August 16 2024 - St. Stephen of Hungary - Apostolic King

 Around the year 1000, the disparate and often warring tribes of Celts, Romans, Huns, and Slavs were united into a Christian Kingdom under St. Stephen, first King of Hungary. 

Even though these tribes were united under a Christian king, most of them were still pagan. St. Stephen, himself, came from a non-Christian tribe and his family only converted to Christ when he was around 10 years old. 

In order to establish peace among his offering violent and warring people, Stephen sent for Christian missionaries from Bavaria to evangelize the people. 

This attempt to bring Christianize his people was initially met with resistance—each of the tribes had their own pagan gods and practices. But Stephen fasted and prayed; he established monasteries and built churches. And he outlawed blasphemy and adultery. 

Through his strict, yet benevolent rule, King Stephen brought about order and peace. He was a true evangelizer of his country.  He consecrated the nation to Mary, whom he called “the Great Lady”. He fasted and prayed for his people. He, himself gave religious instruction to the poor. And in view of his efforts, the pope bestowed on him the title “Apostolic King.”  

By the way, 900 years later, Cleveland, Ohio became home to so many good Catholic Hungarian Immigrants. Cleveland was known as “Little Budapest” for many years, having the second largest Hungarian community outside of Budapest itself. 

Listen to these powerful words, St. Stephen wrote to his son, St. Emeric: “I urge you above all things to maintain the catholic and apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God.”

St. Stephen, the Apostolic King used his temporal power to build up the kingdom of God. We may not be kings, but each of us are called to follow the same program: to use whatever influence, ability, time, talents, and treasure we have, to build up the kingdom. 

May we be inspired and strengthened by St. Stephen’s holy example for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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For the Church, that like St. Stephen of Hungary, we may be bold evangelizers, using our talents and resources to spread the Gospel and build up the Kingdom of God. Let us pray to the Lord.

For world leaders, that they may follow St. Stephen's example of just and benevolent rule, prioritizing peace, unity, and the spiritual welfare of their people. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the flourishing of spiritual gifts in the Church and in our parish; and for the grace during this month of August to practice the virtue of humility in all of our relationships and interactions. 

For our young people preparing to return to school and for their teachers: that the Word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every classroom and home. 

For those beset with any sort of trial, illness, or burden: that the Lord will build up his strength within them and assist them in their needs. 

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting with the Risen Lord,

especially the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory...

Almighty and eternal God, you blessed St. Stephen of Hungary with wisdom and courage. Grant our prayers, that we like him may use our gifts to build your kingdom on earth. Through Christ our Lord.

Assumption 2024 - Imploring Mary's Heavenly Intercession

 In a little discourse on the Assumption of Mary, the great doctor St. Alphonsus Ligouri opines that “it would seem just that the holy Church, on this day of the Assumption of Mary to heaven, should rather invite us to weep than to rejoice, since our sweet mother has quitted this earth, and left us bereft of her sweet presence…”

Many of us here, have experienced the end our mother’s earthly life, and no doubt, there were tears shed. And justly so, for the passing of the woman who nurtured us, fed us, bathed us, taught us and consoled us is cause for tears.

And on this day of the Assumption, it would seem that we would be sorrowful, that both heaven and earth would be sorrowful. That we would don earthly purple vestments, and fast in grief at the anniversary of our spiritual mother’s earthly life.

But Alphonsus goes on, he says, “ But no, the holy Church invites us to rejoice. The official entrance antiphon for the Assumption says, "Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival in honor of the Virgin Mary at whose Assumption the Angels rejoice....” For, “What child wouldn’t rejoice, although separated from his mother, if he knows that she is going to take possession of a kingdom?”

Today is the celebration of Our Lady, entering that blessed country, heaven. The Queen takes her place at the right hand of the King, where she continues to exercise a very important role in the dispensation of grace. 

Our Scripture readings point emphasize her unique role as loving queen of heaven. In the First Reading, we read of the woman of heaven, crowned with twelve stars, as a queen embracing the Christ child in love. The Psalm spoke of a queen charitably turning her ear to the people of the father’s house. And in the Gospel we read of Mary going in haste to the charitable assistance of her kinswoman Elizabeth.

Mary is assumed into heaven and crowned as Queen by the Holy Trinity--the Queen who continues to turn her ear to the needs of God’s people who cry to her in our need. Her assumption does not mean an absence from the needs of humanity, rather, since she is now closest to God in heaven, she is close to us as well—close enough to hear our every plea, and to bring that petition to the throne of God.

Today is a marvelous day to consider the importance of a vibrant Marian devotion. Each day, we do well to turn to the heavenly intercession of Our Queen—to bring to her our needs, the needs of our family and friends, the needs of our nation, our leaders, the needs of the Church, the needs of the sick and the poor, the needs of the unevangelized to be open to the word of God, and the needs of those who have turned away from Christ in sin and error.

