5th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - The Wisdom of Solomon

 Wisdom. The importance of wisdom runs throughout our readings today.  The queen of Sheba traveled from far off lands to seek Solomon’s Wisdom.  In the responsorial psalm we repeated, “the mouth of the just murmurs wisdom”.  In the Gospel, Jesus very wisely teaches that it is not particular foods which makes a man unclean, rather, it is the failure to make moral choices.

One of my favorite lines from that great advent song, O Come O Come Emmanuel, is the one about Wisdom: “O Come Thou Wisdom from on High, who orders all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go”

In the first reading, Solomon is praised for his wisdom, but where did his wisdom come from? Earlier in the book of Kings, there is a story where God appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God tells Solomon, I will give you whatever you want. And Solomon says, my father David was a good man and tried to serve you Lord. Compared to my father, I’m just a little child and don’t know how to carry out my duties as king. So, Lord, give me a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. 

And we know how Solomon goes on to govern with justice, and sound judgment, he resolves disputes with insight that pierces to the heart of the matter. But where did his wisdom come from? Solomon humbly acknowledged his limitations, and sought to conform his mind and heart and decisions to that of God. He ordered his life according to the will of God. That’s the great scriptural lesson.

In the Psalm we heard how the heart of the just man is focused on the law of God. You want to be wise? Ponder the law of God, seek to understand the law of God—not just what the church teaches, but why she teaches it. The wise man ponders, he meditates on the law of God day and night, so that God’s law can permeate his life—his words and deeds and decisions. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours helps with this especially, praying the psalms at morning, noon, evening, and night fills our day with the word of God that we might grow in wisdom. 

Wisdom helps us to order our life, so it remains oriented toward heaven.  May our lives be wisely ordered that we may remain on the path that leads to God in our speech, thoughts, and decisions for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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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.

That all of our leaders, in the Church and in government, may be guided by Holy Wisdom and govern with just and discerning hearts.

For the conversion of all those who have fallen into serious sin, for a return of fallen away Catholics to the Sacraments, and that all young people may be protected from the perversions of our culture.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief.

For ourselves and our own community, that the Lord may graciously receive us as a sacrifice acceptable to himself.

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.

First Friday Holy Hour - January 2024 - Discerning our purpose

This morning, I shared a quote from Bishop John Nepomocene Neumann, the one and only American bishop canonized by the church, whose liturgical feast is today. 

In a sermon on the work God has for us, bishop Neumann said, “Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  

Each one of us is created by God with a purpose. What an important reminder! And yet, where do we discover that purpose? How do we discern it among the many confusing choices we have in life?

Here. Right here. Kneeling in front of God incarnate, made present in the Holy Eucharist. This is the place the saints have gone for clarity, guidance, and strength. To the Eucharistic presence of Christ.

Here is the silence we need in order to hear him speaking. Here we assume the posture of kneeling—which is at both a posture of humility, and readiness for service. Here we separate ourselves from all the things we could be doing, in order to focus on the one thing, the unum necessarium, the one thing necessary, the will of God.

Lord show us your will for us—your will for us to serve you by cultivating our interior life, which is your presence in our souls, through prayerful adoration. Help us to rejoice in the work you have for us—to not seek selfish gain, but that which profits the mission of the Gospel. What are the gifts, what are the talents you are urging us to cultivate? What are the comfort zones you are urging us to leave? Who are the strangers you are urging us to speak to? What vices are you urging me to give up? What unknown roads are your urging me to walk? What modes of service are you urging me to take up? Give us strength in our trials, and a sincere hope of attaining eternal reward through obedience to your Holy Will, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

July 31 2023 - St. Ignatius of Loyola - Discernment

 While convalescing from a military injury, the young soldier Ignatius of Loyola discerned that the pursuits of the flesh, fame, wealth, and power brought him emptiness and disappointment, where the pursuits of the spirit, as lived out in the lives of the saints and the famous spiritual volume, The imitation of Christ, brought him a sense of completeness and true peace.

Ignatius uncovered a truth that runs through Scripture and the spiritual tradition. Seeking God, seeking to please God, obeying God, conforming to God’s will brings peace, where serving idols, seeking selfish aim, obeying only bodily appetites, conforming to the world brings exhaustion, unhappiness, guilt, and restlessness. St. Paul writes to the Galatians: “the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.”

