Thursday - 21st Week of OT 2017 - Christian Vigilance

Jesus speaks with serious urgency in the Gospel about the need to remain vigilant. “Stay awake”, “keep alert”, “remain vigilant”, for the thief comes when you least expect Him. Preparedness, readiness, vigilance, these are virtues that become more and more prevalent towards the end of the liturgical year, when many of the Scripture readings speak of the second coming of Christ and the final judgment. And yet, Christian vigilance is an important virtue for the whole year, and the whole of life.

Scripture speaks often about vigilance. St. Peter tells us to be “sober and alert, for our adversary the devil, prowls like a lion, seeking souls to devour”. Proverbs tells us to watch over our hearts diligently, St. Paul writes to the Colossians to “keep alert in an attitude of thanksgiving” by devoting ourselves to prayer, and to the Corinthians he writes to “Be on alert, stand firm in the faith.”
Vigilance, preparedness, watchfulness, readiness are important: they keep us rooted in reality, they keep us humble, they keep us reliant on the grace of God.

We are to be vigilant against sin. As St. Peter says, the devil is always lurking, always prowling. He attacks us at our weakest points, and often comes as an angel of light, making sin look good, and goodness look too hard. Temptation can come in many forms, and we need to be always ready to resist, by strengthening our wills through penance and mortification. “Keep watch and pray”, the Lord says, “that you may not enter into temptation.”

We are to be vigilant in prayer. Prayer should be as second nature to Christians as breathing. Always ready to thank God, always ready to seek God’s help in times of need, always ready to praise God for his mighty works. We also need to be vigilant while we prayer. We know how easy it is to be distracted in prayer. So we ask the Holy Spirit to help us pray, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.

We need to be vigilant for the coming of the Lord and our final judgment, by confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Confession.

And we need to be vigilant for the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Lord wishes to use us for his Holy Will, and we need to remain ready to be used by Him, led and guided by Him. Many Christians are not ready, they are not prepared, they are not vigilant. The Lord wishes to use us to wake them up!

May the Holy Spirit, through the grace of the Eucharist we celebrate today, help us to remain vigilant against all sin, alert in prayer, and prepared to serve the Lord through works of mercy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Bishop Nelson Perez, in these final days of preparation for his installation as Bishop of Cleveland. We pray to the Lord.

That our elected representatives and all civil servants may respond faithfully to the greatest needs of our nation. We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.” We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 29 2017 - The Passion of St. John the Baptist - Marriage Matters

The veneration of John the Baptist has deep roots. Our Lord Himself extols John saying: “among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist.” So when we honor John the Baptist, we follow our Lord’s example.

Why did Our Lord honor John? The Lord extolled him for his courageous witness, his faithfulness to the mission God had given him: preaching repentance, helping souls prepare themselves to accept Christ as Lord. In his preaching mission, John was a precursor to the Lord himself, who preached repentance and faith.

The Baptist’s mission, like Our Lord’s also culminated in a violent death: for speaking the Truth of God, John was beheaded.  John was not ordered to deny Jesus, like so many of the later martyrs, rather, he was ordered to keep silent. Thomas Aquinas explained, “For this reason the Church celebrates the martyrdom of Blessed John the Baptist, who suffered death, not for refusing to deny the faith, but for reproving adultery”

The King had entered into an adulterous relationship, and John publicly condemned this. Even though such relationships are commonplace these days, they are still contrary to the laws of God, the law written into the human heart. Adultery is sinful whether in the 1st century or 21st century.

Like John and like Our Lord, the Church in our time witnesses to the Truth about Marriage. We are attacked for this witness. But we must stand true. For as marriage as an institution disintegrates, so does civilization. Marriage matters: marriages of kings and marriages of peasants, marriages of doctors and lawyers, marriages of construction workers and teachers.

Spouses are called to lifelong fidelity, not only for their own good, the good of their children, but also, the good of society.

Pope Francis recently spoke of the duty of the Church to promote and defend marriage in his recent exhortation: “The Church has always held it part of her mission to promote marriage and the family and to defend them against those who attack them”

How are we called to promote and defend marriage? To certainly pray for happy, healthy, holy marriages, to pray for troubled marriages. The Church is certainly present to spouses in troubled marriages, helping them and guiding them to resources like counseling and marriage retreats to help them work through troubled times. And we speak the truth to those in adulterous relationships and those Catholics who have entered into irregular unions, those married outside the Church. We gently encourage our family members and friends in these relationships to seek to make their lives right with God through the Church.

The Baptist, who suffered greatly, was faithful until the end. His example and his prayers help us to overcome our weaknesses and fears, including our culpable silence, to spread the Truth of the Gospel, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis, and all the clergy, and all Christians, that we may witness to the truth of the Gospel faithfully, courageously, and compassionately.

For married couples: that they might give witness to the beauty of their sacrament through their love for each other and in doing so, be an instrument for the conversion of others. And For married couples experiencing difficulties in their relationship: that they may persevere in love and faithfulness to each other.

