2nd Week of Ordinary Time 2023 - Wednesday - Melchizedek

 

On Monday, our reading from the letter to the Hebrews referenced Melchizedek. Melchizedek is referenced again by Hebrews today and also by the psalm, psalm 110.

Who is this Melchizedek fellow?  

Melchizedek was encountered by Abraham back in the book of Genesis.  He was a strange figure: a king and a priest. But, he was no idol-worshipping pagan priest, but a priest of God Most High, the one true God of Israel, the creator of heaven and earth. 

The priest-king Melchizedek appears kind of mysteriously in the book of Genesis, after a battle in which Abraham, with a band of only 318 men, defeated a coalition of four pagan kings and rescued his nephew Lot from captivity. Melchizedek leads Abraham to acknowledge that his victory came not on his own doing, but from God. And so Melchizedek then leads Abraham in offering a thanksgiving sacrifice to God—a sacrifice of bread and wine.

The encounter with Melchizedek is a humbling encounter; as is right and just; a reminder to Abraham and all people that God’s authority must rule our lives. 

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”. Imagine this psalm being sung in the royal court of king David. The psalmist reminds David that David must live in obedience and thanksgiving to the One True God of Israel.

Royalty needs to be a reminded that they are not gods, but so do all of us; all that we have, and all that we are comes from God. We owe thanksgiving to God, and we get in a lot of trouble spiritually when we let the trappings of the world go to our heads as if we deserved them.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” is perfectly fulfilled of course by Christ, who lives in perfect obedience and thanksgiving to His Father—and combines the sacrifice of his flesh and blood on the cross with the sacrifice of bread and wine in the Eucharist. 

But it also refers to all Christians. We are to live in perpetual obedience and thanksgiving to the Father, and by doing so, we become effective Melchizedeks for the Abrahams and Davids of the world, pointing them to submit their own lives and victories, to the One True God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

To God the Father Almighty we direct the prayers of our heart for the needs and salvation of humanity and the good of His faithful ones.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her, care for her, and aid her in her mission.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may establish and preserve harmony among us.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may grant them relief and move Christians to come to the aid of the suffering.

For our beloved dead, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

 

13th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - God brings good out of evil

 Scripture is full of examples of God bringing Good out of Evil. In the story of the sons of Jacob, for example, Joseph is betrayed by his brothers, thrown in a well, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned, only to be put in the position where he is able to save his family from starvation. 

Over and over, we see the people of Israel falling into the evil of sin and depravity, only for God to reveal his Goodness and Mercy by delivering Israel from slavery and exile.

In today’s readings we see two such stories. God is able to bring something good out of the death of Abraham’s wife Sarah. After all those years, Abraham finally comes into possession of the land promised to Him by God which would become the seed bed of his great progeny. And we even get a glimpse of the new life for the line of Abraham, as Abraham’s son, Isaac, is blessed with a wife.

So, too, in the Gospel. The Lord brings about conversion, and a new way of living, out of the sinful life of the tax collector Matthew. Where there was sin and evil and collaboration with the enemies of Israel, God is able to bring new life and goodness and blessing.

And yet for Joseph and Israel and Abraham and Matthew, the goodness God wishes to bring about in our lives often requires giving something up. For Israel to be delivered from slavery, it had to give up its sin. For Abraham to possess the promised land, he had to give up his homeland. For Matthew to possess discipleship and apostleship, he had to give up his old sinful occupation.

The Lord is able to bring good out of the most tragic events, and in the life of the hardened sinner. But more often than not, something must be given up, left behind. Something at odds with the life of God needs to be set aside. 

What do I need to set aside, leave behind, walk away from, in order for God to manifest his goodness in me, to breathe new life into my stagnate ways, new blessing, new intimacy with Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the bishops of the Church will act as true prophets through their faithful teaching, their courageous witness, and their self-sacrificing love. Let us pray to the Lord.

As our nation celebrates independence and freedom this weekend, for the grace to use that freedom to pursue our highest good in every dimension of our civic and national life. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the Church’s missions amongst the poor and unevangelized throughout the world, that the work of Christ may be carried out with truth and love. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. Let us pray to the Lord.

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

2nd Sunday of Lent 2021 - Tests of Faith

 
From the moment we are introduced to the character of Abraham in the book of Genesis, his faith is constantly being tested by God.  

The very first time in Scripture God speaks to Abraham, God gives Abraham a test, and a serious one.  God tells Abraham: Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and your father's house to a land that I will show you. “Leave your home, leave your father and kinsfolk, leave everything you have ever known…trust me, I’ll let you know where you are going when you get there.”