Ignatius initial discernment led him to give his life over to the greater glory of God. AMDG, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam “for the greater glory of God”, became the motto of the Jesuit Order which he founded, which took the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, as well as a special fourth vow of unconditional obedience to the Holy Father: to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.

We all do well to engage in this type of discernment: examining our life and identifying the things and pursuits that take away our spiritual peace and joy and begin detaching ourselves from them. Sin brings me exhaustion and guilt, well, let’s root out the sin. Service brings me happiness and fulfillment, well let’s engage in more of that then. Where can I work more service into my life. 

In addition to this basic type of discernment, Ignatius’ developed rules for discerning God’s will for our lives. We know we are all called to cultivate virtue, to remain faithful in temptation, and engage in prayer and works of charity, and that God wants all of us to be united with Him, to serve Him, to utilize our gifts in service, but how? For each of us that’s different. Ignatius’ rules can be utilized to discern is God calling me to priesthood or religious life. Is God calling me to some form of missionary activity, a particularly serious penance for the good of souls, a change of career. 

Ignatius also developed what is called the daily examen, a daily discernment prayer, prayed at  at the end of the day, to reflect on the day’s activities, to review the events of the day and consider, did I follow God’s initiative or my own, did I sew in the field of the flesh, or the field of the spirit. Then, in silence and peace, to express thankfulness for the gifts and blessings of the day, and ask repentance for our failure to live up to our Christian identity. Then finally, to ask God to help us resolve to grow and trust in the loving guidance of God tomorrow.

Rather than following our own whims, St. Ignatius helps us to remember that we must apply the wisdom of the scriptures and the saints to discerning God’s will in our lives—for our sanctification, and for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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For deliverance from all disordered affections and attitudes, for detachment from earthly goods in order to value the goods of heaven, that the Holy Spirit may guide our discernment for God’s service. We pray.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for the Society of Jesus, and that we may all be dedicated to the greater glory of God. 

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, religious, especially for all deceased Jesuits who have served our local Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

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.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - The Narrow Gate

 When asked about how many will be saved the Lord responded, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate”. 

In Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord says something similar. He says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

The narrow way is one of effort rather than ease—work and toil, rather than sloth. Hesiod, the old Greek poet writes: “Wickedness can be had in abundance easily; smooth is the road, and very nigh she dwells; but in front of virtue the gods immortal have put sweat.’ When the Lord says, “strive” to enter heaven, the Greek word is agonozomai—agonize. Heaven needs to be sought with struggle and strain, like an athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and “giving his all” in the effort.

And that means the narrow way is one of discipline and self-control rather than undiscipline and indulgence. Many fail to achieve something of substance in their careers or in the earthly realm because they abandon discipline—they let themselves go. And the same is true for the spiritual life. St. Peter writes, “the end of all things is at hand, so be self-controlled and sober-minded”.  St. Paul writes to Timothy, “Train yourselves for godliness”. Training requires discipline—sticking to the regiment of prayer, study and good works, when the temptations of the world beckon for our attention. 

And that means the narrow way is also one of discernment rather than thoughtlessness. We must discern what is good with the help of God. Not everything that glitters is gold. Not every path leads to heaven. So we must be discerning, learning to distinguish good from evil, learning to see through the tricks and illusions of the devil and the world.

For the narrow way is also one of detachment from the works of the devil, including seeking conversion from habitual sin. Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  We are cling to habits and attitudes that have no place in heaven, and should have no place in our earthly life: our grudges, our resentments, our perversions, our fears of suffering to obtain what is good.  We must let go of all that keeps us from following Christ more wholeheartedly.  

With God’s help, may we strive to enter the narrow gate, through effort, discipline, discernment, detachment and the help of grace, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the conversion of unbelievers, the sanctification of the faithful; for all hearts to be more receptive to Christ’s Gospel.

That government leaders at every level may be free of corruption and work for common good.

During this month of October may souls increase in faith, hope, and love through newfound devotion to Our Lady’s Rosary.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease; for those overwhelmed by life’s burdens; for the grieving and the fearful.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish; for deceased parishioner Kenneth Casey who died last week, for all of the poor souls in purgatory.

