1st Week of Lent 2022 - Monday - Be Holy as the Lord is Holy

 For the celebration of Mass during the season of Lent, I like to make use of the first Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation due to its inclusion of many themes and petitions relevant to Lent.

Just the very name, “Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation” calls to mind our need to “return to God with your whole heart” which echoes throughout this season. 

The prayer speaks of Christ stretching out his arms and being nailed to the cross, being for us the sacrificial victim who reconciles the human race to God, and offers petitions for the healing the wounds of sin and division within the human race. 

I bring up this Eucharist Prayer because it begins with the call to holiness: “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and from the world’s beginning are ceaselessly at work, so that the human race may become holy, just as you yourself are holy.” These words echo the sentiment found in the first reading today from the book of Leviticus, God speaking through Moses to the whole house of Israel, telling them, “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.”

Here is another important principal for the season of Lent: through the practices of Lent, God is seeking to make us holy, as He is holy. 

And our scriptures today highlight two dimensions of the call to holiness—two sides of the same coin. On one hand, in the first reading, we have a number of what are sometimes called the “negative commandments”—the “thou-shalt-nots”—thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not profane the name of God, thou shalt not act dishonestly or bare hatred toward your neighbor. The call to holiness involves eliminating those behaviors and attitudes which God prohibits—those attitudes which are selfish, impure, prideful—those which constitute a lack of love.

Our Gospel today highlights the other side of the coin, some “positive commandments”. Our Blessed Lord tells us that we must not only avoid impurity, selfishness, and pride, but holiness consists of engaging in active charity: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, visiting the imprisoned.

Holiness, the holiness to which God calls us to cultivate during this season of Lent, involves both: purification from the selfish & prideful AND engagement in charity.

And we ought to take this call to holiness quite seriously, for the Lord explains what’s at stake in the Gospel as well: eternal punishment and eternal life. We are to be ridding ourselves of all that might lead us to punishment and practice all that contributes to the pursuit of eternal life, that we might be reconciled ever more deeply to God in this life, that we may enjoy his beatitudes forever in heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For “an immediate end to the hostilities in Ukraine, for a restoration of peace and for the safety of all Ukrainian citizens. And for the Ukrainian community in Northeast Ohio, that their friends and family members in their beloved homeland be kept out of harm’s way.”

For mercy for the most vulnerable of our human family, the unborn; that their mothers may choose life and be supported by a culture of life. 

For the young people of our Church. May they be strengthened to be witnesses to the Gospel of mercy and work for a future that embodies a genuine culture of mercy.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  .

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all the poor souls in purgatory, and N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ Our Lord.

November 17 2021 - St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Christ disguised as a leper

 Today the Church celebrates St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Elizabeth was born in the year 1207, right about the time St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscans, and she too is one of church history’s great examples of charity. 

As daughter of the King of Hungary, and betrothed to the Noble Landgrave of Thuringia, Elizabeth had at her disposal substantial wealth, which she used to care for the poor.

During a severe famine, she exhausted the treasury and distributed her entire store of corn to the poor. She built a new hospital, tending to the sick, feeding them, often by hand—sometimes 900 patients every day. She provided for the welfare of orphans and helpless children. 

When many criticized her material benefactions as being excessive, her husband said that her charities would bring upon the whole realm divine blessings. But even he sort of reached his limits when she brought a leper into their castle to quarantine him from the rest of the populace. 

Interesting story though: as Elizabeth’s husband went to have the leper removed, he discovered that the leper had the holy stigmata, and that his saintly wife was truly taking care of Christ in the sick and poor. 

Through his wife, he learned how we Christians are called to take risks in revering and caring for Christ, seeing Him and loving Him, in our neighbor, including the most revolting. In the works of mercy, we care for Christ, and we also help others discover Christ disguised in the leper.

“What good is it if we only show charity to those who show charity to us” we hear in the Gospel today. Rather, as we see evidenced in the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Christians are to show charity to those who cannot repay us, the poor, the sick, and the dying. We are to “lend expecting nothing back” in giving of our time, talent, and treasure.