For healing for all families and children affected by divorce, and for all the divorced who have left the Church, and for those who believe that they no longer have a place in the Church, that they may return and find the compassion and fellowship that awaits them.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 28 2017 - St. Augustine & the Quest for Truth

Pope Benedict XVI wrote about St. Augustine, “A civilization has seldom encountered such a great spirit who was able to assimilate Christianity’s values and exalt its intrinsic wealth, inventing ideas and forms that were to nourish future generations.”

And yet, when we reflect on the life and works of Augustine, it’s not the story of a sinless human being. In his great work, his autobiography, the Confessions, Augustine writes with stunning honesty about his sinful youth, his practical atheism, his lustful indulgences, his adoption of heresy.

Fulton Sheen said that there are two ways of knowing God, knowing him through innocence, and then knowing him as a reconciled sinner through His mercy. Augustine certainly came to know God through the latter path.

The Gospel for the Feast of Augustine speaks of the need to humble ourselves. Augustine’s conversion, like any conversion, certainly came through humility. He was among the intellectual elite. Like so many of today’s academicians he thought he knew better than the ancient faith. But Augustine, continued seeking the truth.

In his Confessions, Augustine details his intellectual conversion away from the Manichaeist heresy, especially due to the preaching of the holy bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose.  He had the humility to listen to wisdom of the saints. He had the humility to open the Scriptures to learn from the Word of God.

Augustine wrote: “What does the soul desire more ardently than truth?  The truth is known by love.” Augustine realized that true wisdom is not found in the philosophies of the age, and that without the love of God the intellect is darkened.  Without humility and love, the quest for Truth is in vain.
Augustine was a genius, but genius without humility, faith, hope, and love, is nothing. However, surrendering his genius to God, responding in humility to the grace of God enabled him to become as Pope Benedict called him, “the greatest Father of the Latin Church. The man of passion and faith, of the highest intelligence and tireless in his pastoral care, a great saint and Doctor of the Church.”

Augustine is a great patron Saint for our own day, for our youth, for the arrogant university intelligentsia, for those addicted to sin, for those who flee from the Church and from the Truth of the Gospels.

May we come to understand and experience that same conversion of mind and heart, so we too, like St. Augustine may say: “Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I love you!  You were within me, but I was outside, and It was there that I searched for you.  In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things you created.  You were with me, but I was not with you.  Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.  You called, you shouted, you broke through my defenses.  You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.  You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you.  I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.  You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the preaching of holy bishops and priests may attract those seeking for Truth to Truth of the Gospels.

That our young people may be kept safe from the evils and errors of our culture, and seek to conform themselves to Christ in all things.

For those who have fallen into error or serious sin, those whose pride keeps them from knowing God’s mercy, and for those who have fallen away from the Church or do not know Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 15, 2017 - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Biblical and theological proofs

The dogma of the Assumption of Mary is a point of contention between Catholics and Protestants. Non-Catholics often claim that there is no biblical evidence for Mary’s Assumption.

I’d bet that most Catholics are not very familiar with the biblical data. And that’s not necessarily terrible. We trust the Church, we love the Blessed Mother. Her Assumption seems logical. That’s enough for most us. As the saying goes: “For some, no proof is necessary. For others, no proof is ever enough.”

But just in case you are ever in the position to explain this dogma, here are some key points from the Scriptures.

First, the bible is very clear that the bodily assumption into heaven is possible, in fact, there is biblical precedent for it. Enoch and Elijah are both brought to heaven by God. Thessalonians foretells how Christians still living at the time of Christ’s return will be “caught up to the heavens”. And St. Paul in second Corinthians describes his mystical experience of being taken to heaven, whether in the body or out of the body he doesn’t know, but he doesn’t rule out the possibility of a bodily journey to heaven.

Now, the Bible doesn’t describe Mary being taken to heaven by God. But in the book of Revelation, which we read on this feast, the Mother of the Savior of the World is in heaven, bodily. And beautiful Psalm 45, speaks of the queen standing at the right hand of God, in the eternal palace of the king.
So no one can really claim that this feast is unbiblical.

Why is this dogma important? Why is this feast important? First, it is never unfitting to celebrate the work of God. God made Mary a worthy mother for his son, full of grace and virtue, a heart in full communion with His Holy Will. Who can argue with the fittingness of Mary being brought into heaven, to experience what we all hope to experience in eternity, bodily and spiritual life in the eternal presence? In celebrating this feast, we proclaim the good works of God to all generations.

Secondly, in light of attempts to recreate Christianity, severing it from its ancient roots, this beautiful feast is so important because it keeps us connected to the Apostolic faith. For this feast is the oldest feast of Our Lady. Sadly, so many modern Christians do not fittingly honor Our Lady. But the Church without Our Lady, is not the Church.

Thirdly, this feast underscores the reasonableness of our faith. The doctrines of our faith are supported by the scriptures, and attested to by the saints throughout the centuries.

Fourthly, this feast is so important because of its message of hope. Where she has gone we hope to follow. This feast is a pledge: loving God as Mary loves God leads to heaven. Mary's Assumption is God's promise to us: every Christian who follows Mary's path of humility and fidelity to God's will can look forward to following her into the glories and joys of heaven.

