July 16 2025 - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Reaching the mountain which is Christ

 

There was an English mountain climber named George Mallory who participated in the first three British expeditions to climb Mount Everest in the mid-1920s. When asked, “why did you want to climb Mount Everest?” He would answer, “because it is there.” About 800 people climb Mt. Everest each year, and for whatever reason, they too felt some drive to reach the highest peak in the world. 

Today’s collect prayer for the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel speaks of reaching the mountain which is Christ. We asked God that the glorious virgin Mary would come to our aid and protection, that we may reach the mountain which is Christ.

The prayer no doubt references the Mountain associated with today’s memorial: Mount Carmel, located along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in northern Israel.

Early Christian hermits climbed Mount Carmel, not simply because it was there, but because they wished to encounter Christ. The hermit withdraws from the distractions of the world in order to encounter Christ, to make the ascent of the mountain which is Christ. 

What does it mean to ascend the mountain which is Christ?

In Scripture, mountains are often places of encounter with God—Moses receives the law on Mount Sinai, Elijah hears the whisper of God on Mount Horeb, and Jesus Himself is transfigured in glory on Mount Tabor. To ascend the mountain is to seek that place where heaven touches earth, where God reveals Himself, and where we are called to be transformed.

Jesus is like a mountain because He IS the place where heaven meets earth, where God is joined to man, in his very person. In Christ, the infinite becomes visible. The Word becomes touchable. The invisible God becomes Emmanuel, God-with-us.

To ascend the mountain which is Christ, then, is to enter more deeply into union with Him—to be drawn into the mystery of the Incarnation, to be conformed to Him in our thinking, our loving, our suffering, our living. This ascent is not just about thinking lofty thoughts or withdrawing from the world, but becoming more fully united to the One who bridges heaven and earth.

And Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, knows this path better than anyone. She is the one who bore Christ in her womb—who literally brought heaven to earth. She shows us how to climb—not with pride or presumption, but with humility, faith, and total openness to God’s will.

So on this feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we ask her to guide us in the climb. Not just to look up at Christ from a distance, but to enter into His life. To receive Him in the sacraments, to reflect Him in our lives, and to be lifted by grace to that place where, even now, heaven and earth are joined—in Jesus Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Celebrating the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we turn to the Father who, in the Incarnate Son, has joined heaven to earth. Through Mary’s intercession, let us bring our prayers with confidence.

That through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Church may always lead the faithful to deeper union with Christ through prayer, sacrament, and devotion. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who seek the Lord: That those who feel far from God may ascend the mountain of faith, discovering in Jesus the true meeting place of heaven and earth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who carry heavy burdens—the sick, the grieving, the poor and afflicted: That Mary, Mother of Mercy, may accompany them up the steep path and lead them to Christ, the source of healing and hope. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead: That, through Mary’s intercession, they may be brought into the glory of Christ’s presence on the eternal mountain of the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.

Loving Father, you gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of prayer and discipleship. Through her intercession, draw us closer to your Son, that we may reach the mountain of holiness and live always in your presence. Through Christ our Lord.

July 16 2024 - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Reaching the mountain which is Christ

 

Throughout the scriptures, we read of a number of the mountains of the holy land. We read of Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb—where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, and formed a covenant with the Israelites. Jesus taught on the beatitudes on a mountain, and he sweat blood on a mountain—the mount of Olives. Mount Olivet was also the place where the Lord ascended into heaven. King David wept on the mount of olives after having to flee Jerusalem, which itself is situated upon a mountain—mount zion. On Mount Tabor, the Lord became transfigured before his disciples, showing his divine glory. And on Mount Moriah, Abraham proved his faith. 

Today, we honor Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Carmel is in Northern Israel on the coast. It is where Elijah famously challenged the prophets of Baal and proved that the Lord is the one true God.

In the late 12th century, a group of Christian hermits took up residence on Mt Carmel to devote themselves to prayer and contemplation. They dedicated their chapel to Our Lady. Hence, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. 

The Carmelite order has certainly left a lasting impression on the Church. The Carmelite scapular is worn as a special devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel—seeking her protection special favor especially in being preserved from the eternal fire.

That outward devotion to Our Lady is of course meant to be matched and surpassed by interior devotion—the cultivation of the interior life: a life of recollection, prayer, uninterrupted oblation to God, continual contact, and intimate union with him. And Mary of course is the model of the interior life: the life wholly dedicated to the quest for God, wholly orientated towards intimacy with God.

The opening prayer today asked God that Our Lady might come to our aid so that we may reach the mountain which is Christ. Mt. Carmel, and all of those mountains in scripture, are symbols for the mountain that each one of us must climb, they are a symbol of Christ—who himself climbed the mountain of Calvary and now sits at the right hand of the father on the mountain top of heaven.

