November 30 2021 - St. Andrew the Apostle - What do you seek?

 There’s a particular fittingness in celebrating the feast of St. Andrew at the beginning of Advent, because his life illustrates for us very well the fundamental response Advent seeks to elicit from us, to go out to meet Christ, and to embrace and follow Christ the Lord when he comes.

In John’s Gospel, we read how Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, and following the Baptism of the Lord by John in the Jordan, Andrew begins to follow Jesus…literally, as Jesus is walking, Andrew and another of the baptist’s disciples, probably john the evangelist, had been tailing Jesus from a distance.  Jesus heard them, turned and said, “What do you seek?” In their nervousness they blurted out, “Where are you staying?” Jesus, inviting them to a deeper relationship and to discipleship responds, “Come and see.”

Here is a beautiful illustration of Advent. Perhaps we’ve been following Jesus, but keeping him at a bit of a distance, just as all of us do, if we’re honest. But Jesus senses the longing in our hearts, after all, he put it there. And so he invites us to stay with him, to deepen the relationship, to come and see. 

Andrew, we know, would not only draw close to the Lord, personally, but he would leave behind his old way of life, and begin to draw others close to the Lord. As soon as Andrew was able to travel again after the completion of the Sabbath, Andrew ran to his brother Simon and announced, “We have found the Messiah!” His longing for Christ led Andrew to bring others to Him.

This is how we know discipleship is real, faith in Christ impels us to tell others about Him, to lead others to Him.

What makes Andrew powerfully heroic is that his discipleship led him to suffer greatly for the Gospel.

Tradition says that after the Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension, Andrew went on to spread the Gospel in Greece, particularly Patras, a city on the northwest coast of Greece’s Peloponnesian peninsula. There he was arrested by the governor, and imprisoned and tortured for preaching against the pagan gods. The governor promised great honors to Andrew, if he would forsake his Christian faith. Andrew, course, know Christ to be the true and only God, refused. For this, Andrew was sentenced to death by crucifixion on the X-shaped cross. 

This brave martyr, this beautiful soul who longed for Christ, searched for Him, embraced Him, brought others to Him, is such a powerful model for us to celebrate and consider at the beginning of this Advent season. We do well to consider, how our lives should change in order to follow Andrew’s example, of going out to meet the Lord and embracing him when he arrives 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.

Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God, as we await the advent of Christ your son, so that, when he comes and knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in  his praise. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

1st Week of Advent 2021 - Monday - "Lord I am not worthy..."

 

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the world and my soul will be healed.”  

How appropriate, that right at the beginning of Advent, we have this profound statement of humble faith of the Roman Centurion. “Lord, I am not worthy”

This statement of faith has long been part of the Roman liturgy. We recite these words prior to our reception of holy communion. In fact, in the Old Rite, it would be recited three times, while striking the breast, “Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbum, et sanabitur animam meam”

For some of us, every day is Advent; for every day, while attending Mass, the Lamb of God is made present to us, and every day, we recite those words of the Centurion before the Lord’s Advent into our souls through the reception of Holy Communion.

One the one hand, these words confess our unworthiness to receive the holy one. Our lives our full of so many imperfections, so much weakness, that the words of St. Peter would be more appropriate, no? “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” I have so often turned away from grace, turned away from goodness. I am not worthy. 

And yet, in the Mass, the Lord, present, seems to also echo that invitation made to the repentant: “Come to me, all of you, and I will refresh you.” Though I am so carnal and worldly, so unmortified in my passions, so full of concupiscence, so unguarded in my outward senses, so entangled in my vain imaginations, so negligent in cultivating my interior life, so sluggish in austerity and fervor, so selfish in generosity, so often deaf to the word of God, the Lord beckons me anyway.

While acknowledging our unworthiness, we also confidently acknowledge that by a mere word of his omnipotence, the Lord can heal and restore our diseased soul, to make it a fitting tabernacle for his divine presence.

As the Catechism explains: “Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent faith the words of the centurion, Lord I am not worthy to receive” Like the centurion, we acknowledge our unworthiness to have Jesus enter under the roof of our souls. Yet just as the centurion believed Jesus was able to heal his servant, so we trust that Jesus can heal us as he becomes the intimate guest of our soul in Holy Communion.

The Centurion certainly sets the tone for Advent. What does it mean to stir up our faith this Advent? To deeply and profoundly consider our unworthiness to receive the Lord, and yet, at the same time, to confidently approach him, to invite him into our souls, knowing that he longs to make his dwelling in us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

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.

1st Sunday of Advent 2021 - History, Mystery, Majesty

 

It’s new year’s day on our church calendar, as we commence a new liturgical year, with this advent season of four weeks in preparation for Christmas. 

The word Advent, coming from the latin word “adventus” means an arrival. Advent celebrates the arrival of Christ—or should we say arrivals. 

The comedian George Burns used to quip, “it’s not that I don’t believe in God, I do believe in God, I just wonder when he is going to show up.” Well, Advent helps us to appreciate and celebrate  just “how” in fact God does enter our lives. Specifically, three ways.

Firstly, God has already broken into history. He did come at Christmas, that first Christmas, 2000 years ago. God took on human flesh and was born in Bethlehem. Advent, helps us to spiritually prepare for the celebration of Christmas. For Christmas is an event so important, a liturgical feast, so glorious, that we need some time to prepare for it. We decorate our homes and our churches in preparation for Christmas, and we decorate our lives with special Advent liturgies, and prayers, and by practicing the Advent virtues of faith, hope, joy, love, and patience, and by engaging in extra acts of mercy and charity.

Secondly, Advent helps us celebrate the ways that God enters into our lives, now, in the present life of the Church.

He comes to us now in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church: In the pouring of water at baptism, at the absolution of sins in Confession, at the sacramental anointing of the sick—God enters into the lives of individual Christians through the Sacraments. He comes to us at every celebration of Mass, truly present in the Eucharist.

And he comes to us in our private prayer lives, too, doesn’t he, when we are at home contemplating his Word, bringing to him our doubts, our wounds, our anxieties, our gratitude for blessings. As we draw close to God in prayer, God draws close to us, with his gifts of peace, healing, strength, consolation, and courage.

Both in our private prayer and our public liturgical sacramental life, the Lord’s Advent is mysterious and subtle. Even for life long Catholics, his presence is sometimes difficult to detect, his presence is veiled behind the gestures and words and ritual elements. What the senses fail to grasp, can only be detected through faith. 

This is not unlike how many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not recognize him as God when he came in history 2000 years ago. In the prologue of John’s Gospel we hear the sad words that “he came into the world, but the world did not know him, and his own did not recognize or accept him.” The worldly did not recognize him then, and the worldly do not recognize him now. 

So, Advent helps to increase our spiritual sensitivity to the way that Jesus enters into our lives through the sacraments and in the silence of private prayer. We are encouraged to come to Mass as often as possible throughout Advent, and to make a good confession, and to set aside time every day to reflect on the scriptures and to engage in devotional prayer during this holy season. In this way Advent will open our minds and hearts to the myriad ways the Lord enters into our lives.So, The Lord came in history, the Lord comes in mystery, and lastly, the Lord will come in majesty at the end of time as judge of the living and the dead.

