December 30 2020 - Sixth Day of Christmas - To love Christ More

 During the Octave of Christmas, our first readings are taken from the first Letter of Saint John whose feast is celebrated two days after Christmas. In his old age, the apostle writes to his spiritual children to guide them in growing in Christian maturity—that the life and light and “love of God might be perfected” in them.  Like his Gospel, this letter is profound, yet simple.  Mysterious, yet clear enough for a child to understand it.  

John begins his letter urging Christians to believe in the one born on Christmas—"what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands.” God truly took on flesh and was able to be heard, and seen and touched. Yesterday, John urged us to follow the commands of the Christ, most importantly the command to love. If we continue to hate our brother, while claiming to be a disciple, we are deceiving ourselves. Love for God, love for Christ, love for our neighbor must characterize our life. 

Yet, as we heard today, we must not love the world. “For all that is in the world,” john says, “sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.” 

This is a hard message because the world is enticing and seductive. Who hasn’t allowed the world or the things of the world to distract us from loving God as we should?

Christmas is celebrated with such great joy, throughout the Christmas octave and Christmas season, we continue to reflect upon the event of God taking flesh, being born in a stable to the most holy Virgin, so that we may deepen our love for him, that when faced with the inevitable temptations and seductions of the world, we may cling to the Christ. 

Especially as we enter into a new year, we do well to identity an object or an activity, a pastime, that we need to love less, that we may love Christ more. 

To love Christ more: that is the gift God offers to each of us at Christmas. To love him more than the passing enticements of the world. And to allow that love to animate our lives, to form the way we treat others, to deepen our conviction for spreading his Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

That the joyful celebration of our Savior’s birth bring renewed conviction for Christ’s truth to the Pope, all bishops, clergy, and lay faithful.

That our President and all leaders of nations may protect and promote religious liberty for all. 

For the young people of our parish and school, that they may be blessed with faith-filled homes, centered on Christ Jesus, that they may not become enamored with the things of the world, but be encouraged to live for Him.

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 29 2020 - St. Thomas Becket - 850th Anniversary of Martyrdom

 From his youth, Thomas Becket was a good friend of King Henry II, and it was the King who nominated Thomas as archbishop of Canterbury.  But when the King began to overstep his authority and infringe upon the Church, Thomas opposed the king. Like Herod, in yesterday’s Gospel for the Holy Innocents, the king was filled with fury, and shouted “who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”  Four of his knights took these words literally, and killed the archbishop in his own cathedral.  

Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket. I was surprised to see in my news feed this morning, President Trump issued a proclamation today in honor of today’s saint, and offered some pretty poignant words. ““Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty. It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.”

Freedom is not a mere luxury or accident of history. I couldn’t have said it better myself. And I think the president touches upon the connection with this martyr’s death and Christmas.

For our salvation, our reconciliation with God, doesn’t just happen. It’s not an accident. Salvation comes through a savior, born into history, who makes choices and decisions, and suffers. In a sense, Thomas Becket and the Martyrs are living out the spirit of Christmas in their martyrdom. 

Sacrificed everything, opposing the wolves which seek to invade the fold of our shepherd. The Spirit of Christmas, lived authentically, leads us to witness to the one born on Christmas. It pits us against the spirit of the world, the spirit of darkness, which seeks to overcome the light of Christ. 

Thomas Becket, when those four knights with swords drawn approached him in his Cathedral said, “I am ready to die for God.  I am ready to die for the defense of justice. I am ready to die for the freedom of the Church. Would only that my lifeblood might purchase Her peace and freedom”.

Again, to quote our president, “A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God”

May we like St. Thomas Becket allow the grace of God, the grace of Christmas, to transform and animate our lives, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

That the joyful celebration of our Savior’s birth bring renewed conviction for Christ’s truth to the Pope, all bishops, clergy, and lay faithful.

That our President and all leaders of nations may protect and promote religious liberty for all. 

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 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

Holy Family 2020 - What makes a family holy

 

A few years ago, on the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis asked the world a simple question: “What makes a family holy?”

The Pope mentioned how holy families keep the faith amidst challenges and spread the faith to other families by setting good Christian example. And members of holy families support each other through challenges and are patient with each other. But at the top of his list, Pope Francis explains what makes holy families holy, is that they pray. And Pope Francis said,”.…I would like to ask you, dear families do you pray together from time to time as a family? Praying the Our Father together, around the table, is not something extraordinarily difficult: it’s easy. And praying the Rosary together, as a family, is very beautiful and a source of great strength!  And also praying for one another! The husband for his wife, the wife for her husband, both together for their children, the children for their grandparents….praying for each other.  This is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong: prayer.”

There can be no real holiness, either for oneself or ones family, without prayer. And the peace, and healing, and blessing, and guidance for family members who seem to be making one bad decision after another, patience with one another, and respect for one another, these things will only be obtained when they are prayed for, regularly.

Often in the confessional, when someone confesses that they are losing their temper with a particular family member, I recommend adding special prayers at the very beginning of the day, before you begin to interact with them. To pray honestly to God, “Lord, help me.  I’ve been arguing with my spouse a lot, we’ve been getting on each other’s nerves, we don’t seem to be listening to each other, we don’t seem to be understanding each other, as we should. Lord help me. Help us.  Lord give me patience to love my spouse as I should, to listen as I should, to understand as I should, to serve as I should. Lord help me. And help my spouse and I to build a holy family, to emulate the Holy Family and Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”

When family members commit to praying for each other—praying for the grace to love each other as they should and loving God as they should, that’s a huge step in the right direction, and a huge step in opening the life of the family to the grace and peace God wishes to give you. 

In the Collect for this feast of the Holy Family, we asked God to graciously grant us the ability to imitate the Holy family in practicing the virtues of family life. And constant, regular, devout prayer for each other is one of those virtues of family life that we need to take seriously. 

For Prayer enables us to love as we should—to love God, to love neighbor, to love our family, and to love our enemy, as we are called to as followers of Christ. As prayer diminishes, love will soon follow. Why? Because prayer opens the soul to receive the help we need from God. Prayer acknowledges that I cannot love as I should by my own power. 

Notice, in the Gospel for this feast day, we see Mary and Joseph going to God to bless their family. Mary and Joseph go to the Temple to offer the prescribed prayers and sacrifices to thank God for the safe delivery of their child, to ask God to bless their child and their family, asking God to help them to be good parents, to consecrate their child to God’s purposes. There’s a powerful petition parents do well to offer to God daily: Lord help my children to be consecrated to your purpose. That’s a prayer that should begin when the child is still in the womb: a mother’s prayer: “God, I consecrate this baby to your Holy Will”.

Notice, too, that it was in the Temple, as Mary and Joseph were being faithful to the prescribed religious precepts, that God’s will was made known to them for their child. Similarly, for all families it is always in the context of the devout practice of our faith that God’s will is made known. As families practice the precepts of the faith, together, they are bound more closely in the bonds of love. But, as families fall away from the devout practice of the faith, their fractures begin to intensify—they turn away from God’s will, and begin to focus on what they think will make them happy and whole. But, the human recipe for wholeness, divorced from God, will always bring frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness.

The family that prays together stays together. So, prays together in the home: before meals, before bed, maybe praying the angelus together at noon and six. Also, Pray for one another individually, privately, particularly at the beginning of the day. And pray together in church. I know husbands and wives who make a holy hour together every week, and can attest to the powerful blessings that flow from that hour kneeling in front of the blessed Sacrament together for their family. 

