13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Die to sin and live for God

 For a few Sundays now, following Corpus Christi Sunday, the priest has been wearing the liturgical color, green. We’ve really had the whole spectrum these past few months; we’ve had the purple of Lent, rose on Laetare Sunday, the white of Easter, the Red of Pentecost. I wore gold on the feast of the Sacred Heart, black for funerals. And now back to liturgical green. 

I’ve always been partial to green. For one, it was the color of my first car, a hunter green 1992 firebird. But, green is also the color of my childhood: I grew up running through the green forests and fields of my hometown of Madison, which is much more rural than here in the city. Also, in high school and college, during the summers I would work in the nurseries, taking clippings from the different plants, grafting branches. Two whole summers, for 8 hours a day, I simply watered plants and trees. So I associate that color green with new life. And liturgically, too, green is the color of new life, not simply of plants and trees, but the new life and growth which is to occur in our souls during Ordinary time (this season after Pentecost.) 

In fact, though we Roman Catholics wear red on Pentecost, some Eastern Catholics and Orthodox wear green on Pentecost—to symbolize the new life the Holy Spirit brings to the Church and to the Christian soul. 

Spiritual growth is one of the foci of Ordinary Time. In the spiritual life we are either growing or rotting, there is no in between. We are either growing toward God or falling away. We are either growing in our prayer life or diminishing, growing in self-sacrifice or tending toward selfishness, becoming more patient or less patient, increasing in virtue or becoming hardened in vice. 

The Green of Ordinary Time is a reminder that God wants growth for his children, constant growth. He wants us always learning, always developing, always increasing in grace, always producing spiritual fruit, maturing spiritually, improving in the use of the many gifts he gives us. 

And in our Second Reading this weekend St Paul provides us with two important laws of spiritual growth.

The first law of spiritual growth is that we must die to sin: “You too must think of yourselves as dead to sin,” St. Paul says.

Christians must seek to eradicate sin from our lives. Sin is poison to the soul. Becoming dead to sin means rooting out the tendrils of selfishness which choke out the life of God in us. We all have self-centered, selfish, immoral tendencies, and they must be brought under control. 

Flirting with sin, making little compromises with the commandments, or simply giving up and giving in to sinful inclinations and habits, these things suffocate the life of Christ in our souls, families, and parish. And instead of living with interior peace, joy, meaning, wisdom, and courage, sin deprives us of these things. 

Now, dying to sin is hard - because temptation is tempting. But God is on our side. The heart of Jesus burns with ardent desire to purify us from our sins. And if we pray for his help to overcome sins, he will give it to us!

There is a story of from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The great saint was being overwhelmed with temptations to break his vow of chastity. He would pray, but the temptations just got worse. He knew something had to be done to wake himself out of this cycle of temptation. So on a particularly cold winter’s day, he stripped down naked and threw himself into a ditch full of snow. It was a shock to his system, and it was a way of showing the devil that he is willing to suffer in order to remain faithful to God.

Sometimes we only think of St. Francis as having this unique relationship with animals. But, the man was serious about uprooting sin from his life. Uprooting sin is pleasing to God. 

Of course, Our Blessed Lord is merciful to the most hardened sinner who repents, but he also calls us to purity, chastity, moral fortitude, obedience to the commandments. So, if there is a particular sin which keeps lingering, we do well to make frequent use of the sacrament of confession, and to practice some mortification, some fasting, some act of self-sacrifice to put those temptations in their place. Effort will be rewarded by God. 

So St. Paul tells us, firstly, we must die to sin. The second law, he says, is that we must live for God. Paul writes, “you too must think of yourselves… as living for God in Christ Jesus.”

Dying to sin, bridling our self-centered tendencies, is necessary for spiritual growth, but it is not enough. We also need to do something for God. We must live for God. Our daily life must be marked by godliness. We are to engage in works of Charity, such as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Faith without works, after all, is dead. And honestly, when you engage in authentic charity, sin loosens its grasp. 

Two groups in particular here at St. Ignatius focus on those works. The Legion of Mary which focuses on the Spiritual Works, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which focuses on the corporal works. If you are having a difficult time finding opportunities to engage in the corporal and spiritual works consider joining one of those two groups, or the garden club, or the share-a-meal on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, or the food pantry on 2nd Tuesdays. Or if there is some other work that you’d like to around here, please let me know. 

