Thanksgiving 2023 - Natural and Supernatural Gratitude

 

Thanksgiving is not an explicitly Christian holiday, it’s not a feast day of the Christian Church, even in the United States. Yet, it certainly has a religious dimension, the character of what the medieval called “the virtue of religion.” Even people without religion, do something, kind of religious today. 

The word “religion” comes from the latin word religare which means to bind. And so religion deals with the most important bonds in the human experience, our bonds--our relationships--our most important bond, our bond to God, and also the bonds of family, friendship, nation, the goods of the earth, and our neighbor. 

So even the civic holiday of Thanksgiving finds people even without religion, doing something that is part of our religious impulse, our religious hard-wiring. To give thanks. Now, the atheists among us, obviously do not turn their minds and hearts to God in thanksgiving. But even many atheists will acknowledge the importance of being thankful. To look at the good things that fill your life, and to express gratitude, even if it only means taking a day off work, to gather with loved ones.

And right there, in that exercise of religiosity, even the atheist becomes open to something bigger than themselves. 

Counting blessings, acknowledging the good things of your life, including the gift of life itself, makes for a more virtuous people. Gratitude is one of the pathways God uses to make Himself known to souls. Those who are practicing the natural virtues are well-disposed to begin practicing the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity. So, the more people who are grateful today, the better. Thankfulness is the soil in which the soul thrives.

So it is a very good thing, that our nation, amidst all of our political and social divisions, continues to celebrate this civic holiday. It is a day for refreshing society in the living waters of gratitude. 

Now many Catholics, like ourselves, rightly begin the day coming to Holy Mass. Even though today is not a holy day of obligation, we gather at the altar to pray for our nation, and pray for our families. We pray in gratitude for the good things that fill our lives, particularly our salvation in Jesus Christ of course, but asking God to help us participate well, in a dignified way, in an effective way in the civic holiday, asking God to bless the people we’re going to spend the day with, whether they are actively practicing Catholics or not. 

And to pray that, we may be good examples of holy gratitude for them. Because if non-Catholics don’t see gratitude in us today, why would they ever consider our way of life. If your practice of Christianity does not produce gratitude in you, you’re probably doing it wrong. For supernatural gratitude is a fruit of the Holy Spirit which grows in souls united to Jesus Christ.

So may God help us today to be truly thankful for the gifts with which we’ve been blessed, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

 

That the pilgrim Church on earth may shine as a light to the nations.  

For the safety of travelers, the peaceful resolution of all family divisions and national hostilities, for protection from disease, for the lonely and forgotten, and harmony amongst all those who gather together today.

For the protection of our armed forces, police, and firemen and all those who risk their lives to preserve the security of our country.  

For the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the aged, the lonely, the grieving, those who are out of work, those who are facing financial difficulties, those with addictions, and the imprisoned: that God will draw close to them, and bless them with grace and peace.

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 22 2023 - St. Cecilia - Sing a new song unto the Lord

 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—like 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. St. Cecilia was able to sing in the face of death because of her Faith. Faith that death is not the end. For that martyrs win an imperishable crown in heaven for their courageous witness. 

For those without faith, death is the worst thing imaginable. But the fearless song of the Christian is itself a witness to Christ’s victory. Death does not get the last word. Christ is victorious. This world—this valley of tears—is but a prelude to everlasting life with God for the redeemed. 

Singing. I never understand why some Christians don’t like to sing. We are told to sing by our scriptures. The Lord himself was a singer of hymns and psalms. The saints are able to sing in the face of death. Song has a powerful ability to help us transcend earthly mindedness. Singing elevates our mood, it lifts our minds and hearts to join in an angelic, heavenly activity in the praise and worship of God. 

Anyone can learn to sing if they want to. Just as anyone can learn to follow Christ. Anyone can learn to love God and trust God enough to sing like the saints in the face of suffering. 

Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, may the Holy Spirit teach us to sing a new song of adoration unto the Lord in witness of the saving Gospel—the victory of Christ—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That we may endeavor to put our time, talent, treasure, creativity, and devotion into serving the mission of the Gospel. 

For a strengthening of Christian marriages; for an increase in virtue among spouses; for healing in troubled marriages; and for God’s mercy to replace bitterness, resentment, and selfishness. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we pray for the safety of travelers, the peaceful resolution of all family divisions and national hostilities, for protection from disease, and harmony amongst all those who gather; for the lonely and forgotten, and that holy gratitude may fill our hearts and animate our lives.