This promise of God, this beautiful truth, is so important for us to remember in the dark times of life, when war, violence, and persecution surround us. Our mother is the lighthouse on the stormy sea, the star who guides us home.

We are reminded to keep our hearts and minds directed toward Mary. She will never lead us astray. Through this great feast, through our daily devotions, our rosaries, may we know her constant help and protection in the Christian life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 14 2017 - St Maximilian Kolbe - Zeal for souls and love of neighbor

Today’s Saint died a heroic death in a Nazi concentration camp in 1941.

Born in Poland in 1894, Maximilian Kolbe entered the Conventual Franciscans at the age of 16.  He developed a strong devotion to Mary, a devotion that would offer him great solace in his final days.
Ordained at 24, Fr. Kolbe saw religious indifference as the deadliest poison of the day. Indifference is the belief that all roads, religious or not, lead to happiness, human flourishing, and eternal life. One needs to only point to the violence, war, man-made human suffering in the world, to show this philosophy to be in error, and yet, indifference continues to flourish in our own time.

To combat the growing religious indifference in early 20th century Poland, Fr. Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the witness of the Catholic life, prayer, work, penance, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Kolbe started a religious magazine under Mary’s patronage, Knight of the Immaculata magazine, to help spread the message of the Faith.

As hostilities grew toward Catholics and particularly the clergy during World War II, Fr. Kolbe prayed to Mary for guidance. “What will happen to me,” he prayed.  And she appeared to him, holding in her hands two crowns, one white, one red.  She asked if he would like to have them—white for purity, the other for martyrdom.  He said to her, “I choose both.”  She smiled and disappeared.  And his life would never be the same.

During the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, his small town was bombed and he and his fellow friars were arrested.  Arrest came again in 1941.  Without trial or sentence, Fr. Kolbe was transported to Auschwitz where he managed to hear confessions and celebrate Mass using smuggled bread and wine.  His “zeal for souls and love of neighbor” impelled him to minister to his fellow prisoners at risk to his own life.

One day, several prisoners managed to escape.  In retaliation, 10 men from his block were selected to die.  When a married Jewish man with a family was among them, Fr. Maximilian asked to take his place.  The stunned Nazi officer agreed to the exchange.  Fr. Kolbe and the other nine men were stripped, locked in a cell, and left to die without food or water.  After two weeks, some, including Maximilian were still alive.  They were injected with carbolic acid, and their remains were thrown into an oven. Such is the result of religious indifference.  The Jewish man Fr. Kolbe saved attended his canonization in 1982.

Father Kolbe’s death was not a sudden, last-minute act of heroism. His whole life had been a preparation. His holiness, his passionate desire to convert the whole world to God, was limitless.
We pray that through Fr. Kolbe’s intercession, and with the aid and protection of the Immaculate, whom he loved so dearly, that we too may give witness to importance and saving power of the Catholic faith in all we do, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That religious indifference in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

For deeper devotion to Immaculate Mary, for the conversion of Atheists, hardened sinners, lapsed Catholics, and the conversion of all hearts.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

19th Sunday in OT 2017 - God's Whispered Call

Last Sunday, I was away from the parish because I was attending a very special celebration. A young lady from my first parish assignment, along with another young woman, made her profession of vows as a Franciscan Sister down in the diocese of Steubenville. Her religious order’s full name is the Franciscan Sisters, Third Order Regular of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother. Now, with a name like that, you’d think, that’s a spirituality from another age, that’s a way of life that is mostly unappealing in the modern day, here in the western world, or it’s a way of life that no one in their right mind would freely embrace. And yet, dozens of happy, healthy, and holy young women over the last few years have joined this religious order.

And I have to tell you, it was a truly joyful event, when these two young women took their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience: Sister Chiara Joan, named after our own Saint Clare and Saint Joan of Arc, two very heroic women, and Sister Mary Michelina, named after Our Blessed Mother and the Warrior Prince Archangel Michael of God’s Celestial Army.

There is a beautiful moment in the profession ceremony where the newly professed sister is given the Franciscan habit, the plain grey, somewhat uncomfortable looking garb. They then go off to dress into their new habit. And coming back into the chapel, walking down the aisle, these two religious, embracing a life of simplicity, poverty, and penance beamed with more joy than I’ve seen most brides exhibit on their wedding day, and I’ve seen a lot of brides.

There is also a point where the sisters are presented with a crucifix which they will wear over their habit. The Reverend Mother Superior holds the crucifix before the sister and says: “Behold him to whom you are espoused”. And as they each gazed upon that crucifix there was such a sweet love for the Lord, that you could tell, had been cultivated over years through prayer, penance, and charitable service to Christ’s poor. And it’s rather enviable, in a good way, a good reminder of what could be, if I took the prayer life a little bit more seriously. A reminder that the greatest joy in life comes from belonging entirely to Christ.

Friday, August 11, was the Feast Day of our Parish Patron Saint, St. Clare, who herself entered the convent in order to fall in love with Christ.