The saints give us countless examples of what living for God looks like. July 1 is the feast of St. Junipero Serra. 

During the time when our founding Fathers were fighting for our nation’s independence, the Franciscan Priest Father Junipero Serra was traveling up the coast of present-day California, establishing missions, laboring for the spread of the Gospel.  Father Junipero was originally a university professor in Spain and a very learned man. But he detected the Holy Spirit urging him to grow. Sometimes, spiritual growth means giving up something good for something better. So he gave up his university career to come to California to teach the Native Americans about the Lord Jesus. And mind you, this was a time in our history when the civil authorities were violating the humanity and rights of the indigenous people. And Padre Serra stood up for these people, helped them to improve their spiritual and material well-being, while boldly fighting against their mistreatment.

St. Junipero Serra is now celebrated as one of the great patron Saints for vocation promotion because not only did he spread the Gospel among the native americans, he was also successful in cultivating priestly and religious vocations among them.  There is even an international group for the promotion and support of vocations called Serra International who have a chapter here in Cleveland and meet regularly to pray for vocations. If you’d like information on this group, let me know. 

When his body was exhumed for the purpose of the canonization, it was shown that Fr. Serra had cancer of the legs. Those journeys up and down the coast of California must have been grueling for him. Yet, he did so, out of love for God’s people, fueled by zeal for souls. 

We might not be called to travel halfway across the globe to engage in missionary work, but each of us are called to help others know Christ, likely at the cost of some suffering on our part, to die to sin and to live, not just for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again for us. This week, perhaps every day, ask the Lord what is the growth you want for me today, what is the work you have for me today, what are the sins you are calling me to die to today, who am I to share your goodness with today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 4 2022 - St. Francis of Assisi - Leper, Rebuilding, Stigmata

 St. Francis is one of the most well-known saints of history. Francis’ conversion from a soldier, troubadour, and spendthrift to saint captivates our hearts.

The first major turn in his life took place when he was riding his horse outside the city and met a leper who came out from a leper colony to beg him for alms. Francis dropped him something and sped away, not being able to stand the sight and smell of the leper and also phobic about catching the disease. But a short distance away he was pierced to the heart by his lack of genuine love. He turned around, sped to the leper, dismounted, and then embrace him and kiss the lands he wouldn’t touch earlier when dropping coins. It was a conversion to charity. 

“After 25 years of a mediocre life full of dreams, spent in the pursuit of worldly pleasures and success,” Pope Benedict described, Francis “opened himself to grace, came to his senses and gradually recognized Christ as the ideal of his life.”

From there, we know the famous story of Francis making pilgrimage to the crumbling Church of San Damiano. As Francis was praying in front of the Crucifix, Jesus spoke to him from the Cross and summoned him, “Francis, rebuild my Church which you can see is falling into ruin.” Francis, at first, took the Lord literally and, selling some of his father’s precious fabrics, with the proceeds began to reconstruct the dilapidated house of God. But the Lord had a far bigger building project in mind, bringing renewal to the Church, through his preaching and penance and poverty, making disciples for Christ one living stone at a time. 

Francis’ radical embrace of the Gospel very quickly attracted a band of his Franciscan brothers, and then the Poor Clares, and then the lay Franciscans, and so many hearts which were enkindled with faith and charity by witnessing a living saint.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world,” we heard in Paul’s words to the Galatians this morning. Francis, like Paul sought that perfect-identification with and identification with the crucified one who suffers for our salvation. And Like Paul, St. Francis would go on to bear the marks of Jesus on his body, signs of his union with Christ in his willingness to suffer for the Gospel.

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” we hear in the epistle today. Francis, like Paul sought that perfect-identification with the crucified one who suffers out of love for our salvation. And Like Paul, St. Francis would go on to bear the marks of Jesus on his body, the holy stigmata, which he received on the mountain top of La Verna. Pope Benedict said, that signs of his union with Christ in his willingness to suffer for the Gospel.

May we like Francis open our hearts to the lepers in our midst, may we attract souls to Christ through our penance and living out of the Gospel, willingly uniting our lives to the Crucified one, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Holy Father Pope Francis on this his patronal feast, for the grace to bring renewal to those parts of the Church which are crumbling—especially, a renewal of true faith, where faith has diminished or been corrupted.

