6th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Monday - Enduring Trials with Joy

 Just two days before the great season of Lent, we have the powerful words of St. James encouraging Christians to endure their trials with joy.

Now St. James was writing just 20-30 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, so to that first generation of Christians. Most of that first generation of Christians were Jewish converts to Christ who were being kicked out of their synagogues and facing the social, economic, and various other consequences for their choice to convert.  And so St. James, writing as an apostle who himself would go to his death for Christ, encouraged these new Christians to keep the faith amidst these trials, and even to endure them with joy.

What a perfect truth of our faith for us to ponder as we prepare for the season of lent, a season associated with trial, challenge, penance, endurance. It was a trial for Jesus to fast for 40 days. It was a trial for Jesus to take up his cross. And Lent helps us associate with Our Lord’s own trials, by taking up penances for the good of our own souls and that of others.

But James says do just endure trials. Rather, endure them with joy. How is that possible?

It is impossible to endure trials with joy if we are not rooted in our faith. 

Trusting in God's sovereignty and making acts of faith that God is in control--that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him is foundational. There can be no joy without faith.

Prayer is foundational in times of trial. Seeking God in prayer allows us not only to express our struggles, fears, and concerns to God, but to seek God’s will in our trials—to seek God Himself—God’s very presence with us in our trials. 

Viewing our trials as opportunities for spiritual growth in a key to joy. For as St. Paul writes to the Romans, our trials produce endurance, character, and hope and even joy.

The fact that we are not alone in our trials, but that we are part of the community of believers can make our trials not just more manageable but opens us to the joy of being inspired by fellow believers and the knowledge that we are inspiring to others. 

Expressing gratitude in the midst of trials produces joy. When we focus on the good we have, the strength that is given, the knowledge that our sufferings are opportunities for conformity with Christ, joy is produced. 

And finally, keeping an eternal perspective helps Christians see beyond the temporary sufferings to the eternal joy that awaits—we recognize that the Lord promised us eternal reward for those who take up their cross and follow him—that our earthly sufferings are inevitable and part of the royal road to heaven. 

Enduring trials with joy does not mean denying or suppressing emotions, or being pollyannish about our sufferings, but growing in our experience of God through our trials. May the Lord sustain us in our trials, help us endure them with faith, hope, and love, and to come to know the joy of the eternal kingdom 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 the Holy Spirit may embolden us in the mission of the Church and help us to put our physical, intellectual, and spiritual gifts more fully in the Lord’s service. 

That legislators and government leaders may be guided by the Word of God to promote just laws and compassionate policies especially for the unborn, the elderly, and the most vulnerable.

That the upcoming season of Lent may be a time of profound renewal for our parish and the Church as we engage in the penitential practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. 

For those preparing for the Easter Sacraments: may God’s Word help them to experience the grace of daily conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.

For those who struggle because of addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind:  that God’s Spirit will rest upon them, relieve their suffering and lead them to wholeness and holiness. 

For the deceased members of our family and friends, for all the souls in purgatory and for…

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.

 

3rd Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Friday - Endurance to do the will of God

 Since Monday of the first week of Ordinary Time our first reading from daily mass has been from the letter to the Hebrews, and we’ll continue to hear from it until the Saturday before Ash Wednesday.    In the New Testament you can find the Letter to the Hebrews immediately after the thirteen Pauline letters.  No one but God knows who wrote this letter.  A passing reference to Saint Timothy seems to suggest that it was written by someone in the circle of Saint Paul and his assistants, but it’s authorship is ultimately unknown.

It seems to be addressed to a group of Jewish Christians who were undergoing persecution for their new faith, but we do not know where this group of Jewish Christians lived; it could have been Rome, Jerusalem, Ephesus, Alexandria, Antioch, we don't know.  

What we do know, as is evidenced in today’s reading, is that these Jewish Christians had and were continuing to face ongoing persecution. And so today's reading is urging them not to give up faith. Don’t draw back from Christ, don’t give up the faith, “for those who keep faith will possess life”. 