Clare was from an aristocratic family, and at 15, a common age to marry in those days, she refused a number of suitors, particularly one, very wealthy fellow.  Instead, she was drawn to the dynamic preaching of local holy man, named Francesco of Assisi. He dressed in rags, probably didn’t smell too good, but preached the Gospel of Christ, with a conviction Clare had never witnessed. Francis and Clare became lifelong friends, and like a true friend, Francis encouraged Clare to seek that which makes us truly happy: radical love of Jesus Christ.

Clare discerned to dedicate her life to God by entering the convent. On Palm Sunday in the year 1212, she traded her rich clothing for the rough brown woolen habit of the Franciscans; she exchanged her jeweled belt for a common rope with three knots to symbolize her poverty, chastity, and obedience, and caught off her long golden tresses.  Thus she became espoused to Christ.  Her sister Agnes, 14 years old, soon joined her, as did several other women, in the following weeks.
The idea of entering a monastery in order to pursue a life of prayer and joyful communion with the Lord, like St. Clare, is not even on the radar of many of our young people.  Our modern culture tells our young girls, particularly, that they cannot be happy unless they, like a Disney princess, marry prince charming and live in a castle filled with all the luxuries money can buy, or acquire the sort of job where she can buy her own castle and live life according to her own whims and fancies.
But, St. Clare, and the rest of the saints, teach us a different way.

St. Clare lived a very quiet life, and yet, she was full of joy. She learned to listen, to attune her heart to the voice of God. She like Elijah learned that God is not necessarily in the big booming spectacles of the world, but in the quiet whisper of the silent chapel.

Many of us are like the apostles in the Gospel today. We hear the Lord calling, but are too afraid to get out of the boat. Or perhaps we even have moments, where like St. Peter, we begin to walk on water towards the Lord, we trust him, but also like Peter, we let the fears and anxieties and opinions of our culture replace that trust, and we begin to sink. How often have you made a commitment to pray daily, or read the scripture daily, with such fervor, you know it’s the right thing to do…and then the distractions take us away from that holy conviction, we begin to sink.

Thanks be to God we have a loving Savior who raises us up when we begin to sink. Particularly in the Sacrament of Confession, the Lord forgives us those times when we reject Him. But the Lord also wants to teach us to walk on water, to do things with his help that we couldn’t do on our own, things we would be too afraid to do, like St. Clare: to turn away from your family’s wealth and protection, when all the other girls are getting married. To choose a different way is terrifying. But we don’t know the names of those other girls. But we know the name of Clare, of Joan, of Magdalene, of Theresa of Calcutta, because they trusted the Lord and did amazing things for Him, they walked on water, in their own way, and became the people God made them to be, Saints.

The Lord calls out to each of us: Get out of the boat, get out of the familiar routine of spiritual mediocrity. He calls us to walk on water through a faith life of radical trust, prayer and charity.
Mothers, fathers, single people, teens, widows and children can become saints, when we quiet down our lives to listen to the whisper of God, who calls ordinary people to extraordinary sanctity. What is he calling you to, what is he calling you to give, what is he calling you to give up, so that you can walk on water? If you think the answer is “nothing”, you are listening to wrong voice.

May we learn to trust the Lord enough to follow his whispered call, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 11 2017 - St Clare of Assisi - Our Parish Patron Saint

Today is the Feast Day of the Patron Saint of our Parish, St. Clare of Assisi. Happy Feast Day to all of our parishioners present.

What does it mean that St. Clare is the Patron Saint of our parish?

The practice of adopting patron saints goes back to the building of the first public churches in the Roman Empire, most of which were built over the graves of martyrs. The churches were then given the name of the martyr, and the martyr was expected to act as an intercessor for the Christians who worshiped there.

Soon, Christians began to dedicate churches to other holy men and women—saints—who were not martyrs. Today, we still place some relic of a saint inside the altar of each church.

That St. Clare is the patron Saint of our parish, means that we venerate her in a special way, we look to holy example and her intercession in a special way. Her statue stands in the Church here: garbed in her Franciscan habit, clutching the monstrance to her heart.

Though most of us are not consecrated religious, we too should seek like St. Clare to be garbed with holiness and penance according to our state of life. She reminds that happiness and joy are not found in earthly riches or accolades, but in seeking Christ with our whole hearts. Our patroness said, “We become what we love, who we love shapes what we become”. We are transformed, sanctified, we become the people God made us to be when we love Jesus Christ above all.

“Do you know the story of St. Clare?” We should ask our parish visitors, our visiting families. Bring the young ones to statue, tell them her story, let her teach them about what matters most in life.
You can ask them, did you know that St. Clare is the patron saint of television? Then tell them the story of how the Holy Spirit allowed St. Clare, confined to her sick bed to mystically watch the Mass being celebrated, 600 years before the invention of television! She reminds us to use televisions, computer screens, iphone screens in moral ways.

There is a beautiful blessing St. Clare gave to her religious sisters, which we do well to offer on behalf of our parishioners: “May Almighty God Bless you May He look upon you with the eyes of His Mercy and give you His peace. Here below may He pour forth His graces on you abundantly and in heaven may He place you among His saints.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For all the people of St. Clare Parish, that our patroness may be an example of holiness and powerful intercessor for us all.