For blessings upon all members of the Franciscan Orders, for vocations and that their witness may bring renewal to the Church.

For hope for the despairing and all those who suffer.

For the grace of perfect charity to fill our hearts for those in need.

That all God’s Holy People will be filled with the wisdom and discernment needed to know and obey God’s Holy Will.

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 priests 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 4 2021 - St. Francis of Assisi - Pilgrimage, Stigmata, and Holy Poverty

 As I’ve shared in the past, a few years ago, I was able to make pilgrimage to Rome with our Bishop at the time, Bishop Perez, with my priest classmate on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of our priestly ordination. After our time in Rome, we made a spiritual retreat in Assisi.

Daily we celebrated mass and visited the churches and locations that were significant in the life of St. Francis. We visited and prayed at the Cathedral of San Rufino in Assisi where both Francis and Clare were baptized. We visited the town square where Francis famously stripped off his clothes, renounced his inheritance, claiming to belong only to Christ. The group went to the Portiuncula, the tiny chapel in which Francis heard the Lord speaking to him to rebuild his church.

And of course, I visited his tomb. I had taken with me about 150 prayer requests from our parishioners, and I offered each of them at the holy tomb of St. Francis.

One of my favorite parts of the retreat was when we ventured to La Verna, the mountain where Francis took his retreat, withdrawing from the world to pray. It is there that in 1224, Francis received the Holy Stigmata. We had the great privilege of celebrating mass in the chapel built on the very spot where he received those holy wounds.  

Like St. Paul, Francis received the marks of the Jesus on his Body. In this way he was conformed even more to his Lord, who he sought to imitate in, preaching, prayer, and of course poverty. For his embrace of holy poverty, he was given the title “Il poverello”—the little poor one. Among all his works, even probably more than bearing the stigmata, francis is known for his poverty.

“Poverty” Francis shared with his brothers, “is that heavenly virtue by which all earthy and transitory things are trodden under foot, and by which every obstacle is removed from the soul so that it may freely enter into union with the eternal Lord God. It is also the virtue which makes the soul, while still here on earth, converse with the angels in Heaven. It is she who accompanied Christ on the Cross, was buried with Christ in the Tomb, and with Christ was raised and ascended into Heaven, for even in this life she gives to souls who love her the ability to fly to Heaven, and she alone guards the armor of true humility and charity.”

If anything, St. Francis reminds us of the great importance of stripping away that which keeps us from loving Christ. There needs to be an element of holy poverty in the life of every Catholic, where strip away what is not necessary, what hinders us in the spiritual life, and keeps us from imitating our Savior. Through the intercession of il poverello of Assisi, may we be generous in seeking simplicity, practicing poverty, and carrying our crosses, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis on this his patronal feast, for the grace to bring renewal to those parts of the Church which are crumbling—a renewal of true faith, where faith has diminished or been corrupted.

For blessings upon all members of the Franciscan Orders, for vocations and that their witness may bring renewal to the Church.

For hope for the despairing and all those who suffer.

For the grace of perfect charity to fill our hearts for those in need.

That all God’s Holy People will be filled with the wisdom and discernment needed to know and obey God’s Holy Will.

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 priests 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.

September 14, 2020 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Holy Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

IN 1224, St. Francis of Assisi traveled with about a dozen of his fellow friars, a hundred or so miles from Rome to an isolated mountaintop called La Verna to make a spiritual retreat. Eating little and praying constantly, it is said that at La Verna Francis did great spiritual battle with the powers of evil, encountering great hostility from the devil, as did the old desert fathers like St. Anthony. But Francis also experienced intense moments of communion with God, even levitating far above the ground in raptured prayer. 

On September 14, 1224, just before sunrise, Francis was kneeling in prayer pleaded, “O Lord, I beg of you two graces before I die: to experience in myself in all possible fullness the pains of your cruel passion and to feel for you the same love that made you sacrifice yourself for us.” Suddenly, from the heights of heaven came a seraph with six wings bearing the likeness of the Crucified One. Staring at Francis, he imprinted on the saint’s flesh the marks of crucifixion, the holy Stigmata.

