Sacred Heart 2019 - Infinite Love of Jesus Christ

“There is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another.” So wrote, Pope Leo XIII in his 1899 encyclical, Annum Sacrum, in which the Holy Father consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. Devotion to the Sacred Heart had been spreading throughout the world for about two hundred years, after the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, when Our Blessed Lord appeared to this visitation nun, and tasked her with making known his desire that devotion to His Sacred Heart be practiced by members of His Church.

In his encyclical, Pope Leo called to mind the “abundance of evils…which pressingly call upon us to seek for help from Him whose strength alone they can be driven away”. All the evil in the world, and all the evil in the church, can be said to be a failure of mankind to learn and adopt the love of the Sacred Heart. It is our task to allow the infinite light and love of the Sacred Heart to penetrate our lives, and to spread that same light and love through word and deed. To quote St. Margaret Mary, “we need nothing, but to lose ourselves in the Heart of Jesus.”

As promised to St. Margaret Mary, those with devotion to the Sacred Heart, Jesus says, -I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. -I will give peace in their families. -I will console them in all their troubles. -I will be their refuge in life and especially in death. -I will abundantly bless all their undertakings. -Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. -Tepid souls shall become fervent. -Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection. -I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated. -I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts. -Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart. -In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.”

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on us. For the Glory of God and Salvation of souls.

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We bring our needs to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

That the Church may be continually cleansed and sanctified by the blood and water that gave us new birth.

For all who have fallen away from the Church, for those who lack faith, and in reparation to the Sacred Heart for all sin and all blasphemy.

For all those who are sick or burdened in any way, may come to know and experience the refreshment of Christ’s love.

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 the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, 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

12th Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Beware of false prophets

On Monday we celebrated the nativity of a true prophet, John the Baptist. The biblical understanding of a prophet, isn’t someone who can foretell the future, but rather, someone who has the ability to point to the Truth in the present. John the Baptist was a true prophet because he pointed to the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He called people to acknowledge the truth that they had sinned and needed a savior.

In pointing to the truth, the true prophet often challenges people, pushing them beyond complacency; his message often contains words that people do not want to hear. John was prophetic when he pointed out to the truth of the moral error of Herod, having married his brother’s wife. For this he was arrested and killed. The prophet often knows the consequences for his message. But preaches it anyway because the message comes from God.

We hear from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount today, his warning for his followers to beware of false prophets. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.”

If true prophets point us to truth, false prophets preach, what St. Paul calls, “an empty seductive philosophy.”  Where the prophets teach us to bear our crosses, the false prophets urge us to lay them down when they get too heavy, and that IS seductive. Where true prophets point us to faithful practice of our God-given religion, false prophets will water down the faith, seek to recreate the Church according to the principles of the world.

“By their fruits you will know them” and look at the fruits of the false prophets: broken marriages, abortion, sexual perversion, corruption in government, biblical and doctrinal illiteracy, grievously low church attendance, the dehumanization of the poor, drug and alcohol addiction, and what St. John Paul called the "loss of the sense of sin." 

Are there, and have there been false shepherds in the Church? Yes. Our Lord warns us to beware the false prophets in every age. So, we properly guard ourselves against false prophets by studying the Word of God, studying Church doctrine, studying the lives and writings of the saints, the Church fathers, forming our minds through the Truth to detect the false Gospel.

Not to be completely dour, we need to remember that the good fruit of Christ certainly flourishes in our midst as well.  The seeds of sanctity are nourished by authentic Catholic worship, authentic devotion, prayer, authentic Christian education, use of the sacrament of confession, the holy works of mercy.  Christianity does flourish—Christians in our parish and diocese are experiencing the real joy of knowing Christ, and they are coming to that joy not through the watered-down, seductive religion of the false prophets, but through the Truth of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith.

May we be discerning of false teaching in our midst, may we protect the younger generations from following the false shepherds of the present age, may we help them to know the One teacher and Lord of Life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Pope Francis and all the clergy may witness to the truth of the Gospel faithfully, courageously, and compassionately.

For the protection of the unborn, and that people of goodwill will work together to enshrine the protection of the unborn in law and in the hearts of all.

For the conversion of those who do not believe in God, for Catholics who have left the Church, those guilty of heresy or schism, and for a return to the sacraments of those who have fallen into serious sin.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster,  those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, all victims of abuse, especially children, 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, for the repose of the soul of St. Joseph Father Larry Tosco, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

12th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Pearls before swine

Having discussed the importance of prayer, piety, and performing works of charity, the final chapter of Jesus’ sermon on the mount offers instructions about personal relationships—how as Christians we are to interact with one another.