For the Poor Clare’s and all those religious under St. Clare’s patronage, for their sanctification, and that they may be a witness to the whole Church to seek the holiness for which we were made.
Under the patronage of St. Clare of Assisi, for a proper use of televised media, for an end to the scourge of pornography, and all forms of exploitation.

That St. Clare may teach us seek the presence and protection of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, for increase in devotion to perpetual adoration here and everywhere.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. We pray.

For the deceased priests, religious, catechists, staff, and volunteers of St. Clare parish, for our deceased family members, friends, and parish, for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for all who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 10 2017 - St. Lawrence of Rome - A Cheerful Giver

St. Lawrence is remembered both for his courageous martyrdom and his care for the poor.
As a deacon in Rome, Lawrence was in charge of the Roman Church’s treasury, and had the responsibility of distributing alms to the poor.  When Pope Sixtus was arrested and killed, Lawrence knew that he would be next—he sold all of his personal possessions and gave them away to the poor widows, orphans, and beggars of Rome.

When the prefect of Rome heard this, he imagined that Church must have a considerable treasure hidden somewhere in the city.  He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasure to him.  So, Deacon Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was to be slowly roasted alive upon an iron grill.  Lawrence however was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flame. He even joked.  I'm done on this side! Turn me over” Among many other things, Lawrence is a patron saint of Comedians.

Both St. Paul and our Lord draw from the realm of agriculture to speak of how Christians are called to pour themselves out in service, generosity. Our Lord speaks of the grain of wheat, falling to the ground and dying before it can bear much fruit. Each Christian is to be that grain of wheat in imitation of Our Lord who died to bear the fruit of eternal life. Our witness, our service, our charity requires us to die to our selfishness and self-centeredness.

Paul, too, states: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Paul was exhorting the Corinthian Church to be generous in their contributions to poor members of the Church, reminding them, that their generosity will be blessed in eternity. But this proverb is applicable, not simply in our contributions to the poor, but in the gift we are to make of ourselves, giving back to God the life, the talents, the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

St. Lawrence, being roasted alive, joking to his torturers was a model of the cheerful giver that Paul commends all of us to be. Even as we are giving of ourselves, dying to ourselves, we do so cheerfully, because we do it for the Lord who is the object of our Love.

Let us cheerfully give of ourselves, let us cheerfully die to ourselves, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in their awareness of and charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in their midst.

That Christians persecuted for the faith may be courageous in their witness to the saving Truth of Christ. And that the witness of the martyrs may never be in vain.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 9, 2017 - St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross - Pilgrimage of Truth

For 40 years, the Israelites were led by God through the desert. God had fed them with manna from heaven, led them with the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. And finally, after 40 years, they get to the edge of the promised land. They go to reconnoiter the land, and they discover…it’s occupied by these giant Canaanites. They are so distraught—they wail with despair; after 40 years, they still didn’t trust God. He had led them and fed them, performed mighty deeds in their midst, brought them safely to the land of promise, and they still didn’t trust Him.

How couldn’t they? Some of us do not make use of the time we’ve been given to be purified of our pride, distrust, selfishness. The story of the Jews is the story of all of us, failing to trust to God even when the beauty of his glory is all around us, the grace of the Sacraments is powerfully transforming sinners into saints, we are being led and fed, and still don’t get it.

For some of us, the journey to discover the Truth of Jesus Christ and to radically conform our lives to Him is a life long journey; some of us make that act of faith early on, some of us make it less than wholeheartedly, some of us never really make the act of faith.

Today’s saint, Edith Stein, who became Carmelite St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross made the journey. An uncompromising search for the truth led her from the depths of atheism to the heights of sainthood.

She was born to a Jewish family in 1891. Her father died when she was very young, and by the time she was an adolescent, she had given up on faith entirely. She looked to philosophy for truth. As a young woman with profound intellectual gifts, she became a pupil of the renowned professor Edmund Husserl in 1913. Through her studies, the non-religious Edith met several Christians whose intellectual and spiritual lives she admired.

In 1921, while visiting friends, Edith spent an entire night reading the autobiography of the 16th century Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Avila. “When I had finished the book,” she later recalled, “I said to myself: This is the truth.” She was baptized into the Catholic Church on the first day of January, 1922.

10 years later she imitated Theresa of Avila by entering the Carmelite convent and took the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.  It was 1933, Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany.
Though the Jews were the principle victims of the Nazi’s in World War II, millions of Catholics, including bishops, priests, and nuns were murdered in the concentration camps.  In 1942, the Nazi’s arrested Sister Teresa.  She and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, were transported to Auschwitz in Poland by boxcar.  One week later, Sister Teresa died in a gas chamber.

At her canonization, Saint John Paul said, “For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All. Looking back as a Carmelite on this period of her life, she wrote to a Benedictine nun: “Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously”.