Christ is a steep mountain. But on this mountain journey, God teaches us by his commandments, he comforts us in our sorrows, he tests us to prove our faith, and he gifts us with moments of profound intimacy and transfiguration.

May our Lady of Mt. Carmel assist us by her example and heavenly intercession, that we may have the strength and grace we need to become worthy of the promises of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For all Christians, that we may be inspired by the Carmelite tradition to cultivate a rich interior life and seek intimate union with God, and for our world, that it may be transformed by the power of prayer and devotion to Our Lady, leading to peace and justice for all. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those struggling on their spiritual journey, that Our Lady may come to their aid as they strive to reach the mountain which is Christ, and for all people, that they may recognize God's presence in the "mountains" of their lives - in moments of revelation, testing, and transformation. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the Carmelite order and all religious communities, that their dedication to prayer and contemplation may continue to enrich the Church, and for all who wear the Carmelite scapular, that their outward devotion may be matched by an interior commitment to following Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death. And that the souls in purgatory may know the relief and assistance of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and for X, for whom this mass is offered. let us pray to the Lord. 

Loving Father, hear our prayers, through the intercession of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, grant us what we need, that we may reach the summit of holiness and dwell with You forever in the heavenly Jerusalem. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent 2024 - Two Mountains, Two Parts of the Mass

 The celebration of the mass is divided into two main parts, the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. 

The Liturgy of the Word is a key part of the Mass where the Scriptures are proclaimed and reflected upon. The Gospel, is of course, the high point of the Liturgy of the Word, containing the words and teachings of Our Blessed Lord. As a sign of respect and attentiveness during the Gospel reading, we stand for the Gospel.

But the first reading, psalm, and second reading, are also very important. And the first reading, usually taken from the Old Testament is selected to complement and provide context for the Gospel. And it helps us to understand the history, prophecies, and wisdom in those centuries and millennia leading up to Christ. 

St. Augustine has a famous saying, that “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” In other words, St. Augustine, and so many of the early church fathers, were highly attuned to the ways that the Old and New Testaments interrelated with each other, and believed that key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest sense, we need to be attentive to the Old. So if we want to understand our Gospel readings each week, it is important to pay attention to the first reading.

Our First reading of the sacrifice of Isaac and the Gospel of the transfiguration this weekend for the 2nd Sunday of Lent have numerous parallels. 

Both events take place on a mountain. The sacrifice of Isaac occurs on Mount Moriah, and the transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, traditionally believed to be Mount Tabor. 

In both stories, there is a direct manifestation of the divine. In the sacrifice of Isaac, God intervenes to provide a ram as a substitute for Isaac, and in the transfiguration, a voice from heaven declares Jesus as the beloved Son of God.

Abraham's willingness to obey God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac is mirrored in Jesus' submission to the Father's will. Both stories highlight the importance of obedience to God, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Isaac was the promised son of Abraham—remember God had promised a son to Abraham from whom his descendants would become as numerous as the stars. And Jesus is the promised Son of the Father, promised through so many of the prophets—and the members of the Church are numerous to say the least.

The sacrifice of Isaac is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The willingness of Abraham to offer his son in sacrifice, prefigures the heavenly Father’s willingness to offer his son in sacrifice for all of humanity. In a similar vein, in the sacrifice of Isaac, God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac, sparing his life. And in the case of Jesus, Our Lord took upon himself all of the punishments of sin of all mankind, the ultimate victim for humanity’s sins, sparing us the eternal punishments that we deserved. 

Now there are many great lessons in both stories for us to ponder—our faith and obedience and trust need to mirror abraham’s and Jesus’. Abraham's willingness to obey God, to sacrifice something he loved deeply to achieve a greater good, serves as a model for us to trust in God's guidance and follow God’s will. The transfiguration completes the story—that when we trust and obey God as Jesus did—even going to the cross and undertaking unspeakable suffering—the cross leads to the glory of the resurrection. And the Christian life is one of gratitude to Jesus for taking our sins to the cross. 

During Lent, we do well to keep these scriptures in mind. As we engage in our Lenten sacrifices, self-discipline, self-denial, and acts of charity which involve sacrifice on our behalf, we do so, with the willingness of Abraham, and the willingness of Jesus, trusting that through them God brings about a great good—our spiritual flourishing and our a strengthening in our ability to unite our sacrifices with Jesus for our sanctification and the sanctification of the world. We willingly undergo and undertake our Lenten sacrifices—our prayers and fasting and self-giving— trusting that they bring about good in us and good in the church.