Families, too, that come up to church for confession together, unleash the power of the Lord’s mercy in their families. 

Speaking of confession. I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that I resumed offering confessions in the church months ago. It’s been kind of lonely in their on Saturday afternoons and Sundays between masses. I also added confessions on Monday evenings at 4:45 prior to the 5:30pm Monday Latin Mass. I go to confession at least once a month. I strongly recommend monthly confession to every Catholic. Again, what makes a family holy? A family who prays. And that act of confession, where members humbly approach the sacrament to acknowledge their failures to love each other as they should and to practice those virtues of family life as they should, is so powerful. You are going to see a lot of growth in holiness and peace in that family who confesses often, versus the family that can’t or won’t admit its mistakes to God.

In his reflections, Pope Francis summarized what makes a family holy, when he said,  “The family of Nazareth is holy: because it was centered on Jesus.” Prayer, the precepts of our faith, the humble acknowledgment of sin, and striving for virtue help us to remain centered on Jesus and enable us to grow in the holiness God wants for each of us. May all of the families of our parish and in our neighborhood grow in holiness by the same means, and may all members of the human family become united to God the Father through His Son for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Christmas 2020 - Celebrating the Nativity Despite the Encroaching Darkness

Despite the great turmoil out in the world this year (and the crummy weather), it is a great joy to be able to celebrate the birth of our savior with all of you either in person or virtually via live stream. 

The celebration of Christmas has interesting history. Soon after the end of the last great Christian persecution, about the year 330 AD, December 25 was designated for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Prior to that, predating the liturgical feast of the Nativity by at least a hundred years, Christians would gather every year for the Epiphany, when the wise men from the east brought gifts to the newborn savior. So, initially, Epiphany was a sort of proto-christmas In fact, it’s still on the feast of the Epiphany in many parts of the world is when gifts are exchanged, not today. Anyway, after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, the Popes designated December 25 as the liturgical feast to specifically celebrate the blessed hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold.

The popularity of the feast of Christmas spread as Christianity spread throughout the known world: Christmas came to Ireland through St Patrick around 461 AD, to England through St Augustine of Canterbury around 604 AD and to the German tribes through St Boniface in 754 who basically invented the Christmas tree. The Irish monks St Columban and St Call introduced Christmas to Switzerland and Western Austria in the 600s; the Scandinavians received it through St Ansgar around 865 AD. It was brought by the brothers St Cyril and Methodius to the Slavic people in 885 AD and to Hungary by St Adalbert in 997.

By about 1100 all of the nations of Europe had accepted Christianity and Christmas was celebrated everywhere with great devotion and joy. The period from the 12th to the 16th centuries saw the development of the many beautiful Christmas traditions we now hold dear. Carols and Christmas plays were written. Devotion to the Christmas Creche of course was spread by St. Francis and the Franciscans. In fact, things got so festive, that the Pope had to dial things back a bit, he had to outlaw dancing in church on Christmas, and dressing up in outlandish costumes and playing practical jokes in church.

The Protestant Reformation brought some changes to the Christmas traditions of Europe. There were some beautiful Christmas carols that came from the Protestants. But then came the English puritans. And the puritans wishing to purge any last vestige of Catholicism from their spiritual lives denounced Catholic Christmas overly worldly and heretical, and so they launched a sort of anti-Christmas campaign in England. For a short time, as they held significant power in England, the puritans outlawed Christmas in 1642. Most people ignored the ordinances.

The Puritans finding England hostile to their anti-Catholicism, sailed for these shores. And as you might have guessed, when the Puritans came over to America, they did everything they could to suppress any vestiges of Catholic Christmas. Christmas was banned in Massachusetts in 1659. And those puritan, anti-Catholic sentiments really persisted for many years in this country. In many places there could be no Christmas trees, wrapped presents or caroling. It was not until 1870 that Christmas was designated as a federal holiday. 

We can thank our german and irish and Italian Catholic immigrants for flooding this country and bringing with them all of the wonderful Catholic traditions, including of course, Christmas mass, and beloved carols, like Silent Night, translated from the original german in 1859. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish was founded in 1903 to be a home for all those immigrants who flooded Cleveland at the end of the 19th century. And, in many ways we are the descendants of those who saved Christmas in this country, infusing a very protestant and even puritan culture, with the beautiful traditions of Catholicism. And in a sense, we continue that mission don’t we?

For in 2020, For the first time in our lives, millions of Americans are being pressured by the government not to attend church for Christmas. In some states, heavy restrictions are being implemented. Will they be lifted? Maybe. Maybe this is one more phase of the war on Christmas, the war on Christ. Every year we hear stories of Christians gathered for Christmas in Africa, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey who fall victim to violent attacks and bombings. In the Middle East, more than 1 million Christians in Saudi Arabia are unable to participate in worship. Even the Vatican seems a bit reluctant to address the government infringement upon the Church in China, likely for fear of the Chinese Communists launching a new campaign of martyrdom. 

The powers of darkness hate Christmas, the powers of darkness will always be bent upon stifling Christmas. Even in these last decades, we’ve seen materialism take on greater and greater importance. Even to turn St. Nicholas, a catholic bishop who preached the true humanity of Christ, into this neo-pagan god of winter. Santa is more beloved than the Christ Child by a great portion of the population. And that’s not right. But it makes our gathering to worship the Son of God being born in the piercing cold of midnight so important. 

We need to know that God is with us, in this troubled, frightened, war-torn, disease-ridden world. And Christmas celebrates that a savior is for born for you who is Christ and Lord. In the immortal words of that great theologian, Linus Van Pelt: “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” “A savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.”

The Word has been made flesh and has made his dwelling among us. He is born for us and so struggles with us, he grieves with us, he suffers with us, and he whispers “do not be afraid” when the powers of darkness begin to encroach upon us. The light of Bethlehem overcomes the darkness of the world. The love of Bethlehem overcomes the piercing cold of selfishness.

Across two thousand years, Christmas brings joy and hope and consolation. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what your circumstances, this what matters: “A savior has been born for you” “The Word is made flesh” And that’s something worth celebrating. 

And Catholics celebrate, not simply as popular culture dictates or how any world government deems what is appropriate, we celebrate as Catholics have celebrated for 2000 years, with as much beauty, and music, and food, and family, and decorations, we can muster, and of course holy mass—Christ Mass—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 23 2020 - E-R-O C-R-A-S

 

Just two days prior to Christmas, we read from the prophet Malachi. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament Prophets. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before him, Malachi foretold how a Savior would come to redeem us and usher in the kingdom of God’s peace.

He also spoke of the events that would occur just prior to the arrival of the Messiah. There would be a forerunner to prepare his way, a messenger to point out to God’s people that the Messiah is coming soon. And in the Gospel, we read about the birth of the forerunner, John, who would preach from the banks of the Jordan, calling Israel to repent, to prepare their hearts for the imminent arrival of the Savior.

The final O Antiphon today sings of the Messiah as Emmanuel, the awaited Savior of the nations. All the nations of the earth look for him and long for him. Christians among every nation on the planet prepares today for the celebration of the Saviors birth. But also, the antiphon is saying that even those who do not believe in Christ, still long for him—they are looking for him in all the wrong places, worshiping false idols, engaging in immoral actions which are unfulfilling substitutes for right worship. And so Christians, like John the Baptist, have this mission, this duty to announce to the nations that the One whom they long for, his Christ. And judging how hard headed and obstinate the current generation seems—we need to be clear and persevering and also subtle and creative in this mission.