Every human being a responsibility to seek the Truth, to make use of the time we are given, to seek the Truth and to conform our lives to it. May St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross help us to seek and find the Truth of Jesus Christ, and conform our lives to Him, to allow him to lead us and feed us on our pilgrimage to the promised land, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For all those who wander in atheism, agnosticism, those who are cynical towards Catholicism, for moral relativists, and those who reject the Faith, and all lapsed Catholics, that the Holy Spirit will help them discover the Truth of Christ.

That the Holy Father, the Bishops, especially our future Bishop, Nelson Perez, and all Clergy and Religious will be shining examples of fidelity to the Truth.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. We pray.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 8, 2017 - St. Dominic - Prayer and Contemplative Study

Listen again to the entrance antiphon for today, the memorial of St. Dominic: “In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory”.  These words, taken from the book of Sirach, wonderfully describe today’s great Saint.

Dominic certainly “opened his mouth” and spoke words of wisdom. He is the founder of the Order of Preachers. The Collect even called Dominic “an outstanding preacher” of the Lord’s Truth. It is said the primary work of the Dominican Order is “to preach the gospel for the salvation of souls.”

This is certainly the task of all Christians: to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls. What can we learn from St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers to help us in our task?

Dominican preaching is fueled and nurtured particularly by prayer and contemplative study.

By prayer, the Dominican immerses himself in the life of God through personal meditation, celebration of Mass, recitation of the liturgy of the hours, and of course, the rosary. An early Dominican document even details St. Dominic’s private prayer. When Dominic prayed, he would incline profoundly, prostrate his body upon the ground, genuflect, beat his breast, raise his arms to heaven. He would pray standing, sitting, kneeling, prostrating, walking, Dominic employed all these as postures when praying. For Dominic, prayer was not just a mental activity or exercise, but an intimate, personal conversation with God in which he would engage his whole person—body, spirit, mind, and soul. For the preaching of the Gospel, God wants to use all of us, our whole life, our whole self, our creativity, our past memories, our present struggles. And so we should seek the sort of prayer life, that truly nurtures us in the Christian life.

The Dominican life is also supported by study. When we think of study, images of boring classrooms or abstract discussions may naturally come to mind. But in the context of Dominican life, study leads to prayer, which inspires the preaching of the gospel. Dominic exhorted his brothers to be fervent in cultivating both the attitude of discovery and the discipline of inquiry. The Dominican father, St. Thomas Aquinas puts it well when he writes that the Dominican life is characterized as contemplation of divine things and the divine One and then sharing these fruits of contemplation with others.

As Christians, we should never stop learning and studying our faith, never stop seeking and studying the face of Christ in the Sacred Scriptures. There is always something to discover about our faith, for there is always something to discover about Our Lord. And there should be an element of discipline, that we simply don’t jump from one novelty to the next, but truly enter into the mysteries we contemplate.

Through prayer, and study, may we, like St. Dominic, we filled with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and come to be, like him, robed in glory, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For a deeper devotion among all Christians to prayer and contemplative study of the Sacred Mysteries.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for Order of Preachers, and that we may all be dedicated to preaching the gospel for the salvation of souls.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.” We pray to the Lord.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. We pray.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests, religious, especially for all deceased Dominicans who have served our local Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

Monday - 18th Week of OT 2017 - Alternatives to complaining

In the book of Exodus we read of the great works that God accomplished to free the Jews from slavery in Egypt and deliver them to the promised land, the land “flowing with milk and honey”
The trek from Egypt to Israel, which should have lasted maybe several months, took the Jews 40 years of desert wandering. Why were the Jews condemned to the desert? The desert was to be a place of purification. It was quickly evident that the Jews were not quite ready for paradise: disobedience and unbelief filled their hearts. And in order to be the people God had chosen them to be, purification was in order.

We heard today the complaint of the Israelites. They claimed they had it better in Egypt. They preferred well-fed slavery to the struggle of freedom.

This is the story of every baptized Christian who falls back into sin. In baptism, we are freed from the slavery to the devil, the flesh, and the world. But sometimes we hear and feel those old temptations calling—temptations to fall back to the comfortable, to just give in to the urgings of the flesh, the easy road, to forsake struggle for slavery.

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians: “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery...You were called for freedom…Do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love."

A lesson we can learn from the Jews’ desert wanderings, is that perhaps complaining is a quick road to disobedience. We start to the focus on the negative, the pleasures of the old sinful ways, and soon we are living back under slavery.

To combat that incessant urge to complain when things aren’t going our way, or to forsake the way of Christ in the midst of trial: we should certainly think before we speak, think before we act; we should seek to see our trial from God’s point of view, perhaps contemplate the lessons God wishes to teach us by allowing us to undergo our trials, and to remember that there is no spiritual growth without suffering; no pain, no spiritual gain.

The martyrs, like Pope St. Sixtus and his companions, whom we honor today, remind us that the way of Christ, making our way on this earthly pilgrimage to the heavenly promised land, requires perseverance, fortitude in resisting temptation, and surrender to the providence of God.

May we live in the freedom of Christ, the freedom of the saints and martyrs, that we may safely reach our heavenly homeland and become the chosen people God made us to be, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians experiencing trials of any kind, may know the grace of perseverance and faithfulness.