Hebrews also gives some very good advice for all of us, who aren’t necessarily being openly persecuted, but those who strive to do the will of God, which isn't always easy--perhaps to keep a commitment to praying daily, or fasting more. “You need endurance to do the will of God”. 

Yes, in our weakness we need to learn to rely on God’s grace. But real spiritual growth, real effectiveness in ministry, requires something on our part. Endurance. How can the Christian keep on going amidst spiritual difficulties, how does one hang in there once the initial enthusiasm is gone? Endurance.

When the going starts to get tough in the vineyard of the Lord, what can we do to boost our Christian endurance? A number of things. Firstly, call to mind scriptures like this, remind yourself, that God never promised that things wouldn’t get tough, and that endurance can carry us far. Secondly, call to mind why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place. I’m going to pray because I want to seek the Lord, I want to know the Lord, I want to encounter the Lord, I want to grow in holiness. Thirdly, call to mind the example of the Lord’s own endurance, particularly on his way to Calvary, carrying the cross, amidst the mockery and harassment of the onlookers. Consider how even the Lord himself must have drawn refreshment by meeting his mother on the via crucis. Fourthly, ask for help. God sustain me. God help me. God carry me over this slump, help me to remain faithful to my commitments. When we do so, God causes the mustard seed of our human endurance put forth large sturdy branches that even others will benefit from.

Paul writes, “Endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint.” 

In our spiritual lives and in our holy labors may we practice the Christian endurance that deepens our hope and spreads hope to others unto eternal life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For a deeper openness to God’s will, readiness for service, attentiveness to those in need, endurance to do the will of God, and peace in our world and our hearts.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For a new springtime of justice: that all people of good will may work together against the increasing threats to civility, religious liberty and human life.  Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who struggle because of addiction, discouragement, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind:  that the new wine of God’s grace through Christ will bring them consolation and peace.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for the souls in purgatory and for…N. 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.

34th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Endless spiritual summer is at hand

 Just like the blossoming of the fig tree indicates the coming of summer, the Lord explains that there will be a series of signs that indicate the final stage in human history, and some of them are pretty frightening. The Lord foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, he tells of the awful calamities which will precede the end of the world and his second coming, and how his followers will be persecuted; Christians will be hated because of his name; and at the great tribulation there will be signs in the sky, people will even die of fright.

But the Lord insists that Christians must not lose hope, we must not lose faith during times of political turmoil or natural disaster, even Christian persecution. These are but the labor pains that will precede a new era of endless spiritual summer, that will last forever, when the Lord returns and the kingdom of God is fully manifested. To paraphrase St. Theresa of Avila, compared to the glory of eternity to come, all the sufferings of life shall be like an uncomfortable night in an inconvenient hotel. 

The devil is in a great fury for he knows his time on earth is short, as St. John says in the Apocalypse. The devil is going to do as much damage as he can, cause as much war and suffering as he can, draw as many souls away from God as he can. And in a sense, the Lord is saying in the Gospel today, this should not surprise us. These are the labor pains, these are the signs the devil’s reign is nearly at an end. These signs proceed the new heaven and the new earth, the endless era of the kingdom of God yet to come.

Our readings today certainly describe the state of the world, for indeed, the Church is experiencing these great labor pains prior to the return of our Lord. And yet, there is also an analogue to our own personal spiritual lives. Whenever we are on the verge of spiritual growth, of new spiritual birth, we can expect great resistance from the enemy. He doesn’t want to see the life of God within us flourish, he doesn’t want to see us bear new spiritual fruit. And so he will obstruct, and obfuscate, and complicate things, so that we will weaken in our cooperation with grace. 

So we mustn’t be surprised when things get difficult for us on a personal level too, when we are working for peace in our family, or working to pursue purity or some spiritual good, there is going to be elements of resistance, but these too are but the labor pains for new spiritual birth, the birth of heaven within our souls.

As we come to the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of Advent, may God’s Holy Spirit help us to always practice patience and perseverance throughout all of life’s difficulties whatever challenges the new year has in store. May we follow the Lord’s urging to “stand erect and raise our heads, for our redemption is at hand” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the members of the Church will practice great fortitude when resisted and opposed by the powers of darkness.