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.

4th Week of Easter 2022 - Wednesday - The Holy Spirit Speaks

 

Yesterday, we heard how following the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, Christians were scattered into the surrounding regions—like the seed scattered by the Sower in the Gospel. They escaped Jerusalem with their lives, but they didn’t wallow in misery over what was lost, they sought out the lost, and preached the Gospel in those places where the wind of the Holy Spirit had blown them.

And they came to a little place called Antioch. Now at that time, Antioch rivaled Rome in terms of population. There were about a million people in Antioch. And some of them converted. And yesterday, we heard how it was there in Antioch, where the disciples of Jesus were first called Christian.

Today we heard how the Christians of Antioch gathered together for prayer, they fasted together, they worshipped the Lord together, they sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Their example remains relevant for Christians of every age: we must pray together, fast together, worship together, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit together. 

Notice, how it was during their communal prayer, fasting, and worship, the Greek word there is leitourgeo, from which we get the word liturgy, which likely included the celebration of the Eucharist, it was from this experience of humbling themselves through fasting, raising their hearts to God through prayer, that the Holy Spirit spoke. In other words, the will of God, the will of the Holy Spirit became clear to them. 

It was in Antioch that Paul and Barnabas received clarity from the Holy Spirit that they were to embark on a missionary journey, the first of three, to spread the Gospel far and wide. This first missionary journey would take them 1000 miles through rapid rivers, steep mountains, malaria-plagued lowlands, and bandit-ridden passages. Their lives would be at risk countless times, and they knew it. But they trusted the Holy Spirit, and it changed everything.

How is our parish called to imitate these holy ones? In prayer, fasting, worship, discernment, and mission. May the Holy Spirit guide us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be deeply committed to the spread of Christ’s Gospel, and for the success of the Church’s missionary activity. And our parish may be attentive and responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

For those in public office: may they govern with wisdom and compassion for the most vulnerable among us—especially unborn children, the elderly, the indigent, and persons with disabilities.  Let us pray to the Lord.

That the isolated and abandoned may know the love of God through the labors of the Church. 

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the deceased members of our families friends and parishes, for those who fought and died for our freedom, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Graciously grant our petitions, we beseech thee, O Lord; may your grace sustain us always in your service, through Christ Our Lord.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Trust and the Miraculous Catch

My guess is that everyone here has in some way experienced a little something of what Simon Peter experienced in today’s Gospel passage. To help digest this experience, I’d like to break down the passage into six stages which correspond to six stages of spiritual growth.

Firstly, there is frustration. We’ve all experienced frustrated when things don’t go our way. For Peter and his crew, their frustration was the result of a miserable night of hard work with nothing to show for it. These were expert life-long fisherman, and it’s almost unfathomable how unsuccessful they were.

There is frustration when we exert effort and have nothing to show for it. This is true for business, or our hobbies, or our relationships. And this is true in our work for God. We set the table and nobody shows up. 

But also, the self-centered life, the life centered on the false gods of the world, is frustrating, for it leaves us unhappy and empty.

But then, what happens in the Gospel. God barges into your life. Maybe in a sermon, or a book, or a powerful conversation with a friend, God shows up and asks you to trust Him. Try again, this time, trust in Me. You might imagine Peter’s confusion or annoyance, when Jesus, a carpenter, told him how to do his job. Peter and his crew had just fished all night and had just finished cleaning all of their equipment when Jesus instructed Peter to cast his net into deep waters.  

And so you have a choice, and it might not be an easy one. Not unlike Adam and Eve in the garden, the Devil often shows up and says, “don’t trust God, his expectations are unrealistic, the consequences for disobedience probably aren’t that bad.” Doubts and confusion sometimes arise whenever it’s time to trust God. Because there’s a lot of spiritual warfare around that choice. Devils conspire against us, an angels are fighting for us.

And this raises an important question: How do we know it’s God asking us to trust Him and not the devil or our own imagination? Well, God never asks anything that violates his commands or the teachings of the Church. Jesus’ command to cast into the deep waters to the fishermen was a strange one, he was asking something that would normally never do, but he wasn’t asking them to violate a commandment. 