For Bishop Nelson Perez, the next shepherd of our diocese; that the Holy Spirit will empower his diocesan leadership with grace, wisdom, and faith.

That our young people on summer vacation may remain close to Jesus through prayer, attendance at Holy Mass with their families, repentance through Sacramental Confession, and faithfulness to all the teachings of Christ. We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 6, 2017 - Feast of the Transfiguration - Mystery of Light Par Excellence

Every year during Lent, the Church reads the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. And every few years, the actual liturgical Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, falls on a Sunday. So we get to proclaim and reflect upon this wonderful reading, this event in the Life of Christ, twice. And, if you are devotee of the rosary, which every Catholic really should be, we reflect on this great event even more often, as the 4th Luminous Mystery.

In the Year of the Rosary 2002, Pope St. John Paul II made history.  He proposed five new mysteries to the devotion of the Holy Rosary, the five luminous mysteries.  For nearly 800 years, the rosary had been comprised of the 15 joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries. With the Luminous mysteries, we would now meditate upon Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, his presence at the wedding at Cana, his preaching of the Kingdom and calling sinners to repentance, his Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and the institution of the Sacrament of Eucharist at the Last Supper.

Pope St. John Paul explained that each of these luminous mysteries “is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus.” In each of those events, the baptism of Jesus, the wedding at Cana, his preaching and miracle working throughout the Holy Land, his transfiguration, and the Eucharist, the veil that separates earth and heaven is drawn back, we in this earthly life catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, the reality of God. In these events we see God at work, ushering in something new in human history: the revelation that God is Three-in-One, the revelation that he has come to destroy the works of the devil, the inauguration of a ministry of mercy.

And Pope St. John Paul called the Transfiguration “the mystery of light par excellence.” Listen to his words: “The mystery of light par excellence is the Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to "listen to him" and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit.”

So what does the Transfiguration reveal about God? It reveals that the light of Christ will guide us through trials of life, IF, we listen to Him. And IF, we are faithful during the sufferings and trials of life, IF we listen to Him, our earthly journey will lead to everlasting life with God, where we will gaze upon the face of Christ in the eternal kingdom.

In the document in which St. John Paul instituted the Luminous mysteries, he used the phrase “the face of Christ” nine times. Praying the rosary is so powerful because it helps us contemplate the face of Christ: the face of Christ which radiated the light of God on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus’ face—radiating his majesty as the Son of God—was burned into the minds of Peter, James, and John, who would play such important roles in the early Church. His luminous and glorious face would support them as they were arrested, tortured, and faced their own crosses.

The Pope said, “To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of His human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively revealed in the Risen Lord...is the task of every follower of Christ" What is our task? To look upon the face of Christ and recognize it in the events of our own life.

Do you believe that God wants to show you the face of Christ in your daily life? In your marriage? In your financial struggles? In the joys of parenthood? In times of doubt and sadness?

IF we are to recognize his face in the daily events of life, we must grow more familiar with his face through prayer. The Pope wrote this document on the Rosary, because the rosary helps us to do just that. At the heart of the rosary, is not simply the repetition of all those rote prayers, but quieting down the mind and heart so that we can gaze upon the face of Christ. We meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, so that we can discover Jesus with us through our earthly journey.

When we contemplate the face of Christ we are filled with his light, and become ready to face the trials of our life and the difficult task of witnessing to the Gospel and building up the Church in our own dark age.  We receive a guiding light for this earthly pilgrimage through our own dark valleys. Many people complain that God remains hidden to them, but they never engage in the sort of prayer life that exposes them to His light. But again, in order to receive this light, you must climb Mt. Tabor yourself. No one can make that journey for you. I can tell about the face of Jesus. I can celebrate a reverent liturgy. But each of us must make that effort ourselves, to seek out the face of Christ through daily prayer, reflection upon the sacred scriptures, and the Holy Rosary.

Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times.” Concerned about the darkness in the world, in your life, in the lives of your family and friends? Pray the rosary. Expose the darkness to the light.

St. John Paul quoted in his document on the rosary, Blessed Bartolomeo Longo, a great and saintly devotee of the rosary. He wrote, “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”

Pray the rosary. Seek the face of Christ. Conform yourself to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 4, 2017 - St. John Vianney and the Eucharist

To say that St. John Vianney had a deep love for the Eucharist is an understatement.  John Vianney would often be found lying prostrate on the floor or kneeling with outstretched hands in front of the blessed Sacrament. “"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master”, the saint would say.

 The Cure’ knew that love for the Blessed Sacrament was a powerful means of renewing the heart of a parish.  He would wake up early and go to the blessed Sacrament to beg conversion for his parishioners.  He would encourage his parishioners to attend daily Mass.  He said, “when you think of going to Mass on working days, it is an impulse of the grace that God wills to grant you.  Follow it.”

We are blessed, here at St. Clare with an adoration chapel, that many of our parishioners have never even considered visiting. Encourage them, bring them. If you know of some stay-at-home parents who could come to daily mass, invite them to mass and a cup of coffee afterwards!

