April 28 2023 - St. Louie Marie de Montfort - Help for living incessantly for Jesus

The priest St. Louie Marie de Montfort is one of the great Marian saints of history. He is one of the patron saints of the Legion of Mary; in fact, he is quoted more than any of the saints in the Legion Handbook.

His words "Totus tuus ego sum” became well known in the last few decades, when they were taken by Pope St. John Paul II as his papal motto. The sainted Pope dedicated his papacy entirely to Mary, and encouraged members of the Church to turn to her as well.

The Easter Season feast of Louis Marie de Montfort provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the need for a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary if we truly wish to experience the fullness of Christian life. 

St. Louie Marie de Montfort wrote: “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

I love those words, Mary helps us “to live incessantly for Jesus Christ” and makes “Jesus live in our souls”. That’s certainly what we find the apostles doing in our first readings all throughout Easter so far—living incessantly for Jesus, making Jesus the primary and all encompassing animating force in their lives. 

That was certainly the lesson the Lord was teaching to Nicodemus last week—that to be born again by water and the spirit means to start a new life distanced from sin, a life seeking above all the holy will of God. 

And that’s certainly what the Lord is teaching in the Bread of Life discourse this week. “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.” God desires to make his dwelling in us.

And our Lady helps that happen. She is the auxilium Christianorum, the help of Christians. She helps Christians grow in the grace of God, to obtain virtue, to encounter God more deeply in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist by which Jesus dwells in us, like the infant Christ dwelled in the womb of the Blessed Virgin.

One of the tasks of the Legion of Mary is to draw people to the Sacraments of the Church; souls who have wandered, souls who have become lukewarm, souls who have never yet responded to the grace of God to accept the faith. And the members of the Legion of Mary and all of us, do well to study the words of today’s saint, St. Louie Marie de Montford, and have a devotion to him. Because if Our Lady will help all those who turn to her find and love her son, St. Louie Marie de Montfort will help all those who turn to him to find and love our Lady.

St. Louie’s feast prepares us well for the upcoming month of May, dedicated to our Lady, in which we are to increase the fervor of our Marian devotion, that the abundant life of Christ might increase in us and willingly be spread by us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy over the Resurrection of her Son.

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation of love, and that all sorrowful mothers may know the consolation and peace of God.

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

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

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Mary, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven

 

3rd Week of Easter 2023 - Wednesday - Scattered, yet still preaching

 

Over the last two days, we’ve celebrated the feasts of martyrs: St. Fidelis, on Monday—the poor man’s lawyer turned capuchin Franciscan who was killed by Swiss Calvinists in the 1600s, And then, yesterday, St. Mark, the evangelist, who was killed in Egypt for preaching the Gospel to the pagan Egyptians. In both cases, the Gospel threatened an established religion.

For St. Fidelis, it was the Calvinists. For St. Mark, it was the pagan Egyptians, with their superstitions, sorcery, and polytheistic worship. The Gospel preached by the martyrs, was the truth. And just as Our Lord Himself was silenced for preaching truth, so is His Bride, the Church. 

In the acts of the Apostles, today, we heard how “There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered.” For a few weeks now, those readings from Acts have included how the preaching of the Gospel threatened the established Jewish religion in Jerusalem. The Pharisees and Sadducees have the apostles arrested and beaten and threatened with death.

And it wasn’t just the apostles who were targeted, not just the bishops, but the people too. We heard today, “All were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.” The men, women and children of Jerusalem, who came to believe that Jesus the Son of God had risen from the dead were expelled from their synagogues and had to flee their homes and families because of their faith in Christ.

And did you notice what they did while they were driven from their homes? Acts said, “Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.”

You drive us from our homes, we will just keep on preaching wherever we are driven. That’s Christianity. That’s evangelization. That’s Easter faith. That’s our mission. 

We cannot be afraid to preach the Gospel in its entirety because some of those aspects of the Gospel threaten worldly powers or established modes of thinking or established cultural values. Through our courageous witness God breaks down some these societal dysfunctions and deliver souls to Christ.

Sure you might lose friends over the Gospel, but through faith we make new friends and form deeper bonds with brothers and sisters in Christ, not to mention fellowship with the saints who come to our aid in times of distress. Will you be driven from your homes like the early Christians? Maybe not in this country. But in some countries right now, in 2023, there are Christians sacrificing their homes and family bonds for Christ. That sort of detachment and courage makes them powerful witnesses. And not only do they deserve our prayers, but also, our emulation of their example, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, the pope, bishops, and clergy, that they may govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd, leading the Church to embrace hardships for the sake of the Gospel.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ.

That our parish may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

April 25 2023 - St. Mark, evangelist & martyr - The Lion

 Atop each of the columns here inside St. Ignatius of Antioch, are symbols for the four evangelists: the eagle for St. John, the Ox for St. Luke, the human face for St. Matthew, and the Lion, for the saint and evangelist we honor today, St. Mark. 

Revelation 4:7 describes four living creatures surrounding the throne of the Lamb, and these four creatures, from antiquity, have been used to depict the evangelists. Revelation says, “The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.”

The Lion is listed first, and Mark’s gospel, was likely the first of the Gospels to be written, before the year 60. 

Sometimes it is claimed that the lion is fitting for Mark, as his Gospel begins with John the Baptist roaring in the wilderness, like a lion "...The voice of the one who cries in the wilderness: Prepare Ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths"

St. Mark was a Jew converted by the Apostles after the death and resurrection of Christ. He was a spiritual son of St. Peter, in fact. And many of the details Mark includes in his Gospel, likely derive from St. Peter. Mark originally wrote his Gospel for the Romans, to whom Peter ministered. Mark’s Gospel has characteristics attractive to Romans. It’s concise, to the point, and emphasizes Jesus, like a lion, filled with courage and strength—dominating the powers of evil with a word. While so many fail to grasp who Jesus is, it is the Roman centurion on Calvary who proclaims what even the apostles failed to acknowledge, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Before his own martyrdom, St. Peter sent Mark to be the Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. Alexandria was known for its superstition, old Egyptian gods, sorcery and magic. So Mark goes to Egypt, and like the Apostles in the Gospel today, Mark preached and miracles and signs accompanied his preaching—signs which confirmed that his word was true and from God. He made many converts, but also many enemies from the old established religion. And he was martyred. 

But no doubt due to Mark’s preaching, teaching, and the testimony of his martyrdom, Alexandria went on to become one of the great centers of early Christianity. 

It is around Alexandria that Christian monasticism begins with Anthony of the Desert and Paul the Hermit. And some of the most important theologians of the early Church came out of Alexandria, including St. Cyril of Alexandria, and the great St. Athanasius, whose feast is a week from today.

St. Mark changed the world and changed history through his faithfulness to the preaching mission. 

And, what a wonderful saint to celebrate during the Easter season, when we are being reminded of the importance of faithfully preaching the Gospel, giving witness to the truth that Jesus is risen, and by backing up our words with accompanying works.

May Saint Mark’s example and prayers help us to cry out the Gospel of Christ throughout the world, proclaiming it to all creation, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls.

