22nd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Release from demonic captivity

 “Have you come to destroy us?” the demon asked.  Had Jesus come to destroy Satan and Satan’s kingdom?  Absolutely!  So Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man it had been possessing, and it did. 

In Yesterday’s Gospel, standing in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus claimed that he had come to bring release to the captives. Who are the captives? Us! Those held captive by the powers of sin and death and immorality and the devil—powers which keep us from living in the freedom God designed for his children.

The kingdom of Satan is set up to enslave and to damn. Jesus enters into history, engages in his ministry culminating in his passion, death, and resurrection, to free and to save.

So throughout the Gospel of Luke, we see Jesus freeing people—freeing people from the powers that bind humanity: from hunger, disease, blindness, deafness, muteness, paralysis, fear and cowardice, pride, moral and theological error, from literal demons, and ultimately from death. 

When we encounter Jesus and place our faith in Him and walk in the light of his truth, we gain freedom. Sadly, we see so much of humanity still captive and captivated by the powers of Satan. And we know, too, that through our own personal sins, we have fallen again and again back into captivity. 

Which is why we continue to seek freedom from our own captivities through the cultivation of virtue, the reception of the Sacraments, and works of charity, and why we generously share the Gospel of freedom with others. 

Notice too how the unclean spirit afflicted this religious gathering, in the synagogue. So, too, the devil loves to cause trouble within the Church. It is a great victory for him, when he can cause sin and division within the church, in the church hierarchy, among priests, on the diocesan level, in parishes, and small groups in parishes, and families. And so at every level of the Church, we should pray for deliverance and protection from the works of darkness, we should invoke Our Lady, St. Joseph terror of demons, St. Michael, and intentionally work to fortify ourselves against Satan’s powers, that at every level of the Church we make know that freedom the comes from heaven, that we may be faithful to the mission given to us by Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church, laity and clergy will be effective instruments for driving out demons and reclaiming souls for Christ.

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government and educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

For resolution to the atrocities in Afghanistan, for the safety of our military and innocent bystanders, for captive Christians, and for an end to all terrorism.

For victims of extreme and inclement weather and those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: may they know God’s deliverance, strength and peace 

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

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

22nd Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Monday - When prejudices are challenged

 During Ordinary Time, we read on weekdays from the three Synoptic Gospels: first the Gospel of Mark for the first 10 weeks of Ordinary Time, then from Matthew for a good chunk of the year, and finally from St. Luke, which we begin today, on this Monday of the 22nd week of Ordinary Time. Notice, though, we begin a few chapters into Luke’s Gospel, skipping the infancy narratives and commencing with the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry around the age of 30, after his baptism and time in the Galilean desert. Filled with the Spirit, the Lord returns to his hometown, where he is rejected.

There in the synagogue of Nazareth, the Lord explains how the time is at hand for the Messiah to begin ushering in the new ear of human history, which the poor and downtrodden of God’s people will be raised up; the new and ultimate era of human history, where God’s people will radiate God’s glory to all nations is about to begin.

Initially, the Lord’s words are met with approval, but then when does it turn from approval to rejection? The Lord begins to explain that not only the Jews will be included in God’s kingdom, but Gentiles, like Naaman the Syrian and the widow of Zarephath as well. And this inclusion of the Gentiles filled with people of Nazareth with fury.

Their fury is something of a surprise because there were plenty of Old Testament texts that promised that the Gentiles would be included in God’s plan of salvation, and even that Israel’s restoration would occur with the help of Gentiles. Why were they so furious at this? Why did approval turn to rejection, in fact, an attempt to murder the messenger? 

Perhaps, it was due to Roman’s occupation of Israel at the time. Gentiles were the oppressor. In the not too distant past, Gentiles like the Greeks imposed harsh restrictions on Jewish life. Whatever the reason, this episode is a sort of preview for the Lord’s public ministry as a whole.

Most people will approve of large portions of the Lord’s message. But the whole message, especially the parts of the message that challenge my prejudices, that’s another story. The parts of the message that challenge me to change, the parts of the message that are critical of my vices and errors and biases, the parts of the message that call me to conversion, the parts of the message that claim our enemies aren’t as bad as we make them out to be,  we must be careful not to reject because we find them difficult. For to reject the message, we reject Him, and treat him like the citizens of Nazareth, running him out of town, ready to hurl him over a cliff.

Today and always may we accept and heed the whole Gospel, the whole Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the flourishing of spiritual gifts in the universal Church and our parish, for the sanctification of our parishioners, the conversion of the faithless, and the grace to be not just hearers of the word but doers of the word..  

For an end to indifference to the Gospel, to God and human dignity in our government & educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

For resolution to the atrocities in Afghanistan, for the safety of innocent bystanders, for captive Christians, and for an end to all terrorism, for those effected by hurricane Ida, and for those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: may they know God’s deliverance, strength and peace 

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

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

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Alone and the Interior Life

 

Thanks for everyone’s prayers these last two weeks. I had a very restful time away. A few priest friends of mine and I rented a little house down in southern Kentucky. The main purpose of trip was to get refreshed for the upcoming months of ministry, and so every day we celebrated mass, offered the liturgy of the hours for our parishes. We also tried to have some sort of adventure each day, so we went hiking most days through various Appalachian trails, we went kayaking one day. After the day’s adventure, we’d return home for dinner and watch one of our favorite shows these past few years, a show on the history channel that’s been running for about 8 seasons, a show called “Alone”.

10 contestants have the opportunity to win half a million dollars by trying to survive out in the wilderness for as long as they can.  They have to forage and hunt for food, build shelters, fend off bears and wild cats, with very few supplies.  They have no communication with the outside world except for periodic medical checks and to radio in the call when they are ready to give up. 

Each season, there are typically a few contestants that don’t last a week, unable to overcome the physical obstacles, the weather, and finding food. Those lasting past that initial hurdle have to deal with quite another difficulty: themselves, their own hearts and the psychological strain of loneliness. Many contestants describe how memories and mistakes from the past bubble up out of their unconsconcious; their regrets, their woundedness, painful memories from childhood.  Many of the contestants tap out because they simply cannot not handle being Alone with themselves when they don’t have Netflix and iphones to distract them from their inner struggles.

In the Church’s history, there have been men and women who have intentionally gone out into the wilderness, out into the desert in order to be alone with God.  We call them the Desert Fathers and Mothers: like St. Anthony of the Desert.  Modern day Hermits like Thomas Merton follow in that tradition.  Many times throughout the Gospels, the Lord Jesus goes out into the wilderness. Immediately, after his baptism, what does he do? He goes out into the desert--the place of Trial, the place of Temptation, where he comes face to face with his own temptations. 

