December 17 2025 (school mass) - O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

 

Today, December 17, begins the last stretch of Advent before Christmas—what is called late Advent.

And beginning today until Christmas Eve, as you heard just before the Gospel, the Church sings these beautiful musical phrases called the O Antiphons. Today, I first sang the verse in Latin then in English because the O Antiphons were first written in Latin, 1500 years ago—in the sixth century. Before America was discovered—before English was even a language spoken by human beings—the Church was singing these beautiful O Antiphons in latin in preparation for the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

In each of these O Antiphons, the Church asks God for special help—help to prepare well for Christmas. Today, the O Antiphon asked God for Wisdom. O Sapientia, Sapientia is the latin word for Wisdom. I sang O Wisdom which comes forth from the mouth of God, help us to order our days rightly and prudently.

What is wisdom? What does it mean to be wise? Wisdom helps us to get our life in order—the right order. Particularly during these 8 days before Christmas, we want to make sure our life is rightly ordered—that we are not being foolish with the time we’ve been given. And wisdom does just that—wisdom helps us to know what matters most.

Wisdom isn’t just about being smart and knowing a lot of things. Your mind might be filled with a million facts about science and technology and sports and literature and art and music. But just because you know a lot of things doesn’t make that you make good choices. We need the wisdom, the instruction that comes from God, to make good choices that help our souls grow in holiness.

And right at the beginning of Late Advent the Church turns to God, and asks God, God grant us wisdom, that we might use the time we’ve been given to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas. Help us to be prudent with our time and our abilities to prepare well for Christmas.

In the Gospel today, we heard the long genealogy, the long family tree of Jesus stretching all the way back to the beginning of the people of Israel with Abraham, through King David, and finally to Joseph the husband of Mary. From all time, God had been ordering the generations of the human family to prepare for the birth of His Son. And if he can do that, he can certainly help us order our lives to get ready for Christmas.

To wisely prepare for Christmas, we need to think about Jesus every day, we need to pray every day, we need to make sure that evil and selfishness are not taking root in us, and make sure that we are practicing the kindness, gentleness, patience, and generosity we are capable of.

By practicing wisdom, we come to recognize that Christmas isn’t just about getting presents, but about celebrating the birth of Jesus who came to save us, reconcile us to God and grow in union with God, who enables us to be the people God made us to be, wise and prudent, good and holy for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

3rd Sunday of Advent 2025 - Joy in stillness

On the first Sunday of Advent, our Scripture readings urged us to be mindful of the need to prepare well during this holy season. On the Second Sunday, last week, we heard John the Baptist urge us to repent—to prepare for the Lord’s coming by turning away from our sins, detaching from worldly distractions, and making straight the pathways in our lives for God.

On this third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday—we are presented with images of joy—the joyful exultation of Israel as God’s promises are fulfilled, and the Lord pointing to the example of John the Baptist, who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the drawing near of the savior. Jesus sends John’s disciples to tell the good news to John, now in prison, that the signs of the Messiah’s coming were now being fulfilled by Jesus. Even in prison, this would have brough John joy.

Joy, it is the deep longing of the human heart. Each one of us longs for joy. No one ever complained about having too much joy in their lives. Rather, the opposite is true, we tire of the joyless, and often jump from one pursuit to the next looking for that elusive joy. 

The brilliant Christian author, C.S. Lewis well-known for his “Chronicles of Narnia” books like “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” also wrote a sort of spiritual autobiography, in which he details his conversion to Christianity from Atheism—a book titled “Surprised by Joy”. In it, Lewis describes how every human being who has ever existed desires joy—we crave it; each of us are on an eternal quest for lasting joy.  Yet, joy, Lewis admits, is the most elusive of the virtues: we are all searching for it, but few seem to find enduring joy.  The authentically and fully joyful person is rare.  

Lewis explains that joy is often so elusive and hard to find because so many people are looking for joy “out there”—as if joy can be acquired if I just obtain the right object, or the right amount of cash in my bank account, in some earthly thing or activity or set of circumstances 

This is why our culture always seems so exhausted once Christmas is over. Our consumeristic, materialistic culture is convinced that joy can be purchased and found in material things like playstations, iphones, televisions, new wardrobes, and the like.

Lewis writes, “No, “Joy does not come from out there,” Lewis says, rather “Joy comes from in here.”  Joy comes into the heart when we are in right relationship with God—joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Only when the heart is firmly planted in Christ and doing the works of Christ, will the fruit of joy truly bloom.

Joy is most elusive, but there are a group of people who have discovered Joy. The saints! If you’ve ever met a truly holy person, they are filled with joy. The saints show us that joy is truly found in the Lord. They sing along with Psalm 16: “[Lord] you make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.”

The saints also show us what is required to tend the soil of one’s heart so that joy may bloom. In the saints, we see that joy is cultivated primarily in two ways. 

Firstly, why are the saints so joyful? Because they have learned to live for others. They show us that joy is cultivated not through selfish accumulation, but by giving oneself away in service. Joy is not found in stuffing yourself to the gills day after day, but in feeding the hungry. Joy is not found with meticulously assembling the perfect wardrobe by keep up with the newest fashions, but by clothing the naked. Joy is not found in mindlessly doom scrolling on your phone and trying to convince people that you have the perfect life on social media, but disciplining and structuring your life around intentional generosity and self-sacrifice. They show us that the way of Christ—putting the teachings of Christ in practice, particularly those lessons of charity—is the pathway to joy.

So, firstly, the saints cultivate joy through self-sacrificial good works. Secondly, they show us the indispensability of prayer. And when I say prayer, I’m not just talking about rattling off an our father or hail mary once a day if you remember to do so, or saying grace before meals. Those prayers are important, however, the prayer of the saints is practice by quieting the mind and the soul, seeking God in the stillness of one’s soul. The saints practice prayer to such an extent that they learn to encounter the living God who makes His dwelling in the soul of the baptized. Prayer, for the saints becomes a living fountain of joy. 

This week in OCIA we talked about one of the great teachers of prayer, St. Theresa of Avila, the great Carmelite mystic and one of the four female doctors of the Church. Doctor, by the way, doesn’t mean that she was a medical doctor. The word ‘doctor’ means learned one—someone with something to teach. And the doctors of the Church are the ones learned in the faith and the spiritual life. St. Theresa of Avila is a doctor of the Church because what she has to teach us about prayer.

The doctor of prayer, St. Theresa wrote extensively on prayer and the spiritual life. Her masterpiece on prayer, called “The Interior Castle” was written for those who want to make serious progress in the spiritual life and the practice of prayer. Though it was written over 500 years ago, the language is easy to understand and quite accessible—you should check it out.

Throughout the chapters of her book, Theresa describes how the human soul is like a mansion. And as we enter deeper and deeper into the mansion of the soul, we come experience a purer and purer encounter with God. The journey through the inner mansion of the soul is transformative; we are changed as we grow nearer to God—we grow in joy, in purity of love and intension, detachment from sin, we grow in simplicity, and willingness to suffer for the sake of others. Growth in prayer, growth in holiness, brings growth in joy, as we grow nearer and nearer to God—the source of all joy.

The season of Advent, especially today, Gaudete Sunday, has this character, of seeking to enter more deeply into communion with God, seeking the joy and fullness of life that only He can bring, the joy that the soul longs for.

Throughout her writing, Theresa repeatedly emphasizes that it is not only we who long for God, but God who longs for us, and God desires union with each one of us. And that union doesn’t just begin when our earthly life comes to an end, Yes, we are meant for union with God in eternity, but that experience and growth in communion with God is to start now, in this earthly life—again through prayer, and the life of charity.

We will be happier, more joyful and fulfilled, when we make the inner journey, stripping away all that keeps us from that encounter with Christ, who draws near to us, and makes his dwelling among us, in our very souls. Gaudete in domino semper, rejoice in the Lord always. Dominus enim prope est. Indeed, the Lord is near. 

