s grace, may we work for unity today, healing the wounds of sin and division among us, pointing out to all who dwell in the darkness of sin and unbelief to the light of Christ, our salvation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Labor Day 2016 - "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it"

The U.S. civil holiday of Labor Day gives us the opportunity to consider the Catholic Vision of human work.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  “Laborem Exercens” is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times. Pope Francis referred to “Laborem Exercens” in his own most recent encyclical “Laudato Si” (LS 124).

Both Saint Pope John Paul and Pope Francis call us to consider God’s plan for humankind revealed all the way back in the book of Genesis. In fact, the very first words of God to mankind are a command to work: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” 

Notice how human labor precedes original sin. We don’t engage in work because we’ve sinned, as a sort of punishment. Laboring, cultivating the land, gathering the fruits of nature, working is part of our original dignity. Working with God to bring the best out of creation is part of God’s original plan—we are Co-laborers with God—who himself is the original worker, the shaper of the universe, the bringer of life, a Gardner. Good holy work therefore honors God. Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him (CCC 2427).

Because of sin, however, work can sometimes appear like a cross—involving suffering, sweat, and pain. But we know, because of Christ, crosses are transformed into instruments of redemption. Through Christ’s labor of love we are redeemed. And so even sweaty, painful work, perhaps even imposed upon us unjustly, can be transformed in Christ, for a sanctifying and redemptive end. Painful crosses united to Christ can bring about great grace for ourselves and others.

We also recall today that we work not just to benefit ourselves but also to contribute to the good of everyone. The purpose of work isn’t just to collect enough paychecks so we can retreat to an island paradise in a life of opulent luxury, so we can separate from our neighbor. All of our gifts, talents, abilities, and earthly treasures are to be at the service of God and our fellow man.

May this Labor Day be a time of rest for workers, but also a time of reflection, that workers can ensure that their priorities are in check, that they are serving God rather than themselves, that they are a positive example of Christian virtue to their fellow workers in their speech and in their deeds.  May all of our workers be strengthened in Spirit this day, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls. +++

For blessings on Christ’s Church: for all bishops, for guidance in faith and morality, for sanctification. We pray to the Lord.

That those in civil authority will dedicate themselves to justice, peace, and the generous defense of the poor, the elderly, and the unborn. We pray to the Lord.

For all those who labor and for those seeking employment, and that Christian workers may be signs of hope and give courageous testimony to the Gospel of Christ. We pray to the Lord.

Homily: 23rd Sunday in OT 2016 - Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable

One of my favorite quotes from the great G.K. Chesterton is that “Christianity is a faith that comforts the afflicted… And afflicts the comfortable.”

Our faith comforts us, as it helps us know that God offers his mercy to every sinful soul. Every soul that has turned away from goodness, every soul that has given in to temptations of selfishness, lust, every person that has ever lost control and hurt the ones we love. God loves the poor wretched sinner. And that is comforting.

Yet that same faith, stirs us out of our ambivalence and moves the sinner to examine his life, to repent of his sins, and that is not always pleasant—it afflicts the comfortable. Over and over in the Gospels, the Pharisees show great hostility to Jesus because he exposed their hard-hearts—they weren’t as holy as they thought they were. So Christ’s message afflicts the comfortable—the complacent; it challenges us, it humbles us, but by doing so, it calls us to something greater—authentic holiness, the life of grace.

Christianity comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.


A woman who took seriously both aspects of the faith is being canonized this weekend in Rome by Pope Francis. 19 years after her death, Blessed Mother Teresa will become Saint Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa followed Christ into the slums to serve the poorest of the poor. She established a new religious order, the Missionary Sisters of Charity to live among the poor and to care for the dying and the destitute, orphans and abandoned children, alcoholics, the aged, and the homeless. She brought comfort to the afflicted, reminding the poor and afflicted of their dignity in the eyes of God. She became a living icon of mercy and compassion.

The current Archbishop of Calcutta, India, commenting on her canonization this Sunday said, her canonization is “an occasion for people in all walks of life to do something beautiful for God, as Mother Teresa did.”

During this Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has not only called each and every one of us to focus on the works of mercy, but now he has given us a wonderful example to follow in the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

I’ve had the great honor of visiting the Missionary Sisters of Charity on several occasions. When I was studying in Rome, I worked alongside the Sisters at a house for destitute men, where the homeless would come for food, clothing, shelter, medical care. The sisters would literally bathe the smelly grime of the streets off these men.  They’d be fed and bathed and treated with dignity and respect.  The sisters were so edifying as they treated these men as they would treat Jesus himself.
Again, I visited the Sisters when I went with Catholic Relief Services to the African Country of Madagascar, where they ran an orphanage—caring for the homeless and abandoned children.

In every chapel of the Missionary Sisters, whether in Rome, or Madagascar, or Calcutta, is a crucifix with the words of Jesus: “I thirst”, words Jesus spoke from the cross. It is a reminder to all of the sisters that when they bring drink to the thirsty they are giving that drink to Jesus himself.

Again, each of us do well to ask the Holy Spirit very devoutly and seriously how we might be engaged in the works of mercy this year. Who are the naked we are called to clothe, who are the hungry we are called to feed, who are the prisoners we are called to visit? Who are the souls we are to pray for regularly? Who are the ignorant we are to instruct? Who are the sinners we are called to invite back to God? In comforting these people, we extend the reign of God’s mercy, we become instruments of the compassion of God.

Mother Teresa, is best known for bringing comfort to the afflicted, she won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work, and more importantly, she became a saint.

But, Mother was also known for afflicting the comfortable, challenging selfish complacent souls to take the Gospel of Christ more seriously.