Right at the beginning of the Church year, this first day of the new Church year, we begin with the end in mind, by considering the Lord’s return at the end of time.  And His coming in majesty will not be veiled, or mysterious, as it was 2000 years ago and in the sacraments. When he comes again, every knee on earth will bend, every tongue will proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord. He will not come in a hidden way, but with a blare of trumpets.

When will this be? We know neither the day nor the hour. He could return at any moment, in 10 minutes, 10 years, 10 millennia. I’d say it’d be nice if he came at least after the collection today, but at that point, the offertory will be irrelevant, for the earthly mission of the Church in time will have come to an end. 

We do not know when the Lord will return, so, we are to live always with the Lord’s return in mind, as if his return is imminent. The motto of the U.S. Coast Guard describes the position of the Church in time, “semper paratus”—always prepared. Our souls are to be prepared for Christ’s final advent by confessing any serious sins in the Sacrament of Confession, we are to be prepared by not being too attached to material earthly things, by busying ourselves not with selfish pursuits, but living generously for God and others. 

In the verses immediately following the today’s Gospel the Lord says, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” The Lord gives this warning because it would be a tragedy of the highest kind if our souls were not prepared for his return because of sin and earthly anxiety. If we were too busy making provision for the flesh as Paul says in the epistle, that we were not prepared for the Lord’s return.

We also prepare well by savoring each moment the Lord has blessed us with. Each moment is a gift given to us to grow in holiness and merit grace. In a sense, we are to live each day as if it were our last. Gratitude is to be a mark of the mature Christian—gratitude for the blessings that fill our lives, recognizing that even earthly blessings are but hints of the good things to come for God’s faithful ones in eternity, they are appetizers for the feast to come. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the good things which God has prepared for those who love him.  

The Lord’s return in glorious majesty at the end of time should fill us with urgency to make sure that our souls are prepared, but also to use every moment wisely, with gratitude, and joyful expectation of the blessings to come.

Though George Burns wondered when indeed God will show up, we Catholics have it on good authority that He has come in history, he does come in mystery, and he will come again in majesty at the end of time. May this Advent stir up our faith to help us prepare well for Christmas, to appreciate with greater faith his coming in the mystery of the sacraments, and to live always in expectant hope in the Lord’s imminent return in majesty, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - Changing of seasons

 
What a jolting contrast in our readings today. From the Old Testament book of the prophet Daniel we have this great vision of the four beast rising from the see.

This vision stands for the four great kingdoms of Daniels time—the Babylonians, medes, persians, and greeks, who opposed and oppressed the Jewish people. And yet those four beast also stand for the kingdoms of the earth that oppose the Church through the ages as well. This vision is frightening, but its also hopeful. For the beasts shall be slain and lose their dominion when the ancient-one of heaven comes and ushers in the kingdom that will last forever

In contrast to the jolting vision from Daniel, is the serene image of the blossoming fig tree in the Gospel. Just as the blossoming of the fig tree indicates a changing of season from spring to summer, so too will there be physical observable signs prior to the Lord’s return. 

Like the quiet and serene blossoming of the fig tree, in less than 48 hours we will pass, almost seamlessly into a new liturgical year, the season of advent, the season of peaceful waiting.

The alarming images in our scriptures these past few days, perhaps remind us that the spiritual life is a serious business, that we do well to ensure that we are on the right side of history, that we are making efforts to remove from our lives anything that is in opposition to the holy will of God.

And yet, also the serene and quiet blooming of the fig tree, reminds us that the full flowering of grace comes about through quiet prayer, hidden acts of charity, daily perseverance, daily waiting, patience and hope.

This last full day of the season of Ordinary Time is a wonderful day to do quiet reflection: what areas of my life need to be handed over more fully to the Lord, what will my advent prayer and charitable works look like. Perhaps there is a virtue-patience, gentleness, temperance, gratefulness, that needs extra effort this advent. 

Though Advent unfolds in the cold of winter, it is meant to be a spiritual summer in which we prepare assiduously for the Lord through repentance, penance, prayer, charity, and the cultivation of virtue.

In the hours we have before Advent, prepare to prepare, come up with a spiritual plan for your Advent: your spiritual reading, spiritual penance, a list of the good works you hope to engage in, to allow the Gospel to bear fruit in your lives, fruit that will last for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

Lord, sanctify your bishops and priests, and grant them courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

Make the lives of parents examples of faith to inspire their children to seek first your heavenly kingdom. 

Bring all those who have fallen away back to the sacraments, help them to repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

That the upcoming season of Advent may be a season of spiritual renewal for the Church.

Bring comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, be present through your church to the miserable. 

Welcome into your kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and 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.

November 24 2021 - Vietnamese Martyrs - Christ is near us in our trials

 An estimated 130,000 Catholics were martyred in Vietnam between the 17th and 19th centuries. And the tortures suffered by the Vietnamese Catholics are among the worst recorded. Their limbs were hacked off joint by joint, their flesh was torn off with red hot tongs, they were drugged, caged, and exposed to many indignities. They were commonly branded on the face with the words “ta dao,” which means “sinister religion”

One of the Vietnamese martyrs, St. Paul Le-Bao-Tihn wrote a letter describing his imprisonment and torturers, “I, Paul, in chains for the name of Christ, wish to relate to you the trials besetting me daily, in order that you may be inflamed with love for God and join with me in his praises, for his mercy is for ever. The prison here is a true image of everlasting hell: to cruel tortures of every kind—shackles, iron chains, manacles—are added hatred, vengeance, calumnies, obscene speech, quarrels, evil acts, swearing, curses, as well as anguish and grief.”

But then St. Paul Le-Bao-Tihn goes on to explain the faith that sustains him, “But the God who once freed the three children from the fiery furnace is with me always; he has delivered me from these tribulations and made them sweet, for his mercy is forever. In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not alone—Christ is with me.”

This conviction of the closeness of Christ and the promises of Christ sustained him, and no doubt, so many of the martyrs. 

In the Gospel, the Lord explains how his followers will be led before kings and governors because of my name… we’ll be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends…and hated by all.” What will sustain us in all of our trials is that same conviction that filled St. Paul, St. Andrew, and the Vietnamese martyrs, the nearness of Christ and confidence in his promises. 

This is why it is important to practice daily prayer, regular study of the catechism and the scriptures, frequent reception of the sacraments, in order to cultivate that rock-like faith that sustains us in times of trial and temptation. Superficial faith will not sustain us. Rather, we need to draw near to Christ often throughout the day, and in times of peace, so that we may know his nearness in times of trial, in times of temptation. But if we are constantly turning our face away from him, how can we hope to see his sustaining gaze of love when our faith is tried?

St. Paul Le-Bao-Tihn wrotes, “In the midst of this storm I cast my anchor toward the throne of God, the anchor that is the lively home in my heart.” May we cultivate that faith in god, that hope in God, that love for God that will be an anchor in the storms of our life, that we may preserve our souls for eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

For the sanctification of the Church, that bishops and priests be granted courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

For the sanctification of families, that the Word of Jesus may be studied, cherished and practiced in every home.