Our Lady is the most powerful intercessor, and not a day should go by where we do not seek her aid by imploring her intercession. But especially today. Today is a day for honoring our Lady, on the day that she is brought closer to God than she ever was before in order to be brought closest to us as our most powerful intercessor. Blessed Mother, assumed into heaven, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that like Mary, we may always be ready to serve others in their need and bring Christ to the world, and for an increase in Marian devotion among all Christians, that we may daily seek Our Lady's aid and strive to imitate her virtues. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all leaders in government and public service, that they may be guided by wisdom and compassion in their decision-making, and for the renewal of our nation and our world, that under the patronage of Mary, we may work towards a society of justice, peace, and reverence for all human life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the unevangelized, that, their hearts may be opened to receive the Good News of salvation, and that those who have turned away from the faith, through Our Lady's prayers, may rediscover the joy of a relationship with Christ and His Church. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, and the poor, and for those who mourn: may they find comfort in Mary's maternal care and her assumption into heavenly glory. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the dead, especially our departed family members and friends, that they may share in the glory of the resurrection, as foreshadowed by Mary's assumption. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

August 14 2024 - St. Maximilian Kolbe - The antidote to poisonous indifference

 Last week, on August 9 we celebrated the martyr Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, a jewish convert to Catholicism and Carmelite nun who was killed in the Nazi Concentration Camp in Aushwitz in 1942.  A year earlier, the Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe, was also martyred at Auschwitz.

Today’s Saint died a heroic death in a Nazi concentration camp in 1941.  

Born in Poland in 1894, Maximilian Kolbe entered the Conventual Franciscans at the age of 16.  Ordained at 24, Fr. Kolbe saw religious indifference as the deadliest poison of the day. No doubt, Fr. Kolbe saw the inhumanity rampant in the war, inhumanity that led to those death camps, the inhumanity rampant throughout the 20th century, as a result of that indifference.

Our ultimate meaning, our ultimate purpose, is found in our relationship with God. And when we are indifferent toward God, our already damaged moral compass suffers even more. Without God, there is nothing to stop greed, lust, and pride from becoming the primary motivators of our lives. Indifference toward God is poisonous. And our society has largely succumbed to this terrible poison. 

To combat the growing religious indifference in early 20th century Poland, Fr. Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the witness of the Catholic life, prayer, work, penance, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Kolbe started a religious magazine under Mary’s patronage, Knight of the Immaculata magazine, to help spread the message of the Faith. 

Fr. Kolbe knew that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the antithesis of religious indifference, but also the antidote to it. 

Mary ‘s active, engaged faith, her intentional contemplation of God, her attentiveness to the needs of others, her nearness to Jesus at the cross, and to the apostles at pentecost, sharply contrasts with the indifference of our day. Her example inspires us move beyond coldness and antipathy toward God, to full, active pursuit of the one thing that matters.  Mary's "yes" to God,  stands in stark contrast to modern attitudes of self-centeredness which breed innumerable evils.

Mary's "fiat"  in response to the Annunciation demonstrates complete openness and submission to God's will. Throughout her life, Mary actively participates in God's plan, from the Visitation to her presence at the foot of the Cross. The Gospels describe Mary as "pondering the things of God in her heart," suggesting deep reflection on spiritual matters - the opposite of indifference. 

It was Mary’s faith, hope, and charity, that led Fr. Kolbe to lay down his life for another in the concentration camp, love that is praised by the Lord himself, when he says, there is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.

Like him, May faith, hope, and love animate our lives, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that like St. Maximilian Kolbe, we may combat religious indifference with active faith, fervent prayer, and devoted service to others. 

For world leaders, that they may recognize the inherent dignity of every human life and work for a society of lasting peace. 

For all Catholics, that inspired by Mary's "fiat," we may respond with wholehearted "yes" to God's will in our lives.

For those experiencing persecution for the faith, those who suffer illness, extreme poverty, addiction, and those near death, may they find hope and peace in the example of the saints.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who laid down their lives for our safety and freedom. 

Almighty Father, hear our prayers, and grant us the grace to serve you, as so many faithful saints through the centuries. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin grant us what we truly need to be your devoted servants always and everywhere. Through Christ our Lord.

August 13 2024 - Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus - Pope and reconciled anti-Pope, martyrs

 We celebrate two saints today: Pope Pontian and the reconciled anti-Pope, Hippolytus, both of them martyrs. 

Hippolytus was part of a schismatic group which became separated from Rome over a theological controversy. In 217, Pope Callixtus decreed that Christians who were excommunicated due to serious sins of adultery and apostasy could in fact be readmitted to Holy Communion through Confession and penance.

Hippolytus opposed this decree and was elected anti-Pope by like minded individuals. Hippolytus remained in schism through three pontificates including that was Pope St. Pontian who was elected in 230. 

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

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

People make mistakes—intellectually, theologically, morally. Groups of people make mistakes and fall into error.  The story of Hippolytus shows us that even very well meaning people can find themselves on the wrong side of the truth, and that just because they have a lot of support, doesn’t mean you are right. Just because a fervent group of people raises you up, doesn’t mean you are right.