So, yes, that little voice must be discerned. Is it coming from God or not? We certainly shouldn’t do anything that puts the welfare of our families in jeopardy—like selling your house in order to buy a bunch of lotto tickets. A good spiritual director, a fellow parishioner known for their prudence and wisdom, can help you discern. But once you discern that it is likely God asking you to trust Him, it is time for trust.

And that’s the third stage: the disciples make the choice to trust. Even though it slightly grated against their professional sensibilities, trusting his master, Peter and the crew cast out into the depths of Lake Gennesaret. 

Another question: Why should we Trust God? Why should we risk wasting our time doing something potentially foolish for God? Because God loves us, he would would never fool us. Unlike the enemy, he would never deceive us. He has our best interests in mind. 

Many young men considering the seminary are given this choice. To the world, even their families, entering seminary, even just for a year, is a ridiculous choice. Spend an entire year, with limited communication with family and friends, to discern something that you might not end up doing? Spend a year learning to pray instead of learning a trade?  

But then something happens, and this is the fourth stage, the result of trusting in God is a miraculous catch of fish. The time in discernment, the choice to trust wasn’t wasted, for God doesn’t waste our time. It’s we that waste our time, when we only follow our own fluctuating and fleeting emotions and impulses.

I’ve never met a young man, who entered seminary even for a year, and regretted it. When you trust generously, “God will not be outdone in generosity” said Mother Theresa. There is always, at least, growth in wisdom, knowledge that will be utilized later in life. But often, God exceeds our expectations. Over and over, people who volunteer their time, engaging in ministry, say that they were blessed beyond what they ever imagined. 

Notice, too, the miraculous catch wasn’t an individual effort, but a joint effort. It took the whole crew to bring in the large catch. God doesn’t just ask us to trust Him, but also others, enough to work together. Marriage is a joint effort. The mission of the parish is a joint effort. Maybe we’ve often been so frustrated because we’ve so often tried to do everything on our own, rather than as a family. But we can catch more fish together than we could on our own.

And then comes the fifth stage, after bringing in the miraculous catch, what happens? Peter falls to his knees. “Depart from me Lord, for I am sinful man”. More valuable than the miraculous catch is the recognition that you are in God’s presence. When God shows forth his generosity, we are humbled. I should have been trusting God all along, God have mercy on me. I’ve been so stupid to trust in my own will. My distrust has not brought me anything good, ever. If I had trusted just a little bit more, my life would have been so different.

And that’s the final stage: the encounter with divine grace changes you. Now that you have witnessed what God can do, the Lord says, “from now you will be catching, not fish, but men.” 

St. Paul speaks about this transformation in the second reading today, the whole reading is Paul explaining how God changed his life when he came to recognize Jesus crucified and risen. Paul, remember, as a zealous Jew, had been on a crusade to wipe out the believers of Jesus. “I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” But encountering grace, in choosing to believe, Paul was transformed, and made the greatest of apostles.

As a result of trusting God, encountering his grace, we are changed, not to become wealthy or successful in the eyes of the world, but to catch souls for Christ, to work for the spread of the Gospel. 

Not every Christian is called to be priest or nun or monk or miracle worker. But every Christian is called to be an evangelist, just as every Christian is called to be a saint. But the path to both vocations is identical. In the frustrations of life, we learn to trust God, and allow him to bring about a miraculous catch. And recognizing what he has done, we humbly kneel before him, and allowing that grace to transform us, He gives us what we need for the work he has planned for us.

Friends, every frustration is an opportunity to trust God. So much unhappiness and anxiety could be avoided if in our frustrations we placed our trust in Him sooner. So much boredom and sadness could be avoided, if we allowed his grace to help us realize our potential inworking for the spread of his kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Different kinds of spiritual gifts

 Having completed the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas, we’ve entered, once again the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time. During ordinary time we focus, not so much on the extraordinary events in the life of Jesus—his birth, his passion and death and resurrection, like we do at Christmas and Easter, but on the ordinary life of the Church, our everyday life as followers of Christ.