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Let us pray:

The Father raised Christ his Son, Our Good Shepherd from the dead, may we be his faithful witnesses to the ends of the earth.

The Father sent his Son into the world to bring good news to the poor, may we have courage to bring that good news to all peoples.

The Father sent his Son to sow the word of life, may God help us to sow his word and to reap its harvest with joy.

The Father send his Son to make the world one through his blood, may we all work together for this unity.

The Father set his Son at his right hand in the heavens, may the gates of God’s kingdom be opened to all those who have died...

April 24 2023 - St. Fidelis of Signaringen - Poor man's lawyer turned Capuchin Franciscan martyred by Calvinists

 Have you ever become so fed up with the corruption in the world, that you just wanted to leave everything to become a monk? Well, that’s kind of what our saint today did.

His birth name was Mark, like the evangelist, whom we celebrate tomorrow, and he was born in the southern German town of Sigmaringen. Mark studied law and philosophy at the University of Freiburg, earning his Doctorate in Law. During his time at university, he was already known for his modesty, meekness, sobriety, chastity, and for wearing a hair-shirt as a penance. 

After achieving his law degree, he traveled throughout Europe, where his piety became more evident. He spent hours in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, was generous to the poor, even giving away the clothes his was wearing.

At the end of six years of travel, he came to Alsace, France, where he came to be known as the ‘poor man’s lawyer’ offering his services to the poor at a vastly reduced rate or for free, but he became so disenchanted with the evils associated with his profession that he became determined to enter the religious life. I think many good pious young people today, experience a similar disgust with our modern culture, and find in the priesthood or religious life the fulfillment they long for.

So Mark entered the Capuchin Franciscans where he was given the religious name, Fidelis, which in Latin means, “faithful one”. He was ordained a priest, and in addition to his Sacramental work, he cared much for the weak and needy. 

A bishop in Switzerland invited the Capuchins to come preach to the people who had abandoned Catholicism for Protestant Calvinism. Father Fidelis was asked to head this dangerous mission—dangerous, because religious tensions were high.

The preaching mission was almost immediately successful, which the people attributed to the prayers and penances of Fidelis. Calvinists were being brought back into the fold back to the faith and new converts were being made.

In the spring of 1622, Father Fidelis was approached by a group of Calvinists. They called for him to renounce Catholicism to which he responded: "I am the one who made every effort to fight against your errors; I am he who has proclaimed to you the Catholic faith, to which I adhere with utter conviction and affection, I have come to you to root your sad heresies, not to adopt them myself; see to it that you will not regret this act." The Calvinists then stabbed and bludgeoned the holy friar to death.

What a model of Easter faith for us! Devotion to charity, evangelization, and courage. He was truly Fidelis, faithful unto death. May his heroic faith and heavenly intercession increase our faith, hope, and love for the building up of the body of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence.

God the Father bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory, may our minds be filled with the light of faith.

Through the resurrection of His Son, the Father opened for us the way to eternal life, may we be sustained today in our work with the hope of glory.

Through His risen Son, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world, may our hearts be set on fire with spiritual love.

May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free, be the salvation of all those who suffer, particularly those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction, and grief.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

3rd Sunday of Easter 2023 - If it's only a symbol, to heck with it

 A little over a year ago, Bishop Malesic was featured in an article in a well-respected National Catholic periodical, the National Catholic Register. The article was titled “Cleveland Bishop: Catechesis About the Eucharist Is a Top Priority”

The article reported a study that should be very concerning to all of us, but especially to the bishops. A 2019 Pew Research study found that just 31% (of the 2,000 U.S. Catholics they surveyed) believe that at at Mass, Bread and Wine are truly transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. In fact, nearly seven-in-ten Catholics said they personally believe that the bread and wine are only symbols. Only symbols. Seriously? If they are only symbols, why would anyone take Catholicism seriously?

The Catholic author Flannery O’Connor, was attending a gathering of writers and the conversation turned toward this topic, toward Catholicism and finally to the Eucharist. And one well-known writer commented that the Eucharist was a symbol, and a powerful one at that. To which, Flannery O’Connor stood up, and responded, “Well, if it’s just a symbol, to heck with it!”

It’s hard to not draw a connection between the lack of faith that Jesus’ Body and Blood are really made present here and the drop in Mass attendance. Why would you make the effort to come to Church week after week, year after year, in sleet, snow, rain, and scorching summer heat, just to see me hold up a symbol? Who cares about symbols? Calling the Eucharist merely a symbol is to put it on the level of a hippy peace sign, a yin-yang, an inert, lifeless, impotent, caricature. 

But to quote the current Bishop of Cleveland, ““When Jesus said to his apostles, ‘This is my Body’ and ‘This is my Blood,’ he meant it”

Bishop Malesic remarked, “My ministry, and the role of every bishop, is to teach clearly and authentically what the Church teaches”. And what does the Church teach: that our physical senses fail to detect what really happens to the bread and wine at Mass. Bread and wine are truly transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus, just as they were at the Last Supper. 

The National Catholic Register article also reported how in response to this mind-blowingly concerning statistic, the bishops of the United States voted to launch a three-year Eucharistic Revival Initiative. And May God help us with that. For how can the Church flourish, how can we succeed in our mission, when we are failing to appreciate this greatest of gifts from God.

The first phase, the first year of the Revival which began last June has been on the diocesan level. So that’s why you haven’t heard too much about it, so far. In this first year, the diocese has been developing resources for priests to share with the people for the second phase, the second year of revival, which begins on Corpus Christi Sunday this June.

I’ll be working with Parish Council, our Synod Group, and our parish staff to implement some of these resources. We’ve been instructed to hold a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi Sunday. We already had our Parish Picnic scheduled for that day. Maybe we can do both. But the Eucharistic Procession must take precedence. So that will be June 11, likely after the 11am Mass. I’d like to process down Lorain to w 105th, then onto Ignatius ave, then up West Blvd, then back into church.

The third phase of the Eucharistic Revival, the third year will lead up to a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024. When Cleveland hosted the Eucharistic Congress back in 1935, but I’m told, Clevelanders opened up their homes to the thousands and thousands of people who traveled to our diocese, for the Congress which included 50,000 people gathering at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and Catholics standing in the formation of a living monstrance, with the Eucharist at its center. Pope Pius XI even blessed the Catholics gathered here in Cleveland. Perhaps your parents or grandparents were part of that gathering. I would love to bring a group from this parish to Indianapolis. We’ll try to get tickets if that’s how it’ll work. 

Why do I bring this up on the third Sunday of Easter? In the Gospel reading, the Lord Jesus appears to the disciples. For whatever reason they did not recognize it was the Lord. They were certainly shaken by the Lord’s gruesome crucifixion and death. But this failure to recognize the Risen Lord makes me think of the thousands and thousands of Catholics who do not recognize Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

But, after walking with them, and talking with them, listening and speaking and explaining the Scriptures to them, Jesus takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gave it to them, the very actions he undertook at the Last Supper, the very actions we undertake at every Mass.