Thanks be to God Hippolytus came to recognize that he was in error or else you would have died rejecting the authority of the true Pope, whom Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ gave authority to teach and lead the Church.

No doubt St. Pontian was instrumental in Hippolytus’ conversion—offering up his prayers, his sufferings, and conversing with Hippolytus, witnessing to the truth of the Gospel. 

Pontian for us is a model of evangelization, that we like him are to witness, to pray for, and to do penance for those who have fallen into error. And Hippolytus is a sign of hope for us, that even an anti-Pope can return to the truth through the grace of God and the witness of the Church.

May these two saints inspire us and aid us in our daily task of remaining faithful to the truth of Christ, and making use of the time we have been giving for witnessing to the truth, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that she may always be a beacon of truth and reconciliation, welcoming back those who have strayed with open arms and compassion. Let us pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis and all Church leaders, that they may lead with wisdom, humility, and courage, especially in times of controversy and division, and for theologians and teachers of the faith, that they may remain faithful to the Church's teachings and humbly submit to proper authority. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have left the Church or are struggling with their faith, that they may find their way back to the fullness of truth, For the grace to recognize and correct our own mistakes, intellectual, theological, or moral, with humility and openness to God's truth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that we may be instruments of evangelization, offering our prayers, sacrifices, and loving witness to bring others to Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who suffer illness, temptation, discouragement, and those Christians facing persecution, that they may be strengthened by the witness of the martyrs. 

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers, and may the example of the saints inspire us to be instruments of Your peace and reconciliation, to stand firm in times of trial, and to offer our lives in service to Your Church and the spread of the Gospel, through Christ our Lord.

August 12 2024 - St. Jane Frances de Chantal - Charity refined in the crucible of suffering

 

St. Jane Frances de Chantal was wife, mother, nun and founder of a religious community.  This 16th Century saint had an amazing array of life experiences, many of which, however, involved the cross.

 Jane’s mother died when she was but 18 months old. However, her father, who was head of parliament at Dijon, France, saw to her development as a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament.  She was married at age 21 to Baron de Chantal. The had six children, but three died in infancy. At their castle, she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was deeply engaged in various charitable works.

Jane’s husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep depression.  

When she was 32, she met St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director.  

At age 45, she and two other women, joined the Visitation Nuns, the cloistered community founded her spiritual director.  The Visitation Nuns were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation: humility and meekness.  Life’s challenges however continued.  Her son was killed, and a plague ravaged France.  In response to the plague, she persuaded local authorities to respond to the plague victims and she put all the resources of her convent at the disposal of the sick.

Religious life did not shield Jane Frances de Chantal from great trials of the spirit, temptations, darkness, spiritual dryness, but because of her faith, she was deeply filled with God’s peace.  St. Vincent de Paul, a contemporary said of her: “for all that suffering, her face never lost its serenity, nor did she once relax in the fidelity God asked of her.”  

It may strike us that a saint should be subject to such great suffering, spiritual dryness, darkness.  But that’s how saints are made. Saints are those who persevere through the darkness. At the heart of the saint is a trust and faith in God that is deeper than any darkness—that no matter what one is feeling, no matter what tragedy or chaos life throws at you, we must heed the great commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  Just because we are having a bad day, a bad week, a bad decade, we are not excused from the commandment to love.

So when we experience the crucible of human suffering, may we, like Saint Frances de Chantal be found faithful to the Gospel of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That we like St. Frances de Chantal, we may respond to life's challenges with faith, perseverance, and love, and that we may grow in our trust in God, allowing His peace to fill us even amidst life's turmoil.

For all who serve the sick and suffering, that they may be inspired by St. Frances' example of charity and selflessness, and for religious communities, that they may continue to exemplify the virtues in their service to the Church. 

For those facing trials of the spirit, temptations, or spiritual dryness, those experiencing grief and depression, for parents who have lost children, and for those experiencing any kind of darkness in their lives, that they may find hope in the examples of saints who persevered through similar struggles

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

Loving and merciful God, as we celebrate the saints, hear our prayers, that we like them may face life’s challenges with unwavering faith, persevering hope, and generous charity. Through Christ our Lord.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - Eucharistic Missionaries

 Back in 2022, the Church in the United States began a multi-year initiative of Eucharistic Revival. In the first phase of the Revival, each diocese had gatherings of the faithful. So back in June of 2022, members of the faithful, clergy and religious from the various parishes and institutions gathered with the bishop for a eucharistic procession and mass at the cathedral. We had four members from our parish attend that event launching the Eucharistic Revival.

I’ve continued to meet with those parishioners regularly. Our Light for Love program, in which we opened up the church for the evening, and invited passersby into church to pray with us in front of the blessed Sacrament was just one event that was born out of that diocesan eucharistic synod.

