Pentecost 2025 - 7 Gifts of the Spirit

 Last week, on the feast of the Ascension, in our scripture readings, we heard Jesus instructing his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father. Well, the waiting is over, we celebrate now the promise fulfilled: the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church 50 days after the Lord’s resurrection 

The Holy Spirit, as we proclaim in our creed each week, is the Lord, the giver of life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit souls are brought to new life in the Sacrament of baptism; they are strengthened in confirmation, healed in the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick, nourished in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and empowered with special graces for unique vocations in the sacraments of marriage and Holy Orders.

The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, helps us to truly live by bestowing upon us special gifts, you may have memorized the list of them as you prepared for your Confirmation. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism says, these gifts belong in their fullness to Jesus Christ. Meaning if you wanted to see what wisdom looks like, sounds like, and acts like, look at Jesus. If you want to know the highest form of counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord, look to Jesus. 

So let’s consider each of the gifts. How was Jesus’ life filled with wisdom? Well, what is wisdom? Wisdom seeks what is of the highest importance. To be wise is to recognize that our highest priority in this life  isn’t career or wealth, pleasure or power, but getting our souls to heaven and becoming the person God made us to be: saints.

Jesus taught us not only to be wise, teaching us to “seek first the kingdom of God”,  but his wisdom was evident. He embraced the greatest suffering imaginable the weight of our sins as he hung upon the Cross, in order to achieve the highest good, our salvation. We are fully alive when we, wisely, we embrace the cross with Christ in order to obtain our highest good.

The second gift is understanding. The gift of Understanding enables us to penetrate the mysteries of God and see the deeper meaning of God’s plan. Jesus’ understanding is manifest in his ministry. He explains the deeper meaning of the Scriptures, helping others understand God’s plan of salvation. 

With Understanding comes patience and gratitude. Think of how understanding has changed your experience of Mass. As a young person you may have been restless and impatient for mass to be over, but recognizing what is really going on here, understanding that the Eucharist is truly Jesus Christ, that changes things. That understanding enables us to more fully engage in the Mass and appreciate the great gift Jesus has left us, and to encourage others to join us here.

The third gift of the Spirit is Counsel . Counsel means knowing and choosing what is right in difficult situations. Jesus always chooses the Father’s will, even when he was tempted. In the desert, He rebuffs Satan’s temptations with clarity. We are fully alive when we follow not the counsel of the world or the devil, but the counsel of God. 

Like all the gifts, counsel is for ourselves, but also for others. For example, a friend confides in you that they are considering making a terrible decision, like abortion. The Gift of Counsel enables you to speak with compassion, truth, and hope—encouraging them to choose life and offering concrete support.

The fourth gift is fortitude. Fortitude is the courage and strength to  do good and endure difficulty for the sake of what is right. Jesus endured opposition, rejection, betrayal, scourging, and crucifixion without faltering in His mission. He exhibited courage in confronting hypocrisy and injustice, even when it meant risking His life. In His Passion, He reveals fortitude in its purest form—persevering in love to the end.

Fortitude enables us to work for justice despite opposition, to witness to the faith in the face of mockery or persecution, or to persevere doing what is right despite hardship—like taking care of an elderly parent despite their complaints. To be fully alive is to be full of Courage and Strength for doing what is right when it is hard.

The fifth gift of the Holy Spirit is knowledge – Knowing the things of God and how to remain in right relationship to God. Jesus helps people to know the presence of God in their midst. 

This gift helps us to know what is good or bad for our soul and to discern God’s will. Think of a young person discerning that her social media habits are fueling vanity and envy. So, she chooses to limit her use to protect her spiritual health. Or any of us for that matter, when facing temptation, calling to mind the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the Church. We are fully alive when we have that ability to rightly discern between good and evil.

The sixth gift is piety--filial reverence and trust in God as a loving Father. Jesus refers to God as Abba, Father, and teaches His disciples to do the same. Jesus is faithful in prayer, obedient to the Father’s will, and models loving trust even amid suffering. His entire life is an offering of reverent love for the Father. We exercise piety when we cultivate heartful devotion for God and the things of God.

For example, a family gathering together once a week to pray the Rosary, not out of obligation but from a desire to honor and love God together. Or coming to church on Saturday to spend time in adoration, simply to spend time in the presence of the Lord manifests piety. We are fully alive when we desire God and what to live lives pleasing to God.

And lastly, fear of the Lord—we are fully alive when we allow the Spirit to teach us to hate sin and to become humble in God’s presence. Jesus, taught us to hate sin, to seek conversion and drive out corruption from our lives. In the Temple, He drives out the money changers, zealous for the holiness of God’s Temple. 

The Holy Spirit helps us to hate gossip and lying, not simply because they are socially rude, but because they offend God. He teaches us to guard ourselves from perverted images on the internet, lest you fall into sin, manifests fear of the Lord. This gift makes us fully alive by hating what is evil, rightly protecting ourselves from what corrupts us and others.

Dear ones, the Holy Spirit was not poured out on the Church merely so we could decorate our altars with red once a year. The Holy Spirit was poured out so that we might become fully alive—with the very life of Christ.

As I quoted last week, St. Irenaeus wrote, "The glory of God is man fully alive." But not just biologically alive. Not just scrolling and surviving and chasing the next comfort or pleasure. Fully alive means burning with the fire of the Spirit—filled with wisdom, courage, purity, purpose, and joy. Fully alive means no longer being ruled by fear, sin, or confusion, but walking in step with the Spirit, living in truth and love.

It should be a common occurrence for us to ask the Holy Spirit: Which gift do I need to grow in most? What part of me is still half-asleep, half-committed, half-alive? And then pray: Come, Holy Spirit. Awaken me. Fill me. Make me fully alive in Christ— for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Ascension 2025 - Promise of the Father

 For the past 40 days of the Easter season, we’ve reveled in and celebrated, contemplated and hopefully lived out and proclaimed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Throughout the Easter Season, our Sunday readings have led us to consider what it means to live in the peace of the Risen Christ, what it means for us to feed the lambs and tend the sheep of the Risen Christ. We’ve considered what it means for us, as members of the Risen Christ’s flock, to continue to listen to the Shepherd’s voice, and what it means to love one another so as to glorify the Risen Christ.

Hopefully, during these 40 days you have seen and witnessed in your own life and in the lives of one another the effects of Christ’s resurrection: greater peace and joy and courage and charity.

Today’s feast of the Ascension marks the final phase of the Easter Season which will culminate in the Feast of Pentecost next Sunday. Our Scripture readings today look forward to Pentecost, too. We heard in both our First Reading and the Gospel about “the promise of the Father” and “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

During those days between the Lord’s Ascension and Pentecost, the apostles gathered together to pray with the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Cenacle. So, imitating how the earliest Christians prepared for Pentecost, in invited you, over this next week, to consider adding to your daily prayer routine special prayers for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Especially as our parish prepares for a retreat next Saturday on the discernment of our spiritual gifts, please pray for each other and for yourselves, that Pentecost can be for you and our fellow parishioners a new openness to the promises of the Father. 

That’s an interesting phrase, the Lord uses in the Gospel, isn’t it? “The Promise of the Father”. The phrase “promise of the Father” is rich in theological meaning and ties together the Old and New Testaments.  Throughout the Old Testament, God makes promises to His people—not only of land and descendants, but of new life and interior renewal:

In the prophet Ezekiel we read: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you”. In the prophet Joel we read, ““I will pour out my spirit on all flesh”. Again in Ezekiel we read, “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live”

In using this phrase, “the promise of the Father” Jesus is drawing attention to the fact that these ancient promises are not abstract—they are now being fulfilled in the Church. The Father has promised His very Spirit, and Pentecost will mean an outpouring of the Spirit on the Church.