A week and a half now before Christmas, let us make good use of the time we have been given, to draw near to the Lord who has drawn near to us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

2nd Week of Advent 2025 - Wednesday - God's promise of renewal

In the first reading, God promises strength for his people. Isaiah says, “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings: They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”

To Isaiah’s original audience, this promise was not a vague spiritual encouragement. It was a concrete proclamation spoken into one of the darkest chapters of Israel’s history. Recall that this promise was being given to a people exiled in Babylon. The Jews had lost their land, lost their Temple, lost their monarchy, lost their identity as a nation, and wondered if God had abandoned them. They were a defeated people with no political leverage and no military strength. They experienced the exhaustion of futile existence and defeat.

But to these people, God assured them: I will restore you, I will rejuvenate you. Your defeat will not get the final word. Hope in the Lord, he will come for you. God remains faithful despite appearances. 

Throughout Advent, we read these promises from Isaiah to understand the spiritual state of humanity awaiting the savior. Israel’s exile was the consequence of their persistent unfaithfulness—idolatry, injustice, hard-heartedness. The loss of the Temple, the land, the kingship, and the city was not just political—it was identity-shattering.

The promises of Isaiah are not just significant for historical Israel, but for all of humanity. God would restore what was lost through sin, he would restore dignity, identity, mission, renewing the human heart enabling us to become the people God made us to be. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus identifies himself as the one who brings the strength and rejuvenation Israel and all of humanity longed for. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Rest. Rejuvenation. New strength. Renewal. Jesus is the answer to humanities longing. He is the font of new life.

We know how the burdens of life and the demands of mission of the Gospel can be quite demanding and exhausting. Raising a family in the faith, being faithful to the demands of our particular vocation, caring for the poor in all the ways God is calling us, fighting against temptation and worldly distraction. Sharing the Gospel to a world that mocks us, hates us, persecutes us. The Christian pilgrimage can be exhausting.

But during Advent, we are to take the time to renew our hope and trust in the Lord, quieting down, turning away from worldly distraction, so that we can be rejuvenated, strengthened when the Lord comes. 

The Christian life isn’t just about gritting our teeth, relying on our own talents, pushing through on our own, but learning to hope in the Lord in times of difficulty. Those who hope in the Lord will be strengthened. Those who turn to the Lord will have strength for the long haul, strength to do small things with great love, strength to embrace great challenges, for the building up of the Church, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls

 

Trusting in the God who renews the strength of His people and who calls us to find rest in Him, let us offer our prayers.

That during this Advent season, the Church may deepen her hope in the Lord and draw renewed strength from Christ, who restores what sin has broken, and for renewal in our parish.

That all who serve the poor, fight against injustice, experience Christian persecution or witness to the Gospel in difficult environments may receive fresh strength from the Lord to continue doing good without growing weary.

That parents, spouses, and caregivers, may be strengthened by God’s grace to persevere with patience, love, and hope amid life’s demands.

For all of the sick, and that those who feel burdened, defeated, or forgotten—may find renewal in Christ.

That all who have walked the pilgrimage of faith and now rest from their labors may rejoice in the fullness of the Kingdom prepared for them.

God of strength, You renew the hearts of those who hope in You. Hear the prayers we place before You and grant us the grace to find in Christ our rest, our renewal, and our salvation. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

December 8, 2025 - Immaculate Conception - Behold your mother

 On Calvary, on Good Friday, from the Cross, Jesus gave a commandment to his followers. With his final breaths, he said, “Behold your mother”. Behold your mother. Even in his agony, he was thinking of his mother Mary. And he commanded that we do the same. One of the dimensions of the Christian life, part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, is to behold Mary, to behold her. After all, Jesus told us to do so.

We behold Mary in a number of ways. We depict her in art. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and our mother in faith, has been depicted in art, in paintings, statues, stained glass windows, murals and mosaics, more than any person in human history. She was even painted on the walls of the catacombs. 

We behold our mother by considering her faith—meditating on her countless virtues. We meditate upon how she responded to God with humility and trust at her annunciation. We meditate upon how she went in haste out of charity to her cousin Elizabeth who had become pregnant in her old age. We meditate upon how Mary rejoiced at the birth of Christ in the poor stable of Bethlehem—how she faithfully brought Jesus to the temple and pondered the words of Simeon who foretold how her heart would be pierced by swords of sorrow. We meditate upon her strength, as she stood at the cross of Christ, her only son, consoling Him as only a mother’s presence can. 

Beholding our mother by meditating upon her faith and virtues is always fruit for us—how we, like her are called to respond to God, the mission and role God has for us in salvation in history. 

We also behold our mother by considering the special graces given to her by God. And today we celebrate one of those graces, one of those special favors and privileges that God chose to bestow on Mary. 

Today, beholding her, we look, not to the end of her earthly life, not to a moment when she was influential during the ministry of Jesus or even his childhood or infancy when she birthed him and nursed him. We look to a moment even before Mary was an infant herself, born of her parents Joachim and Anne. We behold our mother, today--looking to the very first moment of Mary’s existence as a human person, her conception in the womb of her mother. 

And beholding her at the first moment of her existence, we are taught that God did something he had never done before, and never will do again. He made her immaculate. 

By virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, God preserved Mary from the stain of original sin from the moment of her conception. That’s what it means to be immaculate—to have been made without stain.

Could God do this? Of course. He is God. Nothing is impossible for God. God is all-powerful. To say God couldn’t do that is to assert that he is not Almighty. But he is. He could make her immaculate if he so chose. And he did. And Christians have believed that He did since the beginning of the Church.

In the early church we see the great Fathers teaching about Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Hippolytus around 235 writes, ““She was the ark formed of incorruptible wood. For by this is signified that His tabernacle was exempt from putridity and corruption.” St. Ephraem around 370 writes, “[Jesus], Thou alone and thy Mother are in all things fair, there is no flaw in thee and no stain in thy Mother.”

The bishop and doctor of the Church, St. Ambrose, whose feast was yesterday, December 7, in 388 “Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled but a Virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free of every stain of sin.” 

Why did God make Mary this way? Because he wanted to—he saw it fitting—to make Mary immaculate—to prepare a worthy Mother for His Son. He made her Immaculate so that the Word might take his sinless flesh from the sinless flesh of an immaculate mother.

We honor and obey God by doing what we have been taught by Jesus Himself—we behold our mother. So make sure you do. Love her. Get to know her. Imitate her virtues. Turn to her in prayer. Behold her today and all days. Don’t let a day go by without beholding her in some way. For Jesus commanded it so. He gave her to us to be our mother also, a mother filled with special graces to help us be the people God made us to be—to use the graces he has bestowed on us in His service, for the building up of the church, for the mission of the Gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

December 03 2025 (school mass) - St. Francis Xavier - Purpose

 

On just the third weekday of Advent this year, we wear not Advent purple, but white, as we celebrate the obligatory memorial of a saint of the Church, St. Francis Xavier: a reminder, that the purpose of the season of Advent is to make us saints. The purpose of Advent prayer, Advent Symbols and songs, Advent charitable-giving, is to make us saints.

St. Francis Xavier was filled with zeal for helping others prepare their hearts to receive Christ. Francis Xavier was a Jesuit priest sent by the founder of his Order, St. Ignatius of Loyola, to spread the Gospel to the people of India, Japan, and the Philippines who did not believe in Christ. In the course of only 10 years of teaching people about Jesus, he baptized over 80,000 people.

Why did Francis Xavier leave his home and travel to the far reaches of the world? As we heard in the Gospel today, Jesus gave a command to his followers: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

God the Father sent his Son into the world so that none of us would perish. And Jesus sends his followers to continue that mission: to help people believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God, and by becoming his followers we come to eternal life.

