Pentecost 2025 - 7 Gifts of the Spirit

 Last week, on the feast of the Ascension, in our scripture readings, we heard Jesus instructing his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father. Well, the waiting is over, we celebrate now the promise fulfilled: the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church 50 days after the Lord’s resurrection 

The Holy Spirit, as we proclaim in our creed each week, is the Lord, the giver of life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit souls are brought to new life in the Sacrament of baptism; they are strengthened in confirmation, healed in the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick, nourished in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and empowered with special graces for unique vocations in the sacraments of marriage and Holy Orders.

The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, helps us to truly live by bestowing upon us special gifts, you may have memorized the list of them as you prepared for your Confirmation. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism says, these gifts belong in their fullness to Jesus Christ. Meaning if you wanted to see what wisdom looks like, sounds like, and acts like, look at Jesus. If you want to know the highest form of counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord, look to Jesus. 

So let’s consider each of the gifts. How was Jesus’ life filled with wisdom? Well, what is wisdom? Wisdom seeks what is of the highest importance. To be wise is to recognize that our highest priority in this life  isn’t career or wealth, pleasure or power, but getting our souls to heaven and becoming the person God made us to be: saints.

Jesus taught us not only to be wise, teaching us to “seek first the kingdom of God”,  but his wisdom was evident. He embraced the greatest suffering imaginable the weight of our sins as he hung upon the Cross, in order to achieve the highest good, our salvation. We are fully alive when we, wisely, we embrace the cross with Christ in order to obtain our highest good.

The second gift is understanding. The gift of Understanding enables us to penetrate the mysteries of God and see the deeper meaning of God’s plan. Jesus’ understanding is manifest in his ministry. He explains the deeper meaning of the Scriptures, helping others understand God’s plan of salvation. 

With Understanding comes patience and gratitude. Think of how understanding has changed your experience of Mass. As a young person you may have been restless and impatient for mass to be over, but recognizing what is really going on here, understanding that the Eucharist is truly Jesus Christ, that changes things. That understanding enables us to more fully engage in the Mass and appreciate the great gift Jesus has left us, and to encourage others to join us here.

The third gift of the Spirit is Counsel . Counsel means knowing and choosing what is right in difficult situations. Jesus always chooses the Father’s will, even when he was tempted. In the desert, He rebuffs Satan’s temptations with clarity. We are fully alive when we follow not the counsel of the world or the devil, but the counsel of God. 

Like all the gifts, counsel is for ourselves, but also for others. For example, a friend confides in you that they are considering making a terrible decision, like abortion. The Gift of Counsel enables you to speak with compassion, truth, and hope—encouraging them to choose life and offering concrete support.

The fourth gift is fortitude. Fortitude is the courage and strength to  do good and endure difficulty for the sake of what is right. Jesus endured opposition, rejection, betrayal, scourging, and crucifixion without faltering in His mission. He exhibited courage in confronting hypocrisy and injustice, even when it meant risking His life. In His Passion, He reveals fortitude in its purest form—persevering in love to the end.

Fortitude enables us to work for justice despite opposition, to witness to the faith in the face of mockery or persecution, or to persevere doing what is right despite hardship—like taking care of an elderly parent despite their complaints. To be fully alive is to be full of Courage and Strength for doing what is right when it is hard.

The fifth gift of the Holy Spirit is knowledge – Knowing the things of God and how to remain in right relationship to God. Jesus helps people to know the presence of God in their midst. 

This gift helps us to know what is good or bad for our soul and to discern God’s will. Think of a young person discerning that her social media habits are fueling vanity and envy. So, she chooses to limit her use to protect her spiritual health. Or any of us for that matter, when facing temptation, calling to mind the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the Church. We are fully alive when we have that ability to rightly discern between good and evil.

The sixth gift is piety--filial reverence and trust in God as a loving Father. Jesus refers to God as Abba, Father, and teaches His disciples to do the same. Jesus is faithful in prayer, obedient to the Father’s will, and models loving trust even amid suffering. His entire life is an offering of reverent love for the Father. We exercise piety when we cultivate heartful devotion for God and the things of God.

For example, a family gathering together once a week to pray the Rosary, not out of obligation but from a desire to honor and love God together. Or coming to church on Saturday to spend time in adoration, simply to spend time in the presence of the Lord manifests piety. We are fully alive when we desire God and what to live lives pleasing to God.

And lastly, fear of the Lord—we are fully alive when we allow the Spirit to teach us to hate sin and to become humble in God’s presence. Jesus, taught us to hate sin, to seek conversion and drive out corruption from our lives. In the Temple, He drives out the money changers, zealous for the holiness of God’s Temple. 