Following the launch of the Revival, each diocese around the country then began to prepare to send representatives to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, which was held last month. It was the first National Congress in 80 years! 

And what a week it was! There were about four to five hundred Catholics just from our diocese, including 8 from our parish, who joined the 50 to 55 thousand Catholics from around the country for the Congress. It was truly incredible to join so many of the faithful for prayer and worship and faith formation. And even though some of the music was…not quite my style…to join so many souls in prayer for an outpouring of grace—for the Holy Spirit to deepen our love and appreciation for the Eucharist—was truly a awe-inspiring. God is at work to invigorate Catholics in our nation that we may be a light shining in the darkness.  I do hope that our Eucharistic Missionaries will be able to share with you their experience in the coming months.

The Eucharistic Congress began the final phase of the Eucharistic Revival—what the Bishops are calling the Year of Mission which will last until July of 2025. The Year of Mission. Mission, of course, comes from the latin word – missa, which means to be sent. And it is the Bishops’ desire that for the next year we seek to deepen our sense of mission—that especially through the Eucharist God missions us, he sends us into the world. God strengthens us through the eucharist for a purpose, for a reason.

We gather for Mass every week, not simply out of obligation, but because through the Mass God does something—in us, with us, through us. At Mass, we encounter Jesus Christ—we receive him— as food for the journey, the journey out of the doors of the church, into the world, in order to witness, to draw souls to Christ.

The very word Mass, comes from the same latin word, missa, mission. Jesus gathers us in order to sent us out.

In the first reading, the prophet Elijah is being sent by God on a very long mission—a forty day journey to the mountain of God, Mt Horeb—and what does God say to Elijah--"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" 

Similarly, in our journey to the mountain of God, heaven, Jesus gives us his flesh to be our food for the journey—because our human strength is insufficient. The Eucharist is the strength we need—it is the spiritual food for the spiritual journey—the journey of being a disciple of Jesus Christ every day—carrying our cross, forgiving our enemies, bearing wrongs patiently, and being attentive to the needs of others, sharing the truth.

The Eucharist strengthens us for the journey, but there are also a lot of things that weaken us on our missionary journey—which can even cause us to fail to finish the race. St. Paul lists some of them in our second reading: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.” Why MUST they be removed? Because they weaken us, they cause us to stumble in the journey. These attitudes, these choices, must be set aside, or else we will not progress in the spiritual life; they diminish the life of God in us.

The Church teaches that Mass is the most important thing we are to do every week. And likely, many of us are not getting as much out of Mass each week, because we are unwilling to let go of those habits and attitudes that the word of God urges us to let go of. 

One reason to make a good holy hour each week, or to make a regular confession, is to humble ourselves before the Lord in order to let go of things that you need to let go of. So often, we are confused about God’s plans for us, or we don’t see the improvement of our relationships with family and friends as we’d like, or we’re bored or unfulfilled. It’s because of those things we are unwilling to let go of. 

But when we trust the Lord to lead us out of those toxic, sinful habits and attitudes, we come to enjoy a freedom, a reconfiguration and realignment, and a discovery of the mission for which God made us—which is the source of joy that nothing in the world can provide.

Speaking of mission and missionaries, today we welcome a true missionary, a sister of the missionaries of the holy rosary, and we will have the opportunity to support the missionary religious orders like hers in our second collection. I now invite sister to the ambo.

August 9 2024 - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross - Persecuted for the sake of righteousness

 On Wednesday, we celebrated a group of martyrs who underwent the sword as a result of state-sponsored persecution of Christians in the year 258. Pope Sixtus and his companions were beheaded as a result of the Emperor Valerian decreeing that bishops, priests, and deacons were to be put to death.

Today’s saint was martyred, too, as a result of state-sponsored persecution nearly 1800 years later, in our own modern day. The year was 1942, Adolf Hitler was the Fuhrer of Germany and the Nazi party.

Though the Jews were the principal victims of the Nazi’s in World War II, millions of Catholics, including bishops, priests, and nuns were murdered in the concentration camps.  In 1942, the Nazi’s arrested Sister Teresa Benedicta out of the Carmelite Convent.  She and her sister Rosa, who had converted from Judaism to Catholicism along with her sister, were transported to Auschwitz in Poland by boxcar.  One week later, Sister was murdered in a gas chamber. 

The Nazis' long-term plan was to de-Christianize Germany after final victory in the war. Their ideology could not accept an autonomous establishment, whose legitimacy did not spring from the government, and they desired the subordination of the church to the state. The Nazi’s certainly could not tolerate the Church’s criticism and denouncement of the Nazi’s genocidal methods. 

We know what the world can do when left to its own devices. It seeks to silence and abolish the Word of God. It burns down churches, beheads popes, rips holy nuns out of their convents and sends them to the gas chamber. It gaslights, imprisons, tortures, and murders its critics. 

And the Lord places us in hostile enemy-controlled territory in order to witness to the truth of the Gospel, to cultivate sanctity by imitating the crucified Christ in our lives, so to become instruments in which our good God draws souls to himself. 