Again, that’s why I’m here, that’s why your teachers are employed here, that’s why Corpus Christi Academy is here, that’s why St. Clare parish is here, to help you believe in and follow Jesus.

During the season of Advent, each of us does well to consider what we must do to follow Jesus more faithfully, to understand his teachings and the purpose for which he came into the world, and to make our hearts more like his: loving, peaceful, joyful, devoted to doing the will of the Father. St. Francis Xavier was led by the Lord to preach and teach to India, Japan, and the Philippines.

Where might God be leading each of us? God how are you calling me to use my gifts to build up your kingdom? To lead others to you? How by my words and actions are you calling me to better witness to your goodness, truth, beauty, and love? What sins are you still at work to save me from? How are you calling me to make my heart more like Christ’s for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

1st Week of Advent 2025 - Monday - The Centurion's Advent Faith

 “"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” On this first weekday of Advent we read the powerful Gospel passage of the faith of the Centurion. The Centurion, a non-Jew, like us, believed that Jesus had the power to heal.

Out of all of the Gospels, why does Mother Church present us with this Gospel in particular on the first weekday of Advent?

Advent starts with desire: the ache for God to come close, to save, to heal, to set things right. The Centurion’s simple cry—“Lord… only say the word”—is the voice of every human heart waiting for Christ. Advent begins not with the instruction to make sure we buy the right presents or decorate our homes with the right amount of tinsel, but with a plea for mercy—humble longing, confident trust, and the recognition that we cannot save ourselves.

The fact that the Centurion is a Gentile is a signal that Christ came for all nations. So, On Day 1 of Advent, the Church reminds us: The Messiah is for the whole world. This echoes a constant theme we’ll hear from Isaiah throughout this season: of all nations streaming toward the mountain of the Lord.

The Centurion believes without seeing — Advent is a season of unseen hope. Jesus does not go to the house. He speaks a word. The servant is healed. Advent involves this kind of faith: a willingness to trust God before the fulfillment is visible, to believe the promises before the manger is filled, to hope for what we do not yet see.

And yet, this exchange between Jesus and the Centurion certainly foreshadows Christmas, at which we celebrate that God enters under our roof—not because we are worthy, but because He is merciful. 

Hence, the Centurion teaches us how to wait for Christ: with humility, with faith, with hope in God’s power to save, with a universal vision of a Messiah for all people, with the readiness to welcome Him under our roof

It is the whole spirituality of Advent packed into a single moment of great faith.

As the Lord enters our roof in the celebration of Mass today, in Word and Sacrament, may we learn from the humble Centurion in preparing well for Christmas for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - -  

With humble trust in the Lord who speaks the saving word, let us present our prayers and petitions.

As we begin a new liturgical year and the season of Advent, we pray for the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love to fill the Church, the world, and our hearts.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote authentic peace and justice according to God’s Holy Will. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the protection of our armed forces, police, and firemen and all those who risk their lives to preserve our security and freedom. For peace in those war-torn areas of the world and God’s protection of persecuted Christians. Let us pray to the Lord.

That, like the Centurion’s servant, those in need of healing—physical, emotional, or spiritual—may experience the saving word of Christ spoken over their lives. Let us pray to the Lord.

That as we receive the Lord in Word and Sacrament today, we may welcome Him with humble longing, confident trust, and a renewed desire to prepare well for Christmas.

For our beloved dead: That those who awaited the Lord in faith may now behold the fulfillment of every promise in the Kingdom of heaven.

God our Father, in Your mercy You sent Your Son as Savior of All nations. Hear these prayers we bring with faith, and grant us the grace to welcome Christ under our roof with humility and hope. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1st Sunday of Advent 2025 - Preparing Well

 Happy Advent Everyone.

The most important things in life require some preparation, don’t they? When parents discover they are expecting a new child, they prepare a room for the child and a crib—clothes are purchased, a baby shower is thrown. When a couple becomes engaged for marriage, they prepare, they plan. They meet with the priest for marriage preparation, they attend a pre-cana day, the reception is planned, the wedding garments are acquired, a home is made ready. 

Similarly, when a young man realizes his call to the priesthood, his seminary formation involves nine years of theological training, experience in different ministerial settings like visiting the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, visiting the imprisoned, learning how to craft a homily, teach in the classroom, and celebrate the sacraments.

We prepare for big tests, big presentations and tasks at our jobs. We prepare emotionally to tell someone difficult news; we prepare our wills for the end of our lives. A priest friend of mine would often say, “everything prepares us for something else.” 

Often the sufferings of the past and present help to prepare us for some future task that will require mature faith and endurance. St. Paul even says that our sufferings prepare us to console others who suffer.

The two most important feasts of the Liturgical Year are so important that they both have entire seasons to prepare for them. The season of Lent prepares us for easter, and the season of Advent which begins today prepares us for Christmas.

So how does Advent prepare us for Christmas? Well, certainly by helping us focus our time. We have 4 weeks to prepare. 4 weeks to space out the physical preparations, the shopping, the planning of parties and gatherings, the decorating, the baking of Christmas cookies.

But more importantly, yes? Are the spiritual preparations. Through the Advent scriptures and liturgies and Advent symbols Mother Church helps us to prepare our minds, hearts, and souls for the celebration of the birth of the Christ-Child?

On each of the four Sundays of Advent we read from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Throughout Advent we hear Isaiah’s message for God’s people to practice justice, the need for repentance, the reality of judgment, God’s promise of salvation and proclamation of mercy; Isaiah urges God’s people during times of darkness to practice faith and hope. 

All of those lessons are important to meditate upon, but Isaiah is read during Advent particularly because the book of Isaiah contains Scripture’s clearest proclamations of the coming of the Messiah. God will intervene in history. History filled with so much strife and chaos, war and oppression, injustice and sadness. And Isaiah proclaims the promise that the Messiah will enter history to bring mankind the peace and reconciliation and salvation that our hearts long for. 

If possible, during Advent spend time each day with the Church’s scripture reading, meditating on Isaiah’s promises. If you can’t make it to mass throughout the week, the scripture readings are available on the US Bishop’s website every day. You can even sign-up to have them emailed to you every day. 

Reading through the daily scripture readings will help you to be spiritually prepared for Christmas.

Active, intentional preparation is vital, so vital, that Our Gospel contains a message about preparation from Our Lord Himself. In this passage from near the end of Matthew’s Gospel, teaching in Jerusalem during Holy Week, Jesus teaches about the consequences for not being prepared.

He says the people of Noah’s day were not preparing for what was to come, but, instead they were eating, drinking and having a good time, preoccupied with earthly matters and so were unprepared and unrepentant when the flood came. Moses and his family were spared the flood because they were listening to God, they prepared for the flood by listening to the instructions of God, building the ark, battening the hatches, preparing for this mighty act of God which would cleanse the earth of wickedness.

Similarly now during Advent, Christians need to take time to listen to God. The rest of the world is busy busy busy with all of the physical preparations for Christmas. But Christians don’t just prepare like the rest of the world, we prepare spiritually as well which will enable us to experience deeply the flood of grace at Christmas, which the world will ignore.

Here the Lord gives us a warning and our marching orders for Advent. “Stay awake” he says. Make sure you are prepared for God wanting to break-in to your lives. Make sure you are engaging in sufficient prayer, reflection on the Word of God, acts of charity and repentance of sin.

It is certainly appropriate during the season of Advent to make a good confession. For what better way to prepare our soul for the Lord coming more deeply into our lives, than by confessing and receiving absolution for those sins which weigh us down, our failures to love the Lord as we should.

“You know the time;” Paul says,  “it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.” What are the spiritual practices that will awaken you from whatever spiritual lethargy has crept into your life? What do you need to do to remain spiritually awake throughout Advent? Today is a great day to come up with a good spiritual plan for Advent: what will your Advent spiritual reading consist of, when will you make your Advent confession, what are the good works you intend to engage in (even if that just means baking a plate of cookies for the lonely widow next door). 