For the protection of our armed forces, police, and firemen and all those who risk their lives to preserve the security of our country.  We pray to the Lord.

For the safety of travelers, the peaceful resolution of all family divisions and national hostilities. 

For the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the aged, the lonely, the grieving, those who are out of work, those who are facing financial difficulties, those with addictions, and the imprisoned: that God will draw close to them, and bless them with grace and peace.

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 N., 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.

14th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Persevere to the end

After giving instruction to his disciples in his Sermon on the Mount, the Lord, as we heard on Wednesday, names apostles. The word apostle comes from the Greek ‘apostolein’ which means, to send out. So after naming these apostles, the Lord sends the twelve out into Judea to preach, heal, and cast out demons. In addition to the basic instruction of what they are to preach, the Lord takes the opportunity to speak about the inevitable resistance his followers will experience. We heard that instruction today, “I’m sending you out as sheep amidst the wolves…you’ll be arrested and brought before governors and kings, you will be hated by all.”

The Lord’s prediction has certainly come true throughout the centuries of Christianity. The apostles experienced this hostility and resistance, St. Paul certainly did, and so did countless numbers of the faithful.

Resistance to the Gospel, hostility from the world, should not surprise us. Persecution is not a sign that God is displeased with us; rather, it is a sign that we are doing well, that we are being faithful to what the Lord commanded us to do. So we mustn’t back down when things get tough, when the worldly oppose the Gospel.

I saw a quote from a holy religious sister last week, she said, “The Christian should expect to be regularly crushed under the inexorable wheels of history until Jesus comes again. We are not here to be relevant, powerful, and understood. Our challenge is to simply remain faithful to the Gospel, to love our enemies, and to persevere in faith.”

Wonderful words. We should expect to be crushed—to be opposed. Whatever the origin of the Coronavirus, and whatever its actual infection rate, we are certainly seeing the powers of the world take advantage of this opportunity to place unreasonable restrictions on Christians. In certain parts of the country there are more restrictions on Churches than restaurants and bars, let alone strip joints and abortion clinics. And in response to this, many Christians, many bishops, have simply backed down.
But the Lord didn’t instruct us to back down, but to persevere. “Whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

It is evident that the powers of the world are launching a serious attack against the Church, hostilities are just ramping up. So we must pray for each other, pray for our bishops, pray for fellow Christians to take courage, to endure to the end, to continue to preach, heal, and cast out those demons. We are surrounded by wolves, but the Lord is our fortress and our shield. By his grace may we keep the faith, run the race, and persevere to the end, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all bishops and clergy will lead the Church in faithfulness to the Gospel mandate and in the practice of every Christian virtue.
For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, for non-believers, atheists, and those in error, for their conversion, and the conversion of all hearts.
For Christians experiencing persecution for the faith, that they may hold fast to the Lord in their sufferings.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for victims of abuse and scandal, for the imprisoned and the addicted, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.
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

4th Sunday of Advent 2019 - 3 Lessons from St. Joseph

During the season of Advent, we contemplate some of the great biblical figures: the Blessed Mother, John the Baptist, Elizabeth & Zechariah and their role in God’s plan for our salvation. And on this year, on the final Sunday of the Advent season we are given to contemplate St. Joseph in our Gospel reading. So, let us consider three lessons from St. Joseph to help us prepare for the celebration of Christmas.

First, St. Joseph teaches us the importance of silence. How many words from the lips of St. Joseph can we find in Scripture?  None!  Not a word.  He doesn’t say anything.  He is a man of silence. 

Someone once asked St. Padre Pio, “What language does God speak?” And Padre Pio said, “God speaks silence”.  The person then asked, well, what language should I pray in, what language does God understand best, and Padre Pio said, “silence”.  Pope Francis celebrated Mass with a group of American Priests a few years ago. And in his homily he said, “May the Lord give us all the grace to love silence.” “Silence,” he said, “helps us to discover our mystery: our mystery of encountering the Lord, our mystery of walking through life with the Lord.”