So too the Desert Fathers and Mothers, go into the desert for Spiritual Combat, in order to confront their inner demons, to seek detachment from earthly things and purification from their vices, to learn how to rely on the will of providence of the Father, and to allow the Word of God to truly take root in them.

In the Gospel this weekend, the Lord seeks to teach his disciples a lesson, one of the most important lessons of the Christian life, that Christianity isn’t simply about appearances, but interior conversion.

The Pharisees were obsessed with cleanliness and appearances. Cleanliness is next to Godliness sure, but it’s not the same. Christians aren’t simply to be physically clean, but interiorly clean, clean in mind, clean of heart. Blessed are the clean of heart, the pure of heart, he says, in the beatitudes, for they shall see God. 

Of course, Christians will have to suffer through a lot of things beyond our control. Earthquakes, floods, disease, pandemics, persecutions, inept and corrupt governments. But those things, ultimately cannot keep us from seeing God. “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

One of the reasons I love watching that show Alone is that it’s a reminder, strip away everything from modern life, all the distractions, and I still have to deal with what’s in here. And not all of it is good. We take our selfishness and lust and fear with us, wherever we go—whether it’s the wilderness or the supermarket. And Christianity is wonderfully honest about that. Because when we humbly acknowledge our sins and our woundedness, these things can be healed. When we expose the darkness in our hearts to the light of Christ, and allow the Lord to forgive us and heal us, we become the people God made us to be, we see God working in our life, leading us to eternal life.

This week we celebrated the feast of the great Bishop, St. Augustine.  St. Augustine is known for writing what is basically the first autobiography in Western Civilization, called the Confessions.  St. Augustine, a Bishop in his 60s, writes this autobiography reflecting on his journey toward Christ, he wasn’t always a Catholic. In this writings he confesses an adolescence misspent in serious sin, the works of the flesh: lust, promiscuity, pride, theft. He confesses an early adulthood flirting with heresy and erroneous philosophies. But then he confesses the wonderful account of grace, hearing the preaching of St. Ambrose, he confesses the great healing of his soul when he allowed his pride and error and hardness of heart to be converted into belief in Christ—when he made the choice, to serve the Master.

St. Augustine is often artistically depicted holding a flaming human heart, a heart, set on fire with the love of God, because he allowed the Gospel call to conversion to penetrate his inmost being, to allow the word of God, the power of God, the light of God to ignite his heart with love and truth.

To heed the Gospel call, to cooperate with Grace, we do well to make a daily confession in a sense, a daily examination of our conscience.  What evil in my heart did I fail to bring to God today, what selfishness did I indulge, what uncleanness did I fail to bring to God to be washed of. 

If we’ve committed a serious evil, of course, we need to bring that to the Sacrament of Confession, as soon as possible. For venial sin, we repent of it on the spot, ask the Lord’s mercy and healing, with the intention of amending our life, of doing better tomorrow.

Now, of course, if we’re just passing out in front of the television or iphone, it’s difficult to make quiet time for the daily examination. So we need to make that effort, At the end of the day before sleep, to ask yourself and ask God: how did I treat people today? How did I treat my spouse, my children, my coworker.  Why was I so harsh to that waitress, that cashier? Why was I in such a hurry or inconsiderate in traffic? Why was I so consumed by that immodest image or fantasy? Was I grateful today? Did I go out of my way to help anyone today or did I demand that everyone bow down to my way?  Did I take the time to encourage the doubtful, to visit the lonely? What were my sins today? What were my virtues?

St. Augustine writes, “Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under your guidance into the inmost depth of my soul,” Every day, have the courage to allow God to lead you into the depths of your soul to be alone with God and allow him to help you look within at your heart, at your choices, your vices, your wounds, your unused gifts and talents. “Entering into myself I saw…your immutable light” says Augustine. Having the courage to be alone with God, you will find, God waiting for you there, even in our woundnedness, with his healing light. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 15 2021 - Assumption of Mary - Spes Nostra, Our Hope

“Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae: Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.” These are the opening words to the great Salve Regina, the Hail, Holy Queen prayed at the recitation of the rosary and as part of the Church’s night prayer. We’ll sing an English version of the prayer for our offertory on this great feast of the Assumption. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Our Life, Our Sweetness, and our Hope. Our hope. Spes nostra.

Why do we refer to Our Lady, as Spes Nostra, Our Hope? Well, our hope of what? Of heaven, of course. I’ve not been to heaven, have you? None of us have. When we set off on a journey, we hope to reach our destination. If our destination is right down the road, we don’t need much hope. If it’s a far off land, we need a little bit more hope, for the journey will be difficult. If it’s a place that no one has ever been to, we need a lot more hope, don’t we?

Heaven, is that place, that no one has reached on their own. Paul writes to Timothy, God lives in unapproachable light. The mountain to heaven is untraversable to man by his own power. Additionally, the very gates of heaven were closed to humanity due to sin. What hope do we have of heaven? Well, our faith tells us that Jesus died for sins. 

He promised eternal life to those who believe in him, and follow him, and are reborn in the waters of baptism. Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal life, and shall be raised on the last day. But, where is the proof his promises are true?

Well, we need look no farther than Our Lady. Her assumption is proof that there is a place in heaven for redeemed humanity. There is a place in heaven for the human body and the human soul. How do we know? She’s there. God has given us the great gift of taking our Lady at the end of her earthly life, body and soul, into heaven. And so she our Hope fulfilled. God keeps his promises. It’s possible to live body and soul forever in heaven because she’s already there. 

What Jesus promised is fulfilled in her and so we can truly hope in his promises. A human creature of body and soul can come to heaven through Christ—through God’s grace.

Now, living outside of that grace, ignoring his commandments, failing to repent, disbelieving His word, that’s a whole other story. We have no hope in that. We have no promise that those things lead to heaven. 

But when the Lord says “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” we have good reason to believe that observance of the word of God does lead to beatitude because of today’s feast, Our Lady’s assumption. Our Lady, who heard the word of God and observed it, has entered body and soul into heaven. 

This feast is the fulfillment of the great Magnificat which Mary proclaimed upon visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Mary said, “all ages will call me blessed”? Why would we do that? Because she has been assumed into heaven, she is in the blessed presence of God, forever. 