What should ordinary life as a Christian look like?  Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary in today’s Gospel gives us a very important first principal: “Do whatever he tells you.”  There’s the ordinary task of the Christian, there’s a summary of the work of the Church: “Do whatever he tells you.” Obey Christ.  Fulfill the mission he’s given.  Do his work.  Follow his will.  And when we do that, Jesus is able to transform ordinary water into extraordinary wine—he is able to transform the ordinary works and words of our life, into the rich, extraordinary works of God.  

The trouble is, of course, that we all too often obey our selfish impulses, our fears and anxieties, our preconceived notions about how the world should work, our prejudices, we listen to all of these voices, instead of the one voice that should matter, and so the ordinary water of our lives remains just water, the ordinary remains ordinary; the gifts go unused, the talents buried, the light hidden. 

“Doing whatever he tells you” means putting the gifts God has given us into practice. And in our second reading, St. Paul enumerates a number of those gifts which make our ordinary Christian life quite extraordinary.

“To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to some benefit.”  God gives every baptized member of the Church special gifts for the renewal and building up of the Church.  These gifts are not just for the Corinthians 2000 years ago, they are gifts not just for the clergy, not just for people involved in formal missionary activity in foreign lands, they are not just rare graces you might receive at charismatic prayer meetings.  But to you and me and every baptized member of the Church, God has given gifts that his Holy Spirit might be manifested NOW, in this neighborhood, in this parish, in our families, that souls might be brought more deeply into His divine life and the life of the Church.  

Saint Paul enumerates these gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties of tongues, interpretation of tongues: all meant for building-up the Church..  

Let’s look at some of these. First, Paul listed Wisdom. Saint Thomas Aquinas called wisdom, “the view from the hilltop”.  The wise person sees life from the high vantage point—that is, he puts in life in order in light of eternity. Wisdom means putting your life in order, getting your priorities straight. And all Christians are meant to do that. Wise Christians looks to the scriptures, looks to the saints, looks to our Church teachings to guide their lives, not the fleeting, fickle, foolish impulses of our emotions or sentiments or the foolish opinions and values and errors of the age. The Church needs wise Christians who are prudent, practical, rational, and judicious, who act as a guiding light for our culture.

Second, Paul lists the gift of “knowledge”.  The Catholic faith has produced the greatest and most knowledgeable thinkers of all time: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, John Henry Newman, not to mention great scientists like Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming inventor of Penicillin, Galileo, Copernicus, Marie Curie, Catholics invented Universities.  It was a Roman Catholic priest, George Lamaitre who first proposed the Big Bang Theory! These men and women remind us that our knowledge is meant to be at the service of the Church and the human race. 

Are you knowledgeable in science, math, history, philosophy, theology, sports?  Your knowledge has been given to you as a gift, not simply to make a lot of money or to show off—no to lord it over others, but to be put in the service of God. I met a gentleman the other day, with a background in mechanical engineering and pipe fitting.  He is now helping poor Hispanic communities bring their buildings up to code. How can you use your knowledge to help others—to build up the Church?

The next spiritual gift Paul mentions is “faith”. Now all of us here have faith, more or less. Paul here is speaking of faith that is contagious. Have you met someone with really contagious faith? You talk with them and they draw you deeper into the life of the Church, they speak about prayer and you want to go home and pray, they speak about their guardian angel, and you think, yeah, I need to become better friends with my guardian angel, or they speak about confession, and you think, yeah, I haven’t been to confession in a while. 

There are non-believers languishing outside of the Church because of our failure to exercise the gift of faith—to allow our faith to be contagious. Is your faith contagious? If not, why not?

Paul mentions next, “gifts of healing”.  All of the baptized are empowered to pray for healing.  Every Sunday we always have a petition for the sick and the suffering, and each of us instinctively turns to God when we are sick or have a sick family member.  I think there are a lot of people in the Church who have been given the gift of psychological healing: people who almost naturally bring calm and peace, who can sooth inner turmoil, who can calm troubled psyches and souls.  

The gift of healing particularly can become unlocked when we ourselves have received healing.  Those who have overcome an addiction often finds that they can help others still struggling.  If you have been healed, likely the Lord is calling you to help someone who needs healing, someone who is grieving, or suffering from an emotional trauma, or just needs someone to talk to.