Jesus first warns about judging others. If not for the solemnity of John the Baptist yesterday, we would have heard the gospel of noticing the splinter in our brother’s eyes while ignoring the wooden beam in our own. We are to take care not to focus on the small imperfections of others while ignoring our own greater imperfections, lest we be guilty of hypocrisy.

But, the command to “stop judging” is not as sweeping as it might sound. Correction of a brother or sister who has become wayward in following Christ is an important act of mercy. Only after we have taken great care that we are acting out of authentic concern are we to engage in what is called fraternal correction. And there is a place for fraternal correction in the church. Speaking the truth, gently, after ensuring that we ourselves are being faithful to that truth, in order to bring an erring brother back to the practice of the faith; this is a good and holy thing. Parents, especially, have a vital role in correcting their children no matter how old they are.

The Lord then warns today, “do not throw pearls to the swine”. Now, some might take this an excuse not to give public witness to the faith. The Gospel might be rejected by some when it is preached in a public manner, but it is preached for the sake of those willing to listen. The Apostles, for example, in dealing with the Scribes and Pharisees, knew they would likely be rejected by many of them. But they persisted in preaching for the sake of those of goodwill—those who would be converted or edified by their teaching.

The Pope and the Bishops and the Clergy, likewise, preach the Gospel in public manner. Yes, it might be rejected by some. But the Lord blesses that public teaching. I would want to be corrected if I had fallen away from the truth, wouldn’t you?

On the other hand, sometimes it is a waste of time to persist in dealing with people who are impervious to correction. But I think we should be very slow to write someone off as impervious swine.

Bishop Perez has enjoined the Church of Cleveland many times, to meet people where they are with the truth of the Gospel. It is an act of love to preach and teach the Gospel. May we do so without hypocrisy or compromise of the truth, and with patience and complete faith in its authenticity for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Pope Francis and all the clergy may witness to the truth of the Gospel faithfully, courageously, and compassionately.

For the protection of the unborn, and that people of goodwill will work together to enshrine the protection of the unborn in law and in the hearts of all.

For the conversion of those who do not believe in God, for Catholics who have left the Church, those guilty of heresy or schism, and for a return to the sacraments of those who have fallen into serious sin.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster,  those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, all victims of abuse, especially children, 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, for the repose of the soul of St. Joseph Father Larry Tosco, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

June 24 2019 - Nativity of John the Baptist

When the Church celebrates the feast day of a saint, we are usually celebrating the day of the saint’s death. For example the feast of Aloysius Ganzaga last week was on June 21, because he went to his eternal reward on June 21, 1591. 

But the Church also celebrates the days of birth of three persons:  Jesus, of course, on the feast we call Christmas; the Blessed Virgin Mary, on September 8th, nine months after the feast of her Immaculate Conception; and Saint John the Baptist.  In fact, Byzantine Catholics celebrate the conception of John the Baptist nine months prior to today’s feast, on September 24, which they call, The feast of the Conception of the Precursor.

John has always had a place of very high esteem in the Church, this feast of his birth dates all the way back to the 4th century. John was praised by the Lord himself, when he said, “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John”. 

John is honored, certainly for the great role he played in salvation history. His was the lone voice in the wilderness pointing others to Christ. When we take John as a Patron, he will always help us to point others to Christ, even when it feels like we are a lone voice.

John is also honored because of his personal holiness. In a sense, he was a saint already in the womb of his mother. He was able to detect the presence of the Lord, he lept for joy, still in the womb of his mother Elizabeth. And John gives us the key to holiness in his utterance, “I must decrease so that Christ may increase”. As Christians, followers of Christ the Lord, it is our hope that others may see Christ in us. That our egos, our sins, our willfulness might not obscure the presence of Jesus Christ in us. His teachings, his Spirit, His heart, his concern for doing the will of the heavenly Father, his willingness to embrace the cross, should be evident to those we meet. It is our hope that others encounter Christ in us, and this becomes possible when we decrease all that is not Christ and of Christ, as John the Baptist did.

Though, he was born holy, John the Baptist’s holiness shines forth in his life, his willingness to preach the truth, even when that brought the wrath of those in power upon him, his purity, his attentiveness and devotion to the Holy Will of God. May John help us to decrease, that Christ may increase in us and in the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Pope Francis and all the clergy may witness to the truth of the Gospel faithfully, courageously, and compassionately.