That would test anyone’s faith. But I think it’s a pretty relatable one. Because each one of us are asked by God to go to strange people in unknown places. It’s that feeling or sense we get that there is something we should do that is outside of our comfort zone. My neighbor just lost her husband, should I go and comfort her, should I shovel her driveway, volunteer to get her groceries? Or…for the season of Lent…well I allow God to take me deeper this Lent in prayer? Will I go to stations of the cross? Will I go to confession? Will I go to weekday Mass? Will I open up the bible more often or pickup the rosary beads? 

Authentic spiritual growth always involves a test of faith, trusting God to lead us to unknown places. I know that when I’ve failed to trust God, I’ve always been a little sadder for it.

Another test came when Abraham was traveling through the countryside with his nephew, Lot.  The two men were shepherds. And over time their flocks grew larger and larger.  It became clear that the land could not support both flocks of Abraham and Lot. So, Abraham gave Lot a choice.  The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.

Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley. The whole area was well watered, it was ideal for raising a flock.  So, Lot chose for himself the fertile plans of the Jordan leaving to Abraham the land to the west, the rocky, hard, land of Canaan. Canaan was clearly less desirable, especially since, at the time, it was filled with wicked people who would likely terrorize Abraham and steal his sheep.  

This was a test, too.  Would Abraham trust God, even when it seemed like he was receiving an unfair settlement.  It's hard to trust God normally, even harder when there might be some suffering involved or when we have a temptation to tip the scale in our own favor. 

There are about twelve such tests of Abraham in the book of Genesis—the most popular and most difficult test we heard today.  God had promised Abraham numerous posterity—God said that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, and now he commands Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.  

Why did God test Abraham’s faith, anyway? Didn’t God know the outcome? Didn’t he know Abraham’s heart? Well, yes, of course. God knows all things. God doesn’t test us to make sure that we really love Him. He tests us because it is by that test, that our faith is fortified and strengthened. God tested Abraham’s faith to increase his faith, that he might become the father of a nation of faithful people.

So, too with us, a Christian who trusts God in small matters—who passes those small tests—is able to be used as God’s instrument in great matters. For example, St. Theresa the Little Flower trusted God in the small obediences of her life—she was obedient to her parents, she was obedient to her religious superiors, she undertook small sufferings and small acts of love for the good of souls, and because of it, she became a doctor of the Church to which millions of people look for guidance in their spiritual lives. 

A good priest friend of mine would often say, “everything prepares us for something else.”  Our little sufferings, those little tests of faith, prepare us, to help others in their trials and sufferings. Again, I think of our Lenten penances. We make these spiritual commitments, we undergo these little spiritual tests, and when we are faithful to them—there is spiritual growth--- something good comes out of our faithfulness to these commitments. We are strengthened in fortitude, we build up our spiritual muscles against the powers of temptation and fear. I am less afraid of suffering for the Gospel because I know what suffering is like, I’ve willingly undergone suffering for the kingdom. 

In the Gospel, we see Peter, James, and John, undergoing a little test of faith—they need to follow the Lord up the mountain. Because they trusted the Lord, they are given this glimpse of the Lord in his transfigured glory. And this prepares them for a bigger test of faith. No?

Soon after witnessing his glorious transfiguration, Peter, James, and John would see Our Lord arrested, beaten, mocked, scourged, crucified, and killed.  They would need to remember the glory of the transfiguration when they witnessed the horror of the cross. 

God uses those transfiguration moments of our lives to prepare us for when His glory is hard to see. St. Ignatius of Loyola called these transfiguration moments, “consolations in the spiritual life.” Hopefully, everyone here has had transfiguration moments in their lives, spiritual consolations: maybe at a beautiful mass, or your wedding, or on a really good retreat or Lenten mission, or kneeling in gratitude after a really good confession, or praying with other prayer warriors: in this powerful moments, like at the transfiguration, God’s goodness is palpable and undeniable. In those mountain top experiences of God, we might even respond like St. Peter today, bursting out “Lord it is good that we are here!”  These powerful experience of God’s closeness, inflame our hearts with love. 

But just like with the apostles, those transfiguration times prepare us for future trials, what St. Ignatius of Loyola called the times of desolation, the desert times, when God’s goodness and presence is hard or impossible to detect. In those times, faith is tested—the crucifixion is encountered—the prospect of suffering—the reality of evil is encountered,  but again, in order that we may grow spiritually and be prepared for God’s work out in the world.