Very important lessons as we consider the connection of this week’s first reading and Gospel. But now, here is bit more food for thought. Just as the first reading of the liturgy of the word foreshadows, and gives context, and helps us to appreciate and understand the Gospel, so too the liturgy of the word as a whole prepares us for what comes next in the mass, the liturgy of the Eucharist. 

The Liturgy of the Word proclaims what God has done in the past, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist enables us to recognize and encounter God in the present. The Scriptures of the Liturgy of the Word serve as spiritual nourishment and instruction, to an extent, but in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we are able to encounter and receive the Bread of Life—He who IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Scriptures and the Homily, the Creed, and the General Intercessions of the Liturgy of the Word prepare us—they cultivate spiritual readiness to not only encounter and receive Jesus—but they foster a spiritual readiness for all that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist means.

Consider how our scripture readings this weekend prepare us to celebrate and receive the Eucharist. We are to celebrate and receive the Eucharist with the willingness of Abraham to obey the will of God and all dimensions of our life. We are to receive the Eucharist with the exuberant jubilation of Peter in the Gospel who says, “it is good that we are here”. We are to receive the Eucharist with the openness commanded by the Father in the Gospel, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him”. And we are to leave Mass, like the disciples descending from the Mountain, pondering the mystery of what they just experienced. The Christian life involves a pondering throughout the week…how does the Eucharist I celebrate each Sunday effect the rest of my life? How does the encounter with Jesus, the reception of Jesus in Holy Communion effect the way I am to treat people, the way I am to pray throughout the week, the way I am to give of myself in humble service. 

We go out into the world—and we face tests like Abraham—trusting God is hard—and the Eucharist strengthens us to trust God when our trials are most difficult and our crosses are heaviest.

May we draw great strength, and increase in faith, hope, and love every time we celebrate Mass—because it is here that God speaks, and feeds, and enlivens us,  like nowhere else, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

1st Week of Advent 2023 - Monday - Advent Journey of Faith

 On this first weekday of Advent, our scripture readings teaching us that Advent is a journey of faith to God.

In the reading from Isaiah we hear how nations will stream toward the Lord’s house established on a high mountain. During Advent, all people, of all places, of all time are invited to make their way to the one True God, shedding their false beliefs and immoral ways in order to walk in the light of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty. 

This journey of faith is a joyful journey, as our psalm proclaimed: “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”. The journey toward the house of God is a joyful one because we are journeying to meet the One who is our hearts deepest longing. Shedding error to live in God’s truth brings joy, shedding immorality in order to live in God’s goodness brings joy. Shedding violence—allowing our swords to be turned into plowshares—in order to live in God’s peace brings joy. 

Advent can be filled with joy when we turn away from the things that deprive of us joy and fail to satisfy our longing for the infinite. For real joy is experienced when we turn away from darkness and turn more resolutely to seek the face of God. 

In the Gospel, the centurion recognizes that Jesus Christ is God—the God who can bring healing to his household—to his servant who is paralyzed and suffering dreadfully. Faith in Jesus Christ brings healing, wholeness, deliverance, freedom from all the different types of paralysis that afflict us.

Faith in Christ is both the way by which we reach the destination of the journey of faith and the destination of the journey itself. Advent helps us to deepen that conviction and also opens us to the healing and wholeness that can only come by deepening our faith in Him. 

May all people of all nations come to a deepening of faith in Christ Jesus this Advent, and come to rejoice in the peace of Our Father’s house for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent 2022 - On mountains and Masses

Throughout Scripture, mountains are special places of faith, prayer, and encounter with God. Abram climbed Mt. Moriah with his son Isaac for sacrifice. Moses encountered the glory of God after climbing Mt. Sinai. God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper on Mt. Horeb. After his victory over the false prophets of Baal, the prophet Elijah withdrew to Mt. Carmel to pray. The Temple was built on top of Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. And on top of Mt. Tabor, as we heard on the Gospel today, the apostles beheld the Lord in Transfigured glory and heard about his forthcoming exodus to the cross, which took place on another mountain, Mt. Calvary. 

People of all ages have felt drawn to mountains. Mountains, so close to the heavens, are places of clarity. They offer a different perspective—helping us to see more than we can when we’re immersed in so many things on the ground. St. Francis of Assisi withdrew to Mount La Verna for prayer and there received the holy stigmata. As a young priest, Pope St. John Paul liked to lead mountain retreats and go skiing. 

Coming to Mass is a lot like climbing a holy mountain; if you have young children, it might even require similar amount of energy. We climb to the altar of God inside of a church building—in order to offer our most sacred act of worship, the Eucharist, to commune with God, to receive some clarity for our lives, and breathe a breath of the Spirit’s fresh air that we can’t get sitting on our living room couch. 