And St. Luke tells us, with that “their eyes were opened and they recognized him”. That is our prayer for the Eucharistic Revival, for all of those Catholics who do not believe that the bread and wine truly become the Lord’s body and blood at Mass. Perhaps they lost their faith, or were improperly taught. Perhaps they bad teachers, or their parents didn’t believe, or they’ve allowed some sophisticated intellectual acrobatics to replace the simple faith of the Church. But for whatever reason, it is our prayer that those who lack faith, come to believe—that the eyes of faith become opened, and souls come to recognize what is really going on here: that Bread and Wine truly, really, substantially become Jesus.

That is the reason for the revival—the revival our bishop believes we need. And I’m with him. 

If you are confused about this teaching. We’ll help you understand. I’ll host evenings, afternoon, or morning catechism lesson for adults if you want. I’ll sit down with you personally and review Church teaching, or whatever arguments you might have.  But belief in the Real Presence, is fundamental to Catholicism. 

You might say, “Oh, well, who cares if we believe this? Isn’t it enough that we’re a good person or committed to the poor or committed to social justice. Isn't that important?" But one Bishop, and I’m right with him, too said "a reduction of religion to morality is repugnant to Catholicism." Catholicism isn’t merely a moral code. It is a religion based on revelation from God Himself. And God Himself said this is my body, this is my blood. To reject that is to reject Jesus, to deny that he is really here, in the flesh. 

And just like he did with the disciples like the disciples in the Gospel today. Through his real presence, Jesus wants to set our hearts on fire. 

Try something today. As you come forward in procession today to receive Communion, repeat over and over, “this is God, I’m receiving God, the Eucharist is my God, my Lord and my God, my savior”. 

If you don’t believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist…I’m not sure you should get in the communion line. If you believe that bread remains bread, you have some serious praying to do. Pray, “Lord, help my unbelief. Help me believe this Church teaching which goes back to Jesus Himself” 

Lord, help those who disbelieve, to believe. And help us who believe to live in a manner which reflects our belief that Christ truly feeds us with his Body and Blood, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

2nd Week of Easter 2023 - Friday - Invitation to the table of the Lord

 Having read through the entirety of Jesus' discourse with Nicodemus from chapter 3 of St. John's Gospel over the past four days, we now begin a week long reading of John Chapter 6.  St. John's sixth chapter is comprised of two miracle stories—the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and Jesus walking on the water—and the great Bread of Life discourse.  I encourage you to read and reflect upon the entire chapter to get a sense of what's coming over the next 8 days.

With Nicodemus, Jesus spoke of the waters of spiritual rebirth—unless you are born again by water and the spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus taught, providing us with the reason why we take baptism so seriously. Well, if the first set of Gospel readings after the Easter Octave point to the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, this second set of readings, from John 6, is going to point to the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood, the Eucharist. 

The Catechism explains: “The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigures the superabundance of [the] unique bread of his Eucharist.” The connection between today’s gospel passage of the multiplication of the loaves and the sacrament of the Eucharist was clear even to the early Church. In second-century catacombs, we find artistic representations of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves to symbolize the Eucharist.

Easter sends us out into the world to proclaim the good news, to call the multitudes of the peoples of the world to the waters of baptism, and also to the table of the Lord’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist. 

Just as the Lord fed the hungry crowd, the Lord feeds man’s deepest hunger with the Eucharist. All of us hunger for truth, justice, love, peace, and beauty. In a word, we are hungry for God. And that hunger is satisfied, here at the table of the altar. 

Sadly many Christians, like ill-natured children, refuse to eat what they are served; many refuse to sit at the table and sup. But here at the altar, we are sent out to them, to draw them back here, to Christ.

Unless you are born again of water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, he told in Nicodemus. And unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have life within you.

May the Eucharist, our food, our life, our joy, continue to sustain us for the work of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

2nd Week of Easter 2023 - Tuesday - Easter knowledge vs. Gnosticism

 

Last week, throughout the Easter Octave, we read from each of the four Gospel writers, their accounts of Jesus' resurrection, and Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to his disciples.

For the rest of the Easter Season, we will be reading from the Gospel of John—the discussion with Nicodemus this week from chapter 3, and onto chapter 6—the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the great Bread of Life discourse next week.

Early on in his public ministry, in his first visit to Jerusalem, recorded by John, the Lord encountered the Pharisee Nicodemus. The Lord’s ensuing conversation with Nicodemus is quite different from the later encounters with the Pharisees, especially those of Holy Week. Nicodemus, though he is a “teacher of Israel” as Jesus calls him, takes the position of the student. Unlike the other Pharisees, Nicodemus possesses and displays a genuine openness to be taught by Jesus. 

Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night time, symbolic of Nicodemus’ ignorance. But in this case, it is an ignorance that is open to illumination, the light of the truth of the Gospel.

We must be open to be taught by God, taught by Jesus. 5 years ago, Holy Father Pope Francis issued an apostolic Exultation called “Gaudete et Exsultate” Rejoice and be Glad. Rejoice and be Glad: On the universal call to holiness. In it, the holy Father exhorts us to openness to be taught by Jesus.

But he also warns against one of the perennial enemies of discipleship, that of Gnosticism. The Pope defines Gnosticism as “a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten, but which ultimately keep one imprisoned in his or her own thoughts and feelings”.

So many of the Pharisees in the Scriptures only entertain Jesus as Long as he confirms their old ideas. Similarly, in our own day, there are Christians who only listen to the Church when it suits them, only turn to the words of Jesus when they seek consolation. There is no attempt to understand difficult moral teachings or grow in knowledge of the beautiful and timeless truths of our faith. This is what Pope Francis calls, “superficial” Christianity. “I’m only a Christian as long as it makes me feel good—when Church teaching conforms to my subjective ideas about reality.”

Nicodemus shows us what genuine openness to Jesus looks like. He questions Jesus, but with an openness to be genuinely taught. He unfurls the sail of his understanding, and allows God’s Spirit, God’s knowledge, to fill and direct his life. 

The Christian is perpetually a disciple, a student. And we must perpetually be open to the teaching God wants to teach us. And I’m not just talking about doctrine. But a genuine openness is always need in learning how to be generous, learning how to be kind, learning how to be patient, learning how to break sinful habits, learning how to share the Gospel in our own simple way, learning how to discern our gifts and put those gifts into practice for the building up of the Church for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence.

God the Father bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory, may our minds be filled with the light of true faith.

Through the resurrection of His Son, the Father opened for us the way to eternal life, may we be sustained today in our work with the hope of glory.

Through His risen Son, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world, may our hearts be set on fire with spiritual love.

May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free, be the salvation of all those who suffer, particularly those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction, and grief.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

2nd Week of Easter 2023 - Monday - Born again for Easter Boldness

 In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dante the pilgrim travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.  The pilgrim makes his journey through hell and witnesses the eternal punishments of the unrepentant sinners. Ascending the mountain of purgatory, Dante witnesses the ordeals of those requiring purification and purgation prior to entry into heaven. And then making his way into the realm of the blessed, he witnesses the sweet rewards of the saints. 

