5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025 - Put into the deep waters

 

When the new millennium began, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to the Church and used the words of Jesus to Peter from today’s Gospel as its title.  In latin, they are “duc in altum”—“put out into the deep”.  

You might imagine Peter’s confusion or perhaps rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, when Jesus, a carpenter, spoke those words to him, telling Peter, a professional fisherman,  how to do his job.  Peter and his crew had just fished all night and had just finished cleaning all of their equipment when Jesus instructed Peter to cast his net into deep waters.  

Even though it contradicted his professional sensibilities, trusting his master, Peter cast out into the depths of Lake Gennesaret, and catching so many fish, they had to call for another boat to bring them all in.  

In his uncertainty, he placed his deep trust in the Lord, and that made all the difference.  Pope John Paul II, aware of the many challenges the Church faced at the turn of the millennium, failing economies, impending wars, a culture becoming bent on instant gratification and materialism, he called upon Christians just like the Lord did to Peter, to cast out into the deep.  

If we are going to remain faithful amidst all of these worldly pressures, temptations and challenges, we must seek to be ever more deeply converted to Christ, to love him ever more deeply, to drink deeply of the Holy Spirit.

He had offered the same message when in Saint Peter’s square in 1978 in the opening address of his pontificate, he said, “Do not be afraid to Open wide the doors of your heart for Christ.”  Cast out into the deep, open wide the doors. 

Saint John Paul knew the importance of the Christian having the courage to enter the deep waters of prayer and service. 

He wrote how Christians must seek to meet Christ in prayer not only in imploring his help when things aren’t going our way, but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion “until the heart truly 'falls in love'".  Prayer is a deep ocean, and most of us only like to get our feet wet. 

But we are called to plunge into the deep, where we don’t just speak to God, but we hear him and experience Him calling us by name. In those deep waters of prayer, we experience healing, emboldening, guidance, challenge, and union with Christ.

If we are only praying when we want something, if we only treat God like he’s Santa Clause, then we will never really fall in love with Jesus.  Rather, the Holy Father calls us to a deeper prayer life: time set aside every day for adoration and contemplation and listening.

In another sense, those words, “put out into the deep” is a call to every Christian, no matter what their state in life, to take up the missionary mandate of the Church. We are to put out into the depths, into the unknown, to bring in the catch of fish. 

What are the deep waters for us?  For many of us, no doubt, it is into the lives of family members who have left the practice of the church and to our neighbors.

And these places, it might seem foolish to our sensibilities, like Peter, the expert fisherman, being directed to cast into waters he had already fished. To those whom we have declined our invitation Church months or years ago, we do well to try again periodically. After all, you’ve been praying for them, no? God has been working in their lives, right? Maybe they weren’t ready in the past, but they might be ready, now! Your inclination might be to dismiss them, but the Lord hasn’t stopped working to open them to the way, the truth, and the life.

This week, prayerfully consider, “what are the deep waters that you are calling me to fish, Lord? Who are those fish swimming deep down in the depths, that I am being called by God  to try to reach?”

In the first reading, we heard of the call of Isaiah. The Lord certainly had a job for that would have been contrary to his sensibilities: to preach to his own people that their sins were so great that there would be consequences if they did not return to God with all their heart. But he said, “Here I am Lord, send me!”

 Recall, too,  that it was after the hot coal had been touched to his lips that Isaiah was prepared to be sent by God to preach. God said to him, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” 

God wants to touch the hot coal of his mercy to our lips as well. Being vigilant and serious about removing sin from our lives makes us, like Isaiah, more effective in going to the places God wants to send us and speaking the words God wants us to speak. If it’s been a few months or more since the hot coal of the confessional has touched your lips…it’s time! Make a good, thorough examination of conscience and a good confession. The diocesan-wide evening of confessions returns this year on Wednesday March 19th. Most parishes in the diocese, including ours, will welcome the faithful from 5-8 pm. 

The call to cast into the deep is the call to trust the Lord. Trust the Lord. He knows better than you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what you are capable of with his help. No one who truly trusted the Lord was ever disappointed. Let him forgive your sins and let him send you.