There are many parallels between the celebration of Mass, and our Gospel today on top of Mount Tabor. The Gospel began with a procession up a mountain, Peter, James, John, and Our Lord processing upon the mountain. So too, Mass begins with a procession up towards the altar.

Sometimes non-practicing Catholics will say that they don’t need to go to Mass in order to pray: they can pray anywhere.  That’s true.  But, one, you can’t fulfill your Sunday obligation by just praying anywhere, and two, we see Jesus in the Gospel leading his disciples to special places to pray: a mountain, a secluded place, the upper room where he celebrated the last supper, and the cross—the mountain of Calvary where the Lord offered the most perfect sacrifice to the Father, himself.

Having reached the top of the Mountain, the Lord became transfigured in dazzling white. On that mountain, his disciples saw the Lord clearly. This certainly reminds us of how at Mass, the Eucharist is held up for all to see. At the transfiguration, of course,  the Lord’s face and clothes change in appearance—his divinity is undeniable. At Mass, on the other hand, bread and wine don’t change in appearance. Rather, they change on the supernatural level—bread and wine are changed into the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, a change we recognize not by sight, but by faith.

Next to the transfigured Lord appeared Moses and Elijah. The presence of these Old Testaments figures reveal that Jesus is the fulfillment of the salvation foreshadowed by the Law and the Prophets. We read almost every week from either the law or the prophets at Mass and we see scenes from the prophets and the books of Moses in our stained glass windows and our Church ceiling.

Next, the Lord speaks with Moses and Elijah about his Exodus. And at this Peter exclaims it is good that we are here. What part of the mass does this remind you of? The homily of course! The priest speaks and everyone says, it is good that we are here…right. But there is a parallel with the homily here, isn’t there. Jesus gives explanation about his mission, just as in the homily drawing from Old Testament and New, the priest gives explanation about our Christian mission, the Christian life. 

St. Luke tells us that the Lord spoke about his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. And here’s the reason we read the story of the Transfiguration on the 2nd Sunday of Lent each year. We are given this reminder, from the Lord’s own lips, that though he must tread the road of the cross, he goes there to accomplish our salvation. And the story will not end there. He goes to the cross for you and may, so that we may experience the glory that he revealed on Mt. Tabor. 

And we need this reminder, don’t we? Because our crosses are heavy and entail great suffering. Our toils often so overwhelming that we can loose sight of the promises God makes to us.

In the proceeding passage in St. Luke’s Gospel, the passage immediately preceding the story of the transfiguration, the Lord says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily.” And you might think, why should I? Why should I endure the suffering that the Christian life entails. Why should I practice fasting when there’s so much good and delicious food and drink. Why should I practice prayer when there’s so many entertaining shows? Why should I give my hard-earned wealth to the poor? Why should I risk professional advancement by publicly practicing my Catholic faith? On top of the Mountain of Transfiguration the Lord answers a question raised on the mountain of Calvary. Because the cross leads to transfigured and resurrected glory. 

Backs bent over by the weight of their crosses will be straightened. Wounds caused by nails in our flesh and the laceration of the whip will be healed. Wounded hearts, pierced with swords of sorrow will be made new and filled with joy.

That’s why we climb the mountain to come to Mass every week. For one, because it is here, where God begins to heal our wounds, now, giving us glimpses and foreshadowings of heaven, to give us fortitude for carrying our earthly crosses. And two, because it is here at Mass, that our daily crosses are joined to Christ’s on the altar of sacrifice, and we are given the heavenly food, that gives us strength for the journey, to walk the royal road of the cross that leads to the resurrection.

If you think the Mass is just about checking a box so that God has to let you into heaven, boy, is that missing the big picture! The Mass is Mt. Sinai, where we receive the Lord’s commandments. The Mass is Mt Moriah, where we prepare the sacrifice of what we hold dear out of faithfulness to the Lord. The Mass is Mt. Horeb where we hear the Lord’s voice, not in fire and earthquakes, but in tiny whispers. The Mass is Mt Carmel where we retreat from earthly business to contemplate the Lord’s presence. The Mass is Mt. Zion where we enter the temple of the Lord for divine worship. The Mass is Mt. Tabor where we get a glimpse of Transfigured glory. And the Mass is Mt. Calvary, where the Lord goes to accomplish the work of our salvation.