The Assumption shows us that God truly has cast down the mighty from their thrones: the mighty powers of sin and death which kept humanity from living in the heavenly presence of God have been defeated. God has lifted up lowly handmaid into heavenly glory. 

Mary truly magnifies the Lord. Like a magnifying glass helps us to see clearly something which is difficult to see. Mary helps us to see what God was up to in his plan of salvation. She has been filled with all the good things of God. And what was true for her, shall be true for us, if we take her as our model.

Because Mary magnifies the Lord, it is always helpful to look at her and to turn to her. As Catholics, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Our Lady, daily. A day shouldn’t go by without thinking of her, considering her example, talking to her, praying with her. Every Catholic house should have a crucifix and a statue or image of the Blessed Virgin so that we don’t forget who we are and what we are called to be, and the reason for our hope.

Friday night, I offered an adult faith formation session on some spiritual lessons from the life of St. John Vianney. I shared how during his seminary years, the saint dedicated himself to Our Lady through the consecration of St. Louis Marie de Montford. Many of you may have come across this devotion, it’s been popular for a few hundred years. In fact, Pope St. John Paul II took as his papal motto words from de Montford’s book. “Totus Tuus” I Am all yours, and all that I have belongs to you, oh blessed virgin mary. God entrusted himself to our Lady’s maternal care. For 9 months in the womb he was totally dependent on her. Our Lord was the first to utter “totus tuus” to Mary. And so, Totus tuus should be the motto of every Christian. For she is our mother, the mother of the church, the mother of Christians, Jesus himself said so from the cross.

John Vianney encouraged his flock to deepen their devotion to the Blessed Virgin, for vibrant Marian Devotion is a characteristic of every vibrant saint. You will not find a saint who does not love and honor from the depths of their being, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I also shared another story from John Vianney. After ordination, in his first parish assignment, Father Vianney started a lifelong practice of praying to Our Lady to give him strength to overcome his sensual temptations. Just because one is a priest or religious, doesn’t mean we are free from all temptations. So John Vianney made a vow to God to pray daily to Our Lady the Regina Coeli for this purpose.

Even the saints go to special lengths in order to remain faithful against sensual temptations. That’s how they become saints: they go to special lengths to grow in holiness and combat temptation.

As a priest, I hear a lot about sensual temptations in the confessional, and I’m convinced that we all need a special devotion, or prayer, on a daily basis, to remain strong against those particular temptations. If it’s good enough for John Vianney, it’s good enough for us. So whether it’s lust, or gluttony, or overindulgence of drink, or laziness, say a special prayer every day to Our Lady, to help you to overcome those temptations. The Salve Regina, the Regina Coeli, the rosary, some marian prayer, every day, to overcome the sins of the flesh—that your flesh, like hers, may be one day with God.

As we stumble through life’s hardships and pitfalls, may we place our hope in her. She prays for us now, praying to obtain from God the grace to persevere our trials, to overcome our sins, to be faithful when our flesh and the world and the devil conspire against us. May we keep our eyes daily fixed on her, who is our life, our sweetness, and our hope, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 13 2021 - Sts Pontian and Hippolytus - Duty to maintain communion with the Church

This has been a week full of celebrating amazing saints:  St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Lawrence, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Today we have two saints, whose feasts are celebrated together, Saints Pontian and Hippolytus, who have a very interesting history.

The two men are both celebrated as saints despite the fact that one had been Pope for five years and the other hand been anti-pope for 18 years.  Even though a legitimately elected Pope sat on the see of Peter, Hippolytus elected anti-Pope by a schismatic group that believe the church was too lenient. 

A disagreement arose in those early centuries regarding the treatment of Catholics who committed serious sins like adultery and murder or who apostatized during the persecutions. Should they be admitted back to the flock, back to the sacraments, if they show sincere repentance? Hippolytus and his camp said no. Hippolytus garnered enough support that they formed a sort of splinter church claiming to be the true Church. Jesus warned us about this sort of sinful division, as did Paul and Peter, and the rest of the holy scruptures, but they formed the splinter church anyway with Hippolytus claiming the title and authority of Pope even then a duly elected Pope was in office.

Well, in 235, the  new Roman emperor Maximinus launched a violent campaign against all Christian leaders. Pope Pontian was arrested, and the emperor didn’t care who was pope or anti-Pope, Hippoloytus was arrested too. Both were exiled to work in the mines of Sardinia.  

Amidst the suffering and hardship of the mines, Hippolytus renounced his schism and papal claim and was reconciled to the Church by Pontian. Both men later succumbed to the harsh conditions, and their remains were transported for burial in Rome, where they were recognized as martyrs and saints of the Church.

People make mistakes. Intellectually. Theologically. Morally. They can sever themselves from the Church. Just because you have a lot of support. Just because you find a group who supports your error doesn’t make you right. Just because a fervent group names you Pope, like Hippolytus doesn’t make you so. 

As Catholics we must submit to legitimate authority. We must not allow our pride to lead us out of communion with the one true Church with the Pope as her head. There are schismatic groups of former Catholics, several in Cleveland. They claim to know better than the bishop, and know better than the Pope, and know better than faith articulated in the Catechism, they think themselves above legitimately enacted church law. But as long as they remain in schism, their salvation is at risk. 

And there are many who, while not in formal schism, hold error as truth, and allow that error to direct their lives, and they spread that error and lead others away from communion. There are weeds among the wheat, and the Lord will deal with them too at their judgment. With them, as with all of us, the Lord will be merciful and just.

But while on earth, we have a duty to maintain Communion with the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Through the intercession of St. Pontian and Hippolytus and all the saints, may the Lord preserve us in that communion for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Pope and all the clergy may be steadfast in preaching the fullness of the Gospel, especially in the face of worldly pressures and persecutions.

That through the intercession of the martyrs Pontian and Hippolytus, lapsed Catholics will be moved to return to the Sacraments.

That the imprisoned may know the grace of conversion and the consolation of the Spirit.

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

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

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

August 11 2021 - St. Clare of Assisi - The supreme good of knowing Jesus Christ

 

As a member of the Italian aristocracy, the beautiful Clare of Assisi lived in a castle, she had many suitors, in a sense she was the medieval equivalent of a Disney princess—set to live a life of luxury and comfort. Yet, through the preaching of il poverello, the poor Francis of Assisi, the Lord beckoned Clare to a life of radical holiness—of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a cloistered nun. Instead of marrying prince charming, and living in a castle filled with worldly luxury, she adorned her soul with virtue and holiness and love for the Savior within the cloister.