The Holy Spirit helps us to hate gossip and lying, not simply because they are socially rude, but because they offend God. He teaches us to guard ourselves from perverted images on the internet, lest you fall into sin, manifests fear of the Lord. This gift makes us fully alive by hating what is evil, rightly protecting ourselves from what corrupts us and others.

Dear ones, the Holy Spirit was not poured out on the Church merely so we could decorate our altars with red once a year. The Holy Spirit was poured out so that we might become fully alive—with the very life of Christ.

As I quoted last week, St. Irenaeus wrote, "The glory of God is man fully alive." But not just biologically alive. Not just scrolling and surviving and chasing the next comfort or pleasure. Fully alive means burning with the fire of the Spirit—filled with wisdom, courage, purity, purpose, and joy. Fully alive means no longer being ruled by fear, sin, or confusion, but walking in step with the Spirit, living in truth and love.

It should be a common occurrence for us to ask the Holy Spirit: Which gift do I need to grow in most? What part of me is still half-asleep, half-committed, half-alive? And then pray: Come, Holy Spirit. Awaken me. Fill me. Make me fully alive in Christ— for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 20 2025 - Pope St. Fabian and St. Sebastian - Spirit of Fortitude

 Today we have the option of celebrating the memorials of two martyrs: St. Sebastian, a lay person martyred in the persecutions in Rome in the third century under the emperor Diocletian, and Pope Saint Fabian, who was martyred about thirty years earlier, when the Emperor Decius decreed that all Christians must offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods, and killed the ones that wouldn’t.

Little is known historically about St. Sebastian, yet depictions of his martyrdom are vast. The legends state that Saint Sebastian was a Christian who joined the Roman army and would secretly visit the Christians who were arrested  and sentenced to death, so he could give them comfort and encouragement.  He was discovered, and sentenced to death by the Emperor himself; he was to be put to death by being shot with arrows.  He was shot at by numerous archers.  But miraculously, he did not die.

Artistic depictions often show Sebastian standing by a Roman column with arrows sticking out of him.  After being nursed back to health, another saint, Saint Irene, St. Sebastian again, went on to publicly denounce the emperor for his cruelty to Christians.  This time the sentence of death was carried out, and he was beaten to death with clubs.  His relics are kept at the Basilica of St. Sebastian in Rome, though his head is in the famous church of the Four Crowned Martyrs.

Here is a martyr of tremendous courage and perseverance.  Perhaps this is why he is the patron saint of Athletes, many young athletes, 1800 years later, still take him as a patron at the time of their Sacramental Confirmations.

Pope Saint Fabian was Pope from 236 to 250 AD.  He is famous for the miraculous nature of his election, in which a dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope.  

Fabian organized great care for the poor in Rome and the flock began to grow again after a terrible persecution.  Yet, along came the new Emperor Decius, who decreed that all Christians were to deny Christ, and forced them to worship pagan idols.  Many stood firm in their faith, suffering torture and death, one of the first of which was Pope Fabian.

These early saints made such a tremendous impact upon the Church.  Their stories remind us of the faith and courage that Christians are capable of and called to.  The Opening prayer presents the martyrs as a model for us because of their “spirit of fortitude” which gave them strength to offer their lives in faithful witness. 

In all of the challenges of living in this modern age, with the example and prayers of the saints and martyrs, may we be given that same spirit of fortitude in our witness to Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.  

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To God the Father almighty, dear brothers and sisters, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for his will it is that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.

That during this season of Ordinary Time, Church leaders and all Christians may grow in the practice of the virtues and make use of their spiritual gifts in service to God. 

That as he begins his term of office today, our nation’s president will be assisted and protected by God’s grace and conduct his administration in righteousness. May he labor always for peace, justice, and the common good with respect to God’s laws and the dignity of every human person. 

For all those preparing for baptism and full initiation: that they may be open to the grace of 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 they may be healed and strengthened in Christ. And for the victims of the fires in California. 

For the repose of the souls of our departed loved ones…

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.

6th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Persevering in temptation

 Temptation is one of the universal human experiences. Children, the elderly, married people, single people, priests, popes, nuns. Young, old, rich, poor, learned, unschooled, everybody experiences temptation. Our first parents Adam and Eve experienced temptation. Our Blessed Lord, as we will hear in the Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent in a few days experienced temptation.