The Lord has led us to this holy mountain, thanks be to God. And with Peter we say, it is good that we are here. For in our Eucharistic celebration, the Lord wishes to give us a glimpse, through faith, of heaven, and feed us with the food that strengthens us for the entire Christian life, that the crosses of our life, may not crush us, but lead to resurrection, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

2nd Sunday of Lent 2020 - The dangerous business of going out your door

 One of the great works of literature from the 20th century was written by Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien. You may have read or watched the film production of his “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy. This fantasy saga about hobbits and elves and wizards and dragons is heavily infused with imagery inspired by Tolkien’s Catholic faith.

The tale begins with the discovery of a magic ring. The main character, Frodo, and his friend Sam are tasked with the perilous quest of bringing the mysterious ring to a group of wise elves who will determine what to do with this dangerous artifact.

I thought of Tolkien’s story in regards to our first reading today. Abraham is tasked by God to leave his home, his native land, and venture to a new place, filled with strangers and enemies. A perilous quest for anyone, but particularly Abraham who was 75 years old.

There is a great scene near the beginning of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, where Frodo and Sam, having walked for about a day and half from their village, reach the edge of field, and Sam stops and says, “this is it…If I take one more step, I'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been.” To which Frodo responds, “Come on, Sam. Remember what my uncle used to say: "It's a dangerous business,  going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."

Sam spoke those words with no idea that his feet would take him so far from home, farther than he could ever dream of, and he would do things he never thought himself possible of doing. Like Abraham, like moses, like the prophets, like the apostles and saints. These holy men and women all took a risk of stepping out their front door, and allowing God to lead them to unknown lands, figuratively and oftentimes literally, further from home than they’ve ever been. God invites all of us to trust him, to allow him to lead us into the unknown, into new ways of service and sacrifice,
prayer and evamgelization.

In the Gospel we hear of Peter, James, and John being led up a mountain by Jesus. They had already taken the risk of leaving their fathers’ fishing businesses, following this itinerant preacher and miracle worker all over Galilee. And now, he was leading them up this strange mountain. St. Matthew uses this wonderful word in the Greek for Jesus’ act of leading his apostles up the mountain side. The word is anaphora. Anaphora means to lead up or carry up or bring up.  The word also has the connotation of offering up:  as in the high priest offering up sacrifices for the forgiveness of the sins of the people.

This connection of being led up a mountain and offering up a sacrifice, should certainly make us think of our blessed Lord being led up to mount calvary by the will of his father. And indeed, Christians have always seen the story of the Transfiguration as a foreshadowing of the Lord climbing the Mount of Calvary and also our vocation of following where our master has gone before us.
Peter, James, and John, like their Lord would go on to climb the mountain of suffering for the sake of the Gospel; they “bore their share of hardship for the gospel” as Paul writes to timothy in our second reading. Peter, like the Lord, was crucified. James, was the first to be martyred among the apostles. John, though he died of old age, suffered greatly, he was even boiled in oil, but he survived.
We must all trust the Lord enough to allow him to lead us up the holy mountain. It’s not an easy journey. It’s steep. It’s hard. It requires courage and fortitude. It might even be, like it was for Peter James and John, quite terrifying, initially.

But something happens at the top of the mountain that makes the terrible journey worth it. At the top of the mountain, we encounter God. And that too might be terrifying at first, as it was for Peter, James, and John. But that mountain top encounter with God, changes you, bolsters you, in fact, we long for it. This desire for the mountaintop encounter with the true and living God is deeper than our fears.

Pope Benedict writes, “This letting oneself be guided where one does not want to be led is an essential dimension of our service, and it is exactly what makes us free. In this being guided, which can be contrary to our ideas and plans, we experience something new—the wealth of God’s love.”
There is no doubt, for each and every person here, some place, that God wants to lead us, where we, initially, don’t want to be led. It could be because of our swollen ego, or our fear of suffering, our fear of being rejected by our fellow man. But each one of us, no doubt, is being called by God up a mountain.

That mountain’s name for some of us, might be “forgiveness”, forgiving someone who hurt you deeply. For some, it might be “chastity or self-control”, putting an end to unchaste or spiritually unhealthy habits and actions. For some, it might be “generosity”—learning to trust God enough to give to others more generously. For some, the name of that mountain might be “Confession”. The Sacrament of Confession is sometimes daunting because it requires us to name our failures and seek to change, a very steep mountain indeed.

But, atop each of these daunting, steep mountains, is an encounter with Jesus Christ, which will set you free and bring you joy. In the end, that holy mountain, is the only one worth climbing.
The Eucharistic preface for this second Sunday of Lent, proclaims how the Lord brings the apostles up the holy mountain to show them that the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection. We willingly undergo the sufferings of the Christian life because of that promise, that what we suffer leads to the glory of the resurrection.