She took the words of St. Paul in our first reading today to heart: “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”

It was counter-cultural when Paul wrote these words, it was counter-cultural for Clare, and it is certainly counter-cultural now. But the words remain true. The stuff of the world is rubbish compared to the love of Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ, loving Christ, is the supreme good, the highest good, above all else.  Everything we do must be aimed at pursuing this highest good.

Clare was joined in the cloister by a number of women whose hearts had also caught fire. Many, like her, were eligible to marry dukes and kings.  Princess Agnes, of Bohemia broke off her royal engagement  to the emperor Frederick II to join religious life with Clare.

Listen to these words written by Clare upon hearing the decision of Princess Agnes to join the monastery: “I am filled with joy and gladness, for though you could have enjoyed the magnificence, and dignity, and honor of the world, you have rejected all these things.  Keep in your heart the burning desire to unite yourself to the poor and crucified Christ.  What a wonderful and praiseworthy exchange!  To leave the things of time, for those of eternity, to possess a blessed eternal life.”

Clare found joy and holiness in the monastery, as have generations of consecrated religious after her. What a blessed vocation! As our culture becomes increasingly secular, many young people do not even consider a religious vocation. It’s harder and harder to do so when their families don’t even bring them to church. So whenever we can help young people hear the Lord calling them to follow Him we must. For the Lord has so much more to offer than the world ever could. 

May St. Clare be a constant reminder and intercessor for us, to seek that which is above, always and everywhere, and help others do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in vocations to the consecrated religious life, that young people may hear the Lord calling them to radical holiness, and for the Poor Clares and all those consecrated religious under St. Clare’s patronage, for their sanctification, and that they may be a witness to the whole Church to seek the holiness for which we were made.

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

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

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

August 10 2021 - St. Lawrence deacon and martyr,

 Last night, at the latin mass, we celebrated the vigil mass of St. Lawrence. So great was the reverence and respect for this holy saint, deacon, and martyr of Rome that he had his own vigil mass. In fact, prior to the council, for the vigil of Lawrence, the priest wore the purple vestments, for yesterday would have been a day of fasting and abstinence: to prepare for today’s feasting! The romans loved St. Lawrence! Last night, with the Young Adult Club, we did not fast, rather, we had a barbeque in honor of St. Lawrence. Those who know the story of Lawrence’s martyrdom detected the connection.

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

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

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was to be slowly roasted alive upon an iron grill.  Lawrence however was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flame. He even joked.  I'm done on this side! Turn me over” Hence, last night’s barbeque. 

In fact, at his vigil mass, a passage from the book of sirach is read, which describes God’s faithful one being saved by God from the flames. “From many dangers you have saved me, from flames that beset me on every side”

Before his death he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic Faith might spread all over the world. On today’s feast we read from the Gospel, where the Lord tells us that the grain which falls to the ground and dies bears fruit for the kingdom. St. Lawrence certainly is that holy grain, who dies for the Lord, who, after 1700 years, continues to bear fruit for the kingdom, in inspiring us to love and care for the poor, to give witness to the Gospel with our lives, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

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

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

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

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

August 9 2021 - St. Edith Stein - Seeker of Truth

 On August 9 on the new calendar, is celebrated St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as St. Edith Stein who converted from Judaism to Catholicism in the course of her work as a philosopher. 

As a young girl, Edith’s intellectual gifts were quite evident, but by her teenage years, she became a self-proclaimed agnostic. Maybe some of you here can relate. Critical thinking and the desire for the truth led Edith to study philosophy. She became a pupil and assistant of the renowned philosopher Edmund Husserl. In the course of her studies Edith met several Catholics whose intellectual and spiritual lives she admired.

In 1921, while visiting friends, Edith spent an entire night reading the autobiography of the 16th century Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Avila. “When I had finished the book,” she later recalled, “I said to myself: This is the truth.” She was baptized into the Catholic Church on the first day of January, 1922. 10 years later, she entered the Carmelite Convent. 1932. Adolf Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany.

Though the Jews were the principle victims of the Nazi’s in World War II, millions of Catholics, including bishops, priests, and nuns were murdered in the concentration camps.  In 1942, the Nazi’s arrested Sister Teresa Benedicta.  She and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, were transported to Auschwitz in Poland by boxcar.  One week later, Sister was murdered in a gas chamber. She is celebrated as a virgin martyr.

In 1998, the german nun was canonized by the Polish Pope Saint John Paul II, who also proclaimed her a co-patroness of Europe the following year.

At her canonization, Saint John Paul said, “For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All.”

I think these words of holy Father Pope St. John Paul give us great hope. Like young Edith Stein, so many young people are searching for the truth. They want lives full of meaning—more than their parents in some respects. They are rejecting the rampant materialism and perversion and promiscuity of the sexual revolution and banal emptiness offered by the internet culture. Like so many of you, they are turning to the true, good, and beautiful of our Catholic faith.

St. John Paul named St. Theresa Benedicta co-patroness of Europe because she is a needed example for the young people of Europe, as a model to emulate in always remaining a seeker of the Truth. She, no doubt, should be invoked for our own nation, our own people, for the same purpose. That new generations may hunger for something more than the emptiness offered by the culture of death, and seek truth, goodness, and beauty in Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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

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That the Holy Father, the Bishops and all Clergy and Religious will be shining examples of fidelity to the Truth.

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

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

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

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Food for the journey

 

The Prophet Elijah is certainly one of the tenacious, courageous heroes of the Old Testament. Immediately preceding today’s first reading, Elijah had been led by God to confront the wicked King Ahab and Jezebel his Queen for forsaking the One True God of Israel and worshiping the Canaanite idol, Baal.

To prove the superiority of the one true God, Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to a sort of test. You know the story. Two altars were constructed: one for Baal, and one for the one true God of Israel. The prophet whose God consumed the sacrifices would be proved to be the true God. 

So the 450 prophets of Baal, begin to wail to the skies, crying out to their idol for hours, but to no avail. They then gashed themselves with swords and spears to invoke their God, but nothing happened, the altar remained. “Why don’t you scream louder” Elijah says, mocking them, “maybe Baal can’t hear you. Maybe he’s away on a trip. Maybe he’s asleep and can’t get up.” Sweating, bloody, and exhausted, the prophets of Baal, gave up, doubting that Elijah could do better.