Personally, I think I’m in a mountain top period right now: my Lenten spiritual reading and prayer is nourishing my soul, the burden of my Lenten penances is not particularly onerous, I made a good confession right before lent, I’ve been surprised at how moving praying our stations of the cross has been the last two weeks. 

When we are in the period of consolation, we saver it, we thank God for it—it’s a foretaste of heavenly glory, but always with the knowledge that the consolation is likely going to proceed a period of trial. 

In this trial times—those desolate times—we recall the consolations of the past to give us some strength, we recall that the Lord is testing our faith that it may grow, that we may become more effective instruments of his goodness. 

If you haven’t really gotten serious about Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, it’s not too late to make some good spiritual commitments. For our God is so good that the transfiguration can be experienced even in times, maybe, particularly in times of penance.

If you’ve already found yourself failing in these matters, it’s not to late to recommit to them. And there’s an experience of God’s goodness, too—in his mercy and his patience.

Through our Lenten observances, may the Lord continue to lead us deeper into the Paschal Mystery for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

29th Week in OT 2019 - Monday - Faith or Greed

Our two readings provide a stark contrast this morning. On one hand, St. Paul enjoins us to imitate the faith of Abraham. When he and his wife Sarah were late into their 80s, God promised this barren couple an abundance of offspring, their descendants would be as numerous as the stars. And long after most people are hoping to be well into their retirement, God sends them on a journey of trust, far from home, to the promised land. Despite their barrenness, despite their old age and infirmity, despite having no idea where God would lead them.

St. Paul says today that Abraham glorified God and was fully convinced in the promises of God. This is why Abraham is a perennial model of faith for us. Abraham trusts that God will bring new life where barrenness seemed to reign, supernatural strength in the face of seemingly physical limitation. St. Paul pleads with the Roman Christians, and all of us, to trust in God’s goodness and promises and to praise God even in the midst of trial.

Contrast the faith of Abraham with the greed of the rich fool in the Gospel. The rich fool thinks only in terms of financial well-being, he lives a sort of Godless existence. Money is his God, earthly treasure is his life’s pursuit. He does not consider his eternal welfare, for he lives only for a safe, secure, earthly existence.

“Take care”, Our Lord teaches, “to guard against all greed, for life consists of more than possessions.” Life, right living, righteousness, involves being oriented not simply to the accumulation and protection of physical goods, but allowing God to lead us to what is spiritually good. Not simply storing things and possessions up at home, but allowing God to lead us beyond the walls of comfort, to undiscovered countries, allow God to breath new life in places where barrenness reigned supreme.

Lots of souls out there, living only for the earthly, devoid of faith, unaware of God inviting them to something more. May God speak to them through our lives, through our righteousness, through our radical trust and faith amidst trials for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102119.cfm

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For courage to preach the Gospel in season and out, for the sanctification of the clergy, and the flowering of spiritual gifts amongst the laity.

That our civil representatives may use their authority to lead and build our nation in godly ways, for the protection of the unborn and religious freedom.

For all those who harden their hearts toward God, for those who have left the Church, for all those in serious sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That young people be inspired to respond generously to God’s call to sanctity, and for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, the imprisoned,  for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

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.

19th Sunday in OT 2019 - Confident Relationship with God

If there is a common theme in today’s scripture readings, it is certainly “faith”. What is faith? In the old baptism ritual, parents were asked, “why have you brought your child to church?” and they would answer “faith”. Faith is certainly why we are here today. So, what is faith?

We can come up with various definitions. The Catechism says, “by faith we are to completely submit our intellect and will to God.” By faith we seek to know and follow the commandments of God and seek to understand the teachings of the Church. Yet, faith is not simply a set of commandments or doctrines, a set of lists to memorize or recite. Faith involves confidence and trust. In fact, one definition of faith I heard recently, is that faith is a “confident relationship with God.” So, when parents bring their children to the baptismal font, why are they bringing the child? They want their child to have a confident relationship with God that leads to everlasting life.

An example of faith held up for us in the scriptures today, from our second reading, the letter to the Hebrews, is Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, whom the Catechism says, is the Father of All Who believe. And three events in Abraham’s life are mentioned as signs of his faith.

First, God calls Abraham when he was 75 years old. Just when Abraham thought that his life was sorta starting to wind down a bit, God called him to begin something new—to pick up from the place where he had settled down with his wife, Sarah and to move to the promised land…at age 75. Not an easy or enviable task, but because Abraham had a confident relationship with God, he found strength for this task with his wife Sarah, to leave their home, leave their comfort, and journey into the unknown.