For the protection of the unborn, and that people of goodwill will work together to enshrine the protection of the unborn in law and in the hearts of all.

For the conversion of those who do not believe in God, for Catholics who have left the Church, those guilty of heresy or schism, and for a return to the sacraments of those who have fallen into serious sin.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster,  those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, all victims of abuse, especially children, 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, for the repose of the soul of St. Joseph Father Larry Tosco, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

Corpus Christi 2019 - Ecco Gesu

I once heard Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal Archbishop of New York, tell the story that one year, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, he was privileged to carry the monstrance in the great Eucharistic Procession in the town of Orvieto, Italy. Orvieto, I explain in my pastor’s column this weekend, is known, not just for its fine Italian white wines, but is the place where Thomas Aquinas wrote the prayers for this great Feast, instituted by Pope Urban IV about 750 years ago.

So, as you might imagine, the Eucharistic procession in Orvieto is quite a spectacle: flowers line the main street, the alley ways are jammed with people, medieval tapestries are hung from the windows. And Cardinal Dolan described how as he made his way, carrying the Blessed Sacrament in procession, something caught his eye, which he has never forgotten. He glimpsed a young father holding his three year old son. And he saw the young father point to the Holy Eucharist and whisper to his son, “Ecco Gesu”, “Ecco Gesu”, look, there is Jesus, look, there is jesus.

Every Mass of course, but especially today, On this Feast of Corpus Christi—the Body and Blood of Jesus--the Church is invited to Ecco Gesu, to look to the blessed sacrament and see Jesus, with renewed faith today.

I recall another story Cardinal Dolan tells about the Eucharist. In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Washington D.C. And shortly after the visit, Cardinal Dolan was celebrating Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in our nation’s capital, and a gentleman came up to him after Mass in the Sacristy. 

And the man said, “Father, I’m a professor of sociology at Catholic University here on campus, and I’m not a Catholic, but I’ve been very intrigued by the visit of Pope John Paul II.  And do you think I could speak to you about faith and even about the possibility about becoming Catholic.” Now you can imagine how that is like music to a priest’s ears. So, obviously the Father Dolan agreed.

And In the course of the conversation, it become evident that this professor had a tough problem with the reality of faith. He was an academic, a rigorous scholar. So for him everything had to be empirically verified, everything had to be scientifically accurate, everything had to be argued out and accepted only on the weight of verifiable evidence. He had a tough time with faith—he just couldn’t make that leap—that act of trust and confidence—and he admitted it, and he knew it, and was struggling to understand

In one of their sessions, he admitted to Archbishop Dolan, “you know, I go to Mass all the time. I don’t go to Holy Communion obviously, but I watch.  When the priest holds up that piece of bread, he looks at it, and says, ‘this is the lamb of God.’ And all the people look at that piece of bread, and they pray to it, and they say, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to receive you.’

And I watch, and the priest holds up that piece of bread and says ‘the body of Christ’, and the people look at that piece of bread and say, ‘Amen’ which I think means ‘I believe.’  Why, why, why, do you and all those people speak to that piece of bread as if it is Jesus Christ Himself?”

And Archbishop Dolan, said, “because it really is, because it is, we believe it is Jesus Christ Himself!”

The professor then said that at that moment he appreciated for the first time what pure faith was all about: when there was absolutely no scientific proof, no verifiable evidence, no empirical data, still to say ‘I believe’.

That man, by the way, is now, not only a Catholic, he’s a Benedictine Priest.  He discovered the nature of pure faith. 

Ecco Gesu.

Since that First Holy Thursday, you and I believe, the Church believes that at every single valid Mass, Jesus does for us what he did for his apostles at the Last Supper—he changes bread and wine into his very body and blood.

We believe that in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is really and truly present, and when we worthily receive Him, we are intimately in union with Him.  And my brothers and sisters, we believe this, not based on scientific evidence or empirical data, but on faith—faith we have received from the apostles.

If you went to the credence table and took the pieces of bread that I will consecrate in a few minutes and put it under a microscope and analyzed it, you would see bread. And then, you looked at that same host under a microscope after the consecration you wouldn’t see a bit of difference, there would physically be no difference—physically. But there would be all the difference in the world. As we believe that bread truly becomes the Body of Christ, so much so, that we look to it, and what appears to our senses to be bread, we say, in faith, Ecco Gesu. Look, there’s Jesus.

And visitors in our midst should detect our faith through our gestures, through our acclamation, through our song. They should be edified by our handling and reception of the holy Eucharist. Our reverence should cause them to question: is it really him, is he really here? Ecco Gesu, yes, he is.