So then it was Elijah’s turn. God’s prophet began by drenching his altar with water. And then he prayed. God wishing that his glory be made known sent fire from heaven and incinerated the sacrifice. The audience cheered and proclaimed the God of Elijah as the True God. 

Queen Jezebel, however, rather than accepting Israel’s God became furious, and vowed to kill Elijah. So Elijah flees into the desert, where we find him at the beginning of today’s first reading. The desert, symbolic of Elijah’s situation. Success had turned to apparent failure—victory into defeat. Alone in the desert, distraught, hunted, abandoned. Elijah feels so forsaken, as we heard, he even prayed for death. In his despair, he cries out to God, and even though he found himself in the middle of this barren desert: God hears his plea and sends an angel, twice, to feed him.

Notice, Elijah is fed, not so that he can stay in the desert and wallow in his misery. Elijah is fed, so that he can begin a new journey. God had more work for him to do. And this journey was not going to be easy. It’s going to take him 40 days and 40 nights. But God would provide him food to strengthen Elijah for this journey. And Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God, Mt. Horeb, also called Sinai, where God gave moses the 10 commandments. And there on Horeb, you know this story too, Elijah looks for God in the wind, but God was not in the wind. Elijah looks for God in the earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake. Elijah looks for God in the fire, but God was not in the fire. Finally, Elijah hears a small whispering sound, and it is in that whisper for Elijah finds God.

What a roller coaster of a story. Elijah, is given a task by God in which he is largely successful. But then that task has serious consequences for Elijah and he encounters a real low place in his life. He prays to God, and God hears his prayer, and feeds him for a difficult journey. Finally, Elijah comes to his destination, and encounters God in a way he did not expect.

This story is so powerful because it’s our story. Our lives are filled with successes and failures. Times when we seem to be bringing about great victories for God’s kingdom, times when we are experience real consequences for our faith, and then times when we feel utterly useless. Times when God’s ways are not easy to understand, when he leads us on some mysterious journey,  even climbing uphill, with terrible forces set against us. And times when we are looking for God and he’s not where we expect to find him.

But in the middle of it all, in our Catholic life, is food, food for the journey. Like the angel who feeds Elijah with physical food, to build up his strength, the Lord feeds us with food from heaven, the Eucharist, to help us face all those tasks, all those challenges, all those low moments, all those uphill climbs, with strength that comes from Him.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Christians recognize in the Lord’s self-description as bread, God’s desire to feed us with the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist throughout our lives. 

Whatever we are feeling, whatever we are going through, our first reaction should always be to come to the Eucharist to be fed by God. In our great successes, like Elijah against the prophets of Baal, we come to give thanks and share the food of victory.. When we are chased into the desert by God’s enemies like Elijah and God is no where to be found, we must search him out here, where he has made his presence known under the appearance of bread and wine. And when he calls us on the mysterious journey, to enter into the unknown, to climb a steep mount, we must come here to be fed with the food for the journey.

It is an invaluable practice, when you come to Church, before Mass begins, to kneel down in your pews, facing the tabernacle and to make a little examination of conscience. This is important preparation for Mass. And kneeling there to ask yourself: why am I here?? What am I struggling with, at this very moment in my life? What are the blessings for which I’ve returned to this altar to give thanks? 

Am I at a low point in which God cannot be detected in your life? God help me to see you in the strange, mysterious events of my life? 

Kneeling before mass we do well to identify these things? What am I joyful about? What am I sad about? Angry about? Fearful about? It is important to get to mass early, to express these things to God. And to recognize that in the Eucharist we are about to celebrate is the answer to your prayers. The strength we need, the grace we need to remain faithful to God amidst all the challenges of life is given, in the Eucharist.

Also, praying before mass, we do well to identify those people, those closest to us, who have fallen away from God, who do not know, or have forgotten, that Jesus is here waiting for them. Before Mass call them to mind, bring to God their woundedness, their suffering, their confusion, their addictions. Ask God, through this Eucharist, to help you be the instrument of leading them home, here, to the family table, to Jesus who loves them and wants to feed them with the supersubstantial bread that will enable them to survive this earthly journey with our souls intact. 

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

May the Eucharist we celebrate and share today help us to remain faithful to God throughout all of our challenges, to know God’s presence with us throughout those challenges, and be led through them, to eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

First Friday Holy Hour - August 2021 - Luminous Eucharist

 

Liturgically, we celebrate today the feast of the Transfiguration. This morning, I recalled how it’s been almost 20 years since Pope St. John Paul II gave us the luminous mysteries. So, in addition to the 15 joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, now, we would add meditation upon Jesus Baptism in the Jordan, his self-manifestation at the wedding at Cana, his call to conversion through the preaching of the Kingdom, his Transfiguration, and the institution of the Eucharist

Of the five luminous mysteries he called the Transfiguration the mystery of light par excellence as it reveals to us the face of Christ shining with the light of divine glory. The transfiguration sheds light upon who Jesus is, what he has come to do: he has come to lead us out of darkness, he’s come to show us that in the darkest hour, even in the agony of his passion, the light of God still shines. He sheds light on the very darkness of death itself, that for faithful Christians, death is not the end. Bearing the cross with Jesus, dying in union with Him as Lord will lead to the luminous glory of the resurrection. 

Each of the luminous mysteries shed light upon who Jesus is and what he has comes to do. This includes of course, the fifth luminous mystery, the institution of the Eucharist—the Eucharist before which we kneel and pray this evening at this holy hour.

The Eucharist sheds light upon the nature of Jesus, the nature of God, that God gives us what we need in order to live—that he loves us so much that he gives his body and blood for us. Even though he had to endure ineffable suffering, even though many would turn their back on him, even though many would continue to engage in sacrilege upon sacrilege, he still wishes to give of himself that we might live.

The Eucharist sheds light upon the nature of God, that God is love, and gives and gives and gives us what we need in order to participate in that love for all eternity. “I am the Bread of Life, the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Let us drink deeply of God’s great love for us as we contemplate and worship the Lord in the Eucharist this evening. May his love fill us with his light and love for others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 6 2021 - Transfiguration - Luminous Mystery Par Excellence

 

In the Year of the Rosary 2002, Pope St. John Paul II made history.  He proposed five new mysteries to the devotion of the Holy Rosary, the five luminous mysteries.  So, in addition to the 15 joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, now, we would add meditation upon Jesus Baptism in the Jordan, his self-manifestation at the wedding at Cana, his call to conversion through the preaching of the Kingdom, his Transfiguration, and the institution of the Eucharist.  

