Homily: Jan 31 2017 - St. John Bosco - Work for the salvation of souls

Last Friday, were celebrated St. Angela Merici. How she showed heroic concern for the young people of her neighborhood—gathering together likeminded women of faith to catechize, to form the young people in morality and piety.

Today’s saint also worked with young people. He is patron of school children and juvenile delinquents. St. John Bosco was deeply concerned with the youth of his parish; many were being arrested for juvenile delinquency, and once in prison, they learned more about crime, and would be back in jail soon after their release.

So, he worked tirelessly with the young boys in his neighborhood, providing for them a solid education and formation in the faith.  “There are three things to stay on the path to Heaven, he would tell them, “Go to confession regularly, receive Communion often, and choose a regular confessor to whom you can unburden your heart.”

Through his love and care, many of these young boys, not only were saved from a life of crime, many of them entered seminary and become good and holy priests.  And at least one of his boys became a saint, St. Dominic Savio.

Don Bosco would say, “work, work, work for the salvation of souls.” This is a job not just for priests and religious. This is part of the vocation of every Christian. Listen to this beautiful prayer written by Don Bosco.

My God, fortunate is he who has tasted how sweet it is to work for the salvation of souls! He is not afraid of cold or heat, hunger or thirst, offenses or insults, no, not even of death. O Lord, give me crosses and thorns, persecutions of all kinds, if only I can save souls, and my own among them. Give me souls, Lord, and take all the rest. Only when I know that the devil has given up plotting against souls, shall I cease trying new ways of saving them from his deceits and snares. O Lord, I wish to make a complete sacrifice of my life to You, to work for Your glory until I draw my last breath, bearing patiently all adversities and contradictions in my work. Help me to spend all my strength for the salvation of souls.

Here is a perfect saint for Catholic schools week, who reminds us that the aim of Catholic schools isn’t to make star athletes or powerful businessmen, the aim of Catholic schools is to save souls and make saints.

Through Don Bosco’s example and intercession may we be faithful to the work the Lord has for each of us today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

For all young people who have fallen into delinquency, through their patron’s intercession, may they turn away from sin and crime, and develop a deep love for the ways of Christ.

For all those in prison, for those who struggle with addiction and mental distress, that the healing of Christ may bring them wholeness and the promises of Christ may bring them hope.

That the fire of charity may impel all Christians to work for the salvation of souls, for a spread of the Gospel, and the building of God’s kingdom of peace.

Homily: Monday - 4th Week in OT 2017 - Realization of what is hoped for

Our first reading today is the concluding 8 verses of Hebrew chapters 11. Hebrews 11 is a special chapter, it has been called “the Bible’s great chapter on faith.” For Hebrews 11 begins with that beautiful definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the conviction of the truthfulness of God’s Word, it is staking our lives on his promises, and manifesting in our lives that his promises are real.

After giving this powerful definition of faith, Hebrews 11 gives a sort of roll call of characters—highlighting the great men and women of faith from Israel’s history: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, and Moses.  Our passage today begins saying that if he had time, the author could how faith was heroically manifested in the lives of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.

God did amazing things through their faith, toppling enemy kingdoms, closing the mouths of lions, turning back foreign invaders, raising the dead.

Whenever we celebrate a saint’s feast day, you know how I love to go into some detail about how faith was lived heroically in the life of the saint. That tradition of meditating on the great characters of faith is evident right here in scripture itself. We’re to be mindful of these great figures because they inspire and challenge to us; they help us to trust that when we respond generously and courageously to the invitation of faith, God does mighty things.

After listing those well-known characters and stories, our passage this morning spoke of “the others”—the nameless faithful, who are known simply for their faith.  Since Hebrews is addressed to those early Jewish converts to Christianity, the mockery and scourging endured certainly could refer to the Maccabean martyrs or the prophet Jeremiah, who was mocked, scourged, beaten, and repeatedly imprisoned. The passion of Our Savior certainly is evoked, as are the sufferings endured by St. Paul. Recall how this letter was written first to those converts who were experiencing similar trials.

Faith is not always easy. How easy it is to doubt God’s providence, particularly when we suffer. How easy it is in the moment of temptation to belittle the importance of faith. But if this chapter teaches us anything, and if the lives of the saints teach us anything is that obedient reliance on God during times of trial can accomplish mighty things.

May our faith be strong this day; may the faith of those heroic men and women from the scriptures and the saints impel us to offer our lives as living sacrifices to the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of faith, firmly believing and living all that God has revealed.

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of hope, enduring their trials and temptations trusting in the promises of God.

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of charity, manifesting God’s love through concrete acts of service and compassion to those in need.

For all those who doubt the existence of God, for all those who despair of God’s love, for all those who have fallen away from the Church, for all those who have fallen into mortal sin, for the healing and conversion of all hearts in Christ.

During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

Homily: 4th Sunday in OT 2017 - "Seek the Lord, Seek Justice, Seek Humility"

Recently, I was talking with one of the brothers from the Blessed Sacrament Community over at St. Pashcals about the great Winston Churchill. Churchill is certainly one of history’s intriguing and complex characters. At times, his ego seems to loom quite large: When asked by a reporter if he was prepared to meet his maker, the respected leader responded: “I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”

With that same razor sharp wit, he could be humble as well. Churchill was once asked, "Doesn't it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?" "It's quite flattering," replied Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big."

At least he was able to make a joke about himself from time to time, many lack the humility even for that. And his humility is certainly evident in his service to his country, putting the needs of his country before his own.

When St. Augustine was asked to name the three most important virtues, he gave an interesting answer. The first he said is “humility”, the second he said is “humility”, and third he said is “humility”. I have a book of quotations from the writings on the saints organized by topics: charity, discernment, mercy. But the section on humility is the longest.

Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa, “The reason Christ especially recommended humility to us is because it most effectively removes the main obstacle to our spiritual welfare, the preoccupation with earthly greatness that holds us back from striving for spiritual and heavenly things.”

Humility is the unifying idea that undergirds the eight Beatitudes, which we heard proclaimed in our Gospel today, summarizing Jesus' teaching about how to live. Looking carefully, we see a common denominator amongst each of the beatitudes: you will be blessed when you stop thinking about yourself all the time.

The poor in spirit are blessed because they realize they are not the center of the universe - God is. The clean of heart is blessed because he doesn’t use people for the sake of his pleasure. The peacemaker is blessed because he engages in caring for needs and problems of others. The merciful is blessed because he seeks to alleviate the suffering of others. The mournful is blessed because he is sorrowful over sins sins and remedies the damage his sins have done to the Church, the world, and other people. The meek is blessed because he rightly channels his strengths, practices self-control, and cares more about getting things done than getting credit for doing things. Those who hunger for righteousness are blessed because they seek to serve a higher purpose rather than only looking after themselves.
Underlying all the Beatitudes is this fundamental attitude that that puts God and others ahead of self, and we call that “humility”. Humility is absolutely necessary for growing in Christian maturity—growing out of the egotism of youth into the selflessness of Christian adulthood.