Catholics of course must be a bulwark against evil, confronting tyranny, working against the tide of religious persecution, defending the weak. We mustn’t lose hope when we see great evils arise in the world. Evils will ebb and flow until the Lord’s return.

Rather, we must trust that God has chosen us to live now, to stand courageously against evil, to cultivate substantial pulpable sanctity, and witness to the truth of the Gospel even as we are dragged from our homes. For Christ is victorious and promises eternal blessedness to those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that she may remain steadfast in faith and courage in the face of persecution. 

For world leaders, that they may recognize the dignity of every human life and work to end all forms of hatred. 

For those suffering religious persecution today, or who feel hopeless in the face of evil in the world, that they may find strength in the witness of martyrs, and for the conversion of those who persecute others, that they may turn away from hatred and embrace the love of Christ. 

For our parish community, that we may cultivate sanctity in our daily lives and be effective witnesses to the Gospel in our words and actions. 

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering and for those who continue to experience the effects of this weeks tornados here in Northeast Ohio.

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

Merciful Father, we bring these prayers before You on this memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Through her intercession, strengthen our faith and grant us the courage to stand firm in Your truth, even in the face of persecution and adversity. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

August 7 2024 - St Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions, Martyrs - Docile in believing the faith

 In the third century, the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered that Christians had to take part in the state religious ceremonies. He also forbade them from assembling for Christian worship, threatening with death anyone who was found to disobey the order.  St. Sixtus II was Pope during this terrible time.  And for nearly a year Sixtus functioned as Pope, administering the Church. He famously worked to resolve a conflict with certain Eastern churches over the rebaptism of converted heretics. 

In August of 258, Emperor Valerian issued a far crueler edict.  It simply and coldly ordered that all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. On August 6, 258, Pope Sixtus II and four deacons, were seized while celebrating Mass in the Catacombs of Callistus in Rome.  They were beheaded that same day. 

The opening prayer of today’s mass asked God by the power of the Holy Spirit to make us docile in believing the faith and courageous in confessing it. 

What does it mean to be docile in believing the faith? The words doctor, doctrine, and docility are all etymologically connected. To be docile means to be teachable—to be open to the teaching of the doctrine by the doctor—the learned one. So the opening prayer is asking God to help us to continue to be teachable. We are never too old, or too learned, that we should be unteachable in the matters of the faith—in the way of Christ. 

Two obstacles particularly stand out which make us resistant to being teachable at any age: the first is pride, the second is laziness. Pride says, I have nothing to learn, I know everything, the Church has nothing to teach me. Laziness, says, egh, it’s too much effort to learn anymore, I don’t have the energy to be open to new things, the bible is too heavy. But to be a disciple of Jesus is to be open to lifelong learning of what it means to be good, holy, courageous, wise, and loving.

It is significant that we have this reminder to be open to being taught on the feast of these martyrs. The martyrs are very important teachers. The Church’s prayer is that we learn from their example. 

The martyrs teach us what courage looks like in proclaiming the Gospel in the face of hostile forces, what witness looks like, what trusting in God looks like when the powers of hell are bent against us. They teach us what faith, hope, and love look like. We are to believe in the teachings of Christ with the faith of the martyrs. We are to place our hope in heaven, with the hope of the martyrs. We are to love God enough and love neighbor enough that our lives become a light for others. 

Holy Spirit, make us docile to the lessons of the martyrs, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church: That we may be inspired by the courage of the martyrs, remaining steadfast in our faith even in the face of persecution. 

For docility of faith: That we may remain open to learning and growing in our faith, overcoming pride and laziness and For the grace of witness: That our lives may become a light for others, reflecting the faith, hope, and love exemplified by the saints. Let us pray to the Lord.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race.

That in facing trials, illness, or suffering of any kind, all people may find strength and consolation in the promises of Christ and the grace of his mercy. Let us pray to the Lord.

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

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers, and grant us what we truly need to be docile in faith and courageous in witness, through Christ Our Lord.

August 6 2024 - Transfiguration and the Cross

 Today, August 6, is the feast of the transfiguration of the Lord. But why August 6? No where in scripture are there any hints regarding the date Jesus was transfigured.

This liturgical feast is not quite as ancient as others. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, was adopted in the liturgy in about the tenth century in many dioceses, and was celebrated mostly on 6 August. In 1456, Pope Callixtus III extended the feast to the Universal Church in memory of a victory over the Ottoman Turks in Belgrade on August 6, 1456.

Many have noted that August 6 is 40 days prior to the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, which is a much older feast, going back to Constantine’s dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 335. 

And that explanation makes sense to me, as there is a very strong theological connection between the transfiguration and the cross. 

The Transfiguration occurs in Luke’s Gospel directly after Christ calls His followers to pick up their Cross and follow Him: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.”

In St. Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah about the exodus—the deliverance—that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem, namely his saving death on the cross. 