The terrible attraction to act contrary to right reason and God’s commandments besets us all. Temptation is when we know something is wrong, but there is a part of us that wants to do it anyway. I know it’s wrong to talk back to my parents, but there’s a part of me that is tempted to talk back.

Sometimes we even begin to talk ourselves into following that temptation. It’s alright to treat people inconsiderately, after all, they’ve treated me without kindness, I might as well do it back to them. It’s alright if I indulge in this sin, after all, I can just ask for forgiveness from God later on. 

The Lord Jesus however, teaches us to pray to God asking to be delivered from evil in times of temptation. St. James echoes this teaching in the first reading today: “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation.” 

You grow in holiness, you grow in likeness to Jesus, you allow the life of Jesus to flow in your heart and mind when you resist temptations to do wrong. We become the people God made us to be when we resist evil and persevere in goodness.

James goes on to explain that when you give into temptation, when we sin, something in us dies, something good dies. And if you choose sin enough, if you just give in to every temptation, something inside of you might die forever. And that is a great travesty—for God didn’t create us for sin, he created us for grace, for life, for holiness and joy.

Now again, every one of us has been tempted, and every one of us, at some point, has given in to temptation. But part of the goodness of being followers of Jesus is just because we’ve chosen sin in the past, doesn’t mean we have to continue to make bad choices. God forgives us when we humbly repent. 

Tomorrow begins the great season of repentance. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we show our gratitude to God for the forgiveness offered us through Jesus Christ. And those Lenten penances have a double effect of strengthening us against future temptations. For when we persevere in obedience to God when we are tempted, that produces endurance--endurance for doing the good and resisting evil. 

May our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving be fitting penances for those times we have succumbed to temptation and help habituate us to imitate our Lord’s own faithfulness in the face of temptation, that we may come to experience that blessedness God desires for each one of us, 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.

5th Week of Easter 2022 - Tuesday - Facing fears for the kingdom

In second Corinthians, Paul says: “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked”. The events in the acts of the apostles reading today, being stoned—almost to death-- while preaching in Lystra, is probably the stoning he was referring to. 

How easily we give up when we face resistance. We give up on a prayer commitment because we find ourselves more tired than we expected. We give in to temptation because it's just easier to give in than to fight it. Sometimes we don't get involved in a church endeavor because of the sacrifice it entails.

But, slander, rejection, physical assault, the threat of death did not stop the apostles. After being stoned almost to death, you might expect Paul to relax his mission. But Paul gets up, brushes himself off, and goes to preach in the next town. 

And then, amazingly, heroically, after preaching in Derbe, Paul returned to Lyrstra, probably still bruised and aching from the stoning—maybe with a broken rib, a split lip, not to mention the memory of the anger and hatred spewed at him. 

We avoid talking about our faith because it might create an awkward silence, Paul faced death over and over again for the Gospel.  

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Some of us won’t bear a single hardship, let alone many. Lord have mercy on us.

Sorry Lord, too much work. I gotta watch my summer baseball. Lies, we tell ourselves to avoid hardships. But our lives our sadder for those lies, less joyful, because they keep us from the meaningful work God desires for us. 

What are the hardships I avoid? What are the lies I tell myself to avoid those hardships? What are the secret fears that I have failed to bring to the Lord which leads me to justify those lies?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid,” the Lord says in the Gospel. Why is the Lord so concerned about our anxiety and fear? Because they keep us from life, they keep us from carrying our crosses and facing those hardships for the work God wants for us, and thus deprive us of the sanctity and joy God has in store for us. 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid,” means doing our part to face those fears, to overcome those anxieties, and allowing grace to do the rest.

We place our hands confidently in the hands of the Lord today, trusting him to help us face our fears, to shed light upon our self-deceits, to give us courage and fortitude for the work of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence.

God the Father bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory, may our minds be filled with the light of faith.

Through the resurrection of His Son, the Father opened for us the way to eternal life, may we be sustained today in our work with the hope of glory.

Through His risen Son, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world, may our hearts be set on fire with spiritual love.

May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free, be the salvation of all those who suffer, particularly those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction, and grief.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

Holy Week 2021 - Wednesday - "I have set my face like flint"

In the middle of Holy Week, we hear from prophet Isaiah. 800 years before the Lord’s birth, Isaiah prophecies about the Messiah. He starts with a number of characteristics of the Messiah: he will have a well-trained tongue, he will speak to the weary, he will not turn his back on God or rebel from the will of God, as difficult as it might be.

Isaiah then foreshadows the sufferings the Lord will endure in his passion as he makes his journey to the cross: his back will be beaten, his beard will be plucked, he will be mocked, his face will be beaten and spit upon. On Good Friday, we will hear again how the Lord is beaten and mocked as he carries his cross through the streets of Jerusalem.