We will never regret the time given to the Lord to prepare spiritually for his coming, to prioritize faith during this busy season, to prepare room for him to live and dwell in you this Christmas, for the glory of God and salvation.

32nd Week of Ordinary Time 2025 - Friday - Beauty of the Natural World and Vigilance for the Coming of Christ

 

In the 5^th century, the great Doctor of the Church Saint Augustine wrote about how the beauty of creation points to the one who created them. “Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the serried ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day glorious with its bright beams, question the moon tempering the darkness of the following night with its shining rays, question the animals that move in the waters, that amble about on dry land, that fly in the air; their souls hidden, their bodies evident; the visible bodies needing to be controlled, the invisible souls controlling them; question all these things. They all answer you, 'Here we are, look ; we're beautiful.' Their beauty is their confession. Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one who is beautiful and unchangeable?”

It is good to behold the beauty of the world, but everything beautiful in this world points beyond itself.

Both our first reading and psalm speak too of how examining creation points to the existence and glory of the creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” The reading from Wisdom suggests that you have to be a fool to study the works of creation and not to come to the belief in God.

Before we pat ourselves on the back for being more enlightened than the fool who disbelieves in God, Wisdom also admits how easily it is to be distracted by the things of creation: “They are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.” We know how easily it is to become distracted and wrapped up with earthly things that we neglect heavenly things.

Jesus gives the same warning in the Gospel: “They were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building…” and were consequently unprepared for the coming of the Son of Man.

None of those things is sinful in itself — but people became so absorbed in everyday life that they lost sight of the coming judgment and God’s presence.

This warning of the Lord is important for all of us. At all times, we must be spiritually ready, detached, and alert — not lulled into complacency—by our earthly endeavors.

The Alleluia verse commanded this: “Stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand.” Christians must constantly lift our eyes from earthly things, to ensure that our efforts are being dedicated to the things of God: infusing our minds with the light of God’s wisdom through study of our faith and reading of the scriptures, sufficient prayer and meditation, and intentional acts of charity for the good of others.

We do well to examine how we use our time, to ensure that the ordinary is not keeping us from seeking and pursuing the extraordinary, the natural is not keeping us from seeking the supernatural, that earthly beauty is not keeping us from seeking the source of that beauty—for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - 

 Trusting in the God who reveals His glory through all creation and calls us to lift our eyes toward our redemption, we bring our prayers before Him.

 For the Church throughout the world: that she remain faithful in pointing humanity to God and to be vigilant and ready for the coming of the Son of Man.

 For our world, so often distracted by material pursuits: that hearts may be turned away from what is passing and lifted toward what is eternal.

 For all who are burdened by illness, anxiety, or distraction: that Christ may raise their heads, strengthen their hope, and make His nearness known to them.

 For those who cannot see God’s goodness because of suffering or hardship: that the Lord may illuminate their lives with signs of His love and care. Let us pray to the Lord.

 During this month of November, we continue to pray for all of the faithful departed:  that having sought the face of God in this life, they may behold the fullness of His beauty in the life to come. Let us pray to the Lord.

 Heavenly Father, source of all beauty and author of all creation, hear our prayers, guide our hearts, and keep us ever ready for the coming of your Son. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

November 12 2025 - St. Josaphat (School Mass) - Martyrdom and Truth

 

The month of November began with the great feast of All Saints. There are many types of saints canonized over the centuries. Saints who were Holy Popes, priests, and deacons; saints who were married or widowed; saints who were religious brothers and sisters who remained unmarried and consecrated themselves to Jesus for their whole of life; saints whose names and stories we know, and saints whose names we will only learn in heaven.

A very special group of saints is known as the martyrs. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for witness. The martyrs witness, they testify, they tell the world about Jesus, not only through their preaching and teaching, but to the point of death.

Today, the Church honors the martyr St. Josephat, a Catholic bishop who was killed by a mob of people who hated the Pope. St. Josephat witnessed to the truth that Jesus created the Church and organized it to have a spiritual leader, the pope, who governs the Church in faithfulness to Jesus. Not everyone believes this, but this was the will of Jesus. For defending this truth, Josephat was killed.

Christians like Josephat are worthy of our praise and imitation: Christians who are willing to stand up for the truth, even when it brings them the hatred of the world.

In his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Here Jesus makes a promise. If you are willing to suffer for preaching and seeking the truth that comes from God, your reward will be heaven.

The martyrs, like St. Josephat are counted among the blessed ones of heaven because they were willing to be persecuted, hated, mocked, arrested, tortured, and killed for the sake of what was right—the truth proclaimed by Jesus and His Catholic Church.

Josephat didn’t water down the truth. He taught it with clarity. He didn’t hide the truth. He taught it boldly. And he did so because He loved the Truth—He loved Jesus and His Church and wanted to gather everyone into the unity of the Church, as Jesus prayed for, as we heard in the Gospel today, “I pray that they may be one”.

Through the intercession of St. Josephat and all of the holy martyrs, may each of us have the wisdom to seek the highest truth, the truth revealed by the Most High God, and the courage to witness to it, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

31st Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Friday - Cunning Missionary Disciples

Early on in the pontificate of Pope Francis, God rest his soul, the pontiff began to focus his teaching on a particular aspect of our faith—that all Christians are called to be missionary disciples. We find the phrase already in one of his first apostolic exhortations back in 2013—Evangelium Gaudium—“On the Proclamation of the Gospel in the World Today”. 

The entire people of God are called to proclaim the Gospel. Evangelization is the task of the Church—she is an agent of evangelization. “In all the baptized, from first to last,” he wrote, “the sanctifying power of the Spirit is at work, impelling us to evangelization… In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples.” And we live out that identity of being missionary disciples in our faithfulness to Jesus in whatever part of the world or society we find ourselves. 

In the first reading today, St. Paul talks about his particular calling to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul describes how God has called him to bring the Gospel to places where it has never been brought before. 

And there is an important dimension of missionary discipleship as well. Each one of us is called to bring the Gospel to places where it has not currently taken root. And where might that be?

We must certainly ensure that we are bringing the Gospel to our own minds and hearts. We are to be faithful to Jesus in every dimension of our lives. Christ is to be the center of our professional life, our leisure time, how we use our minds, how we use our words, how we use our bodies. We are to develop skills to be used in God’s service. 

But also in our relationships—with family, friends, and strangers. Recognize where the Gospel could be stronger in those relationships—where the peace of Jesus, the kindness of Jesus, the charity, and self-sacrifice of Jesus is to be imitated and lived out. 

In the Gospel, the Lord tells a parable about cleverness. The worldly are often very clever in pursuing their ends and their goals. Well, Christians need to be clever too in working for God. We are to exercise ingenuity, creativity, and cunning in our missionary discipleship. 

We need to be more clever in organizing charitable activity than head coaches in organizing victory for their franchises. We need to be more diligent in disciplining our minds and hearts than professional athletes in training their bodies. We need to be more clever than Wall Street bankers, in storing up treasure, not on earth, but in heaven. We need to be more dedicated to the Gospel, than world-class musicians and artists are in developing and pursuing their art.

We aren’t to just give God our leftovers, but our very best. Just as God made each of us unique, there are places and people to whom God is calling us uniquely to bear the Gospel. And we are to do so with courage and fortitude and patience and wisdom like that which St. Paul and so many of the saints show us for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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

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

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

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, all deceased members and benefactors of our parish, our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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

31st Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Wednesday (school mass) - "Love God"

 

Yesterday, I was able to visit a number of the classrooms, and I spoke about one of my favorite subjects and activities: prayer—different types of prayer, different ways to pray, when we should pray, why we pray, and we even talked about the five-finger method of prayer, how our fingers can remind us for whom to pray.

We talked about the sort of prayer that asks God for help—help for those closest to us, help for our teachers, help for those in charge, our leaders, prayer for the week, the suffering and the sick, and prayer for ourselves.