The Transfiguration cannot really be understood apart from the cross. The liturgy itself makes this connection. In the Eucharistic preface, we will hear that Jesus “revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses and filled with the greatest splendor his bodily form which he shares with all humanity, that the scandal of the Cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples”.

Not long after the Transfiguration, Christ and His Apostles had to leave the mountain in order to endure the Cross. But he provided this glimpse of glory as a consolation, to strengthen them, for the dark road ahead. 

Likewise, God provides us with beautiful consolations—even the ability to come into a beautiful church like this every week—or every day if we want—is a consolation that strengthens us. We climb the summit of the altar—to be consoled with bread from heaven—so that we might have the strength to bear our own crosses, which again, the Lord teaches us, that each of us must take up our crosses daily, or we will lose the life God desires for us.

In our sufferings, challenges, crosses, temptations and trials of faith may the hope of glory, the hope of heavenly life, sustain us, that we may merit to become coheirs with the beloved Son of the Father, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that she may always be a beacon of Christ's light in the world, illuminating the path of faith for all believers. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all Christians, that we may have the courage to take up our crosses daily, inspired by the glimpse of glory revealed in Christ's Transfiguration. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that our participation in the Eucharist may transfigure us, giving us the strength to bear witness to Christ in our daily lives. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those facing trials and sufferings, that they may find strength and consolation in the promise of Christ's glory, just as the apostles were strengthened for the journey ahead. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have died, that they may share in the fullness of Christ's glory in heaven, which was glimpsed on Mount Tabor, especially N, for whom this mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our personal intentions, that we may offer them to God with trust, knowing that He who was transfigured before His disciples hears our prayers. (Pause for silent prayer) Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, You revealed the glory of Your Son on Mount Tabor, strengthening the disciples for the journey ahead. As we bring these petitions before You, transfigure our hearts with Your grace, that we may faithfully bear our crosses and reflect Your light in the world.

August 5 2024 - Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica - Holy Mother Church

 In the Gospel for this memorial of the dedication of St. Mary Basilica in Rome, a woman from the crowd cries out to Jesus saying "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed."

This line can be interpreted in a number of ways. The literal interpretation of this verse refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It acknowledges her unique role in carrying and nurturing the Son of God. This blessing recognizes Mary's physical motherhood and her importance in the incarnation of Christ.

Christians, who are made brothers and sisters of Christ through baptism, have also received Mary as our Spiritual Mother. Our faith, in a sense, is born from her.

The verse can also be interpreted allegorically to refer to the Church. 

The Church is our Mother. Sancta Mater Ecclesia, Holy Mother Church. Christians are born from the womb of the Church, and she nurtures the faithful spiritually, just as Mary nurtured Jesus physically.

St. Cyprian of Carthage in the third century famously wrote, "No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother. Christians relationship with God is intrinsically linked to the Church—for it is by her Sacraments that we are reborn, strengthened, fed, healed, reconciled, and it is through her teaching that we are enlightened in how to remain in right relationship with God and come to the heavenly end for which God made us. At the breasts of Mother Church we receive spiritual nourishment, on her lap, we learn the lessons needed for eternal life. 

In another way, the Church is Mother. Just as Mary bore Christ in her womb, the Church "bears" Christ to the world through its teachings, sacraments, and the lives of the faithful. Mary is the theotokos—the God bearer—she bore Jesus to the world. So too each of us, as members of the Church are to bear Christ in our words and works and in bearing the life of the Trinity in our souls.

As we honor the dedication of the basilica of St. Mary Major, we consider how as sons and daughters of Mother Church and Mother Mary, we, like her are to hear the word of God and obey it, that we, like her, may bear Christ to the world, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, our Holy Mother: That she may continue to nurture and guide the faithful through her teachings and sacraments, bearing Christ to the world in word and deed. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who feel distant from the Church: That they may experience anew the maternal love of Mary and the Church, finding their way back to the family of faith. Let us pray to the Lord.

For vocations to the priesthood and religious life: That many may respond generously to God's call to serve as instruments of His love and mercy within Mother Church. Let us pray to the Lord.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of every human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death. 

That members of the Church may be attentive to the needs of those who suffer, and that sick and the poor may be open to the merciful grace of God.

For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - The bread of supernatural life

 Last week we began a five-week liturgical cycle of reading from chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel beginning with the account of the miraculous feeding of the 5000. 

This crowd of people must have been tremendously excited after witnessing and benefiting from Jesus’ miracle. They had already followed Jesus out into the wilderness because of his reputation as a great preacher and his ability to cure the sick. But feeding five thousand people with a few loaves was a miracle on a whole other level—levels of magnitude greater than the miracle working prophets of the Old Testament. 

In response to the miraculous feeding, the crowd, as we heard last week, wanted to make Jesus their king. After all, he would be able to satisfy all their material needs—that’s a pretty good quality for a king to possess.  