That’s why I love singing those O Antiphons, they are clear of who the Messiah is and what he comes to do. But there is also a subtle hidden meaning inside the O Antiphons. If you take the first letter of each of those latin titles for the Messiah – S for Sapientia, the wisdom of God, A for Adonai, R for Radix, the Root of Jesse, C for Clavis, the Key of David, O for Oriens, the rising star, R for Rex, the King of the Nations, and E for Emmanuel, and then you reverse the order, the letters spell out the words Ero Cras—which means—I will be here tomorrow. Creative and Clear at the same time, just like we are supposed to be, in announcing the coming of the Messiah, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - 

Please respond to each of these petitions, “Come Lord Jesus”

May Christ, the Wisdom which comes from the mouth of God, guide us in knowledge and love.

May Christ, Adonai, 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, and salvation to N. 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.

 

December 22 2020 - Advent Magnificat

 

These final days of Advent are particularly Marian. Her faith, her wonder, her humility help us to prepare well, with faith, wonder, and humility, for the celebration of the Nativity. Yesterday, we heard how, after the annunciation, she in haste goes in charity to help her cousin Elizabeth. When Mary arrived, we heard of the incredible wonder of Elizabeth, a wonder that even filled John the Baptist in utero, who leapt in joy. 

Mary’s own wonder, joy, and gratitude erupts into this great song of praise to God, her Magnificat. 

Since Seminary, I’ve prayed the Magnificat every day. The Canticle of Mary as it is sometimes called, is part of the Church’s official Evening Prayer, prayed every day by priests and religious on behalf of the Church all over the world.  No matter what time of day it is, two things are true.  Somewhere in the world a priest is celebrating Mass, and he is praying his breviary.  So along with the other prayers of the Church, the Magnificat is being sung all day, every day throughout the world.  

I’ve known priests to burst into the Magnificat at times of great joy in their own lives. This is possible because they’ve internalized the words of our Lady here.  The memorization of a prayer, a pslam, or another line of scripture can be a powerful thing, and can help us give expression to our religious sentiments.

In fact, Mary’s Magnificat was a paraphrasing of an earlier line of scripture from the first book of Samuel—called the canticle of Hannah.  Hannah, who was barren, conceived in her old age, offers a song of thanksgiving to God because she bore a son despite her barrenness.  She praises God as the helper of the weak, who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly, and who alone is the source of true strength. The Canticle of Hannah was richly inspired by earlier verses of scripture,  from the Torah.

Throughout Advent I’ve been recommending sitting down daily with the Scriptures, for in them we find sentiments which open up new vistas in our soul’s relationship with God. The Scriptures help us to put into words the ineffable—the experience of God that is often beyond words. It deepens the soul—making our relationship with God less superficial.

Mary’s Magnificat is a result of a matured faith—one that has pondered the words and works of God—and has acted upon them. 

In these last Advent days, take the time, perhaps to memorize a line of scripture that gives expression to what you are going through and consider how God is speaking to you through that line of his holy word, what he is asking of you, how he is calling you to respond with deeper faith that your soul along with Our Lady’s may magnify his holy name for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - -  

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

That all peoples of the earth may come to believe in God as the source of all life, goodness, and blessing.

For the protection of the unborn, and the overturning of all laws lacking respect for the dignity of human life.

That those struggling with winter depression or addiction may find peace and joy in Christ.

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 21 2020 - Christ, the Rising Light

  

Throughout the church year, we do not read very often from the Song of Songs, yet this book has been the favorite of many great Saints.  The Song of Songs has been called “the Great Love Story between God and the Soul”, yet, it is the only book of the Bible that never once mentions the name of God.  But when you read it, with the eyes of faith, you find God everywhere, in the symbolism of this book’s poetry and song-like dialogues.  

Song of Songs is a series of love poems about a Bride and her Groom.  The traditional Jewish interpretation identifies the Groom as the God and the Bride as the people of Israel.  It’s no surprise then how early Christian interpreters saw the Song of Songs fulfilled by Jesus—in his love for the Church. Saint Paul refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ several times.  

In just a few short verses, we realize that the Bride and Groom in the Song of Songs are passionately in love.  And so, what an appropriate reading for Advent, no? For as two lovers joyfully anticipate being in each other’s presence, calling out to each other, speaking their desire for each other, so the Church joyfully and passionately awaits Christ: “Hark! my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.”

He rises over the mountains, much like the rays of the morning sun. Which is why, in the O Antiphon for today, the Church calls out to Christ, “O Oriens” O Rising Sun, O Radiant Dawn, come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. On this, the darkest day of the year, the day of the winter solstice, the Church announces Christ as the rising light.  

I hope your advent preparations have helped you encounter this God who loves you.  I hope you have encountered Him as light that pierces through the darkness of your life.  Each of us have struggles, anxieties, darkness.  The relationship with Christ may not eliminate the darkness from your life, but in Christ we encounter the light shining in the darkness, a love which accompanies us amidst all of our worldly trials. So we must look for him and listen for him especially in the darkness and quiet of prayer!

Rejoice, the Lord, our Lover is coming to meet us. Let us open our arms and hearts to Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - 

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

That those in the darkness of error and faithlessness may be enlightened by the light of Christ through the witness of the Church

For the protection of the unborn, and the overturning of all laws lacking respect for the dignity of human life.

That those struggling with winter depression or addiction may find light and peace and joy in Christ.

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. 

4th Sunday of Advent 2020 - Advent Angelus

One of the most striking features of our beautiful church of St. Ignatius of Antioch is our magnificent bell tower. It is the tallest church bell tower in the diocese of Cleveland, 240 feet tall. You can see the tower from miles away; you can hear it ringing from miles away as well. 

Every day, as you might have noticed the Church bells ring at 12noon 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. For many centuries throughout the Catholic world, it has been tradition to stop what you are doing, when you hear the Church bells at those hours, and to pray. A nice way to keep the day directed to the glory of God. The bells ringing at 6, noon, and 6, in fact, are known as the Angelus Bells, because of the particular prayer, known as the Angelus, which is offered at those hours. 

If you don’t know the Angelus, it’s very easy to learn. It consists of three little antiphons each followed by a Hail Mary, and then it concludes with a short prayer that is used on this 4th Sunday of Advent, the Collect Prayer that preceded the liturgy of the word. This 4th Sunday of Advent could be called Angelus Sunday, because our readings and liturgical prayers are the inspiration for the Angelus Prayer.

The Angelus Prayer begins Angelus Domini, Nuntiavit Mariae, The Angel of the Lord announced to Mary, and she conceived by of the holy spirit.  And  like I said, the Hail Mary, is then prayed. Then Ecce Ancilla Domini, Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy Word. And then another Hail Mary. And finally, Et Verbum Caro factum est. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And then the third Hail Mary. 

I’ve been praying the Angelus Prayer every day for many, many years, since seminary. I usually wake up a few minutes before 6am, and so I pray it first thing in the morning. Even when I sleep in a little bit, it’s the first prayer I offer each day. 