We talked about the sort of prayer which asks God for mercy when we’ve sin. “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”

We talked about the importance of offering prayers of thanksgiving: thanking God for the gift of life, thanking God for the shelter, food, and health, thanking God for the beauty of creation, thanking God for Jesus dying on the cross for us and the gift of our salvation, and the church, and the sacraments.

Lastly, we talked about the sort of prayer that most of us probably don’t do enough—the sort of prayer that simply tells God, “I love you.” “I love you, Lord”.

The more we love God, and express our love for God in our words and actions, the happier we will be. The saints show us this over and over. Their joy is great because their love for God is great.

Some people do not love God at all—they love money, and fame, and pleasure, and power, but they do not love God—and deep down, they are miserable for it. Some people love God only a little, and that’s a start—they know about him a little, but God makes little difference in their life—and they go from pursuit to pursuit, relationship to relationship, chasing happiness, but never really finding it, because they don’t believe God is the source of happiness. But Christians are taught by Jesus to love God with our whole heart mind soul and strength. Love for God is to be the driving force of our lives, the motive behind all our actions.

It is the reason I became a priest, it’s the reason I am here right now.

And daily, many times a day, we need to reconnect with the love of God, to call it to mind, to remind ourselves that love is to be the reason for my decisions, my choice of words, how I treat people, what I do with my time and my body.

As Jesus makes himself present at Mass today under the appearance of bread and wine, express your love for Him. “Jesus, I love you. Lead me and guide me.” For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 2 2025 - All Souls' Day - Grief and Hope

 A number of years ago, during my first parish assignment at St. Columbkille, in Parma, All Souls Day fell on the first Friday of November. On first Fridays we had the practice of bringing Holy Communion to our homebound parishioners, as some of our Eucharistic ministers do here. And so my first communion call that day was to a woman named Josephine, and elderly woman with a thick polish accent to whom I had been bringing Communion for several years.  

Prior to administering Holy Communion I asked her a question I didn’t always ask during my communion calls. I asked her if she had any particular intentions that she would like to voice as she received Holy Communion that day. And she replied that since today is the Feast of All Souls she would like to pray and offer her Communion for her father who was arrested and killed in the Concentration Camp at Auschwitz during World War II.  After we prayed, and she received Holy Communion, she asked if I would like to see a picture of her father.  I said I would.

She went into the bedroom and brought out a rectangular photograph of very thin man, dressed in a prison outfit, in three poses: a profile looking to the right, one where he was looking up and to the left, and the middle one, he was looking directly at the camera with a haunted expression on his face. I thought of the horrors he witnessed in that Concentration Camp—they seemed reflected in his eyes--and I had to sit down.  

Josephine then said, Father, I try to think of good memories, but so often I am overwhelmed with sadness.  Why do we always remember the hurtful things?

After a moment, I said, I think it’s important not to forget our loved ones, as hurtful as their memories are, so that we can pray for them, and to pray that terrible things like war and genocide never happen again.

She said, “All Souls Day is always a very sad day for me, but it is also the anniversary of our coming to this country and escaping those horrors.”  How providential, I thought! Because that’s what All Souls is all about. On All Souls’ Day we pray that our loved ones arrive at their heavenly homeland. 

Today can be a sad day; to remember the faithful departed whom we loved in this life can evoke strong emotions.  And  sometimes we think of those we’ve encounter on life’s path—and those memories are not always sweet. So, today don’t only pray for those who were good to us in this life, but also those who may have hurt us—they need our prayers too. No matter who they were in life, how they acted, who they loved or hurt, we pray for all of the souls in purgatory today, that they may be open to all of the purification they need in order to enter eternal life with God.

Today is also a day of hope. All Souls Day reminds us to pray, but also it is a reminder that we hope to be reunited with our loved ones in the new and eternal life of the resurrection. That word hope was mentioned in the opening prayer: “Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son, raised from the dead, is deepened, so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants also find new strength.” The preface for the Eucharistic prayer will also speak of the hope of resurrection.  In the face of sadness, it is so vital for us to renew our hope in the promises of Christ—that those who die with Him as Lord shall be raised with Him in the resurrection to come.

We also acknowledge today the power of our prayers.  Our prayers are powerful and effective in helping those in purgatory make their way to God and to prepare for the resurrection. When are overwhelmed with grief for our loved ones the best thing to do is to turn to God in prayer for their souls and to renew our hope in the resurrection. As Saint Thomas Aquinas said that the greatest act of love we can perform on behalf of the dead is to pray for them.  

May perpetual light shine upon our departed loved ones. And as we continue the celebration of the Mass for the repose of the faithful departed, we do so, not as a mere remembrance, but as a powerfully effective way of loving them and helping them, a duty that all Christians share, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

November 1 2025 - All Saints (PSR Mass) - The saint God made us to be

 

Dear ones. Happy Feast of All Saints. In school or by a family member, you may have been asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” If I asked every individual here, I bet I’d hear a whole host of answers. Some of you might say that when you grow up, you want to be a professional athlete or a teacher, a doctor or nurse or veterinarian, an actor or musician or artist, perhaps a soldier or police officer or fire fighter. At different times in my life I too considered different professions: there was a time I wanted to be an archaeologist and uncover ancient cities, later I wanted to be a mathematician. It wasn’t until I was a little older, in college, that I discerned that God was calling me to be a priest.

Well, no matter the profession, I bet every single one of us could answer that question, “when I grow up, I want to be happy. I want to do something that makes me happy.” No one wants to grow up to be unhappy or bored.

Well, what if I told you that being happy in life, being fulfilled, is not simply the result of your job or profession. Being happy isn’t based on the amount of money you make, the amount of power or responsibility you have, it’s not based on how popular or famous you become.

The key to happiness is to discover and pursue the reason God made you. Why are you here. Why do you exist? Why were you born, not 700 years ago, not 200 years ago, but now?

And the answer to those questions is partially hidden—it takes a while to figure out what we should be doing with our time, with our abilities. But the answer is also partially known. As Christians, we know what we should be doing with our time. We should be trying to become like the people we celebrate today. The saints. Because we, like them, are made by God, to become as holy as we possibly can.

If you want to be happy, if you want to be fulfilled, you should do everything you can to be a saint. That doesn’t mean you can’t be a musician or a doctor or a construction worker. St. Cecilia was a musician. Saints Cosmos and Damien were doctors. St. Francis of Assisi was a builder, he built a chapel for God, St. Luke was an artist. St. Sebastian was an athlete. St. John Bosco was a juggler and magician. St. Catherine was a philosopher. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a teacher. There were Saints who were simply moms and dad who loved their kids. And saints who were politicians, even kings and queens of nations.

But choosing to be a saint is more important than choosing your profession. It’s more important than where you live, what language you speak, where you go to school. There have been saints that have done very well in school, and saints that had a very difficult time with their studies.  But what was most important is that they aimed at being saints, no matter what they did. Whether they were plowing their fields like st. Isidore, or engaging in priestly duties like St. John Vianney, or a missionary like St. Paul, a website designer like St. Carlo Acutis.

Seeking to become a saint is the most important thing we can do in this life. For in the Gospel today, did Jesus say blessed are you when you win trophies for your athletic accomplishments? No. Did he say, blessed are you when you are well-known in your professional field? No. Did he say, blessed are you if you have more friends, more money than other people? No.

What did he say? Blessed are you when you are merciful, blessed are you when you are pure of heart. Blessed are you when you seek to be righteous so much that you hunger and thirst for it.

One of the great tragedies of our time is that there are many people who do not consider their call to be a saint. There are a great number of people who have turned their backs on God and will fail to become the person God made them to be. And because they have turned their backs on God they are miserable and causing great problems in the world, for their family and countries.

Don’t be like them. Don’t get so swept up by the world that you begin to forget about God, about why God made you.

