December 31 2019 - The Last Gospel

Prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican council, mass would conclude with a reading from the prologue of Saint John’s Gospel , as we heard just proclaimed: “In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum...”, it was called the Last Gospel because it was part of the concluding rite of the Mass.  Well, it is the last Gospel of the year for us on this last day of the year 2019. 

The Last Gospel calls our attention to the beginning, the Eternal Word who was with God before time began and at the beginning of the world, through Him the world was made. The Last Gospel calls our attention to the beginning of our salvation, the birth of the Eternal Word made flesh. He who is beyond the comprehension of man becomes man to enlighten and save us.

Three hundred sixty-five days this year the Word sought to enter into our humanity, into our lives, that His light and His glory might be manifest in us, that the invisible might be made visible through us.

I think the last day of the year is always a reflective day, because it urges us to consider, did I allow the Eternal Word to become flesh in my life or not? How did I keep his light from shining, his glory from emanating.

2020 will begin, tomorrow, liturgically with the Feast of Mary, Mother of God in whose womb, the Word made his first humble dwelling.  We turn to her motherly intercession, that she may accompany us, and nurture us as we might become like her.

On this last day of 2019, we thank God for all he has achieved in us, and anticipate with open hearts what he still desires to achieve through us, with us, and in us this upcoming year. May we be more attentive and responsive to the needs of those around us.  And may we resolve this new year to be, like Mary, more open, more obedient, more humble to the Word of God for His glory and the salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the conversion of all those who have turned their hearts from Christ, for those who have fallen into serious sin, for a strengthening of all of the faithful in virtue. And That God may bring the faithless to believe in His Son and increase the faith of those struggling to believe.

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For the safety of all those celebrating the New Year this evening, safety from physical harm and preservation from sin.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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

December 30 2019 - Christmas Octave - "A certain prophetess "

The first two chapters of St. Luke’s Gospel contain what are known as the “Infancy Narratives”. They are familiar stories to us, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Our Lord, and his Presentation in the Temple.

Today, we read the concluding verses of the infancy narratives—of a woman named Anna. Anna is described by Luke as a prophetess, a widow, and a woman of advanced years. Her husband had died after only seven years of marriage, and since his death, for about sixty years, Luke tells us “she never left the temple.”

She, like Simeon, is a representative of faithful Israel who awaited the Messiah, who prepared for him through prayer and fasting and an enduring hope, and was now blessed to witness his coming. Here was a woman, whose life had become focused on patiently awaiting the promises of God. Can we even begin to comprehend her joy upon meeting Christ?

Notice, how after encountering Jesus, she begins to speak about the encounter, she becomes an evangelizer.

After the death of her husband, Anna could have stayed home, depressed and withdrawn, but after a period of grief and mourning, she devoted her life to God. Anna is a wonderful example for all widows and widowers, who answer the call to come to daily mass, to worship, to pray, to encounter the Lord.

There in the Temple, even in widowhood, her life was filled with Joy, as she encountered God, and that joy translated into evangelization. She is an example for all Christians. Those who celebrate the Lord’s birth on Christmas day, are tasked, like Anna, with sharing the good news of his birth with others.

We are to speak about Him, sharing with others, how he is the fulfillment of all their desires, he is the way by which God’s peace is offered to us, the way joy can fill our lives in this dark world.
May Anna help us to live out the true meaning of Christmas, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.
That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice and honesty, and for the reversal of any law which permits or leads to the destruction of innocent human life, and that God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.
For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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

Holy Family 2019 - Families centered on Jesus

I recently came across an article from the Telegraph, a british periodical, which reported on a study of what 2000 children put on their wish-list for Christmas.  A “pet horse” was the third most popular choice.  Many children asked for ipads and ipods.  Some quirky kids asked for a “time machine”, “a donkey”, “an elephant”, or a “real live reindeer”.

Yet, atop this list of toys and treats, at the number one spot, was…can you guess? It was the request for a new baby brother or sister.  The days of large families have come to an end, especially in Europe, whose population is in decline because the birth rate is so low.  Our nation, as well, has tipped into negative population growth for a number of reasons including the breakdown of marriages, divorce, gross materialism, and the explosion in use of artificial contraception. Families are having less children, in fact, we are even seeing a decline in families in general—less marriages means less children.

And so this request for a new baby brother or sister is very telling—children are yearning, not for toys and electronics, but for real human experience, real family experiences. 

Another item on this Christmas wish list is also very telling.  In the number 10 spot, children asked..again not for electronic devices or material possessions, but for a dad.  ‘A Dad’—‘a father’—is not something children should not have to put on their Christmas list.  Children know that ‘a dad’ should not be missing from their life.

This is not to say that single-parents are not courageous and trying their hardest to provide for a healthy, loving, holy upbringing for their children.  But as Catholics we acknowledge the Creator’s design for the family as being very important for the emotional and psychological and spiritual health of children.

Statistics show many of the consequences of fatherless households.  Boys whose parents are divorced or never married are two to three times more likely to end up in jail as adults. Children whose parents get and stay married are healthier and also much less likely to suffer mental illness, including depression and teen suicide.

Many of us today may have more formal education, money and opportunities than our ancestors.  Yet family life and marriage is also crumbling like never before.  The fact that a sibling and a dad ranked so high on these Christmas wish-lists is very disturbing.  But it is also a sign of hope.  These children who long for a father, who long for a healthy family, seem to know that families should be healthier than they are, and we hope they will commit to starting and maintaining holy families when their time comes…which makes today’s feast so important, we turn our attention to what makes a Holy Family?

The Feast of the Holy Family is a relatively new feast to the liturgical calendar, it was added after Vatican II. Already in the 1960s the Council fathers detected the breakdown of families. They sought to the brace the Church for the upcoming cultural revolutions which would have even greater devastating effects, and to turn our attention to what will sustain us, guide us, and inspire us.

The Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Joseph is the story of a family who trusts in God amidst quite difficult circumstances: a teenage mother conceiving a child before the wedding, a foster father grappling with God’s plan, even considering ending his betrothal, a poor couple forced to flee their homeland to a foreign soil because of a hostile government threatened their child. They lived as immigrants in the land that once held their ancestors as slaves.

But, despite their challenges, this family practiced absolute fidelity to God. The Holy Family stands beside all who worry, who struggle, who search, who pray.  For they gave themselves fully to God, and made their family life a prayer and sacrifice for God.

The disintegration of the family I spoke about earlier is no doubt proportional to culture’s growing disregard for God and God’s plans. Unlike Mary and Joseph in the Gospel today who search desperately for the Lord when he became lost, searching for Jesus, making God the center of their lives, is often the last concern for modern families.

Last year, on the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis commented on the need to follow Mary and Joseph’s example of searching for Jesus, he said, “That anguish [Mary and Joseph] felt in the three days of the loss of Jesus should also be our anguish when we are far from Him, when we are far from Jesus. We should feel anguish when we forget about Jesus for more than three days, without praying, without reading the Gospel, without feeling the need for his presence and his consoling friendship,” he said.