Near the beginning of the journey, after passing through the gates of hell, the first place to which Dante comes is a place called Acheron, which is a sort of ante-chamber before entering Hell proper.  Acheron isn’t filled with the murderers and adulterers and betrayers in hell’s lower regions; rather, Acheron is filled with those who were apathetic to the spiritual life, the lukewarm—those who failed to make any real life choice to pursue what is good and holy. 

Scripture itself condemns the lukewarm. In Revelation, God himself says “because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Dante puts the lukewarm in this ante-chamber of hell as a way of saying, these souls are so lukewarm that neither heaven nor hell wants them. And so Dante depicts these souls as just sort of tumbling through the after-life like tumbleweeds, forever deprived of the sight of God, forever homeless. 

This was Dante’s subtle way of inspiring his readers to make the choice for God, to choose to pursue the goal of their creation. We are created to pursue God, to make the choice for God, so that we can reach the destination for which we were made: eternal happiness in the presence of God.

We didn’t have a choice to be born. But we have a choice to be “born again” in the words of the Lord in the Gospel today. We must choose the new life, the new man, the new way of living, rather than just being blown about like tumbleweeds. 

So many of our modern Catholics have fallen into a sad indifference towards the Gospel, and are blown about like tumbleweed by the currents of culture.  When we are more committed to video games and sports games and tv shows than to matters of faith or political activism, there is a problem.

Hence, the Church’s call in modern times for all committed Catholics to seek to be emboldened in faith and to engage in a new evangelization, to rouse the spiritually apathetic to a renewed commitment to the Gospel.

In the first reading, too, Peter and John and the disciples are filled with holy boldness for spreading the Gospel. Easter is about claiming that holy boldness that God desires for us—being transformed from coldness or indifference to boldness for the Gospel. The disciples were filled with the transforming power of the Resurrection to become fearless preachers, willing to undergo persecution, even death, for the person and message of Jesus.  

Through the celebration of these Easter mysteries may we be roused out of any spiritual apathy or lukewarmness that has anesthetized our hearts, that we may engage more fully in the work of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our parish, that we may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

2nd Sunday of Easter 2023 - Mercy for the Facebook Killer

 Six years ago, this time of year, Cleveland became the center of national news. You may remember this sad story, that a 74-year old man named Robert Godwin Sr was shot and killed while walking on a sidewalk in the Glenville neighborhood. His murderer posted a cellphone video of the shooting on his Facebook account, leading many media outlets, to dub him the "Facebook killer".

Following his murder, Mr. Godwin’s family appeared on television. And in front of the entire nation, they forgave the murderer. Speaking for the family, his daughter Tonya said, “Each one of us forgives the killer… I forgive you and love you, but most importantly,” she said, “God loves you. God can heal your mind and save your soul.” She says, We want the killer to know, “that God loves him, we love him. Yes we’re hurt, but we have to forgive him because the Bible says if we don’t then the heavenly father won’t forgive us.” Of course she is referring to Matthew chapter 6 verse 15 which says “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Mercy, forgiveness, healing. This is what we celebrate today on this Feast of Divine Mercy. And the Godwin family proclaimed this truth, lived this truth so beautifully.

God loves us. God can heal our minds and save our souls. God calls us to forgive, and by that act of forgiveness, we ourselves are forgiven.

Mr. Godwin's son, Robert Jr, echoed the sentiment shared by his sister. He said,  “One thing I do want to say [to the killer] is I forgive him. Because we are all sinners…I’m not happy with what you did, but I forgive you.”

Here is a family, devastated by the senseless death of a dear loved one, but filled with the mercy of God. 

St. Peter said in our second reading that that we will have “to suffer through various trials…that our faith is tested”. The death of their loved one at the hands of the Facebook killer certainly tested the faith of the Godwin family, it was certainly a trial. But mercy radiated from this family in a way that truly glorified God.

This is our vocation as Christians: to be filled with the Mercy of God. Mercy was at the heart of Good Friday: the Lord prays, "Father, Forgive Them...have mercy on them...for they know not what they do. Mercy was at the Heart of Easter Sunday: the Lord bursts through lock doors, shows the wounds in his hands and feet, caused by sinners, and announces not his wrath, but peace, peace to all sinners, those who denied him, rejected him, ran away from their vocations, all of us. Today’s Feast celebrates the mercy lavishly poured out upon us by God and the mercy we are in turn to pour out for others.

In the 1930’s a simple Polish nun by the name of Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska, received a series of private revelations from the Lord himself regarding Mercy. Now canonized, St. Faustina recorded these private revelations in a diary of about 600 pages detailing a whole program of devotion to the mercy of Jesus Christ. Consider the Lord’s timing in appearing to St. Faustina! 

The 1930s was the beginning of an era of unparalleled cruelty of man toward his brother. It saw the rise of totalitarian atheistic governments and rampant materialism and the trampling of basic human freedoms like the right to life. Merciless governments, merciless war crimes, merciless genocides in Europe and Africa, merciless wars over the resources of this earth, merciless religious persecutions, merciless killing of babies, merciless pursuit of wealth at the expense of human life. 

The Lord said to St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” 

While evil has certainly shown its terrible and ugly face these last hundred years. So has Divine Mercy. In saints like Maximilian Kolbe offering his life to save his fellow concentration camp prisoner, St. Gemma offering the sacrifice of her life for her unborn child, St. Padre Pio and many others who bore the wounds of the holy stigmata out of mercy for the sins of the world, St. Oscar Romero suffering martyrdom for calling the Salvadoran soldiers to show mercy to their political enemies, St. Mother Theresa and her holy sisters engaging in the works of mercy toward the poorest of the poor.

That’s not to mention the proliferation of so many Catholic institutions, institutions that your families have supported these last hundred years. Institutions of mercy right here in Cleveland: rosary hall and matt Talbott, mercifully providing professional substance abuse and mental health services to addicts. Our Catholic hospitals. Catholic Charities. St. Vincent de Paul programs. The hungry have been fed. The sick have been healed. The imprisoned have been visited. The doubtful have been counseled. Those stuck in cycles of sin have been sought out.

Yes, there has been an outpouring of evil in these last hundred years, but there has also been an outpouring of mercy. Opportunities for grace and conversion. So many souls coming to know God’s peace through the font of Christ’s mercy. 

In a sense, these last hundred years have been a century of mercy on a massive scale. 

Jesus told St Faustina, "I demand from you deeds of mercy... You are to show deeds of mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere."

Always and everywhere. And that’s quite the challenge, isn’t it? To show mercy to murdering facebook killers and annoying neighbors and inconsiderate drivers. To show generosity to God’s poor ones who reach out to you for help despite their rough personalities. To show patience to those who are wandering on the margins of the church or who have even stepped outside her bounds. Always and everywhere means always and everywhere. That’s a challenge. It’s a trial. It’s a test of faith. But by being dedicated to forgiveness and to deeds of mercy, we attain the goal of our faith, the glory of God and the salvation of your souls.

