2nd Week of OT 2020 - Tuesday - Faith in Jesus' Divinity

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus’ critics attacked him and his disciples for not living up to their standards of piety. Compared to the pharisees who fasted twice a week, Jesus and his disciples appeared not to fast. Jesus answered their criticism by hinting at his divine identity which his critics failed to grasp.

Today’s Gospel escalates things. The Lord’s critics accuse him, not simply of minimal piety, but downright sin—violating the sabbath, violating the third commandment by picking heads of grain from the field. Well, the Lord escalates things too. He doesn’t just hint at his divine identity, he equates himself with God. He is Lord of the Sabbath.

David was justified in eating the bread of offering on the Sabbath because David was the Lord’s anointed king and he was on a mission from God. How much more justified is Jesus who is the anointed king of kings on the ultimate divine mission to save us from our sins.

Again, his critics fail to understand his actions because they fail to understand his identity. St. Mark highlights many of these encounters throughout his Gospel. Jesus’ actions are criticized, and then the Lord explains that their criticism is rooted in their failure to believe that He is the Son of God.

This is why the two great moments in Mark’s Gospel occur at the halfway point and then at the end. Peter’s Confession, his proclamation of belief that Jesus is the Christ, the first person in the Gospel to vocalize faith. And then at the crucifixion, the Roman centurion vocalizing, proclaiming, “truly this man was the Son of God.”

Many people throughout the centuries have looked to Jesus’ teaching. Even non-believers can quote and even abide somewhat by the Lord’s teachings or parables. Sadly, though many of the baptized, while recognizing Jesus as a moral authority, fail to recognize him as God. This failure to believe is certainly the great cause of lukewarmness today and throughout the centuries.

We honor today, a saint of just 12 or 13 years old, who was anything but lukewarm. St. Agnes faced with the choice to forsake her faith or die, she exclaimed, “Such is Christ’s beauty that his brightness excels all the brightness of the sun and the stars; the heavens are ravished with his glory.  He is so powerful that all the forces of heaven and earth cannot conquer him.  I love him more than my soul and life and am willing to die for him.”

Again, if he were just some moral teacher, he may be worth admiring. But he is God, and his beauty and goodness exceeds all of the created universe. And that others may know that salvation comes through him, is worth dying for.

The 12 year old martyr reminds us, that children understand, often better than adults, that following jesus means to give him our whole hearts, minds, and souls, to testify with every ounce of our being that he is the Son of God, for the glory of God and 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.
For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.
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 the safety of all those traveling to the March for Life this week in Washington D.C., and that the witness to the dignity of human life may bring about greater protection for the unborn and conversion to the Gospel of Life.
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.

4th Week of Lent 2019 - Wednesday - Why should I believe Jesus?

The past two days we have heard in our Gospel readings, two of the seven signs that testify to Jesus’ identity: monday we heard of the healing of the royal officials son, and yesterday, the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda.

Often following the miracles in John’s Gospel, Jesus gives a lengthy teaching.  He gets people’s attention through the miracle, and then he teaches them—clarifying his identity and his mission: He is the Son of God, He is here to do His Father’s work.  These teachings often deepen the antagonism between Jesus and his persecutors, as we heard today: “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him” The clearer He makes his Divine identity and mission, the more his opponents seemed to hate him for it.

Every week in the Creed, believers renew our belief that Jesus is truly God. At Easter, Catholics will renew their baptismal promises, we will state that Jesus is God.

One of my favorite Catholic apologists, Dr. Peter Kreeft, writes: “The doctrine of Christ's divinity is the central Christian doctrine, for it is like a skeleton key that opens all the others. Christians have not independently reasoned out and tested each of the teachings of Christ received via Bible and Church, but believe them all on his authority. For if Christ is divine, He can be trusted to be infallible in everything He said, even hard things like exalting suffering and poverty, forbidding divorce, giving his Church the authority to teach and forgive sins in his name, warning about hell (very often and very seriously), instituting the scandalous sacrament of eating his flesh—we often forget how many "hard sayings" he taught!”

The doctrine of Christ’s divinity is important for us to reflect upon during Lent. Because Lent is the call to follow Jesus to the Cross. Christ’s divinity is the answer to the question: “Why should I?” Why should I suffer? Why should I repent? Why should I go to the cross with him? Why should I fast? Why should I go through all the effort of changing my ways and striving for virtue? Because Jesus is God. And his promises are infallible.

This is why the early Church fathers fought so assiduously against heresies like Arianism, Adoptionism, Manicheism. They were essentially a rejection of Christ’s central truth: for to paraphrase St. Athanasius, if he wasn’t God, his death on the cross was meaningless, he had no power to save us from our sins.