The need to become humble runs throughout the scriptures. As we heard in our first reading, from the prophet Zephaniah, written 600 years before the birth of Christ, “seek the Lord…seek justice, seek humility”.
Why is humility important? Pride closes us in on ourselves, arrogance seeks seeks happiness only in its own selfish willfulness. Humility on the other hand opens us the blessings God wants for us, and helps us to recognize the blessing of serving others. In the beatitudes Jesus defines the holy life, the blessed life to be one that is put at the service of God and others.

St. Philip Neri would say, “Had I only been humble, I never would have committed this sin.”
The same saints who speak about the importance of humility, also teach of the importance of humbling ourselves before God in the acknowledgement and the confession of our sins. The saints teach the importance of frequent examination of the conscience and regular confession. As with all virtues, we grow in humility by exercising it and there is no better way to exercise humility than to go to confession regularly and frequently.

Our Christian faith impels us not to simply seek the bare minimum in order to get to heaven, there is nothing in the beatitudes about doing the bare minimum. Rather our Christian faith impels us to seek the perfection of our souls for which God made us. We seek to overcome even small vices, in order to become more like Christ—to humble the major areas of pride and also the areas that are hidden to everyone else.

Just because we aren’t axe murderers or suicide bombers doesn’t mean we have nothing to confess. The book of Proverbs says, “even the righteous man stumbles seven times a day.” So it is silly for us to pretend that we have nothing to confess. If we can’t find sins to confess, likely we haven’t examined our conscience as well as we should. Saint Mother Teresa went to confession every week, not because she had these glaring mortal sins, but she truly wanted what God wanted for her, the perfection of her soul. So we do well to examine ourselves thoroughly, rooting out the selfish impulses, the judgmental thoughts, lack of custody over our tongues, over our words, laziness in our prayer life.

God knows that we are constantly battling against these impulses, and he instituted the sacrament of confession for our sake, to give us an objective way to repent, to receive his forgiveness, and to attain strength from his grace to keep fighting and improving.

During the season of Lent, which is just a few weeks away, we increase our confession schedule. Here and at St. Paschal’s there will we penance services, as well as our Diocesan Night of Confession during which every parish in the diocese will have confession from 5 to 8pm. Of course we have confessions scheduled here at St. Clare every Saturday at 3:30, and confessions are always available by appointment.

St. Alphonus once said, “After we have offended God, the Devil labors to keep the mouth closed, and to prevent us from confessing our guilt.” Those voices telling you that you don’t need to go to confession, you have to ask, are those really from God?

St. Faustina said, “Pride keeps in darkness…the soul that does not come to confession in humility”. So let us expose our souls to the light of God’s mercy.

May we confess our sins in truly humility; for humility opens the doors of our hearts to Christ, who wishes to bestow upon us his many gifts, and lead us to eternal life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 27 2017 - St. Angela Merici - "Endurance to do the will of God"

On the east side of our church’s front entrance there is a stained glass window of today’s glorious Saint, St. Angela Merici. Her window faces the old parish convent which housed the Ursuline Sisters who were the first teachers here at our parish school.

Many of you here today, were taught by the sisters, whose order was founded by St. Angela back in 1535. Deeply concerned for the neighborhood children, especially their lack of religious training, St. Angela, took it upon herself to give regular instruction to the young neighborhood girls.  She was soon joined by another dozen women who shared her concerns and ideals. She began her holy work in her late 50s, and at the time of her death at the age of 65 there were 24 communities of Ursulines.
Here is a woman who had a deep love for Christ and a concern for souls, who saw a pressing need, and who did something about it, which has changed the world. She didn’t just wring her hands in the face of a problem

She really was a tough woman. Legend has it that, as she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she was suddenly struck blind. Despite this malady, she continued her pilgrimage, and was cured of her blindness while praying before the crucifix.

No doubt she exemplified the words from our reading from the letter to the Hebrews: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” Endurance is needed to persevere in the type of prayer we need to sustain us in the Christian life. Endurance is needed to persevere in the tasks God has given us. Endurance is needed to remain faithful in the face of temptations. But that endurance leads to great graces, and the inheritance of life eternal.

May we, like St. Angela, be attentive to the needs of our community, especially the younger generation who are yet to be formed fully in the faith, may we trust in the Lord amidst unforeseen maladies, and persevere with endurance in the face of temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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1) That all Christians may be courageous and generous in serving the Lord according to their abilities.

2) For the members of the Order of St. Ursula, through the intercession of their patron, St. Angela, may they be sustained and sanctified in their holy service. For an increase in vocations to consecrated life.

3) For all students, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding.  For all teachers, that they may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and concern for their students.  And For parents, the first teachers of their children, that their faith and love may be an example to us always.  We pray to the Lord.

4) For all those who lack faith, that they may learn to seek God’s wisdom in coming to know Jesus as Lord.  We pray to the Lord.

5) For the safety of those traveling to Washington for the March for Life, for the success of their holy witness, for the safety of the unborn, an end to abortion, and the conversion of hearts to the Gospel of Life.

Homily: Jan 26 2017 - Sts. Timothy and Titus - "The work left undone"

Following the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul yesterday, today we commemorate two of Paul’s close co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord: Timothy and Titus.  St. Paul wrote to his coworkers in what are called the New Testament Pastoral letters. They are called “Pastoral” because Paul addresses the letters to Timothy and Titus who were pastors, who had pastoral oversight of their respective churches.

After accompanying Paul on a missionary journey, Paul named Timothy the first bishop of Ephesus. And Titus, who had been with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem, was given care of the Island church of Crete.

So Paul writes to Timothy and Titus to discuss their great task of pastoral oversight of their churches: their structural organization, their tasks of teaching governing and sanctifying, ensuring the teaching of authentic Christian doctrine, and exercising pastoral leadership with true love for their flock.

We read from Paul’s letter to Titus this morning, and how in Crete, Titus was to continue to go from town to town appointing presbyters, priests for the local churches. This was one of the tasks of the bishop going back to the 1st century, naming priests for particular parishes. As the letter progresses, Paul teaches Titus to be wary that teachers of false doctrine are not allowed in his diocese, and to admonish those who had fallen away; as bishop, he must encourage families to be faithful, and to teach young people to practice self-control; he was to instruct the people in what we would call today “faithful citizenship” that the faith guide their civic responsibilities, and to encourage the people in good works, what we would call today the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

It's fascinating to think how the work of bishops and the work of priests are essentially the same as they were nearly 2000 years ago, and that we in diocese of Cleveland, pray now for the Pope to send us a bishop who will have the same characteristics and perform the same tasks as Paul outlined for Timothy.

As the letter said, Paul left Titus to continue the work in Crete which had been “left undone.” The work of the Lord is “left undone” in this place isn’t it. It continues in this place for all of us. Praying for and inspired by great leaders in the faith, may we be faithful to the work to which Christ has called each of us, setting good example and spreading the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our Holy Father, Pope Francis, as he selects the next shepherd of our diocese;  for our Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Daniel Thomas, as he serves the pastoral needs of our diocese while we are in transition;  for Bishop Richard Lennon, as he adjusts to a new stage in his life and ministry; that the Holy Spirit will enlighten and empower all the leaders of our church with faith in the promises of Christ, hope for the years to come, and charity that knows no boundaries.  We pray.