For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for the incarcerated, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and for the sick and dying. 

We pray in a special way during this Month of November, for all of the faithful departed, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all the souls in purgatory, and for…

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 21 2023 (school mass) - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - I am totally yours

 Imagine, you are three years old. And one day, you ask your parents to bring you to Church because you want to speak to God. And so they do. They bring you to Church. But you ask them to wait in the back of the Church as you go to speak to God. So they do. You then walk up the long aisle. You kneel at the steps of the sanctuary here, and you tell God, “God, I know that you made me for a special purpose. Do with me whatever you want. I give my whole life to you. If you want me to be a leader, I will be a leader. If you want me to be a teacher, I will be a teacher. If you want me to go live in a cave where I will pray all day to you, I will.”

That’s a pretty amazing thing for anyone to do, wouldn’t you say? It’s even more amazing, for a three year old, to love God that much, to trust God that much, to offer themselves to God for whatever God wanted.

Well, that is precisely what we celebrate today. When she was 3 years old, the little Blessed Virgin Mary asked her parents to bring her to the Jerusalem Temple. And there, she prayerfully spoke to God, and consecrated herself to God, offering herself to God for whatever God wanted of her.

Do you trust God that much? Do you love God that much? If not, why not?

God made us in a way that we are happiest when we do what He wants. God designed us that way. He made us that way. We are hard-wired for God. Our minds work as they are supposed to. Our bodies work as they are supposed to. Our hearts work as they are supposed to, when we, like Mary consecrate ourselves to God. When we say, God, I’m yours. I am totally yours, do with me as you will. Whatever it is, I know, that is what will make me happiest. 

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.”

If you don’t trust God enough to say that, ask God to help you trust Him more. Because until you do. You are missing out. 

What a beautiful story for us to consider as we go off on Thanksgiving Break. The best way we can show our thanksgiving to God for all of the good things in our life, all of your natural abilities, all of your possessions is to offer them back to God, and to say, all that I have Lord, I offer back to you, everything is yours, do with it what you will. For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Monday - Persevering faith amidst a culture of death

 300 years before the birth of Christ, Alexander the Great embarked on a mission to Hellenize the world—that is, to spread the greek language, the greek culture, the greek Gods.  He conquered vast territories from Greece, down to Egypt, and just shy of India to the east.  

But Alexander didn’t plan well; he died suddenly leaving his vast empire, which included Israel, to his generals—Ptolemy and Seleucus. Judea was initially under Ptolemaic rule, but fell to the Seleucids around 200 BC.

Ptolemaic rule was fairly sensitive and tolerant of the Jewish religion, but things changed when the Seleucid tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes came to power, whose
name we heard in the first read today.  Radical Hellenization was imposed under penalty of death-- the Jews could not worship, nor could they practice their faith in any way that distinguished them from the Gentiles. So they could not observe the Sabbath, they could not observe the laws of circumcision.

And we also heard how some of the Jews believed it was expedient to go along with Hellenization. And they even influence the jewish king to order that the jews abandon the precepts of the Mosaic Law in favor of the Greek custom—they were to abandon the laws of God for the laws of man. What a sell-out to the culture! This even led to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem dedicated to the One True God becoming a place of pagan worship and pagan sacrifice.

As people of faith, we need to be in the world, but not of the world. There can be no compromise between the laws of God and the laws of man. 

In the Gospel, a blind man is hindered by the crowd in approaching Jesus in order to be healed by him. The crowd here is similar to the Greeks and the hellenized jews in the first reading. There are many worldly forces that will keep us from approaching Jesus, even compromised Christians will try to convince us that we are taking our faith too seriously. 

But we must persevere. If the world seeks to drown out our cries for Jesus, we need to cry out all the more. If the world seeks to distract us from following Jesus, we need to draw close to Him all the more. If Christians abandon the work of the Gospel, we need to endeavor in that work all the more. If born and raised Catholics abandon the Sacraments, we need to make use of them all the more, lest we become like them, instead of becoming like Christ.

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That we may endeavor to put our time, talent, treasure, creativity, and devotion into serving the mission of the Gospel. 