The Angelus is a very important prayer because it calls to mind one of the most important events of human history. It was an event that God had been planning for thousands and thousands of years—a collaboration between angels, humans and the Three Persons of the Trinity. The Angelus reminds us of this amazing plan of God to save humanity from sin and death. 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—The Word 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.

Praying the Angelus opens our mind and soul to this most important event, for one, to give God honor, and two, so we don’t begin to forget, and take it for great it for granted. So we’ll continue to ring those Angelus bells, to announce to the neighborhood our belief in the incarnation of Christ, as long as we’re here, for those bells pierce through the secular noise, don’t they, and at least for a moment, remind the religious and non-religious alike, of the world of faith.

One of the most repeated requests I received upon being made pastor of St. Ignatius was to reintroduce the ringing of the bells during Mass. We ring them, these days, when we are fortunate enough to have an altar server or someone to ring them. 

The ringing of the bells during Mass is tied to the Angelus. The first time the bells are rung at Mass, is during the epiclesis, when the priest calls down the Holy Spirit over the gifts, just like that first line of the Angelus taken from our Gospel today, when the Holy Spirit descends upon the Blessed Mother. The second and the third time they ring, they call our attention to the fact that the Word who took flesh in womb of the Blessed Virgin, is now present in our midst, when bread and wine are really and truly transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.

So, the ringing of the bells during mass, is not just for aesthetical reasons or that we want mass to be noiser or more musical. Rather, they are part of the rich tapestry of our faith, that helps us to respond to what God has done for our salvation, and what God continues to do, for us. 

And that’s what Advent is all about, no? What Christmas is all about: being mindful and grateful and celebrating what God has done, and what he continues to do, and responding accordingly.

Pope Benedict reflected upon this sentiment, wroting, “Though it is God who takes the initiative of coming to dwell in the midst of men, and he is always the main architect of this plan, it is also true that he does not will to carry it out without our active cooperation. Therefore, to prepare for Christmas means to commit oneself to build 'God's dwelling with men.' 

That’s why the Christian people takes such pride in building such beautiful churches with church bells and bell towers, to signal God’s dwelling with humanity. 

Every Sunday, at noon, the Pope gives a short little Angelus lesson. And last year, on this 4th Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis urged us to emulate Mary in this task and mission of cooperating with God’s plan and ask her help. Pope Francis said, “we admire our Mother for her response to God’s call to mission, we ask her to help each of us to welcome God’s plan into our lives with sincere humility and brave generosity.”

Every Christian essentially has the vocation of Mary—how we see Mary responding to God in the Gospel today—to respond to God with total faith, total surrender, that we may become a dwelling place for God. 

I can’t recommend strongly enough to pray the Angelus, at least once a day, if not thrice a day. If you don’t live within earshot of a church, you might consider setting alarms on your phone to remind you to pray at 6 noon and 6. For it will certainly help your life to be more deeply infused with grace. Who of us couldn’t use a little bit more mindfulness of the angels, our lady, and the Holy Trinity?

There’s the famous movie line that “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings”. It’s really not theologically accurate. There isn’t a room of wingless angels waiting on us to ring our church bells. Rather, every time a bell rings, we are being reminded in a beautiful, angelic manner, to respond to God with the surrender and trust and faith of Blessed Virgin, the Queen of Angels, and Mother of Our Lord. We are being reminded to become, like her, Arks for God, tabernacles for God, dwelling places for God—to stop whatever we’re doing for a moment to make sure that we are building God’s dwelling and following God’s plan.

May the final days of Advent take on the profound characteristics of the Angelus—openness to visitation from the angels, profound trust and humility and surrender to the will of God, and for greater openness to the Lord Jesus taking flesh in our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 18 2020 - O Adonai (School Mass)

 

Yesterday, began that wonderful part of the church year called “late Advent” the seven days leading up to Christmas. And on each of the days of late Advent, as you heard just prior to the Gospel, was the ancient chant called the “O Antiphon”. Each day of late Advent uses one of the O Antiphons to call upon God, to bless us, and teach us, to lead us. It is typically sung in latin, because that was the language of the Church when the O Antiphons were composed. And that’s the great thing about Catholicism, we use latin, Greek, Hebrew, and our own native tongues to praise God, and for Christians in Cleveland that might be English, Spanish, Italian, german, Arabic, and others. All the people of the world are called to gather together to worship the One True God.

And that’s what today’s O Antiphon is all about. Today’s O Antiphon is one of the rare days where we call upon God with one of his Hebrew titles from the Old Testament, we called him, “O Adonai” . Adonai is one of the Hebrew titles for God which calls upon him as the Lord of all Creation. The whole O Antiphon said, “O Adonai, O Lord God and Leader of the House of Israel” who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the law of the covenant on mount Sinai, come with your outstretched arm to redeem us all. 

This O Antiphon calls to mind that the One True God and Lord of all creation, appeared to Moses in the burning bush and commissioned Moses to free the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. That same Lord of all Creation then gave Moses the 10 commandments, so that the people that he just freed from physical slavery could live free from slavery to the ways of evil and sin. The O Antiphon calls upon Adonai, the Lord of Creation to come and save us and redeem us.

I really love these O Antiphons and I sing them every day, because they really help us to prepare for and remember what Christmas is all about. It is about God, the one true God, and Lord of all Creation, who frees people from slavery and sin, taking on human flesh, becoming one of us, to save us and redeem us. And not just a particular people, who speak only one particular language, but rather, all the people of the earth. All the people of the earth are called to know him, believe in him, and love him. 

To all of our school families, I pray that your Christmas breaks may be blessed with a deep and abiding love for the Christ Child, our Adonai, our Emmanuel, our savior and redeemer, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

That the Pope Francis, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the scattered peoples of the earth. 

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.

3rd Week of Advent 2020 - Wednesday - God chooses the unlikely

 Throughout the Scriptures, God is constantly choosing unexpected people to guide and lead and shepherd and deliver his people. God chose Moses despite the fact that Moses was reluctant and also a murderer. God chose Gideon, a fear-driven wimp, to lead his army. God chose Rahab, a prostitute, to bring about a victory. God chose David, a little shepherd boy, to slay the mighty Goliath. 

Our first reading today is part of a prophecy in which Isaiah is explaining how God is going to use Cyrus, a pagan king, to deliver Israel from its Babylonian captivity. Cyrus is certainly an unlikely character to be chosen as God’s anointed—after all, he wasn’t even Jewish. 

And in the reading today Isaiah is kind of explaining why exactly God often uses these unlikely, strange, weak people to do his will. Namely, because “I am the LORD, there is no other”. To show his might, God chooses the weak and the unexpected. He doesn’t even need to choose a member of the chosen people to do his will. He’s God, and can choose anyone as his instrument.

Hence in the Gospel, even John the Baptist, just wants to make sure that Jesus truly is the One. After all, John knows, that Jesus comes from a pretty unassuming background. He probably knows that he was born in a stable, and raised in the tiny village of Nazareth, by a humble carpenter. He’s so unlikely. And we encounter many people in the Gospels who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah precisely because he is so unlikely. 

And so when approached by John’s disciples, the Lord says, do you want to know who I am? Look at my works-- the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised…the prophecies of old are being fulfilled in your midst, God is at work, the signs speak for themselves.