For all who have fallen away from the sacraments, may they repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

For peace and refreshment to all who prepare to gather for the Thanksgiving Holiday, bring safety to travelers, and protection from all disease.

For comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, and courage to the fearful. 

That the Lord welcome into his kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and 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.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday (School Mass) - Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar's Vision

 

Although we still have a month to go in the calendar year of 2021, we are in the last week of the Church Year, for this Sunday, begins the new church year, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent.

During this last week of the Church year, at daily mass, the Church reads from the book of the prophet Daniel, from which we heard that very long reading about this very strange statue made out of gold, iron, bronze, and clay. 

The book of the prophet Daniel is filled with these strange stories and mysterious visions, a lot of them having to do with the end of the world.  The prophet Daniel lived about 600 years before Jesus, in a time, when the Jewish people had been conquered by a powerful nation known as the Babylonians. The wise and gifted prophet Daniel, had been put to work by God in the court King Nebuchadnezzar who had invaded Israel, destroyed the temple, and marched the people of Israel off into captivity dividing them from their families. Nebuchadnezzar was not a good man, but he did trust Daniel.

And so Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel about a dream he had about this statue made out of gold, iron, bronze, and clay. And Daniel goes on to explain that this statue represents 4 kingdoms that will come to dominate the earth.

The first Kingdom the kingdom of gold represents the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians. And Daniel explains how that kingdom, as powerful and brilliant as it seems, will not last forever, it will be replaced by a second kingdom, a kingdom of iron, which we interpret to be the Persian Empire, and then that kingdom will be replaced by a third kingdom, which we interpret to be the Greek Empire, and then that will be replaced by a fourth kingdom, and that would be the Roman Empire, who were in charge of things when Jesus was born.

But then, Daniel spoke of a fifth kingdom, a kingdom that will be established by God himself, and kingdom that will never be destroyed, a kingdom that will last forever.

The vision of Nebuchadnezzar did come to pass. The Babylonian Kingdom was replaced by the Kingdom of the Persians, which was replaced by the Kingdom of the Greeks, which was replaced by the Kingdom of Rome. 

And the fifth Kingdom has been established, the kingdom established by God himself. Which kingdom is that? Well, the Church. The Church founded by Jesus Christ, who is our head and our king. The Church has lasted longer than the kingdom of the Babylonians and the Persians and the Greeks and the Romans combined. Over the last 2000 years it has seen kingdoms and nations come and go, rise and fall, but the Church,  will last forever, just as Daniel claimed. 

And God invites people of every time and place and nation to membership in this kingdom. Membership in God’s kingdom is not based on race or social status or place of birth or wealth. It is based on faith, faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and obedience to his teachings and commands. To members of God’s kingdom, Jesus promises eternal life in the resurrection to come, when he returns, as he described in our Gospel reading.

This is why the Church is so active in her charitable works—in teaching the young, and caring for the sick, and feeding the hungry, and providing homes for the homeless, and preaching the Gospel. We are so grateful to be apart of this kingdom, that it is seen in our works, in how we treat people and how we pray. The Church is the largest charitable institution in the world and in human history because Christians are filled with such great gratitude and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us, and we want to be faithful to what he taught us.

You and I are each invited and called to full membership in this kingdom that will last forever. May we respond to this invitation to God generously, with lives full of gratitude for all of God’s gifts and blessings, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

November 22 2021 - St. Cecilia - Sacred Music and the New Song of the Martyrs

All throughout the scriptures God’s people are known for making music.  After escaping from the Egyptians and crossing the Red Sea, the people of Israel sang a song exulting the Lord for delivering them from their enemies. Singing was certainly part of Israel's formal worship in both tabernacle and temple. The Psalms bear rich testimony that in joy and sorrow, in praise and lament, the faithful raise their voices in song to God—making music on lutes and harps, and pipe instruments, even with loud clashing cymbals. There’s certainly a time and place for music like that! 

Our Lord in the Gospels is recorded as singing hymns with his disciples on their way to Mount Olivet, after the Last Supper. A recessional hymn following the first Mass.  

St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, telling them, “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord…”

In the book of the apocalypse, the saints of heaven are depicted standing around the throne of the Lamb, singing. 

We celebrate today the feast of the patron saint of musicians, St. Cecilia. Legend states that after St. Cecilia was arrested and imprisoned for her faith, she was tortured for days. But throughout her gruesome tortures she sang to God, she sang God’s praises. 

I think of Cecilia’s beautiful music as she faced her martyrdom in contrast with Psalm 137 which, depicts the Jews being so distraught, so anguished due to their physical separation from the Jerusalem temple, that they hang up their hearts. They are so overwhelmed that they could not bring themselves to song when their Babylonian captors request a song of zion. 

But, St. Cecilia was able to sing in the face of death, and this is certainly a characteristic of the Christian saint. Because of Christian faith and hope, faith in Christ’s victory over death, hope in eternal life with him and the resurrection, we are able to sing even in this valley of tears.  

St. Augustine describing the Christian life once said, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.”  The Christian witnessing to the victory of Christ over sin and death is to be a song which resounds to all corners of the world.  Whether in good times or in bad, in times of suffering, or in times of joy the Christian life is to be a hymn to God. For Christ’s victory over death, enables us to sing alleluia—God is victorious—even in the face of our own martyrdom. 

Several of the Psalms proclaim: “sing a new song unto the Lord”, well, the Christian is able to sing that new song, even in the face of gruesome martyrdom because we know that death does not get the last word, death does not silence the witness of the Church, for it did not silence Him.

The Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium explains that there are two purposes for sacred music: "the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful."

Beautiful Sacred Music, reflects the beauty and holiness of God, engaging our human emotions, imaginations, and wills. We make beautiful music because God is beautiful, and we sing songs of lamentation to more deeply express our guilt or our suffering.

And yet, sacred music is also a sacramental like sacred art and architecture, the miraculous medal, or holy water. Music expresses our faith but also opens us up, disposes us, like the other sacramentals, to the grace of God, by pointing us to the transcendent. Sacred music has been successful in stirring the hearts of hardened atheists to recognize that there is something beyond the material, beyond the self.

The Church is blessed by her sacred musicians who help us to worship God in spirit, truth, goodness, and beauty. Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, may the entire Church, through all her trials and joys, sing to God the new song of adoration for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Christ the King 2021 - Viva Cristo Rey

 “Viva Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King!” These were the last words Fr. Miguel Augustin Pro uttered before he was executed by firing squad by the virulently anti-Catholic government of Mexico on November 23, 1927.

When Mexico achieved its independence from Spain in the 19th century, the government also sought to divorce itself from Catholicism. Mexico’s 1917 Constitution brought the seizing of church property, the outlaw religious orders, and the government’s insertion into internal Church affairs. The Constitution prohibited priests from voting or offering any comment on public policy. Priests were also banned from wearing their clerical attire or vestments outside churches. Public displays of faith like the Corpus Christi Procession or praying the rosary publicly were strictly forbidden. 

Some Catholics rebelled against the government persecution; the Cristeros movement fought against the anti-Catholic regime, which by the 20s was executing priests and even young people who practiced their faith. 