Finally, the gift of discernment is very important.  You might not have the gift of healing, wisdom or knowledge, but discernment is meant to help others discover their gifts.  To discern the work of the Spirit in others is no small thing.  God uses those with the gift of discernment to help others identify their gifts. You detect someone who is suffering emotional turmoil and you lead them to the one with the gift of healing.  You detect someone who is doubting the faith, and you bring them to the one with the gift of faith or knowledge.  You detect a family situation that requires outside help, perhaps a troubled marriage, and you get that troubled marriage the help it needs.  You detect that a particular young person is being called to religious life or to the priesthood, or that a fellow parishioner should consider joining the choir or becoming a lector or Eucharistic minister or deacon or catechist, you help point them in the right direction, and that is invaluable.  The person with discernment helps me to see something about myself that I cannot see.

At the beginning of this new year, far better than a new year resolution to eat fewer potato chips or something, is to consider how God is calling you to develop and share your gifts this year, for the building up of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

July 31 2020 - St. Ignatius of Loyola - From vanity to sanctity

Saint Ignatius was born at Loyola Spain in 1491, the youngest son of a noble and wealthy Basque family. In his autobiography, he described himself in that early part of his life as “a man given to the vanities of the world, whose chief delight consisted in martial exercises, with a great and vain desire to win renown.”

Vanity and the pursuit of renown animated his youth, but his life changed around the age of 30. For while defending the city of Pamploma from a French army, he was severely wounded in battle—his leg shattered by a cannonball.

And while he recovered, he had his great spiritual awakening. While convalescing, he read the life of Jesus and the lives of the saints.  He realized that his worldly pursuits, even though they involved courage and patriotism were to a large extent self-centered.  He saw how the Saints accomplished great deeds not for a worldly kingdom that will pass away, but for the eternal kingdom of God. He began to desire to emulate their radical poverty and humility and charity. 

And Ignatius noticed that as he resolved to imitate the holy austerities of the saints and to do penance for his sins, he was filled with a peace and happiness that he never experienced before.

Upon his recovery, he bade farewell to his family and made pilgrimage to Montserrat. He spent three days confessing the sins of his whole life. He hung his sword and dagger near the statue of the Virgin Mary as symbols of his abandoned worldly ambitions. And he clothed himself in sackcloth and spent the night in prayer. And for a number of months he lived as a beggar and practice those austere penances of the saints and attended mass daily.

After making pilgrimage to the Holy Land, then back to Rome, Venice, and Cyprus, he dedicated himself to study, that he might be able to help souls. He studied in Barcelona and then Paris, where he began to attract a small group of disciples, who took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, who would later go on to form the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.  “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam” was their motto—“for the greater glory of God”

Nearly 500 years later, his life, writings, and deep love of the Church, continue to inspire us to put our lives in the service of God’s glory. 

Like with Ignatius, there each of us have vain pursuits which leave us empty and sad, and holy penances and holy works which would bring us such happiness and fulfillment, if we but resolved, with God’s help to complete them. May whatever we do today, be done with the intention of serving not ourselves, but the heavenly kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Priest: We unite our prayers today with St Ignatius of Loyola and with all the community of saints.  

For Pope Francis, himself a member of the Jesuit Order, for wisdom and courage as he leads and guides our Church, and that all members of the Society of Jesus may strive for fidelity to Christ in all of their ministerial endeavors. 

That all Christians may strive daily for sanctity. For a rekindling of faith for the lukewarm, hope for the despairing, belief for the unbelieving.

For the safety and success of all missionaries. 

That our young people may turn away from the empty promises of the world and from all self-centeredness, for blessings upon all Christian families, for the protection of the unborn.

That the sick and suffering may find comfort in the promises of Christ and the consolation of the Spirit.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the souls in purgatory, deceased bishops, priests, and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Hear Our Prayers, O Lord, and through the intercession of St. Ignatius, help us to live for your greater glory. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

31st Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Renewal of Minds and Sharing Spiritual Gifts

 Our daily readings from Romans have brought us into the final major section of Paul’s great letter. St. Paul has completed his teachings on basic Christian doctrine and has spoken of God’s plan to bring unification to humanity. Now in the last part of his letter he turns his attention to instruction on the moral considerations and consequences of the Gospel—how members of the Church are to treat each other, non-believers, and the poor.