The same Jesus who called Peter to the depths is calling you—calling you to deeper prayer, deeper surrender, deeper mission. You may feel unworthy, as Isaiah did. You may feel unequipped, as Peter did. You may feel like you have tried and failed before. But the Lord is not asking for your perfection—He is asking for your faith. He is asking you to trust Him enough to go where He sends you, to try again, to open your heart fully to Him. The Lord does not abandon those who trust in Him. And He will not abandon you. Put out into the deep, open wide the doors of your heart, and you will see the power of God at work in your life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

October 22 2024 - Pope St. John Paul II - Witness to Hope

10 years ago, we celebrated the Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II for the first time. His feast is celebrated on the 22nd of October, the anniversary of his papal inauguration in 1978.  On that day, the new Bishop of Rome began a ministry that would change the world.

His papacy lasted 26 years, 5 months, and 17 days, the third longest papacy in history.  He traveled the world more than any Pope in history, visiting 129 nations during his pontificate. He was the first pope to visit the White house.  He spoke latin fluently, but could also converse in Slovak, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ukrainian, English, and of course, his native Polish.  

He presided over the largest papal gathering in history—5 million people gathered in Manila for the 1995 World Day. That is, until Pope Francis 20 years later, presided at Mass with a crowd of 6-7 million. 

Pope John Paul, published the first official Catholic catechism since the Council of Trent.  He had one of the most prolific pontificates in history, publishing 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 45 apostolic letters and 28 motu proprios.  He canonized more saints than any other Pope in history.  And. he played a decisive role in the downfall of communism in eastern Europe

The list of accomplishments goes on and on.  His personal holiness could be felt by those around him.  If you ever had the eyes of Pope John Paul II on you, you could sense his deep love for God.  He was a mystic.  His prayer life, his love for God, his devotion to the Blessed Mother infused his life, and radiated from him.

At his canonization, Pope Francis said of him that John Paul II was “not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch his torn hands and pierced side.”  He “bore witness” to Jesus’ mercy for us.  John Paul instituted Divine mercy Sunday and was Canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday.

In the collect we asked God that, instructed by John Paul’s teaching, “we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ”.  He was a prolific writer, yet his greatest teaching is in his witness to Christ.  At his Beatification, Pope Benedict XVI said, John Paul “remained deeply united to God amid the many demands of his ministry.” Even as he was stripped of good health in his final months, he remained a “rock of faith”.  May we learn from his example, of deeply united ourselves to God, through prayer and service, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the Church throughout the world, that following the example of St. John Paul II, she may fearlessly proclaim the Gospel in every nation and culture, bearing witness to Christ's mercy in our time. Let us pray to the Lord...

For all who lead and serve the Church, that like John Paul II, they may remain deeply united to God amid their ministry, finding strength in prayer and devotion to Our Lady. Let us pray to the Lord...

For world peace and justice, that through the intercession of St. John Paul II, who helped bring down the walls of division in Europe, nations may find paths to reconciliation and mutual understanding. Let us pray to the Lord...

For young people, whom John Paul II especially loved, that they may open their hearts to Christ and respond generously to God's call in their lives. Let us pray to the Lord...

For those who suffer in body or spirit, that like John Paul II in his final illness, they may unite their suffering to Christ's cross and bear witness to the dignity of human life at every stage. 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 families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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.

29th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Monday - Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy)

 Having concluded our reading of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, our readings at weekday Mass will be taken from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, until the end of the month.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was primarily corrective—addressing particular grave errors of the Galatian community.  

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, written while in prison in Rome around the year 60, is a more universal letter. It circulated among the various communities in the region of Asia Minor and doesn’t mention specific problems or controversies of any local church.  Rather, it is a profound and exalted meditation on the mystery of God’s plan to save all men through Christ and incorporate us into the Body of Christ, the Church.

We heard this morning, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgression, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” 

In 1980 Pope St. John Paul issued an encyclical “Dives in Misericordia”. Rich in Mercy, drawing its name from that verse of St. Paul, the encyclical focuses on God's mercy as revealed through Jesus Christ offered to all people. 

In it, the Pope emphasizes how mercy, as a fundamental attribute of God and a core element of Christ's messianic mission, restores human dignity and brings sinful man back into relationship with God.