Calling the Holy Spirit “the promise of the Father” reminds us that the Spirit is not just a force or an impersonal gift—He is the personal bond of love between the Father and the Son. And Christians brought into that very communion. In calling the Spirit “the promise of the Father” Jesus is saying, “My Father has been longing for you to be brought into full Communion with the Trinity. And that plan of the Father is now being fulfilled.” 

God is faithful to his promises. The Father is not like the world, which makes and breaks promises. What God promises, He brings to fulfillment. Just as He fulfilled the promise of the Messiah in Jesus’ coming, so now He fulfills the promise of divine indwelling in the sending of the Spirit.

In speaking of the promise of the Father, the Lord Jesus invited his apostles to continue just a little while longer to wait with trust, and Jesus invites us into that same posture: expectant, receptive, persevering. For, the promise of the Father was not just for the apostles. It is for us, here and now—in this age of the Church. The Father wants life for us. As St. Ireneus said, the glory of God is man fully alive. And the Spirit enables us to abound with the life of God.

Particularly, the Spirit is given to restore us to life due to our sins. It is through the Holy Spirit that the redemptive grace of Christ’s Paschal Mystery is applied to us through Baptism. And it is through the Holy Spirit that sins that we commit after baptism might be absolved.  The absolution prayer in the Sacrament of Confession echoes this. After the penitent makes the act of contrition in the Sacrament of Confession, the priest prays: “God the Father of Mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.”

The forgiveness of sins is truly a restoration of life. What is dead in us is brought to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

But the Holy Spirit also causes spiritual gifts to sprout from seed form, to grow, flourish, and bear fruit. In baptism, each of us the gifts of God are given in seed form: knowledge, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. And as we cooperate with the Spirit in the course of our lives, and receive the Sacraments, we increase in these gifts.

The Gifts of the Spirit are gifts God has given to each of us to be active and alive and effective in our Christian mission. But there are also unique gifts, charisms, given to me that he hasn’t given to you, and gifts that he has given to you that he hasn’t given to me. And we are to seek to discern and cultivate those as well.

Again, our retreat next Saturday will help us to discern those gifts and how they can be put to use in God’s service.

None of God’s gifts are to be hidden under a bushel basket. We are fully alive when we have allowed promises of the Father to be fulfilled in us, when we have allowed the Holy Spirit to animate us—our words, actions, and decisions.

So again, this week, in preparation for the Feast of Pentecost: pray for greater openness to the Promise of the Father. Take some time this week to ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify gifts that have gone dormant, gifts that need strengthening, and the courage to put those gifts into action. Lord, what gift right now, do I need to cultivate more than others? What gift have I fearfully or lazily hidden away? 

And please pray for your fellow parishioners who will be attending next week’s retreat. If the glory of God is man fully alive, fully utilizing his gifts, then God is certainly glorified when brothers and sisters in Christ come together in seeking to put their gifts in service to God collectively as a parish.

May God’s promises and gifts become ever more manifest in each of our lives and families and relationships for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

6th Week of Easter 2025 - Wednesday - The Spirit of Truth

 “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.

“Truth” is an important concept in John’s Gospel, and for Christians. “He who practices the truth comes to the Light” the Lord says. “The truth will make you free” “I am the way, the Truth, and the life”. “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink”. Those who believe in jesus will be known by God as true worshippers, who worship in Spirit and Truth. “Quid est veritas?” asks Pontius Pilate. What is truth? 

The Gospel notion is truth is not the same as the accumulation of scientific fact. The sending of the Holy Spirit isn’t so that we can understand quantum physics better or how an air conditioner works. 

But when the Lord speaks of the truth that “makes you free” he’s not talking about scientific knowledge. Rather, he’s speaking about the truth that frees us from moral, theological, and spiritual evil—the light of truth which frees us from darkness of sin and death.

The truth Jesus speaks of—the truth that sets us free—is not merely informational, it is transformational. It’s not just something we know; it’s someone we follow. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” To live in the truth, then, is to live in union with Him—to see reality as it really is, to understand who we are, what we are made for, and how we are to live.

And because the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth,” He helps us not only to recognize the truth but to remember it, to live it, and to proclaim it. He strengthens our consciences, enlightens our minds, and gives us courage to witness to the truth in a world that often prefers comfortable lies.

Living in the truth frees us from the slavery of sin—because once we know the truth about our dignity, about the mercy of God, about the purpose of life, we can no longer be content with mediocrity or the chains of sin and addiction. Truth makes us hunger for holiness. 

About three and a half centuries after the Gospel of John was written, St. Augustine wrote “Victoria Veritatis est caritas”—”the victory of truth is love”. Through Christ, God conquers the darkness of error which debilitates us and divides us from the life of God.

May the Truth of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bring victory in our lives and in our mission for the spread of the Gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.  

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Knowing that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who guides us, strengthens us, and sets us free, we offer our prayers to God with confidence:

For the Church, that she may always be a faithful teacher of the truth, leading all people into union with Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

For those who govern nations and influence public life, that they may seek truth and justice in all their decisions and uphold the dignity of every human person

For those caught in the chains of sin, confusion, or addiction, that the truth of Jesus Christ may free them and restore them to new life

For our young people on summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the poison of sin and strive to live in the freedom and truth of Christ. 

For the sick, the ill, the poor and afflicted, that the truth of God’s love, closeness, and mercy may abound in their lives and give them meaning and strength.

For the faithful departed, that they who strove to live by the truth may now behold the glory of God face to face

Father of Truth, hear the prayers of your people. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may we live in the truth that sets us free and walk always in your light. Through Christ our Lord.

6th Sunday of Easter 2025 - Truth and Peace

 Last Saturday, Bishop Malesic ordained 8 new priests for the Diocese of Cleveland. It was a beautiful liturgy. The Cathedral was absolutely packed with family members, friends, fellow parishioners of the new priests. A group of Catholics from El Salvador, where two of the men had served in the course of their seminary formation—had made their way to Cleveland to support them. There was a huge showing of the priests of the Diocese to welcome our new brothers into the presbyterate. 

It’s always deeply moving to attend those ordinations for me-- a reminder of my own ordination day, when we laid down on the marble, and knelt before the bishop, placing our hands in his, promising respect and obedience to him and his successors. A reminder of having all those priests lay hands on my head--that ancient gestures of imparting authority and blessing before being sent out into the world.

The recent ordination got me thinking about a quote from Pope Benedict XVI which I reflected upon prior to my ordination. He said, “On the eve of my priestly ordination, fifty-eight years ago, I opened the Sacred Scripture, because I wanted to receive once more a word from the Lord for that day and for my future journey as a priest. My gaze fell on this passage: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'. Then I realized: the Lord is speaking about me, and he is speaking to me. This very same thing will be accomplished tomorrow in me. When all is said and done, we are not consecrated by rites, even though rites are necessary. The bath in which the Lord immerses us is himself – the Truth in person. Priestly ordination means being immersed in him, immersed in the Truth. I belong in a new way to him and thus to others, 'that his Kingdom may come'.”

The Holy Father’s words resonated with me deeply as I prepared for my priestly ordination, and again during this ordination season. Priesthood means being immersed in the Truth of the Gospel. The Truth is to resound in my teaching, and preaching, and manner of life, so that those I serve as a priest, may too, be immersed in the Truth that sets us free.

That’s what the Lord is talking about in the Gospel today. “The Holy Spirit...will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” 

God wants us to be immersed in Truth. And so the Father has sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church to help us and teach us and be reminded of everything Jesus taught, so that we can live in the truth. 