In this powerful story, St. Francis teaches us something quite profound about today’s liturgical feast and really for the Christian life. On this feast, we pray that the cross may be exalted, literally meaning, brought out into the light, that it may be seen and adored and glorified. The Church exalts the cross, that others may come to know, believe in, and love, the one whom upon the cross brought forth our salvation. 

It is said that when St. Francis contemplated the Crucifixion he used to weep, lamenting that, “Love is not loved.” That the love of Jesus Christ shown forth for us on the cross, is ignored by so many. And so he sought, didn’t he, to conform his life as much as possible—through radical poverty, obedience, chastity, preaching, and fasting, and embracing the sufferings of the cross. St. Francis saw in the Cross the humble, self-emptying love of God for us, and so his one great desire was that in everything, he would be conformed to the cross.

The holy stigmata was certainly a sign that Francis conformed himself to the cross: in experiencing the suffering of the cross, and also experiencing the love Christ showed upon the cross. And here is the lesson: we are called to do the same.

This Feast is to remind us that by our lives, we are meant to do the same: to willingly accept the sufferings that come from God, our share in the cross of Christ, in order to make Christ known, and to be animated by the love that Jesus showed on the cross for all, and to hate everything that keeps us from this purpose.

May we strive to live with this depth of faith, hope, and love in the cross and in the crucified one, that we may make him known in all we do, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Let us pray with confidence to Christ who endured the cross to redeem us.

That Pope Francis and all of the ordained may seek to conform themselves to Christ Crucified in all of their ministerial efforts, especially Bishop Edward Malesic, who will be installed as the Bishop of Cleveland today.

That politicians and government officials will protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the to the example of our Crucified Lord to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race.

That as Our Lord emptied himself upon the cross, we may follow his example of humility in concrete acts of Christian service.

Through the cross, may God grant fortitude and patience to all who through sickness or hardship have a share in Christ’s passion.

That we may all be led through the Lord’s Passion and Cross to the Glory of the Resurrection, especially N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Graciously hear, O God, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in the cross of Christ may never be left without your assistance. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

October 2019 - First Friday Holy Hour - St. Francis and the Eucharist

St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast is today, had an intense reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. He believed it important for members of the Christian faithful to visit often places where the Eucharist was reserved, to venerate the Blessed Sacrament. When the Blessed Sacrament was carried as viaticum for the dying, he instructed his friars to “glorify and honor on bended knee Lord God living and true” as the Eucharist passed by.

Francis believed with Catholic faith that the Lord is truly present in the Eucharist, and for Francis the Eucharist was especially a sign of the complete self-emptying of Christ, which Francis sought to imitate through poverty and humility. Francis wrote: “…Behold, each day he humbles Himself as when he came from the royal throne into the Virgin’s womb; each day He himself comes down to us, appearing humbly; each day He comes down from the bosom of the Father upon the altar in the hands of the priest. As he revealed himself to the holy apostles in true flesh, so He reveals himself to us now in sacred bread.”

In a letter written to the Friars of His Order, he exhorts ““Let everyone be struck with fear, let the whole world tremble, and let the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest! O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! The lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles himself that for our salvation he hides himself under an ordinary piece of bread! Brothers, look at the humility of God, and pour out your hearts before him! Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by him! Hold nothing back of yourselves for yourselves, that he who gives himself totally to you may receive you totally!”

The Eucharist was truly a sign of Christ’s own poverty, which he sought to imitate—Christ who holds nothing of himself back, but pours himself out totally in saving and redeeming grace to us. And yet the Sacrament is also the means by which we may return all that we are and have to Christ – what Francis saw as the holy exchange. In the Eucharist, Francis saw the expression of Christ’s pattern of living through dying, a pattern that we are also called to make our own.

Tonight, we come before the same Lord worshiped and adored by Francis and the saints. We come perhaps, tired from the weeks challenges, burdened by our share in the Cross. But Jesus says to us, as he said to Francis, come to me, I will refresh you, learn from, from my gentleness and humility.
In the presence of the Eucharist, may we become childlike, like Francis, trusting that the Lord gives us everything we need for our share in the Gospel mission, all we need to imitate Him in self-emptying self-sacrificial love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 4 2019 - St. Francis of Assisi and the Crucifix

During the period of his life in which he experienced great spiritual awakening, St. Francis would go to the old ruined chapel of San Damiano to pray. In that dilapidated oratory still hung a Byzantine wooden crucifix, painted in red, gold, and black, depicting  not the tortured Christ of later art, not with the crown of thorns, but a glorious halo, and with the large, open, eyes of the Crucified gazing back upon the faithful, showing his wounds, perhaps as an invitation to imitate him in his Passion, that we too may experience his glory.