“Mary and Joseph looked for him and found him in the temple while he was teaching: for us too,  it is above all in the house of God that we can meet the divine Master and welcome his message of salvation.” The Holy Father speaks about the importance of praying together and worshiping together as a family, particularly in the house of God, at Sunday Mass. Families that pray together stay together.  Families, too, who are involved in some sort of volunteer work together, radiate with the light of God. But that key word is “together”. Praying together, worshiping together, serving together.

Separate televisions in separate rooms, separate meals at separate times, separate this and separate that, can perpetuate real and unhealthy spiritual and familial separateness if we are not vigilant. So, families need to nurture togetherness, spiritual and religious togetherness especially in a culture that is driving families apart. And really, all of us, single, married, celibate, widowed, grandparents and godparents need to be at the service of families, helping them to be holy and whole.

Today the Church calls our attention to not three separate people, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, but a unity of persons, bound together by their love for each other and God. By imitating the love and virtues of the Holy Family may all of the woundedness and divisions in our own families be healed, as we like them, seek to place Jesus at the center of everything we do and everything we are.

Pope Francis said, “The family of Nazareth is holy: because it was centered on Jesus.” May all of the families of our parish and in our neighborhood grow in holiness by the same means, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Christmas 2019 - Straw Poverty

A few years ago, I came across an article from Rolling Stones magazine, an interview with Bono, the lead singer of the group U2, one of the best known rock groups in the world. Bono had acquired some notoriety, not simply for his significant musical talents, but for his humanitarian efforts, particularly in raising awareness and funds for combatting third world poverty and the AIDS epidemic. His efforts were even praised by Pope John Paul II, and there is a photograph with the Pope putting on the rock star’s distinctive sunglasses. 

So here is this figure, this famous pop star, a humanitarian and philanthropist on the global level, and in this article from Rolling Stones, Bono talked about his spiritual life. He was asked about the Bible, and he said “the bible, the bible sustains me.”  What a terrific statement.  The interviewer then asked him, “do you believe in God?  And he said, “Yes.  I believe in God, that there is a love and a logic that stands behind all things.”  Another great statement, for God indeed in His love and wisdom has created and has ordered the universe.  Then Bono added this, “and the Poet in me sees how artistically appropriate it is that that unspeakable power would express itself as a child born in straw poverty…that’s why I’m a Christian.” Because of the “child born in straw poverty”.

That the God-child is born in straw poverty is certainly one of the great and beautiful paradoxes of Christianity: that the magnificent power Who created the cosmos from nothingness, who shaped and ordered galaxies, enters the human condition, and expresses Himself in the weakness and humility of a child born in straw poverty. 

For Bono, the contemplation of the Christmas message has impelled him to not simply seek stardom and fame and wealth through a musical career, but to enter into the poverty and suffering of others, as Christ has done; it has impelled him to put the love and logic of God into practice, as it should. For the event of the Incarnation of Christ implicates us into action. The love and logic and humility of God on display in Bethlehem is meant to permeate the whole of our lives as Christians.

Nearly 800 years ago, in the year 1223, St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Christmas nativity scene in the city of Greccio, Italy. St. Francis said, “I wish to do something that will recall to memory the little Child who was born in Bethlehem” and  to show the inconveniences into which he was born and how he lay between the ox and the donkey.

St. Francis’ reasons for setting up the manger scene were quite clear.  He wanted people to be reminded of the poverty into which Christ was born. 

Well, a few week ago, Pope Francis visited Greccio, Italy, and from there issued a beautiful letter on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene. I encourage you to read it, it’s fairly short for a papal letter, only 3000 words. In this letter, Pope Francis, like his patron, St. Francis, draws our attention to the beautiful and powerful message of the Nativity.

He writes, “The enchanting image of the Christmas crèche, so dear to the Christian people, never ceases to arouse amazement and wonder. The depiction of Jesus’ birth is itself a simple and joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman. We come to realize that so great is his love for us that he became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with him….In a particular way, from the time of its Franciscan origins, the nativity scene has invited us to “feel” and “touch” the poverty that God’s Son took upon himself in the Incarnation. Implicitly, it summons us to follow him along the path of humility, poverty and self-denial that leads from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross. It asks us to meet him and serve him by showing mercy to those of our brothers and sisters in greatest need).”

I extend the Holy Father’s invitation to all of you, to kneel before the Nativity scene today and over the next two weeks of the Christmas season. Consider the identity and mission of the Christ Child—how the God of the cosmos, born into straw humility, entered into a fallen world, to raise us out of sin, into a life of love and peace. Out of love for us, he took upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability and he opened up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life to a share in the life of God himself. 

On Christmas Eve a few years ago, Pope Benedict wrote, “God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendor and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us.”

If any of you are having difficulty finding God in your life these days, finding God in this chaotic, sad world, start at the stable, look to the straw poverty that God willingly embraces, to show you that his is with you in the darkest of nights, he can be found in the coldest, most impoverished and depressed of conditions. Allow that encounter with God in the straw poverty of the stable to be a new path in your life, a path of harmony with God and your fellow man, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 23 2019 - Pointing to Christ

Two days before Christmas, the Church reads to us from the prophet Malachi.  Malachi was the last of the Old Testament Prophets, appearing on the scene 300 years after the prophet Isaiah, but still about 400 years before the birth of Christ. 

Malachi prophecies about the events right before the coming of the Messiah. One like Elijah would come as a precursor to the Messiah, and he would help the people prepare for the Messiah, as we heard, “by turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”

What does that mean? It means we best prepare for the Messiah by turning away from what is trivial, superficial, and spiritually harmful, to what is most important to the life of the soul.

In the Gospel, we read of the naming of Jesus’ precursor, John the Baptist, who certainly in the spirit of Elijah preaches repentance—metanoia—which literally means turning—turning one’s heart away from the trivial and sinful, and turning it back to God.

Elijah was not what we call a “literary prophet” like Isaiah, Elijah did not write anything down, there is no old testament book of the prophet Elijah. Rather, Elijah was an action prophet, his prophetic actions pointed people to God. So, too with John the Baptist. The Baptist never wrote anything down. Rather, his actions were prophetic. He went to the desert to preach, he baptized people, he wore strange clothes and ate strange food—even his vesture and his diet pointed people to God.

So, too with us, Christians are to be people of action; our actions, our lives are to point others to God. Certainly, we point people to God by following the precepts of our faith: attending mass, engaging in devotional prayers, engaging in works of charity, turning away from the non-essentials in order to focus on Christ.