St. Elizabeth is revered as the patron saint of third order Franciscans, but no doubt, she has something to teach us all for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

For our consecrated religious, and all third order Franciscans under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may they be strengthened in their works of charity and sustained 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.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday - Mustard Seeds of Charity

Yesterday, in the Gospel we heard of the healing of a crippled woman in a synagogue. There was a woman who had been inflicted with a crippling spirit for 18 years, and the Lord delivers her from this spirit, and she is able to stand and glorify God.

After dealing with a bit of criticism from the pharisees for performing this healing on the sabbath, the Lord immediately offers the two parables we heard today, that of the mustard seed and the yeast.

The healing miracle serves as a sort of spark for today's teaching about the kingdom of God. And it may be a bit confusing how the these two short little parables and the miraculous healing are connected. But it’s really not that hard. The kingdom of God starts out small, almost undetectable, like a mustard seed, a bit of yeast, or the healing of poor afflicted woman. 

An act of kindness, an act of goodness, an act of charity appears so small and insignificant, but it can transform the world. 

This is why Catholics must take acts of mercy, acts of charity seriously. Because this is how God wants to spread his kingdom, through small acts with great love, as st. therese the little flower would say, whom we celebrated at the beginning of the month.

We must not discount or underestimate the power, the seed, of giving a coat to a shivering stranger, a hot meal, a listening ear. This is why Pope Francis is constantly urging us to get out of our houses and out into the world to engage in the works of mercy. Couch potatoes do nothing for God. But the Christian who is quietly trying to bring relief to the suffering, the sick, and the lonely, they are transforming the world, souls are being touched, the consoling and blessing hand of God is being extended…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the faithful of our parish may engage ever more fervently in small acts of charity with great love for God and neighbor.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

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 deceased clergy and religious, for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Sept 27 2018 - St. Vincent de Paul - Heart for the Poor

St. Vincent was the son of a poor, but pious farmer in southwestern France in 1581. Even though it meant a great sacrifice for his family, his father, knowing of the boy’s intellectual gifts and believing him to have a vocation to the priesthood, payed for his studies and encouraged his vocation. Vincent was ordained at the incredibly young age of 20. He was a genius and mastered his philosophical and theological training.

As a charming young priest, Vincent made many wealthy friends; he became chaplain to a queen and moved navigated the comfortable and luxurious aristocratic spheres of society. His life took a dramatic turn, when travelling home from Marseilles to collect a substantial donation, he was captured by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery by Muslim slavers. He escaped prison after two years, with his slave master, who eventually converted to Catholicism.

Returning to Paris, everywhere he looked he saw the hungry, the homeless, war refugees, neglected elderly men, women, and children, and those who had been spiritually abandoned. He followed God’s call to devote his life to their care. He set up many houses for the poor, crippled and sick and personally cared for the patients who had the most contagious diseases. He would dress their wounds and nurse them back to health

St. Vincent writes, “It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible…Do not become upset or feel guilty even if your prayers are interrupted to serve the poor.”

A wealthy friend helped Vincent form the Vincentians—a congregation of priests who took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and devoted themselves to work among the poor. Over time, Vincent established many confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick.  Out of these groups grew the Vincentian nuns or Daughters of Charity who have served in our own diocese since 1865. 

He also invited the wealthy women of Paris to fund his missionary projects.  He founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for victims of war, and even ransomed slaves from North Africa.
He gave retreats to his fellow priests to help combat the spirit of worldliness which had made some of them lax in their spiritual lives.

Pope Leo XIII named him patron of all charitable societies.  This includes of course, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul founded in 1833, almost 200 years after his death, which was founded by his admirer and devotee, Frederic Ozanam. St. Vincent’s bones and heart are perfectly incorrupt, and can be visited in the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris.

His apostolate can be summarized in his saying: “It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor…I belong to God and to the poor.”   

We pray that we may respond generously to those in need for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That all Christians may grow in charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in our midst.

That all those searching and longing for Christ may find him through the witness of His Holy Church.

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

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

6th Sunday of Easter 2018 - No Greater Love

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave to the apostles the commandment to love. So during the Easter season, we read extensively from the Acts of the Apostles so many wonderful stories of the Apostles faithfulness to the Lord’s command to love, all of their efforts to spread the kingdom of Christ’s love—how they endured imprisonment and torture and the threat of death that we might be saved, that Christ’s saving Gospel might be spread.