We know well the story of how Francis heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him from that crucifix, “Francis, Go repair my Church, which as you see is falling completely in ruin.” And how Francis first, took the words literally, but then went on to bring great renewal to the Church this his life of poverty, penance and evangelization.

Lesser known, perhaps, are the words that Francis spoke back to that crucifix, which contain a summation of his desire to serve the Lord, a prayerful petition for the grace he needed to be faithful to his calling: “Most High glorious God, bring light to the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, certain hope, and perfect charity. Give me, Lord, wisdom and discernment, so I can always observe your truth and Holy Will.”

Francis experienced a profound out-pouring of God’s love when he gazed upon the crucifix, and desired to respond in kind, with a sacrificial love that embraced suffering for the good of the Church.
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world,” we heard in Paul’s words to the Galatians this morning. Francis, like Paul sought that perfect-identification with and imitation of the crucified one who suffers for our salvation. And Like Paul, St. Francis would go on to bear the marks of Jesus on his body, signs of his union with Christ in his willingness to suffer for the Gospel.

May Francis assist us in embracing the cross, in seeking the right faith, certain hope, and perfect charity of the Christian life, the wisdom and discernment to observe God truth and Holy Will for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis on this his patronal feast, for the grace to bring renewal to those parts of the Church which are crumbling—a renewal of true faith, where faith has diminished or been corrupted.
For blessings upon all members of the Franciscan Orders, for vocations and that their witness may bring renewal to the Church.
For hope for the despairing and all those who suffer.
For the grace of perfect charity to fill our hearts for those in need.
That all God’s Holy People will be filled with the wisdom and discernment needed to know and obey God’s Holy Will.
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 priests 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.

July 15 2019 - St. Bonaventure - Burning Love

When I visited Assisi a few weeks ago, I was able to spend some time praying before the famous cross of San Damiano—the cross from which St. Francis of Assisi heard Our Blessed Lord commissioning him to rebuild his Church. After literally rebuilding the chapel of San Damiano that had fallen into ruins, Francis went on a crusade across Europe, rebuilding the Church spiritually through his preaching and witnessing to the Gospel through his radical poverty.

Born in 1217,  Bonaventure entered the newly formed Franciscan order, just around 20 years after the death of Francis. It became clear that his intellectual gifts would benefit the Order greatly, so he was sent to the great University of Paris, where he soon became a professor of theology.

Bonaventure is often called the “second Founder” of the Franciscans because of the great impact he had on the order, particularly in stressing the importance of study and loving Christ with a burning heart.

There is no other path (to heaven, to God, to happiness),” he writes, “but through the burning love of the Crucified.” Only a “raging fire” in our soul, a fire of “intense fervor” and “glowing love” can carry our soul to God. 

Bonaventure used his intellectual gifts to help souls discover that burning love for the Crucified. We no doubt are called to use whatever gifts we have to do the same, to bring spiritual vitality to the Church through works of charity.

As minister general of the Franciscans, when already that young Order was beginning to experience some splintering into different factions, Bonaventure stressed compassion for the poor, simplicity of life, detachment from riches, hard work, prayer, and study, to seek to love and imitate Our Blessed Lord Jesus in all things.

St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church, wrote, “Whoever wishes to ascend to God must first avoid sin, which deforms our nature; he must pray to receive restoring grace; he must lead a good life, to receive purifying justice; he must meditate, to receive illuminating knowledge; he must practice contemplation, to receive perfecting wisdom.” 

May we then follow the good Doctor’s advice, by avoiding sin, praying for healing grace, meditating on the truths of the Gospel, and practicing the contemplation of God, that our hearts may be set afire with divine love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That all Christians may have a burning love for the Crucified-and-Risen Lord, and that love may be seen in the priorities of their life.