For a strengthening of Christian marriages; for an increase in virtue among spouses; for healing in troubled marriages; and for God’s mercy to replace bitterness, resentment, and selfishness. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we pray for the safety of travelers, the peaceful resolution of all family divisions and national hostilities, for protection from disease, and harmony amongst all those who gather; for the lonely and forgotten, and that holy gratitude may fill our hearts and animate our lives.

For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for the incarcerated, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and for the sick and dying. 

We pray in a special way during this Month of November, for all of the faithful departed, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all the souls in purgatory, and for…

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.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - The Talented Worthy Wife

 This is the last Sunday until January 14, the Sunday following the feast of the Epiphany, that the priest will be wearing a green chasuble. For next Sunday, the liturgical color is white or gold for the Feast of Christ the King. And the Sunday after that, the green of Ordinary Time is replaced with the purple of Advent. 

In fact, we already we see a lot less green, don’t we, out in nature—as winter nears?  Green is the color of growth, and during Ordinary Time, we are concerned with the spiritual growth of the soul.  And, so liturgical green reminds us of the need to engage in those spiritual practices which bring growth to our souls: prayer, meditation, study, and works of mercy. 

As we come to the end of the season of ordinary growth, it’s good to make a bit of a spiritual inventory. Did you experience spiritual growth this past season? If not, why not? Have you grown in the things that matter, that matter to God? Charity, Knowledge, wisdom, understanding, fortitude, fear of the Lord, faith, hope, love, patience, gentleness, generosity, and joy? If not, why not? Compared to last year, have you made good use of the time you’ve been given by God?

Ask God today that question? What have I done well, this past season? What has worked for my spiritual life, what hasn’t? 

In the Gospel, this same question is asked by the master: What have you done with the talents given to you? Did you multiply them or did you bury them? Did you cultivate them or did you neglect them? Did you courageously utilize them or did you fearfully hide them? 

What should we have done with our talents and time? Well, the first reading this weekend paints the picture of a holy woman, who makes good use of her time. She uses her natural skills and talents to bring goodness to her family and her community. She is industrious, generous, and charitable.

Here is a picture of what St. Josemaria Escriva would call “the saint of the ordinary”—“the saint of the ordinary”—one who seeks holiness in the ordinary things of life—in every day living—and this is a calling each one of us are meant to pursue: faithfulness and holiness, in the ordinary matters which God places under our care—in the role of spouse, parent, neighbor, friend, and fellow parishioner. 

“She obtains wool and flax and works with loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle.” The woman of proverbs here is dutiful in the tasks of the household, the quiet activities that take place outside the public eye. 

In an age where so many people seek internet celebrity for doing things that are out of the ordinary, Christians need to seek holiness in the ordinary. To many the ordinary seems unfulfilling and unmeaningful. But notice, that for the holy woman of proverbs, her activities constitute the network of care and support that keeps the entire community alive and together: her husband, her children, her servants, even the poor of the neighborhood flourish because of her dutifulness. 

We see so many internet posts and social-media cries for attention that really add so very little than noise to the good of the world. They are entertaining distractions, but they add nothing that is of lasting and needed value.

What an age in which we live in which the idea of the holy virtuous wife and mother is derided. Rather, this reading calls us to recognize the heroism of women and men who do ordinary things with love and dutifulness which forms the basis of society and our day-to-day Christian witness, without which, there is no hope. Christians need to show the world fascinated by TikTok internet celebrity, the incalculable value of authentic human relationships like motherhood, neighbor, and friend, and ordinary, even hidden good deeds.

A culture that teaches young people to sacrifice family for fame and wealth, is an empty, corrupt culture. So Christians need to be that purifying force society needs by seeking radical holiness in all of our duties and relationships.

Proverbs began, “the worthy wife’s value is beyond pearls.” What does scripture mean, she is worthy? To be worthy is to be full of worth. While it is true that every human person is full of worth because they are created in the image and likeness of God, not everything we do is worthwhile. Not everything we do is worthy of our human dignity and our call to holiness. 

What makes the wife of proverbs worthy is that she uses her time in activities that are full of worth for others, they are worthwhile pursuits in the eyes of God.

Now again, our culture says, I am the judge of what is worthwhile, I determine value. I create my own reality. I say what is good. But that is false. That is a lie. God is the author of creation. And what is worthy is measured against His Will. 

But what is worthy and worthwhile in the eyes of God is ultimately what gives us meaning. Sin and selfishness leave us empty. Error darkens our intellect, immorality weakens our will, sin defaces our human dignity. But trurth, goodness, and beauty fill us, with the life of God.