Paul begins his instruction by setting the stage: Christians must not model their lives and their behavior on the contemporary world. For the Roman Christians, they were to avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, and the worldview of the Pagan Romans. What would be his exhortation to us? Avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, the worldview of secular society!

Rather, Paul says, renew your minds, metamorphousthe, he says in the Greek, be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Put on the mind of Christ in all things, study the faith, meditate on the word of God day and night, that you can know what is good, and pleasing to God. Wonderful advice. To the extent of their intellectual ability, every Christian should seek to understand the faith. You are never to old to renew your minds.

Okay, then Paul gets to the exhortations we find today. Rather than conforming yourself to the world, having put on the mind of Christ, Paul explains how God wants communities of Christians to discern and share and make use of their spiritual gifts. The gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, acts of mercy are to be discerned, developed, and shared.

What are these gifts? Ministry is the gift of practical service to others, particularly to widows, orphans, and the elderly. Teaching helps believers and non-believers to understand the faith with clarity. Exhortation encourages others and motivates them to live the gospel with heroic fidelity. Generosity prompts persons to make give liberally of their financial resources to assist the needy and to advance the mission of the church. Community leadership orchestrates the gifts of the community, perhaps helping other discover their gifts. Mercy is reaching out to the hungry, sick, dying, imprisoned and so forth.

We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our parish, to protect us from the errors of the world, to teach us what is good and pleasing to God, and to help us discern, develop and share our spiritual gifts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That God’s manifold gifts may be evident in our Diocese and in our parish.

That our parishioners may be kept safe from the errors of the world and be transformed by the renewal of their minds and hearts through the Gospel.

That during this National Vocations Awareness Week our young people may respond generously to the call of the Lord to serve the Church.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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.

July 31 2018 - St. Ignatius of Loyola - Discernment of Spirits and Daily Examen

While convalescing from a military injury, the young soldier Ignatius of Loyola discerned that the pursuits of the flesh, fame, wealth, power brought him emptiness and disappointment, where the pursuits of the spirit, as lived out in the lives of the saints and the famous spiritual volume, The imitation of Christ, brought him a sense of completeness and true peace.

Ignatius discerned well the logic of our Lord in the Gospel today: the Lord Jesus works to sow good seed in our hearts, which flourish to eternal life, where the enemy, the devil, sows seeds of corruption, which poison our souls, and lead to perdition. St. Paul echoed this sentiment in his letter to the galatians, when he wrote: “the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.”

Upon recovery, Ignatius rightly discerned to give his life over to the greater glory of God. AMDG, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam “for the greater glory of God”, became the motto of the Jesuit Order which he founded, which took the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, as well as a special fourth vow of unconditional obedience to the Holy Father: to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.

How are each of us called to serve God’s glory? We do well to follow Ignatius’ rules of discernment. We should identify the vain pursuits which bring only temporary satisfaction, and seek rather the activity that brings lasting peace and joy. Like the young knight Ignatius, sometimes we discover that we’ve been deceiving ourselves about what matters most in life, and shy away from true and humble service.

Ignatius developed what is called the daily examen, a prayer at the end of the day, to reflect on the day’s activities, to review the events of the day and consider, did I follow God’s initiative or my own, did I sew in the field of the flesh, or the field of the spirit. Then, in silence and peace, to express thankfulness for the gifts and blessings of the day, and ask repentance for our failure to live up to our Christian identity. Then finally, to ask God to help us resolve to grow and trust in the loving guidance of God tomorrow.

May we know the prayerful intercession of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in our daily efforts to work for the spread of the Gospel, for the greater glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For deliverance from all disordered affections and attitudes, for detachment from earthly goods in order to value the goods of heaven, that the Holy Spirit may guide our discernment for God’s service. We pray.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for the Society of Jesus, and that we may all be dedicated to the greater glory of God.

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

For freedom from inclement weather and any violent incidents or dangerous accidents during our upcoming parish festival, and that those who come to our parish grounds may know the goodness of God reflected in the charity and kindness of our parishioners.

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, religious, especially for all deceased Jesuits who have served our local Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

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.