The final O Antiphon sings of the Messiah as Emmanuel, King and Law-giver, the awaited Savior of the nations. In our upcoming Christmas celebrations may we remain turned toward Christ in all things, and in the Spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist, by our words, our actions, attitudes and efforts, help others do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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May Christ, the Wisdom which comes from the mouth of God, guide us in knowledge and love.
May Christ, leader of the House of Israel, bring deliverance to all of the oppressed.
May Christ, the Root of Jesse, come to the aid of nations and leaders of nations to walk in the ways of peace.
May Christ, Key of David, free all those captive to sin.
May Christ, the Morning Star, enlighten those who dwell in the shadow of death.
May Christ, King of the Nations, reconcile all divisions caused by sin.
May Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, bring comfort to all those who mourn.
Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

4th Sunday of Advent 2019 - 3 Lessons from St. Joseph

During the season of Advent, we contemplate some of the great biblical figures: the Blessed Mother, John the Baptist, Elizabeth & Zechariah and their role in God’s plan for our salvation. And on this year, on the final Sunday of the Advent season we are given to contemplate St. Joseph in our Gospel reading. So, let us consider three lessons from St. Joseph to help us prepare for the celebration of Christmas.

First, St. Joseph teaches us the importance of silence. How many words from the lips of St. Joseph can we find in Scripture?  None!  Not a word.  He doesn’t say anything.  He is a man of silence. 

Someone once asked St. Padre Pio, “What language does God speak?” And Padre Pio said, “God speaks silence”.  The person then asked, well, what language should I pray in, what language does God understand best, and Padre Pio said, “silence”.  Pope Francis celebrated Mass with a group of American Priests a few years ago. And in his homily he said, “May the Lord give us all the grace to love silence.” “Silence,” he said, “helps us to discover our mystery: our mystery of encountering the Lord, our mystery of walking through life with the Lord.”

The song ‘Silent Night’ still remains one of the popular Christmas hymns, which reminds us the need to become silent as we contemplate the Christmas mysteries. What a powerful irony: a beautiful song about quiet, calm, and silence. Certainly, one of my favorite moment each year is on Christmas Eve, in those quiet hours before midnight Mass. I like to sit in a dark room, and listen to the quiet.

It was his quiet of soul that enabled St. Joseph to be attuned to that important heavenly message. Joseph, we read was facing a terrible decision. His betrothed had been found with child through the Holy Spirit. In his humility, Joseph assumed that he was not part of this strange and mysterious plan. The Holy Torah, the Mosaic Law, directed him to divorce his betrothed who had become pregnant outside of marriage, and so Joseph quietly decided to end their betrothal.

And in this state of obedience, humility, and quiet, heaven pierced his mind. The angel of the Lord to appeared to him, and gave direction, gave him courage, and gave him insight into the identity and mission of the child—he is the savior.

So too, with us. In the messiness of our lives, when we are facing difficult decisions, we must commit to obeying God and becoming quiet and open before Him. And when we do, we will, like Joseph be granted direction, courage, and insight.

In these final Advent days, do not be afraid to make excuses for silence. To turn off the noise, to sit by the tree or the nativity scene, and to become silent in order to attune your minds and hearts to heaven. May our souls in silent stillness wait for the coming of Christ.

So that’s lesson number one, to imitate St. Joseph’s Advent Silence. Lesson number two.  St. Joseph teaches us that actions speak louder than words.

In the Gospel, Joseph wakes from his dream of the angel, and immediately did as God had commanded him: he took Mary into his home.  St. Joseph reminds us that the Christian life isn’t about giving God lip-service.  That when the Lord calls upon us to reach out to someone in need, we need to respond generously.

This often requires great effort on our part. For so often, we expect God to fit our lives. We minimize the demands of faith, when they get in the way of our plans. But Joseph shows us that the opposite is necessary. We must be willing to change for God. We must willing to alter our plans for God, to make God the first priority, to put everything in God’s service, holding nothing back.

For Joseph, taking Mary into this home, and becoming her chaste spouse was likely not according to the plan of his life. And even if she hadn’t conceived through the Holy Spirit, the wedding, was likely months or even a few years off. His home was not ready for her. The home was not ready for the raising of a child. But when God gives him a command, Joseph gets to work, intensely preparing for the birth of the Messiah, rearranging his life around the priorities of God.

So lesson number two, St. Joseph teaches us the priority of acting according to the commands of God, of rearranging our lives, reorienting our lives for God, working intensely for God’s will, especially in acting upon holy inspirations.

And finally, lesson number three, because Joseph made his heart quiet and open for God, because he was willing to reorient his life to Christ, God gave Joseph the ability, the energy, the courage, and the gifts to accomplish monumentally difficult tasks.

Joseph, taking Mary into this home meant opening himself to the shame of his community. His community would have soon realized that Mary was pregnant, and would have assumed that he was the father. They would assume Joseph had not practiced chastity prior to marriage as God’s law demanded, opening him to much greater social stigma than in our own day, stigma that would certainly affect his ability to provide for his family.

Additionally, Joseph would be called upon by God to guard and protect his family in many ways: he would protect Mary as they journeyed to Bethlehem for the census, he would find shelter in a stable when no inn would admit them, and he would be called upon by God to protect his family as they fled Israel when King Herod sent his soldiers to slaughter the Christ-child.

God gave Joseph monumentally difficult tasks, but also the grace to do them. Again, Joseph’s faith, his life of prayer, his righteousness opened him to the guidance, courage, and fortitude he needed.

So too with us. When facing grave difficulties, God provides grace, not necessarily to accomplish our own will, but God’s. God gives us grace to resist temptation, he gives us grace to speak hard truths to loved ones who are making poor choices, he gives us strength to work against true injustice, or to cope and carry on in the face of overwhelming grief, he gives us patience to endure difficulties gracefully.

St. Joseph reminds us that through trial and difficulty, when entrust ourselves to God, when we practice virtue and righteousness particularly when it is difficult, we are refined like gold in a furnace, we become the people God made us to be, and role models for those of weaker faith.

May St. Joseph helps us to prepare for Christ at Christmas and to break-in to our lives ever anew, by teaching us to enter into God’s silence, challenging our complacencies, urging us to trust God in our challenges, and to have courage for the spreading of our faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 20 2019 - Angelus Bells and Remembering the Incarnation

One of my favorite features of St. Ignatius of Antioch church is our large bell tower. It is the tallest catholic church bell tower in the diocese of Cleveland, 240 feet tall. You can see the tower from miles
away, and you can hear it ringing from miles away as well.

Every day, as you might have noticed the Church bells ring at 12 noon and at 6pm. In the old days, they would ring at 6am as well. 6, noon, and six, to mark the day’s beginning, middle, and end, but they are also rung for a religious significance, for they are known as the Angelus bells. Angelus is the word in the latin language for Angel.

There is also a prayer that goes along with the ringing of those angelus bells, called, The Angelus Prayer, which calls to mind one of the most important events in human history, again, the event we just read about in today’s Gospel.

The Angel of the Lord announced unto Mary, and she conceived a child by the power of the holy spirit.

Why is this important? Well, it had never happened before and it will never happen again. It was an event that Isaiah had foretold, as we heard in our first reading, that a virgin would conceive a child through the intervention of God, and that the child’s name would be Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. It was something God had been planning for thousands and thousands of years—His plan to save us from our sins.