The woman of proverbs “reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.” And in doing so she has discovered that meaning, fulfillment, and joy, are found, not when we cling selfishly to our talents, but when we give them away, when we give ourselves away. 

Advent soon approaches, and we all know how busy Advent can be. With parties and shopping and baking and wrapping and decorating. But, all of the busyness can lead to much emptiness if we do not keep Christ at the center of it all. Do small things with great love, being mindful of God. Advent is to be a very meditative season, where we are mindful of He who comes in the name of the Lord. So, make extra time this Advent for meditation upon the Scriptures, asking God how you might open wide the doors to Christ in the concrete details—the ordinary and extraordinary details of your life. 

Coming to weekday mass, just once more a week can really infuse Advent with much more grace than previous years. And so importantly, if it’s been a few months or years, make a good examination of conscience and Sacramental Confession. We carry around way much unhappiness due to unconfessed sins. Unconfessed sins as a result of unexamined lives is a source of great sadness for the Church. 

In the Responsorial Psalm today, we sang “Blessed are those who fear the Lord” We should fear offending God, we should fear misusing the time and talents he’s given us. For we hear the consequences of the wicked, lazy servant who misuses his time: he is cast to the outer darkness where there is wailing and grinding of teeth. So, let us cultivate healthy, holy fear, holy reverence, holy obedience, and holy surrender to God in the ordinary and extraordinary dimensions of our lives for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 17 2023 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Charity without expectation of repayment

 “What good is it if we only show charity to those who show charity to us” we hear in the Gospel today. 

The Christian life is to be marked by charity. Our love for God is to be seen in our charitable works—our patience, kindness, and generosity toward our fellow man and our attentiveness to the needs of the poor. But that charity isn’t to be shown simply to those who show charity to us, rather, true charity is to be shown to all, especially those who have no ability or no intention of repaying us. “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.”

To be honest, it is easier to love the grateful than the ungrateful. The grateful give us that instant gratification of a positive response for our good deeds. It’s easier to lend to someone as a favor. Not only do you know you are going to be repaid, but now they owe you a favor. The lender profits from the favor. That’s not really charity, that’s self-interest. 

Rather, t Jesus teaches us that his followers are to be motivated by more than self-interest and instant gratification. The Christian is not simply to be motivate by natural inclinations, but by supernatural grace, and the teaching of the one who embraced the cross. We are to give, not just to those who can repay, but to those who are unable to repay, to the helpless. We are to improve our own standing, but that of others, at the cost of ourselves.

At first, our self-interested selves recoil from this sort of behavior, but do it enough, and you begin to develop the virtue of real charity—which is a share in the very life of God.

Today we honor St. Elizabeth of Hungary. During a severe famine, the noblewoman Elizabeth exhausted her family treasure to feed the poor and sick. She built a hospital from her family funds, tending to the sick, feeding them, often by hand—sometimes 900 patients every day. She provided for the welfare of orphans and helpless children. 

Many criticized her material benefactions as excessive, but can one be excessive in caring for Christ? “That which you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me.”

St. Elizabeth is revered as the patron saint of third order Franciscans, but no doubt, she has something to teach us all about the Lord’s invitation to conversion and true holiness, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

For blessings upon the Bishops as they conclude their meeting in Baltimore, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations may be for the good of the Church and the mission of the Gospel. 

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.

32nd Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - Wisdom and Slaves of God

 

This last Sunday, our first reading was taken from the book of Wisdom, and we will read from the book of Wisdom all this week.

The book, which is sometimes called, “The Wisdom of Solomon” was not written by Solomon who lived 1000 years before Christ, rather, the book of Wisdom was written just a century or two before Christ by an anonymous Jewish author who seems to have lived in the Greek city of Alexandria, Egypt, the world’s center of Greek learning at the time.

The title was not meant to deceive anyone, but to express the author’s admiration for Solomon and to claim to be a disciple and imitator of Solomon’s wisdom.

The book is a synthesis of ideas from Jewish religion and Greek philosophy and literature. Its main lesson is much like that of the rest of the Old Testament: we need to be faithful to God; when we are faithful, we are blessed; when we are unfaithful, there are consequences.