God’s mercy offers us a fresh start. His forgiveness liberates us from the burden of guilt and allows us to rediscover our true identity as children of God. Mercy forgives us of sin and leads us away from all those forms of evil which degrade us. Moreso, the mercy of Christ reveals us to ourselves. God’s mercy, shown to us in Jesus Christ, shows us who we are meant to be. As the Pope says, “Christ reveals man to himself and brings to light his lofty calling." God's mercy reveals to us our true potential and calling.

Saved and transformed by God’s mercy, we are to be merciful toward one another. We are to practice forgiveness, active compassion, and the recognition of the dignity of every human person.  We are to engage in the works of mercy: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. We are not only to engage in mutual service, but outdo each other in charity. 

The Church’s duty is to create a culture of mercy. May we start here in our neighborhood, in our parish, in our families and toward strangers—that the mercy of Christ which has saved us, may continue to save and transform all aspects of life and society to create a civilization of love, where mercy reigns, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that she may faithfully proclaim and embody God's mercy in all her ministries and interactions, let us pray to the Lord.

For world leaders, that they may be inspired by God's mercy to work for justice, peace, and the alleviation of poverty and suffering, that all our interactions and structures may reflect the merciful love of God revealed in Jesus Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that we may become a beacon of mercy in our neighborhood, actively practicing forgiveness, compassion, and recognition of human dignity, let us pray to the Lord.

For those burdened by guilt or sin, that they may encounter the liberating forgiveness of Christ and rediscover their dignity as children of God, we pray to the Lord.

That the sick, suffering, and afflicted may always know the mercy of God in the charity of the Christian Church. 

That all those who have died, through the mercies of God, may rest in peace in the hope of the resurrection, especially…

Merciful Father, hear our prayers and grant us what we truly need in order to be  living witnesess of your mercy in Christ. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.

October 22 2021 - Pope St John Paul II (school mass) - Lives of holiness

 The last time the school was gathered over in Church we were celebrating the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis lived and died over 800 years ago, yet we celebrate him to this day because of his holiness, his example of love for God, his willingness to bear the sufferings of Jesus in his body and in his life.

Today we celebrate a saint, who lived and died not 800 years ago, but just 16 years ago. He was the Pope at the turning of the 21st century, the Pope for the majority of my life and many of your teachers and parents: Pope John Paul II.

Not every Pope is a saint or will be canonized as a saint. But Pope John Paul II was one of the holiest men who lived in the last 100 years. 

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

He had one of the most prolific pontificates in history: publishing, 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 45 apostolic letters and 28 motu proprios.  And he canonized more saints than any other Pope in history.  He played a decisive role in the downfall of communism in eastern Europe. The list of accomplishments goes on and on.  

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

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

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

This is what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel today. In the Gospel, Jesus says, there are people who are brilliant at predicting the weather, they can look at the sky, and know what kind of weather we are going to have. But it is all a waste of time if you have this great ability, but do not learn the difference between right and wrong, evil and righteousness, and strive to live a life of grace. You can learn to speak all the languages of the world, but if you do not have God’s love in you, you are just going through life making a bunch of noise.

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

Ascension 2020 - Don't just stand there

Way back at the beginning of Lent we heard the Gospel story of Jesus going out into the desert, where he fasted and prayed for 40 days. There in the desert, Our Lord prepared emotionally, mentally, and spiritually his public ministry of preaching and teaching, healing, and confronting the error and evil which had crept into jewish religious life—into the hearts of his people. Those 40 days prepared him to embrace His Father’s will, which would culminate with his sacrifice on Calvary.

After his resurrection and prior to his ascension, Our Lord also prepared for 40 days, not so much himself, but he prepared his disciples for their ministry—to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. St. Luke tells us in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles how Our Lord prepared his disciples: He appeared to them, he presented himself alive to them, he showed them proofs of his suffering and victory over death. And he instructed them, he spoke of the kingdom of God to them, he gave them specific marching orders and also formed them for the Gospel mission to the ends of the earth. And he spoke of their coming baptism in the Holy Spirit, Pentecost.