The song ‘Silent Night’ still remains one of the popular Christmas hymns, which reminds us the need to become silent as we contemplate the Christmas mysteries. What a powerful irony: a beautiful song about quiet, calm, and silence. Certainly, one of my favorite moment each year is on Christmas Eve, in those quiet hours before midnight Mass. I like to sit in a dark room, and listen to the quiet.

It was his quiet of soul that enabled St. Joseph to be attuned to that important heavenly message. Joseph, we read was facing a terrible decision. His betrothed had been found with child through the Holy Spirit. In his humility, Joseph assumed that he was not part of this strange and mysterious plan. The Holy Torah, the Mosaic Law, directed him to divorce his betrothed who had become pregnant outside of marriage, and so Joseph quietly decided to end their betrothal.

And in this state of obedience, humility, and quiet, heaven pierced his mind. The angel of the Lord to appeared to him, and gave direction, gave him courage, and gave him insight into the identity and mission of the child—he is the savior.

So too, with us. In the messiness of our lives, when we are facing difficult decisions, we must commit to obeying God and becoming quiet and open before Him. And when we do, we will, like Joseph be granted direction, courage, and insight.

In these final Advent days, do not be afraid to make excuses for silence. To turn off the noise, to sit by the tree or the nativity scene, and to become silent in order to attune your minds and hearts to heaven. May our souls in silent stillness wait for the coming of Christ.

So that’s lesson number one, to imitate St. Joseph’s Advent Silence. Lesson number two.  St. Joseph teaches us that actions speak louder than words.

In the Gospel, Joseph wakes from his dream of the angel, and immediately did as God had commanded him: he took Mary into his home.  St. Joseph reminds us that the Christian life isn’t about giving God lip-service.  That when the Lord calls upon us to reach out to someone in need, we need to respond generously.

This often requires great effort on our part. For so often, we expect God to fit our lives. We minimize the demands of faith, when they get in the way of our plans. But Joseph shows us that the opposite is necessary. We must be willing to change for God. We must willing to alter our plans for God, to make God the first priority, to put everything in God’s service, holding nothing back.

For Joseph, taking Mary into this home, and becoming her chaste spouse was likely not according to the plan of his life. And even if she hadn’t conceived through the Holy Spirit, the wedding, was likely months or even a few years off. His home was not ready for her. The home was not ready for the raising of a child. But when God gives him a command, Joseph gets to work, intensely preparing for the birth of the Messiah, rearranging his life around the priorities of God.

So lesson number two, St. Joseph teaches us the priority of acting according to the commands of God, of rearranging our lives, reorienting our lives for God, working intensely for God’s will, especially in acting upon holy inspirations.

And finally, lesson number three, because Joseph made his heart quiet and open for God, because he was willing to reorient his life to Christ, God gave Joseph the ability, the energy, the courage, and the gifts to accomplish monumentally difficult tasks.

Joseph, taking Mary into this home meant opening himself to the shame of his community. His community would have soon realized that Mary was pregnant, and would have assumed that he was the father. They would assume Joseph had not practiced chastity prior to marriage as God’s law demanded, opening him to much greater social stigma than in our own day, stigma that would certainly affect his ability to provide for his family.

Additionally, Joseph would be called upon by God to guard and protect his family in many ways: he would protect Mary as they journeyed to Bethlehem for the census, he would find shelter in a stable when no inn would admit them, and he would be called upon by God to protect his family as they fled Israel when King Herod sent his soldiers to slaughter the Christ-child.

God gave Joseph monumentally difficult tasks, but also the grace to do them. Again, Joseph’s faith, his life of prayer, his righteousness opened him to the guidance, courage, and fortitude he needed.

So too with us. When facing grave difficulties, God provides grace, not necessarily to accomplish our own will, but God’s. God gives us grace to resist temptation, he gives us grace to speak hard truths to loved ones who are making poor choices, he gives us strength to work against true injustice, or to cope and carry on in the face of overwhelming grief, he gives us patience to endure difficulties gracefully.

St. Joseph reminds us that through trial and difficulty, when entrust ourselves to God, when we practice virtue and righteousness particularly when it is difficult, we are refined like gold in a furnace, we become the people God made us to be, and role models for those of weaker faith.