So this Lent, take a risk. Pray more than you ever have. Read the Bible more devoutly and reflectively. Fast more strictly than you ever have, trust that the Lord will feed you with what you will give you life. And Give like you never have. Take a risk, step out your front door, climb the mountain. Offer him your time, your body and soul.

The early Greek Christians used that wonderful word Anaphora to describe the Mass. And we Romans Catholics too, refer to that part of the Mass as the anaphora, when bread and wine are offered to God to become the flesh and blood of Jesus the High Priest who offers himself to the Father for our salvation.

As the Lord is offered up, may we offer our lives in union with him, and allow him to lead us in holiness, to grant us courage in leaving the comfort of our native lands, further from home than we’ve ever been. It’s dangerous out there, but he is with us, leading the way, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

July 16 2019 - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - The Mountain of Divine Intimacy

The Carmelite order of the Roman Catholic Church dates back to 1155. The group originated in the Holy Land as a group of hermit monks who lived on Mt. Carmel, about 90 miles north of Jerusalem and 35 miles due west of the Sea of Galilee.

From their earliest days on Mt. Carmel, the Carmelites venerated Our Lady with a chapel dedicated to her honor, as members of the Order seek to imitate our Lady’s humility and her example of prayer.
The scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel has been recommended by the Magisterium throughout the centuries as a devotion for all those who wish to entrust themselves to Our Lady’s protection and seek her intercession especially in remaining mindful of the importance of the interior life and prayer.

The Collect prayer for today’s feast speaks of those two themes: Our Lady’s protection and her aid in reaching the mountain which is Christ. The scapular, in fact, was given to Our Lady to the Carmelite St. Simon Stock, when the Order was facing persecution from violent Muslim attacks in the 13th century.

Mt. Carmel is a symbol for the mountain which we must all climb throughout the Christian Life. For the Christian is called to undergo the arduous task, of conforming not simply his outward appearance, but his inner self to Christ. Growth in prayer and the spiritual life is like an upward battle, like the ascent of a steep mountain. There are no plateaus in the spiritual life, we are either climbing toward Christ or descending away from Him.

From the book “Divine Intimacy”, we read, “Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a special call to the interior life, which is preeminently a Marian life. Our Lady wants us to resemble her not only in our outward appearance but, far more, in heart and spirit. If we gaze into Mary’s soul, we shall see that grace in her has flowered into a spiritual life of incalcuable wealth: a life of recollection, prayer, uninterrupted oblation to God, continual contact, and intimate union with him. Mary’s soul is a sanctuary reserved for God alone, where no human creature has ever left its trace, where love and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of humankind reign supreme. […] Those who want to live their devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the full must follow Mary into the depths of her interior life. Carmel is the symbol of the contemplative life, the life wholly dedicated to the quest for God, wholly orientated towards intimacy with God; and the one who has best realized this highest of ideals is Our Lady herself, ‘Queen and Beauty of Carmel’.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in prayerfulness and fidelity to the Divine Will through the intercession and example of Our Lady.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for blessings upon the Carmelite Order as it works and prays for the good of the Church.

That our young people on summer vacation may be protected from all physical and spiritual harm, shielded from the errors and perversions of the world, and kept in closeness to God through prayer and virtue.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

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

2nd Sunday of Lent 2018 - Desert & Mountaintop

Last week, the Lenten liturgy presented us with the Gospel of Jesus' temptations in the desert; we reflect this week on the extraordinary event of the Transfiguration. Pope Benedict once commented, that these two episodes serve as “pillars on which to build the entire structure of Lent until Easter, and indeed, the entire structure of Christian life.”

On one hand, Jesus’ struggle in the desert, shows us how Jesus shares in our humanity, even in our human temptations. He hungered as we hungered, he thirsted as we thirst, and he was tempted, as we are tempted.

Now, his temptations were on a bit different scale than ours. We are not tempted to turn stones into bread, or to use divine power to become a sort of world ruler, like Jesus. But we are tempted according to our situation in life. A 5 year old is tempted to do what he knows is wrong, stealing the toy from his sibling, obstinately refusing the wishes of his parents. A 15 year-old is tempted with 15-year old sins. Spouses and parents are tempted with sins against the patience and kindness and faithfulness for spouse and children which should rule over their hearts. Politicians are tempted to misuse their power and influence for selfish reasons.