But Jesus doesn’t stick around for a coronation; he retreats, for his kingdom is not of this world. Nonetheless, the crowd follows him—they want more from him. And to their delight, Jesus explains that he does intend to feed them. As God fed their ancestors in the desert, as we heard in our first reading, Jesus promises that whoever comes to him will never be hungry. He will provide for their hunger, he will provide for their thirst.

What a promise! And yet, six chapters into John’s Gospel, we know that there must be something else coming because a pattern has already emerged in John’s Gospel. While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record many miracles, John records only six. The miracle of multiplication in John’s Gospel is the 4th miracle, the first three being the changing of water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, the healing of the Royal Official’s son, also at Cana, and the healing of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. And following those miracles, Jesus gives some sort of teaching, a teaching of who He is—and why He is here—and His mission, is about much more than gaining popular adulation in order to claim earthly kingship.

After the Wedding at Cana, Jesus teaches that he’s not just another party goer who enjoys a jug or two of wine. Rather, he is the beloved Son of the Heavenly Father sent by the Father to speak words of everlasting life. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” He’s on a mission where the stakes are not about temporal pleasures and frivolity—this mission is about life and death—eternal life or death.

After the second and third miracles, Jesus gives another teaching. He teaches again about his relationship with His Father, and that he has been sent to do the work of the Heavenly Father which is a matter of life and death. And then he echoes the teaching he gave after the first miracle, “whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.”

So, following the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, the attentive reader of John’s Gospel will intuit that there is going to be another teaching—and likely one about some very serious eternal realities. In fact, in the original Greek of St. John’s Gospel, this is absolutely clear. 

For the Greek New Testament has two different words for “life”. Bios and Zoe. Bios is natural life, biological life, the physical life of plants, animals, and humans. But Zoe—Zoe is the word for supernatural life—the life of God, the life of the spirit. In today’s passage, when Jesus says, I am the bread of life, which word do you think he uses? Zoe, of course. Εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης. I am the bread of supernatural life. 

Just like he did after the first three miracles, Jesus identifies himself with the life of God. He is sent by the Father to be food for us—and not just food that keeps our bodies alive—food that will keep our souls alive. 

Yes, of course, God is concerned with our physical needs—and if the world were a little more in conformity with the God’s kingdom—there would be a lot less physical hardship on everybody. But in the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus teaches about a reality more vital than even our physical needs. 

Now most people in our modern world say, there IS NOTHING more important than our physical life. Food, drink, shelter, medicine, without these, our frail bodies cannot survive. But Jesus teaches that there IS something more important than even physical life.  For it’s one thing for your body to die, it’s another thing for your souls to be separated from God for eternity. 

Now even a lot of Christians, these days, have fallen into some serious error. They claim that since God is all-loving everybody goes to heaven. So it doesn’t matter if you pray, or if you go to church, or get baptized or confess your sins, or receive the eucharist. But these are grievous errors that keep us from the life God desires for us—the life he sent us Son to be offered up as a sacrifice in order to obtain.

Rather, Christians must witness to the reality of man’s need for the bread of eternal life no matter what our foolish culture posits. This is why St. Paul writes in our second reading, “I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance, because of their hardness of heart, they have become callous.”

St. Paul is saying that the corruption of a non-Christian society is the result of shallowness in their thinking—futility of mind. One translation puts it, “empty headed thinking”. The depravity, corruption, and disorder in our surrounding culture comes from ignorance—often willful ignorance, hardened hearts and callousness—regarding the things of God. There is a lot of empty-headed thinking about God these days, even among members of the Church.

But our task in the Lord, is to witness by word and deed—through formal teaching and by good example and charitable works—that God calls us to a new way of life in Christ. God feeds us with the Bread of Life that we may have new life in Christ for eternity, and that is to be evident in how we speak and act and how we treat people.  Through the Bread of Life we are brought into Communion with the One who is life, the one who desires the flourishment of humanity and provides the means for that flourishment, in this life and the life to come, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

First Friday Holy Hour - August 2024 - First of all devotions, most pleasing to God, most useful to ourselves

 Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of St. Alphonus Ligouri patron saint of Moral Theology. In addition to his contributions to Moral Theology and founding the Most Holy Congregation of the Redeemer (the Redemptorists) St. Alphonus Ligouri was a prolific writer about the Eucharist. It is said that he discovered his vocation during one of his many hours adoring Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.

He wrote, “Certainly amongst all devotions, after that of receiving the sacraments, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament holds the first place, is the most pleasing to God, and the most useful to ourselves.” 

“Oh, how sweet a joy it is to remain with faith and tender devotion before the Eucharist, and converse familiarly with Jesus Christ, who is there for the express purpose of listening to and graciously hearing those who pray to him.”