May St. Joseph helps us to prepare for Christ at Christmas and to break-in to our lives ever anew, by teaching us to enter into God’s silence, challenging our complacencies, urging us to trust God in our challenges, and to have courage for the spreading of our faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Sunday in OT 2019 - Persevering in faith until the end of time

At the beginning of Holy Week, on Palm Sunday every year, we reflect upon Jesus’ triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. As he processes through the city gates, Jesus is hailed as king, the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord to usher in the kingdom of God. After his Palm Sunday procession, Jesus made his way to the Jerusalem temple, and he went there to teach and preach and prophecy and confront the Pharisees and Sadducees and cast out the money changers like the prophets of old.

The temple was the center of Jewish life, the focal point of Jewish divine worship. So, Jesus going to the Temple during Holy Week is symbolic, a hint that he is not only a human messiah, he is divine, he is God. As the prophet Habakkuk acclaims,“God is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him.”

St. Luke goes on to detail Jesus’ several visits to the Jerusalem temple throughout Holy Week. Today’s Gospel passage contains part of his final teaching in the Temple before the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. The Lord had already lamented how the Jewish leaders had failed in their mission to lead God’s people to the fullness of faith—they were like a barren fig tree, spiritually defunct and pastorally useless. Sure they were popular, but were they holy? Well, Jesus condemnation of the spiritual leaders was not as shocking as the teaching we heard today.

Standing in the Temple, Jesus announces, “Everything you see here, the costly stones, the votive offerings, all of this will be destroyed.” Now, we have a hard time imagining how shocking this would be because as Christians we believe that our faith is not tied to a building. We gather in beautiful church buildings, we adorn our church buildings because we love God, but our faith is not tied to a building. Our faith has survived barbarian invasions and decades where we had to gather for worship in catacombs and family homes because of government persecution.

But, for first century Jews, the Lord’s prophecy of the Temple’s destruction meant an end to religious life as they knew it. And if that weren’t shocking enough the Lord goes on to describe these terrifying events— powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues, and persecutions—that would proceed the end of the world.

Why did Jesus give this teaching? Why the dire prophecies and dark subject matter? To prepare us, certainly, that his followers might be prepared, that we might keep the faith and persevere in the faith when these events came to pass.

And just as he said, 40 years after his death and resurrection, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, there have been famines and plagues earthquakes and wars, his followers have been persecuted up and down the ages, but the Church continues, the faith endures, and she will continue to persevere in faith, until the end of time.

These terrible events will not so much be signs that the Lord is about to return imminently. Rather, we need to persevere in faith despite them. Will there be signs that he is about to return? His teaching basically says today is “no.”  We need to be prepared always. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Perseverance in what? Perseverance in faith despite the chaos in the world, despite the sufferings we endure. Keeping the faith through whatever the world and the devil throws at us will enable us to secure eternal life.

St. John Paul  once said, “Fidelity always has to undergo the real test, that of endurance…it is easy to live consistent with our faith for a day or a few days…but only a consistency which last right through life deserves the name ‘fidelity’.”

I remember a couple of years ago the Media was reporting on the Mayan Calendar which supposedly predicted the end of the world, do you remember this? The Calendar of the ancient Mayans only counted up to the year 2012. And so people were jumping to the conclusion that that is when the Mayan’s thought the world would end. Christians didn’t buy into the hype. We bought new calendars for 2013. For, we do not know the day, nor the hour the Lord will return.

In our second reading, St. Paul gives instruction to the Thessalonians on how they were to conduct themselves as they awaited the Lord’s return. Paul had received reports of disorder in Thessalonica. Christians were not living in an orderly, diligent manner, they were not focused on persevering in faith, in fact, they were busy about minding the business of others. Paul calls them busybodies, focused, not on the Lord and the work of the Lord.

Instead of building up the church, the busy bodies tear it down through gossip, they sow divisions and set poor example through their sloth and idleness—busy about their own plans instead of the plans of God. They carry the name Christian, but they are play-actors.