I’ve been praying the Angelus Prayer every day for many, many years, and I believe it is a very important prayer for us Christians. For Christians need reminders of who God is, what God has done, and what God calls us to. And the Angelus does just that. It reminds us that God has done this amazing thing for us and for our salvation. And it reminds us that we are respond to God like Mary did, saying to God, “may it be done to me according to your Word…may God’s will be done in my life…may I respond to God with faith, always, daily, many times a day.” And the Angelus reminds us who Jesus is. He is God made flesh. He’s not just an ordinary baby, he’s not just another worldly teacher, he’s God, and we owe him our love, our devotion, our worship.

[Morning Mass] In the O Antiphon Today, Christ is called the Clavis David, the Key of David who frees us from prison and from the shadow of death. By calling to mind what our great Lord has done for us, may our minds and hearts be freed from selfishness and fear, that we may glorify the Lord in all we say and do today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

[School Mass] You will notice something different at Mass today, we will be ringing bells during mass. The bells at Mass are very similar to the Angelus bells. The first time they ring, they are a sign of the holy spirit descending upon the altar, just like the holy spirit descended upon mary. And the second and the third time they ring, they call our attention to the fact that Jesus is now present in our midst, bread and wine have really and truly become transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, our Lord.

As you prepare for Christmas break, remember the reason for Christmas, that mary said yes to God, and that God became human to save us from our sins. May you and your families be blessed this Christmas with profound faith, hope, love and the peace of the Christ-Child, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.


 
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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and strengthen all who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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.

December 18 2019 - The Lord our Justice

Yesterday, we heard one of the most ancient prophecies in the bible that the messiah would have royal lineage. Old dying Jacob prophecied to his son Judah, that from him would come a ruler, a king. And that prophecy certainly came true, as David the first king of the united Israel, came from the tribe of Judah. But, as the royal line continued, through David, then Solomon, and so on, those kings failed miserably in their royal duties and obligations. They allowed pagan idolatry to take root in their land, prostitution, child sacrifice, adultery and sexual deviance. David’s line appeared to be more of a lineage of unjust kings, a lineage of the unrighteous. And because of their poor leadership, Israel’s political and religious identity suffered and Israel became subject to foreign invasions from a host of enemies, particularly the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

During the Babylonian captivity God raised up a prophet, Jeremiah to preach to the people of Israel about the need to return to the precepts of the God of Israel and to purify their religion from foreign corruption. And in particularly scathing address to those unjust kings and their failures, Jeremiah offered a word of hope, the prophecy we heard today, of a righteous shoot, a righteous branch from the royal line of David, God will deliver Israel from those unjust kings, and raise up a righteous one.
“As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land…they shall name him the Lord Our Justice”

The O Antiphon for today, December 18, refers to the Messiah as Lord, “O Adonai” the Hebrew word for Lord, “O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel” O Lord and Leader of the House of Israel. Jesus is the just Lord, the righteous one, born of the royal line of David, the fulfillment of God’s promises and the oracles of the prophets.

Of course, we hope and pray that our political leaders will be righteous, who will work for our security and prosperity, who will hopefully stand as bulwarks against the powers of evil and corruption. But we recognize, that no earthly leader can do what Jesus the Lord can do and has done, only he can save us from our sins. Only he can bring the liberation from the powers of darkness in our own souls. Only he can bring eternal life and grant us the inheritance of his eternal kingdom. Only he can make us sons and daughters of God.

May we submit to his rule, and open our minds and hearts every more deeply to the redemption that only he can bring, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and strengthen all who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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.

December 17 2019 - May God's Wisdom Order Our Lives

Today, December 17, begins late Advent. The O Antiphons begin to be used in the Church’s liturgy, the countdown to Christmas intensifies.

And on this first day of late Advent, our first reading is taken from the very end of the first book of the bible, the book of genesis. Late in the life of Jacob, Jacob, son of Isaac, lays on his death bed, and speaks to his sons. Surrounded by the twelve, who will become the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob issues a series of prophetic oracles about their futures and the future of their tribes.

One would expect Jacob to predict the greatest blessings to be upon his first-born son. But God had other plans. It is not for Jacob’s first born, Reuben, nor his second or third, Simeon or Levi, that he predicts the most exalted future. But, as we read today, it is for Judah that Jacob foresees a royal future. Jacob calls Judah a lion, the king of beasts, and from Judah shall come a ruler, a king.

In our Gospel, today, St. Matthew traces the royal lineage through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then Judah, leading to the great kings of Israel, David and Solomon, and then generations later, to the king of kings, Jesus who is called the Christ.

The O Antiphon for this first day of late Advent sings of the “sapientia”, the wisdom which comes forth from the mouth of God. As a King wisely orders his kingdom, God wisely ordered the generations of Abraham to make way for the Christ. So too, God will order our lives, when we conform our lives to his wisdom. 

God has a plan for our lives, just as He had a plan for Jacob and Judah and the generations to follow. And when we surrender to that plan our lives become ordered mightily and sweetily from end to end and begin to resound with his glory. May we open our ears to receive His wisdom, our hearts to receive His Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That the Pope and all the clergy may always be guided by the Wisdom of God.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with divine wisdom, justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the wisdom of God may direct the hearts of non-believers to the truth of the Gospel.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Week of Advent 2019 - Monday - A star shall advance from Jacob

During the first two advent weeks, we read predominately from Isaiah, the prophet of the Babylonian exile, and his promises to captive Israel of the coming Messiah. Well, our old testament readings over the next week will include a smattering of prophecies from the Old Testament, for Isaiah was neither the first nor the last of the prophets to foretell the Messiah’s coming.

We read today from one of the most ancient books of the old testament, from the penteauch book of numbers, one of the five books of moses. Numbers describes the wilderness experience of the Israelites as they wandered 40 years in the desert after departing Mt. Sinai. After wandering for many years, the Israelites come to the plains of moab, on the east bank of the Jordan river. And there a group of Israelite elders encounter a Moabite prophet named Balaam, son of Beor. And it is through Balaam, this non-Israelite, that the God of Israel issues one of the very first prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament.

Balaam prophecies of a king who will rule, who will defeat the enemies of Israel, who will know the thoughts of God, whose wells shall be over-flowing.

Then, Balaam speaks of the king’s birth: “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.” In ancient times, stars were considered to be gods and goddesses. Little did Balaam or the Israelites know that this was one of the early references in their history to the coming of the God-man. This star, prophecied about in the time of Moses, was the one Magi from the east would follow to Bethlehem well over a thousand years later. A star which would lead them to the presence of the one true God-made-flesh, the king of kings that would defeat the most ancient foes of Israel—sin and death.

In the Gospel, his audience at the temple asks Jesus by what authority he speaks. He had no need to answer their question, for Balaam had already answered it hundreds of years before. He speaks with the authority of the King of Kings, the authority of God.