Time spent with the blessed Sacrament deepens our love for God. John Vianney even gave this advice: "When you awake in the night, transport yourself quickly in spirit before the Tabernacle, saying: 'Behold, my God, I come to adore You, to praise, thank, and love you, and to keep you company with all the Angels,' "

For John Vianney, the Eucharist was an encounter with the burning love of God.  He wrote, “Every consecrated host is made to burn itself up with love in a human heart.”  Consider that. Jesus’ heart burns with love for us, and he wants that burning love to become part of our own heart. When we kneel in front of the monstrance, we open our hearts to receive that grace, and when we receive the Eucharist, if we are open to it, we receive that transforming grace, we are changed to become more like Christ.

May this great saint, Patron of Priests, lover of the Eucharist, help deepen and receive our love of God, transforming our lukewarmness into great fervor and zeal for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, may increase the faith, hope, charity and pastoral zeal of the priests of the Church, particularly those priests experiencing vocational crisis.

For a deeper love for and devotion to the Eucharist, for those who do not believe in the Real Presence, for the spread of the Eucharistic Reign of Christ in society.

That our young people on summer vacation may remain close to Jesus through prayer, attendance at Holy Mass with their families, repentance through Sacramental Confession, and faithfulness to all the teachings of Christ. We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

Thursday - 17th Week of OT 2017 - Dwelling places of God

Consider the diligence with which Moses prepared the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of the Lord: the placement of the pedestals, the boards, the bars, the columns, the covering—all according to the plans Moses had received from God—he followed God’s instructions precisely, and prepared a beautiful and fitting place for God to dwell among His people.

And yet, we know the rest of the story: in the fullness of time God took flesh, was born the babe of Bethlehem, to dwell among us. But even then, that is not the end of the story. In the new covenant, the Dwelling of God is not only among us, it is us. We who are baptized and in a state of Grace become the Dwelling of God in the world. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, says St. Paul. The Holy Trinity lives in us. ‘If a man loves me’, says the Lord, ‘he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.'

This is a foretaste of the union we will have with God in heaven; in a sense, it is the beginning of heaven.

If each of us are to be worthy dwelling places of God, we must each take great effort, like Moses, great care, great diligence, in caring for God’s Temple. We are to keep it pure, free from the stain of sin, the smallest speck of selfishness; we are to adorn it with the jewels of the virtues, we are to ensure it is set on the solid foundations of the Word of God, the Apostolic faith, learning, studying, reviewing, investigating the depths of our amazing faith. We are to visit the presence of God within the Temple of our body and soul through real, intimate prayer. We are to be Holy Places where others can come to encounter God, through lives of praise and evangelization.

Our diligence in the spiritual life, our attitudes and choices—are to reflect that we are Temples of God.

Pope Saint Leo the Great, instructing the newly baptized would say, "Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."
Recognize your dignity and never forget who you are and what you have become, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.” We pray to the Lord.

For Christians who have forgotten or do not recognize their dignity and their call to holiness. For those who have fallen into mortal sin, for their return to grace, and the conversion of all hearts.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 1, 2017 - St. Alphonsus Ligouri - Nurturing the virtues

“All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good. It is part of the love of God to acquire and to nurture all the virtues which make a man perfect.” Thus writes St. Alphonsus Ligouri.

What does it mean that Jesus Christ is our supreme good? He is the abundant fountain of everything good; nothing in the universe can be said to be good, unless He is its wellspring. Though in Sin, we turn away from that wellspring, God's desire is that man, the gem of His creation, turn back, and seek the perfection for which He is made.

Jesus teaches us to seek goodness, not just by his words, but by his example.

The devout soul who wishes to become a saint—the person God made him to be—must seek God’s will and desire all that God desires. “Teach me to do your will” the Psalmist cries out. That is to be our cry as well.

For St. Alphonus “putting on Christ”, seeking our supreme good, means striving to practice the virtues. He even recommended practicing a particular virtue each month: January: faith; February: Hope; March: Love of God; April: Love of Neighbor; May: Poverty; June: Purity of Heart; July: Obedience; August: Meekness and Humility of Heart; September: Mortification; October: Reconciliation and Silence; November: Prayer; and December: Self-Abnegation and Love of the Cross.”

This intentional practicing of a particular virtue is more effective than the general, vague, and unintentional desire to become more virtuous. St. Alphonsus even recommended keeping a notebook or journal—an account of your failures and successes in practicing those virtues. For example, we begin the month of August. Every day we should be conscious and intentional about making acts of meekness and humility.

Jesus himself is the model of meekness: he bears wrongs patiently and readily forgives sinners. In order to imitate Our Lord’s meekness and grow in the virtue of meekness we must forgive readily, avoid quarrels, harsh or hurtful words and actions, refrain from speaking while in an angry mood, be pleasant toward all who approach us, even if it causes us fatigue or boredom.

May St. Alphonsus help us to practice the virtues, to put on Christ, to seek the goodness and perfection for which we are made, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in virtue for the clergy and all members of the Church. We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.” We pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Redemptorist Order, founded by St. Alphonsus, and for the sanctification of all marriages. We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.