Why is the Truth important? Without it, we are wandering in darkness, wandering in error, just following our impulses. And because of our fallen nature, our impulses don’t always point toward heaven.  We want too much of what we don’t need, and too little of what we do need. We impulsively eat too much, drink too much, doom scroll too much, hoard belongings too much. And we fast too little, pray too little, give to those in need too little. 

Following our impulses is not the way of discipleship. If our impulses led to heaven, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to teach anything. Rather, How do I know that I am walking faithfully as a disciple of Jesus? If my choices reflect the Truth of the Gospel taught by the Catholic Church. And that’s why Truth is a gift—the most valuable of gifts because it leads to Heaven.

Immediately after promising that the Holy Spirit will teach us, Jesus promises his peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

Truth and peace are linked by Jesus. Do you want peace? Peace of mind know that you are walking toward heaven? Ensure that moral, spiritual, and religious truths, taught by the Church are in place in your life. Ensure that you are adhering to truth as best as you can.

When Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (John 14:27), He is drawing a sharp contrast between the divine peace He offers and the superficial peace the world promises. 

The world offers peace through military power, gated communities, savings accounts, and insurance policies. It’s a peace that depends on having control over one’s environment and minimizing threats. But this peace is always vulnerable—wars break out, markets crash, disasters come. Christian peace is deeper than mere security.

The world promises peace through money and possessions. But peace through materialism is an insatiable quest. Those who make money their ultimate quest seem to “never have enough”. But the peace of Christ can be experienced in this life, when we stop seeking our peace and happiness in things, but in Him.

The world often equates peace with numbing distractions: drugs and alcohol, endless media and video games, offer temporary escape from our problems.  But these things leave us more fatigued and unsatisfied—hungover, overstimulated, unable to get a good night’s rest, and mentally exhausted, and often, enslaved to addiction. 

The peace of “worldly distraction” does not satisfy the soul; it leaves us empty after the thrill fades. Rather, the peace of Christ does bring emptiness, but fulfillment in not being lulled to sleep, but being alive in God—a living relationship with God where we understand we are loved, forgiven, and held in God's providence, even in suffering. 

Another false promise of peace is that we can create peace ourselves through political action and activism, as if a certain policy or government will “fix everything” and turn society into a utopia. While justice and the common good matter deeply, peace that depends on politics alone quickly mutates into tyranny and corruption. 

Rather, Divine Truth, is the only real basis for peace. Truth that is not determined by a majority vote, mob rule, or a tyrant’s will. Truth is a person—unchanging yet fully attentive to the needs of the individual; Truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” 

And you can’t find that peace outside of the Church because only from within do we have access to His teachings, His sacraments, His Saints, the moral guidance needed for the complexities of life, and the prayer that keeps us and strengthens us in our union with Him. 

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit help us to be immersed in the Truth of Jesus Christ, and put the truths of our faith into action—in our love for God and neighbor. May the Holy Spirit continue to instruct us in the ways of holiness, and remind us of the Lord’s teachings and presence in our trials and joys, that we may know the gift of peace, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

5th Week of Easter 2025 - Monday - Being taught by the Holy Spirit

 Already we draw near to the end of the Easter Season and the great feast of Pentecost. Our Scripture readings have even begun to signal the coming feast of the Holy Spirit. 

In the Gospel today, the Lord announces, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I told you.”

The Holy Spirit helps each Christian to be open to being taught continually by God and following in the footsteps of Jesus—of truly being his disciple.

The Holy Spirit helps us to remain humble enough to recognize that we do not have all the answers ourselves. He helps us to remain open to being corrected, instructed, guided in the ways of life, in the teachings of Jesus.

A Christian who has shut himself off from learning is no doubt obstructing--is no doubt hindering--the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. 

Rather, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the need to engage personally with Scripture, and  setting aside time for prayer and reflection, deliberately creating space in our lives for the Holy Spirit to speak to us and remind us of Christ’s words.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit helps us to put the truths of our faith into action. It is not enough merely to know the teachings of Jesus intellectually—we must strive to embody them in our daily lives. When Jesus commands us to love our neighbors, to forgive others, and to serve those in need, the Holy Spirit empowers us to fulfill these commands concretely and generously.

The Holy Spirit, helps us to remember the teachings of Jesus especially when we need them most. When we are facing a difficulty, temptation, or trial, when we are confused about how we are to act as a Christian, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the Gospel: the demands of discipleship, the closeness of God, the perfection for which we are to strive. 

The Holy Spirit also helps us remember Jesus’ teaching when others need us to respond to their sufferings. He reminds us “that which you did for the least of my brothers, you did for” Jesus. 

As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, let us consciously renew our openness to the Holy Spirit. May we humbly commit ourselves more deeply to the life-long process of being taught, reminded, and transformed by the Holy Spirit, so that our lives may continually reflect the teachings of Jesus, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, let us open our hearts to God’s grace and ask for the Spirit’s guidance in our lives.

For all Christians, that we may remain humble and open to the Spirit’s instruction, constantly growing in our understanding and practice of the faith, let us pray to the Lord.

For all who are struggling with confusion, doubt, or temptation, that the Holy Spirit may remind them of Christ’s nearness and strengthen them in holiness and hope, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who teach the faith—parents, catechists, clergy, and educators, that the Holy Spirit may guide their words and example, helping others to encounter Christ through them, let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the dying, and those in need of comfort, that the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, may fill them with peace and strength, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead, that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead may bring them into eternal life, let us pray to the Lord.

Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts to teach us, remind us, and transform us in the image of your Son. Hear the prayers we offer today and grant us the grace to live as faithful disciples of Jesus. Through the same Christ our Lord.

May 13 2024 - Our Lady of Fatima - Fatima and Pentecost

 

During this final week of the Easter season, as we prepare for the Great Solemnity of Pentecost, we commemorate today “Our Lady of Fatima”. 

In 1917, in the small town of Portugal called Fatima, the Virgin Mary appeared to three young shepherd children. She delivered messages that were both a warning and an instruction: a call to prayer, especially the Rosary, and a plea for repentance and conversion. These messages were not just for those children or for that time; they are messages for all of us, across all times.

For, the messages of Our Lady at Fatima are consistent with the perpetual teaching of the Church: repent, believe in the Gospel, enter into a living relationship with God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through the Church, through a life of prayer, the imitation of Christ, and reception of the Sacraments.

At Fatima, we see God continuing to use Mary as his instrument, to help the world know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. At Fatima, Mary echoes the same instruction she gave at the Wedding at Cana: “do whatever he tells you”.  

At Fatima, God gathered souls around Mary to be strengthened in faith and in the mission of the Church, just like at Pentecost, when the apostles were gathered around Mary. On Pentecost, the apostles, those spiritual sons of Mary, prayerfully prepared for the decent of the Holy Spirit with the assistance of her humble example and her prayers. 

As we prepare for Pentecost, the message of Fatima helps us remain intent on seeking the strengthening of our own faith, and a deeper openness to the gifts and movement of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Church’s mission, through the aid of the Blessed Virgin.

We do well to follow Our Lady’s instruction at Fatima to pray the rosary each day this week, meditating on the mysteries of the life of Our Savior—that we may imitate what those mysteries contain and obtain what they promise. The Rosary is a powerful means to welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, as did Our Lady. We pray for ourselves and for those who fail to pray as they should—unbelievers, hardened sinners, the prideful the lukewarm, and those souls at risk of hell. 