One priest tells the story about how he picked up Mother from the airport for a speaking engagement. He was familiar with Mother, so he felt comfortable talking about all of the different ministries he was engaged in: traveling around the country, giving lectures and parish missions, teaching, And all the while Mother is quietly praying her rosary beads. The priest continued to elaborate on all of his endeavors and said, with all of this going on, I’m even too busy to pray. And Mother, cuts off the priest, and says, “Father, you must never be too busy to pray”. If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy!

A sister once complained to Mother Teresa about all the time they were spending in the chapel; for each day, Mother Theresa required her sister to spend an hour in Eucharistic adoration before going out into the streets. “We have all this work to do, there are people who are starving and dying while we kneel here in the chapel. An hour of prayer is a waste of time,” the sister insisted. To which Mother replied, “because you believe this sister, you need two hours.”

Mother challenges us to never allow the busy-ness of life to keep us from the most important relationship with Christ, we must never allow all the noise of the world to keep us from prayer. “The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace” she said. If you want peace, you need prayer.

In 1994, Mother Teresa was invited to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. There, in front of republicans and democrats, nominal and practicing Christians, jews, and muslims, she spoke of the poverty of the west, in that we treat people without dignity.

“When I pick up a person from the street, hungry,” she said, “I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society." Certainly a challenge to "look to the margins" as Pope Francis would say.

She then spoke of the great sin of abortion… “abortion,” she said, “which often follows from contraception, brings a people to be spiritually poor, and that is the worst poverty and the most difficult to overcome.”

 “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish” she said. And this attitude justifies abortion goes hand in hand with married couples ignoring Church teaching on the sinfulness of artificial contraception.

Through the use of contraception, husband and wife “destroy the gift of love” she said. Essentially, she is saying that when cannot truly love when we devalue human life and when we devalue chastity. Challenging words for a national prayer breakfast, challenging words, perhaps for some of us, but that doesn’t lessen the truth of the message.

Mother spoke these words of challenge confidently because they are the teaching of the master. We are called to love. And Christian love is not always popular or easy. Love often looks like a cross. It requires self-discipline, going out of our comfort zone to raise up the poor from the gutter, speaking the truth in the face of error.  “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Challenging words. But we know, deep down, that there is nothing more important than following Christ to the cross.

Through the intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, may we grow in charity, bear our crosses confidently and gracefully, may we know God’s comfort in our affliction, and be stirred out of our complacency for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday - 22nd Week of OT 2016 - Fasting gives wings to our souls

Jesus said that after His Ascension His followers would surely fast. Along with prayer and acts of charity, fasting would continue to be constitutive practices for his Church. Today, Friday, is the traditional fast day for Christians.

Throughout the centuries, the church fasts each Lent in imitation of Jesus' forty-day fast in the desert. Fasting, we know, is not just for Lent, but should be a sign of our repentance for sin and our desire to find our joy in God alone all year round.

Before Vatican II, Roman Catholics were to abstain from meat on Fridays, and many fasted also on Wednesdays.  After Vatican II, the Church's laws regarding Friday abstinence and fasting were changed.  Some people thought that the Church was de-emphasizing fasting.  But this is not so, Church law still requires us to do some sort of penance on Friday, which may include fasting and abstaining from eating meat.

Pope John Paul II has made it very clear that fasting with prayer is extremely important. He stated: "Jesus Himself has shown us by His own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil.”  If we struggle with a particular temptation: gluttony, lust, pride, fasting helps us to overcome these evils.

Through fasting we show that the pleasures of this world are not what make us whole and truly fulfilled. It is not cookies and snacking and desserts and television and internet and whiskey and wine in which we find our joy. 

Consider also, the Eucharistic fast. We are still obligated to observe at least an hour fast before reception of the Eucharist.  I know many people who fast entirely on Sunday mornings until they receive the precious Body and Blood of Our Lord.  This Eucharistic fast disposes us to experience more deeply the presence of the Lord and expresses our seriousness and reverence for the Lord's coming into our lives

By fasting we unite ourselves to the heart of Jesus, we share in his cross and win graces for souls, and we share in his love for his Father, to whose Holy Will we are to be totally dedicated. Voluntary fasting from food help us acquire mastery over our impulsiveness, and creates in us a greater openness to God's Spirit and deepens our compassion for those who are forced to go without food. The discomfort brought about by fasting unites us to the sufferings of Christ, and brings to mind the sufferings of all those for whom Christ suffered.

St. John Chrysostom wrote, “Fasting is the support of our soul: it gives us wings to ascend on high, and to enjoy the highest contemplation.”  May our holy fasting increase in us a great hunger for serving the Lord, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Homily: 22nd Week of OT 2016 - Thursday - Casting 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 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, sensing the challenges the Church would face in the new millennium: failing economies, impending wars, a culture becoming bent on instant gratification and materialism, he called reminded us of the Lord’s command to Peter: to cast out into the deep, in his own person spiritual life.   If we are going to remain faithful amidst all of these worldly pressures and temptations we must seek to be ever more deeply converted to Christ, to love him ever more deeply, to drink deeply of the Holy Spirit.

In another sense, those words, “put out into deep waters” is a call to every Christian, no matter 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. 

Where are the deep waters in your own life? Who are the fish that seem just out of reach? A fallen away family member? An angry neighbor? Who needs to be invited back to Mass…to the Confessional…to speak with the priest about an annulment…who needs to be gently confronted about an addiction or unchaste behavior?

Today and all days we must have a radical trust in the Lord, rooted in prayer, in seeking ever deeper conversion to Christ for ourselves and others for the glory of God and salvation of souls.