This weekend, one of our young parishioners, Ben Smith, will receive Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist for the first time. Remember, how excited you were, how reverently you came forward, the love, the wonder and awe of your first Holy Communion. I remember, mine, many years ago, wondering what that moment was going to be like; asking, will I feel Jesus in my heart? Will this change me? I remember being very careful not to drop the precious host, having been taught that the host, even the smallest particle of the host, is more precious than the most expensive diamond in the world, because it is Jesus Himself; you shouldn’t drop the host any more than you should drop a newborn baby. And, I remember going back to my pew after that first Holy Communion, kneeling down, closing my eyes, experiencing a a very special closeness to Jesus.

Every reception of Holy Communion is meant to change us, to deepen our love for God and neighbor, to strengthen us against sin and temptation, to make us more courageous in spreading the Gospel and performing the works of mercy.

In all of our joys, ecco gesu. In all of our struggles, ecco gesu. In all of our woundedness, ecco gesu. In him we place our hope. In him we learn to love. In our confusion, in our sadness, in our hunger and thirst for righteousness. Ecco Gesu.

On this Feast of the Lord’s Body and Blood, we pray that we may celebrate Eucharist with every ounce of reverence we can muster, every ounce of gratitude for his great sacrifice for us, that our hearts may be transformed, and that through this saving sacrament we may be made worthy of the kingdom of heaven for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

June 21 2019 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Treasures in heaven

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born into a noble family in Renaissance Italy.  16th-century Florence was not very different from 21st-century America.  It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. Though he had been to exposed to society’s corruption, brutality and lust, Aloysius, at the age of 7, had a profound spiritual awakening. He saw the decadence around him and vowed not to be part of it. 

By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great penances. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus, though it took four years for him to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

In 1591, a catastrophic plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened up a hospital.  The young Jesuit novice, Aloysius, nursed patients, carried them on his shoulders, washed them, and made their beds.  As a result of his tireless care of the sick, Aloysius caught the disease himself. He was overcome with a great fever and died at the age of 23 in 1591. His holiness was so evident that he was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1605.

Aloysius Gonzaga is a patron saint of catholic youth and teenagers, and also AIDS patients and their care-givers. Would that we all were dedicated to helping our young people form hearts like St. Aloysius!

He is often shown in sacred art and statues as a young man wearing the black cassock of the Jesuits and contemplating a crucifix or praying to the Blessed Virgin.

Aloysius took seriously the words of our Lord in the Gospel today: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up treasures in heaven.” The saints show us precisely how this is done.

The young saint, once said, “He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for his sake.” Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, may each of us consider how God is calling us to grow in holiness, to serve the needy, to do penance, to pour ourselves out in service of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will recommit themselves to fervent prayer as to grow in greater love and holiness.

That we may fast often from the things of the world, in order to seek and value the things of heaven.

That the Church may commit to almsgiving and acts of charity in order to care for the needs of the poor and store up treasure in heaven.

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

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 those with HIV, AIDS, and their caregivers, 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 the repose of the good Jesuits who have served the Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

11th Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Always Lent

Today’s Gospel Reading should be familiar to us; we hear it at least twice a year, most notably on Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

We reflect upon this precept to pray, fast, and give alms, not just at the beginning of Lent, but also during Ordinary Time, because these penitential practices are to be part of the ordinary life of the Christian. We aren’t to pray, fast, and give alms just during Lent, but all year round.

There was an order of monks who lived by the phrase: “Semper Quadragesima”, which means, Always Lent.  They tried always live in that penitential Lenten Spirit always. Because remember, during Lent we strip away the non-essentials to get back to the basics of Christianity, the fundamental Christian practices which nourish the spiritual life. And prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are among those essentials: we will never experience true spiritual growth without them.

Well, in this passage from the Lord’s great Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord teaches us, not just that we are to pray, fast, and give alms, but how we are to pray, fast, and give alms. His concern is not just that we perform them, but the motive and manner in which they do them. 

And His overarching warning is not to do them in order to be noticed by others. To do them in a humble, hidden manner. Yes, we come together to pray publicly, at mass, rosary, novena. But that hidden prayer is so vital. Our generosity to the public almsgiving during the Sunday Offertory is important, but the little hidden acts of giving are powerful and needed.

So if today were the first day of Lent again, what would be some behaviors or activities or pleasures that I endeavor to fast from? What kind of fasting should I be doing all the time—year-round? Is there at least one moment in my day set aside to turn to the Lord in quiet prayer? And what can I do to give of more of my time, talent, and treasure to the needy and in service to the Church.