May our devotion to Mary and our anticipation of the Holy Spirit prepare our hearts to be renewed, that we might be effective witnesses of the Gospel in our world today for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the maternal care of Our Lady may bring protection to the shepherds of the Church and all who preach the Gospel.

That Our Lady’s devotion to the Divine Will of God will move government leaders to work to build a culture of life and peace to further the reign of Christ.

That through the penance and prayers of the Church, hardened sinners will return to God.

That the intercession of Our Lady will bring comfort and care to all who suffer disease, violence, and afflictions of any kind.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. 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.

Pentecost 2023 - Renewing the Covenant

 Happy Pentecost everyone. 

The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word “pentecostes” which means “fiftieth.” Originally, Pentecost was the Greek Name for the Jewish spring harvest festival of Shavuot in the Hebrew. On Shavuot, Jews gave thanksgiving to God for the completion of the spring harvest, at which the newly harvested barley would be baked into two loaves of bread and offered to God. Shavuot was a celebration of God causing the crops to live and grow and bear fruit, which allow God’s people to live and grow and fulfill their purpose. 

On Shavuot, the Jews also celebrate God’s covenant with Noah, which took place fifty days after the great flood, a second chance for the human race that had become deeply corrupt with vice and sin. Shavuot therefore celebrates God’s mercy and a new beginning for humanity called to goodness, faithfulness, and virtue. 

Thirdly, Shavuot celebrates the Covenant God made with Moses at Mt. Sinai occurring, you guessed it, fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt. At Sinai, the Spirit of God was given to the jewish elders, enabling them to prophesy and teach and lead God’s people. Therefore Shavuot also celebrates a new and deepened relationship with God as a chosen people. 

In these three ways, the Jewish Feast of Pentecost foreshadowed the Christian Feast we now celebrate.  For today, like the Jews thanking God for the harvest that allows them to live and grow and bear fruit, we express our gratitude for the gift of the Holy Spirit which allows the Church live and grow and bear fruit. Like the Jews thanking God for the covenant with Noah, a second chance for the human race, so too the Church thanks God for the new beginning offered to humanity through Christ and the Spirit. And like the Jews who celebrate the covenant at Sinai and the imparting of the spirit upon the elders, we Christians celebrate the giving of the Spirit upon the whole Church; for through Baptism, every Christian is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and the task to preach and prophecy and order our lives in a way that glorifies God and draws souls to Christ. 

In the Acts of the Apostles all throughout the Easter Season, we’ve heard of the early Church faithfully carrying out that mission begun on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in the upper room in presence of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit filled the apostles with a fire for the mission of the Church—evangelization. And we find them bursting out of the locked doors of the upper room, speaking in all the tongues of the nations, so that all peoples could understand and believe the saving Gospel of Christ. So too, we must speak in all of the languages of the world today, to draw souls to Christ. The animating fire given to the Church 2000 years ago that first Pentecost continues to burn and spread wherever the Gospel is preached and the fruits of the Spirit are manifest and shared.

On Pentecost Sunday in 1978, Blessed Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador, said, “It will always be Pentecost in the Church provided the Church lets the beauty of the Holy Spirit shine forth from her countenance.  When the Church ceases to let her strength rest on the Power from above which Christ promised her and which he gave her on that day, and when the Church leans rather on the weak forces of the power or wealth of this earth, then the Church ceases to be newsworthy.  The Church will be fair to see, perennially young, attractive in every age, as long as she is faithful to the Spirit that floods her and she reflects that Spirit through her communities, through her pastors, through her very life" 

The blessed Archbishop reminds us that we have a duty to cooperate with the Spirit, to cultivate the life of the Spirit, and the Church, our way of life is attractive when we do so. But he also reminds us that there are a lot of forces in our world that seek to extinguish that fire—a lot of vices that vie for our attention and sap our spiritual energy—that make us boring and unattractive. Why would anyone become Christian if we just looked like the rest of the world?

The Venerable Fulton J. Sheen once said something similar. He said, "Even though we are God's chosen people, we often behave more like God's frozen people--frozen in our prayer life, frozen in the way we relate with one another, frozen in the way we celebrate our Faith." And that happens when we return to the sin and vice and fear that God desires to deliver us from. Pope Francis said something similar when he warned of how Christians due to fear of living out the Gospel can become “spiritual mummies”. Encased in tombs, inanimate, unenthusiastic.

So today is a powerful day to ask the Holy Spirit to show you how your sins or fears might be keeping you from bursting out of locked doors like St. Peter. 

The Holy Spirit descended upon the Church to embolden us for the Gospel, and also to help purify us, like a fire, from our sins, vices, and earthly attachments. 

And he does so, most radically, in the Sacrament of Confession. “Receive the Holy Spirit” t Lord commanded the apostles: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

The prayer of absolution in Sacramental Confession echoes today’s Pentecost Gospel when the priest says, “God, the Father of mercies, through the Death and Resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.” 

Frequent Confession is a powerful means of making our lives fertile soil for Spiritual Fruit to grow. It renews the covenant in us, it is one of the works of the Holy Spirit now, in the Church, to bring about fecundity and growth and life. Sacramental Confession is a Pentecost. Embrace Pentecost by embracing Confession. Please, don’t let fear keep you locked and frozen and mummified in your sins. But allow the Holy Spirit to revivify you and renew his Fire within you frequently, regularly. 

Pope Francis himself pleaded with the Church to make good use of the Sacrament of Confession. He said, we cannot remove our sins by ourselves. Only God takes [our sin] away, only he by his mercy can make us emerge from the depths of our misery. Like those disciples [who had run away from the cross and locked themselves in the upper room], we need to let ourselves be forgiven, to ask heartfelt pardon of the Lord. We need to open our hearts to being forgiven. Forgiveness in the Holy Spirit is the Easter gift that enables our interior resurrection. Let us ask for the grace to accept that gift, to embrace the Sacrament of forgiveness…Confession is the Sacrament of resurrection, pure mercy.” Whatever you are going through in life, there is always a desire for that "interior resurrection" that Holy Father speaks of of, to be lifted out of some misery, through the spirit. And that can happen when we make good use of Sacramental Confession.

Pentecost is the capstone of everything we've been celebrating from the beginning of Lent, through Easter: the forgiveness of sins is available to us through Christ. And Sacramental Confession renews that covenant in Christ's blood which forgives the sins we commit after baptism. It is good for us to go to Confession during Advent and Lent of course, but we have a long stretch of months before Advent, so make sure you get to confession regularly, in order for the Holy Spirit to remove some of those road blocks to God’s grace. 

We’ve got work to do as God’s people, God’s work, and the fire of Pentecost needs to be emblazoned among us. So make use of Confession, and all the ways God wishes to kindle his life within you. Veni Sancte Spiritus. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

6th Week of Easter 2022 - Tuesday - The Holy Spirit will convict the world

 Nearing the Feast of Pentecost, our Gospel readings continue to be taken from the Lord’s Farewell Discourse from John’s Gospel. In today’s passage, the Lord reveals that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world.” He will Convict. Here, the word “convict” is used in the legal sense: a criminal is convicted of a crime, meaning, his crimes are brought to light, it becomes clear that he is guilty of committing evil. So, the Holy Spirit will convict the world, bringing to light the evil in the world, the criminal errors and behaviors of the world. 

And the Lord mentions 3 particular areas in which the Holy Spirit will convict the world: in regard to sin, righteousness, and condemnation.

The Holy Spirit, through the preaching and teaching of the Church shows that the world is all wrong about sin. The world say “sin isn’t real. Right and wrong are simply subjective to the individual. What’s wrong for one person is right for another. God’s commandments are fabrications of the patriarchy for the purposes of controlling the vulnerable. It doesn’t matter what you believe in, how you act” FALSE.