This time of preparation was vitally important. They would need courage. They would need competency. And they needed the divine life within them. For they would be facing torment, and opposition, and the very powers of hell bent at tearing down all that is holy.

At the end of those 40 days after the resurrection, before their very eyes, St. Luke tells us, Our Lord was lifted up, he ascended. An event which resonated deeply in the early church, for it is recorded in all four Gospels and the book of acts.

And in Acts, immediately following the Lord’s ascension, we read a very interesting detail, it’s almost comical, if not predictable, if you’ve been paying attention to how the apostles typically respond to Jesus’ instructions. Our Lord ascends into heaven, it’s time for the apostles to get to work, and what do they do? Acts tells us, they just stood there, looking intently at the sky.

They were so immobilized that God had to send angels to get them moving again.  “Men, of Galilee, why are you just standing there looking at the sky?” Don’t just stand there, do something. Get to work! 

A few years ago, Pope Francis spoke about how Christians can be alot like those disciples in that moment after the Ascension.  In fact, Pope Francis had some pretty strong words about it. He said, “Christians who stay still, who don’t go forward, are non-Christian Christians...They are slightly ‘paganized’ Christians: (they) who stay still and don’t go forward in their Christian lives, who don’t make the Beatitudes bloom in their lives, who don’t do Works of mercy… they are motionless. Excuse me for saying it,” the Pope said, “but they are like an (embalmed) mummy, a spiritual mummy. There are Christians who are ‘spiritual mummies,’ motionless.  They don’t do evil but they aren’t doing good.”

Pretty strong words! For what is a mummy, but a former human who has become dried-up, devoid of life, stuffed into a casket. Motionless.

Christians are to be so much more than mummies. The Lord said, I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.  Our Christian faith exists to make us fully alive, to fill us with life and conviction and spiritual gifts for the building-up of the kingdom, but so often, we just stand there, fearful to step forward, afraid of making a mistake, fearful of appearing too Christian. What would our neighbors think if we invited them to church? What would our family members think if we got involved in volunteer work in the parish. What would people think if we took initiative in starting up a prayer group, a bible study?

Fear is certainly one of the great enemies of the spiritual life, fear which mummifies, paralyzes, causes us to stand still in the spiritual life and the work of the Gospel. And yet, we know that great spiritual vibrancy is possible. Up and down the centuries the saints show us what happens when you allow Christian courage and spiritual fecundity to animate one’s life.

I remember when I came face to face with Pope Saint John Paul II when I was living in Rome 16 years ago.  The man had already begun to be crippled from Parkinson’s, and yet, he was bursting with life, the light of Christ radiated from his eyes, the joy of the Gospel and the love he had for the Church bristled in every word. Though his physical life began to fail, his spiritual life thrived. It’s possible, for each one of us, spiritual vibrancy is possible whether in quarantine, in prison or poverty, peacetime or war.

Now, I know, we’ve had a very difficult, very strange Lent and Easter this year. Fear of sickness and disease may have caused us to become a little spiritually paralyzed, spiritually immobile. With eyes agape we’ve gazed for too many hours at television and computer screens. Instead of making our homes places where spiritual life thrives, we’ve made them into mummy’s caskets.

As our parish reopens for weekday mass this week and Pentecost Mass next Sunday, we do well to identify those mummified parts of our lives that need to be re-vivified, those fearful chambers of our hearts that need to be emboldened, the arid parts of our souls that need to be watered. Be generous with God this week as you prepare not only to return to Church, but for the work of the gospel out in the world. For yes, we come to Church, in order to worship and adore our God and Savior, but we come to Church in order to be strengthened and emboldened to go out into the world to preach and to teach, to make disciples, and to baptize, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

1st Sunday of Lent 2020 - "We want God"

Just a few weeks after being elected Pope, Saint John Paul II, a proud son of Poland and former bishop of Krakow, returned to his native land, and stayed for 10 days, June 1 to June 10, 1979. There is a documentary on his visit called “10 Days which changed the World”. Henry Kissinger said that during those 10 days,  John Paul II did for the people of Poland what Winston Churchill did for the people of England during the darkness of the second world war.