Octave of Easter 2023 - Friday - Come have breakfast

 On Easter Sunday morning, when the angel appeared to the women at the empty tomb, the angel told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee, and there they shall see the Lord. Well, today, we hear how the disciples have gone to Galilee—the Sea of Tiberius is another name for the Sea of Galilee—and there they see the Lord. Why they decided to go fishing instead of preaching, teaching, healing, and spreading the Gospel is another question. They don’t even appear to be looking that hard for Jesus, in fact, they seem to have retreated back to what they were doing before Jesus called them.  Well, they might not having been looking that hard for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for them. Upon seeing him, they make their way to shore, and Jesus says to them, “come, have breakfast”.  

There is something unique about breakfast. It’s not a royal banquet, it’s a simple meal, typically shared with family. It’s informal; everybody might still be a bit disheveled—not everyone is washed or totally awake. The disciples, after a night of working, certainly fit this description. Like a parent for children still groggy from sleep, the Lord makes breakfast for these groggy children, he even calls them children. 

Jesus knew the disciples would be hungry after a night of fishing, but no doubt they were hungrier for the truth: that Jesus was with them, that he had indeed risen from the dead, that their first two encounters with him weren’t hallucinations, he wasn’t a ghost, and that he was continuing to prepare them for the great mission of spreading the good news, making disciples, teaching all nations that salvation is found in Him.

Easter was 5 days ago, and we, like the disciples are already a bit groggy from worldly business. Maybe we’ve even retreated back into old comfort zones instead of allowing Easter to change us. Maybe, since Lent is over, we haven’t been looking for Jesus that hard in prayer. But it is good that we are here, at Mass. Weekday Mass is so powerful, and I wish more people would come to weekday Mass, because the Lord meets us here for breakfast, for an intimate family meal, to feed us, to reorient us for the work he has for us out in the world. 

The Collect for Mass this morning asked God to dispose our minds that the faith we celebrate may be expressed in our deeds. That’s exactly what the Lord was doing on the seashore with the disciples, opening their minds to the reality of his resurrection, that their faith might impel them into the world. And he does the same thing here. May the reality and power of the Lord’s resurrection animate our words and deeds today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

- - - - - 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

Easter Octave 2023 - Wednesday - Emmaus and the Risen Lord's Nearness

 A few years ago, Holy Father Pope Francis reflected upon this morning’s Gospel. He speaks of how Emmaus story contains two journeys. The downhill journey of the disciples leaving Jerusalem in sadness, and then the uphill journey of the disciples having encountered Jesus, back toward Jerusalem, now filled with Joy and enthusiasm. 

“In the first journey, the Lord is walking beside them, but they do not recognize him; in the second one they do not see him anymore, but they feel him near them. In the first they are discouraged and hopeless; in the second they run to bring the good news of the encounter with the Risen Jesus to the others.”

He says sometimes we are like the disciples on the first part of the journey: we allow ourselves to be discouraged by life’s disappointments and proceed sadly. It is important, the Holy Father says, “to stop orbiting around one’s self; [focusing on] the disappointments of the past, the unrealised ideals, the many bad things that have happened in our life. Very often we tend to keep going around and around…” (in our minds…and get nowhere because of it). 

And in those moments we need to leave those disappointments and “go forward looking at the greatest and truest reality of life: Jesus lives, Jesus loves me…This is the turning point”, the Holy Father says to go from thoughts about I to the reality of my God.

A little bit of self-reflectiveness can be helpful. But when we recognize that we are ideating about the same problem, the same hurt, the same sour argument, the same insult, or whatever, we need to go to Jesus—to lift our thoughts, hearts and souls to God. 

The two disciples of Emmaus first open their hearts to Jesus by listening to him explain the Scriptures. This should be a habit and way of life for Christians. When you are feeling lost, disappointed, discouraged, or confused OPEN THE BIBLE. Read a Gospel story or from the Wisdom Books: Wisdom, Proverbs, or Psalms. You might think that the Bible has nothing to say to you, read it anyway. And keep reading until you hear God speaking, with you, in your trials, urging you to open your heart more deeply to Him, allowing Him to set your heart on fire.

In the times of discouragement, be aware that the voice telling you, you don’t need the Bible, you need a drink, a pill, a Netflix binge, a shopping spree, a quart of icecream and a nap, that’s not Jesus. That’s the one that wants to turn your soul away from Jesus. That One doesn’t want you to seek the Wisdom of God, but wants you to rely only on yourself, and wants you to medicate your sorrows with worldly vices. 

Easter helps us grow in the conviction that the Lord offers us another way, of nearness to us throughout all of life, a nearness where the Lord is always longing to speak with us and break bread with us, and set our hearts alite with divine fire, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

 

Octave of Easter 2023 - Tuesday - Magdalene Wept

 

Four times this morning’s easter gospel mentions the weeping of Mary Magdalene.

First, St. John tells us that Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. Then St. John tells us that Mary wept as she bent over the tomb. Thirdly, angels ask Mary why she is weeping. Fourth, the Risen Lord Himself asks her why she weeps.

That’s a lot of weeping for such a glorious day. Writers, including evangelists, will often repeat an image that they want to draw your attention to. 

Mary weeps out of grief, as many of us have, and will likely do again. She wept because she believed Jesus to be dead, and she wept because she thought his dead body had been stolen, the tomb desecrated, his body desecrated. Could his soul be at rest after such an act of desecration? Why would God allow this? Why did God allow any of this?

But as the scripture passage goes on, God begins to break through Mary’s tears—her grief and worries and fears. First through angels, then the Lord himself. The questioning helps her to focus on reality—to see more clearly. 

You can imagine Mary first glimpsing our Lord still with tears in her eyes. Her tears and her bewilderment caused her to think the risen Lord was a gardener; the possibility of his resurrection couldn’t even occur to her—but she is beginning to see clearly.

For the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it took them a long conversation, and Jesus breaking the bread for them to come to recognize the risen Jesus. For Mary, it happened as soon as he said her name. God speaking your name has a way of clarifying things, driving away your earthly worries and confusion. You recognize that the things you were holding on to don’t matter as much, your worrying was unnecessary. 

The Book of Revelation says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” In the course of just a few verses, Mary Magdalene’s weeping and tears are wiped away, as she comes to recognize that Christ was risen, that the ancient promises of God conquering death were fulfilled, that the time for weeping had come to an end, for former worries, former anxieties, former fears, former concerns were now in the past, and a new chapter in human history had begun.

The celebration of Easter entails a recognition that we’ve spent a lot of time weeping and fretting over a lot of things that don’t really matter. Lent, hopefully, helped us recognize some of those attachments. And now Easter entails a new chapter, new mission and new focus, detached from those earthly concerns, recognizing that the time for weeping has come to an end, for Christ lives and dies no more. That’s the ultimate truth we need to remember in the face of every grief and every temptation to return to former things: Christ lives and dies no more and I have a job to do to spread that message for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

Octave of Easter 2023 - Monday - Easter is more than a day, it's a way of life

 For much of the secular world, Easter is over now. They're back to normal life. For disciples of Jesus Christ, however today is the second day of a fifty day season of glory—reveling in, celebrating, reflecting upon, basking in the light of the the most important thing that ever happened. Christ rose from the dead, just as he said he would.

It is also the second day of the Octave of Easter. The two major feasts of the church year, Christmas and easter, are proceeded by seasons of preparation: Advent and Lent, and then each feast is extended by an octave. A week of feasting. So feast to God’s glory each day this week. Make each day this week a glorious celebration in some way.