Homily: Jan 24 2017 - St. Francis de Sales - Introduction to the Devout Life

St. Francis de Sales was an outstanding and highly influential bishop, spiritual director, author, and preacher whose life spans the turbulent decades following the Protestant Reformation.  He was born at Savoy in France in 1567.  He studied with the Jesuits at Paris, and finally at Padua, Italy where he obtained doctorates in both civil and canon law.  It was hoped by his father, that he would become a lawyer and follow in his footsteps as a senator; instead, Francis desired to serve the Church.  He was ordained a priest in 1593 and dedicated himself to the re-evangelizing the many Catholics who had fallen away to Calvinism.  

Between 1595 and 1598 he won many converts to the Catholic Church by his persuasive preaching but at the same time he was often in danger of his life at the hands hostile Calvinists.

At the age of 32 Francis was ordained a bishop and three years later he was installed as bishop of Geneva.  For 20 years he labored zealously for the conversion of the Calvinists, and also found time to write his spiritual opus, The Introduction to the Devout Life, which hasn’t gone out of print in 400 years. What distinguishes this book from other spiritual treatises of the time, was that it wasn’t just written for consecrated religious in the confines of their monasteries, but for people of all vocations and all walks of life.

So, the spirituality of his book was somewhat revolutionary for the time: it emphasized that Christianity is an invitation for all people to belong completely to God: everyone from doctors, farmers, widows, street cleaners, kings, mothers of 7 children.

He acknowledged that the life of prayer, devotion, and service will look different in the life of the noble or the pauper; spiritual practices need to fit each individuals strengths and within their individual duties in life.

In the Introduction to the Devout Life he writes: “As often as you can during the day, recall your mind to the presence of God.... Consider what God is doing, what you are doing. You will always find God's eyes fixed on you in unchangeable love. Our hearts should each day seek a resting-place on Calvary or near our Lord, in order to retire there to rest from worldly cares and to find strength against temptation. Remember frequently to retire into the solitude of your heart, even while you are externally occupied in business or society. This mental solitude need not be hindered even though many people may be around you, for they surround your body not your heart, which should remain alone in the presence of God. As David said, "My eyes are ever looking at the Lord."

In all of our duties, interactions, moments of work and rest, may we know the guidance and prayerful intercession of St. Francis de Sales, that in all things we may we seek the glory of God and salvation of souls
 
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For the Holy Church of God, that the Lord and his Saints may graciously watch over her and care for her.

Through the intercession of St. Francis de Sales, patron of Spiritual Directors, that each of us may receive the guidance we need to grow in holiness and Christian perfection.

And for all those under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales, authors, writers, journalists, and educators, may seek to rightly communicate the good things the world needs to hear.

Homily: Jan 23 2017 - Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children - "The first human right"

As we have been asked by our bishops, today we observe a day of prayer and penance for the legal protection of the unborn—legal protection which was stripped of those most innocent among us, 44 years ago.

The legalization of abortion is directly repugnant to the founding documents of our nation, which recognizes “life” as the very first inalienable human right. They very purpose of law is protect our human rights. Pope Francis clearly taught recently the same, saying, “The right to life is the first human right. Abortion is killing someone that cannot defend him or herself.”

Those who deny the unborn’s right to life often suggest that, after forty-four years, the decision of Roe v. Wade will never be overturned, as if to discourage faithful Christians from pro-life efforts. They argue that pro-life Christians just need to “get with it”. But the defense and promotion of human life is a perennial duty of the Christian Church. Many, many hearts have been converted through the faithful witness of the Church.

Saint John Paul wrote: “To defend and promote life, to show reverence and love for it, is a task which God entrusts to every man” We certainly applaud and pray for the efforts of the hundreds of thousands who travel to our nation’s capital to witness to the fact the Gospel of life is not irrelevant or outdated. We certainly consider what we can do to defend and promote life in our extended families and our community. Perhaps this year, you might consider praying at the abortion clinics, or supporting charities which come to the aid of women and families in emotional and financial trouble, like Womankind.

Pope Francis said, “All too often, as we know from experience, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others.”

Here Pope Francis condemns ways of thinking, attitudes, ideologies, motivations, that “block life.” When abortion is seen as a solution to a problem instead of a greater problem and a grave sin, we have a duty to share the truth, clearly and boldly.

May the Church be found ever faithful in her call to defend and promote life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
---Petitions---
That the leaders and members of the Church may fulfill with joy their calling to proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of Life, we pray to the Lord…
That the Church, the People of Life, may bear joyful witness that each human life comes from God, belongs to God, and is meant to return to God, we pray to the Lord.
That Court decisions which permit the destruction of innocent life may be resisted and ultimately reversed, we pray to the Lord…
In thanksgiving for the many children who have been saved from abortion through the efforts of the pro-life movement, we pray to the Lord…
That God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord...
That all medical professionals involved in the practices of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia, may experience conversion of mind and heart and cease these activities, we pray to the Lord…
For all women who have had abortions, that they may seek out and experience God’s tender mercy, we pray to the Lord.

Homily: 3rd Sunday in OT 2017 - Jesus, a light for those in darkness

On this 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, our Gospel reading takes us back to the fascinating beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. After being baptized in the river Jordan by his kinsman John the Baptist, Jesus had gone out into the desert to fast and to do battle with the powers of darkness. There Our Lord resisted the temptations of the devil Himself.

The very first detail St. Matthew narrates, after Jesus emerges from 40 days of spiritual desert warfare, is that Jesus hears of John the Baptist’s arrest. It’s about 10 chapters later that Matthew explains why John was arrested. But we know why: to silence Him! John had preached against the corruption and immorality of his local government rulers, King Herod and his wife Herodias, and he was arrested to silence Him. For preaching the word of God, John was arrested and imprisoned and ultimately martyred.

Well, upon hearing of John’s arrest, what does Jesus do? Where does he go? He goes to Galilee. Now, this is not some random destination. John was arrested by Herod, and Jesus goes directly to the territory ruled over by Herod. Jesus walks right into the darkness, right into the land where God’s Word had begun to be stifled. Jesus goes to the heart of darkness, if you will, to bring the light of God’s kingdom.

Matthew explains Jesus’ going to Galilee to begin his ministry was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah from our first reading: a people in darkness seeing a great light. Jesus chooses this place of darkness to begin building his Church—a turning point in history.

Matthew compares Jesus’ venture to Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, to a time in Israel’s past, when the tribes of Zebulun and Napthali occupied that same shore. Eight centuries earlier, the tribes were overrun by Israel’s enemies, the Assyrians. The invading Assyrians caused great disruption and devastation to God’s people, ultimately exiling 10 of the 12 tribes.
So Matthew evokes this painful memory of darkness and death to explain Israel’s condition under Herod and the Roman Empire, but then he continues the prophecy; he speaks the light shining in the darkness. The light would begin to shine first in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali; the place where the first tribes were carried off, would be the place which would first experience the dawning of the light of God. And so Matthew, alluding to this Old Testament prophecy was saying that Jesus’ coming to Capernaum was just that…the beginning of something new, a new era, a new age for the kingdom of God, when the a new light was beginning to shine after a period of darkness. Jesus calling of the new 12 is a reconstitution of Israel, the 12 tribes that had been dispersed and lost and overshadowed by death.