What is faith? Faith is a relationship with God, that enables us and empowers us, to travel confidently into the unknown, to begin something new, for God’s sake no matter how old we are, to matter how comfortable we’ve grown. We are never too old, or too set in our ways, to begin a new chapter in our faith life, our prayer life, new modes of charitable service.

The second incident in Abraham’s life mentioned by Hebrews occurs 25 years later: Abraham has arrived at the promised land, and God appears to him in a dream and says that he will become the father of a great nation, his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. Abraham and his wife Sarah are now 100 years old, and God says that he will make them more fruitful than anyone in history. Sarah laughed, but Abraham trusted. “By faith, he received power to generate” Hebrews says. And we know Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Faith transformed barrenness to fruitfulness.
What is faith? Faith is a relationship with God that brings spiritual fruitfulness, again, no matter how old we are. Where there is only self-concern, faith can bring true charity. Where there is despair faith can bring joy. Where there is anxiety or turmoil, faith can bring peace. Where there is impulsiveness, faith can bring self-control. Where there is harshness, faith can make you gentle. If you let it, if you trust.

The third incident, involves Abraham’s relationship to the surrounding culture. People of faith are often tempted to believe and act just like everyone else around us “out there”, to give-up the ways of God and give-in to the ways of the world.

Well, when Abraham and Sarah moved to the promised land, it was still occupied with many pagan peoples. And one of the grizzly practices of those pagan Canaanites was child-sacrifice. The Canaanites would sacrifice their children to the Canaanite gods. And Abraham, likely because he witnessed the surrounding Canaanites willingness to sacrifice their children, began to imagine that God desired the sacrifice of his own son Isaac. So, we know the story, Abraham and Isaac ascend Mount Moriah, God tells Isaac that God would provide the lamb of sacrifice, Abraham binds Isaac, places Isaac on the altar, and raises the knife, but his hand was stopped by the Angel. God, pleased with Abraham’s willingness to offer the thing he most valued, did not desire the grizzly murder of Isaac. In the fullness of time, God would provide the Lamb, his own Son as the sacrifice for the salvation of the world.

What is faith? Faith is the confident relationship with God that sets us apart from the pagan practices of the world, that moves us to offer what we value most, to trust God more than pressures from the surrounding culture.

How does God want to increase your faith at this moment in your life? On what new journey, new endeavor, new ministry does God want to send you? What area of your life does God want to make more fruitful? And what is he calling you to give-up, perhaps something that has made you a little too much like the surrounding culture?

Speaking of faith, Bishop Robert Barren was in the news this week, lamenting the recent Pew Research report that over two-thirds of Catholics have lost their faith, or never had faith, that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist—that bread and wine are truly transformed, not just symbolically, but truly, into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. If you are one of the two-thirds that do not believe, I invite you, I urge you, to ask the Lord for the gift of faith. For it has been taught from the very beginning that bread and wine are truly transformed at Holy Mass. Pope Francis said recently, “the Eucharist is the spiritual life-blood of the Christian because in receiving it we consume the body of the Lord, whose life transforms us, elevates and empowers us to become like him.”

To provide the opportunity to deepen our faith in the Eucharist, to allow the Eucharist to be a source of blessing and strength for our parish, I am instituting, on the first Friday of each month at 7pm, an hour of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with devotions and benediction beginning the first Friday of September. Come and pray and adore the Lord. Also, on the second Friday of the month, I will be offering faith formation sessions, an opportunity to come together and study our beautiful faith. Come and Renew and study the faith.

For as we see in the example of Abraham, Faith brings us into a relationship with God where miracles can occur, it brings fruitfulness, and Christ-like self-sacrificial love.

Lord, deepen our faith. Through faith, give us courage, fruitfulness, and the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

2nd Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - Melchizedek and the Priesthood of the Baptized

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:17)

Who is this Melchizedek fellow? 

Melchizedek was encountered by Abraham back in the book of Genesis.  He was a strange figure: a king and a priest. He was no idol-worshiping pagan priest, but a priest of God Most High, the one true God of Israel, the creator of heaven and earth.

Melchizedek appears kind of mysteriously after a battle in which Abraham, with a band of only 318 men, defeated a coalition of four pagan kings and rescued his nephew Lot from captivity. Melchizedek leads Abraham in offering a thanksgiving sacrifice to God—a sacrifice of bread and wine.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” certainly refers to Jesus. Melchizedek is certainly a foreshadowing of our blessed Lord who is priest and king—who by his own sacrifice on the cross has defeated the powers of man’s captivity—through whom we offer God the Eucharistic sacrifice for our salvation.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” certainly refers to the ordained priesthood, who share in Christ’s priesthood to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” also refers to all of the baptized. By our Baptism, every Christian shares in the priesthood of Christ.