In the early Church, the newly baptized would attend Mass everyday this week, wearing their white garments.  Listen to the words the priest speaks to the newly baptized: 

You have become a new creation and have clothed yourselves in Christ. Receive this baptismal garment

and bring it unstained to the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may have everlasting life.

The newly baptized are a reminder to all of us of the grace of baptism which Easter makes accessible for us. The source of our dignity is easter. For through baptism we rise with Christ the risen one. And are made into a new creation. Having been “clothed with Christ” as St. Paul says, we are to make no provision for the flesh, and keep our baptismal dignity unstained as we await the return of the bridegroom.

Just as the Easter Sacraments brought new life to the newly initiated, Easter rejuvenates the entire Church. These Easter days are to renew in us that conviction that Jesus rose from the dead. Like St. Peter bursting out of the Upper Room, filled with the Spirit, Easter is to energize us into bursting into the world to preach with courage, like St. Peter in the Acts of the Apostles this morning, like Mary Magdalene in the Gospel. 

And there will be a variety of reactions to our witnessing. St. Peter’s courageous preaching was met with repentance and belief. But in Matthew's Gospel, we heard that right from the beginning there was a chilling conspiracy to hide the fact of the resurrection.  The chief priests and the elders gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’  The early Church was well-aware of the dark powers that continue to work at odds against the Church, against Christ.

Nevertheless, the first commands Jesus gives to those who first saw Him after His resurrection are: "Do not be afraid! Go and carry the news".  We cannot be afraid to witness.  Non-believers are waiting to meet Christ through our witness.

Some may sneer at us, others may even try to silence us, but some are waiting to meet Christians who are faithful to the promises of their baptism, who give witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, who witness through their integrity of life, through their conversion from sin. A simple, “Happy Easter” might cause someone to realize that there are people who believe Easter is more than a day, it is a way of life for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn to earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. 

For our own community, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

Easter Sunday 2023 - Easter Laughter

 I went home to Madison the other day to visit my sister, her husband and my two nieces, and they were getting ready to dye easter eggs. I asked my nieces if they knew where this tradition of dyeing easter eggs came from. And they said, sure, Jesus died on good Friday so that we can dye for easter.

I usually don’t begin my homilies with jokes, but I begin my easter homily in this uncustomary way, at least for me, because there’s a bit a tradition behind it…and by the way, I’ll try to keep this short…I
know my homilies can be like reading in the car…alright at first, but then after about 15 minutes you start to feel a little queasy. Anyway…

During the 15th century in southern Germany, a delightful custom sprung up in many parishes. At the end of the Easter Mass, the priest would leave the altar and come down among the people and lead the congregation in what was called the “Risus Paschalis”, Latin for “the Easter laughter.” The priest would tell funny stories and sing comical songs to evoke Easter laughter.

There was a protestant minister named Johannes Oekolampadius, a funny name for a very unfunny man. He condemned Catholic Easter laughter and the priests who encouraged it for behaving like comedians. And there were some excesses on our part. Supposedly, Risus Paschalis evolved into pranks that were causing property damage and Pope Clement X had to restrict the practice. 

But, why did this practice arise? Of Easter Laughter? Perhaps it’s because laughter is often a sign of the joy that should mark this day. Joy is to bubble up in us like laughter after a good joke.  Ecclesiastes speaks of “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” well, the time of Lenten weeping and mourning is now finished. And that means a new time has begun, marked not by weeping but laughing and dancing.

Perhaps Risus Paschalis arose because Easter is the greatest, most elaborate, most memorable prank in history. Think of it…everyone was convinced Jesus was gone, dead, done away with for good. The Pharisees and Sanhedrin thought so; they had done everything in their power to be rid of Jesus who they thought to be guilty of the most heinous of blasphemies—claiming to be God. Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers thought so; with Jesus dead, they wouldn’t have to worry about an insurrection. The crowds that called for Jesus’ crucifixion thought so, in their minds, Jesus was a charlatan and got what he deserved. Satan himself must have thought that he had pulled off a great triumph in frustrating the plans of God. 

But then the surprise.. the ultimate Peekaboo. The most unexpected punchline. Death and violence do not get the last laugh. The work of the evil one is undone by turning his own weapons against him. Cruel torture and death become instruments of the consolation and divine life. Suffering and death, which entered the world as a consequence of sin, were to become the very means by which sin was vanquished.

Easter is the morning when God laughs out loud, laughs at all the things that snuff out joy and life. Psalm 2 says, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs” And because of our faith, Christians are in on the joke. The prophet Job says, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” On the sermon on the plain, in Luke’s Gospel, the Lord himself says,” Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

The Acts of the Apostles tells us that following Easter wherever the disciples went, “there was great joy” (8:8); even amid persecution they continued to be “filled with joy” (13:52). And it’s a joy that comes from knowing that there is nothing the devil or the world can do to us to stop the Gospel message. There is nothing the government or whatever world power is actually running things can do to keep us from pursuing holiness and eternal life. Christ is victorious. Nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ Risen from the Dead.

Pope Francis wrote “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.” 

As Abraham and Isaac were walking back down the mountain. You can imagine Isaac was a bit shaken, but the whole incident of being bound and placed on altar. Abraham perhaps tried to pass that one off as a joke too. So Abraham tries to lift Isaac’s spirits by sharing that good news that he has to upgrade their family computer to Windows 10. Isaac said, "But father, we don't have enough memory!" To which Abraham replied, "Don't worry, my son, the Lord will provide the RAM."

And he did. God provided for our salvation. And he won. The Lord has provided everything we need for a joy-filled life. Even in the midst of our sorrows, we can look that sorrow, that cross, right in the face…and say, you don’t get last word. In a sense, we laugh, with God, when evil seeks to convince us of it's strength.

You just remember the time Esau asked Jacob to round up his 37 sheep…and Jacob said…40…round-up 37 you get 40. It's a math joke! Or you remember the parade of aging easter bunnies who could only hop backwards, they were a receding hare-line. 

I encourage you to share some Easter Laughter with each other today...I get all my material off of popsicle sticks...you might consider the same...

May the joy of Easter fill your hearts more than I just filled the church with groans with that last one…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Saturday 2023 - Morning Prayer - Awake O Sleeper

 I remember my first holy Saturday as a seminarian. I was home for the triduum, and I went to pray in my home parish church. And I brought with me my breviary, the liturgy of the hours. And I remember being deeply moved by what is called the patristic reading for matins, the first hour of the day. For matins there are two lengthy readings that follow the psalms: a reading from scripture and then a reading from the church fathers. 

On Holy Saturday — the day Christ lies in the tomb — the patristic reading is titled “from an ancient homily on holy Saturday”. Normally, the title includes who wrote it, but this reading is mysterious.

 Some scholars believe that the homily was composed by Melito, bishop of Sardis, who died around the year 180, because it is similar to Melito’s renowned “Homily on the Passover.” But in fact, we don’t know who the author is.