Jesus is the light for those overshadowed by darkness in every age. For the early Church ravaged by the hateful persecutions of Emperors like Nero, Diocletian, Decius, he was the light, granting courage and the promise of eternal life for those who suffered. And in our own day, Jesus is the light to a people overshadowed by the perverse values of the culture of death, by a growing shadow of anti-religious sentiment, and secularism.

When we are filled with the light of Christ, the darkness of our earthly temptations and sufferings are dispelled, and even in a dark age, we can know blessings of peace and joy and healing and fulfilment—“abundant joy and great rejoicing” as Isaiah says.

How can we better experience these blessings God wishes to give us through Christ? How can more completely be filled with the light of Christ? First and foremost, we have to open the dark places in our hearts to the light of Christ. As St. John Paul II said, we need to throw open the doors of our hearts to Christ.

And this is rarely easy or comfortable. Turning our eyes to the light after a long period of being accustomed to darkness usually stings a little bit. Who here likes to look deep down in one’s heart and admit that there is some selfishness that lives there, there’s impatience, and laziness, and lust. There’s arrogance in dealing with family members, there’s egotism.

Self-examination is like going to the dentist. We don’t like it when the dentist begins to drill deeply beneath the surface, but he does so, even risking striking a nerve from time to time, in order to root out the cavity, to root out the corruption.

So too in the spiritual life, digging deep, rooting out corruption, examining one’s motives, one’s attitudes. The saints recommend the daily examination of one’s conscience. Before retiring to bed, to replay our day, our conversations, our interactions, our decisions; to admit our failings, to thank God for our blessings, to consider what we should have done differently, and to ask God’s mercy for our sins.

This daily accountability to God is a powerful aid for spiritual growth. It exposes the dark places to the light so healing and transformation can occur. God heals from the inside-out.

On the other hand, as Christians we aren’t just a bunch of navel-gazers. We allow the light of Christ to shine through our deeds by becoming as St. James says, not just hearers of the word but doers of the word. Concrete acts of service and charity, getting involved with volunteer work, these activities have a transforming effect. There are tons of volunteer opportunities in Cleveland, the food banks, the homeless shelters.

The Knights of Columbus, the parish council, the choir, St. Vincent de Paul, social justice committee, Cleveland Right to Life, these groups can be great opportunities for spiritual growth, to be exposed to and to shine with the light of Christ.

This year, 2017, try something new. A new way of praying, a new way of serving.
Again, “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ,” St. John Paul said. Do not be afraid to allow the light of Christ to dispel the darkness in your families and in your hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 20 2017 - Sts. Sebastian & Fabian - Jesus the High Priest & His martyrs

One of the overarching themes of the letter to the Hebrews is the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In a Jewish context, “priest” meant something very specific: a descendant of Aaron who offered animal sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple in accord with the Mosaic law. So to call Jesus a priest is strange because Jesus fits none of those characteristics.

Yet, Hebrews shows how Jesus is indeed High Priest in a way that fulfills and infinitely surpasses the old priesthood of the Mosaic law. He is the priest who uniquely offers himself in sacrifice—he is both the offer-er and the offering, the priest and victim.

In today’s reading, Hebrews shows that this new priesthood was foretold in the Old Testament. And it does so by quoting the prophet Jeremiah, this quotation actually being the longest Old Testament quotation in the entire New Testament. This should tell us something about how important this concept is.

The reading began with explaining how Jesus the High Priest forms a new covenant. We speak of the “new and everlasting covenant” at every Mass. If a new covenant was needed, what was wrong with the first covenant? Hebrews clarifies that the problem was not in the covenant itself, but with the people who were unfaithful to it.

So the High Priest does for us, what we could not do for ourselves. We could not free ourselves from sin, we could not open the doors to heaven. Jesus the High Priest offers himself for us and for our salvation because we could not save ourselves.

Today, the Church honors two martyrs, Saint Sebastian the former soldier who called out the Emperor Diocletian for his persecution of the Church, and Pope Saint Fabian who suffered torture and death at the hands of Emperor Decius.

Two martyrs who offered themselves in union with Jesus the High Priest for the good of the Church. They suffered for the truth of the Gospel; they suffered that the Word of God would not be stifled, that the promise of salvation through Christ would be made known to the ends of the earth.

Today on this Inauguration Day, we certainly pray for the president-elect. Some of our citizens are overjoyed at his election, some are in deep despair. We recall today, that our salvation is not in an earthly prince, but in the High Priest. We recall that whoever takes the high office of earthly leader, does not change the job of each one of us, to witness faithfully to Christ, to offer our lives in service to Him. We render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s for the glory of God and salvation of souls.





Our petitions this morning are those composed for the inauguration of President George Washington by Archbishop John Carroll, First Roman Catholic bishop in our country whose brother Charles Carroll was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

We pray Thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through Whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy holy spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of the United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. We pray to the Lord.

Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they maybe enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

And we pray especially for all of our countrymen who have gone before us in faith, for all those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, for all the of the deceased members of our family and friends, and for N., for whom this Mass is offered.

Homily: Thursday - 2nd Week in OT 2017 - God's silence in the face of suffering

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching the new Martin Scorsese movie, called “Silence” based on the book of the same name, by Catholic Japanese author Shūsaku Endō . In the story, two Jesuit priests travel to 17th century Japan to discover the fate of another priest, who had been spreading the Gospel there in Japan, who had disappeared. Christian lay faithful and priests were being arrested and put to some of the most severe tortures in Church history. Knowing that the Japanese government was seeking to wipe out Christianity from the land, the two Jesuits courageously journey to Japan to find him.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but the priests are not in Japan long before they begin to witness these terrible persecutions first-hand. One of the priests prays to God, trying to understand why these good people must suffer so terribly; he calls out to God seeking answers, but he begins to despair when he doesn’t hear God answering him back, hence the title of the movie, “Silence”: God’s silence in the face of our ardent prayers and suffering.

The letter to the Hebrews, which we’ve been reading for over a week now, presents the image of Jesus as the High Priest. Today we read how the High Priest, “lives forever to make intercession for us”.  He who bore all of humanity’s suffering and sin, now sits at God’s right hand. So, we can trust that God does hear our prayers.

But, sometimes we doubt that he hears us because God doesn’t answer the way we think he should. We pray for someone to be cured of cancer, the cancer doesn’t go away, so we conclude God didn’t hear our prayer.

Sometimes it seems God is silent, but the fact is, he’s already spoken. He has heard and answered every prayer, through Jesus Christ. You might not understand what that means, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

In a very real sense, more than we often understand, God has already “cured” cancer and every disease, by making them opportunities to grow in sanctity through Jesus Christ. He has transformed every trial, every moment of suffering, into a conduit of grace.

The journey of faith involves growing in confidence that Jesus Christ is our strength, he is the answer to our prayers for deliverance, he is the way that leads to eternal peace and joy. No matter what we suffer, God is there inviting us to trust Him, to bear our sufferings in union with Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 17 2017 - St. Anthony, Abbot - "If you wish to be perfect..."