Pope St. John Paul explained that each of these luminous mysteries “is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus,” and that “The mystery of light par excellence is the Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to "listen to him" and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus’ face radiating his majesty as the Son of God was burned into the minds of Peter, James, and John, who would play such important roles in the early Church. This event shed its light upon who Jesus was, his mission, and also who his followers were called to be and how they were called to follow in his footsteps.

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

Why is this our task?  Because we need the light of Christ to guide us through the trials of life, just like they guided Peter, James and John in the trials of the early Church.  We need to remember who He is, so that we remember who we are called to be. When we contemplate the glorious divinity of the Lord, we are filled with his light, and become ready to face the trials of our life and the difficult task of witnessing to the Gospel and building up the Church in our own dark age.  

Like the apostle, each of us has to walk through dark valleys at times, sharing in the agony of the Passion, and yet this luminous mystery is a light in the darkness, a foreshadowing of the resurrection for Christ’s faithful ones. 

So, by the Transfiguration of the Lord may we be filled with the light of Christian Hope, and radiate that light for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Holy Church may radiate the light of the transfigured Jesus through her preaching, teaching, works of mercy, and suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

That the Holy Father and all the ordained may find in the Transfiguration the strength and courage needed to bear the crosses which their mission entails.

For those who doubt or deny the divinity of Christ: May the Transfiguration help them believe that Jesus is true God and true man. 

That those whose lives have been disfigured by vice may find in the transfiguration the inspiration they need to begin a new life. 

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness: that the glory of the Transfiguration may bring them hope and consolation.

For the deceased members of our families and parish, for all deceased priests and religious, and all the souls in purgatory, that they may come to the destiny revealed in the Transfiguration of the Lord, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrimage Church, and grant us what we truly need that we may follow your Son in His Passion and Death and become heirs of his glorious Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

August 4 2021 - St. John Vianney - The persevering pastor

 When St. John Vianney arrived in the small village in Ars, it was just like other villages in France in the wake of the French Revolution, that is, there was the loss of faith.  The local taverns seemed to be the center of the life of the village. The people were given over to worldliness and pleasure seeking; they were weak and indifferent to the faith and the things of religion. 

He ventured out to gather in his scattered sheep: he visited families, got to know them, got to know their moral situation; above all, he prayed:  he was seen to wake up early and go to the blessed sacrament to beg conversion for his parishioners. 

Two prayers were the bulwark of John Vianney’s prayer life, the Divine Office and the Holy Rosary.  He could be seen going from home to home praying his office as he traveled; and also the rosary, asking Our Lady for that grace of conversion.  He would also hand out rosaries to encourage that devotion among his parishioners.

After 8 years, there was a transformation in the village of Ars.  What was at first a place of lukewarmness with respect to the faith became fervent.  There was regular attendance at Mass and Catechism lessons. 

St. John Vianney is the patron of priests, and also a shining example for all Christians. Perseverance and constant prayer are needed in our mission of spreading the Gospel. God often sends us into those lukewarm, faithless places to rekindle faith and to spread the faith anew. And we mustn’t become disheartened when our efforts are not met with immediate success. It takes time for hearts to become warmed to the Gospel, to begin to see the emptiness in living without God. 

Constant prayer helps us to remain attuned to God and the heart of the Shepherd, so that we do not become disheartened and to help us love with godless with compassion and patience. 

St. John Vianney said: ”My dear brethren, not only is prayer very efficacious, but, even more, it is of the utmost necessity for overcoming the enemies of salvation.”  The enemies and obstacles to salvation in our day are great, may we be fervent in prayer for all those who have fallen away or do not know Christ, and that we may be faithful in working for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That through the intercession of St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, faith, hope, and charity may increase in the priests of the Church, particularly those experiencing vocational crisis and those most in need of our prayers.

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

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

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

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

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

18th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Walking on Water

 

St. Peter is certainly given a unique role among the apostles. As prince of the apostles, he’s given the great task of being the rock upon which the Lord builds his Church. And yet, St. Peter is also quite a relatable character in the Gospels. We can relate to his fear during the Lord’s Passion. We can relate to his confusion on the mount of transfiguration, when he even appears to stick his foot in his mouth a bit. And we can relate to Peter in the Gospel today. Having been called upon by the Lord to walk upon the waters, having been invited to trust the Lord, Peter sinks.

Each of us can imagine ourselves in the boat with the apostles in the Gospel today. Being tossed about by storms, Jesus is nowhere to be found. And then the Lord appears. Notice, how in this Gospel, Jesus does not calm the storms, like he does in other passages. Sometimes, the storms continue to rage around us when we detect the Lord calling to us. He’s able to walk on water in the midst of the storm, of course, because, he’s God. But then he calls out to us, amidst our fears and anxieties to trust him and walk out onto the water with him.

Sometimes, we hear the Lord calling, but we are too afraid to get out of the boat. Too afraid to take up a new work for the Lord, a new ministry. We make excuses. My life is too chaotic. My storms are too great. We focus on what we lack, instead of trusting in God who makes the invitation.

Perhaps, we even have moments, where we, like St. Peter, begin to walk on water for a time. We make that initial leap of faith, but then, also like Peter, we allow the fears and anxieties and opinions of our culture replace that trust, and we begin to sink.

How often have we made a commitment to pray daily, or read scripture daily. It starts up with such fervor, we know it’s the right thing to do, and then the distractions take us away from that holy conviction, and we begin to sink. 

But the Lord lovingly walks over to us, pulls us up, and invites us to try again. 

What are the stormy water across which the Lord is inviting us to walk? He has work for each of us. And that work appears as a stormy sea, to difficult for us to cross on our own. And it is. But he invites us to walk, to trust, to love him enough to trust him calling us to do what is beyond our natural abilities, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That Church leaders and all the members of the faithful may deepen their trust in the Lord who calls them to labor for the building up of the Church.

For deliverance from corruption in government and for the protection of civil liberty and religious freedom. 

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

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

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

August 2 2021 (EF) - St. Alphonus Ligouri - Cultivation of Virtue

What does it mean to live a good life?  What does it mean to live a moral life?  What does it mean to use human freedom responsibly?  What is sin?  What does it mean to make a prudent decision?  What does it mean to have a formed conscience?  What makes a law or a government or a ruler moral?

Such are the questions of moral theology.  And the Saint whom we honor today, Saint Alphonus Ligouri is the patron saint of moral theologians and confessors. He was a very gifted thinker, a holy priest, and one of the 35 doctors of the Church.