Well, this reading, this homily tells the story of Christ’s triumphal descent into hell. The Apostles’ Creed professes that Christ “descended into hell” after dying on the cross. And this homily gives a dramatic rendering of Christ’s appearance in the place of the dead where he encounters Adam and Eve, and all the faithful, who are waiting for deliverance.

Holy Saturday is not just the day that we wait quietly and mournfully with Christ in the tomb. We also recognize that on this day Christ also descended to the place of the dead and rescued all faithful souls, bringing them into the full glory of His Father’s kingdom. 

Listen to the mysterious opening verses of this homily: Something strange is happening — there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death (Luke 1:79), He has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, He who is both God and the son of Eve.

The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won Him the victory. At the sight of Him, Adam, the first man He had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ Christ answered him: ‘And with your spirit.’ He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’ (Ephesians 5:14)

‘I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

If you have the chance, read the rest of this ancient homily for yourselves today. You can download the breviary app on your phone or simply google: “Ancient homily on holy Saturday”. As Christ descended in to hell to wake the sleepers, those who awaited salvation, the Lord stirs in our hearts today as we await the great celebration of easter. May he rouse those sleeping parts of our souls, that they may rejoice with Easter jubilation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Good Friday 2023 - Be hold the wood of the cross

 When visitors come to St. Ignatius, one of the things they often point out, is how the shadow cast by the cross in the main sanctuary here, remind them of the three crosses of Calvary on Good Friday. The two thieves crucified on the right and the left, with our Blessed Lord in the middle.

I do not know if this lighting trick was intentional, it was not part of the original design, for some of you may remember the baldachino that stood behind the high altar for…oh, about 80 years.

But the removal of the baldachino allowed for the placement of one of the most beautiful crucifixes in the diocese, if you ask me. 

The crucifix, the cross, is the great symbol of our faith. Many Catholics wear crosses and crucifixes around their necks, some of them simple gold or silver, some decorated with precious jewels. We hang crucifixes in our homes, some of us in every room. 

In a sense, this is a strange tradition. After all, the cross is an instrument of cruel torture - the cruelest torture perhaps ever invented by man: nails driven through the nerve bundles between the wrist and the palm of the hand, so every time the crucified moved - which he had to do if he wanted to keep breathing - the nails rubbed against the raw nerves and shot lightning pain through the body.

A cruel instrument of torture, and yet, wherever you go in the world, you will see crosses and crucifixes beautifully, exquisitely decorated with gold and jewels, adorning churches, crosses clutched tightly in moments of fear, sadness or held delicately by the pious to help direct their prayer.

Why adorn our crosses, why venerate them, why grip them so tightly?

It is certainly a reminder. The most important reminder of the most important truth: the very intensity of the suffering of the cross represents the ineffable intensity of love that God has for each one of us.

While dying on the cross, Jesus looks out at each one of us, whose sins have nailed him there, and he says: I forgive you, do not fear, come back to me, I want your friendship. 

This is why we reverence, we venerate, we kiss the cross today. For by doing so we kiss the heart of God, who forgives us…all sins.

The love shown on the cross, which is manifest for us today, embraces us in our sinfulness, and invites us to conform our hearts to his, to trust in Him, to follow in Christ's obedient footsteps, never fleeing from the vocation to which God has called us, so that we can deepen our communion with him and experience the fullness of life that comes from that communion.

Venerate the cross with all the love and contrition and gratitude you can muster today. Kiss it, bow your head to it, kneel before it. By doing so you express your faith, hope, and love in our crucified Savior, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Good Friday 2023 - Morning Prayer - Weep for your sins

 

Following the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples left the Upper Room, and processed to the Garden of Gethsemane up on the mount of olives. 

And there on the mountain he began to pray. He asked his disciples to stay awake with him and pray. But they kept falling asleep. Even Peter, James and John, his inner circle, who had witnessed his transfiguration on Mount Horeb, could not keep their eyes open.

And so, the Lord suffered, agony alone. St. Matthew tells us that his suffering was out of sorrow. Sorrow for who? Sorrow for Judas. Sorrow for Peter. Sorrow for his disciples’ indifference. Sorrow for the souls of those who would reject him ultimately, and spend eternity in hell. Suffering for those who call themselves Christians, yet persist in indifference to their vocation to holiness. Sorrow for priests who break their vows. Sorrow for married couples who break theirs. Sorrow for children whose hearts turn hateful toward their parents. And sorrow for parents who drive their children to such hatred. Sorrow for all the sins of the world. He took on himself not simply our sins, but the sorrow we should pay for them.

He sweat blood because we have failed to even shed sufficient tears for our sins.

Likely around 4am, the Lord was arrested and brought before Annas and Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin who brought false witnesses to testify against him. 

Around the time most of us were getting up this morning, between 6 and 8am, the Gospels are not clear Jesus was brought before the governor Pontius Pilate who found no reason to condemn Him, but sent him to the puppet-king Herod, who also failed to find a crime. 

Now with the crowd stirred up by the Sanhedrin, Pilate has Jesus scourged and then agrees to have him crucified, out of fear of a rebellion. Around 8am, Jesus begins to carry his cross through the streets of Jerusalem, and probably around the time you were starting your rosary, around 8:30am, Simon of Cyrene is tasked to help this stranger with the heavy burden.

Around 9am, the time we began our morning prayer, Jesus was nailed to the cross.

Following morning prayer we will depart in silence, but we will return to Church at the hour of the Lord’s final breath—“the ninth hour of the day”.

The Lord was sorrowful for us, and tells us that we ourselves should be sorrowful. He told the women of Jerusalem, “weep not for me, but weep for your sins and the sins of your children.”

Today, rightfully is a day of sorrow. We fittingly weep for our sins today. And we plead God’s mercy for ourselves, for all mankind, for priests and religious, for those who reject God, for those who seem to be stuck in cycles of sin, for those who have become lukewarm, for those who near death, especially those in danger of hell, that maybe, just maybe, if God wills it, a last opportunity for repentance may be given to them.

There is a tradition that of praying the Seven Penitential Psalms today: Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Today also begins The Divine Mercy Novena, which is prayed from Good Friday until Divine Mercy Saturday. 

We plead God’s mercy today through the passion and death of our Lord, to help us grieve our sins sufficiently, and to save souls by bringing them to repentance, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Thursday 2023 - Order and Meaning of the Sacred Triduum

 “In the Sacred Triduum, the Church solemnly celebrates the greatest mysteries of our redemption, keeping by means of special celebrations the memorial of her lord, crucified, buried, and risen.

Pastors are given special instruction on their responsibilities during these holy days. The instruction in the Roman missal itself says, “Pastors should not fail to explain to the Christian faithful, as best they can, the meaning and order of the celebrations and to prepare them for active and fruitful participation”

So, let’s take a small overview of the present and future liturgies of the triduum.

This evening we celebrate what is called the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. As normal, this mass includes the liturgy of the word, from which we read from the sacred scriptures, and also the liturgy of the Eucharist, which contains special orations unique to this day, particularly about the Lord’s institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ordained Priesthood at the Last Supper. Between the two liturgies is a special ritual of the Washing of the Feet, more on that later. After the distribution of Holy Communion, the Eucharistic fragments will be processed through the Church to the altar of repose.