It is always beneficial and fruitful to meditate on the example and the virtues of the apostles—their miraculous works and their sufferings; for they teach what loving Jesus looks like
On the third of May, this last week, the Church celebrated the feast of two apostles, Saints Philip and James. And on Thursday, I preached about these two apostles, but I wanted to go into a bit greater depth, today, particularly into the great example of the apostle Philip, who is such a marvelous example of fidelity to the commandment to love—his very name, in Greek means “the one who loves”

In the Gospels, we first meet Philip when he begins following the Lord. And it really is love at first sight for Philip. We read in John Chapter 1 how Jesus was in Galilee and the Lord simply says to Philip, “follow me”. No arguments, no proofs, no signs, Philip simply follows the Lord. And in the very next verse, Philip is joyfully running over to Nathanael, proclaiming, “we have found the Lord the one Moses had spoken about in the law and the prophets.” When you really love someone you are willing to tell others about them.

So we follow Philip’s example of loving, joyful witnessing. We are to share with others—relatives, friends, strangers—how loving Jesus Christ has changed our lives. Witnessing to the power of our Christian faith shouldn’t terrify us; it should be a common practice for us. For there is power in that sharing, sharing how being a Catholic, how the sacraments, how prayer, how being involved in acts of charity, has changed you. How your lives are different because of Jesus. One of the ways Jesus wants to draw people to himself, is through your joyful sharing of your encounters with Him.
We read about another encounter between the Lord and the apostle Philip at the last supper, in the passage immediately preceding today’s Gospel. Jesus utters those beautiful words, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

And Philip turns to Jesus and utters a request: “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” The Lord gently rebukes Philip here because Philip doesn’t seem to grasp entirely what Jesus is teaching. Jesus didn’t come to grant a heavenly vision, a miraculous sign that would once-and-for-all prove the Father’s existence. Because he loves Philip, the Lord corrects Him. To love the Lord, is to be willing to be corrected by Him, stretched by Him, challenged by Him, drawn out of your comfort zone by Him.

After the last Supper, the Scriptures are silent about Philip, except for telling us that he burst out of the Upper Room with the rest of the Apostles on Pentecost preaching the Good News. Ancient Christian legend, however, details how Philip preached and performed miracles in Galilee, then went to Greece, and finally to a city in Phrygia, in modern day Turkey, called Hieropolis.
Hieropolis was known for its temples to the pagan gods, particularly to a pagan snake-God. And upon Philip’s arrival in Hieropolis, the snakes filling this Temple began to go crazy, hissing wildly and biting people. This reminds us of the scripture that says, the devil is in a great fury for he knows his time on earth is short. Often the devil causes disturbances in families and parishes right when they are on the verge of growing in holiness or performing sacred works for the Lord because he knows he is about to lose some territory.

Anyway, Philip goes around town and begins healing people of these deadly poisonous snake bites. He then prays for the Lord to deliver the pagans from this false snake-god religion, and at the request of Philip’s prayers, God strikes down this large temple serpent. Many people converted to Christ through Philips preaching, including the wife of the governor. This angered the governor and the pagan priests. So they arrest Philip and crucified him on the steps of the temple.  But, during his crucifixion there was a terrible earthquake. From his cross Philip prayed for the salvation of those who crucified him. The temple was destroyed and the people were saved. And after his death, many came to believe in the one about whom Phillip preached, Jesus the Christ.

So a few lessons here. First, Philip gives a wonderful example of Christian charity. He went around healing people. In this story, he heals them before he even starts preaching.

The Christian is always to be about the works of charity. It doesn’t matter if they eventually come to convert or not. We are to be about the work of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, because we are followers of Christ. In this way we are faithful to Christ’s command to love.
Secondly though, we must not be afraid to preach the truth even in the face of other competing religions and worldviews. Just because our culture is infatuated with promiscuity and perversion, doesn’t mean we stop preaching the truth about chastity, modesty, and purity. Just because our culture is infatuated with technology and instant gratification, doesn’t mean we stop preaching the truth about simplicity, self-discipline, silent prayer. We show our love by sharing the truth with them, lest souls continue down paths which lead to eternal separation from God.