Like the Israelites in the wilderness, there are many who continue to wander through this world, looking for God. There are many who seek the one of whose authority they can base their lives. May we be stars for them, pointing them to Jesus, the Messiah, who will cause a spring of the water of eternal life to over-flow within them, if they will but place their faith in him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petition, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.
That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing, and that non-believers and fallen away Catholics will look to the light of Christ emanating from his Church, and place their faith in Jesus the Messiah.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

3rd Sunday of Advent 2019 - Bearing the light of patient joy

On the first Sunday of Advent we asked God for the grace to prepare well during this holy season.  On the Second Sunday, last week, we heard John the Baptist urge us to make straight the pathways for the Lord. And on this third Sunday of Advent, we are urged as we prepare for the Lord’s coming to cultivate joy.

For today is Gaudete Sunday. And Gaudete is latin for the rejoice. Since the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great in the sixth century, the third Sunday of Advent has begun with that word: Gaudete. Gaudete in domino semper, rejoice in the Lord always. 

Advent purple is replaced today by Gaudete Sunday Rose, the color of the horizon at the very start of a sunrise. We rejoice because Christ, the Son, is almost here. His light is breaking into the world. And not simply in some abstract way. His light is meant to be radiating from us, as we sing and pray and prepare for Christmas and for his coming at the end of time. Non-believers and fallen away catholics should be moved and stirred by our joy at Christ’s coming. We are to be light for those who continue to dwell in darkness.

I am reminded of one of the final chapters of Mark Twain’s classic novel Tom Sawyer. The Adventurous and somewhat mischievous Tom Sawyer and his friend Becky Thatcher go out to explore a cave outside of town. The cave is full of dark caverns and twisting passages, and as they explore, they end up getting lost. Fear sets in. Their candles - the only light they have - run low. And when their candles go out. they lose track of time, they grow hungry and desperate and start wandering through the darkness, looking for the smallest glimpse of daylight. Three days pass when, they finally spot a pinprick of light far in the distance, and they follow it to freedom.

The fallen human race is like Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher lost in the dark caverns of a fallen world. They travel through dark and twisting caverns, they are starving for God, their own light is insufficient. Only the light of God breaking into their world can lead them to freedom.

And that light of God, dear Christians, has been given to you and to me, to help guide souls to freedom. Advent aims at bolstering our light. Christians who rejoice in the Lord, whose lives radiate authentic Christian joy, become beacons of light for the world.

Sadly, we know, all too well, how Christians instead of radiating with the light of God can do the opposite. Through our joylessness, our sins, setting bad Christian example, instead of leading souls to God, we turn souls away. We know, sadly, how even members of the clergy and members of the hierarchy, can cause souls to become disgusted at being members of the Church. So certainly we do penance during Advent to make up for scandal, and our own failures to shine as brightly as we should.

Gaudete Sunday is certainly one of my favorite Sunday of the Church year, because it really sums up the whole of the Christian life.  There is a permanent Gaudete Sunday quality to the whole Christian life. As we await the coming of Christ, we are to reverberate with joy as we await the return of the Lord.

Now.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually equate waiting with joy. Waiting in traffic, waiting in the doctor’s office, waiting in line at the grocery store.  These are not typically joyful experiences, are they?

But, Mother Church gives us the key to waiting in joyful hope in our second reading today. “Be patient, brothers and sisters” he writes, “until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.  You too must be patient.” 

Americans are not known worldwide for their patience—it is not our culture’s strongest virtue.  Patience with elderly relatives, patience with the kids, patience with spouses, patience in traffic, patience during particularly verbose homilies at Mass is not always easy. Impatience is one of the most common sins I hear in the confessional.

So St. James says patience is practiced when we remain focused on the good things to come. The farmer has his mind focus less on the period of barrenness, but on the fruit of the earth to come. He understands that grey rainy days are necessary, if he wants his crop to be healthy.

So, too, Christians practice patience by keeping our minds and hearts focused on the Lord, particularly during times of stress and frustration and suffering. By focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel, Advent and the whole of the Christian life prepares us for something yet to come. Impatience can likely be a sign that we have failed to keep our focus on the end goal, on Christ.

The natural philosophers say patience is the habit by which one can wait for some good without getting upset, without the loss of peace, irritation, or anger, without complaining, bad words, and violence. Instead, the patient person can bear “provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint.” A patient person can display “quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; and diligence.”

More so, the Christian virtue of patience enables us to withstand physical and moral suffering, because our hearts and minds are fixed on and united to Christ.

The saints teach us of the importance of patience in the spiritual life.  St. Margaret Mary said that there is no other remedy for your ills but patience and submission to the will of God.  St. Francis de Sales said that Jesus endured scourging and ill treatment; he endured so many blasphemies and cruelties without saying a word, precisely to teach us patience. One spiritual writer said that each of us has enough trials and sufferings in our life to make us saints, if we but knew how to suffer them patiently.

I remember back in 2001 when I entered seminary.  8 years of seminary seemed like such a long time.  But those years of waiting and preparing, letting the tradition of the Church sink in, developing the habit of prayer, those were good years, joyful and mostly patient years.  Seminary formation is meant to change a man in preparation for a lifetime of priestly service. Sometimes that change was hard; as you may have realized, a hard-headed Italian. But joy always came when I surrendered and realized the Lord’s way is a lot better than my way. 

So too during this life, this Advent period of waiting, the Lord will change us, if we let him; if we patiently keep our minds and hearts fixed on him, we will be granted the gift of joy which nothing in the world can take away.

St. Cyprian said, “Patient waiting is necessary that we may fulfill what we have begun to be, and through God’s help, that we may obtain what we hope for and believe.”

In the Advent days we have left, turn to the Scriptures, recommit to daily prayer, confess your impatience, patiently serve the poor, that you may shine with the light of joyful hope for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 13 2019 - St. Lucy - Quit playing games with God

There is a famous book on human psychology, published back in the 1960s called Games People Play.  The book isn’t talking about board games like monopoly or trivial pursuit, or children’s games like hop-scotch or kick the can.  The book explains the often selfish and manipulative "games" adults play with each other in their interpersonal relationships. Think of a boss who throws tantrums in order to get his employees to do his bidding, or a beautiful woman using her physical attributes to get what she wants.

We even play games with ourselves: the little lies we tell ourselves in order to justify certain behavior.  “I’m so stressed, I deserve to eat an entire carton of cookie dough ice cream. Or, I had such a hard day, I deserve to have six whiskies.” Or think of the way we point out people’s flaws so we can justify not associating with them, or helping them. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus talks about playing games with God.  He describes the behavior of his generation, as a bunch of children playing games in the street instead of taking the word of God seriously. Instead of heading the preaching of John the Baptist, they claim he is possessed by a demon. Instead of heading the preaching of Jesus, they claim he is a drunkard and a glutton. They create a lie about Jesus, and then believe that lie so they don’t have to change their behavior.

The Advent call to conversion certainly demands we examine the games we play with God and with one another.  What lies do I tell myself in order not to pray as much as I should? What lies do I tell myself in order to indulge in sinful behavior? What lies do I tell myself in order not to reach out to the estranged and the lonely? What lies do I tell myself in order not to serve my parish?