We are encouraged to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and so the Church will remain open until 10pm this evening.

Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the Church’s official Morning Prayer at 9am tomorrow. Followed by the Good Friday Passion Liturgy at 3pm. It is a particularly solemn liturgy, beginning with the priest laying prostrate in the bare sanctuary. After readings from Isaiah and the letter to the Hebrews, the entirety of St. John’s Passion will be proclaimed. Special solemn intercessions are offered before we have the beautiful once a year ritual of the veneration of the cross. Holy Communion which is confected this even will be distributed tomorrow, and we then depart in silence.

That’s the order of things for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. The Easter Vigil, the Mother of all Vigils, will be celebrated at 8:30pm, and that Liturgy, well, you just have to experience for yourself. 

So that is the Order of the main liturgies. I am also instructed to share your responsibilities. Tomorrow is a day of fasting for all Catholics aged 18-59, so only one major meal tomorrow. Good Friday is also a day of abstinence from meat for all Catholics aged 14 and over. We fast, so that we may feast with great joy with hearts focused on the reason for our feasting.

These are also days of profound prayer. I recommend coming to morning prayer tomorrow and Saturday as a way of formally praying with the Church and sanctifying the day. But make sure you make time for private prayer. Consider praying the seven penitential psalms throughout the day tomorrow leading up to the good Friday service. Shut off electronic distractions especially from noon to three in honor of our Lord’s sacrifice. Pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Read through the two other Passion narratives, or spend time contemplating the crucifix and the wounds of Our Lord tomorrow.

The instructions make special mention of singing during these sacred days and liturgies. The Lord sang hymns on his way to the Garden of Gethsemane. We have one of the best music programs in the diocese, so join them in song. Song gives expression to faith and is part of active participation.  

Because tomorrow is a particularly penitential day, consider prayerfully the parts of your lives you need to bring to the cross of Jesus to forgive. Consider the sins you have committed over the last year, since last good Friday, and bring them to the cross of Jesus. As I mentioned last Sunday, bring your enemies to the cross, those who have hurt you. Bring to the cross your family members who have fallen away from the Church, who may not even be considering coming to Mass on Easter this year.

Okay. Now that’s what we are doing over the next few days. Now WHY are we doing it?

It’s a good question. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us of the extraordinary significance of the Triduum. They wrote: "Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore the Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year."

These three days are the origin of the most important elements of our faith. Why do we gather week after week, year after year for the celebration of Mass? Why do we hang crucifixes in our homes, and wear them around our necks, and make the sign over our bodies. Why do we seek to serve our follow man in humble service? Why do we forgive our persecutors and enemies and speak truth to kings and emperors and presidents at the risk of our lives? 

“Do this in memory of me”. Three times we heard it already. Twice in St. Paul’s description of what the Lord said at the last supper in our second reading. And thirdly in the Gospel, when the Lord says that we must remember what he has done for us, and do it for others. And during the Triduum, we remember how he washed feet. We remember how he took bread and wine. We remember how he took up the cross. We remember how he spoke words of forgiveness. We remember how he gave his blessed mother to be the mother of all disciples. We remember how he gave up his life as a sacrifice. 

We are here because he told us to. We celebrate and remember because he told us to. We eat his flesh and drink his blood because he told us to. We keep watch in prayer because he told us to. 

In the first reading, we heard how the Lord commanded the Jewish people through Moses to keep the memorial feast of Passover every year, as a way to remember and celebrate what God did for them in delivering from slavery in Egypt. And now we too remember God’s deliverance over a three day period, by gathering in prayer, reading the scriptures, singing hymns, processing, venerating, prostrating. And like the Jews, we keep these days by remembering the blood of the Lamb. Blood, however, which isn’t wiped on the lintels of our homes, but is poured into us through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Lamb of God broken and shared for us.

The Psalm this evening also focused on remembering. The people of God are told to take up the cup of salvation—we are to eat and drink together to thank the Lord for all the good he has done for us, which is precisely what we do in the Mass.

We do this in memory of the Lord, and we do so joyfully. 

Personally, these are my favorite days of the year. I love being a Catholic because of these Sacred Three days. And I love being a priest because of these Sacred Three Days. For as a priest, not only do I get to speak such beautiful prayers in the name of the Church, I get to witness your faith and devotion as you have your feet washed, and as you venerate the cross, sometimes with tears in your eyes, and to witness your joyful fire on the easter vigil, and the sense of renewal on Easter Sunday. 

Holy Thursday in particular is a special night for priests. For we trace back our priesthood to the Last Supper as well, it is the origin of our mandate to serve the Church, to put the needs of the Church before our own, to life up the worries of the Church and the struggles of the Church in prayer. Please offer special prayer for priests tonight, and me, that we may continue to put service to God and the Church first in our life, always.

And as a beautiful reminder of how priests must always be men of humble service, I now call forward those who have been chosen for the washing of the feet. May they be a reminder for us all, of the need to allow the Lord to wash every part of our lives, our bodies, our minds, our souls, of the filth of sin, and to pour ourselves out in humble service to the Lord always, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Holy Week 2023 - Spy Wednesday - Look for opportunities for good

Wednesday of Holy week is known as Spy Wednesday, because on this day Judas made the shameful bargain with the sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver and went “spying”—looking—for an opportunity to betray Jesus. 

Judas had been counted as one of the apostles, called by the Lord to be an agent for good, but he became, by his own choice, an undercover agent for the enemy, for Satan. For 30 pieces of silver, Judas would betray the trust of his friend, his teacher, his rabbi, in order to deliver him into the hands of his enemies. And Judas knew what they would do to him. 

That moment of betrayal would occur following the Last Supper in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas instigated the Lord’s arrest with the sign of a kiss. A kiss, what is to be a sign of affection and friendship and love becomes an instrument of evil.  The agent of evil uses good things to pursue his evil ends.

But we know the rest of the story. How our good God turned the greatest evil into the greatest good. 

And so, unlike Judas who goes spying looking for opportunities for evil, Christians must go spying, and looking for opportunities for good, always on the lookout to do some good. Psalm 37 says “Trust in the Lord and do good… Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever.” The Lord Jesus himself teaches “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great” St. Paul instructs bishop Timothy to instruct his flock “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

Being Christian isn’t just about avoiding evil, avoiding selfishness, rather, we are to be agents of good. Endeavoring to do good works, looking for opportunities to inject the goodness of God into this fallen world. Christianity is a different way of life than just keeping your head down, minding your own business, just thinking about yourself, We aren’t to look for opportunities to personally benefit, we’re to look for opportunities that cost us something. 

That’s the very opposite of Judas’ selfish, greedy, betrayal…we are to put ourselves on the line for others. Judas snuck in the shadows, we are to walk in the light with abounding good works. 

On this final full day of Lent, give to the Lord in prayer, penance, and good works, countering the selfishness of Judas expecting nothing in return in nomine Christi, in the name of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the grace of the upcoming holy days may touch the most hardened of hearts, and move unrepented sinners and fallen-away Catholics to return to the mercy of God.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

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

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