Today we read a passage that is often chosen for Christian funerals. Just from chapter 2 of the book, the biblical author is spelling out the eternal ramifications of faithfulness. Faithfulness, living by God’s wisdom, living justly, righteously, in a manner that gives proper obedience and honor to God, brings eternal reward: “the souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them.”

Wisdom puts the sufferings of our lives in perspective. Yes, the just will suffer in this life, but for the faithful, that suffering is more like the refinement of gold in a furnace, than a sign of God’s displeasure. We don’t suffer simply because we’ve been disobedient, but because suffering endured for the sake of righteousness cultivates blessedness.

Wisdom also brings consolation. It helps us even see death in its proper perspective. Death is not the end. When a just, faithful person dies, we shouldn’t despair because they go to God.

The Gospel today contained a parable in which the Lord deepens our understanding of the Christian’s relationship with God. In this parable, the Lord explains that a slave does not serve his master because he hopes to be rewarded for it, rather, he serves because it is his nature to serve. So, too for the Christian. Our baptism makes us servants of God, and what motivates us to acts of service, isn’t simply the hope of heavenly reward, but because it is now in our nature to do so, as it was the nature of the Son of God to do the will of the Heavenly Father.

The Christian is elevated in nature, but now also bound, and at the same time freed, to live entirely for God. 

May Divine Wisdom guide all of our actions this day, enabling us to live more freely for God in loving service of the Divine Will, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the U.S. Bishop gathering in Baltimore this week for their plenary meeting, for the Holy Spirit to govern their deliberations and conversations and given them courage and apostolic zeal for the true good of souls.

For an end to the violence and poverty that displaces so many people from their homes and homelands, and that migrants, refugees, and strangers in our midst, may know the kindness and compassion of our local Church.

That the Holy Spirit may raise up great saints in our own land, and give us missionary zeal for spreading the Gospel at home and abroad. 

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

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 prayer book, all deceased parishioners and benefactors 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.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023 - The Kingdom of Heaven

 Throughout the Gospels we can find the Lord giving teachings and offering parables about the kingdom of heaven. 

“The kingdom of heaven” is a phrase appearing over 100 times in the New Testament—30 times just in Matthew’s Gospel.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “You are Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price which a man…sells all that he has to purchase. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” “The kingdom of heaven is like what happens to these 10 virgins” in the Gospel today.

The kingdom of heaven stands at the very center of the Lord’s preaching. After emerging from the desert after 40 days of fasting and withstanding the temptations of the devil, the very first words Jesus proclaims are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Metanoeite ēngiken gar hē basileia tōn ouranōn” in St. Matthew’s Greek. 

What does he mean, the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom is the realization and fulfillment of God’s kingship—God’s sovereignty, God’s will for creation. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”. 

The fall of man occurred when we set our wills against that the will of God, thus introducing disorder, suffering, and death into the world. But the kingdom of heaven involves a turning away from disorder and evil, toward the goodness of the will of God. Our feelings, our opinions, our sentiments, and our choices are disordered when they fail to conform with the will of God. So to be part of the kingdom is to allign your mind, your heart, and your will in union with the will of God.

Second, every kingdom has a throne, and the throne of God’s kingdom, is in heaven: “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” From heaven Christ the King descended from the bosom of the Father, he established the Church as the beginnings of his kingdom on earth, and that kingdom will have its final consummation again in the eternal kingdom of heaven. 

Thirdly, this kingdom isn't simply God's reign over individual people. God’s kingdom involves a communion of people—a gathering together of a people in the Spirit—a people of faith—a community of sons and daughters. Creation is brought into a beautiful and heavenly harmony when we join together as willing subjects and servants of our God and King.

During this life of ours, we are given a choice—of which kingdom will we pledge our loyalty, our lives. Will we follow serve the fallen kingdom by simply giving into the passions of our fallen nature, or will we choose to ally and exercise our wills with God through discipleship of Jeus Christ. 

And this choice isn’t simply about giving God lip service. God sees through our lip service. For "Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven"

In the Gospel, the Lord offers a parable illustrating the great choice, the most important choice: will we choose to be like the wise virgins, who are prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or like the foolish virgins who are locked out of the heavenly banquet forever. This is the most important choice, because it is the choice between heaven and hell. 

This choice for heaven or for hell is one that is made in the many choices of our life, a choice that is finalized at the moment of our death, when each of us faces our particular judgment. The Catechism says, “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, -- or immediate and everlasting damnation.” 