Thirdly, Philip was willing to suffer and even to die so that others might know Christ. Christianity isn’t for wimps, or, maybe it is. Maybe it aims to give wimps like us courage, to be bold in our faith, fortitude to withstand the overwhelming temptation of the flesh, and the guts and the steel to make sacrifices so our saving faith might be spread.

May the Lord find us, like Philip, ready to follow Him to the ends of the earth, to use us as his instruments of charity and deliverance. And may Holy Mass today deepen our love for the Lord, and our conviction to proclaim and to live our faith boldly for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

26th Sunday in OT 2017 - The Little Way and Hidden Humble Acts of Love

On September 30th, 1897, a young Carmelite nun living in France succumbed to the effects of tuberculosis, dying in obscurity, known only to her religious sisters.

Upon their deaths, most people, particularly obscure Carmelite nuns, remain in obscurity, their lives fade into the hidden folds of history. Yet this particular Carmelite, Therese, has proven quite different. Within years of her death, her spiritual autobiography began to be read widely. Miracles attributed to her intercession began to be reported. In just a few decades after her death, the image of Thérèse of Lisieux would be immediately recognizable in the Catholic world. Canonization would soon follow. And at the hundred-year anniversary of her death, Pope St. John Paul II declared her to be a Doctor of the Church, a title given to only a privileged few of the Church’s saints, establishing Thérèse as one of the Church’s great authorities in regards to the meaning and purpose of the Christian spiritual life.

At the heart of Thérèse’s spirituality is the principle that holiness can be discovered not only in the performance of mighty deeds, but in a willing surrender to the purposes of God in the seemingly ordinary experiences of life. St. Therese the Little Flower taught that most of us are not called to do great things, but we can become holy by doing small things with great love.  She called this “the little way”—doing small things with great love.

In her autobiography, St. Therese wrote, “I applied myself above all to practice quiet hidden little acts of virtue; thus I liked to fold the mantles forgotten by the Sisters, and sought a thousand opportunities of rendering them service.” I think many spouses and parents already practice these thousands of hidden little acts of service for their families. These thousands of little acts are likely noticed by no one but God. But because they are noticed by God they are powerful, and infuse the world with his love.

The little way of St. Therese is the way of humility encouraged by our Lord. St. Paul speaks about the need for each of us to practice the humility of Jesus in our second reading. “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus’ own humility is most evidently seen in his embrace of the cross: the God of the universe becoming a slave, taking upon himself mockery, torture, humiliation, and suffering in order to restore humanity to grace.

You see why the world sees us Christians as so strange?  We hold up this image of this crucified slave and say that’s what God looks like, this is what love looks like, this is the meaning of life. And you too can become the person you are meant to be, by embracing this way of life, by taking suffering and hardship upon yourself for the sake of others, without complaint. Doing the laundry, cooking the meals, caring for a sick child or spouse, laboring diligently at one’s job: these things can be roads to spiritual growth, when we do them humbly and out of love.

In the Gospel, Jesus praises, not the son who makes empty promises to the Father, not the one who gives lip service, who claims to be the good son. Jesus praises the son, who actually goes and does the Father’s will.

The Christian faith is not a matter of lip-service, we do not get to heaven by simply telling people we are Christian, but by actually practicing this stuff, by subjugating the mind, the heart, the will, the bank-account, the leisure time to the will of God.  Real faith requires real action.

St. Therese, whose feast day is on October 1, reminds us that holiness is certainly within the reach of ordinary, simple people. God smiles upon those small acts of love, which puts the needs of other before our own, and through those acts of charity, God can enflame our hearts with a burning love and heavenly joy that nothing else in the world can provide.

This week, perform one act of charity per day, without expecting adulation or praise, a hidden act, that only God sees, or perhaps one chore per day without having to be asked.

May each of us be attentive to the little acts of service which God calls us to perform humbly, without notice, without any other reason other than it is good, a blessing for another. Through the life of charity, may God transform us into the people he made us to be, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.