World War II essentially began with Poland being conquered by Nazi Germany and the Communist Soviet Union. After the defeat of the Nazi’s, the Communists ruled Poland ruthlessly. Poles were shipped to Gulags, enemies of the Communist Party were arrested and killed. The Atheistic Communist Police State restricted many freedoms, the Church was forced underground, seminaries were closed, priests were killed.

So imagine, the new Polish Pope, who himself was ordained during this period of religious oppression, returns home and begins to speak about God, publicly, openly. Crowds for his masses grew and grew, for the first time in decades, the Poles began to raise their heads and look around. They began to recognize the great strength that comes from culture, tradition, national unity and their Catholic faith. Seeds of hope were planted on that trip, which eventually saw the fall of the Iron Curtain due to the great Polish Solidarity movement that formed after the Pope’s visit.

Well, on the last day of the Pope’s visit, two million Poles gathered in victory square in warsaw. And something happened that day which changed history. As the saintly Pope preached, a few people from one corner of the gathering began to chant three words. And those three words began to spread throughout the crowd, to the point where two million began were those three words in unison. What did they chant? “Russia go home”, “Down with Communism?” No. Nor did they even chant “Long live the Pope”. The people of Poland, two million strong, began to chant “We want God”, “We want God”. Two million people, it went on for 30 seconds, a minute, two minutes. An advisor approached the Pope and suggested that he calm down the crowd, and he said, no way, this is why I’m here. “We want God” for Seventeen minutes, two million people chanting “We want God”

When the iron curtain fell, and the archives of the KGB were opened, a telegram from the Commandant of Warsaw was discovered giving an account of that day. And it ended with the phrase “It’s all over”. The people of Poland had openly and publicly confessed they wanted God, not a totalitarian regime who acted as if they were.

“We want God”, “I want God” is the most ancient, embedded desire in the depths of our souls. We were made by God, we were made for God, we long for God. And yet, rivaling that most profound longing is a counterfeit proposal: “I don’t need God”.

This rivalry, this battle within our souls goes all the way back to the garden of eden, as we heard in our first reading, the ancient temptation which our first parents faced and caved to. Adam and Eve, will you obey God or turn your eyes and face from Him? Will you kneel before the divine will of heaven or put yourselves on the throne? Are you going to let God be God or are you going to play act and pretend that you are God? We know the result, and every human sin in history has been that same choice played over and over.

In today’s Gospel, we hear of Jesus, too, facing temptation, during his Lent, his 40 days in the desert. Jesus, will you follow and obey the will of your Heavenly Father or not? Will you, Son of God, be subject to the Father’s will or seek to supplant it?

One of the characteristics not just of communist Russia, but the growing secularism within our own current culture is the claim that we can build a society without God, we can get along just fine without God, we can create through purely human efforts a utopian state without reference or relationship to God.

But, this error, is the same lie told to Adam and Eve, “you don’t need God, you won’t die.” But godlessness, the failure to recognize the dignity of each human person created in the divine image, only leads to doom.

Now, most americans claim to believe in god or a higher power, still, about 80%... down from near unanimous belief in God not too many years ago. And yet, the first reading and the gospel highlight that believing in God is not the same as obeying Him. The perennial, ancient temptation is to refashion God in our own image, according to our own wants and desires. Yes 80% of Americans claim to believe in God, but for many, that’s a god of their fashioning, a god who doesn’t care if you go to church, doesn’t care if you cheat in business or on your spouse or who you sleep with, doesn’t care if you commit infanticide or kill the baby in the mother’s womb o kill your body and mind with excessive alcohol or illegal drugs. The voice that claims that Christian morality is a relic to be discarded is not the voice of God.

And that voice, the voice of the rebel, fallen angel, the voice of the serpent, speaks to all of us, tempts all of us, “you don’t need God” to be happy, “you don’t need to pray”, “you don’t need to obey”.
But, the Lord Jesus show us that we must and can stand firm against temptations, and shows us how. In each of the temptations, in the Gospel today, we see the Lord resisting the temptations of the devil by recalling the words of the Holy Scriptures.

The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” And so on. After 40 days of fasting bread looked good, just like the fruit of that forbidden tree. In the face of temptation, the Lord recalled the scriptures, and applied them to his situation.