These words were deeply consoling to the original audience of the letter to the Hebrews. These Christians were being persecuted and martyred by the Roman government. They "endured mockery, scourging, chains and imprisonment” and death, like Christ. And this letter encouraged them, and encourages us, that what we suffer for Christ has meaning, has power, for the salvation of souls. And so we are to offer ourselves, our sufferings, our time, talent, and treasure, our lives in union with Him.

St. Paul emphasizes this very teaching in his letter to the Romans, when he writes: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

May we truly be pleasing and perfect sacrifices to the Father, not conformed to this age, but with minds and hearts renewed by Word and Sacrament, offer our lives in union with the One saving sacrifice of Christ Our Lord for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an end to the divisions among Christians: that we may be united in proclaiming the Gospel and announcing the freedom, healing, reconciliation and peace that comes through Christ.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For the temporal and spiritual needs of our parish, for the conversion of non-believers in our neighborhood and families, for protection from all evil.

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 the grace to unite our suffering with our Savior’s cross.

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

5th Week of Lent 2018 - Thursday - Jesus Christ is the Great I AM

Christians believe that Jesus is “True God and True Man”, he is “fully God” and “fully human.” We also know that the instances where Jesus clearly proclaims his divinity are rather rare in the pages of the New Testament. But, on this Thursday of the 5th week of Lent, as Holy Week looms ever closer, we have one of those instances.

Jesus had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles—a feast celebrating the abundance of God’s mercy. Having Himself just displayed God’s abundant mercy in the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus stands before a group of fellow Jews. Jesus teaches that same God who abundantly forgives the sins of the contrite, those committing to “going and sinning no more”, has sent Him to be a light for the world, “those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Then we hear today, the clear and undeniable teaching, “before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus identifies himself as the very same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the very same God who appeared to Moses at the burning bush, the God of creation, the God of Israel.

Even though many Jews had come to believe in His divine mission, they only saw him as a human being, a prophet. His claim of equality with God, to them was blasphemous. And so, following the dictates of Levitical law, they picked up stones to drive Him from their midst.

During these final days of Lent, we show our belief that not only is Jesus a man who suffers for God’s will, as all of us are called to do, he is God with the power to save us from our sins, to heal broken hearts and broken lives. We prepare, during Lent, through our penances, to stand with the newly initiated at Easter, to acknowledge that it is through God’s mercy that we have come to believe that Jesus Christ is “True God, and True Man.” May our Lenten penances help us to deepen our conviction that “those who keep His Word shall never see death” and to strengthen our conviction for solemnly declaring to all the nations that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

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: Thursday - 31st Week in OT 2016 - "We are the circumcision"

Circumcision is mentioned briefly but prominently in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, as we heard this morning. The custom of circumcising males was an important identity marker for the ancient Hebrews—it was a sign of belonging to the God of Israel, and distinguished them from the non-circumcising nations like the Philistines and Babylonians.

The meaning of circumcision is given in Genesis chapter 17, where God instructs Abraham to circumcise himself and all his male descendants as a sign of the everlasting covenant between God and his people.

The Hebrew Scriptures would often use this idea of circumcision as a metaphor, speaking of the circumcision of the heart, the lips, and the ears. For example, before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Moses calls them to a renewed dedication to the Lord by saying, “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked”. Allowing God to “circumcise your heart”, Deuteronomy says,  will enable you to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.

Circumcision is understood as a removal of a barrier, a renewed attentiveness and devotion to God’s Word. To circumcise the ears and lips is to remove a barrier to hearing and speaking the word of God. To circumcise the heart is to renew the barriers in your life to loving God.

So what a strange and amazing thing for Paul to say in “we, Christians, are the circumcision…we who worship through the Spirit of God…and do not trust in our flesh.” Paul is speaking of a vocation isn’t it…a vocation for Christians to help the rest of the world remove the barriers in their hearts to God…and we precisely fulfill that vocation by not putting our trust in vain, empty things.

We, who have had the barriers in our lives removed, need to help others do the same. When we are faithful to that vocation, when we help those lost in sin return to God, there is, as we heard in the Gospel, “much rejoicing in heaven.”

May the Holy Spirit continue to help us identify those parts of our minds and hearts that we do not give to God, so that we may be more effective in the work of mercy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.