This judgment will take into account the state of our souls at the time of death—did we die in a state of grace, or with our souls devoid of grace because of sin. Did we accept or reject grace, truth, faith, and love? Did we harden our souls toward God through pride, or open them up to the life of God through humility? Did we seek to live by wisdom or to abide by foolishness?

Heaven is at stake for us. But heaven is promised to the wise. But what is heaven? It is peace and joy and life forever. Catechism says, in heaven the blessed will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, or self-love, that destroy or wound…The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion.”

In heaven, God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Scripture speaks of heaven in so many images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, rich wine, banquet, rooms in the Father’s mansion, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

Unsurpassable joy will be experienced in the participation in God’s eternal “kingdom of justice, love, and peace.” The blessed will be raised to the resurrection of life, and the wicked to the resurrection of eternal condemnation.

Heaven is the greatest reward for those who finish the race, and the loss of heaven is greatest tragedy for those who run away from it. The parable shows us that spiritual preparation is rewarded and spiritual procrastination—putting of repentance, putting off conversion, putting off faith, is perilous. 

So, the Lord warns us, “stay awake”. There are so many forces in our world that seek to lull us to spiritual sleep, so many voices seeking convince us that taking religion seriously is only for silly fundamentalists and scrupulous fanatics. The world says, everybody goes to heaven anyway, so why put forth any effort. These are lies. Heaven is not a guarantee. If it were, why would the Lord so often stress the importance of choice: the choice to believe, the choice to live, the choice to forgive. The path to heaven begins here with the choice of Christian discipleship until our last mortal breath. 

May each of us, with the help of God, exercise that personal responsibility for our souls, that requires us to seek and live according to the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 10 2023 - Pope Leo the Great and the Barbarians

 Today we honor the first Bishop of Rome to have been called Leo, a name used subsequently by 12 later Popes, the latest being Leo XIII at the turn of the 20th century.

Leo was a native of Tuscany. Around the year 430, he was ordained a deacon of the Church of Rome. 10 years later, he was sent by Pope Sixtus III on a diplomatic mission to Gaul to resolve a difficult conflict. While Leo was carrying out this mission of Peace, Pope Sixtus died. Leo was elected Pope to succeed him, and his Pontificate lasted for 21 years, which is quite long for a papacy, the ninth longest, in fact.

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.

In 452, the Pope received reports that Attila the Hun was invading northeastern Italy with his horde of barbarians. So, the 52 year old Pope rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with Attila to call off his invasion. 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 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 Lateran, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

We live in barbarous times, again no? The barbarians may not be riding in on horses and laying waste to our beautiful structures and ransacking our treasures. Rather, modern culture—through mass media and even the so-called education system, breeds attitudes which are antithetical to culture and civilization itself. (As a priest friend of mine recently said) and the barbarians are not just at the gates, they are in the seats of power collecting their spoils of war from good honest people. They traffic human beings and murder babies. And they are proving to be quite resistant to the Gospel.

And yet, we ride out to meet them, not with swords of steel, but with the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God. For maybe, some of them will be converted. And after, they have laid waste to our land, the Church will remain, as our Lord promised in the Gospels, “the gates of hell shall not prevail”—the Church has endured barbarians before, and we’ll do it again. Our task is to keep the faith until the Lord returns, to keep the flame of faith alive during the difficult times, and to spread it as we are able, to stave off cultural decay as we can, to turn away the barbarians from their destructive ways as we are able through pleas of peace, to preserve the faith when peace is rejected, and keep our souls from sinful discouragement, to witness to the truth of the Gospel with our lives and work always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis all Bishops and clergy: that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ. 

In reparation for sins against the innocent unborn, for an overturning of laws which disregard human life and dignity, and for courage in bearing witness to the Gospel of Life.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

For the impoverished and sick and those experiencing any sort of trial: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will be instruments of God’s mercy for all those in need.  

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, 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.

31st Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Adultery, Abortion, and Carrying our Crosses

 In the epistle this morning, St. Paul reminds Christians to keep the commandments of God. In the wake of the passing of issue 1 last night, two of the commandments are particularly glaring: you shall not commit adultery and you shall not kill. 

The abortion industry, which thrives on the killing of the unborn, thrives in large part because of our nation’s disregard of God’s prohibition of adultery. Rampant adultery, pre-martial and extra-marital sex, leads to so-called unwanted pregnancy, which leads to the justification of abortion.