10th Week of OT 2018 - Friday - Tiny Whispers and Clear Teachings

What an interesting dichotomy of readings.

On one hand, from the first book of Kings, we hear the beloved account of Elijah, listening on Mt Horeb for the voice of God. And the voice of God was not in the fierce rock-crushing, mountain-rending wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in the tiny whispering sound. And it was this barely detectable whisper that sent the prophet Elijah on his sacred mission.

On the other hand, in our Gospel, Jesus is giving this rather blunt-force moral teaching on how to avoid sexual temptation and the sinfulness of illegitimate remarriage after divorce.

Our scriptures hold these two readings side-by-side for us, to remind us, perhaps, that it is not either-or, but, both-and.

Yes, God speaks to us in the quiet, in the silence. And so we have a duty to listen to him there, in the silence, the duty to quiet down our lives every day to hear that whisper. The inspiration to go out to serve the needy, to reach out to a down-trodden neighbor, the impulse to offer one’s life by following a religious vocation, these messages often come in a whisper.

But then, God knows that we also need the very clear, loud voice of the moral teaching of the Church. When it comes down to the difference between right-and-wrong the voice of God is pretty clear.

I think part of today’s religious confusion is that we want inspiration to come in the form of undeniably loud signs or bright-neon lights,  “bring food to the hungry”, “join the seminary.” And some want the clear moral teaching of the Church to be hushed, to be left to the individual to discern for themselves. But we must develop an ear, an obedience, to both ways the voice of God, the Word of God, comes to us: obedient to those quiet inspirations and obedient to the clear moral teaching of the Church’s magisterium.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear” and follow the Lord’s voice faithfully and courageously, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For all the priests of our diocese beginning new assignments this week, for their attentiveness to the needs of those they serve.

For those experiencing discouragement or despair, that they may know the goodness and closeness of God through the charity of faithful Christians.

For the unity of the Church, for the conversion of those in error, for those who deny God’s existence or despair of his mercy.

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

July 31, 2017 - St. Ignatius of Loyola - For the greater glory of God

Saint Ignatius was born at Loyola Spain in 1491 to a Basque noble family. He served the King of Spain as a knight. He was on his way to military fame and fortune when at the age of 30, he was severely wounded in battle—his leg shattered by a cannonball. During his recovery, he read The Life of Christ and the lives of the saints.

As he read and pondered these books, he noticed a change taking place within him. Daydreams of serving the king as a valiant knight and winning the love a noble lady, though at first enticing, ultimately left him feeling inwardly dry and discontented. By contrast, when he imagined devoting his life to the service of God and others, similar to the saints he was reading about, Ignatius experienced a deep sense of joy.

So he realized that his worldly pursuits, even though they involved courage and patriotism were to a large extent self-centered.  So, he began to follow that unshakable urge to accomplish great deeds for the kingdom of God by radically embracing poverty and charitable service for the glory of God.

AMDG - Ad maiorem Dei gloriam, became the motto of the Society of Jesus, which he founded. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam “for the greater glory of God”.  In addition to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, professed members of the Jesuits would take a special fourth vow of unconditional obedience to the Holy Father: to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.

How are each of us called to serve God’s glory? We do well to engage Ignatius’ rules of discernment. We should identify the vain pursuits which bring only temporary satisfaction, and seek rather the activity that brings lasting peace and joy. Like the young knight Ignatius, sometimes we discover that we’ve been deceiving ourselves about what matters most in life, and shy away from what true and humble service.

Ignatius wrote a powerful prayer of surrender to God.  You may have come across this before: “Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask.”

What great holiness we would attain if we sought first God’s will over our own earthly attractions! May we know the prayerful intercession of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in our daily efforts to work for the spread of the Gospel, for the greater glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of July: that our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the faith, through our prayer and witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the merciful closeness of the Lord and the beauty of the Christian life. We pray.

For deliverance from all disordered affections and attitudes, for detachment from earthly goods in order to value the goods of heaven, that the Holy Spirit may guide our discernment for God’s service. We pray.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, for the Society of Jesus, and that we may all be dedicated to the greater glory of God.

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

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests, religious, especially for all deceased Jesuits who have served our local Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

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.