25th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Monday - Deliverance from captivity

 For a period in Israel’s history known as the Babylonian Captivity, the people of God were cut off from their Temple, their families, and their land. While in captivity, the stories could not be told, the traditions could not be practiced, the faith could not be passed on. 

So, a generation of Jews grew up without knowing about God freeing their people from slavery in Egypt; they grew up without knowing the promises God made to Abraham—without the knowledge of the ten commandments or the promised land.  They grew up only knowing the gods and practices of Babylon-- a culture which practiced child sacrifice, polygamy, and other behaviors condemned by Jewish law.

This is not hard to imagine. So many children and grandchildren these days do not know their faith, and have been totally assimilated by the culture. 

Today’s reading from the book of Ezra details the turning point in this sad chapter. In 539 BC, the Persian King Cyrus defeated the Babylonians. A year later King Cyrus decreed that he would allow the captive Jews to return to their homeland. 

“The LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia” to free the Jews, and he even decreed that the Jews should be assisted in rebuilding the house of God—the Temple—in Jerusalem. God was faithful to his promise to deliver his people from their captivity.

Similarly, in our own day, God is at work to deliver the peoples of the world from the captivity of sin. And what instrument does he use? Us. The Church. 

It’s our mission to convert hearts to God—the hearts of kings and presidents and mayors and city councilmen and union leaders and heads of businesses and heads of families. This is why St. Paul writes to Timothy, as we heard in the Gospel yesterday, “First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority”

As we are faithful to our mission—there will be liberation; but when we neglect our mission, captivities continue. 

In the Gospel, the Lord instructs his disciples that lamps are not given so that they may be hidden under a bushel. The light of lamps is to be shared for the good of all. The light of faith, which we have given, isn’t simply for our own sake, for what we do inside of Church buildings. It is meant to shine out in the world—in our words and deeds—especially in our charitable works.

May we be faithful in sharing the light of faith with those we encounter today and every day, that those in captivity may be freed, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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“That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.”

That all Christians tasked with the spread of the light of the Gospel, may be faithful to that same Gospel in every dimension of their lives. We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those whose lives are darkened by sin, for the conversion of all unbelievers and those who have fallen into error, and the conversion of all hearts.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests 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.

25th Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - To inspire (and convert) kings

 We read this morning from the fascinating Old Testament book of Ezra. The Old Testament Books of Ezra and Nehemiah detail the 50-year period after the Babylonian Captivity. 

For over a hundred years, the Jews were cut off from their Temple, their families, and their land in Babylon. A while in captivity, the stories could not be told, the traditions could not be practices, the faith could not be passed on. So, a generation of Jews grew up without knowing about God freeing their people from slavery in Egypt, they grew up without knowing the promises God made to Abraham, without the knowledge of the ten commandments or the promised land.  They grew up only knowing the gods and practices of Babylon-- a culture which practiced child sacrifice, polygamy, and other behaviors condemned by Jewish law.

This is not hard to imagine. So many children and grandchildren these days do not know their faith, and have been totally assimilated by the culture. 

Today’s reading from Ezra details the turning point in this sad chapter. In 539 BC,  the Persian King Cyrus defeated the Babylonians. A year later King Cyrus decreed that he will allow the captive Jews to return to their homeland. 

And we’re told “The LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia” to free the Jews, and he even decrees that the Jews should be assisted in rebuilding the house of God—the Temple—in Jerusalem.

In our own day, God is at work to bring about the liberation of the peoples of the world from the Babylonian captivity of sin to bring them to right worship in the Temple of God the Catholic Church. And what instrument is he using to inspire and convert the Cyrus’ of the world? Us. The Church. It’s our mission to convert hearts to God—the hearts of kings and presidents and mayors and city councilmen and union leaders and heads of businesses and heads of families.

As we are faithful to our mission—there will be liberation; but in our negligence, captivity and slavery to sin and faithlessness will perdure. 

As we heard in the Gospel, we are given the light of faith, not that it may be hidden under a bushel, but that it may be shared for the good of all. May we be faithful in sharing the light of faith with those we encounter today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the Holy Father, Francis, our Pope, that he may be aided by the Holy Spirit in leading those captive to sin home to right relationship to God through Holy Church. We pray to the Lord.

That all Christians tasked with the spread of the light of the Gospel, may be faithful to that same Gospel in every dimension of their lives. We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those whose lives are darkened by sin, for the conversion of all unbelievers and those who have fallen into error, and the conversion of all hearts.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.”

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests 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.

3rd Week of Lent 2021 - Tuesday - God's Mercy and the Amendment of our Ways

 In the year 587 BC, the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem. The Holy City was conquered, the temple was destroyed, and the Jews were separated from their families and marched into Babylonian captivity. 

Once the Jews had arrived in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar erected an enormous golden idol. The King ordered that anyone who refused to prostrate themselves in worship of this idol would be thrown into the fiery furnace. Three young Jewish men, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, refused to abandon their Jewish faith, and so the king had them bound up and thrown into the fiery furnace.

The Lord sent an angel to save these young men, and they were able to walk through the furnace unharmed. Today’s first reading, involves Azariah, standing in the furnace, asking God to look kindly upon the Jewish people, to forgive their sins which had brought them such torment and suffering.

The biblical understanding of the Babylonian captivity is that it was due to Israel forsaking the covenant with God, abandoning the commandments and right worship, and then ignoring the prophets that made them vulnerable to their enemies. Their captivity in Babylon, their suffering, was essentially, their own fault. 

And so even in the furnace, Azariah is calling upon God to help them return to the covenant, that the sacrifices, that they hope to offer should they survive, will help them follow God unreservedly. 

The plea to God for mercy was repeated in our responsorial psalm today, “remember, your mercy, o Lord”. And this plea is followed with requests, much like that of Azariah, guide me in your truth, help me to be humble, that I may walk in justice. The plea for mercy must always involve an amendment of one’s life, or else the mercy is wasted, the plea is empty.

A similar dynamic is involved in the Sacrament of confession, isn’t it? The acknowledgement of one’s sins, that expression of contrition, is followed by a plea for God to help us amend our lives. The firm purpose of amendment and the act plea for forgiveness, again goes hand in hand.

Hence in the Gospel, we hear this parable of a servant who receives mercy from his king, but then fails to extend that mercy to others. For this failure to extend mercy, there are severe consequences.

In Christ, God has answered the prayer of Azariah, the plea of the Psalmist: mercy has been shown, and truth has been taught. And now, it is up to us, to walk in that truth and to extend mercy for others, lest we end up like that unforgiving servant, who has failed to forgive as he has been forgiven.

Our Lenten penances are the sacrifices in which we show God how much we desire to follow him unreservedly. We give up those non-essentials, to help us amend our lives from our sins, that our entire hearts may belong to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That readiness to forgive may mark the life of every Christian. Let us pray to the Lord.

That all families will recommit themselves to fervent prayer this Lent so as to grow in greater love and holiness.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That this Lent we will be faithful to fasting and to all the ways that the Lord sanctifies us.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For generous giving for the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, victims of natural disaster, terrorism, war, and violence, the grieving and those most in need.  Let us pray to the Lord.

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

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.