In the second temptation, we see that the devil knows the scriptures, too. He’ll quote them out of context for his vile purposes. So, we need to know them better, always reading the scriptures with the mind of the church

This is why we should know our scriptures well, that when we are faced with temptations and moral dilemmas, we may recall the word of God, and allow that word, not the voice of temptation to guide us. To recognize we need God in order to live, and to live well, to live righteously. We need God, to guide us and give us strength.

During Lent we confront our sins and our temptations. We look at the sins into which we’ve fallen over the past year, we repent of them, and seek God’s word to strengthen us against future sin. We read and ponder the word of God. We do well to meditate upon the readings from daily Mass, and the passion narratives from the Gospels to come to appreciate the great victory Christ won for us through his suffering and death.

As we engage in the Lenten works of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are united with Catholics around the world, and Catholics of all ages, who in the face of the oppressive powers of darkness and the temptations of the flesh, cry out to heaven, “we want God” …for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

30th Sunday in OT 2019 - Priesthood Sunday - Servants of Divine Love

Earlier this week we celebrated the feast of Pope St. John Paul II. And at morning mass,  I shared a story about Pope John Paul, that I’d like to share with all of you.

As many of you know, I was able to study as a seminarian in Rome in the year 2004. I was still five years away from ordination, but during those months I was certainly confirmed in my vocation and my desire to serve the Church in many ways. This was especially true on the morning of Holy Thursday. As we gathered for the Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s basilica, I had a great seat, right on the aisle, and I would be able to see Pope John Paul II as he processed to the altar. I had seen the holy Pope from a great distance a few years before at World Youth Day in Toronto, and several times during that semester as we gathered in Piazza San Pietro for the Holy Father’s Wednesday Audiences and the Sunday Angelus, but this was as close as I’d ever be. And I swear as this frail Pope processed toward the altar, he looked right into my eyes and it was as if Jesus Himself were looking at me in love. And I got an overwhelming sense that my path toward the priesthood was the right one.

Many people still speak of powerful encounters with Pope John Paul and the miracles that surrounded him. But I’ll never forget his loving gaze. The high points of the spiritual life, are certainly those moments where you encounter the Lord’s love for you, aren’t they—when you experience God looking at you, all of you, with love.

Christian discipleship is at its core is essentially a response to God’s great act of love, sending His Son to die for us. I’d venture to say that the more you understand and take to heart the depth of God’s love shown for us in the crucifixion, the more you will desire to imitate Him and to give your own life in service to Him.

And I’d venture to say that the vocations of so many priests are born out of that gaze of love. The priest is at the service of Divine Love—leading members of the church in fulfilling that great command to love the Lord with all your mind, all your soul, all your heart.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “If I were asked if I had my life to live over again, would I live the priesthood as I have? The answer is: ‘No, I would try to love Christ more.”  I think every priest goes to sleep at night with the thought that he could have loved Christ and his people more that day. 

Vatican II explained that the priesthood is at the service of love. The Vatican II document on the ordained priesthood explained, “priests have been placed in the midst of the laity to lead them to the unity of charity, " loving one another with mutual affection; anticipating one another in showing honor.” It is their task, therefore, to reconcile differences of mentality in such a way that no one need feel himself a stranger in the community of the faithful. [Priests] are defenders of the common good, with which they are charged in the name of the bishop. At the same time, [priests] are strenuous assertors of the truth, lest the faithful be carried about by every wind of doctrine. [Priests] are united by a special solicitude with those who have fallen away from the use of the sacraments, or perhaps even from the faith. Indeed, as good shepherds, they should not cease from going out to them.

An interesting job description, no? the duty to assert truth in the face of the winds of error from the world, to reach out to those not making use of the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist, to seek out the fallen away, to reconcile differences in a community, to defend the common good. And yet all of these tasks are summed up in the priest's duty to love.

Please know, that if I have failed to love any of you, I’m sorry. If I have made any Catholic feel himself a stranger, I’m sorry. If I’ve failed to assert truth and promote the sacraments, I’m sorry. But at least it’s the failure we all share, the failure to love, the failure to be like the tax collector in today’s Gospel, who lives on his knees, in humility before God. Thank you for your prayers for the sanctification of priests, and for me in this first year as pastor.