When our lives are not sufficiently centered on Christ, when we are not sufficiently preparing for Christ’s return, when we are not sufficiently working for the spread of the Gospel, we begin to focus on what is non-essential, we focus on the business of others, rather than the good of others, and we are filled not with peace, but anxiety, exhaustion and unhappiness.

As a remedy for the busy-bodies, St. Paul urges us to “work quietly”, to engage in humble work for the good of the community out of the spot-light, humble work to build up the Church.  For peace and joy are found, not in selfish pursuits, but in giving ourselves away in imitation of Jesus. Minding the business of others of likely a sign we are neglecting some spiritual work to which God is calling us and that we have constructed obstacles to authentic communion with God and neighbor.

What is the humble work that God is calling you to this week? What are the quiet ways the Lord is calling you to spread his Gospel? How is the Lord calling us to be less anxious about the future, and less anxious about the business of others, and more diligent in prayer and virtue, more focused on the presence of God in the Temple of our souls?

May this Holy Eucharist renew us in purpose and peace, amidst all the chaos and sufferings of our life, renewing us in our mission in working to build up the Church, the temple built of living stones, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

July 14 2017 - St. Kateri Tekakwitha - Lily of the Mohawks

Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American woman of North America to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. She was born at Auriesville, New York in 1656, near the place where the Jesuits St. Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf had been martyred—tomahawked by Iroquois warriors just nine years before.

Kateri’s mother was an Algonquin who had been baptized, but she was taken captive by the Iroquois and given as a wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan.   Two children were born of this marriage, but only Kateri survived; her parents and her brother died in a smallpox epidemic when Kateri was 4 years old.  Kateri’s own face was permanently disfigured and her eyesight was impaired because of the disease.

Jesuit missionaries came to minister to the Christians who were taken captive by the Mohawks. Though the new chief, Kateri’s uncle, hated the Jesuit missionaries, Kateri began to study the catechism with them.  She was baptized on Easter Sunday at the age of 19.

At 23, she took a vow of virginity, consecrating herself to the Lord. But the celibate life was not held in high regard among the Mohawks, and being the only devout Christian in her lodge, Kateri was subject to constant abuse and insults.  She was ridiculed for keeping Holy the Sabbath and for praying the Rosary.

On the advice of a priest, she fled the abuse and walked two hundred miles to an Indian Mission village near Montreal.  There she devoted herself to prayer and works of charity and penance; dedicated to the Lord in all things, her sanctity blossomed.  She is known as the Lily of the Mohawks.
Kateri herself said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus.  He must be my only love.”  Her last words were, “Jesus, I love you.”

She was beatified by Pope St John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

At her canonization, Pope Benedict said, “Her greatest wish was to know and to do what pleased God. She lived a life radiant with faith and purity.  Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence of external help…”

Jesus taught in the Gospel that we would be hated by all because of him. Kateri was hated because she Christian. Kateri repeats the example of so many saints before her: Holiness thrives on the cross.  Her strength came from her close and constant union with God in prayer.  She is a model for all those who are rejected by their own because of their fidelity to Christ.

May Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, help us all to endure our crosses faithfully and to blossom in holiness for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That every nation, tribe, and tongue may be gathered into the Church of Christ and magnify Him through works of praise.

That all those persecuted for their faith may know the strengthening grace of the Lord and come to receive the reward of the saints for their perseverance.

For the consecrated virgins of the Church, that as Christ as their spouse, they may inspire us to seek Him above all things.

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 priests and religious, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, we pray to the Lord.

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.

Homily: Monday - 4th Week in OT 2017 - Realization of what is hoped for

Our first reading today is the concluding 8 verses of Hebrew chapters 11. Hebrews 11 is a special chapter, it has been called “the Bible’s great chapter on faith.” For Hebrews 11 begins with that beautiful definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the conviction of the truthfulness of God’s Word, it is staking our lives on his promises, and manifesting in our lives that his promises are real.

After giving this powerful definition of faith, Hebrews 11 gives a sort of roll call of characters—highlighting the great men and women of faith from Israel’s history: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, and Moses.  Our passage today begins saying that if he had time, the author could how faith was heroically manifested in the lives of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.