Up until now, a lot of our Advent readings have been about the need to prepare our souls for the Lord’s coming through prayer and penance and good works. But, we’ve arrive at that point in Advent where our readings are starting to focus on the identity of the Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is fully God and fully Man. He is the Messiah. And we are presented with a choice, the world is presented with a choice: will you believe in Him or not. Will you believe that God could become Man, born in a stable, to a virgin, in the piercing cold at midnight, or not?

And making that choice, we come to discover that God also continues to choose the unlikely, strange, weak people of the earth to do his will….us. He wishes to use us, to make his glory known, to make the name of Jesus resound throughout the earth. May we be faithful to this calling, trusting that God knows what he is doing, in calling us to do his will, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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.

3rd Week of Advent 2020 - Tuesday - Conversion leads to joy

 Both of our readings today contain the common theme of contrasting responses to God.

On one hand, in our first reading, we have the rebellious city of Jerusalem whose inhabitants at the time had fallen into idolatry and grave infidelity to God. She had been sent prophets, calling her to conversion, but she refused to listen: “She hears no voice, accepts no correction; In the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near.” What a great line! On the other hand, Zephaniah speaks a word of hope to the faithful remnant of Israel, the people humble and lowly who headed the call of the prophets: “they shall not be disturbed”. The older I get, that promise of not being disturbed appears better and better.

Then in the Gospel, we also hear contrasting responses in the parable of the two sons. One son, who gives God “lip service” and one who gives “actual service”. The two sons are symbolic of the Jews of Jesus’ day. There were those who appeared to be saying “no” to God with their actions, the tax-collectors and prostitutes, but upon hearing the call to repentance preached by John the Baptist and by Jesus himself, turned their life over to God. 

And there were many who claimed to be saying “yes” to God, namely the Temple hierarchy, who when hearing the call to change and to believe in Jesus, they reject conversion and faith.

Half-way through Advent now, we’ve called for the Lord to enter into our life in a radical way many times now: “Come, Come Emmanuel”, “Come, Lord Jesus Come”, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”, we’ve prayed for God to draw near to us, but we also recognize our need to draw near to God, through increased prayer, conversion and repentance, and acts of mercy.

Those who do draw near to God, shall be like those humble poor in the responsorial psalm: the praise of God fills their mouth, they look to God, and they shall be radiant with joy. Hopefully, in your advent prayer, and advent acts of charity, you’ve already had a taste of that deep abiding joy, I hope you have.

For the the Lord wishes to transform our brokenheartedness and hardheartedness into joy, but to do so, we must not just give God lip-service, but real service, in fervent prayer, sincere repentance, and devoted acts of charity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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 14 2020 - St. John of the Cross - The Secret Stairway to God

 

St. John of the Cross was born in Spain in 1542 and became a Carmelite friar at the age of 21 and ordained at 25.  He was thoroughly trained in theology especially the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas.  John dedicated himself to reforming his religious order which had grown lax in its observance of Gospel simplicity.  He was met with misunderstanding and opposition—a group of his Carmelite brothers imprisoned him in a small, stifling room, six feet by ten feet, letting him out only to make him kneel in the refectory during meals, where he would be subjected to beatings by his brothers.  

Yet, while holed up in his tiny prison cell, John began to compose verses of poetry in his mind, for he had neither pen nor paper.  And these poems constitute not only some of the gems of Spanish literature but some of the most eloquent articulations of the Catholic spiritual tradition— expressing in his prison- the ecstasy of mystical union with God.

While in this experience of captivity, John came to understand that the things of the world, of which he was deprived, are in the end, inadequate for the soul’s deepest longing for union with God.  

Like St. Augustine, John of the Cross understood that the human soul, like a great cavern, is infinitely deep—and can only be satisfied by the infinite one. And we are restlessly dissatisfied in this world when we seek to fill the infinitely deep cavern of our souls merely with the finite goods and pleasures of the world. 

His captivity, was not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, he came to discover it as a blessing, because it helped him to focus his life, like a beam of light being focused into a laser, to pursue and experience God. With the clutter of the world of things removed from his life, his soul was drawn to God like a magnet. In fact, he called, this way of deprivation of things and distractions from his life, "the secret stairway" or "secret ladder" to God.

What a wonderful Advent Saint. For all Christians, like John, are meant to make good use of the Advent season, by removing the clutter of worldliness in order to pursue Christ in prayer and good works. For some of us, it’s difficult at first, turning away from the worldly habits, but when we do in fact, willingly enter into the silence, we find our soul freely running toward God, being drawn by God into union. “in the dark night of the soul”, he write, “bright flows the river of God”. 

Through the example and heavenly intercession of St. John of the Cross, as we await the Advent of Christ, may we be stripped of all that keeps us from the union and sanctification God desires for each one of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

 

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

That through self-denial and embrace of the cross the Christian people may experience ever-deeper union with Christ and a more faithful proclamation of the Gospel.

For the members of the Carmelite Order, that their life of prayer and penance will be for the Church a source of renewal and strength.

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.

3rd Sunday of Advent 2020 - Undeniable Joy

 

Joy is the virtue most associated with Christmas.  And liturgically, the Church shows that we can barely hold back our joy that Christmas is so near.  Even in the priest’s vestments and the third candle on the advent wreath, we combine purple, the advent Color, and white, the Christmas color, to give us the rose color that is unique to this Gaudete Sunday. We rejoice, for the Lord is near.

What is joy?  C.S. Lewis, the wonderful Christian author, well-known for his “Chronicles of Narnia”, books like “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” wrote a sort of spiritual autobiography, in which he details his conversion to Christianity from Atheism—a book titled “Surprised by Joy”. In it, Lewis describes how every human being who’s ever existed desires joy—we crave it, we are on an eternal quest for joy—an insight certainly consistent with the likes of Augustine and Aquinas.  Yet, joy, Lewis admits, seems to be the most elusive of the virtues: we are all searching for it, but few seem to find enduring joy.  The authentically and fully joyful person is rare.  

Lewis explains that joy is often so elusive and hard to find, because so many people are looking for joy “out there”— in things—as if joy can be acquired if I just obtain the right object, or the right amount of cash in my bank account, in some earthly thing or activity or set of circumstances. Earthly pleasures are inadequate substitutes for the joy was so long for. 

This is why I think we are sort of relieved when Christmas is over.  We become so focused on the earthly busyness—shopping, decorating, and baking, and the material things like playstations, and televisions and new wardrobe, that when everything is over we are left exhausted.  

No, “Joy does not come from out there,” Lewis says, rather “Joy comes from in here.”  Joy comes into the heart when we are in right relationship with God—joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Only when the heart is firmly planted in Christ and doing the works of Christ, will the fruit of joy truly bloom.

No doubt the saints are the great exemplars of Joy. I think, particularly of St. Clare of Assisi. Saint Clare is a great example of one who knew that joy is not found in things but in falling in love with Christ.  Clare was the modern day equivalent of a princess: living in a castle, betrothed to a prince, she had every material thing should could have wanted—fancy dresses, servants to wait on her.  Yet, she, like St. Francis, gave up all of her earthly possessions in order to possess true joy through a life of prayer—by learning to keep the focus of her heart, not on a million passing things, but on the one thing—the one person that matters most.  

The cloistered nuns over on Rocky River Dr, the Poor Clares follow the example of St. Clare, they live in cloister—separate from the world of things—to dedicate themselves to prayerful adoration of the Lord.  These nuns, the Poor Clares, through the Vows of their Religious Profession, consecrate their entire lives to Adoring Jesus Christ  in the Eucharist, as St. Clare did in simplicity, prayer, penance, and seclusion. 