So, a short homily today, as we welcome seminarian Joe McCarron, who will speak to us after Communion. Joe, thank you for your willingness to serve the lord in holiness and love. Know of our prayers for you and the seminarians.

It takes a lot for a young man to trust the Lord enough to give years of his life to discern a call to the priesthood. Thank you Joe for your witness and your example. May the good work the Lord has begun in you, be brought to completion.

On Priesthood Sunday, we pray for the sanctification of priests, that they may be faithful servants of divine love, and we pray for the grace to unite our lives in union with Christ the High Priest who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life in ransom for many for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 22 2019 - Pope St. John Paul II - Love of the Shepherd

As many of you know, I was able to study in Rome in the year 2004. I was still five years away from ordination, but during those months I was certainly confirmed in my vocation and my desire to serve the Church in many ways. This was especially true on the morning of Holy Thursday, as we gathered for the Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s basilica. I had a great seat, right on the aisle, I would be able to see Pope John Paul II as he processed to the altar. I had seen the holy Pope from a great distance before at World Youth Day in Toronto, and several times during that semester as we gathered from Wednesday Audiences and the Sunday Angelus’, but this was as close as I’d ever be. And I swear as this frail Pope processed toward the altar, he looked right into my eyes and it was as if Jesus Himself were looking at me in love. And I got an overwhelming sense that my path toward the priesthood was the right one.

Many people still speak of powerful encounters with Pope John Paul and the miracles that surrounded him. But I’ll never forget his loving gaze.

The Gospel for this memorial retells the Lord’s invitation to Peter to love him. No doubt, St. John Paul, a successor of Peter, loved the Lord immensely. And his love of the Lord enabled John Paul to truly feed the Lord’s flock with a shepherd’s heart. The love of the shepherd emanated from the holy Pope, it shined from his eyes and his embrace of the poor in his world wide travels, logging over 725 thousand miles in travels, visiting corners of the globe that no Pope had previously visited, proclaiming, as we said in our psalm, “God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.” He was truly a missionary Pope that taught us to be courageous in spreading the Gospel.

“Do you love me” the Lord asks to each of us. Then “feed my sheep.” May each of us take up the invitation to love and to feed with the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Holy Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the teaching, preaching, and pastoral care of the Church all Christians will grow in their love of the Lord Jesus.  We pray to the Lord.

That we may all benefit from the heavenly intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, especially in this time of “spiritual turbulence.”

For all missionaries who seek to bring the Gospel to the margins and marginalized.

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

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

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.

October 22 2018 - St. John Paul II - Totus Tuus

In 1929, just 17 days short of his 9th birthday, the young Karol Wojtyla — the future Blessed Pope John Paul II — entered his house during the afternoon. His parents were very pious, and young Karol was accustomed to see his father — a strong soldier in the Polish army — praying on his knees on their parlor’s hardwood floor. That day, when the young Karol saw his father praying, he saw his dad’s knees bathing in a pool of tears.

“What’s wrong, Papa” the young future Pope asked his father. “Karol, your mother has died!” was his father’s answer. His mother had Emilia died in childbirth.

The eight year old ran out of his home to the local parish Church, which was actually right across the street from the Wojtyla apartment home. He entered the Church and ran up the aisle of the Church to a kneeler in front of a statue of Mary.  Tearfully, he said to her: “Blessed Lady, I don’t know why God took my mother home at the time he did. But I do know one thing: YOU are my mother now!”

Blessed Pope John Paul’s devotion to the Blessed Mother deeply impacted his life, his priesthood, and his papacy.  When he was made bishop of Krakow, he took as his episcopal motto the words: Totus Tuus ego sum, which is latin for “I am completely yours.”  The motto “Totus tuus” was taken from a prayer by Saint Louis Marie de Montfordt: "Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria." "I am completely yours, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart"

Jesus, from the cross, told us to Behold his mother. We seek to “do whatever he tells us” and so this is why we turn to Mary’s guidance and holy example, that our hearts may become more like hers in her love of Jesus and faithfulness to God’s Divine Will.