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

For Alphonsus seeking our supreme good, means making intentional effort to cultivate and nurture the virtues. And he even recommended practicing a particular virtue each month: January: faith; February: Hope; March: Love of God; April: Love of Neighbor; May: Poverty; June: Purity of Heart; July: Obedience; August: Meekness and Humility of Heart; September: Mortification; October: Reconciliation and Silence; November: Prayer; and December: Self-Abnegation and Love of the Cross.”

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

The Lord himself is the model of meekness and humility: he bears wrongs patiently and readily forgives sinners. So, we, like Him, must forgive readily, avoid quarrels and harsh or hurtful words and actions, refrain from speaking while in an angry mood, be pleasant toward all who approach us, even if it causes us fatigue or boredom.

In the end, our supreme Good is found in loving, imitating, and becoming one with Jesus Christ, who is not just a model of the virtues, not just a teacher of morality, but the source of all goodness, the fountain of all holiness, our salvation from what is worst in the human soul.

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

August 2 2021 - St. Peter Julian Eymard - Adoring the Real Presence of Christ

 St. Peter Julian Eymard was originally a diocesan priest. He was ordained for the same diocese and was a close friend of St. John Vianney. A few years after his ordination, Eymard joined the Marist order, and as a Marist he traveled throughout France promoting devotion to Mary and to the Eucharist, particularly the Forty Hours Devotion, which many of our parishes in Cleveland still maintain.  

As he preached the Forty Hours Devotion, he felt his love of the Eucharist grow. An extraordinary passion for the Blessed Sacrament took root in his heart. After about 16 years with the Marists, Eymard was encourage by Pope Pius IX to found a new religious order devoted especially to the spread of Eucharistic Devotion. So in 1856, he founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament for men and a few years later co-founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, a contemplative congregation for women, and also an association of the lay faithful devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Due to St. Peter Julian’s preaching and role model, devotion to Eucharistic Adoration is certainly one of the great devotions of our times. 

He wrote, “True, God is everywhere, but we have need for Him to draw near to us under sensible signs, and this is what He does in the Blessed Sacrament. Think, then, that He is there. That Presence is sweeter, is recalled more easily than the presence of the invisible, the impalpable Divinity. It is less easily forgotten. Recall it everywhere, whatever you may be doing; and know that it is His human glance, the eye of the glorified and risen Body that follows you through walls, and never loses sight of you.”

What a powerful insight. That we can recall, in whatever we are doing, the Eucharist in so many tabernacles and monstrances around the world, gazing upon us with love. And that we can return to him here in church, and speak to him, and listen to him, and glimpse him in our holy hours, is one of the great privileges of being Catholic. 

So many of our contemporaries have such a tepid belief in the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist; so many Catholics who do not believe it is necessary to come to church to receive Holy Communion, so many non-Catholics who have not considered the meaning of Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist. So we, like St. Peter Julian do well to share with them our great love for the Eucharist, the transforming power of receiving him frequently, and making holy hours, and finding our strength in Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That the Church may be constantly be enriched through worthy reception and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and strengthened to endure her many trials.

For all those who have fallen away from the Sacraments, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those who lack faith in the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist. 

For blessings upon the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Community in our diocese and around the world. 

That the sick and suffering may find comfort in the promises of Christ and the consolation of the Spirit.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the souls in purgatory, deceased bishops, priests, and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Hear Our Prayers, O Lord, and through the intercession of St. Peter Julian Eymard, enflame our love for the Bread of Life. Through the Christ Our Lord.

 

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Eucharist or Astrology

 A few years ago, I received a phone call from my dear Aunt. She called to ask for my prayers and to share a story.  She had been renting out a building to a local business, a small gift shop, and the gift shop owner decided it was time to retire.  So my aunt advertised for a new tenant, and got a call from a lady who was very excited about the location and wanted to move in.  

My aunt asked, well, what kind of business do you run.  And the lady said, well, I offer “astrological services”—she does horoscopes, and palm readings, and crystal attunements.  My aunt, said, “I’m going to have to call you back.”  So, my aunt drove to church and made a holy hour and prayed before the blessed Sacrament, and asked the Lord’s help, to give her the words she needed to handle this situation with charity.

The next day, my aunt called the astrologer back, and told her that she was not going to rent the building out to her because astrology and occult practices are against her religion.  The astrologer asked her, “well what religion are you?”  My aunt said, “well, I’m Roman Catholic”.  And all of a sudden, the astrologer explodes about how the Church is filled with hypocrites and bigots and unloads all this hateful stuff about Catholics.  And my aunt says, “I’m sorry you believe but, may God bless you” and she hangs up.

I think she handled the situation quite well.  

So, she calls me up her nephew, the priest, and asks for prayers for the astrologer and also for herself, that she may be protected from any sort of demonic attacks that might be coming her way.  I said of course.  

I told her about how I used to pray to the Blessed Mother every time I passed this other astrologer-psychic medium shop in my hometown, and, after five years it closed. My aunt said, I wasn’t alone: a couple ladies from the parish went in that shop with some blessed salt and holy water, and were also praying, for a number of years. 

Astrology and horoscopes and occultism, are based on the idea that one can find guidance for which to order ones life by harnessing hidden knowledge—what scripture and the catechism call divining or divination. Thomas Aquinas says, “Divination takes its name not from a rightly ordered share of something divine, but from an undue usurpation thereof, as stated above.” Like Adam and Eve in the garden, divining is human grasping of what properly belongs to God.

So, The Catechism says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, recourse to mediums, recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead, contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

Adam and Eve thought the forbidden fruit would satisfy them, just as Everyone who steps inside of an astrologer’s shop is looking for truth—is looking for happiness. In a sense they go to the astrologer’s shop for the same reason enter the Church. GK Chesterton said, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” But the big difference, obviously, between the astrologer’s shop and the church is that God is really here! The bread of life that truly satisfies is here. God incarnate, feeds us with the bread of life, his flesh and blood, here.

Our Gospel reading this week continues from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, continuing Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life—the Eucharist. So, what does this story about occultism and astrology have to do with the Eucharist?

The astrology shop, the fortune teller only offer an artificial, demonic substitute to God, as do all of the sin peddlers of our culture.  But the occult and every other sinful pursuit, in the end leaves us emptier, sadder, more damaged. Many people who have fallen into the occult have opened their lives to terrible dark forces and diabolical influence—disordered and damaged psyches and souls that come from cavorting with evil.