Sin is real. Behaviors, decisions, choices, and attitudes contrary to the divine law are evil. And choices which are not in conformity with the goodness of God cause real harm to souls. Sin mutilates souls, darkens intellects, weakens will, deepens the attraction to graver evils. Sin begets sin. The deeper one falls into sin, the farther one falls away from God. The world is wrong about sin. 

It is also wrong about righteousness. We cannot make ourselves righteous by our own activity. For, righteousness comes from being in communion with God, allowing the life of the living God to fill one’s soul, to make choices in conformity with the Divine Will of God.  The world will always fail in its attempts to build a utopia because it divorces itself from God. There can be no secular utopia. We cannot hope to accomplish anything of lasting good value without God.

Rather, we are to “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Unless God is the builder of our lives, our families, our nations, our building is in vain. 

So the world is wrong about evil, the world is wrong about goodness, and finally it is wrong about condemnation. The world says all roads lead to heaven. This is false. All roads except the road of Jesus Christ lead to eternal condemnation. “No one comes to the Father except through me” Jesus says himself. In the end “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two.”  

As baptized members of the flock of Christ, we are sent into a hostile, unbelieving world. But unbelievers and even hostile anti-Catholics will be converted, will be attracted to the Truth when they see the truth evidenced in our lives—the truth that the life of Christ bears fruit that the world cannot produce—true lasting peace, joy, gentleness, chastity, patience—and leads to life everlasting.

You want to proof that Jesus Christ is truly God and Lord? Look at the evidence produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Look at the courage of the martyrs; look at the saints he has produced, look at their miracles, their righteousness. Look at the unity he has brought among the disparate people of the world who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at the patience and joy and understanding and knowledge he gives to ordinary people who pray.

The world is convicted by the Holy Spirit working in our lives. May we witness to the saving Gospel in every conversation and decision today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6th Sunday of Easter 2022 - Prepare for Pentecost

 

It’s just two weeks until the conclusion of the Easter season and the celebration of the great feast of Pentecost, and our Gospel on this sixth Sunday after Easter contains the Lord’s announcement about the Holy Spirit, that the Son must return to the Father in order for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Church. The Lord prepares his apostles for the reception of the Holy Spirit, and so we do well, prior to Pentecost to prepare and reflect upon our openness to the Spirit.

But first: Who is the Holy Spirit?

Each week in the creed we profess our belief in the Holy Spirit: “I believe in the Holy Spirit” Who is He? The Holy Spirit one of three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity. He is truly God—consubstantial with both the Father and the Son.  “Holy Spirit" is the proper name if the Third Divine Person. And we call him the Holy Spirit because Jesus himself called him the Holy Spirit, as we heard in today’s Gospel. 

In the Gospel today, the Jesus himself referred to the Holy Spirit as a Teacher. Docébit vos omnem veritátem—he will teach you all truth. The Holy Spirit desires to teach us always what is good, true, and necessary for the Christian life. If we wish to understand the faith, if we wish to live it, if we wish to pass it on, we must allow ourselves to be taught and led by the Holy Spirit. 

We heard in the first reading how St. Paul, Barnabas, and the Apostles were gathered by the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem to discuss some matters challenging the early church: did Christians need to be circumcised, could we eat food offered to idols, could we enter into unlawful marriages. And thanks be to God, the early church was open to the guidance of God on these matters, just as the Church of every age always needs to be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance regarding how to live out the Gospel of Christ in the complexities of our current age.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher and guide to the Church as a whole, but also to us individually. St. Paul says in Romans that “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Do you love of God and know that God loves you? If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit opened your heart to that possibility. Have you ever repented of sin? If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit has moved you to repentance. Have you experienced love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. If so, it’s because the Holy Spirit has produced those fruits within you. Do you have a passion for prayer, a love for the Eucharist, a desire to serve the needy, share the Gospel with those who do not know Jesus? It’s because the Holy Spirit has moved you, is moving you to these very very good things.

At World Youth Day in Australia in 2008, Pope Benedict said, “The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity,” and confessed that it was only as a young priest teaching theology that he began to recognize the importance of coming to know the Holy Spirit more intimately. He said to all of those young people gathered at World Youth Day that, “It is not enough to know that there is a Holy Spirit; we must welcome Him as the guide of our souls, as the ‘Teacher of the interior life’ who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity, because He alone can open us up to faith and allow us to live it each day to the full.” 

Pope Benedict calls the Holy Spirit the Teacher of the interior life. For God, the Holy Spirit, is given to us from the Father to be our constant guide and teacher in the spiritual life. St. Paul tells us, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” I don’t know about you, but the most moving moments of prayer in my life, have been those times when my prayer seemed to bubble up as if from someone other than myself. That was the Holy Spirit leading my soul, guiding my soul in prayer. 

The Holy Spirit also helps us identify those attitudes and behaviors and choices which hinder our spiritual growth. He illuminates vices which we’ve turned a blind eye to, he pricks our consciences to get to confession. He inspires us to put our faith into practice. 

As we prepare for Pentecost we do well to dispose ourselves to be taught by the Spirit, and I recommend three ways.

First, prayer. Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to Help you to be open to the Truth God wants you to know. “Holy Spirit, help me to love you, to be open to your gifts, to be taught to pray. Teach me how to love, teach me the faith. Teach me to forgive. Teach me all things I need to know for my vocation, for the Christian life, for my struggle to overcome sin and develop the virtues and gifts you want for me.” Pray. Allow him to teach you what you need how to grow and make use of his seven-fold gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, courage, piety, and holy reverence.

Secondly, study the faith. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, and he’s been teaching the Church for 2000 years now. But teachers expect their students to study. Do you study your faith. The Holy Spirit has spoken through the scriptures, he has spoken in the saints. Have you ever read the Church Fathers? Augustine, Athanasius, Aquinas, Cyril of Alexandria, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenenus? The Holy Spirit moved these men, taught the Church through these men. He continues to teach the Church through these men. Read Thomas Aquinas. Read the Church Fathers. Read Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict was one of the clearest teachers of the faith we’ve had in 100 years. And when you’ve done that. When you’ve read these guys. Start over. 

Catholics get into big trouble when we think we know it all, we know enough. We are disciples. And disciple means student. We are semper discipulus—always a student.

Thirdly, make devout use of the sacramentals. The sacramentals, holy water, blessed medals, statues, sacred images, crucifixes in our homes. The sacramentals open us, dispose us to the grace of the Holy Spirit. Feel free to fill up a little vial of holy water when you come to church on the weekends. Keep it on your bedstand. Bless yourself when you wake up in the morning as a reminder of your baptism. And teach others about the sacramentals. They can be used by non-Catholics. They are a great introduction to the Catholic faith for some non-believers.

St. Paul in his first letter to Thessalonians said, “Do not put out the fire of the Spirit!,” because in some sense they obviously were limiting his work in them. To the Ephesians he said something even more powerful, imploring them, “Do not grieve the Spirit of God.”  How often, we believers,  grieve the Holy Spirit by ignoring his inspirations. He inspires to repent, and we put it off. He inspires us to feed the hungry, and we put it off. He inspires us to pray, and we put it off. He inspires us to invite fallen away Catholics back to the Sacraments, and we put it off. How much richer our lives would be, how much effective we would be in our mission, how much stronger our parish would be, if we followed the guidance and inspirations of the Holy Spirit, cultivated daily our love of the Holy Spirit, openness to the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Week of Easter 2022 - Wednesday - The Holy Spirit Speaks

 

Yesterday, we heard how following the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, Christians were scattered into the surrounding regions—like the seed scattered by the Sower in the Gospel. They escaped Jerusalem with their lives, but they didn’t wallow in misery over what was lost, they sought out the lost, and preached the Gospel in those places where the wind of the Holy Spirit had blown them.