That the work and ministry of all Franciscan organizations and charitable institutions may bear fruit for the spread of the Gospel.

For the purification of our minds and hearts from the errors of the culture and from the lure of worldly attachments.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of 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 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

November 17, 2017 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Clothing yourselves with Christ

Like our own parish patron, St. Clare, St. Elizabeth of Hungary was deeply moved and motivated by the preaching and poverty of St. Francis of Assisi. Like Clare, Elizabeth was born and raised in a castle, and was surrounded by the rich trappings of luxury and flattery. But Elizabeth did not let earthly treasures keep her from storing up heavenly ones.

In fact, the fame of the virtues of St. Elizabeth of Hungry reached Italy while St. Francis was still alive. Cardinal Ugolini, the future Pope Gregory IX often spoke of her to St. Francis, about the support and protection Elizabeth had given to the Franciscans and her great love of poverty.

One day the Cardinal asked St. Francis for a gift for her as a symbol of his recognition. As he made his request, he took the worn cape off St. Francis’ shoulders and recommended that he send it to her. “Since she is filled with your spirit of poverty,” said the Cardinal, “I would like for you to give her your mantle, just as Elijah gave his mantle to Elisha.” St. Francis consented and sent his mantle to St. Elizabeth, whom he considered as a spiritual daughter.

She would wear the cloak while she engaged in charitable works. She built a hospital next to her castle, and personally tended to the sick and the poor, feeding over 900 people daily. After the death of her husband, the king, her family conspired against her and forced her and her 4 children into exile and poverty with nothing, except the mantle of St. Francis.

During her exile, she did not curse God for her fate, but thanked God for permitting her a share in the savior’s cross. She worked odd jobs, spinning garments, to provide for her children. And when a new emperor came into power, and allowed her to return to the castle, she went right back to her charitable works, even building a second hospital. This continued only for a short while, as she died at the young age of 24. She was canonized only four years later, by Pope Gregory who knew of her virtue, and also due to the great number of miracles occurring at her grave. Elizabeth is the patron saint of third order Franciscans.

Shakespeare wrote that “clothes maketh the man.” Well, St. Elizabeth clothed herself, not with the robes of nobility, but with signs of poverty, humility, and virtue, she clothed herself with Christ, as St. Paul enjoins us to do. She embraced her hardships—widowhood, family division, destitution, exile—trusting in God’s grace, uniting her sufferings with Christ, and she teaches us to do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our consecrated religious, particularly those under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may they be strengthened and supported in their witness to Christ’s saving Gospel.

That families experiencing division may know the peace and reconciliation that comes from Christ.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, or for those who will die today: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor and consolation.

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

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

13th Sunday in OT 2017 - To die to sin and live for God

Last weekend was the first Sunday the liturgical color was green since last February. We had the purple of lent, the white of easter, the red of Pentecost. And remember, after Pentecost we had the two great solemnities of Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi Sunday.

I was leading a support group the other night, and as an icebreaker question, each person was asked their favorite color. A few of the people said blue, finding blue to be peaceful and calm. But, I said, green--dark hunter green. For one, it was the color of my first car, a hunter green 1992 firebird. But, green is also the color of my childhood: I grew up running through the forests and fields out in my hometown of Madison, which is much more rural than here in Lyndhurst. Also, in high school and college, during the summers I would work in the nurseries, taking clippings from the different plants, grafting branches. One summer, for 8 hours a day, I simply watered plants and trees. So I associate that color green with new life. And liturgically, too, green is the color of new life, not simply of plants and trees, but the new life and growth which is to occur in our souls during this season after Pentecost.

In fact, though we Roman Catholics wear red on Pentecost, many Eastern Catholics wear green, not the fire of the Holy Spirit, but the new life He brings to the Church and to the Christian soul.

Spiritual growth is one of the foci of Ordinary Time. In spiritual life we are either growing or fading, ascending or descending, flourishing or stagnating. There are no plateaus in the spiritual life: we are either growing in our prayer life or falling away from vital practice, growing in a spirit of self-sacrifice or tending towards selfishness, becoming more patient or less patient, increasing in virtue or leaning toward vice.

God wants His children always growing, always learning, always becoming the people he made us to be. And in our Second Reading, St Paul provides us with two laws of spiritual growth.
The first law of spiritual growth is that we must die to sin: “You too must think of yourselves as dead to sin,” St. Paul says.