 
We do well to pray for young people to be kept safe from these things. For it seems like again occultism is on the rise. There’s a fortune teller on Lorain down the street, a witchcraft store in lakewood, a coven that meets in rocky river. 

But in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, God has given us the food that truly satisfies. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

He knows that we long for Him, so he’s gathered us here. We long for God, and it is here, that our holy longing, our holy hunger is satisfied. Here at Mass we receive the true bread of life, not a diabolical substitute, but the real thing. 

The difference between astrology and the Eucharist is the difference between divination and divinization.  By divination man grasps out into the stars for the truth, in the Eucharist, truth has come from heaven to transform man from the inside.  

The Eucharist is not the forbidden fruit, but the food given by God to satisfy our deepest longings.  It is the source of Christian life because whoever shares in the Eucharist receives the strength to live as a true Christian.  

Sometimes, people will say that they don’t like coming to Mass because they don’t get anything out of it.  How can that be, when God feeds us with the Bread from heaven. This disdain for Mass, often comes from earthly attachments, having stuffed oneself throughout the week with those artificial substitutes. It can also come from failing to prepare well for these meal. Quality prayer through the week, meditation on Scripture, prayerfully recognizing one’s dependance on God, creates a hunger for the true God made flesh. We get more out of Mass, when we put more into Mass.  

In the Eucharist, Our Lord has opened his heart for us, he gives us the bread of life at the cost of his life. Pray to recognize and appreciate his suffering, his sacrifice.  For in the Eucharist we share the fruit of Calvary, the fruit of the cross, the new tree of life. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

At this Holy Mass, may our hunger and love for the Bread of Life be purified, that we may overcome all hardness of hearts or coldness toward the Eucharist, and be strengthened against our tendency to search for Him in all the wrong places, that we may come to the fullness of life through Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

10th Sunday after Pentecost (EF) 2021 - Divination vs. Divinization

A few years ago, I received a phone call from my dear Aunt. She called to ask for my prayers and to share a story.  She had been renting out a building to a local business, a small gift shop, and the gift shop owner decided it was time to retire.  So my aunt advertised for a new tenant, and got a call from a lady who was very excited about the location and wanted to move in.  

My aunt asked, well, what kind of business do you run.  And the lady said, well, I offer “astrological services”—she does horoscopes, and palm readings, and crystal attunements.  My aunt, said, “I’m going to have to call you back.”  So, my aunt drove to church and made a holy hour and prayed before the blessed Sacrament, and asked the Lord’s help, to give her the words she needed to handle this situation with charity.

The next day, my aunt called the astrologer back, and told her that she was not going to rent the building out to her because astrology and occult practices are against her religion.  The astrologer asked her, “well what religion are you?”  My aunt said, “well, I’m Roman Catholic”.  And all of a sudden, the astrologer explodes about how the Church is filled with hypocrites and bigots and unloads all this hateful stuff about Catholics.  And my aunt says, “I’m sorry you believe but, may God bless you” and she hangs up.

I think she handled the situation quite well.  

So, she calls me up her nephew, the priest, and asks for prayers for the astrologer and also for herself, that she may be protected from any sort of demonic attacks that might be coming her way.  I said of course.  

I told her about how I used to pray to the Blessed Mother every time I passed this other astrologer-psychic medium shop in my hometown, and, after five years it closed. My aunt said, I wasn’t alone: a couple ladies from the parish went in that shop with some blessed salt and holy water, and were also praying, for a number of years. 

Astrology and horoscopes and occultism, are based on the idea that one can find guidance for which to order ones life by harnessing hidden knowledge or power—what scripture and the catechism calls divination. Thomas Aquinas says, “Divination takes its name not from a rightly ordered share of something divine, but from an undue usurpation thereof.” Like Adam and Eve in the garden, Divining is human grasping of what properly belongs to God.

So, The Catechism says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, recourse to mediums, recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead, contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

So why do souls turn to these things? Adam and Eve thought the forbidden fruit would satisfy them, just as Everyone who steps inside of an astrologer’s shop is looking for truth—is looking for happiness. In a sense they go to the astrologer’s shop for the same reason enter the Church. GK Chesterton said, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” But the big difference, obviously, between the astrologer’s shop and the church is that God is really here! The bread of life that truly satisfies is here. God incarnate, feeds us with the bread of life, his flesh and blood, here.

In the Epistle, St. Paul explains to the Corinthians, that prior to their conversion to Christ they too, like the pagans, turned to dumb idols, he calls them, simulacra muta, dumb idols—idols that do not speak truth. But, now that they have opened their minds and hearts to Christ, the true word of wisdom, Paul says, the true word of knowledge resonates in their life, infusing the Church with diverse and manifold gifts.

The astrology shop, the fortune teller only offer an artificial, demonic substitute to God, as do all of the sin peddlers of our culture, and leaves us emptier, sadder, more confused. Many people who have fallen into the occult have opened their lives to terrible dark forces and diabolical influence—disordered and damaged psyches and souls that come from cavorting with evil. We do well to pray for young people to be kept safe from these things. For it seems like again occultism is on the rise. There’s a fortune teller on Lorain down the street, a witchcraft store in lakewood, a coven that meets in rocky river. 

If they but knew and would acknowledge that God is here, the incarnate word who says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” their lives would be changed forever. So we certainly have a duty to invite them to this holy place—to help them hear the call of the Word who calls all men to Himself.

The difference between astrology and the Eucharist is the difference between divination and divinization.  By divination man grasps out into the stars for the truth, but in the Eucharist, truth has come from heaven to transform man from the inside, to make us like himself.

In the Gospel of the pharisee and the publican, we see a similar dichotomy. The Pharisee thinks that through sheer human effort he grows in holiness. But notice, St. Luke, says that the Pharisee stands in the temple and “se orabat”, he prays to himself, he is turned in on himself. He has put himself in the place of God, he trusts only in himself, and instead of being filled with Christ-like love, he despises others. The publican on the other hand, humbles himself, he does not grasp at what does not belong to him, particularly mercy. Luke tells us he even refuses to lift his eyes to the heavens. But as he bends low, so does God, who bends low to the humble with his mercy and grace.

At Holy Mass, we kneel like the publican, we bow our heads and strike our breasts. As we do, may our hunger and love for the Bread of Life be purified, and strengthen us against all tendencies to seek satisfaction in inordinate ways or places, that we may come to the fullness of life through Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.