But the Lord’s temptations were real, just like ours: to misuse the power, the time, the goods, we have for selfish means. And this struggle against temptation is the great struggle of the Christian life.
But the Lord was prepared for his desert temptations because, over those 40 days, he had fasted and prayed. And so the Lord sets the model for us, his human brothers and sisters, he sets the pattern for our own Lenten journey. We too are to fast from earthly pleasures—snacks, desserts, entertainment, rich food and drink—in order to remember that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

Some people think that they don’t have to fast during Lent, they’ll just perform extra acts of charity. But that is not consistent with our Catholic Tradition, the scriptures, the prayers, the writings of the saints and the Popes, or the example of Our Lord Himself, who Himself fasted, and taught that his disciples would have to fast, as well. Lenten fasting helps us to deepen our hunger for the “true food”, which is doing the will of God.

The first sin of the human race involved food and grasping for power that didn’t belong to us. And so, If Adam disobeyed the Lord’s command, that he should not eat the forbidden fruit, the believer, through Lenten fasting, submits himself humbly to God. And that humility is a bedrock basic attitude for the Christian life.

So, the Lord going out into the desert, to fast and pray and face his temptations serves as the first pillar of Lent.

The second pillar is the Transfiguration atop Mt. Tabor, which we read every year on the Second Sunday of Lent.

The Mountain Top in scripture is always the place of divine encounter. It is where faithfulness is exercised and God is revealed. On Mount Moriah, Abraham showed his faith, and God revealed that he did not desire human sacrifice, he desires something greater, the total surrender of our hearts. Abraham was to be the father of the holy nation of Israel, a people who offered their whole hearts in surrender to God’s will, God’s plan.

So too, Moses encounters God on Mount Sinai. Moses, who faithfully led the Israelites in their exodus from Egyptian slavery to the promised land, encounters God, who reveals his law, his commandments, that his people may refrain from evil and sin, which are another form of slavery. God desires that his people be free not just from physical slavery, but spiritual slavery as well.

Elijah, too, with whom Jesus converses during His Transfiguration also encountered God on a mountain. On Mt. Carmel, the faithful prophet Elijah confronted the priests of the false Canaanite god Baal, who did demand child-sacrifice by the way. Through faithful Elijah, God reveals he is the One True God, and the futility of the false religions.

So, now Jesus and his closest disciples ascend Mount Tabor. And we see that same pattern again. Jesus, shows himself to be the faithful Son of his Father, willing to undergo suffering, crucifixion, and death. Then God’s glory is revealed. Jesus becomes transfigured, the dazzling glory of his divinity shines forth, and the voice of the Father speaks from heaven, “This is my beloved Son.”

If in the Desert Jesus showed his share in our humanity, on Mount Tabor he shows that through Him, Humanity will share in His divinity. That the cross is not the defeat of God, but rather the royal road of heaven for man; that our sufferings and the fortitude we exert in resisting temptation, when united to Christ leads to life.

So, the Lord’s white garment on Tabor prefigures the robe of his glorious resurrection, as well as the white garment of the baptized. For through baptism, we receive the white garment of the saved; we are united to Christ in his saving death, and are promised that we will rise with Him, in glorious resurrection.

Two pillars of the Lenten season: Desert and Mountaintop. In Lent, we are to be desert travelers with Jesus, fasting with him, turning away from creature comforts and earthly pleasures, to strip away the non-essentials that we may trust all the more in God. And in Lent, we are to be fellow mountain climbers with Christ, seeking the face of God and the will of God in our Lenten prayer, strengthening our Hope in Christ’s promise of resurrection and an eternal Easter.

So every day, we must climb the mountain of prayer. As we heard on Ash Wedneday, each day we are to go to a secluded place, shut the door, and listening to the Word of God. Our prayer will sustain us as we carry our crosses and encounter our hardships and face our temptations, our prayer will bring us the sweetness of God in the bitter times of life, the refreshment of God in the arid times of life, the peace of God in the chaotic times of life. Pope St. Leo the Great said, “when it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears: This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

After facing temptation once again in the Garden of Gethsemene, on Good Friday, Jesus, the faithful son, climbs the final mountain, mount Calvary. God’s divine love, God’s love for us sinners, is fully revealed on that mountain, the mount of the cross. May His Divine Life, that radical aversion to sin, that burning desire to do the will of the Father, fill our hearts and lives as well, for the glory of god and salvation of souls.

Homily: 1st Sunday in Advent 2016 - Isaiah, the prophet of Advent

Throughout the season of Advent we will read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Not only each Sunday do we read from Isaiah, but throughout the week as well. If you aren’t in the habit of attending weekday Mass; what a wonderful way of making Advent a bit more special this year: attending weekday Mass will help you enter more deeply into the Spirit of the season.