Pope Pius XI wrote three encyclicals denouncing the persecution in Mexico, calling upon faithful Catholics to defend the Church when possible. The persecution finally ended when a Catholic president, Manuel Avila Camacho, was elected in 1940. Yet, when Pope St. John Paul visited Mexico in 1979 it was still illegal for him to celebrate Mass in public.

The most famous martyr of this persecution is the Jesuit priest Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro. When Churches were closed by the government, Fr. Miguel would celebrate Mass in secret to provide the Eucharist for Mexico’s faithful. He became known throughout Mexico City as the undercover priest who would show up in the middle of the night, dressed as a beggar or a street sweeper, to baptize infants, hear confessions, distribute Communion, or perform marriages. Several times, disguised as a policeman, he slipped unnoticed into the police headquarters itself to bring the sacraments to Catholic prisoners before their executions.

Eventually, Fr. Pro was captured and arrested and sentenced to death. The President of Mexico ordered his execution to be photographed in great detail, hoping to incite fear amongst the Cristeros Catholics. You may have seen the photographs of Fr. Pro, dressed in a suit, facing the firing squad, with arms outstretched like Jesus on the Cross. The photographs, instead of inciting fear had the opposite effect, and Catholics began to show great devotion to the martyr—soon the government forbade the distribution of the very photos it had publicized!

When Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King for the universal Church in 1925, Christians were facing grave difficulties: the Mexican persecution of course, the rise of National Socialism which would become Nazism in Germany, Atheistic Communism in Russia, and the rampant Materialism, Consumerism, and Racism of the roaring 20s here in the States. The Pope instituted this feast for one, to show “the deplorable consequences” produced when individuals and governments rebel against and reject the Gospel. Godless governments are always anti-life governments, they emphasize power over peace, the state over the individual, and they censor and persecute religion. And it can and is happening again in this country. 

Pope Pius XI also wanted to strengthen and encourage Catholics facing persecution, like the Cristeros Catholics in Mexico. This feast of Christ the King, gave Fr. Pro and so many others, the courage to continue to work for the spread of Christ’s reign, despite formidable hostilities. 

This feast is also a reminder to all Catholics: that amidst all the trials of life, our faith in Christ can and will sustain us in the most difficult moments of life, it can and will transform our fallen world, if we let it. And to those who allow Christ to reign in them and through them, our Good King will speak the words we long to hear: “'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

On this last feast, this last week of the liturgical year, we consider what in the end really matters, not our status in any political party, not the esteem of our superiors or friends, but whether in the end we have allowed Christ to reign as king in our hearts and minds and wills.

In the Gospel, we hear of Pilate asking Christ, are you a king? Notice that Jesus does not answer Pilate’s question directly. Why? Because You have to answer this for yourself. On one level, Pilate washed his hands of this question because he was unwilling to face the political and professional ramifications for allowing Christ to be his king. The truth that Christ is King will set you free if you let it.

But on a deeper level, what kept Pilate from acknowledging Christ as king was his pride. Pride always keeps us from Christ as King because pride does not acknowledge a king outside of one’s self. Pride says, “I need be the one in charge, I need to lord power over others, I determine what truth is for myself” But this sort of pride is a rebellion and rejection of God-- the sort of rebellion and rejection of God that leads to broken friendships and families, even gulag’s and concentration camps. History shows this over and over again. Godlessness leads to violence towards one’s fellow man and self-destruction. 

But pride can be shattered, and it must be shattered, in order to belong to that the kingdom of truth and life, the kingdom of holiness and grace, the kingdom of justice, love and peace, the kingdom of Christ that we know we long to be apart of.

The upcoming month of December, and the season of Advent, we know is filled with many demands on our time. So during all of the busyness of the month ahead, we must remember our deepest duty is to Christ: not to contribute to the growing godlessness of our culture, but to bring about his Kingdom through faith, hope, and charity.

The changing of a liturgical season is always a good time to do some self-examination: to examine whether selfishness, pleasure, lust, control, pride, reign in our lives, or Christian generosity, self-control, humility, and prayer. And it is a good time to make a good confession of the times we let sin reign in us, rather than Christ. 

This week, I encourage you to plan ahead for Advent, which begins next sunday; plan additional daily prayer time, additional spiritual reading, additional acts of mercy and charity. Get to weekday Mass during Advent. So that you can hear and reflect upon the beautiful advent scriptures and lessons, and to pray and celebrate Eucharist for those souls who have lost focus of the reason for the season. 

Make a good sacramental confession prior to Christmas—acknowledge those times when pride has taken the place of the love of Christ the King.

“Viva Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King!” in us. In our minds and hearts, our relationships with family, friends, strangers, neighbors and enemies. 

When we allow Christ to reign in us, he transforms us into instruments of his justice and his goodness. We become partners with Christ in reuniting divided humanity, in extending God’s mercy, truth, and love to all, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - Cleansing the Temple: An ongoing battle

 The first and second books of Maccabees in the Old Testament tell the story of a Jewish revolt against the occupying Greek government that began 175 years before the birth of Christ. 

The Greeks had great disdain for the Jews and sought to replace the Jewish faith and culture by importing as much Greek culture, philosophy, and religion into the holy land as possible. They went so far as to suppress Jewish worship in the Jerusalem Temple, placing the idol of a pagan God upon the altar, and allowing only pagan rituals to be performed there. 

After years of oppression, the Jews had enough and revolted against the Greeks. In the passage from first Maccabees we heard today, there had been an important victory, the Jerusalem temple had been reclaimed, cleansed, redecorated, and reconsecrated in an 8 day celebratory ritual. The anniversary of the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple is celebrated to this day by the Jews in the festival of Hanukah.   

Now, it’s going to be about 20-30 more years of hard fighting. A portion of the Jews will even side with the Greeks in the upcoming years and betray their own people. But notice, that in this effort to reclaim their land and drive out their oppressors, the faithful first reclaim their temple, cleanse it of foreign influence, and rededicate it to God in a celebratory festival.

This shows the priority of faith at work. The Maccabees recognized the importance of Temple first, God first, faith first, even in a time of war. They recognized that any true liberation from their enemy, victory in the only real war that matters, comes from God and must be directed by God. And knowing that they would face fierce retribution from the Greeks for taking back the temple, they took time to celebrate with joy.  What a powerful model for people of faith as we face what seems to be an ongoing war for our own culture.

About 175 years later, as we heard in our Gospel today, our Lord visited the temple, and he finds that worldly corruption has reentered the Temple once again, and it had been allowed to reenter, it had been welcomed by the Jewish authorities of the day—the pharisees, and scribes, and Sadducees, and Sanhedrin. The very ones that were supposed to be guarding the Temple, through negligence and their own selfishness and pride, had allowed worldly corruption to take the place of the worship of God.

So, the Lord leads a sort of one-man revolt, driving out those who have replaced prayer with thievery, and condemning those who have allowed corruption to flourish.

These two stories seem to indicate that God is pretty serious about keeping his Temple, keeping his Church free from corrupting influences—worldly error, selfish leaders, lukewarm faith. It is a perpetual task to remain vigilant against corruption, to learn our faith well, for truth is the great bulwark against error and heresy, and to pray, especially to Our Lady, to come to the aid of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For blessings upon the Bishops returning home from their annual meeting Baltimore that they may be men of deep faith, courage, and responsibility for the integrity and mission of the Church.