May our year-round prayer, fasting, and almsgiving be always done with a pure heart out of love for God, the pure motive of helping those in need without being noticed, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will commit to fervent prayer so as to grow in greater love and holiness.  We pray to the Lord.

For the faithfulness to fasting and to all the ways that the Lord wishes to sanctify us.  We pray to the Lord.

For greater generosity for the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  We pray to the Lord.

That the Lord will rescue all those who live at a distance from Him because of self-absorption or sin.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

11th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Readiness to love our enemies

We continue to read from Jesus’ great sermon on the mount during these weekdays of Ordinary Time, and we are confronted with one of Jesus’ most counter-cultural teachings this morning: love your enemies.

Why this teaching is counter-cultural should be obvious. The tendency of our fallen nature is to hate our enemies, ostracize and undermine them, defeat them in battle, seek their downfall, annihilate their influence in the world. Fallen nature takes delight in seeing enemies suffer.

But Jesus’ disciples are not to follow the tendencies of fallen nature. Rather, we are to live according to a new way, the way of Christ preached in the Sermon and modeled in his earthly life.

We are to love our enemies, because He loves those who have made themselves enemies of God through sin. He went to the cross for all out of love for all.

If we love our enemies, we can love anyone. And we must. Out of obedience to Christ!

So, how are we to love our enemies? Forgive them, be patient with them, feed them, clothe them, teach them, serve them, hold no grudges toward them, visit them, pray for them, seek what is best for them. Love them even when it feels like they are scourging you at a pillar, even when they are forcing you to march to your crucifixion.

Saint Maximus the Confessor wrote, “Readiness to do good to someone who hates us is a characteristic of perfect love.” Many people in our highly-offendable culture walk around ready to attack those who offend them, to verbally assault those who inconvenience them, they are just looking to unveil someone as their enemy so they can pummel them with their pent up frustrations, to make them into a scapegoat for all of their problems.

But Christians must ready ourselves to do good to all. And by doing so we begin to reflect that perfect love of Jesus Christ. We begin to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect.

May we ready ourselves to do good to all, and pray deeply for our enemies, not simply for their conversion, but for our conversion to love them as Christ loves them, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the bishops of the Church will act as true prophets through their faithful teaching, their courageous witness, and their self-sacrificing love. We pray to the Lord.

That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Church’s missions amongst the poor and unevangelized throughout the world, that the work of Christ may be carried out with truth and love. We pray to the Lord.

For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

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

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.

11th Week in OT 2019 - Monday - Return Good for Evil Suffered

For the rest of the month of June, our weekday Mass Gospels are taken from Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount from chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew’s Gospel.

It is clear from the very beginning of the Sermon, that Jesus’ disciples are to live differently from others in the world—by a different set of standards than the good pagans who love those who love them and are good to those who are good to them—with a righteousness surpassing even that of the Jewish scribe and Pharisees. He calls us in short to be like him, to be like his Father, to be holy.

Today’s gospel includes a number of these counter-cultural teachings: “When someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”  The world would say, when someone slaps you on the right cheek, slap them back, harder, get them back, teach them a lesson so they never think to slap you again.  Rather than responding with vengeance, Christians are to respond to violence as Christ did. During his Passion, as he was beaten and mocked by Roman Soldiers, he offered his sufferings to the Father for our salvation, he prayed from the cross that sinners be forgiven.

Instead of returning “evil for evil”, we are to return “good for evil”. This not only stops the cycle of violence, but allows God to reverse and transform it.  The Christian bearing an evil patiently instead of reacting mindlessly or calling for vengeance becomes a source of mercy in the world.

Of course, we are not to be passively indifferent to the evils of the world. But, preaching the Gospel, standing for truth, working for justice will often evoke the wrath of the worldly and morally corrupt. But wrath is not to be met with wrath. We are to endure “through much endurance in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts” as St. Paul describes in the Epistle this morning, not with vengeance or malice but “by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness.” And when we do, we become true ministers of God, instruments through whom God brings about miraculous conversion and renewal.

Through our Eucharist today, may our hearts be opened to ever-deeper faithfulness to Christ’s teachings, his way of peace, his way of transforming love for the glory of God and  salvation of souls.

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That the bishops of the Church will act as true prophets through their faithful teaching, their courageous witness, and their self-sacrificing love. We pray to the Lord.

That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the Church’s missions amongst the poor and unevangelized throughout the world, that the work of Christ may be carried out with truth and love. We pray to the Lord.