But he is God, as Our Lord teaches, “The Father and I are one.” And so we follow Him, we believe Him, we abandon our lives to Him, we willingly suffer with Him, that we may be raised with Him as he promised, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in faith for the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That the Church might be delivered and protected from all spirits of error, heresy, schism, and unbelief.

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.

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 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.

19th Week of OT 2018 - Monday - Jesus reveals his identity and mission

The four Gospel treat the notion of Jesus’ identity in different ways. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus appears very guarded about his identity as the Messiah and the Son of God. For example, when he asks the disciples that famous question, “who do you say that I am?” and Peter replies, “You are the Messiah”, Jesus warns the disciples not to tell anyone about him. Again, after healing the leper, Jesus tells the leper, “tell no one who I am, but go and show yourself to the priest.”

The Gospel of John takes Jesus’ identity to the other extreme. In John, he is very clear about his identity, saying things like, “I and the Father are One.” "…he who has seen me has seen the Father…". Jesus says, “I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the resurrection and the Life, I AM the way, the truth, and the life.”

Matthew takes a different approach from Mark and John. In Matthew, Jesus doesn’t try to hide his identity, nor does he boldly explain it. Rather, he gives subtle hints. He teaches people how he is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, and he also subtly reveals his identity through the many miracles Matthew records. In Matthew, Jesus feeds the multitudes by performing a miracle, he walks on water, he heals multitudes of sick people, he casts out demons. In Matthew, Jesus performs works that no human could possibly do.

Today’s Gospel takes place a few verses after the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain top, where Matthew clearly records the voice of heaven proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”
Through all of these signs and actions, Jesus’ disciples came to believe that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to save us from our sins.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus performs another one of these miracles that no one could possibly do, as a way of proving his divine identity. Who could possibly predict that the next fish pulled out of the sea would have money in its mouth, and not only that, but he would predict the exact amount, and not only that, the amount would be the exact amount of money for the temple tax.

Jesus not only proves his divinity here, but also his mission, he comes to pay the price for our sins, that we may have eternal life. His very name, too, Jesus, which in Hebrew means, “God saves” reveals his identity and mission.

We offer this Holy Mass as a way of giving Eucharistic thanks for our redemption, deepening our faith in Him, and proclaiming to the world that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, 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.

For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of August that any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, 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 the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests, deacons and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

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.

4th Week of Lent 2018 - Thursday - It's no secret

In the Gospel of Mark, we often read of Jesus guarding his identity. For example, when he asks the disciples that famous question, “who do you say that I am?” and Peter replies, “You are the Messiah”, Jesus warns the disciples not to tell anyone about him.

Again, after healing the leper, Jesus tells the leper, “tell no one who I am, but go and show yourself to the priest.”

Scholars call Jesus’ elusiveness about his divine identity in Mark’s Gospel, the Messianic Secret. Many, in Jesus’ times, were looking for the Messiah to be a political revolutionary, who would launch a military campaign against the enemies of Israel. So, likely Jesus was mysterious at times about his identity so not to feed into this earthly notion of Messiahship. He had a job to do—the Father’s Will—and these erroneous preconceptions about the Messiah mustn’t get in the way.

And perhaps, the mysteriousness of Jesus’ identity in Mark, could have brought some comfort to the Christians of Rome, for whom the Gospel was originally written. For they had to often be a bit secretive or mysterious about their Christian identity, lest they be arrested and sent to their death. But there is a point, in Mark, where the Messianic Secret is unveiled. During His Passion, Jesus is asked by the high priest, “are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus answers, “I Am.” His identity is further revealed, as the obedient Son of the Father, as he lays down his life on the cross.

Well, in John’s Gospel, the secret is unveiled from the beginning. As we read today, John portrays Jesus standing before large groups of Jews, saying things like, “my works testify to who I Am, why the Father sent me, His Son.” John’s Gospel is unambiguous about the identity of Jesus from the prologue: From the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God; Jesus is the Word made flesh, the source of life and truth for mankind; and only those who rightly believe in Him and his Truth and His Works can rightly be called “God’s children”.

And we read from John, especially in the latter part of Lent, because this is the time for unambiguous conviction, that Jesus has the power to cleanse us of our sins and transform our lives. Lent is the time that we are to show that we are God’s true children, by performing good works, fasting and prayer.
Our Lenten tests prepare us for Easter testimony. In a sense, we are to be the works of Jesus, testifying to his divine identity, to his power to transform lives, and his mission to bring forgiveness and eternal life to the repentant, 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.