For the protection of our young people from the corrupting influences of our culture; and for families and communities experiencing division may know the peace and reconciliation that comes from Christ.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, or for those who will die today: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor and consolation.  

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

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

November 17 2021 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Christ disguised as a leper

 Today the Church celebrates St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Elizabeth was born in the year 1207, right about the time St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscans, and she too is one of church history’s great examples of charity. 

As daughter of the King of Hungary, and betrothed to the Noble Landgrave of Thuringia, Elizabeth had at her disposal substantial wealth, which she used to care for the poor.

During a severe famine, she exhausted the treasury and distributed her entire store of corn to the poor. She built a new hospital, tending to the sick, feeding them, often by hand—sometimes 900 patients every day. She provided for the welfare of orphans and helpless children. 

When many criticized her material benefactions as being excessive, her husband said that her charities would bring upon the whole realm divine blessings. But even he sort of reached his limits when she brought a leper into their castle to quarantine him from the rest of the populace. 

Interesting story though: as Elizabeth’s husband went to have the leper removed, he discovered that the leper had the holy stigmata, and that his saintly wife was truly taking care of Christ in the sick and poor. 

Through his wife, he learned how we Christians are called to take risks in revering and caring for Christ, seeing Him and loving Him, in our neighbor, including the most revolting. In the works of mercy, we care for Christ, and we also help others discover Christ disguised in the leper.

“What good is it if we only show charity to those who show charity to us” we hear in the Gospel today. Rather, as we see evidenced in the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Christians are to show charity to those who cannot repay us, the poor, the sick, and the dying. We are to “lend expecting nothing back” in giving of our time, talent, and treasure.

St. Elizabeth is revered as the patron saint of third order Franciscans, but no doubt, she has something to teach us all for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

For our consecrated religious, and all third order Franciscans under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may they be strengthened in their works of charity and sustained in their witness to Christ’s saving Gospel.

That families experiencing division may know the peace and reconciliation that comes from Christ.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, or for those who will die today: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor and consolation.  

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

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

November 16 2021 - St. Gertrude the Great - Visions of Purgatory

 St. Gertrude the Great was a holy mystic of the 14th century, who received many heavenly visions as a Benedictine nun. She actually received a vision as a young child too. The Lord visited her to tell her that she was studying too much and neglecting her prayers! 

Her many visions and conversations with Our Lord and Lady were recorded and are available in the book “The Life & Revelations of Saint Gertrude the Great” a spiritual classic hundreds of years.

Among her numerous visions were short glimpses into purgatory, like this:

“On Wednesday, at the elevation of the Host, she besought our Lord for the souls of the faithful in purgatory, that He would free them from their pains by virtue of His admirable Ascension; and she beheld our Lord descending into purgatory with a golden rod in His Hand, which had as many hooks as there had been prayers for their souls; by these he appeared to draw them into a place of repose. She understood by this that whenever any one prays generally from a motive of charity for the souls in purgatory, the greater part of those who during their lives have exercised themselves in works of charity, are released.”

It is fitting that the feast of St. Gertrude is found smack-dab in the middle of November, the month dedicated to praying for the souls in purgatory, for the saint had a very special devotion to praying for the holy souls, no doubt due to her many visions, but because she was filled with love for all souls.

She would offer daily a particular prayer for the holy souls that goes like this: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.” 

We may not be mystics, or have the ability to dedicate to prayer as a contemplative Benedictine nun, but each of us does well to pray daily for those holy souls, we will likely be in their company one day soon. 

May the saintly Virgin Gertrude the Great, assist us in making our hearts fitting dwelling places for Christ in this earthly life, that we may come to joyful fellowship with Him in the life to come, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

That our young people may be assisted by their families in growing in faith, hope, and love, and protected from the evil and corruption of the world.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor, healing and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Gertrude, we pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this mass is offered. 

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

November 15 2021 - St. Albert the Great - Patron of Scientists and Philosophers

St. Albert the Great—Albertus Magnus—was born at the beginning of the 13th century to an influential family in Germany. He went to Padua in Italy to study the so-called “liberal arts” : grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music.

During his stay in Padua he attended the Church of the Dominicans, whom he then joined with the profession of the religious vows. It is said, however, that, he came to the discernment of his vocation quite gradually, and three main factors played a role: the Dominican Friars' example of holiness, hearing the sermons of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, St Dominic's successor as the Master General of the Order of Preachers, and his own intense relationship with God.

In my late teenage years, as I began to discern my vocation to the priesthood, I think of the holy example of my home parish pastor, some excellent homilies, and some pretty intense prayer that led to my entrance into holiness. God can and does speak to us in our youth in pointing us toward our life’s project. 

As it was for Albert, so also for all of us, personal prayer, nourished by the Lord's word, frequent reception of the Sacraments and the spiritual guidance of enlightened people are the means to discover and follow God's voice. 

Albertus Magnus is best known as one of the Fathers of the scholastic method of philosophy in the Medieval period that became the predominant system of philosophy in the Church for centuries. His synthesis of the philosophy of Aristotle was further developer by his student and friend, Thomas Aquinas.  

Albert wrote a compendium of knowledge which addressed topics such as logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics, and so many of the natural sciences from physics to chemistry, astronomy and minerology, from botany to zoology.  He is one of the patron saints of philosophy and the natural sciences. He certainly shows us that there is not only a place in the Church for deeply rational thought, but a need for men and women of scientific minds who are also open to and fervent for the deep mystery of God. We need faithful Catholic economists and mathematicians and astronomers and politicians to lend their rational thought and faith to the mission of the Church.

There is a place for the greatest minds inside the Church. May St. Albertus Magnus help us put our own ingenuity, creativity, energy, and interests in service of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

Through the intercession of St. Albert the Great, patron of philosophers and scientists, that those involved in the sciences may be men and women of faith may glorify God in their learning, research, and work. 

For safety for travelers and for the homeless and destitute affected by cold and inclement weather, and that Christians may be every more attentive to the needs of the poor and the despairing in our midst. 

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution. For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and the healing of all the sick.  

We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this mass is offered. 

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

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021 - The end times

 We’ve come to the end times. The end of the calendar year isn’t too far away, and the end of the liturgical year has just two weeks left. As things are winding down our scripture readings return, as they do at this time every year, to the last things, the end times—death, judgment, heaven, hell, and eternity.

Our Lord’s teaching  on the end times in today’s Gospel passage, takes place during the last week of his life—holy week. He had entered Jerusalem for the last time on Palm Sunday, he went to the temple and taught there for the last time. And, after a busy day of teaching, contending with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Temple, Jesus and his Apostles go to rest on the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem.  

Fitting how, as his own earthly mission is drawing to a close—the end and culmination of his earthly mission—the Lord speaks about the end times. And as we just heard, the Lord describes some pretty frightening imagery: “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

This sort of language and imagery is nothing new in scripture. The Old Testament prophets use this sort of language quite often: how there are going to be some pretty traumatic cosmic events prior to the ushering in of God’s kingdom. Isaiah prophesies about the darkening of the sun and the stars, the earth trembling, green grass withering, and waters turning to blood. The prophet Joel speaks of the blood and smoke and fire that will signal the great and awesome day of tribulation. Zephaniah describes  wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, clouds and gloom. Jeremiah speaks of all of creation sort of unravelling preceding God’s great day. Daniel, as we heard in the first reading, takes up this language as well.