For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

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

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.

June 16, 2019 - Trinity Sunday - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

We do that so naturally, so instinctively, don’t we?  I’m speaking of course about the sign of the cross.  It’s almost as reflexive to us Catholics as breathing or blinking our eyes.  And it should be! For the sign of the cross is the first prayer most Catholics learn—invoking the three divine persons of the Holy Trinity while marking ourselves with the sign of our salvation—the Holy Cross of Christ.

Most of us were taught by our first catechists, our parents, how to sign ourselves. I always love to see parents picking up their little ones, dipping their little fingers in the holy water font and tracing the cross, forming a habit that they will take with them into eternity. We do well to begin each day invoking the trinity with the sign of the cross, signing ourselves before getting out of bed—hopefully, even before checking our iphones.  Most of our formal prayer, as Catholics, begins invoking the trinity with the sign of the cross. We are absolved, we are confirmed, we are anointed, and we will be buried with that sign of the cross. 

We invoke the Trinity in moments of danger and difficulty and penitence. Sometimes we even find baseball players making the sign of the cross as they come up to home plate. Whenever I go to restaurants I look around to see if people are making the sign of the cross before they eat.  At funerals and weddings you can often tell who the non-Catholics are by who makes the sign of the cross or not.  And this makes sense because the sign of the cross signifies an IDENTITY!  You know if someone is Catholic if they begin their prayer “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.

The sign of the cross professes the two most important doctrines of our Faith.

The first doctrine is of course the Doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity, which we celebrate in a special way this Trinity Sunday. God is a Trinity of Divine Persons—the Divine Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consubstantial, coeternal, coequal, distinct, yet united.

The catechism says, “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life.  It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith’. The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men “and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin.”

I had a class in seminary one semester simply called “Trinity” in which we studied the theological history of the Church’s understanding of this great mystery. It was one of the most difficult classes in seminary—as we attempted to grasp infinite mystery revealed in the primary Christian doctrine.

The second doctrine expressed in the sign of the cross flows from the first: by the cross we are saved.  Every time we sign ourselves with the cross, we confess our faith that by the cross, the incarnate Son, the second person of the Trinity, won for us eternal life.

Trinity and Cross. It’s no accident that these two themes converge in the Church’s most fundamental prayer, the sign of the cross: for the cross is an image in time of the Trinity’s life and love in eternity. The love poured out on the cross is the most powerful sign of the love of God in himself and his love for us. So when we make the sign of the cross, we call to mind the love that conquers all sin and death and evil, the love which is the cause of our salvation.

St. Francis Xavier, perhaps the greatest missionary in Church history after St. Paul, baptized thousands of people. As a missionary in the far east, he wrote about the difficulty he had in catechizing all these people—preparing them for baptism. Thousands of people would be in the villages, clamoring for baptism, yearning for membership in the Church.  Francis Xavier wrote that he considered it enough if he could properly teach them that in making that sign of the cross they were professing their faith in the one true God—God the Father who creates us and loves us, God the Son who took flesh and died for our salvation, and God the Holy Spirit who strengthens us with his gifts—if he could teach them that, and that Jesus, God the Son offered them salvation through the cross that he would trace over them—he felt that that was enough for baptism.

When we stand before the judgment seat of Almighty God, our passports won’t help us, any academic degrees aren’t going to do much good, any stock portfolios, our check book, our driver’s license, our proof of American citizenship or lack thereof aren’t going to do us a bit of good.  But by the sign of the cross, we are claimed for Christ, we are identified as those children of God redeemed by the Cross of Christ, members of God’s Holy Church, who profess, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be our Loving and Almighty God.

Just as we make the sign of the Cross each time we pray, in order to direct our prayer to the one true God, may this Trinity Sunday, help direct our lives. The true God is not a creature of our own making, a product of our imaginations. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we bow our lives to his majesty, we surrender our wills to His Divine Will, his commandments, and plead his mercy.

Everything we do is meant to be directed to the Holy Trinity, done to honor the Holy Trinity, out of love for the Holy Trinity. May we invoke the Trinity many times every day, that God’s very being, His Life, may infuse us, change us, propel and animate us, that our choices may lead us to his presence, that he may possess us, in the words of our first reading, and that we may possess the mind and heart of Our Lord and Redeemer.

May our faith in the Triune God keep us from all sin, protect us from all evil, and may all of our actions, all of our choices, all our decisions, all of our sacrifices be done for the glory of the Triune God and salvation of souls. 

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”