Most of what is known about the life of Anthony is from his biography written by St. Athanasius. St. Anthony was born in Egypt around 251, to wealthy parents who owned land near present-day Cairo. During this time, the Christian faith was rapidly spreading throughout the vast expanses of the Roman empire, though the empire remained officially pagan for another 80 years.

Around the year 270, his parents died and he inherited their sizable wealth. But shortly after, while attending Mass he heard Jesus' exhortation to the rich young man: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Anthony told his disciples in later years, that it was as though Christ has spoken those words to him directly.

The words of Christ, striking him to the heart, Anthony gave away some of the family estate to his neighbors, sold the remaining property, donated the funds to the poor, placed his sister with a group of Christian virgins for her education, and became a desert hermit.

He sought detachment from material goods and earthly pleasures and sought his riches in God alone. His holiness soon attracted the attention of others; a group of hermits grew around him, and he became their spiritual father, or an “abbot”, thus beginning monasticism as it is known today.

God continues to call men and women to the monastic life; in fact, there seems to be a resurgence in monasticism in some places. Perhaps, due to all the chaos and hatred in the world, the monastics seek a desert place to focus on what really matters, the only thing that really matters in the end.

The monastics remind the whole Church not to become too wrapped up in the affairs and trappings of the world, to seek out the desert places from time to time, to become quiet enough to hear the silent Word of God speaking to our hearts, and to strive after the Christian perfection to which we are called.

On this feast of St. Anthony, we are reminded of the invitation to embrace the Gospel with ever greater devotion and commitment.  Inspired by grace to follow Christ with a free and pure heart, Anthony gave away all his possessions to the poor, and overcoming the weakness of the flesh by the strength of the spirit, he lived in deep communion with God in the austere solitude of the desert for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

That all Christians may seek detachment from the things of the world to focus more deeply on the things of God.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and for the sanctification of those in the monastic orders.

For St. Anthony’s protection against all the wickedness and snares of the devil.

That the wealthy might use their earthly treasures to gain treasure in heaven by coming to the aid of the poor and helpless.

For the needs of the sick and suffering…

For the dead.

Homily: Monday - 2nd Week of OT 2017 - Struggling vines make better wines

There is an old Italian saying, “struggling vines make better wines.”  Grape vines that struggle, that have to work hard, generally result in a better quality grape which will produce a better quality wine. 

It’s sort of counter-intuitive. You’d think that the vine that could simply relax in a restful vineyard, in well-tilled soil would grow plump-juicy berries, but no. Vines will produce grapes of greater character, and richness, when they have to struggle through slate, and sand, and rock, and tree.

Similarly, in the Christian life. Luxury, decadence, and comfort often produce rather mediocre, and likely deficient Christians. The person who has to strive and suffer and work for an object, typically tends to value that object more than the person who does little or nothing to obtain a thing. Suffering for a thing produces a deeper desire and appreciate for a thing.

The Letter to the Hebrews today speaks of the suffering of Jesus the High Priest. He suffered to obtain eternal salvation for us. Consider how much God must love us, in order to suffer unfathomable suffering for us.

We also see the suffering in the lives of the martyrs and saints. They are willing to embrace suffering, torture, imprisonment, and death, in order to obtain the eternal life the High Priest won for us.

To grow in our own desire for the Lord, the saints by word and example teach us to fast and offering up our own suffering.

Fasting. Fasting is counter-intuitive as well, isn't it? If food was made by God, and God made our bodies to desire and hunger for food, why would we ever deprive ourselves of it? For one, Fasting toughens us up like those struggling vines. Intentional fasting deepens our hunger for God.To fast from physical food is an act of faith, that spiritual food and reliance on God is more valuable. “When we fast, our body prays”

Likewise, the sufferings of every day life, can become an occasion to unite ourselves with the Lord who suffered. From papercuts and mosquito bites to the ravages of cancer and the death of a loved one, being ignored, cut-off, criticized, or demeaned; these occasions of sufferings can become occasions for grace when we become mindful in our suffering of the one who can bring good out of the greatest suffering. We do offer up our suffering with little prayers like, “Use this pain, Lord, for the salvation of my brother, my country, my soul."

Today our nation recognizes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, as a civic hero, a man who suffered for the sake of justice and peace. On this day, let us consider how we are called to suffer and labor for righteousness for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For Pope Francis and all Church leaders: that their example and service may lead others to Christ and bind the Church in greater unity

For our next President and his administration: that the Lord may give them the strength for effective dialogue aimed at healing the deepest roots of the evils in our world. ….Let us pray to the Lord.

For the Church, that we may be a witness to Christ's love by practicing charity and promoting justice and peace throughout the world, that the values of our faith may guide us as we exercise our civic responsibilities.

For all civic leaders that they might find ways to bring an end to war and violence, and promote peace and development for all nations.

For the seminarians preparing for priestly service in our diocese: that they may persevere in their studies and preparation for ministry.

For all the needs of the sick and suffering…

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead…

Homily: 2nd Sunday in OT 2017 - "Renamed and Called"

The Christmas season has ended, and we’ve returned to the observance of Ordinary Time. Each of the seasons of the Church year certainly has their own spirituality and themes.

During Advent, we reflect on the coming of Christ: our lives are meant to take a quieter mood, a reflective mood, meditating, anticipating Christ’s coming, like Mary anticipating the birth of her son. During Christmas of course we celebrate his birth with hymns of praise, we consider how our lives are called to be filled with the light and beauty and splendor of his presence.

Lent, which we will begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1st, this year, is a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, concrete acts of penance; we unite ourselves to Jesus in the desert, Jesus in his Passion and suffering on the cross, we meditate on his great love for us in what he suffered.
Then during Easter, we of course celebrate the Resurrection; we focus on being free from all that keeps us from proclaiming and living Christ’s victory over sin and death.

But during Ordinary Time, we focus on the ordinary life of the Christian, which is really an extraordinary thing, when you think about it. For the Christian is certainly called to live an extraordinary life. The life of sin is what’s ordinary; following the whims of the culture, giving in to every passing fancy, every disordered desire. The life of the Christian, however, is out-of-the-ordinary: the Christian lives conscious of the presence of God in our lives, conscious of God’s moral law, the commandments, the virtues, the examples of the saints, the power of the sacraments. The Christian life is an extraordinary calling to the life of grace and holiness and charity
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Though we are in Ordinary Time, Mass began today with an extra-ordinary ritual. In the rite of Acceptance and Welcoming. Geoff, Michael, Amanda, Megan, and Jennifer, stood before you today, publicly declaring their desire to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Though they were baptized into different protestant denominations, they seek the extraordinary. They publicly declared, “what you Catholics believe, I want to believe”, “what you Catholics do, I want to do”, “the Sacraments that you Catholics receive, I want to receive”, how extraordinary!  We also had three others, Tawny, Karie, and Jodie, Catholics who declared their desire to complete their Sacraments of initiation. If you are a Catholic who hasn’t received the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the office, so that you can undergo preparation to receive this powerful sacrament which completes baptismal grace.

I’d like to turn our attention to the second reading today, simply to the opening line, the beginning of Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. There is something in Paul’s address that sums up, in a very simple way, what the ordinary life of the Christian is all about. Paul begins his letter in an ordinary way, a way that was typical to letters of the 1st century.