So, the Lord draws on the apocalyptic language of the prophets of old, to reaffirm that these cosmic events will proceed the end of the age. But this age ends, so that it might give way to a new one that will last forever. For he adds, “when you see these things happening, know that the Son of Man is near, at the gates.” 

Here the Lord describes a truth that we proclaim in our Creed every week regarding the Lord’s return. The second coming. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, we proclaim. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

Great tribulations will proceed the Lord’s return. And the Catechism says, “Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.” So the Lord offers this teaching, that we may not loose faith when the rafters of heaven shake. 

These tribulations are but the labor pains, as he says in the proceeding verses—Labor Pains of a new world, a new heaven and a new earth in which God will rule over creation in an eternal kingdom of peace.

And in a sense, every generation has to face its own tribulations, every individual in fact. There are events in our life, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, even scandal in the church, that can shake our faith. 

In the lifetime of the apostles, they would see the Temple destroyed, Jerusalem sacked, and Christians put to death by the Roman government, each of them, would have to face serious personal trials, and so must we. 

The Catechism goes on to say that throughout her persecutions the Church will be tempted to believe the deception of the anti-Christ, that man can save himself, that we don’t need God, but that we find fulfillment when we put ourselves in the place of God. We see people in our modern culture more than ever before falling for this deception, that by sheer human will and ingenuity we can usher in our own era of peace, devoid of God. 

Every Christian generation, every individual, is to live as if the Lord’s return is imminent and to keep the faith when there are wars and earthquakes and plagues, and remain vigilant against the temptations of the anti-Christ.

 “Be watchful, you do not know the day or the hour, be prepared, it can come when you least expect it.”

Will the Lord return in our own lifetime? Perhaps. Nonetheless, we will all have to appear before him as judge at the end of our life, which might also come when we least expect it. So, we must be prepared, by repenting of and confessing our sins, receiving the flesh and blood of Christ as often as we can, and living lives of righteousness, as best we can.

To be watchful means three things:

First, it means making our personal relationship with God our highest priority through daily prayer, ongoing study of our faith, and frequent reception of the sacraments.

Second, it means sharing with others the news that Jesus has shared with us. If this Gospel teaches us anything it is that time is short. And we must make use of the time we’ve been given to bring souls to Christ. We are here today because someone cared for our souls and the souls of our family members who passed the faith on to us, and we must do the same.

Lastly, we must follow the Lord’s example in our daily lives. Jesus was honest, courageous, gentle, patient, forgiving, humble, pure, and faithful. And every single day, in all of our relationships with family, friends, and strangers, we are to imitate his goodness.

As we continue with this Mass, let’s thank our Lord for the time we’ve been given to fulfill our mandate and mission—to live with the end in mind by living wisely in the present for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

November 12 2021 - St. Josaphat, martyr - Unity with God, Church, and Neighbor

 At the last supper, the Lord prayed for his followers—he prayed for the Apostles present with him in the upper room, and he prayed for the Church—that through the ages she would remain united in faith and love. "Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may be one.” While his death was looming, the most terrible of sufferings anyone had ever or would ever suffer, he was thinking of us and praying for us, for our unity in the truth of the Gospel, ““Your word, father, is truth…consecrate them in the truth”

The unity of the Church is always threatened by sin and error. And so we find the holy saints throughout history seeking unity with God through mortification, unity in the Church through right teaching, and unity with neighbor through charity. There can be no sanctity without mortification, right teaching, and works of charity.

St. Paul, of course, often wrote to the fledgling communities about avoiding anything that led to division. “With diligence preserve unity” he writes to the Ephesians, for “there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

St. Josephat spent his life laboring for the unity of the Church and was a martyr for Church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome.  He’s known as the apostle of union because he gave us life working for the unity of the Church. 

He was born into an orthodox family in 1580, but as an adult he joined one of the eastern churches that had recently returned to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Through education, reform of the clergy and personal example, Josephat succeeded in winning over the majority of the Orthodox in his diocese to full communion with Rome.  But those who opposed Church unity and communion with Rome plotted his death, and he was martyred in 1623. With furious cries of “Kill the Papist!”, He was struck on the head and shot and thrown into the river— killed by a mob who opposed his efforts.  

Like his Lord, Josephat died for unity. For the Lord indeed died that our unity with God destroyed by sin might be restored, and that the wounds of sin and division in the human family might be healed. As we know there are great divisions in our nation, there are many family members estranged from one another, there are many who have set themselves at odds with God through sin. Division caused by sin and pride always brings unneeded suffering, sadness and diminishment.

Through the intercession of St. Josephat and all the saints, seek that unity God desires for us, unity with Himself, unity with the Church, unity with neighbor for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the healing of the wounds of all Christian division and for success in the work of evangelization.

For perseverance in carrying our crosses in fidelity to the Lord Jesus.

For safety for travelers and for the homeless and destitute affected by cold and inclement weather.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for N. 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.

November 10 2021 - Pope St. Leo the Great - Truth, Peace, and Barbarians Inside and Out

 Constant barbarian invasions and the gradual disintegration of the Roman Empire, certainly made the papacy of Pope Leo the First a challenging one. And yet, his papacy was so effective, and his holiness so evident, that he is the first Pope to be given the title, “The Great”. Leo Magnus, Leo the Great.

I shared this last year, but it is such a great story.

In 452, Attila the Hung was laying siege to northeastern Italy. They vanquished city after city and reports were circulating that Attila was setting his sights on the rest of Italy.  

So Pope Leo himself, 52 years old at the time, rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with him to spare Italy. The leader of the Huns, impressed by the Pope, left Italy.  Unfortunately, a few years later, another barbarian horde, the Vandals, attacked and sacked Rome. Again, the Pope, defenseless and surrounded by his clergy, went forth to meet the invader to implore him to desist. The Vandal leader promised to spare the great Basilicas of St Peter, St Paul and St John, whose dedication we celebrated yesterday, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

The Collect for today’s feast asks God to grant the Church, through the intercession of Pope St. Leo, that we may stand firm in truth and know the protection of lasting peace.

Truth and peace. These are no doubt always to goals of any papacy. And aims of the Christian life.

Pope Leo worked hard to control the heresies prominent in his day and to call their followers back to true Christian belief. And he worked to promote peace and protection against the barbarians when the government failed to protect its people. Barbarians inside the Church are combatted with Truth. Barbarians outside of the Church are dealt with courage, diplomacy, and concern for their souls, and with prayers of protection for God’s people.

Pope Saint Leo was indeed a great Pope, a man boundless in his energy, compassionate, and clear in his sense of duty as Peter’s successor.  He is an example for all of us, for he was focused entirely on Christ, fulfilling the vocation to which Christ called him.