God did amazing things through their faith, toppling enemy kingdoms, closing the mouths of lions, turning back foreign invaders, raising the dead.

Whenever we celebrate a saint’s feast day, you know how I love to go into some detail about how faith was lived heroically in the life of the saint. That tradition of meditating on the great characters of faith is evident right here in scripture itself. We’re to be mindful of these great figures because they inspire and challenge to us; they help us to trust that when we respond generously and courageously to the invitation of faith, God does mighty things.

After listing those well-known characters and stories, our passage this morning spoke of “the others”—the nameless faithful, who are known simply for their faith.  Since Hebrews is addressed to those early Jewish converts to Christianity, the mockery and scourging endured certainly could refer to the Maccabean martyrs or the prophet Jeremiah, who was mocked, scourged, beaten, and repeatedly imprisoned. The passion of Our Savior certainly is evoked, as are the sufferings endured by St. Paul. Recall how this letter was written first to those converts who were experiencing similar trials.

Faith is not always easy. How easy it is to doubt God’s providence, particularly when we suffer. How easy it is in the moment of temptation to belittle the importance of faith. But if this chapter teaches us anything, and if the lives of the saints teach us anything is that obedient reliance on God during times of trial can accomplish mighty things.

May our faith be strong this day; may the faith of those heroic men and women from the scriptures and the saints impel us to offer our lives as living sacrifices to the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of faith, firmly believing and living all that God has revealed.

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of hope, enduring their trials and temptations trusting in the promises of God.

That Christians everywhere may grow in the practice of the virtue of charity, manifesting God’s love through concrete acts of service and compassion to those in need.

For all those who doubt the existence of God, for all those who despair of God’s love, for all those who have fallen away from the Church, for all those who have fallen into mortal sin, for the healing and conversion of all hearts in Christ.

During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

Homily: Jan 27 2017 - St. Angela Merici - "Endurance to do the will of God"

On the east side of our church’s front entrance there is a stained glass window of today’s glorious Saint, St. Angela Merici. Her window faces the old parish convent which housed the Ursuline Sisters who were the first teachers here at our parish school.

Many of you here today, were taught by the sisters, whose order was founded by St. Angela back in 1535. Deeply concerned for the neighborhood children, especially their lack of religious training, St. Angela, took it upon herself to give regular instruction to the young neighborhood girls.  She was soon joined by another dozen women who shared her concerns and ideals. She began her holy work in her late 50s, and at the time of her death at the age of 65 there were 24 communities of Ursulines.
Here is a woman who had a deep love for Christ and a concern for souls, who saw a pressing need, and who did something about it, which has changed the world. She didn’t just wring her hands in the face of a problem

She really was a tough woman. Legend has it that, as she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she was suddenly struck blind. Despite this malady, she continued her pilgrimage, and was cured of her blindness while praying before the crucifix.

No doubt she exemplified the words from our reading from the letter to the Hebrews: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” Endurance is needed to persevere in the type of prayer we need to sustain us in the Christian life. Endurance is needed to persevere in the tasks God has given us. Endurance is needed to remain faithful in the face of temptations. But that endurance leads to great graces, and the inheritance of life eternal.

May we, like St. Angela, be attentive to the needs of our community, especially the younger generation who are yet to be formed fully in the faith, may we trust in the Lord amidst unforeseen maladies, and persevere with endurance in the face of temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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1) That all Christians may be courageous and generous in serving the Lord according to their abilities.

2) For the members of the Order of St. Ursula, through the intercession of their patron, St. Angela, may they be sustained and sanctified in their holy service. For an increase in vocations to consecrated life.

3) For all students, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding.  For all teachers, that they may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and concern for their students.  And For parents, the first teachers of their children, that their faith and love may be an example to us always.  We pray to the Lord.

4) For all those who lack faith, that they may learn to seek God’s wisdom in coming to know Jesus as Lord.  We pray to the Lord.

5) For the safety of those traveling to Washington for the March for Life, for the success of their holy witness, for the safety of the unborn, an end to abortion, and the conversion of hearts to the Gospel of Life.