He introduces himself as Paul. We know that Paul he was born with a different name, with the name of Saul. And that the name of Paul is a new name, a new name he received when he began the new life of a Christian, a believer in Christ-crucified-and-risen. This change of name is consistent with the ancient biblical phenomenon of receiving a new name from God, when God calls you to something new.

For example, Abram, when called by God to become the Father of a New Nation, is given the new name, Abraham. Jacob’s name was changed, after wrestling with God, to identify him as a patriarch of the people of Israel, who would so often wrestle with remaining faithful to God and understanding the ways of God.

Jesus renamed Simon son of John as Peter, prince of the apostles, the rock upon whom Jesus would build his Church. And here in our second reading, Paul introduces himself by this new name, acknowledging that he has begun a new way of life, an extraordinary way of life, under the discipleship of Jesus Christ in union with his Holy Church.

At the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we Catholics choose new names, to identify ourselves as new creations through the grace of the Sacraments. In many religious orders, a new name is given, when the person enters the order, and of course the Popes continue this practice as well; Jorge Bergolio took the new name of Francis, when he became successor of St. Peter, Bishop of Rome, Pope of the Holy Catholic Church.

This renaming is to help us realize that once we have encountered the Lord, that changes us. Once we receive a calling from God, that changes the direction of our life. Becoming a Catholic requires change. Going to confession, requires the repentance of sin and also the desire and intention to change. The Ordinary Life of the Catholic involves openness to change. We dispose ourselves to the grace of the Sacraments so that we can grow in holiness, we can love our neighbor, we can love our enemy a little more. Hopefully, each of us has changed for the better since this time last year. If not, we need to do some serious soul-searching and make more frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession.

This new name, this new identify, is a discovery of our truest self. The great theologian Hans Urs Van Balthasar said, “you do not know who you are, until you find yourself in Christ.” Before that, you have some identify, but it’s not your truest identity. The attachment to worldly ways and worldly philosophies and worldly errors, that’s not who we are meant to be. We are meant to be people of light, people of goodness, people of truth, and to be Christian is to acknowledge that only as a disciple of Him can I discover what it means to be truly good and truly happy; only in Christ can I become my truest self.

So much of our unhappiness in life is caused by not knowing who we are meant to be, not knowing the point of our suffering. We do well from time to time to reorient ourselves with what it really means to be a Christian. Am I truly allowing my Christianity to permeate every dimension of my life?

Now listen to how Paul introduces himself, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”. He identifies himself in the passive voice, “called to be an apostle” by someone else. How does modern man explain himself? “I’m my own man, It’s my life, my decision, my projects, get out of my way.” Paul has tapped into a different way; he’s discovered that happiness and fulfillment aren’t obtained simply by being a self-determined person.

The Christian receives his identity, he receives his faith, he receives his moral compass, from a higher authority than ourselves. As Christians we don’t determine right and wrong for ourselves. We don’t determine the ways our rituals are celebrated, we don’t determine what is true and what is false. This disposition of receptivity is fundamental, for without it how can we receive the gift of life which we lost through sin?

Paul writes to the Church who he says is “called to be holy”. May we strive to be worthy of that calling, faithful to that calling. May the Holy Spirit help us identify those parts in our lives we have yet to conform to the grace and truth of God, and may that grace continue to renew, reshape, and reform us, to become the people God made us to be, for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday - 1st Week in OT 2017 - Strive to enter into God's rest

Both yesterday and today, the author of the letter to the Hebrews quotes the beloved 95^th Psalm.  The Psalm is prayed daily at the very beginning of the Liturgy of the Hours in what is called the invitatory prayer. It is a beautiful psalm to begin the day with, for it contains so many themes and lessons important to the spiritual life: the importance of coming before God to worship, of singing his praise and giving thanks for the beauty of creation and his governance over it, as we reflected upon yesterday, the importance of not hardening our hearts against God’s commandments, and today we hear about the promise of entering into God’s rest.

The author to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 95 as a warning to the early Jewish-Christians, and to the Church of all ages to not grow weary in our witness to Jesus. 

The first reading ended with this powerful play-on-words, “strive to enter into God’s rest”, in other words, “work hard to enter into rest.”

After 40 years wandering in the desert, the promise of rest was taken very seriously by the Israelites. In the Promised Land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, the Israelites would be able to "rest" from the labors of Egyptian slavery and desert wandering.

God’s rest is spoken of at the very beginning of the Scriptures. In Genesis we read of God Himself resting from his labors on the 7^th day of creation. God’s people are called to enter into that Sabbath rest every week. Sometimes this requires real work in making sure that Sunday, the Lord’s day is a special day dedicated to God.

The Church fathers also saw this Sabbath “rest” as a foreshadowing of eternal life with Jesus Christ. We do well to work hard to enter into that rest, by striving to observe all that Our Lord commands, particularly the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and making use of the gifts of the spirit for the spread of the Gospel and building up of the Church.

When Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God” he recognized the importance of making God the center of our life. That when we are simply living for ourselves we will always be unhappy, unfilled, lacking real peace. To live selfishly we will never experience the rest of God.

“Let us strive to enter into that rest” for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

That the Lord’s Day may be a day of rest and joy for the Church.
For Catholics who do not attend Sunday Mass, for those who have fallen away from the Church, for their return to the Sacraments, we pray to the Lord.
For a deeper commitment to the works of mercy and use of God’s spiritual gifts.
For all those who labor for the good of their family and country, that they may know God’s just rewards.

Homily: Thursday - 1st Week of OT 2017 - "Harden not your hearts"

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

There are many places within the Bible which describe a terrible spiritual disease which, if left untreated, can lead to the death of the soul. The disease is called “hardened heart”, or, in the ancient Greek translation, “sclerocardia.”

Of course, “hardening of the heart” is not an affliction of the physical heart muscle, but is something that happens at the level of the human soul.  What are the symptoms of the disease? Setting one’s will in opposition to God, being closed to the things of God, attachment to sin, failing to bear the fruits of the spirit—fruits like joy, gentleness, and peace.

We’re familiar with the famous example of Pharaoh, hardening his heart, obstinately refusing to listen to God’s word through Moses. Of course, the New Testament has its share of examples of this disease. The Pharisees, Chief Priests and Scribes harden their hearts toward Jesus.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 95, which was also our responsporial Psalm today, which speaks of the Israelites hardening their hearts in the desert.  The Israelites had succumbed to the effects of “sclerocardia” on their pilgrimage through the desert to the promised land—they became filled with complaint against God, they considered returning to Egypt, reasoning that at least in Egypt that had succulent food, wine, oil, and garlic. They preferred the things of the world to the freedom to which God was leading them.

The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95, because the Jewish-Christians of the early Church were in danger of hardening their hearts. As they experienced the persecutions, they were in danger of turning their hearts from God. This is a danger, too, for all of us who share in the cross of Christ. As we are called to turn away from the delights of the flesh, or when the trial of faith grows difficult, we can start to question: “Is it really worth it?”

Hebrews says, “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God.”