We celebrate the saints because they are our heroes in the faith, but they also show us what all humans are capable of when they trust in God, when they say yes to God with every ounce of their being. God made us not to be selfish, lazy, or fearful. He made us to have generous hearts, active hearts, courageous hearts in knowing, loving, and serving Him in this life, so that we can be happy with Him for eternity.

The Saints challenges us to aim higher—to aim higher than spiritual mediocrity, and the idiotic examples of celebrities.

God made us to be saints. And today, we ask the saints of heaven to help us become like them, to love Jesus more than anyone or anything. We look to their example, and seek their prayers, that we may become the saints that God made us to be for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Friday - Jesus nourishes, heals, satisfies

All four Gospels contain accounts of the Lord eating and dining. All four Gospel record the Lord dining with his apostles on the night before he died at the Last Supper. Some stories of Jesus’ meals are shared between Gospels, some are unique. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the Lord dining in the house of the tax collector Levi, while St. John is the only to record the Lord’s attendance at the wedding feast at Cana.

St. Luke is the only evangelist to record the meal in today’s passage in which the Lord heals the man with dropsy in the house of a pharisee on the sabbath.

It is not the only story in which the Lord heals someone on the sabbath, but it is the first time he heals someone at a meal—combining the two actions of healing and eating. It’s also interesting who he heals; he heals a man with dropsy. What is dropsy? Dropsy is a medical condition involving the build-up of fluid in a person’s tissues. Consequently, because of this imbalance of fluid, the person with dropsy is always thirsty—they are perpetually thirsty. And so in this story the Lord combines healing and eating and satisfying unending thirst.

What does that makes you think of? I don’t know about you, but this certainly makes me think of what we’re doing right now. In the celebration of Mass, the Lord feeds, the Lord quenches thirst, and the Lord heals.

In the Eucharist, the Lord feeds us with his body and blood, giving us spiritual nourishment for the work of the Gospel and the pilgrimage to heaven. In the Eucharist, the Lord heals us of sinfulness, pride, grief, loneliness, division, and estrangement from God. And in the Eucharist the Lord quenches our thirst for the infinite God—like a dry weary desert, our souls’ thirst for Him, and here that thirst is quenched.

Commenting particularly on the healing properties of the Eucharist, Pope Francis, said a few years ago, that the Eucharist is “powerful medicine for the weak”. We have many weaknesses: fear in preaching the Gospel, timidity in doing the work of the Lord, weaknesses of the flesh, the lack of willingness to suffer for Christ, temptations to sin, concupiscence. And the Eucharist is medicine for these weaknesses. Those who deprive themselves of the Eucharist, refusing to go to mass, deprive themselves of real medicine the Lord wishes to apply to their souls.

The Eucharist is also medicine for the greatest of our weaknesses: mortality.

Writing soon before his own death, St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing to the Ephesians said that the Eucharist is the “medicine of immortality… the antidote which wards off death.” It “yields continuous life in union with Jesus Christ.”

Today and whenever we come to Mass, we do well to consider: what is the work for which the Lord wants to nourish us, what are the weaknesses the Lord wants to strengthen, what are the wounds he wants to heal?

May our souls be well disposed to the grace of the food from heaven, the food that strengthens, the food that heals, the food that quenches for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

We have gathered here dear brethren to celebrate the mysteries of our redemption; let us therefore ask almighty God that the whole world may be watered from these springs of all blessing and life.

 

For those who are deprived of the Eucharist, for lapsed Catholics, for the unbelieving, for those who doubt the Lord’s real presence, for those who have hardened their hearts toward God, and for a deeper appreciation of the great gift of the Eucharist among all God’s people. Let us pray to the Lord.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home.

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession.

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

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

 

May your mercy, we beseech you, O Lord, be with your people who cry to you, so that what they seek at your prompting they may obtain by your ready generosity.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Wednesday - How many will be saved? (school mass)

 

Last week, I was able to visit the kindergarten, first grade, third grade, fifth grade, and seventh grade, and I was able to share a bit about my priestly calling—how I discerned and came to know that God was calling to me to be a priest.

In the first reading today, St. Paul talks about our calling—how each one of us are called to particular purpose. Each one of us, every single one of us here, every person ever born has purpose—a God-given purpose.

On one hand, we all have the same purpose—God gave us life—so that we might become holy and live with him for ever. Why did God make you? “God made you to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” Next time I visit the classrooms, I might ask, you to repeat that answer: “Why did God make you? “God made you to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.”

In the Gospel, Jesus is asked a question, that very much relates to the purpose for which we are made. Jesus is asked, “how many people will be saved?” “How many people will fulfill that purpose for which they were made? How many people will choose to seek to know God, love God, and serve God, and come to that place prepared for them, so that they can be happy forever?” What’s the number? Of all the humans from the beginning of time to the end of time will fulfill the purpose for which they were made?

And notice, Jesus did not give a number. He didn’t say, oh, about half, or 99% or 1%. How did he answer? “Strive to enter the narrow gate. For many won’t make it, so make sure you do”

Many will be lost. Many will fail to fulfill their purpose. Many will fail to get to heaven. Why? Because they choose not to strive to get there.

So, make sure you do. Make sure you seek to know God, love God, and serve God as well as you possibly can.

Again this is why we have a Catholic school, this is why we have Catholic parishes, so that souls like you and me can come to discover how God is calling each of us to be holy. May we make good use of the time we have been given, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - Priesthood Sunday - Humble Trust & Risks for God

 

A few years ago, for my new year’s resolution, I attempted to learn how to play the violin. I grew up playing a little bit of piano and trumpet and sang in the choir in high school and in seminary; so, I was pretty familiar with reading music, and figured, how hard could the violin really be? So, I got a hold of a violin, and realized pretty quickly that if I was going to progress in this instrument, I was going to need to take some lessons: I didn’t even know if I was holding the thing correctly.

And I have to admit, those first few violin lessons, were very humbling. I admitted to my violin teacher that I was a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed: a grown adult, a priest, several college degrees, and I could barely get through “Mary Had a Little Lamb” without the violin sounding like I was torturing some poor animal.

After several months there was some progression and I decided that I had fulfilled my new year’s resolution. But, I really have to admit: those first few weeks, were very humbling, and very uncomfortable. The violin didn’t care about my degrees, about the time I spent visiting the sick, or teaching in the classroom. And to sit with this professional violin player was kind of embarrassing. I felt like a little child.

But, I’m so glad I risked a little embarrassment, because now I can pick up the violin every now and then—one of my favorite musical instruments—and enjoy playing it a bit.

You may have had a similar experience: learning a new skill always involves that initial moment when you feel a bit like a child. But that’s not a bad thing: children are often much more courageous than adults. They don’t worry about what people think of them, they just engage. They’ll try new things because they look fun. They play without self-regard. They quickly make new friends—they are able to do things that many adults would be humiliated over doing—but that’s the key to their joy isn’t it…not fearing humiliation.

Would we honor Saint Francis of Assisi, if he had allowed his fears of what others thought of him to control his life? If he worried about being considered “overly religious”? Or St. Paul, what if he had allowed his fear of leaving his home country keep him from his missionary journeys. Or Saint Clare? What if she let social pressures keep her from leaving behind her family wealth to pursue radical holiness. So many of the great Saints risk humiliation, they risk failure, they risk mockery, in order to pursue true greatness.

Many of our young people do not consider entering the religious life or going to the seminary because of social and even family pressure “What will they think of me if I joined the monastery.” But, in the Christian life, each one of us absolutely needs to ask ourselves: do I want to be great in the eyes of the world, or in the eyes of God?

I pray that fear—fear of being considered “overly religious”—is not keeping anyone here from becoming more active in the life of holiness and the life of the parish. The parish needs your creativity; the Church needs you to take risks for God.