The Church has a great task to work for the reversal of these diabolical attitudes, to do penance for the sins of our world, and to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

This is not a pleasant task. It is part of our cross. And this morning, the Gospel reminds us that “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Christ cannot be his disciple.” 

The cross of our times, one that we share, is to preach the Gospel and live our Faith in a nation that is growing increasingly hostile to the message of Christ. We do not choose the times in which we live, but we can choose how we live in our time. And our choice must be to carry our crosses faithfully. 

May God help us, sustain us, strengthen us, and give us courage to carry our crosses in union with Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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In reparation for sins against the innocent unborn, for an overturning of laws which disregard human dignity, and for courage in bearing witness to the Gospel of Life.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

For the impoverished and sick and those experiencing any sort of trial: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will be instruments of God’s mercy for all those in need.  

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, 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.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Conversation with an athiest tailor

 A few years ago I had to pay a visit to our local tailor, as, surprise, after a few years of priesthood, I needed my cassock and a few pairs of paints to be let out a bit. 

After taking care of business, the tailor says to me if she could ask me a personal question. I love personal questions, so I said, “Of course.” She said that she had been raised without any faith, and didn’t  believe in God, and that she came from a land very hostile toward religion. And she would like to know why a young man such as myself (I did say this was a few years ago), why a young man like myself would want to be a priest. Now, I’ve told my vocation story to Catholics, but now speaking to an atheist, I knew my answer had to be a little nuanced. 

After a moment’s reflection, I said, “I think both you and I know how much evil is in the world, yes? Well, I believe much of that evil comes from people not knowing about God’s love—from turning away from God; and I want to help people turn toward God.” She became quite pensive at that, and she then began to explain how the Stalinists, the Atheistic Communists, caused so much destruction and suffering in her country, and of course, outlawed religion. But, she claimed that Stalin has been replaced, and even though religion has been allowed again, many of the people who worked for Stalin were now in religious leadership, and they still seem to be oppressing the people. They exchanged the hammer and sickle for the cross, but they did not change their hearts, and now used the cross to control people. So the tailor sees Christians as largely hypocritical. 

What do you say to that? I told her that God is not fooled by actors. God sees to the heart. And we will be judged by our true intentions and actions in this life. There will be justice.

Throughout the Gospel, the Lord is constantly confronting the scribes, elders, pharisees, and Sadducees for their religious hypocrisy. He uses that word hypocrisy quite a bit. For at that time, the word hypocrite was a technical word, it was a mask-wearing play actor. The actor changes his mask depending on the character he is playing. And so the Lord calls these people hypocrites because they were wearing the mask of the religious leader, but they were in fact leading God’s people away from God. As we heard in the Gospel today, these so-called religious leaders were seeking places of religious authority and power, but using it to oppress and mislead--they were guilty of the grave misuse of power and God was not pleased with their masquerade, their corruption of religion. 

Religion: it can be the best thing around, and it can be the worst thing around. When religion functions well, according to its own deepest purpose, it brings us into friendship with God, it brings out the best in us—it brings relief, and mercy, and peace, and joy. But, when it is dysfunctional, when religion goes bad, it goes really bad, and it can bring out the worst in us—and be a source of misery, rather than mercy.

The ancient Romans would say: “Corruptio optimi pessimo”, the corruption of the best is the worst. When the best thing goes bad, it really goes bad. And that’s certainly true for religion. Dysfunctional religion can be very dangerous. It can create murderous terrorists who commit acts of violence in the name of God; it can lead to the exploitation of good trusting people; it can create terrible scrupulosity where the love of God is replaced by a false image of God as a tyrant; it can lead religious leaders to abuse their power, and lay people to become filled false piety and self-righteousness.

Now notice, how even though Jesus points out the religious failure of the Scribes and Pharisees, he doesn’t discredit religious leadership altogether. Were the Scribes and Pharisees in many ways corrupt? Yes. But does that mean that the whole idea of teaching authority and religious leadership is altogether corrupt? Absolutely not. After all he founded his Church on the religious leadership of the Apostles. Regarding the apostles he says, "those who listen to you, listen to me. those who reject you, reject me"

Contrast the corrupt religious leadership of the Pharisees with the great humility and authentic leadership of the saints, who we celebrated this week on the Holy Day of Obligation, All Saints Day. The saints do not use religion to inflate their own egos, rather, they seek to become empty of ego, to serve others and help others to be as holy as possible. Their humility is truly humbling, their goodness is truly inspiring. The saints never preach what they are unwilling to do themselves. They are the first ones in the confessional when they’ve sinned, and are the first ones with a cup of water, to give drink to the thirsty. They illustrate our religion’s highest ideals; they show us how God transforms those who follow Christ in holy surrender to the Divine Will. 