The Saints, like St. Lucy, who we honor today, are those who strive to quit playing games with God. They seek the holiness God wants for them, no matter what. No games—just complete surrender to God.

After witnessing the miraculous cure of her mother, Lucy consecrated herself to Christ. Consecrated virginity was a counter-cultural sign in Ancient Rome, which had state sanctioned brothels and prostitution. Her consecration as a virgin enraged a potential suitor who accused her as a Christian before the Roman judge during the persecution of Diocletian.  The judge ordered her to offer a pagan sacrifice to the emperor, Lucy courageously refused. She war tortured, and her eyes were cut out. God however restored her eyes through a miracle, and for this she is known as the patron saint of the blind and eye disorders.

But more importantly, St. Lucy reminds us to see and to seek what is most important in life, that fervent love for Christ may pierce through our self-deceptions and lead us to stop playing games with God, but to witness to his Gospel with our whole lives.

May the Holy Spirit lead us to the change of heart, the change of attitude, the change of behavior God wants for us this Advent, that conforming our lives to Christ, we may bear his truth and love to all the word, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petition, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.
That Advent repentance and devotion may prepare us rightly for Christmas joy.
That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the conversion of those who reject Jesus and His Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, and those who have fallen away from the Church.
Through the intercession of St. Lucy, we pray for all those who suffer blindness and eye disorders, and for safety from accidental loss of vision, and for all of the sick and suffering.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Week of Advent 2019 - Wednesday - Faith in the One True God

Over the last week and a half, we’ve heard a number of promises from Isaiah the prophet. Promises that God would send a Messiah to usher in an endless age of peace; how the messiah’s peaceful rule will put an end to war, how God’s people will be protected from the forces of evil and chaos, how God will feed his people with rich foods and choice wines, how tears of sadness and suffering and guilt will be wiped away.

So, over the last week and a half, we’ve heard promises of what God will do. But today, Isaiah justifies those promises. Why should we believe them?

Because God has no equal. He is the Creator of the Cosmos and commander of the heavenly hosts. He does not grow faint nor weary, but lends his own strength and power and life to his faithful ones.

To the Jews captive in Babylon this was an important call to faith. For, they had seen their own holy city and temple destroyed. And while in Babylon, the Jews were exposed to this strange pantheon of Babylonian gods and their strange mystic cults. These false gods seemed to be pretty effective, no?

Yet, Isaiah calls the captive Jews to remember and put their hope in the one true God of strength and power and creation, the God of New Life, whose existence is evident from the life that flows through their veins. . The Messiah will come not come from Babylon, not from these false gods, not from the political powers and armies that destroyed Jerusalem, but from the One True God.

During Advent, we recall the same thing. Our Savior comes not from the world, not from the false gods of the world, not from any political party, not from any human army, not from amassing wealth and material goods, not from technology, medical or environmental. Salvation comes from the One True God and his Son Jesus Christ.

“Come to me, you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give rest.” This invitation is extended to all people, of every place. Come to ME, all you who are burdened.  Any real healing and comfort and strength and security and peace comes from Him. 

Our secular culture offers a million and one alternatives to Jesus.  But Jesus says, come to ME.  Don’t turn to sin, don’t turn to selfishness, don’t run away from the Church, don’t turn to those million OTHER things, come to ME, Jesus says, and you will find refreshment and rest.

May we place our faith in Him, and lead others to that same faith, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have become separated from God through error and sin, for those who reject the teachings of Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

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.

2nd Week of Advent 2019 - Tuesday - True Consolation

The book of the Prophet Isaiah is divided into two parts. In the first 39 chapters of the book, Isaiah offers a series of warnings to Israel. Those early chapters are not devoid of many powerful promises of the age of the Messiah to come, but Isaiah predominate message is a warning to Israel--what will happen between now and then if they continue to fail to keep God’s covenant. So those first 39 chapters are often called “The Book of Woes” because Isaiah describes the woes that will befall Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, if they fail to repent.

Today’s reading, begins the second part of Isaiah. Fast forward a generation. There was a failure to repent, destruction did come to Jerusalem, just as Isaiah had foretold. The temple was destroyed, the Babylonians carried many off into exile.

Amidst the destruction and suffering and sadness and captivity, Isaiah offers a word of hope. God will come to the rescue of his people, as we heard today, sins will be forgiven, land will be restored, and God’s glory will be revealed through his people. So this last half of the book of Isaiah is often called the Book of Consolation because it speaks of comfort that will come to Israel through God’s intervention.

These passages have been interpreted by the Church fathers as an anticipation of the consolation that Christ will bring. The fifth century theologian Theodoret of Cyrus wrote, “The true consolation, balm and release from all human ills is the Incarnation of Christ.”

For in Christ the Lord God comes with power to shepherd his flock, through him guilt is expiated and sin is forgiven.

We cannot fathom what life would be like if Christ had not been born 2000 years ago. For we live with a constant consolation that God has forgiven our sins and that the glorious kingdom of God has begun to break into history. God’s glory can be seen already, though dimly, through his Church, in his saints. Because of the incarnation, we are able to say with St. Paul, death where is thy sting.

We repent of our sins in this life, and allow God to straighten the crooked paths in our lives, that God’s glory may be manifest in us ever more, that we may effective in preaching Christ to those who currently live hopeless lives, ignorant of the love God has for them.

May the good news of Christ’s advent bring about repentance in all hearts and hope to the hopeless for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have become separated from God through error and sin, for those who reject the teachings of Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

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.

December 9 2019 - Immaculate Conception - God chose her to be holy

In my homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent, I reflected upon how we prepare for the important events in our life. Parents prepare for the birth of their children, our second graders prepare for the sacraments of reconciliation and first eucharist, our eighth graders prepare for the sacrament of confirmation. Our teenage parishioners prepare to obtain their driver’s license, they prepare for college, for their jobs. Preparing to become a priest requires nine years of seminary preparation. Engaged couples spend months preparing for marriage. The most important things in life require great preparation.

We see this truth reflected most gloriously in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For today we celebrate the way God prepared Mary to become the mother of our savior. In preparing Mary to be the Mother of Jesus, God did not wait for her to graduate high school; he did not wait for her to learn to read and write; he didn’t wait for her to learn to speak or walk. God prepared Mary from the very moment she became a human being, the very moment of her conception, the very moment she became a baby in her mother’s womb.

The Immaculate Conception, Francisco Rizi

From the very moment Mary existed, she was filled with a special grace from God never before given to any other member of the human race: the grace of being immaculately conceived. Could God do it? Of course! He’s God! The Archangel Gabriel in the Gospel today said it perfectly: “nothing is impossible for God”. 

Mary's greatness doesn't come from her intelligence, good looks, charm, bubbly personality - it doesn't come from her natural qualities. Her greatness, her true beauty, comes from being filled with the grace of God and surrendering to God’s plan for her life.

And that’s true for us as well. What matters most in life is allowing God to fill us with grace and cooperating with that grace. Just like Mary, God has a plan for each of us. But it is up to us, like Mary to respond generously to God’s plan, to trust in God, to learn from the events of our life, to become the people God made us to be.