And they came to a little place called Antioch. Now at that time, Antioch rivaled Rome in terms of population. There were about a million people in Antioch. And some of them converted. And yesterday, we heard how it was there in Antioch, where the disciples of Jesus were first called Christian.

Today we heard how the Christians of Antioch gathered together for prayer, they fasted together, they worshipped the Lord together, they sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Their example remains relevant for Christians of every age: we must pray together, fast together, worship together, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit together. 

Notice, how it was during their communal prayer, fasting, and worship, the Greek word there is leitourgeo, from which we get the word liturgy, which likely included the celebration of the Eucharist, it was from this experience of humbling themselves through fasting, raising their hearts to God through prayer, that the Holy Spirit spoke. In other words, the will of God, the will of the Holy Spirit became clear to them. 

It was in Antioch that Paul and Barnabas received clarity from the Holy Spirit that they were to embark on a missionary journey, the first of three, to spread the Gospel far and wide. This first missionary journey would take them 1000 miles through rapid rivers, steep mountains, malaria-plagued lowlands, and bandit-ridden passages. Their lives would be at risk countless times, and they knew it. But they trusted the Holy Spirit, and it changed everything.

How is our parish called to imitate these holy ones? In prayer, fasting, worship, discernment, and mission. May the Holy Spirit guide us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

That all Christians may be deeply committed to the spread of Christ’s Gospel, and for the success of the Church’s missionary activity. And our parish may be attentive and responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

For those in public office: may they govern with wisdom and compassion for the most vulnerable among us—especially unborn children, the elderly, the indigent, and persons with disabilities.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That the isolated and abandoned may know the love of God through the labors of the Church. 

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the deceased members of our families friends and parishes, for those who fought and died for our freedom, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Graciously grant our petitions, we beseech thee, O Lord; may your grace sustain us always in your service, through Christ Our Lord.

Whit Monday 2021 (EF) - St. Peter in Chains

We celebrate the second day of the Pentecost Octave, called in some places Whit Monday—named after the white garments of the newly baptized. Like the Easter Octave, the Pentecost Octave is aimed at welcoming and praying for the newly baptized, and in earlier days, the newly initiated would wear their new white baptismal garments throughout this Octave as well.

In Rome, the newly baptized would visit a different station church each day of this Octave, and they would receive post-baptismal lessons. The Roman station Church today is the Church of St. Peter in Chains, which I remember visiting a number of years ago. 

Walking into that Church, one almost forgets you are there to pay homage to the chains that held the apostle Peter while he was imprisoned in Jerusalem, because right near the entrance is  Michelangelo’s breathtaking statue of Moses—carved from a single massive block of marble. Moses is the gargantuan figure, with rippling muscles,  grasping the tablet of the law, almost holding back from the righteous reaction of seeing the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf. 

But then the visitor to St. Peter in Chains makes their way, finally, to the reliquary of the chains. St. Peter was imprisoned by those very chains not long after his speech in today’s epistle from the Acts of the Apostles. Imagine, being newly baptized and contemplating those chains. Peter stood in the streets of Jerusalem, and filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the Gospel, for which he was arrested and imprisoned. But those chains—the chains of man—failed at stopping the Gospel from being preached.

The newly baptized were basically being told: this is your destiny too. You now have a share in the mission of the Gospel, you too, now have the holy spirit filling your soul, you too are being charged with preaching the gospel fearlessly, and like Peter, you too may be arrested and imprisoned, but fear not, the chains of man cannot really hold you, the chains of man cannot stop the mission of the Church.

What shall we preach? The newly baptized might think to themselves. Preach the words of today’s Gospel, just like Peter, just like Christians have done for two thousand years: “God so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”

Though we are not newly baptized, we contemplate the feebleness of those earthly chains compared to the power of the Holy Spirit, which impels us into the world, to preach the saving Gospel of God’s love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Monday after Pentecost 2021 - Mary, Mother of the Church

 The title “Mother of the Church” is not new. St. Ambrose, great Bishop of Milan who was instrumental in the conversion of St. Augustine called Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, “Mother of the Church.” 

Fifteen centuries later, the title was still in use when Pope Leo XIII wrote a beautiful document on Our Lady, titled Adjiutricem Populi, Helper of the people in which he invokes our Lady under this title.

 “The mightiest helper of the Christian people,” Pope Leo writes, “and the most merciful, is the Virgin Mother of God. How fitting it is to accord her honors ever increasing in splendor, and call upon her aid with a confidence daily growing more ardent. The abundant blessings, infinitely varied and constantly multiplying, which flow from her all over the whole world for the common benefit of mankind, add fresh motives for invoking and honoring her…She is invoked as Mother of the Church and the teacher and Queen of the Apostles".

So too, As the third session of the Second Vatican Council closed on November 21st, 1964, Pope Paul VI declared: "We declare Mary Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, of all the Christian people"  writing elsewhere, “We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.”

Just in 2018, Holy Father Pope Francis instituted a new liturgical feast to be celebrated universally the Monday after Pentecost, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church. 

The day after we celebrate, the birthday of the Church, so to speak on Pentecost, we celebrate our Mother, who was present, praying for the apostles, as the Holy Spirit descended upon them.

As our Lady was instrumental in the Apostles receiving the new life of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, she is instrumental in all of our lives, praying that we may open our hearts, minds, souls, and lives to the life-giving Spirit of God. She prays that the Spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and good counsel, and fear of the Lord will flourish in us. She prays that we may bear the Spiritual Fruits of patience, courage, and joy.

Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Mother, prays constantly for us. As the Apostles devoted themselves to praying with Our Lady, their Mother, Our Mother, in the upper room, may we too, be devoted to prayer with her—prayer for openness to the full life of God’s Spirit—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ.

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Mary, Mother of the Church: Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Mary, Mother of the Church and Immaculate Heart: Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

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.

Pentecost 2021 - Wind and Flame

Today is the great Feast of Pentecost, the feast that ranks with Christmas and Easter as the greatest of the Church Year.  It is the Feast of the Holy Spirit who enlivens and animates the Church.

Listen again to the account of the first Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago from the Acts of the Apostles.

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Wind and fire are two symbols associated with the Holy Spirit, and they tell us a lot about how the Holy Spirit wishes acts in the Church and in our lives.

First, Wind is powerful. I’ve seen wind knock over trucks. Acts describes the Holy Spirit as a strong driving wind. Tornado winds can devastate villages and cities, and uproot trees, yet it can also turn gigantic turbines to produce power, and propel sailing ships across the sea. The Holy Spirit, propels the Church and grants her power and uproots the vices of her members.

Also, there is something unpredictable about the wind.  You don’t know quite where it comes from or when it will blow. Jesus himself in John’s Gospel says, The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”

That says something about the Holy Spirit, there is something elusive, unpredictable, and wonderfully so, about Him. He is unpredictable, a good of surprises. He surprises us with holy joyful moments and encounters and moments of prayer.

And yet, this also makes Him a little daunting. It’s daunting to surrender to something you can’t control. God might upset our applecart, and that’s scary. But he leads us sometimes where we do not want to go, in order to bring about his kingdom. Yes, it’s scary to surrender to God.  He might ask me to confront my prejudices, kneel down to the level of a homeless beggar, he might ask me to become a priest or a religious sister, speak hard truths to obstinate sinners. He might blow us out of our comfort zones. No doubt, as we return to Church after the long pandemic, he is blowing us into the lives of family and friends, to invite them back to the Sacraments—to remind the fallen-away of goodness and love of God waiting for them here.