But, Isaiah also gives us a glimpse into the heart of our Lord as he carries his cross. He is not filled with resentment or despair. Rather, he sets his “face like flint”—a phrase to describe Jesus’ unwavering determination to persevere in the excruciating task set before him. His inner strength, to bear the cross, to bear the weight of the sins of the world, my sins and your sins—his strength and fortitude is beyond measure.

And yet, his strength and his firm and unflinching commitment to fulfill his mission derives from his absolute trust in his Father—as Isaiah says, “He is near who upholds my right…the Lord God is my help”

Staying on track in the Christian life requires setting our faces like flint. Difficult tasks and heavy burdens in the Christian life—fulfilling the responsibilities of one’s vocation, witnessing to the Gospel in a culture who mocks Christianity at every turn—requires fortitude. But that inner strength will quickly evaporate for us mere humans, like Peter’s courage at the sight of the cross evaporates, if we are not rooted in absolute trust, surrender, and love of God.

St. Paul explains the source of his fortitude in his evangelizing mission through storms, tortures, imprisonment and impending martyrdom, when he writes, “there but for the grace of God go I”. With abandonment to the grace and will of God comes the strength to remain faithful to God’s holy will despite the cost.

Contemplating our Lord’s own sufferings in the upcoming days, may we love God and trust God with ever-increasing abandonment to His divine will, that our faces may be set as flint against the buffeting winds of our culture, the temptations of the flesh, and fear of suffering for the Gospel, that we may be faithful to the holy work and heavy crosses of our time for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For increased 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.

All Saints 2020 - Who we are, where we're going, how to get there

At the tail end of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI promulgated a document called Gaudium et Spes, the pastoral constitution on the Church in the Modern World. It’s purpose was to help the Church understand her position and role and mission in the changing modern world with all of its advancements and strengths and foolishness and errors. For it’s important for the Church to reflect upon the “signs of the times”—a phrase which came from this document—to understand better the concrete details in which we are to live out our Christian mission and identity.

While explaining the need for Christians to bring our faith and live our faith in the many different levels of society in which we find ourselves, Gaudium et Spes is also very realistic in speaking about monumental struggle against the powers of evil and darkness.  History is not just the story of human progress, right? We are opposed by satan, the father of lies, who seeks to corrupt souls and bring ruin to nations and families and the Church. 

Last week, when we celebrated Priesthood Sunday, I asked for and thanked you for your prayers for priests—because there is a real battle involved in working for the good of souls. And if the devil can bring ruin to priests, well, that’s going to have an impact on parishes and families, isn’t it? 

But it’s not just priests, Vatican II says, all Christians are involved in this struggle, this battle. Facing such hostility and wickedness and personal demons, we recognize we need God. We need the Sacraments. We need prayer. We need the guidance of good solid Catholic teaching from our Pope and Bishops. If we are going to survive the battle with our souls intact, we need to make sure that we are drawing as much strength and protection and light from our faith as possible. 

And, this weekend, on this solemn feast, we look to the holy souls, the saints, the men and women and children, from every age, and place, and profession, who “survived the time of great distress," as St John calls this life on earth in our First Reading. The survivors, the spiritual war heroes, those who are glorified by God in eternity because of their Christian faith, hope, and love.

Contemplating these brothers and sisters in Christ encourages us: for if they can do it, so can we. I propose three short lessons on how the saints can be our teachers and guides. 

The first lesson is that the saints live with the destination in mind—they know what is at stake—that there is more to life than this earthly life. In the first reading, we get a glimpse of those saintly victors standing, robed in white in the heavenly throne room. In the presence of God stand this great multitude—people of every nation, race, and tongue, who have put on the wedding garment of Christ, who have been baptized, and have kept their faith amidst all the temptations and persecutions in this life—again, knowing what was at stake: in the end they would stand victorious in the heavenly throne room, or be banished from it for all eternity.

Why do we resist those terrible onslaughts of temptation? Why do we pray to remain faithful in the midst of persecution? Because heaven is at stake. Not only does sin diminish us—weaking our will and clouding our mind—it puts our souls at risk of hell. 

This first lesson is so important—because if we aren’t living with the destination in mind, we are likely to veer off the path—perhaps even forget there is path. There are many souls living this way--as if this earthly life was all that is—eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die, and that’s it. And their souls are in danger. Because if you don’t live as if heaven exists in this life—why would anything be different in eternity?