This group of women, the Poor Clares along with the hundreds of cloistered orders around the world, from an earthly point of view, should be very sad.  They don’t have any money, the sisters individually don’t have bank accounts or a check book. The sisters don’t have any personal possessions—they’ve probably never even held a cell phone or ipad or watched Netflix.  They aren’t free to go out to the movie theater or to a baseball game or to the opera or to take a vacation to the Bahamas or Disney World.  

From an earthly point of view, the Poor Clares should have no joy.  But yet—they’re full of joy—they are always smiling, they are always laughing, they always have an uplifting, encouraging word—you count yourself blessed for having met them.

Sure, the accumulation of things and degrees and awards and notoriety bring us some passing satisfaction.  But the poor Clares and many like them are full of joy not because of what they obtained out there, but cultivating of fiery love for Jesus Christ in here. 

Another important thing to remember about Joy is that it Joy is a virtue, that means it increases and increases the more we practice it and cultivate it.  

I heard of a young priest, newly ordained, who was considering leaving the priesthood, because after less than a year he hadn’t developed perfect joy. Visiting the sick and teaching catechism and celebrating the sacraments didn’t bring him this ecstasy that he thought it was going to. The honeymoon phase was over, as we say. But, the older priests will tell you that, joy doesn’t just happen overnight, it is cultivated, and must be done patiently. 

Real joy is obtained only after persevering through a period of dryness, remaining faithful to God in the midst of the spiritual battle, when we resist the temptation to seek our happiness in those passing satisfactions. 

Joy is possible. Our religion works, if you work it. As they say. 

I saw a recently published study about mental health in our country after a these months and months of COVID. The article examined the mental health and experience of depression amongst different segments of our current society, and it was abundantly clear that the one real group in this country whose mental health is pretty good right now are people who go to church every week and pray every day. 

How is this possible? Because our religion works. Our faith puts us in contact with the source of joy and helps us identify the attitudes and behaviors that diminish joy. Christians take St. paul at his word, when he writes, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks” and we find that it works. 

Fasting from things you don’t need. Persevering daily in prayer. Even in difficult times turning to God with grateful hearts for the blessings which fill our lives. Finding new and creative ways to engage in the works of charity despite our limitations, it works.  It brings a joy that can’t be found in a pill or a playstation. You see less divorce among Catholics who go to Church every Sunday, you see less drug use and alcoholism, you see less addiction, and this new report shows that you see less mental health decline during a time of turmoil. 

Now that doesn’t mean we have less drama, or less tragedy, or less suffering, in fact, maybe just the opposite. And yet, fidelity to the doctrines and practices of our faith brings a resiliency and a joy that even the scientific community finds intriguing. 

Joy is a net which catches souls. It is the undeniable sign of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. So cultivate joy. Pray daily. Persevere through the dry times. Don’t stop praying just because it gets hard. Practice the works of charity. Don’t stop looking for ways to give and to help those in need just because COVID places certain limitations on our activity. God provides plenty of opportunities for us to grow in Joy even during times of captivity and persecution.

Throughout these final weeks of Advent, may the Holy Spirit free us from all that diminishes our joy, may he preserve us throughout times of discouragement, that we may cultivate true, authentic, and undeniable Christian joy as we await the coming of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

2nd Week of Advent 2020 - Friday - The many responses to Jesus

Throughout the Gospels, we see many different responses to the Lord and his call to conversion. Some, like the Apostles, drop everything they are doing to follow Jesus—they put their earthly business on hold, even walking away from it entirely, in order to follow Jesus. Some, fall at his feet to be healed by him, some climb trees to see him, some go to extreme lengths to bring others to him, like the men who lower their friend through the roof to get near him.

And then some, we know question him, try to trap him in logical arguments, and try to prove him wrong, to be a fool or liar or a madman. Some, of course, will seek to silence him and conspire against him to put him to death, as they know that his truth is a threat to their worldly power. In the Gospel today, we hear how some called him a drunkard and a glutton, seeking to discredit him.

For the most part, the name of Jesus has spread to every corner of the earth. And as it was in the Lord’s own day, so, too now, there are many responses to him. Some, recognize his truth and make his Gospel the guiding principal of their lives. Some worship him and seek him wholeheartedly and prayerfully, and strive to bring others into his presence. Some wrestle with him, like Jacob wrestling with God, they are aware of his teaching, but they just don’t want to submit; they are seeking the truth but still haven’t arrived there yet. And then, like those in the Gospel, some mock him, seeking to discredit him, so that they can ignore his teaching, and go on with their lives.

We are nearly two full weeks into the holy season of Advent, and our scripture readings challenge us in a way, to consider how we are responding to Him, to promise of His return, to the call to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls for Christmas. Are we taking the Lord’s call to repentance seriously, or are we dismissing it, thinking we know better, so we don’t have to change? 

For many in our world, the beginning of Advent has made absolutely no difference in their spiritual lives. Sure they are shopping more, and putting up decorations of Santa and reindeer, but, their preparation from Christmas is entirely secular. For them Christmas is not about Christ, it’s about make-believe, trying to capture or evoke some emotion. Santa becomes a sort of pagan god of winter, rather than a Catholic saint who did everything he could to point others to Christ. 

We do well to examine our response to the Advent call of Christ. Are we running toward him, are we running away from him, are we standing idly, lazily, dismissingly? 

May we, alert and with lighted lamps, hasten to meet him, to know him, love him, and follow him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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 2020 - Wednesday - Rejuvenation for the weary

On the second Sunday of Advent we heard Isaiah’s prophecy that the Lord would bring comfort to Israel. “Comfort, comfort to my people…for your captivity is at an end”. Remember, Israel had entered the harshest darkest winter of its history, at least since the time of the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt. Ready your souls, Isaiah announced, for God is about to draw you close to Himself.

Today’s reading continues that very same chapter, chapter 40 of Isaiah, where Isaiah continues to explain how God will bring strength and rejuvenation and vigor to Israel. In fact, Isaiah describes a sort of supernatural strength: the people of Israel will run and not grow weary, they’ll soar, as the wings of eagles.

In the Gospel today, the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the one who will grant this strength. The Lord says, come to me, and I will give you rest. Here we have another inadequate English translation of the original Greek. For in the Greek, the Lord doesn’t just say I will give you “rest”, but rather, I will give you “rejuvenation”, “renewed strength”. 

So, as we find so often in our Advent Scripture readings, in the first reading we have the promise, and in the Gospel, we have the Lord showing how he is the fulfillment of that promise. Gos promises strength to the weary, and in Christ he gives strength.  Through the sacraments and in imitation of his goodness, we are given tremendous strength to endure these cold, harsh times.

This year, more than ever, I think we commiserate with Israel in the experience of weariness and captivity. We feel captive to forces which seem beyond our control. Many experience real captivity stuck in their houses either out of fear or real concern for their health. Captivity is wearing. The experience of wanting things to change but feeling powerless to do so, is wearing. 

Which makes the Lord Jesus’ promise all the more important—which makes Advent all the more important. This is the time for the Church’s rejuvenation through Christ. In our weariness, we are to turn to Christ, running toward him in prayer and good works. It’s not like we don’t have the time.