On Pentecost, the Church is invited to unfurl her sails once again, to allow the Holy Spirit to propel her into the world for the mission of the Gospel, to uproot our vices, to blow away the dust that has settled through inactivity. 

Wind, fresh air, is needed continually for life itself.  If your faith life or prayer life feels stifled, strangled, or stagnate, make a novena to the Holy Spirit to breathe new life, new enthusiasm, new joy into your soul. 

The other great symbol of the Holy Spirit is Fire.  Fire, can be devastating and destructive.  Yet, it can also be cleansing.  The Holy Spirit is like a cleansing Fire.  

God wants to burn away the attitudes and behaviors which are inconsistent with the life of grace.  God wants to burn away our selfishness, so that not an ounce remains, God wants to burn away our envy, our resentments, our lusts.  If you are struggling with a particular temptation or sin, pray “Come Holy Spirit” burn this temptation away, burn this addiction away.

Fire brings purity. It also brings light. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Those purified by the fire of the Spirit will have the light they need to see God. They will understand more deeply the things of God.  Do you want to come to a deeper understand of the Scriptures, of the Faith. Ask the Holy Spirit. Do you want to understand how to love your unlovable neighbors?  Ask Him! Do you want to understand God’s Will for your life, your vocation in life?  Ask Him!  

Fire also brings warmth of course. In those moments when we are experiencing the coldness, loneliness, isolation, grief. The Holy Spirit will help us to know the closeness and love of God, and the closeness and love of his angels and saints. We also do well of course, to intercede for others experiencing life’s coldness, and to recall our vocation to bring the warmth of God’s love to them, if we can.

Finally, fire symbolizes the passion and courage God wants us to have for the spreading of the Gospel.  After Jesus’ crucifixion, the Apostles hid in the upper room behind locked doors.  Jesus had sent them outwards, out into the world, but they hid.  They were more like Apostates, than Apostles.  But when the Holy Spirit descended upon them with tongues of flame, they burst through the locked doors, into the busiest part of town and courageously proclaimed Jesus risen from the dead.  3000 people converted on the spot.

We need this sort of courage! In an era where our modern culture wants Christians to privatize their faith, to hide behind locked doors and keep our faith to ourselves—we need Christians on fire. 

That is precisely our prayer for our four dear ones who will be confirmed this weekend—that they may filled with fire and wind—filled with the Spirit. Their Confirmation is a reminder to all of us, to dispose our souls, to open our minds, our wills, our hearts to the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit. 

May the Holy Spirit—wind and flame—sanctify us, comfort us, enflame us, uproot our vices and protect us.  Veni Sancte Spiritus, Come Holy Spirit, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

7th Week of Easter 2021 - Monday - Did you receive the Holy Spirit?

For a few weeks, I’ve been preparing a number of our young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which we’ll celebrate Sunday at the 11am Mass. And I’ve been encouraging our youth to ensure they are praying every day with their Confirmation in mind—praying to be strengthened in the gifts of the holy spirit and the fruits of the holy spirit. I asked them to examine their lives and ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify the Spiritual Gifts that he wants them to grow in: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, fear of the Lord. And to examine their lives and identify the fruits of the Spirit that seem to be lacking: patience, joy, fortitude. And after considering what is lacking, to pray that as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation they may be strengthened in these gifts.

During his third and final missionary journey, Paul visited Ephesus.  And there he found a group of believers who seemed to be missing something.  He pinpointed the problem by asking, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?”  They gave the surprising answer that they had never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.  They had never received the Christian Sacrament of Baptism, and therefore they had never received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  

What caused Paul to ask them if they had heard of the Holy Spirit?  Though they believed that Jesus was the Messiah, likely, what was missing was the sort of activity that should mark a Spirit-filled group of full-fledged Christians.  Remember, by this time, Paul had visited and established many communities.  He would have seen the gifts of the Spirit at work, with his own eyes: prophesying, speaking in tongues, healings, mighty exhortations, Christians teaching the faith, speaking words of knowledge and understanding.

So immediately Paul baptized them and laid hands on them, and the outward signs of the Spirit began to manifest: speaking in tongues and prophecy.  These are among the many charismatic gifts of the spirit listed by Paul in his letters.

If Paul were to visit a typical Catholic parish today, he’d find in most places the Holy Spirit at work: he’d see the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fear of the Lord; he’d see the fruits, patience, joy. He’d see the charismatic signs: those with the gift of encouragement—strengthening those with wavering faith, he’d see those with the gift of teaching, passing on the faith and correcting error, he’d see those with the gift of mercy assisting the suffering.

As we prepare for Pentecost this Sunday, we’d do well, like our confirmandi, to pray for an increase in the spiritual gifts, the fruits of the spirit, the charismatic gifts, in our own lives, and in the life of our parish, that Church may continuously be built-up, and faithful in her mission of being sent out to preach the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend—that they may open their hearts to the gifts God has in store for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote domestic tranquility, national unity, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

Like the apostles gathered with Our Lady in the Cenacle, may the Church grow in Marian devotion this month, especially in devotion to the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know the peace and consolation of the Good Shepherd. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for …for whom this mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

 

6th Week of Easter 2021 - Wednesday - The Spirit of Truth

 Early in John’s Gospel, Jesus is introduced as the incarnate word of God, filled with grace and truth. “Truth” is an important concept in John’s Gospel, and for Christians. “He who practices the truth comes to the Light”. “The truth will make you free”, the Lord teaches. “I am the way, the Truth, and the life”. “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink”. Those who believe in jesus will be known by god as true worshippers, who worship in Spirit and Truth.

Today, in anticipation of the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Lord explains “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth.”

“Quid est veritas?” asks Pontius Pilate. What is truth? The Gospel notion is truth is not the same as the accumulation of scientific fact. The sending of the Holy Spirit isn’t so that we can understand quantum physics better or how an air conditioner works.  That’s not to say that Christians should have nothing to do with the world of science.  Science, as we know it grew out of Catholic Europe. Many of the important scientific discoveries were made by Catholics. We can thank the Catholic intellectual tradition for the modern scientific method.

But when the Lord speaks of the truth that “makes you free” he’s not talking about scientific knowledge. Rather, he’s speaking about the truth that frees us from moral, theological, and spiritual evil—the light of truth which frees us from darkness of sin and death.

Ignorance of God and his ways keeps us from the blessedness for which we were created. Moral error keeps us from loving God and loving our neighbor as we should.

About three and a half centuries after the Gospel of John was written, St. Augustine wrote “Victoria Veritatis est caritas”—”the victory of truth is love”. Through Christ, God conquers the darkness of error which debilitates us, which mars the mind and soul of the human person. The weakening of the will—darkening of the intellect through sin—is healed and reversed—when we live the truth of the Gospel.

The Second Vatican Council document, Gaudium et Spes, put it like this: without the knowledge of God, man remains an unsolved puzzle to himself.  Only in light of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light, and it is only Christ by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His Love, that fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear.

A culture that does not know him will become depraved, a government that does not acknowledge Him will always be misguided and devolved into tyranny or anarchy, the soul which does not profess Him as Lord will be lost.

And how many of our family, and coworkers, and countrymen do not know Christ, do not know him really.  The Holy Spirit—the Spirit of truth—is sent down upon us, that we may make Christ known. That through us the Spirit of Truth will guide men to all truth—the Truth of Christ—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit among all Christians, and that the Spirit of Truth may be enkindled in all those who do not believe, the lukewarm, and those who have fallen away from the Church. 