When I first started considering my priestly vocation and I visited the seminary for the first time as a freshman in college—what deeply impressed me most of all—was that here were men my age—and I was just 18 years old at the time—men my age willing to take a risk for God—not for themselves, but for Christ and His Church. And these were talented, smart, athletic young men who could go on to be very successful businessmen and find beautiful wives and have happy families if they wanted. None of them HAD to go to seminary. But I tell you, for myself, and for many of those men who are now priests, the risk has paid off. Because it’s not really a risk when the one you are trusting is God. God is the great “Guaranteer”. It’s guaranteed that what you give to God will be blessed and multiplied. And I hope that you believe that. That you will be blessed in this life and in the next, when you entrust your time, talent, treasure, and life to God for the good of the mission of the Church.

Since 2003, in the United States, the last Sunday of October has been designated Priesthood Sunday, an opportunity for us to pray for vocations to the priesthood and to consider the role of the priesthood.

But, where do priestly vocations come from? From family members pushing their sons to consider seminary? Maybe. Family support is helpful. But I think on a deeper level vocations come from humble trust—trust, that when we put God first, we are blessed. It comes from asking personally, “God how are you calling me, personally to serve the mission of the Church” That’s what needs to be cultivated in families. Openness to serving in whatever way God calls you to.

That’s a major reason why I left my pastorate of St. Ignatius of Antioch to come here. I was happy there. It was challenging, but I like challenges: a country boy in the inner city surrounded by homelessness, drug problems, crime, gang violence, prostitution, poverty. But when the Bishop asked me to come here—and he did ask, he didn’t command—when he asked, I believe God speaks through the bishop to his priests, to all of us. And amidst the challenges of these last four months, I’ve had to call that to mind once or twice—to recall that with the challenges of the two parishes—the needs of the parishes in 2025, I have to trust God.

Where is God calling you to humbly trust Him—with your time, energy, ability—in your prayer life, your civic life, your family life, your leisure time, your involvement in the parish?

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Don’t you want to be exalted by God? Then follow where he calls. Humbly trust, that what you have to offer IS what the Father desires to be entrusted back to Him.

May God bless our priests, on this priesthood Sunday. And may he guide and strengthen all of us in His service, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

October 22 2025 - Pope St. John Paul II (school mass) - Lives of holiness

 Last week, we gathered for Mass on the feast day of a saint who lived about 450 years ago, St. Teresa of Avila. Today we celebrate a saint who lived and died not 450 years, but just 25 years ago, Pope St. John Paul II. 

Not all Popes are saints and not all saints are Popes, but Pope John Paul II was one of the holiest men who lived in the last 100 years, and one of the great Popes of history.

He was Pope for 26 years, 5 months, and 17 days, the third longest papacy in history.  He traveled the world more than any Pope before or after, visiting 129 countries. He was the first pope to visit the White House, in Washington D.C.  He spoke latin fluently, but could also converse in Slovak, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ukrainian, English, and of course, his native Polish.  

He wrote more than any other Pope, he canonized more saints than any other Pope in history.  He played a decisive role in the downfall of communism in eastern Europe. The list of accomplishments goes on and on.  

And yet, his personal holiness could be felt by those around him. I was in Rome back in 2004, and attended a Mass with Pope John Paul. And, I remember locking eyes with the Pope as he came up the aisle in the procession for Mass, and he looked at me, and smiled at me, and it was like I could see the light of Jesus in him and his deep love of God and for the people of the world. His love for God, his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, his love for the Church infused his life and radiated from Him.

Holiness is real, saints are real. And becoming holy, becoming a saint, is the most important thing you could do in life. It’s more important than wealth, riches, fame, popularity. You can be poor as dirt, you can be sick as a dog, but if you are holy, you have everything.

Again, the fact that John Paul was Pope was nothing compared to his holiness. You can be a brilliant scientist or the best athlete or most famous moviestar in the world, but it is all nothing, if you do not have the life of Jesus in you.

As holy Pope John Paul, did as the Lord commanded Peter in the Gospel today: he fed the flock of Jesus, the Church—he was an excellent holy leader, and his example reminds us that we too need to seek to be as holy as we possibly can through lives of prayer, service, study, worship, virtue, and good works in wherever we find ourselves—as a teacher, a student, a priest.

John Paul remained deeply united to God amid the many demands of his ministry, of his life, and in his sufferings. May Pope St. John Paul II, through his heavenly intercession help us to seek the deep union with God through a life of holiness that will make our lives complete for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - The Rosary and Persevering Prayer

 

During the 12th and 13th century, a dastardly heresy swept throughout Europe known as Albigensianism. The Albigensians struggled with the reality of evil in the world, like many of us. They believed in a good Creator God who wants our souls to flourish, but couldn’t understand how that a good God could allow evil and disease and war and suffering in the world. 

Instead of seeking the answer to this problem in the sound teachings of our Faith, the Albigensians adopted the heretical belief that because good and evil seem to coexist, there must exist two separate Gods—a God of Spirit and Light and then an equally powerful God of darkness and evil which governed the physical realm. 

The Albigensians then extended their error to explain that Jesus therefore couldn’t really be God, because the God of Spirit and Light couldn’t really take on flesh and suffer, because flesh and suffering were evil. And because according to the Albigensians flesh is evil, they forbade the eating of animals and milk, and they condemned marriage and procreation since they believed begetting children meant imprisoning a beautiful pure soul in a prison of flesh. They denied the sacraments of the Church, refusing to believe that the God of goodness could work through physical things like, oil, water, bread, and wine.

And you might wonder: who would join these people? But they actually became really popular. And many Catholics adopted the errors of the Albigensians and fell away from right religion.

To deliver souls from this error, God raised up a holy saint. In the early 13th century a young priest named Dominic Guzman was tasked by the Pope to preach against the Albigensians. He preached all through Europe. St. Dominic took up the mandate St. Paul gave to St. Timothy in our second reading today, "to be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." And though he was persistant and faithful, St. Dominic, initially, wasn’t very successful in winning souls back to the Catholic faith.

So Dominic prayed and fasted and did penance. And one day in 1214, Dominic received a heavenly visit: Our Lady appeared to Him with some instructions from heaven. She said, “Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?...I want you to know that in this kind of warfare the ‘battering ram’ will be the Rosary. So, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them to God, preach my Rosary!” 

And this campaign must have worked. For in my hands I hold a rosary…and have you met any Albigensians lately? Dominic taught the people to pray the Rosary and Europe was converted.

I tell this story because it is October, the month of the Rosary; we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But, also because the praying of the rosary relates to our scripture readings today, on prayer and perseverance.

In the first reading from Exodus we heard how Moses had to persevere in keeping his hands raised during a battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel was victorious in battle; but when he let his hands down, the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies got the upper hand. 

This is a great metaphor for the Christian life and the mission of the Church—when we keep our hands raised before God, persevering in prayer, engaging in the works of mercy, victory is won—our souls grow as they are meant to, the mission succeeds. When we grow lax, lukewarm, and disobedient, our souls diminish, the mission struggles. 

Similarly, in the Gospel, our Lord praises the widow who perseveres in petitioning the judge for justice. His hard is moved to acquiesce to her request when he recognizes her perseverance.

Perseverance is a required virtue for the Christian life. Daily, we must strive to keep the faith and do what is right, amidst temptations and errors and challenges. 

Often in the scriptures speak about perseverance. Jesus teaches about the need to carry our crosses daily; and gives us the example of his only perseverance in following his Father’s will unto death on a cross. St. Paul enjoins Timothy to persevere in right doctrine. Jesus teaches that amidst the evils of the world, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

How will we persevere amidst so many distractions and challenges? Daily prayer is so vital. St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, “if, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one cannot be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace.” 