The second law is that we must live for God. Paul writes, “you too must think of yourselves… as living for God in Christ Jesus.”

What does "dying to sin" mean?

We are called to put to death our self-centered tendencies, all of them, our transgression of the laws of God, all of them. For not only do our sins hinder the life of God within us, they cause destruction in our lives, our families, and our society.

Flirting with sin, making little compromises with the commandments, or simply giving up and giving in to sinful inclinations and habits, these things suffocate the life of Christ in our souls.

And instead of living with interior peace, joy, meaning, wisdom, and courage, we end up exhausted, depressed, frustrated, with our relationships burdened with these attitudes and behaviors that should not exist.

Dying to sin is hard - because temptation is tempting. But God is on our side, and if we ask for his help, he will give it to us!

There is a story of from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The great saint was being overwhelmed with temptations to break his vow of chastity. He would pray, but the temptations just got worse. He knew something had to be done to wake himself out of this cycle of temptation. So on a particularly cold winter’s day, he stripped down naked and threw himself into a ditch full of snow. It was a shock to his system, and it was a way of showing the devil that he is willing to suffer in order to remain faithful to God.

Sometimes we only think of St. Francis as having this unique relationship with animals. But, the man was hardcore, he was serious about rooting out sin from his life. He knew that sin and the life of God were totally incompatible.

Yes, Our Blessed Lord is merciful to the most hardened sinner who repents, but he also calls us to purity, chastity, moral fortitude, obedience to the commandments. So, if there is a particular sin which keeps lingering, we do well to make frequent use of the sacrament of confession, but also to practice some mortification, some fasting, some act of self-sacrifice to put those temptations in their place.
The second law of spiritual growth is living for God. Dying to sin, resisting our self-centered tendencies, is necessary but not enough, if we wish to become the people God made us to be. We also need to do something positive. Christ calls us to action, he calls us to love. "Love one another," Jesus commanded us at the Last Supper, "as I have loved you".

Jesus isn’t simply talking about love as an emotion. He’s not saying that we need to walk around with dreamy eyes toward each other. Love is an action. It is doing what is best for a person. We are grow in our capacity to love as Christ loved by forgiving others when they offend or hurt us, by reaching out to those in need, and, as we reflected upon last week, by being bold in sharing with others the meaning and purpose that comes from knowing, loving, and following Jesus Christ—spreading the Gospel.

I could give countless examples from the lives of the saints of what imitating Christ’s charity looks like. July 1 is the feast of St. Junipero Serra. When Pope Francis visited the United States last year, he canonized Junipero Serra, at the first canonization to be celebrated on U.S. soil.

During the time when our founding Fathers were fighting for our nation’s independence, the Franciscan Priest Father Junipero Serra traveled up the coast of present-day California, establishing missions, laboring for the spread of the Gospel.

Father Junipero was originally a university professor in Spain and a very learned man. But he heard the Holy Spirit urging him, not simply to share the knowledge of academia, but the knowledge of Christ. So he gave up his university career to come to California to teach the Native Americans about the Lord Jesus. He devoted himself to building churches and schools for the poor and the native people, catechizing those in his care and raising up dedicated priests to continue the Lord’s work.

During that time, when the civil authorities were violating the humanity and rights of the indigenous people, Padre Serra was devoted to improving their spiritual and material well-being—boldly fighting against their mistreatment.

For his work in raising up priests from the native population, Junipero Serra is a great patron Saint for vocation promotion.  There is even an international group for the promotion and support of vocations who look to his patronage called Serra International who have a chapter here in Cleveland and meet regularly to pray for vocations.

When his body was exhumed for the purpose of the canonization, it was shown that he had cancer of the legs, making the long hard journeys up the coast of California even more difficult.  Yet, he did so, out of love for God’s people, fueled by fervor for the spread of the Gospel.

Pope Francis called Junipero Serra one of the founding fathers of the United States and praised his willingness to abandon the comforts and privileges of his native Spain to spread the Christian message in the new World.

We might not be called to travel halfway across the globe to engage in missionary work, but each of us are called to help others know Christ, to die to sin and to live, not just for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again for us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.