Sadly, many are so discouraged, and honestly, improperly formed in their faith, that they aren’t turning to God as they should. They aren’t developing the sort of prayer lives that CAN be a real source of rejuvenation in Christ. They aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of others, and they are sadder for it, and more weary for it.

We lift up the souls of all the discouraged and the weary today, that the Lord may break into their lives, perhaps even using us as his instruments of His Advent, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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 8 2020 - Immaculate Conception - God could do it, He saw its fittingness, He did do it

About seven hundred years ago, there was a little Franciscan Friar by the name of John Duns Scotus, teaching Theology at the University of Paris, probably the most important school in the world in the 1300s.  One day, one of his students asked him to explain the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and he said simply, in Latin of course,” potuit, decuit, ergo fecit”.Four simple words.  God could do it, it was fitting and decent that he would do it; therefore, he did it.

Could God preserve Mary from all stain of original sin from the moment of her conception?  Absolutely.  The Archangel Gabriel in the Gospel today said it perfectly: “nothing is impossible for God”.  

Was it fitting? When we consider the fittingness of something we do not deny that God could have done things otherwise. It is fitting that “he who was like us in all things but sin” would draw his humanity from one who is sinless. 

Did he do it?  Yes!  Not only is it the consistent teaching of the Church for nearly two thousand years, but we have biblical evidence for the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. When Gabriel met Mary, he greets her with a very specific word, a very unique word. “Hail, full of grace!” is a somewhat inadequate translation of the Greek word kecharitomene, a word not found anywhere else in scripture. The Greek word is literally translated “she who has been made and continues to be full of grace”. 

It would have been strange for Gabriel to greet a woman who had Original Sin that she was made and continues to be full of grace.  Rather, Gabriel rightly describes Our Lady’s spiritual ontology here. She was made full of God’s grace at the moment of her conception, and she has not lost grace, as did Adam and Eve through sin, but has continued to remain full of grace throughout her life. 

St. Ambrose, whose feast we celebrated yesterday, said beautifully, “Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled but a Virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free of every stain of sin.”

Why is this an important feast for the Church to celebrate? Well, it is right and just to celebrate the mighty and wonderful works of God, and Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, is the greatest thing God has ever created. A human creature with a heart and a soul and a body so full of grace she is worthy to become the mother of God. And if that were the only reason, it would still be fitting for the Church to establish a solemnity, the highest class of liturgical feast, to celebrate the Immaculate Conception.

We honor her also because she is an image of hope, and icon of hope. Our Lady shows us what humanity looks like when it is fully conformed to God. Perfect faith, perfect hope, perfect charity, perfect surrender to the will of God, perfect selflessness. By applying the fruits of Christ’s redemption to Mary from the moment of her conception, God has made her whole life an icon of what he will one day do for all of us.

Mary thus shows us what we an be–and will become–as a result of Christ’s death on the Cross, if we only persevere in the Christian life.

May God be praised on this great feast of his greatest work. And may Our Lady help us this day and all days be conformed like her to her Son for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will help us all to reach the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  

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

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families. 

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.  

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, 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.

December 7 2020 - St. Ambrose - Drinking deeply of the Word

 

Ambrose was of the Roman nobility, trained in the classics, a poet, and a noted orator made governor of the northern Italian city of Milan.  And in the year 370, while Ambrose was the Roman governor of Milan, the bishop died, and a heated argument erupted over who would be the next bishop.  Ambrose tried to resolve this dispute, and his oratory struck such a chord with the people that someone shouted out, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The orator was speechless, for he had no intention of being bishop, let alone a priest, he wasn’t ordained…he wasn’t even baptized, for he was still a catechumen preparing for baptism.  

He resisted, claiming that he was unworthy, but the people continued to acclaim, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The people prevailed, mostly because Ambrose wanted to preserve peace.  So on December 7 of that year, he was baptized, and was consecrated a bishop, a week later.  He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church.  

In his autobiography, the Confessions, St. Augustine talks about the impact of St. Ambrose upon his life. For years, Augustine had searching for the Truth, but not no avail. He wandered from one strange philosophy to another, even into the strange Gnostic cults like the Manicheas. 

The great turning point in Augustine’s life was during his stay in Milan. There he heard the preaching and teaching of the holy bishop St. Ambrose. Ambrose, by living an exemplary life worthy of Augustine’s admiration, was able to attract Augustine to the truth and goodness of the Christian Gospel.

In order to share the truth we must be grounded in the Word of God. St. Ambrose, as bishop, urged his priests to dedicate their free time to reading and studying the scriptures. Listen to Ambrose’s advice to his priests: “Drink, then, from Christ, so that your voice may be heard….He who reads much and understands much receives his fill.  He who is full, refreshes others.”

Having drunk deeply from the Word of God, St. Ambrose’s life was full of the life and truth of God, who through him, was able to touch the life of a searcher, like Augustine. 

What a perfect Advent saint and model for all of us. Like Our Lady, Ambrose said yes to God in a major moment in his life. And like Our Lady, Ambrose continued to say yes to God daily, sitting down with the scriptures in his lap, drinking deeply from the word of God.

May our lives and the Church be governed by the courage and wisdom which governed and filled the heart of St. Ambrose, doctor of the Church, that through us, Christ the Lord might draw others to himself for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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

That the teaching and preaching of the Pope and all bishops and clergy will be founded firmly upon the full truth of the Word of God. 

That all those who wander in error, far from the Gospel of Christ, may be led through the preaching and example of the Christian people to the fullness of faith. 

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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 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.

2nd Sunday of Advent 2020 - Advent Courage

Above the front steps of our beautiful church are statues of the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Do you know which one is which? You can indeed tell them apart by the symbols associated with them. St. John, is depicted with the eagle, because his Gospel begins soaring in the heavens, “in the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God”…in heaven. The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is an ox, because Luke’s Gospel begins with the story of Zechariah, the Levitical priest, who would offer such oxen as sacrifices in the Temple. The symbol for Matthew is a human or a human face because Matthew’s Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Our Lord—Matthew traces the human generations of the Lord all the way back to Abraham. The symbol for Mark also derives from the beginning of his Gospel. Mark’s symbol is a lion because his Gospel begins, as we heard moments ago, with the voice in the wilderness roaring out like a lion, the call to prepare the way for the Lord. 

Remember, St. Mark was originally writing his Gospel to the ancient Romans—who valued symbols and persons of strength. So, the lion, a symbol of boldness, fierceness, courage, strength, sovereignty, and justice, would have resonated with Mark’s Roman audience, especially this bold character whom we meet in the Gospel’s opening lines: John the Baptist, this sort of ferocious character, this wild man roaring the call to repentance out in the desert.

John, is fierce, he’s courageous. He doesn’t fear the opinions of onlookers who might ridicule him for the way that he was dressed; he doesn’t fear the repercussions for boldly proclaiming that the Messiah was near. Later in the Gospel, we find John the Baptist boldly calling out the sinful adultery of King Herod. And he arrives on the scene to point to one who is even mightier than him, who will baptize, not with water, but with fire and the holy spirit.

So, on this second Sunday of Advent, we are presented with this bold, courageous lion, John the Baptist, as a figure to consider and emulate.

I don’t know about you, but the characteristics, I typically associate with Advent are attitudes like patience, passivity, waiting, calmness, and peace. And yet, I propose, that each of us, could use a little bit of the spirit of the lion, John the Baptist, in our Advent preparations.