The book of the Prophet Isaiah have been called “the fifth Gospel” by some scholars, for it contains so many of the themes of the Gospels: the call of God’s people to practice justice, the need for repentance, the reality of judgment, God’s promise of salvation, reflection on God’s mercy; the need for God’s people during times of darkness to practice faith and hope. Certainly, one of the most important themes of Isaiah is his proclamation of the coming of the Messiah; Isaiah calls Israel to remember God’s promise of a Savior in some of the most beautiful passages in the entire Old Testament of the Bible. 

Isaiah is like a tour guide through Advent pointing out the important sights. You may be thinking: I’ve been through Advent before, I know what Advent is about. But sometimes a tour guide can offer new insights to a familiar place. You often hear it said, that converts make the best Catholics. Why is that? Because they are so often able to see the beauty and value of our faith with fresh eyes. So what do you need to do to put on fresh eyes this Advent, to rediscover the beauty that God presents us with?

If you can’t make it to daily Mass, I encourage you, this Advent, to at least read through the Isaiah reading every day. The Scriptures verses are printed in the bulletin; if you visit the US Bishop’s website, you can sign up to have the daily scripture readings emailed to you.  Take a few minutes throughout the day to read through and reflect upon the Isaiah reading: ask, why has the Church picked this reading for the season of Advent? What are the symbols here; how does this passage help me to prepare for Christmas; what does this say about God, about the attitude and dispositions God’s people are meant to have?

Isaiah wrote at a time when Israel had been devastated by the Babylonian army; the Jews had been bound and chained and marched off into exile; they had seen their temple, their beautiful city, their homes and families destroyed.  Isaiah wrote, during this time of great loss, a message of hope, he wrote of a time when all of God’s promises would be fulfilled, a time when the tears from all faces would be wiped away by God himself. 

Perhaps it feels like your world has been devastated; perhaps your family is experiencing division, perhaps you feel alienated from old friends, perhaps you’re struggling with a particular temptation; perhaps you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, or deepening financial woes. Just as God spoke to the sorrowful captive exiles in Isaiah’s time, he speaks to us, words of promise, words of hope, words of comfort.

But again, in order to hear those words of hope, you need to quiet down—go to a quiet room, the church or chapel; put aside anxious thoughts and listen to and meditate upon the word of God. If we do not pray as we ought, how can we be surprised when we do not know the peace that God wants to give us.

In the Isaiah reading for this 1^st Sunday of Advent; we heard of a mountain, a mountain upon which will stand the great Temple of God; not only will God send a Messiah; Isaiah said, “the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.”

On this Holy Mountain, in the Lord’s House—his temple—is where he wants to give us his gifts of peace and joy. Yet, so often we fail to climb the mountain, to enter the temple. We allow other mountains to be higher, other temples to be our destination.

Is the Lord’s mountain really the highest mountain in your life? Is the praise and worship of God more important to you than anything else? Is it more important than your job? Is it more important than your social relationships? Is it more important even than your family, the people you love the most? If not, something is off-kilter in your life.

What’s the highest mountain for you? We all have one. We all have mountains and hills, things that preoccupy our time and effort. But what is your highest mountain? If it’s not the mountain of the Lord’s house, something is wrong. If you don’t have the love of God first in your life, you will not know what to do with the other goods in your life.

Isaiah says, It is on this holy mountain that the Lord instructs us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths. In a sense, this mountain is certainly a foreshadowing of the earthly Church.  As Christians, members of the Church, we are instructed in the ways of the Lord. We learn our catechism, we learn how to apply the teachings of Jesus to the concrete circumstances of our life.  We just concluded a Year-long meditation on Mercy, constantly reflecting upon how the Lord is calling us to engage in the works of mercy, and how God in His mercy is inviting each of us to experience his love and forgiveness.

The mountain is not just a foreshadowing of heaven, it’s not just a foreshadowing of the Church, it is also a symbol of our own personal spiritual journey. Are you undertaking in the inner journey? Is the pursuit of spiritual things more important than your pursuit of earthly things? Are you quieting down in prayer so that the Lord may teach you his ways? Are you allowing him to teach you how to be more gentle, more patient, more generous, more trusting?  

In the Lord’s house on his Holy Mountain we hear how “swords are turned into plowshares and their spear into pruning hooks.” Coming from an Italian family, I come from a long tradition of very sharp tongues. And from time to time that sharp tongue has gotten me into trouble. But as we undertake that spiritual journey, as we climb the Lord’s mountain and enter his temple, the sharp-cutting words are transformed into words of encourage, comfort, instruction, clear teaching, and words of praise and worship.

Allow this Advent to transform you, to turn your swords and spears into instruments of goodness, peace, and joy. Let Isaiah remind you of the beautiful, awe-inspiring, consoling promises of God. And may the Holy Spirit help us all to prepare our minds and hearts for the coming of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.