That during this month of May, Christians may turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, especially by praying the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those undergoing surgery, those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.

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

O God, who 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.

6th Week of Easter 2021 - Tuesday - The Paraclete Convicts!

 As we near the end of the Easter season and the growing closeness of the Feasts of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost, the Lord’s teachings in the daily Gospels speak more and more about his going to the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 

He must go, he explains, that the Holy Spirit may descend and usher in the final age—the end chapter in God’s Saving Plan in which the world will become convicted of the Gospel. 

The Lord uses a fascinating title for the Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. The Lord calls him, in Greek, the parakletos, the paraclete—a word having legal connotations, sometimes even translated as Counselor or Advocate, titles given to lawyers. One the Paraclete comes, he will act as a sort of defense attorney, to prove the case for Jesus Christ. The Paraclete will defend Christ’s claim to be God, to be the Messiah, to be the Savior. And this legal case will take place on the world stage over the course of the remainder of human history. And the evidence with which the Spirit will use to prove Christ’s case, is us, the Church.

You want to proof that Jesus Christ is truly God and Lord? Look at the evidence produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Look at the courage of the martyrs; look at the saints he has produced, look at their miracles, their righteousness. Look at the unity he has brought among the disparate people of the world who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at the patience and joy and understanding and knowledge he gives to ordinary people who pray.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, helps us convince—to convict—the world about the error of sin, and the travesty of not believing and following Jesus. He helps us  prove to the world that God is real and Jesus is worth following. He helps us learn our faith, that we may teach it and preach it with clarity and conviction. And arranges opportunities for us to share the faith with those who yearn for truth and righteousness.  

Over half a million adults became Catholic at Easter this year. The Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Church, through the faithfulness of Catholics like ourselves, drew them, guided them to the truth of Christ. 

May we continue to cooperate with the Spirit’s work to convict the world, giving evidence to the truths of our faith by the integrity of our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit among all Christians, and that the Spirit of Faith may be enkindled in all those who do not believe, the lukewarm, and those who have fallen away from the Church. 

That during this month of May, Christians may turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, especially by praying the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those undergoing surgery, those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.

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

O God, who 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.

4th Sunday after Easter 2021 (EF) - The Paraclete

 The Gospel of John’s account of the Last Supper is quite different from the other Gospels. For one, St. John omits the institution of the Eucharist and includes the washing of the Apostles’ feet.  John’s Last Supper is also a much longer text, spanning several chapters compared to just a few verses in other Gospels. And this is so, principally because it contains what scholars call The Lord’s Farewell Discourse in which the Lord delivers one of the most moving, theologically rich, and mystical passages in the whole New Testament. 

The Lord’s Farewell follows the example of the farewell speeches of the great men and women from the Old Testament: people like Jacob, Moses, David, Tobit, Noah, Rebecca, Isaac, and Enoch. Addressing those who are closest to them, they speak about their impending deaths, and offer comfort in the face of the grief their announcement produces.  They promise how after the departure, their deaths, God’s care and God’s saving plan will continue. And they leave instructions on how those left behind should behave.

The Lord’s farewell speech fits this pattern well: he speaks about his coming crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father, and offers instructions for his disciples: they are to love one another, by following his example of humble self-sacrificial service. 

On this fourth Sunday after Easter, the Gospel is taken from a portion of the Lord’s Last Supper farewell discourse in which is explanation his news of his going to the Father so fills the disciples hearts with sadness that they are rendered speechless. “I have spoken these things to you, and sorrow has filled your heart”. Then the Lord then makes an astonishing claim that it’s even hard for us to understand. He says that it’s better for everyone that he does go than if he stayed on earth. 

He must go, he explains, that the Holy Spirit may descend and usher in the final age—the end chapter in God’s Saving Plan in which the world will become convicted of the Gospel. 

The Lord uses a fascinating title for the Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. The Lord calls him, in Greek, the parakletos, the paraclete—a word having legal connotations, sometimes even translated as Counselor or Advocate, titles given to lawyers. One the Paraclete comes, he will act as a sort of defense attorney, to prove the case for Jesus Christ. The Paraclete will defend Christ’s claim to be God, to be the Messiah, to be the Savior. And this legal case will take place on the world stage over the course of the remainder of human history. And the evidence with which the Spirit will use to prove Christ’s case, is us, the Church.

You want to proof that Jesus Christ is truly God and Lord? Look at the evidence produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Look at the courage of the martyrs; look at the saints he has produced, look at their miracles. Look at the unity he has brought among the disparate people of the world who accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at the patience and joy and understanding and knowledge he gives to ordinary people who pray.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, helps us convince—to convict—the world about the error of sin, and the travesty of not believing and following Jesus. He helps us  prove to the world that God is real and Jesus is worth following. He helps us learn our faith, that we may teach it and preach it with clarity and conviction. And arranges opportunities for us to share the faith with those who yearn for truth and righteousness.  The Paraclete even helps to convince us to turn away from the sins that still linger in us, the destructive habits, the behaviors and attitudes, that are incompatible with the Christian way.  For the enemy is a sort of lawyer too that will use our sins and selfishness as counterpoints. But, as Bishop Perez used to say, the Spirit works through us and sometimes even in spite of us, thanks be to God.

Over half a million adults became Catholic at Easter this year. The Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Church, through the faithfulness of Catholics like ourselves, drew them, guided them to the truth of Christ. 

May we continue to cooperate with the Spirit’s work to convict the world, giving evidence to the truths of our faith by the integrity of our lives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Friday after Epiphany 2021 - Whoever possesses the Son has life

 We are situated this week between the last two great feasts of the Christmas season: the feast of the Epiphany, last Sunday, and the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in just a few days.  

The early Church saw the Baptism of the Lord as a second Epiphany in the life of Our Lord.  

Where in the first Epiphany, Jesus was revealed as the Savior, not just for Israel, but for the entire world.  This Sunday, we will hear how, as Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, much like the Epiphany Star shines upon the babe at bethlehem, now the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, revealing even more of who Jesus is. He is not just a human Messiah, he is the second person of the Trinity, the son of the Father. 

As we heard in our first reading, the Spirit testifies to who Jesus is. He is the Son of God.

If he were not, he would have no power to make us clean. The water and the blood would have no power, if he were just a man. 

Our Gospel reading also sheds light onto the Lord’s identity. The healing of the leper reveals that God does not recoil from our sins and diseases. Yes, he is the holy one of God, the most high, he is life itself, immaculate holiness and divinity. Yet, Jesus, the Son of God, God incarnate, reaches out and touches the leper. Holiness itself draws close to us who have lost original holiness due to heinous sin in order to make us whole and clean and full of life again and like himself.

The broken jar is able to be fixed, it is not irreparable; we are able to possess the life of God again. So much so, that John, in the first reading, says that “Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.” God does not wish us to lifeless because of sin. He entered the world, in the poverty and cold of Christmas, so that he may enter more deeply into our very lifeless souls to be our life. 

Today, we like the leper in the Gospel, do well to fall prostrate before the Lord, and plead, Lord make me clean, in all ways, in every way, make me clean, restore me to life, fill me with your life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis and all the clergy: that they will draw many to the mystery of baptism and inspire the faithful to live their baptismal promises with great devotion. 

For leaders of nations: that they will govern with virtue and integrity, helping to build society in conformity with the teachings of Christ.  

For non-believers and for those preparing for baptism: that they may be open to the grace of conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.  

For the sick, suffering, persecuted, and underemployed, and all those facing hardships.  

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.  

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