So the saints remind us to live with the destination always on our minds. 

Secondly, it’s not enough to know the destination—you have to know where you are starting from—where you are, right now, spiritually, and who you are. If you can’t pinpoint yourself on the map—how do you know the direction in which you are to walk? 

And this is the second lesson: the saints understand who they are: they understand that they are human beings, with fallen natures due to sin in need of salvation. They know they need Christ. They know they need the Sacraments. They know they need prayer. 

And, they know that through baptism they have become Children of God. We read in our second reading: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are." Children of God. Members of God's family. God’s love for us is so profound—we are gathered into his family through the blood of Christ. And the saints are animated by this profound self-knowledge. In whatever hostilities we face, whatever temptations: we do so as Children of God. 

The saints know that they were made for love, by the one who is love. Love animates us, love guides us, love fills us, love protects us. The saints recognize because they are loved they need to become love--loving God and neighbor in the concrete details of their life. 

And that’s the third Lesson. it is not enough just to know who we are and where we are supposed to be going, but we also need to know how to get there. In order to cross a lake, you need a boat. In order to cross a mountain, you need mountain gear. In order to get to heaven, the home of the saints, you need to practice saintliness, blessedness.

This is what today's Gospel passage reminds us of: the Beatitudes are the practices and attitudes that you and I must cultivate if we wish to join the saints. 

We must practice poverty of spirit—recognizing our fundamental need for God in all things. We must mourn for our sins—those lost opportunities to live for God. We must be meek—treating each other with gentleness. We must hunger and thirst for righteousness—seeking to justly give God what belongs to God and to treat our neighbor and the poor with the respect and fairness due to every living human person. We must not just be just but merciful—going beyond what is merely fair and just—but practicing true mercy to become a blessing for others. We must be clean of heart—turning away from anything impure, corrupt, perverted, vile, or selfish, in order to seek God through prayer and worship and divine contemplation. And we must keep the faith amidst persecution—in fact, if we are not living our faith in such away that the world hates us, we might not be really living the faith.

Live with the destination in mind, live with the humble knowledge that you are a sinner, reborn in baptism as a child of God, now called to strive to live the beatitudes in this life, that we may join the ranks of the blessed in eternity.

May the saints help us and preserve us for this our destiny, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Week of Lent 2018 - Friday - Fortitude in facing inevitable opposition

The turning point in the Gospel of Luke is when Jesus turns toward Jerusalem. In Luke, Jesus public ministry takes place throughout Galilee: preaching, teaching, and performing miracles over a three year period.

In the Gospel of john, Jesus is constantly going back and forth from Jerusalem. John records four visits to the Holy City, each filled with dramatic action.

His first visit takes place near the feast of Passover, as does his final visit. It’s on this first visit that Jesus drives the merchants and money-changers from the temple. Already in this first visit, many came to believe in Him, but many came to reject Him.

In his second visit, again at the time of a Jewish feast, Jesus heals the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. His actions again are controversial, for he cures the man on the Sabbath, claiming the authority of God, to do so. For this, John tells us that the Jews tried to kill him all the more.

Today’s Gospel takes place on the third visit, this time near the feast of Tabernacles, around late September, early october. Though he was facing death threats, he knew his time had not yet come, but opposition and tension continues to mount when Jesus claims he is sent by God his Father to testify to the truth, and that the world hates him because the world hates the truth; truth exposes wickedness, bringing its darkness to light.

When the first reading from the book of Wisdom says that the righteous man is obnoxious to the wicked, it is certainly speaking about Jesus. He speaks the truth, he exposes lies and hard hearts, he shows the wicked to be debased in their ways, and so they revile him, they seek to silence Him, torture Him, and kill Him.

At the last supper, Jesus is going to remind his disciples that if the world hates them, remember that it’s because they hated him first.

Part of the Lenten fasting and penance is to toughen us up a bit, like soldiers in boot camp. We willingly undergo so hardship, knowing that the hardship the righteous man faces from the world is going to be greater. And if we can’t withstand a bit of fasting, how are we going to hold fast to the faith when we face real opposition.

Paul writes to Timothy, that all those who seek to live according to the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be persecuted. We may experience that resistance externally, in the form of opposition from the world, even from family members. Or we may experience that resistance internally, in the form of temptations, doubts, and anxiety. Probably both.

So may our Lenten observances help us: to grow in fortitude and courage--to remain steadfast in the face of inevitable opposition, that we may be instruments of his truth. May we know the closeness of the Lord who draws near to the righteous who cry out to Him for deliverance from evil 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.