While there are many helpful devotional prayers that can help sustain us in the Christian life. The Rosary is so powerful. Hardened souls are converted through the rosary, including our own. If you are struggling with a particular vice, a particular addition, a particular sin, take up the rosary daily for strength and the grace of conversion. If your family is going through a particularly turbulent time, pray the rosary together. If a loved one has fallen away from the Church and is engaging in a sinful lifestyle, pray the rosary for them. 

The rosary is not simply a relic from the past. As Our Lady told St. Dominic, it is a powerful spiritual weapon that the Holy Trinity wishes us to utilize to reform the world. And though the Albigensian heresy has been defeated, there is much reform needed in our present day--many errors and sins which separate souls from God.

So if you’ve never prayed the rosary, or don’t know how to pray the rosary, this is the month to take up this powerful devotion. A guide to the Rosary is available on our parish website.

Prayer is powerful. In can win miracles. It can convert hardened hearts. It can bring relief to the sorrowful and light to the confused. But perseverance is needed. Our Lady called the Rosary “a Battering Ram” because a battering ram is a large beam, sometimes a whole tree, handled by many people, used to open a large gate, or to make an opening in a wall.  It only works with the repetition of blows on the gate or the wall—with perseverance. 

And the Rosary is a battering ram, taking up by the many hands and hearts of the members of the Church, to knock down the walls which separate our minds and hearts from God. 

And if it’s not the rosary, it needs to be something. Each of us needs to discern well how God is calling each of us to persevere in the sort of prayer that will support the church and enable us to persevere in the Christian life, strengthened and supported in our weaknesses, and equipped, as St. Paul says, for every good work for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 15 2025 - St. Teresa of Avila - The pathway of prayer (school mass)

 Two weeks ago we celebrated the feast of the Carmelite nun, St. Therese of Lisieux. Recall how little Therese felt called by God to dedicate herself to a life of prayer and solitude—in the Carmelite monastery. Her day possessed a beautiful rhythm of prayer, meditation, quiet chores, meals, attendance at mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The order of her day, the rhythm of her day, the spirituality of her life can be traced back to the saint we celebrate on the calendar today, another Teresa, St. Teresa of Avila, Avila being here birthplace in Spain who lived about 350 years before.

Teresa of Avila had a profound impact on the Carmelite way of life, which continues to this day. But she didn’t just have an impact on the Carmelites. St. Teresa of Avila is so influential to how Catholics understand prayer, that she is known as a doctor of the Church.

You see, Catholics don’t just pray. We don’t just learn our prayers—memorizing prayers like the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the act of contrition. Catholics love prayer so much that we study it. We write books about it so that we can do it better. We study the great mystics to understand how they prayed, so we can pray better and draw nearer to God—so that we can hear God better, and speak to God better, and experience God better.

And one of the most influential teacher of prayer, is today’s saint. If you want to become a master prayer—study St. Teresa of Avila. 

As a young nun, St. Teresa of Avila was rather lukewarm about prayer—meaning, she was neither hot, nor cold about prayer, she did it, but it wasn’t really that important to her. And, she had difficulties praying for any real period of time—especially when she had other things to do. 

But St. Teresa learned to quiet her mind, and quiet her heart, she began to connect with God on a profound level. In fact, she would become so absorbed in divine contemplation, her body would begin to levitate—she would float. And at times, she would become so filled with love for God in her prayer—that she felt that she would become swept away in the ocean of God’s love.

You see, St. Teresa didn’t just pray for things, like many of us. And that’s not a bad thing, we need to pray for the health of our families, and peace in our world. We need to pray for our loved ones who have died, and to grow in virtue and wisdom and the strength to carry our crosses. God hears and answers all those prayers in his own way.

But St. Teresa teaches us that God wants us to seek him in prayer. Quiet prayer, patient prayer, in which we come to understand and experience, that when we possess that profound relationship with God, you possess everything you need. For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - Increase our Faith

If you could ask Jesus for anything—if you had one request—what would you ask for? In the Gospel today, the apostles made request—simple, yet profound. Did you catch it? They didn’t ask the Lord for riches or material security; nor did they ask for health or a long life. They asked him for something they far more important than all of these things combined. They asked him, “Increase our FAITH!” They asked for faith.

The very first encyclical Pope Francis issued back in June of 2013 dealt with Faith.  It was called “Lumen Fidei” – The Light of Faith. The Holy Father wrote, “The Church never takes faith for granted, but knows that this gift of God needs to be nourished and reinforced so that it can continue to guide her pilgrim way.” Like the apostles, we members of the Church on earth are to always be about the business of growing in faith—doing our part to make sure that our faith is strong as possible. 

But what is Faith?

In one of my favorite passages from his encyclical on faith, Pope Francis wrote, “Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.”

Do you get what he is saying here? What is faith? Faith isn’t some sort of magical power that removes the obstacles of religious people. Nor does faith eliminate the darkness in our life. Rather, it’s the light in the darkness that enables us to experience God’s abiding presence with us. 

So, again, to be a person of faith doesn’t mean that we expect God to remove all of our difficulties and sufferings. After all, Jesus promised us that each of us would have our own crosses to carry. Rather, to be a person of faith is to trust that God will provide enough light for us to make our way through the darkness, it’s to trust that God will provide us enough strength to bear the weight of our crosses; the fortitude to withstand the powers of evil that assail us.

What caused the apostles to make this request of the Lord to increase their faith in the Gospel today? Why did the apostles beg for an increase in faith? Well, in the preceding passage, the Lord had given his famous teaching on scandal: “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” And so, the apostles hear this warning, and immediately ask for faith. Why? Well, this is an instance of the apostles showing some real humility. They knew how easy it is for us to set bad example for each other, and so they pray for faith—all the faith they would need to avoid leading souls astray. 

The apostles, as the first bishops, knew that people would be looking to them—to their words and example. Anyone in a position of authority, including parents, should conduct themselves with fear and trembling, knowing that people are looking to them. “Lord please, never let my missteps and failings cause anyone to doubt your goodness or love or the need to practice right religion. “Lord increase my faith, that by my conduct, I may not lead anyone away from you, today, but toward you.”

“Lord, increase my faith” This is a petition for those who take seriously the call to build up the Church, those who understand that the duty of the Christian is to draw souls to Christ. And that is a task incumbent upon each of us. And it’s not an easy one, is it?

We have a mountainous task before us: to evangelize this confused, fallen world in 2025. It seems impossible. But, faith, the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. I hope you believe that—faith can move mountains. The apostles did more with less. We are capable of doing great things when we trust God—when our faith is strong. And the more we nurture our faith—the more faith grows in us—the more faith is stirred into flame—the more room we make for God to do truly wonderful things in us and through us.

So what do I need to do to stir faith into flame? Well it certainly requires effort. Daily effort. We must read the bible daily. Study Catholic doctrine. Engage in daily devotions which nurture faith like the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, the liturgy of the hours. We must confess our sins—those times when we have neglected, ignored, or violated our Catholic faith in order to pursue selfish ends. We must make time for silent listening to God, for meditation and contemplation.  If you can, participate in daily mass throughout the week. These practices will increase the light of faith which will help you to see how God wants to use you to touch souls—to gather souls to Himself.

At times in our lives, we may feel as if our faith is weak. Then more must be done to strengthen it. Do penance to increase your faith. Fast. Make a pilgrimage. Dedicate serious time to the works of charity. When faith grows weak, many people make the mistake of pulling away from prayer. They stop going to church. They fill the emptiness with earthly endeavors. But that is the exact wrong thing to do. The small weak ember of faith must be stirred back into flame through intentional and disciplined spiritual means.

In the first reading, from the prophet Habakkuk, we heard, “the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Faith is the light we need as not to stumble, the armor we need to withstand the attacks of the enemy and the hatred of the world, the wisdom we need to avoid causing scandal and to draw souls to Christ, and the lever we need to move the mountains God wants us to move.

May the Lord increase our faith, and may the Eucharist we celebrate, nourish us, and unleash the power of faith in our lives and our families and world, for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.