What does God want from us? The same thing he wanted from Mary: Sinlessness, selflessness, and cooperation with his grace.  In the epistle, Saint Paul wrote, “God chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish”.  God chose Mary for holiness, and God chooses us as well. So, may we respond generously to God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That through the teaching, preaching, and pastoral care of the Church all Christians will grow in their devotion to and imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We pray to the Lord.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  We pray to the Lord.

For those trapped in the downward spiral of sin, that the hope offered through the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin will bring them new life in the Spirit.  We pray to the Lord.
That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will raise us to the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  We pray to the Lord.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families.  We pray to the Lord.

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  We pray to the Lord.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Sunday of Advent 2019 - The Spiritual gifts of the Messiah

700 or so years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah the prophet taught the people of God to look forward to the coming of the Messiah. Last week on the 1st Sunday of Advent, Isaiah spoke about how the Messiah would usher in a new eternal age of peace.  “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” Peace, security for your families, these are some of our deepest longings.
Our lives are filled with so much chaos; history is filled with so much violence and bloodshed. One has to constantly be looking over one shoulder, sizing-up our neighbor, asking “is he friend or foe?” Well, Isaiah says that the Messiah will put an end to this cycle of strife.

This week, on the Second Sunday of Advent, Isaiah continues to tell us a bit about the mission of the Messiah, what he will do: he will strike the ruthless with a rod and bring about justice. And the peace that he spoke about last week, will even extend to nature: the wolf will be the guest of the lamb, babies shall play in cobra’s dens.

But, Isaiah doesn’t just speak of what the Messiah will DO, but who he IS, how we will identify him.  “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.”

733 or so years after Isaiah, Jesus of Nazareth stood in his childhood synagogue, and applied that line of Scripture to himself. He said, “the spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Jesus identified himself as the Messiah, the savior, the Christ.

And You might remember how that went. His own townsfolks drove him to the town’s edge to throw him over a cliff. They wanted nothing to do with him. We know people who do the same, don’t we? Catholics who have some familiarity with Jesus, but who, now, for whatever reason, want nothing to do with him. Or, folks outside the Church, who think they know him, but erect barriers so they never really meet the real Jesus. And each of us in a sense, are often hesitant to really allow Him to get too close. He might change us and make demands of us. God forbid! But we are invited, during Advent especially, to get to know Him, and to allow him to bring about the transformation that God wants for us.

When John the Baptist preached “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That word John used in the Greek New Testament for repent, as we know, is “metanoia”—metanoia means change your heart, change your mind, change your attitudes. Well, the Hebrew word he probably used was “Teshuva” which means turn and answer, turn toward God and respond to Him.  And that’s really the Advent invitation, isn’t it? To turn to Jesus and respond to Him by changing our hearts and priorities and attitudes to be like His.

So, let us turn and look at the Messiah, particularly those characteristics described by the prophet Isaiah in today's passage, that we might be like Him.

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord.

How was Jesus’ life filled with wisdom? Well, what is wisdom? Saint Thomas Aquinas called wisdom “the view from the hilltop”.  The wise person sees from the high vantage point, and puts his life in order according to the big picture. His priorities are in order. To be wise is to recognize that our highest priority in this life, certainly, isn’t career or wealth, pleasure or power, but getting our souls to heaven.

Jesus, the Messiah, certainly teaches wisdom in his preaching and by his life. “Seek first the kingdom of God” he says, and he shows us the priority of saving our souls by dying for them on the cross. He died, not that we might be rich and famous in this life, but for our salvation.

Secondly, Isaiah tells us that the Messiah has the gift of knowledge and understanding. Over and over in the Gospels we see Jesus explaining the scriptures, explaining the meaning of scriptures to people. Even as a young boy of twelve he was found teaching in the Jerusalem temple. St. Luke tells us that his audience marveled at his understanding.

Advent is certainly an invitation to grow in knowledge and understanding. How? We should be reading the scriptures daily. We should be studying our faith, our catechism, seeking knowledge of WHAT the Church teaches and understanding of WHY she teaches it. St. Anselm explained, “Fides quarens intellectum” – Faith seeks understanding. It is the nature of faith to seek to understand the faith.

We have a parishioner who nearly every time I see her, she asks a question about the faith. I love that, it shows a healthy faith.

Thirdly, Isaiah says the Messiah will have the gift of counsel and strength. Counsel is the ability to judge actions as good or evil, and strength is the ability, obviously, to carry them out.  In a teaching on the Gifts of the Spirit, Pope Francis said that “Counsel enables us to apply the gifts of knowledge and understanding in the actual circumstances that confront us in our daily life.”

Not only did Jesus talk the talk, he walked the walk. The gift of counsel was evident in His life. He was able to judge the best way to act in any given situation and had the might, the power, the fortitude to go through with it. And he bestows those gifts upon us.

We grow in counsel by studying the moral teachings of Jesus, examining our consciences regularly in light of those moral teachings, and confessing our failures to live up to them.

Sometimes we know what we should do, but fail to muster the fortitude, the inner strength. So we must have recourse to prayer, praying “Lord help me do what is right.” If you are facing a particularly difficult challenge, go to daily mass, receive the Eucharist daily for the moral strength to do what is right.

Lastly, the Messiah will have the fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is a good and holy thing. Pope Francis said, “The gift of fear fills us with awe and reverence for God. It makes us dread the thought of displeasing God because of our love for Him. A right-ordered and healthy fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” Fear of the Lord enables us “to avoid sin and attachment to created things out of reverence and love of God.”

Pope Francis teaches, “Fear of the Lord does not mean being afraid of God: we know well that God is Father, that he loves us and wants our salvation, and he always forgives, always; thus, there is no reason to be scared of him! Fear of the Lord, instead, is the gift of the Holy Spirit through whom we are reminded of how small we are before God and of his love and that our good lies in humble, respectful and trusting self-abandonment into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment in the goodness of our Father who loves us so much.” And doesn’t Jesus, Messiah teaches us just that, Father, into your hands I abandon my Spirit.

This Advent, metanoia te, teshuvah, turn toward the Lord, learn from him, allow the spiritual gifts that filled his life to fill yours, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 2019 - First Friday Holy Hour - Light in our Darkness

During the Advent Season daylight is seen less and less, the darkness comes earlier, the weather grows colder.  Remember back in summer—the long wonderful days of summer, sunlight until 9pm?

As we near Christmas, the days get darker and darker, and in response so many of our Advent prayers and liturgies call to mind the promises of God’s light.  We watch for “the dawn from on high to break upon us”, we watch for the coming of the Lord, the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah prophecies that the coming of the messiah will bring so much light that “out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see”.

One of the recurring themes in the Gospel is Jesus bringing light to the eyes of the blind.

What beautiful words, we hear in the Gospel today, “He touched their eyes…and their eyes were opened.” What a wonderful thing to ponder, as we kneel before the Lord in the Holy Eucharist this evening.