[Maggie’s Place Mass:] In this place dedicated to motherhood, all mothers and all those who assist them in the care of their children do well to place themselves under the guidance and protection of the Mother of Jesus. Mary is the mother who has endured the greatest of sufferings, and she will always help mothers who turn to Her to endure their own sufferings in union with Jesus. She will always help mothers who turn to her to raise their children to know Jesus and to follow his teachings.

[Nursing Home Mass:] Mary stood at the cross as her son suffered and died for our salvation. She was the instrument through which God brought Christ Our Salvation into the world. So any grace, any healing we need, we do well to turn to Mary. She will always help us to experience the healing of God in our illnesses, and the peace of God in our suffering.

During this month of October especially, we do well to take up her Holy Rosary, as Saint John Paul II did so many times in his life, to pray the rosary for peace, for healing, for the conversion so many souls are desperately in need of.

Through the intercession of Saint John Paul who entrusted himself, his priesthood, his papacy and the Church to Mary, may we place that same trust in her, who bore the Christ child, who nurtured Him through childhood, who at the Wedding at Cana told the servants to “do whatever he tells you.” Mary, Mother of the Church, Mother of all Christians, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the teaching, preaching, and pastoral care of the Church all Christians will grow in their devotion to and imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We pray to the Lord.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  We pray to the Lord.

For those trapped in the downward spiral of sin, that the hope offered through the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin will bring them new life in the Spirit.  We pray to the Lord.

That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will raise us to the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  We pray to the Lord.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families.  We pray to the Lord.

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  We pray to the Lord.

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

July 9 2018 - St. Augustine Zhao and 119 Companion Martyrs

During his twenty-six-year reign as Pope from 1978–2005, Pope St. John Paul II canonized 482 saints, that’s more saints in his 26 years as pope than all popes of the previous 1,000 years combined. John Paul canonized men and women, young and old, from all walks of life, and from all around the world, to raise our consciousness, our awareness, of God working in human hearts.

He canonized hundreds of non-European saints, a great reminder that God is at work in places like Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

120 of those 482 saints are celebrated today, St. Augustine Zhao and his 119 martyred companions. These 120 Catholics weren’t aren’t at the same time, but over a period of almost 300 years, from 1648 to 1930, in China. They were lay people, clergy, and religious ranging in age from 9 to 72.  87 of them were native born chinese, and the rest were foreign born missionaries.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong was not born to Catholic parents, he was a Chinese soldier who became familiar with the Catholic faith when he was ordered to escort a bishop to his martyrdom in Beijing.  Augustine was so impressed and moved by the bishop’s faith, Augustine asked to be baptized.  He entered the seminary and was ordained a diocesan priest.  In 1815, he was arrested, tortured, and martyred.

The other martyrs we remember today include parents, catechists, laborers, and priests, people like you and me, who remained faithful to Christ during times of persecution. They would often work to spread Christianity secretly, when the faith was outlawed by the Chinese government. They were hated by not just government officials, but by just about everybody, but they were faithful.

Christianity continues to have a difficult time in China. The Communist Chinese government seeks to control the Church, seeks to control the selection of bishops and the priests who are ordained and it puts limitations on missionary activity.

So these martyrs are such important witnesses to the Chinese Catholics and to all of us. In a letter to the Chinese Christians in 2006, Pope Benedict wrote of his admiration for their great sufferings undergone for Jesus Christ. 

May the Lord increase our willingness to suffer for the spread of our saving faith. Through the prayers of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, may we witness to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ in our speech, in our conduct, in our generosity with our time, talent, and treasure  for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Our Savior’s faithfulness is mirrored in the fidelity of his witnesses who shed their blood for the Word of God. Let us praise him in remembrance of them:

The martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood, may we have a faith that is constant and pure.

The martyrs followed in Christ’s footsteps by carrying the cross, may we endure courageously our earthly trials and all the misfortunes of life.

The martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, may we be helped by their prayers to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements.

That all missionaries may have courage and strength in their witness to the Gospel, for an increase in priestly and religious vocations, and for increased willingness among Christians to answer the missionary call.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of July: That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests. We pray to the Lord.

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

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