How do we guard against this spiritual heart disease? Learning from the stories of scripture and the lives of the saints, meditating on the cross and on the Passion of Christ, making sure that each day we take time to enter into God’s rest, to peacefully meditate on his presence with us, and our place within his plan.

Proverbs says, “With all vigilance guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life.” May we guard our hearts from hardness, from cynicism, from selfishness, from grumbling, from obstinance toward God’s commandments, from fear of doing God’s work, that we may experience his peace and his joy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.




That the hearts of all Christians may be always open to the Holy Will of God.

That the minds of our government leaders may be opened to the truth of the Gospels.

For those who have hardened their hearts to God and the teachings of Christ, for those who have become callused or bitter towards the Church, for their conversion, and the conversion of all hearts.

That the hearts of all young people may be fertile ground for the life of the Spirit.

Homily: 1st Week in OT 2017 - Tuesday - Fix your eyes on Jesus

Until the beginning of February, the first readings on normal weekdays will be taken from the Letter to the Hebrews.  The Church does not know who wrote the letter to the Hebrews; for many years, a certain verse of chapter 13 seemed to point to Saint Paul, but the jury is still out. Nevertheless, the letter has been esteemed by the Church since the beginning; quotations from it appearing in the Church fathers as early as Pope St. Clement I, one of Peter’s earliest successors at the end of the first century.

This Letter is addressed “to the Hebrews”; that is to the converts from Judaism to Christianity. So when we read this letter, familiarity with the religious world of our Jewish-Christian ancestors is an important key to unlocking many of this letter’s theological and spiritual insight.

Very early on the Jewish Christians were persecuted for their new belief in Jesus Christ. The letter itself states: they "endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point". With any persecution, there is the temptation to abandon the faith. So the author of Hebrews writes to encourage the persecuted to persevere in their faith and even to accept martyrdom. For Jesus had already won an irreversible, total, final victory over all the persecutors of the faith

We hear today, the author encouraging the persecuted to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. The world persecutes you and persecutes the Church, so fix your eyes on Jesus! See him, victorious over sin and death! As baptized we share in his victory! So amidst all the mockery, torture, imprisonment, and trial. Fix your eyes on Him!

When we keep our gaze fixed on the Lord, we begin to be filled with his strength, his patience, his generosity, his submission to the Father’s will.

During peaceful times, ordinary time, we do well to build up the habit of focusing on Christ, so that when the storms of life hit, instead of focusing so much on the storm, we focus on the one who gives us power to overcome the storm.

We do this by building up habits of reading, reflecting, and praying with the Scriptures, seeing the life of Jesus lived out in the lives of the saints, kneeling in prayerful adoration before the tabernacle or the monstrance, and serving Him in the poor through charitable service.

In the words of our patron Saint Clare: “Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For the grace to faithfully endure our earthly trials. We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to encourage those who are overwhelmed by the storms of life and to give hope to the hopeless. We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to love the poor and afflicted with the heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

Homily: Epiphany 2017 - The Light of Christ

In keeping with the ancient practice, following the proclamation of the Epiphany Gospel, I just chanted the announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts for this liturgical year. 

Before the age of mass produced calendars and smart phones, the chanting of the feasts was a practical necessity; now, we do it as a way of remaining rooted in our Catholic tradition; the light of faith, the light of our Catholic Tradition is something that we’ve inherited from ages past, and it’s up to us to keep the light of faith burning in this darkened age.

The light of reason, the light of faith, these are lights that do night shine automatically. It takes real effort: real prayer, real commitment to the truth of our faith, real faith formation and acts of charity and self-sacrifice that the light of Christ shines in our dark world. For, in many parts of the world, in Europe and here in the United States, places where the light of faith once burned quite brightly, that light is quickly darkening.

Pope Benedict, a few years into his papacy spoke of an eclipsing of light. “An eclipse of reason has taken place.  That man no longer uses his intellect in search of God, but is driven by his passions and desire for self-gratification…the sun is setting over an entire world.”

Addiction, pornography, Racial violence, greed, permissiveness of immorality, decadence: these evils darken our civilization as faith is abandoned, parents failing to pass on the light of faith to their children.

This darkening makes today’s feast so important. For the Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of the light of God in the world, the light which began to shine first in the history of Israel, which was finally fully manifest at the birth of Jesus Christ, a light which the Catholic Church is called to manifest throughout the world.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah acknowledged that though darkness covered the earth, light shined upon Israel. While all the world worshipped pagan gods and walked in pagan ways, Israel was chosen to be enlightened by God. They were given knowledge of the one true God, his ways and commandments.

Filled with this light, Israel was meant to be a beacon to the rest of the world: “a light to the Gentiles”, that all nations, all people would come to know the one true God. As we sang in our Psalm: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

The light given to Israel was not meant for Israel alone, but was given for the good of the whole world. And so, we then heard in our Gospel, how the prophecy of universal adoration of God began to be fulfilled as magi from the east came to adore the newborn Christ child.

And St. Paul taught in the second reading how Christians are inheritors of that revelation, and as “stewards of God’s grace” Christians are called to make known that revelation to every generation to every corner of the earth.

If God’s light has been revealed…why is there so much darkness in the world? Why is there so much unbelief and faithlessness and division? With so much darkness in the world, many people do conclude that God doesn’t exist, that the Christian faith ought to be relegated to the past. Many in the younger generation believe that Christianity has nothing to say to them.

This feast certainly contains several challenging questions to us: do we allow his light to illuminate our whole life? Do I share his light as I should? Do I walk in his light as I should? Am I the bright, constant witness to Christ? Am I a clear and gentle witness to what is most important in life?

I am becoming more and more convinced that in order to share the light of Christ, we must turn ever more to the light of truth contained in the Holy Scriptures.

When we read the scriptures, God illuminates the dark corners of our life: he satisfies our doubts, he comforts us in our afflictions, he helps us to understand ourselves, and see ourselves as he sees us.  As Pope Benedict said, “In the light of the revelation made by God’s Word, the enigma of the human condition is definitively clarified.”

When we read the scriptures, the darkness of sadness and strife is pushed back, and we come to recognize that Christ s the one our hearts long for, he is the one whose beauty we long to see, he is the one whose truth we are meant to walk by, and whose goodness we are meant to share.

No matter what dark temptation or dark affliction we are experiencing, when we seek out God’s light in the scriptures, we will be illuminated. As Vatican II said, the Scriptures enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and fires the hearts of men and women with the love of God” (Dei Verbum).

A wonderful New Year’s resolution would be to spend time daily with God’s word, to familiarize yourself with the Bible, and to learn how to pray with the Scriptures.

Also, blessed chalk is be available at the church exits as well as the short ritual for blessing your homes for the new year.  By this act, we ask Christ’s blessing upon the home and those who live there and those who will visit.  By visibly marking our homes, we identify them as places where the light of Christ shines.

In a sense our homes are meant to be like the Christmas star, as the wise men followed the star to find Christ, those seeking Christ should be able to find Him in our homes. There are people out there who do not know Christ or do not know him as they should, who are meant to discover Christ in your homes.  The home is also meant to be like the stable of Bethlehem isn’t it? A place where Christ is honored and adored constantly. 