We wouldn’t be here tonight if the Lord had not already touched the eyes of our soul bestowing the gift of faith. As St. Thomas rightly puts it: what our physical senses fail to detect, faith rightly perceives. We perceive through faith that the Lord is truly present. We see rightly with our souls that he is here. Blessing us with his presence.

And he sees us. As he looks out upon the Church from the thousands of altars around the world, he sees souls coming to him to be healed, souls looking to him for guidance and strength, souls looking to him to be their light in the darkness and chaos of this fallen world.

Lord heal our blindnesses, Lord scatter our gloom and darknesses, Lord clarify our confused paths. Surround us, protect us, and enfold us in your light.

Through our Advent prayer, may the have pity on us, and touch the eyes of our hearts, deepen our faith, and strengthen us in his service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 6 2019 - St. Nicholas - Love of Charity, Miracles, and Truth

Children of all ages can readily identify the saint we honor today.  The man with the twinkling eyes, the smiling face, the ample body and the pillowed red suit.  Historically, we know that Nicholas was a bishop of Myra a city in what is now Turkey in the fourth century.

Perhaps one of the best-known stories about Nicholas concerns his generosity towards a poor man whose daughters were about to be forced into lives of prostitution.  Bishop Nicholas threw bags of gold through the poor man’s windows so he could pay for his daughter’s dowries enabling them to be married.

Bishop Nicholas is also known for a miracle in which he would restore to life three young men who had been killed.  There was a food shortage in Myra, and the local butcher abducted and killed three young men, and put them in brine to cure them before making them into a ham.  Bishop Nicholas became aware of this through the Holy Spirit, found the boys, restored them to life, and converted the butcher.

Bishop Nicholas was also a great lover and defender of truth. Nicholas stood up for the truth at the council of Nicaea. When the heretic priest Arius claimed that Jesus was not of the same substance with the Father, Nicholas corrected Arius….physically. There are pictures of Nicholas slapping Arius in the mouth for the foul errors spewing from it.

Here was a bishop, aware and responsive to the needs of the poor in his diocese, whose holiness was evident due to the miraculous stories which began to arise around him, and a bishop who was a great defender of the Apostolic Faith. He is certainly a model for all bishops today.

Nicholas is no doubt a model for all of us especially during advent. For doing Advent we are called to love what loved: we are called to love and perform great and frequent acts of charity, we are called to love and pray for miracles, and we are called to love and deepen our understanding and preach Apostolic Truth about Christ.

1st Week of Advent 2019 - Wednesday - Fulfillment of Prophecy Past Present and Future

Yesterday, we heard Isaiah’s prophecy of the heir of the Davidic King who will usher in an era of lasting peace. And then in the Gospel, Jesus explained how he was that heir, how the prophets and kings of old longed to see what he was now accomplishing. So, we had a prophecy from Isaiah, and then Jesus explained how he was the fulfillment of that prophecy.

Today, our readings follow the same pattern. In Isaiah we hear of the promises of a mountain upon which God will provide for all peoples, a feast of rich food and choice wines, that on this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, he will destroy death, he will wipe away tears, on that day we will behold our God.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus is fulfilling those promises: Jesus atop a mountain miraculously cures the mute, the lame, the blind, the deformed, and then he feeds this great multitude, miraculously multiplying seven loaves of bread and a few fish, and has an abundance of food left over.

Jesus continues to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah during this age of the Church: in the Sacraments the sick come to him for healing in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, those spiritually sick and even dead in sin, come to him for healing and new life in the Sacrament of Confession, and he feeds us with supersubstantial food, his body and blood in the Eucharist.

And Our Lord heals the sick and feeds the hungry through the charitable work of Church. Hospitals were invented by Christians seeking to be the healing hands of Christ in the world. And the Church continues to be the greatest of charitable institutions in feeding the starving and clothing the naked of the world.

And yet, these readings still point to the future, to the second Advent and coming of Christ at the end of the age, when we will eat and drink at the eternal banquet feast of heaven and be clothed with glory forever, where there will be no more death or disease, and every tear will be wiped away forever.

Advent certainly helps us appreciate the ways in which the prophecies of old were fulfilled in the earthly ministry of Jesus 2000 years ago, how they are fulfilled now in the present, and how they will be fulfilled in eternity. So what needs to change in us, that we may be more perceptive of God at work in our midst, and more participative in God’s work now, and what needs to change that I may ready myself for the ultimate fulfillment of these promises in eternity?

May the light and life of Christ’s Advent shine in us today and forever for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.
That through the witness of the Christian Church, Our Lord will bring hope to the hopeless and joy to the joyless.
That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.
That Christ may heal every disease, drive out hunger, feed every authentic hunger, ward off every affliction, and bring peace to the suffering.
For the deceased of our parish, family and friends, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

December 3 2019 - St. Francis Xavier - What prophets and kings longed to see

At the time of Isaiah’s writing, the house of David was in shambles. Though God had promised David that his heir would be the king of kings, the Davidic line appeared more like a rotting stump than a flourishing royal tree. But Isaiah prophesied that from this stump shall arise a shoot; the line will continue, the Messiah will come, and usher in an era of unimaginable peace: the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, there shall be no harm or ruin on all God’s holy mountain.

When Jesus turned to his disciples, as we heard in our Gospel today, and said “Blessed are your eyes, because they see what many prophets and kings longed to see” he is speaking of the fulfillment of God’s promises. They were blessed to be able to see God’s promises being fulfilled in their midst. Jesus, the Messiah, was ushering in that promised kingdom of peace.

Our hearts long for this peace, peace that comes through union with God through Christ, Lord and Savior, peace that comes through being heirs of the eternal kingdom.

St. Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary, is one of history’s eminent ambassadors of God’s kingdom of peace. Known for his great zeal and learning, he was sent by the Christian King of Portugal to evangelize India. .  In India he preached, taught the catechism and worked in hospitals.  He also traveled to the many islands around India, and as far as Japan and the Philippines.  We have many Filipino Catholics here in the Diocese of Cleveland, who would be able to trace their faith back to Francis Xavier himself.

In his missionary work in these pagan lands, he brought the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to peoples who had longed to see, longed to hear, longed to know that God was at work to save their souls. Just as Jesus accomplished many miracles beyond human capabilities as evidence of God’s kingdom, so too St. Francis Xavier was given the spiritual gift to perform miracles: he preached in tongues he had never studied, cured terrible afflictions and illnesses, and even raised the dead.

It is fitting that we honor a Saint like Francis Xavier during the Advent season each year.  For He is a reminder and example, that we are called to bring the Gospel to eyes that long to see Christ and ears that long to hear the Good News that Messiah brings salvation.  In this Holy season of preparation for Christ, we prepare our hearts to spread the message of Christ and the peace of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Perez, and all ordained ministers, that their ministry may be effective in leading the Church in spreading Christ’s saving Gospel.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for the Jesuit Order’s faithfulness to the mission of Christ, and through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, for the sanctity and safety of all missionaries.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, disease or sorrow, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

For the deceased of our parish, family and friends, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.