When things get difficult, and cloudy, and confusing, when barbarians are on the move, we are to focus on the Truth of Christ and recommit to the life to which he calls us: a barbarian or two might even be converted in the process. For it is the Freedom and Joy that comes from the Truth of Christ that the world longs for, that even the barbarians long for, that will ultimately bring deliverance from the darkness of the age and the darkness of evil. 

May Pope St. Leo assist us in loving the truth, living the truth, and working for the peace of Christ in our time for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the purification of Holy Church, and for all Bishops and clergy, that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ.

That the Christian faithful may continue to nurture and discover their spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

For those who have left the Church, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those in mortal sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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

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

November 9 2021 - Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica - Focal Point of Faith

 The feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran is always a special feast for us here at St. Ignatius, because it is also the anniversary of the dedication of our Church. 91 years ago today, Bishop Joseph Schrembs, the fifth bishop of the diocese of Cleveland, consecrated this building as a Temple dedicated to the worship of God.

Bishop Schrembs no doubt chose this date to coincide with the feast of the dedication of John Lateran, the major basilica of Rome which is known as “the mother and head of all the churches in Rome and around the world.” 

During the first three hundred years, Christianity suffered wave after wave of violent persecution, because Christians refused to worship the false pagan gods of the Roman Empire.  As a result, throughout the empire, Christians were arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, tortured, and killed.  Because of the persecutions, Christians couldn’t risk building permanent church buildings. They would celebrate Mass in private homes or in the catacombs. 

Things changed only when Emperor Constantine, the son of St Helen, issued the Edict of Milan in 313, legalizing Christianity and bringing the age of state sponsored persecution to a close.

The first church built in this new era of Christianity was St. John Lateran.  It’s the oldest church building in the world.

After Christianity was legalized in 313, St. John Lateran was the domicile of the Pope for a 1000 years--the place from which he taught and guided the Church for a millennia. 

Throughout the centuries, St John Lateran has survived fires, earthquakes, barbarian invasions, and world wars; she is the oldest church in Europe, and in a sense is symbolic of the universal Church, who has survived schisms, heresies, corruption, and government persecution—the storms and chaos of nearly two thousand years.

We know, deep down that the Church is bigger than our buildings. After all, the Church worshiped underground for our first three hundred years, and the Church has been forced back underground in many places around the world over the centuries. We don’t need church buildings.

But they are a focal point. They symbolize our highest aspirations and God’s desire to gather his flock together. Just as this building is important for us and this neighborhood, St. John Lateran is important for the whole Church.

The Lateran Basilica stands as a reminder, of how the tiny, poor, non-military religion of Christianity withstood the force of the great Roman Empire; it reminds us of the heroic virtues of the martyrs and the grace of God that sustained them in their sufferings; that the Church will withstand all of the attacks of hell until the end of time.

And this feast reminds of us the need to continue to work for the flourishing of the faith in our own day, that to keep this building going, souls need to come here, be baptized here, encounter the Lord here. This building was constructed by hands other than ours, parishioners who would come and carve stone and wood after working 8 hours, families who mortgaged their homes to finance its construction, but now our hands, time, talent, and treasure, are required for its continued existence.

May we be faithful to all the Lord asks of us in our own day for the building up of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the purification of Holy Church, and for all Bishops and clergy, that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ.

For the parish of St. Ignatius of Antioch on this anniversary of its dedication, for continued blessing upon the people of the parish in continuing our Gospel mission.

That the Christian faithful may continue to nurture and discover their spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

For those who have left the Church, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those in mortal sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

In a special way during this month of November we pray For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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.

32nd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Monday - Scandal, Forgiveness, Living Faith

Scandal, forgiveness, and faith. As Lord was making his final journey toward Jerusalem, he taught his disciples what it meant to follow him, and gave brief teachings on these three topics: scandal, forgiveness, and faith.

When we hear the word scandal, we often think of some grievous act, usually by a public official, that causes outrage, a misuse of a position of power.

But the word ‘skandelon’ means a stumbling block. It’s not mere coincidence that the Lord gives this teaching about stumbling blocks as he journeys to Jerusalem. By his journey of the cross in obedience to the will of the Father, the Lord he teaches all Christians to journey to the cross in obedience to the Father. 

Scandal does the exact opposite. What makes a leader’s sins so scandalous is that they set bad example for everyone else. Scandal leads others away from God. 

The sins of a church leader are scandalous because the church leader is meant to be leading us to God, teaching us, not just by words, but by a holy way of life. Parents, too, have a particularly vital role in the faith lives of their children. And when a parent fails to set good Christian example, that is scandalous, it teaches a little one that faith can be set aside. So the Lord teaches all Christians to avoid causing scandal—to be very careful about our speech, attitude, and actions that might lead others away from God.

Secondly, he teaches about forgiveness. This is almost the other side of the coin. We should avoid scandal, but when sin occurs, we must be quick to forgive. This doesn’t mean we fail to rebuke. The Lord says we are to offer fraternal correction when a brother sins. But, when a brother repents, we are to extend mercy.

Avoid scandal. Offer fraternal correction. And forgive without limit? The apostles find these teachings so difficult that they plead for the Lord to increase their faith. That’s an excellent request. These teachings are hard. And we need real, living faith to abide by them.

There’s no way we’ll avoid causing scandal without vibrant faith in the Son of God. There’s no way we’ll be able to effectively offer fraternal correction without faith, and without faith, we’ll never be able to truly forgive.

Increase our faith Lord: through prayer, study of your word and teachings, the development of authentic virtue, increase our faith, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be people of forgiveness and mercy, endeavoring to live out the Lord’s teachings in their families, friendships, and encounters with strangers. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our young people may be blessed to be raised in faith filled homes, that they may be protected from the evils of our culture, and be granted a firm knowledge of their vocation to holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ the Good Shepherd will draw close to all who suffer, the sick, the needy, victims of injustice, and the dying. For those who suffer from exhaustion, burn-out, and depression especially from overwork or work-related stress. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom 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.

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - The sacrifices of widows and soldiers

 On November 11, 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed an Armistice Day to be observed annually, to honor the armistice ending World War I—with major hostilities formally ending at the 11th hour of the 11th day of  the 11th month of 1918.  After WWII, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law, that November 11 would be a day to honor all veterans, and so our country celebrates Veterans Day, which will be observed this week. 

My father, uncles, and godfather are veterans of Vietnam. Both my grandfathers were proud veterans of World War II, and my great grandfather was honored as the oldest veteran of world war I in his hometown when he died.  

Providence would have it that November 11 is also the liturgical feast day of a veteran, one of our Church’s well known and beloved soldier Saints, Saint Martin of Tours, who is patron Saint of soldiers along with St. Michael, St. George, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Joan of Arc.  

St. Martin of Tours was the son of a veteran, a soldier and officer in the Roman army. Martin was actually forced to serve in the army against his will at the age of 15. But, while serving in the army, he came to understand sacrifice, honor, loyalty as many soldier do. It was as a young soldier that Martin was exposed to Christianity—newly legalized after 300 years of persecution. Soon Martin began to desire baptism and was enrolled as a catechumen.