God’s love is the light, and in the end, the only light which can always illuminate a world grown dim. So let the light of Christ shine in your homes and in your hearts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Jan 6 2017 - St. Andre Bessette - Faith and Spiritual Healing

Holy Cross Brother Andre Bessette was just canonized in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. Here is a wonderful Saint who shows us that we do not have to do big things in order to become holy, but that we are to make every moment of our life, every act, every deed of our day, an act of love for God. 

For forty years, Brother Andre was the doorkeeper, the porter, for Notre Dame College in Montreal run by the Community of the Holy cross.  He once joked, “When I joined this community my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for forty years.”  In that job he answered the phone and greeted the parents of the young people and all those who visited the college seeking material help.  Brother Andre made time for everyone and treated everyone as if they were the only person in the world, as if they were Jesus. 

At his canonization, Pope Benedict said, “Brother Andre showed boundless charity and did everything possible to soothe the despair of those who confided in him. With little instruction, he nevertheless understood what was essential to his faith. For him, to believe meant to submit freely and lovingly to Divine Will. Everything existed through the mystery of Jesus, he lived the beatitude of the pure of heart, that of personal rectitude. It is thanks to this simplicity, he showed many God.”

Brother Andre is remembered most for his great ministry of healing prayer. Many would experience emotional and physical healing through his intercession. 

Yet, whatever the trial, he urged people to pray with confidence and perseverance while remaining open to God’s will.

Openness to the will of God is the foundation for any healing, any change, any spiritual growth we should hope to experience. Yes, God hears our prayers for healing. As Brother Andre said, “There is so little distance between heaven and earth that God always hears us. Nothing but a thin veil separates us from God.” Yet, it is often a greater good that God gives us the grace and strength to bear our sufferings with trust and abandon to the Divine Will. 

“Do not try to have your trials taken away from you”, he said, “rather, ask for the grace to endure them well”.

Brother allowed himself to be fully present to the sadness of others while always retaining a joyful nature and good humor.  In the words of Pope Benedict,  “For him, everything spoke of God and His presence.”  Through his intercession may we receive the healing God wishes for us and follow his example of openness to the will of God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

That the Church may be attentive to all those in need.

That all those in need of healing may be filled with new hope and strength.

That those dedicated to the care of the sick may be instruments of God’s healing.

In thanksgiving for all healing received through the mercy of God.

That those who suffer may experience the peace of Christ.

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Homily: Jan 5 2017 - St. John Neumann - Strengthened by the Passion of Christ

As his episcopal motto, today’s saint, St. John Neumann, the 4th bishop of Philadelphia, took the beautiful words from the Anima Christi prayer”, “Passio Christi, conforta me”, “Passion of Christ, Strengthen Me.

By the time he was made bishop, in the 41st year of life, he was already a man of deep devotion, faith, trust, simplicity and humility; yet, he still looked to the cross to be his strength.

As we heard in our first reading, Jesus’ Passion is the model for the love we are to show toward our fellow man: “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

“Deprive me of everything, my God,” Nuemann wrote in his diary, “but of the desire to unite my will to your will in perfect resignation!” For Nuemann, the purpose of the Christian life was to unite, to resign, to abandon the will to doing the will of God and furthering the kingdom of God.  he urged all those to whom he ministered, whether immigrant farmers or wealthy aristocrats, to detach themselves from their worldly cares and devote themselves to God.

“Our great mistake,” he said, “is that we allow ourselves to be deceived by the spirit of [worldliness], the desire for fame, and the love of comfort…The principles of faith fade out of our hearts in proportion as we allow the principles of the world to come in.”

“Zeal, he wrote, “consists in the effort to detest, flee, to prevent or repel everything opposed to the will of God or the glory of his name.” He hoped and prayed that his people would be filled with zeal for the will of God. At the time, of his episcopacy, the Diocese of Philadelphia was the largest in the country, consisting of 170,000 Catholics scattered among 112 churches throughout the eastern half of Pennsylvania, the lower half of New Jersey, and all of Delaware. With only about 100 priests to serve this vast population, Neumann’s zeal, enabled him to travel miles on horseback through the wilderness to preach the gospel to poor farmers. He also established the first Catholic School system in the country.

His sufferings were many: the departure from his family and loved ones in Bohemia, the trying life of a pastor alone in the extreme cold and difficult conditions of the north eastern US, the anti-catholic sentiment he witnessed, the loneliness of a diocesan priest, the struggles of being a pastor as a bishop, the criticism he had to endure regarding his personality and way of life as a bishop. Yet, through all these he kept steadfast in his resolve to unite his sufferings to that of Christ.

May we look to the Passion of Christ to be our strength, and be filled with zeal in our willingness to endure our own passion for the sake of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 

For Bishop Daniel Thomas, our apostolic administrator, for all bishops, and for our future bishop, they may be men of great pastoral zeal, courage, and faith.

For our president-elect and all civic leaders, that they may work to lead and build our society in conformity with the will of God.

For the Pope’s intention “That all Christians may be faithful to the Lord’s teaching by striving with prayer and fraternal charity to restore ecclesial communion and by collaborating to meet the challenges facing humanity.”

For all of our young people attending Catholic schools and faith formation programs, that they may grow in union with Christ and knowledge of the things of God.

For all whose share in the cross overwhelms them, that they may know God’s grace and strength in their share of the passion.

Homily: Jan 3 2017 - Holy Name of Jesus - Name of Love and Power

Throughout the Gospels, he is known by many titles: Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David. He is called Christ, Master, Lord, Logos, Alpha and Omega. Today in the Gospel, he is called by John the Baptist, the “Lamb of God”.

Titles from the Old Testament are also rightly ascribed to him: he is the “seed of the woman” from Genesis, the “Passover lamb” from Exodus, the “priest, the altar, and the sacrifice” from Leviticus, the “captain of our salvation” from Joshua, “”Our judge & lawgiver” from judges.

Yet, today, the Church celebrates the feast of the “name above all other names”, the name delivered to Mary by the angel, the name, Jesus. The name Jesus is found over 1000 times in the New Testament, so many times, perhaps, so we know to call upon him often.

We speak his name with reverence, awe, and love. Liturgically, when his name is mentioned, we are instructed to bow our heads in reverence.

His name of course, was reverenced by the early church, yet this liturgical feast of the Holy Name only goes back to the 15^th century. St. Bernadine of Siena, Italian priest and Franciscan missionary, saw a growing irreverence toward Christianity, toward Christ. So he began to spread understanding and love for Jesus by teaching people to revere his Holy Name.

St. Bernadine took the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek, iota, eta, sigma, which look like the English alphabet letters I-H-S, and encouraged people to place those letters in their churches, homes, and public buildings.

In one sermon on the Holy Name, St. Bernadine said, “Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary”

I’ve said this before, but when I am waiting in line at a doctor’s office or grocery store, I like to slowly and simply recite the name of Jesus, to quiet the mind down enough where only the name of Jesus fills it. It’s a beautiful, simple, yet powerful way of praying, encouraged by the saints.

After healing a man crippled from birth, St. Peter says in the book of Acts, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”. May we find healing and salvation from the sins and attitudes and circumstances which cripple us through the name of Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.