And remember, the saints weren’t born saints. Many of them lived for decades at odds with God, in league with the Devil, off the path of Christ and his righteousness. But when God broke into their life they responded with faith, hope, and love, thanks be to God. If the corruption of the best is the worst, many of the saints show us how the redemption of the worst, is the best; they show us the marvelous things that can happen when we seek conversion and the growth in holiness God desires for us.

This month, the month of November, the Body of Christ the Church prays in a special way for the souls in purgatory who at the end of life, were found in need of further purification from the effects of sin in their life. Yes, they died in friendship with the Lord, but at the time of death, they still had need of further purgation. So we should seek purification from the effects of sin in this life, now, through penance and works of mercy. For the saints attest to the fact that purification in this life, is preferred, to the purifying sufferings of purgatory.  But our prayers truly help those in purgatory, our prayers are acts of love. 

At first Friday Holy Hour, I recommended the practice of bringing to the Lord the names of your departed loved ones. I recommend taking a note book, and prayerfully writing down the names of the dead who have touched your life. “Uncle Jim, may he rest in peace. Aunt Martha, may she rest in peace.” Anyone who touched your life, pray for them. Anyone who blessed you or hurt you. Anyone who was a model Christian, and those who weren’t, pray for them. When we pray for the poor souls, we also begin to loosen any of the resentments or unforgiveness we might be carrying regarding the dead. And it is vital to let go of those things: they cause us unhappiness on earth, and we will not enter heaven until we are willing to let them go. 

Our religion is so beautiful, because it teaches us to practice love toward the living and the dead, to orient ourselves toward the love of God, the Father of Creation. Through our practice of love, may we witness to unbelievers the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 3 2023 - St. Martin de Porres - The choice to love

 

Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579 to Spanish conquistador and an African Slave, who were not married.  His father rejected Martin at his birth because of his dark skin, and throughout childhood, Martin was given cruel names like “half-breed”.  Despite the cruelty showed to him, Martin had a heart for the poor and despised.  

St. Martin is the patron saint of barbers, because at the age of 12, his mother, apprenticed him to a barber, who also taught Martin several medical techniques—caring for wounds. 

At the age of 15, Martin went to be a “lay helper” to the Dominicans, he did not feel himself worthy to be a full member of the order.  Yet, soon, it was the Dominicans who asked Martin to make full profession as a brother, so moved by Martin’s prayer and penance, his charity and humility.

Martin spent his days caring for the sick and poor, whatever their color, race, or status.  He helped found an orphanage and helped care for slaves newly arrived from Africa.  

He himself lived an extremely simple and austere life and had a great devotion to the Eucharist.  He died at the age of 60, and was immediately venerated as a saintly man.    

Early in life, Martin made a choice didn’t he. He could have become bitter at his difficult lot in life. He could have allowed hatred foment toward his father who rejected him. He could have allowed resentment about his poverty to shape his attitude toward his follow man. But he chose the path of life. The true path out bitterness—he chose to love, to serve.

At Saint Martin’s Canonization Pope John XXIII said, Martin “lovingly comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing, and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers…and slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: ‘Martin of Charity.’

We cannot change the circumstances in which we are born.  Many of the challenges, difficulties, sorrows, and trials of life are beyond our control.  But we are each given a choice.  Will I complain and curse God for my life, or will I allow God to teach me, how to love, how to be like Christ? To do the best with what we’ve been given, the cultivate virtue amidst the constraints that our beyond our control, is the path of life.

As we prayed in the collect, God led Saint Martin “by the path of humility to heavenly glory”, may we “so follow his radiant example in this life as to merit to be exalted with him in heaven” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That religious indifference and religious persecution in our country and around the world may be transformed to radical commitment to the Gospel of Christ.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

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

During this month dedicated to prayer for the faithful departed, we lift up to God, the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and all the poor souls in purgatory…

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.