There is the famous story when on a bitterly cold day, the young soldier met a poor man, almost naked, trembling in the cold and begging at the city gate.  Martin had nothing but his weapons and his clothes.  So he drew his sword, cut his cloak into two pieces, and gave one piece to the beggar.  Some of the bystanders laughed at Martin’s foolish act of charity. But that night Martin had a vision of Jesus dressed in the cloak he had given to the beggar. The Lord said, “Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with his garment.”

That which you did for the of my brethren you did for me. Martin, in sacrificing his cloak for a beggar, clothed Jesus. This beautiful scene is depicted in a stained glass window here at St. Ignatius in the east trancept. 

Martin’s act of charity toward that beggar, sacrificing the little he had to offer, was no doubt inspired by today’s Gospel, in which the poor widow gives, not from her surplus, but her livelihood. 

Remember, that widows had no inheritance rights in ancient Israel. They had to rely on their children, male relatives, or the charity of the community for survival. You could definitely say they had a fixed income. 

So, on this very fixed income, this widow makes pilgrimage to the Temple to worship her God. And in an act of love and devotion she takes two coins, representing a serious portion of her livelihood, and deposited them in the temple coffers to honor God and to provide charity for those who may have been worse off than she. Jesus notices this and praises her sacrifice, holding her up as a model for his disciples.

To most people, the scribes, the chief elders, the pharisees, and King Herod, these were the real pillars of the community. But, Jesus points out that the truly holy—those who are worthy of praise and emulation—are those who are beautiful and wealthy not on the outside, but on the inside.

Those truly worthy of praise are those whose generosity flows from their love of God, not the desire to be noticed by others. How often does Jesus condemns the scribes and pharisees for making a show of faith on the outside, while being far from God on the inside. He condemns them for the grievous corruption of what religious faith is supposed to be—not outward show, but inner union with the heart of God. 

The widow, the saints, like St. Martin, so many of our veterans who leave family and country to serve freedom, show us what the heart of God looks like: Self-sacrifice, trust in God, boundless generosity, willingness to mocked for charity’s sake, like Martin was mocked by his fellow soldiers, like the widow would have been mocked by her countrymen.

While visiting Cuba a few years ago, Pope Francis spoke of how the spirit of the world differs from the Spirit of Christ. He said, “The spirit of the world does not love the way of the Son of God, who emptied himself and became poor. He became nothing — he humiliated himself in order to be one of us.”  The world mocks the way of Christ. Self-sacrifice, faith, trust, these characteristics are not valued by modern society.

But the way that leads to life is the way of Christ—of self-emptying generosity. The saints who we began the month celebrating on All Saints day, over and over give us these powerful beautiful models of what holiness looks like. That when we give ourselves away like Christ we become rich in the things of God. 

So, please, sometime today or this week: think back to the example of the widow. How is God calling you to that sort of trust and generosity? On Thursday, think of the veterans, think of St. Martin, how are you called to give part of your cloak to the poor, in service of country, and church. 

On the day of our judgment, those things, those earthly treasures, the time we gave to God, will testify on our behalf. So may we be deeply and profoundly generous with God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

First Friday Holy Hour - November - Eucharistic Lessons from the Dishonest Steward

 As you know, for our first Friday Holy Hours, I like to draw some sort of Eucharist Lesson or insight from the readings or saint of the day. As, I mentioned this morning at Mass, today’s Gospel is very strange.

The Lord tells this parable about a dishonest steward who had been embezzling from his master’s business. The steward goes to the master’s debtors, who had been delinquent in paying their rent to the master, because the master, was an absentee landlord. The steward then falsifies entries in the books of accounts so that the debtors would be grateful to him, but also complicit in his fraud. Perhaps he would blackmail them later. And when the master discovers all this underhanded business, he’s actually impressed and praises the criminal mastermind for his shrewdness.

What Eucharistic lesson could we possible derive from this?

On one hand the lesson of the parables seems to be that Jesus wants his followers, like the steward in the parable, to employ cleverness, creativity, gumption, cunning, and ingenuity in and fulfilling our Gospel mandate.

On the other hand, Christians are not likely to be as cunning and shrewd as the “children of the world” as the Lord calls them, in dealing with worldly matters. We will not likely be as proficient with computers as criminal computer hackers or as sly and cutthroat as a corrupt politician. And that’s okay. We have other matters to do attend to: heavenly matters, spiritual matters. 

And that’s why we are hear tonight. We give up a Friday tonight, to pray, to kneel before the Lord, recognizing the priority of faith, strengthening and exercising faith, over all other earthly matters. We come to the Lord to be strengthened in what matters most, so that we can make inroads into the world, so that we can reach the minds and the hearts of the children of the world in bringing them to Christ.

We come here so that we can go out into the world in order to reach the criminal computer hacker, the corrupt politician, the drug addict, the pimp, and lead them to Christ. These people are not our enemy, they are our mission. 

And we kneel in front of the Lord recognizing our weakness, our lack of cleverness and capability, and facility with speaking, and timidity, and ask him to bless us, strengthen us, and embolden us to do the work he has for us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

31st Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Cunning as Rogues

 

What a strange parable the Lord employs to teach his lesson in today’s Gospel.

This dishonest steward had been embezzling from his master’s business. He goes to the master’s debtors, who had been delinquent in paying their rent the master, because the master, after all, was an absentee landlord. The steward then falsifies entries in the books so that the debtors would be grateful to him, but also complicit in his fraud. Perhaps he would blackmail them later. And when the master discovers all this underhanded business, he’s actually impressed and praises the criminal mastermind for his shrewdness.

The lesson? The disciples of Jesus are to employ similar cleverness in working for God. Not committing crimes of course in furthering the kingdom, but certainly exercising ingenuity, creativity, and cunning in fulfilling our Gospel mandate.

If people of faith were as motivated and cunning as these strange figures in the parable, how different the world would be.

So we need to be more clever in organizing charitable activity than head coaches in organizing victory for their franchises. We need to be more diligent in disciplining our minds and hearts than professional athletes in training their bodies. We need to be more clever than Wall Street bankers, in storing up treasure, not on earth, but in heaven.

Over and over again people will expend twenty times the amount of time and money and effort on pleasure, hobbies, gardening, sports, and leisure, than they do on their church. And our parish suffers for it, the church suffers for it.

How have we squandered the time we have been given? ? How many wasted hours in front of a television? Or a computer screen? In pursuing mindless entertainment or social media status? How many wasted opportunities for visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely? How many God-given gifts, have gone unused because we didn’t want to leave our comfort zone?

Isn’t God saying to us, what the rich man said to the steward in the Gospel, “What is this I hear about you? Squandering the gifts I have given you?”

What would my life look like, what would my soul look like, if I planned and plotted with my fellow parishioners, like the steward and the debtors in the gospel today, planned and plotted in doing the works of God?

Let us take serious accounting, and by God’s grace, seek a transformation, a reorientation of values and practices, that our whole lives may be at His service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may endeavor to put their time, talent, treasure, creativity and energy into serving the mission of the Church. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our young people may be blessed to be raised in faith filled homes, that they may be protected from the evils of our culture, and be granted a firm knowledge of their vocation to holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ the Good Shepherd will draw close to all who suffer, the sick, the needy, victims of injustice, and the dying.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom 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.