Last, Sunday, Pope Francis convoked a consistory in which he created 11 new cardinals, and of course he preached to them, giving the new cardinals their marching orders. And in his homily, the holy father spoke about how Christian courage is an important antidote to the mediocrity, lukewarmness, and indifference which threaten the Christian life. He said, “Without making an effort to love God daily and awaiting the newness he constantly brings, we become mediocre, lukewarm, worldly. And this slowly eats away at our faith, for faith is the very opposite of mediocrity:  it is ardent desire for God, a bold effort to change, the courage to love, constant progress…Faith is not water that extinguishes flames, it is fire that burns; it is not a tranquilizer for people under stress, it is a love story for people in love. That is why Jesus above all else detests lukewarmness.”

Again, think of that symbol of the lion. A lion is anything but mediocre, lukewarm. He’s fierce, he’s bold, he’s not timid or tamed or constricted by the ways of the world. 

So, too, the Christian is to be a sort of lion: bold in our proclamation of the Gospel, and courageous in pursuing the love of God in our personal life. 

In addition to his remarks to the new cardinals, Pope Francis spoke about Advent courage in his Sunday Angelus message. He said “Confidently waiting for the Lord allows us to find comfort and courage in the dark moments of our lives…“The Lord never abandons us; He accompanies us through the events of our lives to help us discover the meaning of the journey, the meaning of everyday life, to give us courage when we are under duress or when we suffer. In the midst of life’s storms, God always extends His hand to us and frees us from threats.”

Now, a lion is courageous and bold because, well, he is at the top of the food chain, isn’t he? His physical prowess is superior to the other beasts. So, notice what the holy father says is the source of our Christian courage—certainly not physical strength, rather the source of our courage is that the Lord accompanies us every day, always and everywhere. 

John the Baptist boldly proclaimed Christ because he was guided by the hand of God. God had chosen him, and he knew God was with him for this special mission.

So, too with us. In resisting those powers of darkness that seek to lull us into spiritual slumber, we are able to take courage because God is with us. God has chosen us and called us to boldly proclaim the Gospel in this very strange era of 2020. How do you know that you can overcome the temptations of your life? Because you’re a Christian. How do you know that you can remain faithful to God in these most complex, confusing times? Because you are a Christian. And God is with you.

In a very real sense, we light the candles of our advent wreath, not simply to count weeks before Christmas, but as a reminder that we need to be set on fire. Beyond gentle images of beautiful angels, lowing cattle, and an expectant mother, these first weeks of Advent present us with these bold characters like Isaiah and John the Baptist, to help set us afire with courage. And so, we do well to examine…where have I become spiritually lukewarm, spiritually mediocre, spiritually lazy, spiritually fearful? 

In the collect prayer at the beginning of mass last week, we asked God to give us the resolve to run forth to meet Christ at his coming. And this week’s collect prayer spoke of setting out in haste to meet God’s son. 

Spiritual Resolve, haste, courage, boldness, do you see these characteristics in your spiritual life? If not, make good use of the time you have left. Run forth with righteous deeds, resolving daily to engage in acts of charity for others, yet boldly set aside time daily to run forth to meet Christ in prayer, and courageously examine your conscience for any sins that need to be repented of, or confessed in the Sacrament of Confession, and do not be afraid, like John the Baptist, to appear a little strange to the rest of the world, in bravely pointing others to God for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

1st Week of Advent 2020 - Friday - Out of the gloom and darkness, the blind will see

 

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

As the physical world gets darker and darker as we near Christmas, the theme of light emits from our scripture readings, we hear about God’s promises of light. “Out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see” Isaiah promises from our first reading. Isaiah accurately describes the spiritual situation of Ancient Israel—exiled, captive, the presence of God hidden from them. Isaiah also describes the spiritual state of mankind—exiled from God, captive by sin, the presence of God hidden by our earthly suffering, our incredulity, and our self-centeredness. 

Without God humanity walks in blindness. 

To not have the light of God in one’s life is far worse than being physically blind.  In every dimension of society men and women going through life, raising their families, as if God did not exist.  They do not know his promises, they do not recognize his presence, they do not walk in his truth. 

Spiritual blindness is truly an epidemic—its symptoms are the erosion of the moral fabric of families and cultures, the corruption of children, the neglect of the poor among us.

It is no coincidence that in the Gospels, one of Jesus’ most oft repeated miracles was the healing of the blind.  For his mission is to bring spiritual sight and light, he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promises. 

The blind men in the Gospel cry out to Jesus, “Son of David, have pity on us”. They recognize Jesus as heir to the throne of David, they recognized him as the Messiah, they recognized their blindness and their need for healing, and that they cannot heal themselves. 

The blind men are in a sort, good examples of Advent faith for all of us. We consider the identity of Our Lord as Son of David, and how he and only he can heal us, and save us.

We cry out with them, “have pity on us.”  Bring us light, bring us healing, “come, that we may see you”. Give us the purity of heart that allows us to see you. Give us the faith that helps us detect you in the chaos and suffering of the world. Scatter the gloom and darkness of our lives, that we may bear the light of Christ to all we meet, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - - - 

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

That through the courageous witness of the Christian Church, the Lord will restore spiritual sight to the inwardly blind, that we may be attentive to the will of God and the needs of the poor.

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, 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, you 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 may rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

1st Week of Advent 2020 - Wednesday - The ultimate promise

 

To understand the impact of Isaiah’s words during advent, again, it is good for us to consider the context of the people of Israel at the time. Remember, it is the darkest point in Israel’s history. Most of the Jews had been banished from the land of milk and honey, the promised land. They were in exile. Family members had been separated as a way to break their spirits. The Temple of God, where they went to worship and bask in the presence of God had been destroyed.

So, imagine the impact of Isaiah’s message from God, this promise of a holy mountain on which the peoples would be gathered back together again, where they would feast, where tears would be wiped away. Ok. Maybe we can endure our sufferings a little longer, if this is what we have to look forward to. Maybe we will get our spiritual lives in order, so that we can become heirs of this promise.

This is certainly one of my favorite passages from the prophet Isaiah. And it’s no wonder why many family members request this passage to be read at funerals for their deceased loved ones. For it contains a powerful message of hope and peace and comfort at a time when it is desperately needed—a time of loss, separation, grief. The family dinner table will never be the same. 

This promise is so powerful because it speaks not just to the situation of Israel at a particularly dark moment in its history, but to the situation of every human person in relation to God. 

It’s the promise that through the Messiah, all that was lost through sin will be restored. The exile from paradise. The hostility between nations, and families, and individuals. The sorrow and grief. Hunger and disease. Death itself will be destroyed. And the encounter with God which was experienced in the Garden of Paradise will be made possible once again. 

Through the Messiah, as Isaiah promises here, we will behold God, we will see God who is hidden through life, who seems especially hidden in the dark times of our life. Here is the fulfillment of our hearts deepest longing--this really is the ultimate promise.

Advent helps us to mold our souls to receive this promise, helping us get our souls into shape through prayer and penance. So what needs to change in me, what attitudes need to change, what habits need to change in order for God to bring his promises to fulfillment in my life? 

The Lord is moved with pity, as we heard in the Gospel, over our sad, sorry state. He sees that we are spiritually famished for his presence. And we see him in the Gospel, on the mountain, feeding the hungry souls. May we respond generously to Him as he is so generous to us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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

That through the courageous 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, 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, you 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 may rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.