“There it was (in Eucharistic Adoration) that St. Francis Xavier found refreshment in the midst of his many labours in India; for he employed his days in toiling for souls, and his nights in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  St. John Francis Regis did the same thing; and sometimes finding the church closed, he endeavoured to satisfy his longings by remaining on his knees, outside the door exposed to the rain and cold so that at least at a distance he might attend upon his Comforter concealed under the sacramental species.  St. Francis of Assisi used to go to communicate all his labors and undertakings to Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament.”

I could go on and on. But let’s go back to that first quote. “Certainly, amongst all devotions, after that of receiving the sacraments, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament holds the first place, is the most pleasing to God, and the most useful to ourselves.”

He makes three claims there. Let’s briefly unpack each. First, he claims that Eucharistic adoration is the first among all other devotions. This is because this devotion directly focuses on Jesus Christ, who is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. We aren’t merely recollecting something Jesus said or did. Our senses, physical, emotional, and spiritual are directly focuses on Him. He is here. 

Alphonsus then claims that this devotion is most pleasing to God. This act of faith, love, and devotion is highly pleasing to God because it demonstrates a willingness to draw close to Him and to honor His presence in a special way. God desires intimate communion with His people and here we draw close to Him, fulfilling God’s desire for us to be with Him and He with us.

Lastly, St. Alphonsus considers this devotion most useful to the faithful because of the graces that flow from our time with Jesus—the master and teacher. It’s here that we learn to listen to the quiet voice of Jesus who pierces through the noise of our lives. It allows us to enter into that silence which is astoundingly rich, utterly alive, and enormously instructive.

Alphonus writes, “You may be sure that of all the moments of your life the time you spend before the divine Sacrament will be that which will give you more strength during life and more consolation at the hour of your death and during eternity."

May our time this evening bear fruit for eternity, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

August 2 2024 - St. Eusebius of Vercelli - The truth shall set you free

 In the year 355, a council was called by Pope Liberius in Milan to address the continuing problem of Arianism. As his personal representative, the Pope sent a bishop, to defend the apostolic faith, the bishop of a place called Vercelli, bishop Eusebius, a native Sardinian.  

During the Council, the Arians were vicious in arguing that the Son of God did not always exist—that he was inferior in divinity to God the Father. Additionally, they called for the condemnation of the writings and teachings of St. Athanasius who defended the true faith at the First Council of Nicaea. On top of it all, the Roman Emperor was an Arian Heretic and placed greater pressure on Eusebius and the other loyal bishops to relent to his side. 

But Eusebius did not relent, in fact he confronted the emperor for attempting to use secular force to influence Church decisions. Eusebius laid the Nicene Creed on the table and insisted that all sign it before taking up any other matter.  

And you’d like to think Eusebius’ courage and constancy changed the emperor’s mind and converted the Arians…well, no. The emperor had Eusebius, like Athanasius before him, exiled. And in exile, the Arians continued to harass the faithful bishop, even dragging him through the streets and imprisoning him. 

Many of the saints experience tremendous suffering for the truth and integrity of the Christian faith. They experience suffering like so many of the Old Testament prophets, like our Lord himself, who in the Gospel today was rejected in his hometown. 

Wherever the truth is spoken, the devil is often right around the corner seeking to twist and pervert and incite hostility to the truth because the devil hates the truth, he is the father of lies.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The devil hates the truth because he wants us enslaved to error and sin. 

Thanks be to God for prophets and saints and martyrs who defend the truth from the devil’s lies, who help us to have courage when the world pressures us to compromise our relationship with God. 

There the Arians dragged Eusebius through the streets, imprisoned him, and continue to harass him.

We do well to pray for our bishops, that they may defend the Church’s teaching against those who seek to destroy her.  Many people would not necessarily deny the divinity of Christ formally, by becoming card-carrying Arian heretics.  But, the danger in our modern day is more subtle.  The danger is that we affirm the divinity of Christ in one breath, but ignore his divine teaching in our actions.  Our conduct, our choices, our attitudes need to all point to our faith that Christ is God.  Christ is the only way to salvation, he is the only road to the freedom and peace that the human race longs for.  

And we pray this day, through the intercession of St. Eusebius and all the saints, that the truth of Christ will permeate every dimension of our society and every human heart, that his joy and truth might be in us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our Holy Father, bishops, and clergy: That they may have the courage and wisdom to confront falsehoods and lead the faithful in accordance with the teachings of Christ and His Church. 

For those who struggle with doubt or are led astray by false teachings: That they may encounter the truth of Christ and find their way back to the fullness of faith. And for all Christians: That our actions may consistently reflect our belief in Christ's divinity, and that we may live out our faith in every aspect of our lives. 

For our society: That it may be permeated by the truth of Christ, leading to greater justice, peace, and respect for human dignity, and that those in positions of secular authority may respect religious freedom and refrain from interfering in matters of faith and conscience. Let us pray to the Lord.

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

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

Priest: Heavenly Father, graciously hear the prayers we bring before you. Through the intercession of St. Eusebius, grant us courage and integrity of faith in order to serve you more faithfully on earth so win a greater share of glory in heaven. Through Christ our Lord.