28th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Fruits of the Spirit

 

Friedrich Nietzsche once told a group of Christians, “You Christians disgust me, if you really are redeemed, why don’t you look redeemed?”  Now of course Nietzsche and others are so hardened to Christianity that they are blinded to goodness and truth when it is right in front of them. But, he does have a point! Why don’t we look redeemed?

In today’s first reading (Gal 5:18-25) St. Paul explains that the fruits of the Spirit need to be evident in our lives.  The fruits of the Spirit are to be evident in us; “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”, they need to be seen, obvious, apparent, manifest in word and deed, clear to believers and unbelievers. 

Why should they be evident? Because they point to God. They are signs that God is real and that his Spirit dwells within us. They are signs that we take our faith seriously. But most importantly, they point to God. And our job—our mission—is to point others to God. In the Gospels, the Lord says, “let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 

Making evident the fruits of the spirit is not a selfish endeavor—it’s not prideful for us to display kindness, generosity and joy. We don’t seek to make the fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives for worldly attention or fame: “Look at me. Look how holy I am.” No, of course not. Christians are to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit for the sake of the mission, for drawing souls to Christ. 

When people detect the fruits of the Spirit in us, they become intrigued, they are our best advertisement for God. Wow, the world is so full of hatred and jealousy, but look at this Christian, their kindness, their generosity points to something else, something bigger than them. 

Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in my life? If not, why not? Is it because I have not cultivated them through prayer and good works? Is it because I’m too busy indulging in the works of the flesh?  Sometimes cultivating the fruits of the Spirit is difficult because we’ve lacked good role models. Sometimes it’s hard for us to be patient or joyful because our parents were not really patient or joyful people. Or it’s hard to practice self-control because we really didn’t have good teachers of that fruit. So we have to really struggle to bear those fruits.

But the Holy Spirit will teach you all these things and cause them to grow in you, if you really till the soil. 

Homework: identify which fruit of the Spirit is most evident in your life, and identify which is most lacking. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make use of your strongest fruit, and help you to identify what you need to do to strengthen your weakest fruit, that the life of God may be evident in you, for the glory of God and Salvation of Souls.

 

For “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. 

For wisdom to guide the life of the Church, the decisions of government leaders, and the ordering of our personal lives.

For our young people, that they may be raised in homes where the Word of God is studied, cherished, and practiced. 

During this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, may Catholics take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession.

For all victims of war, For hurricane victims and for all affected by flooding and severe weather conditions, and for those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know God’s sustaining grace.

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

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.

 

Monday after Pentecost 2022 - Mary, Mother of the Church and the fruits of the Holy Spirit

 

Though Our Lady has been referred to as the mother of Christians and as the mother of the Church since ancient times, the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, celebrated on the monday following Pentecost Sunday, is the most recent addition to the liturgical calendar, instituted by Pope Francis in 2018 in his decree Beatae Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris.

The idea of Mary as Mother of Christians is found in the writings of St. Augustine, who explains that Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperates in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church. St. Leo the Great, Pope just about a decade after the death of Augustine says that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body. Mary is Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and also mother of the members of his Mystical Body, the Church. 

“Mother, behold your son” we hear in the Gospel for today’s memorial. Holy Father Pope Francis explains, “Indeed, the Mother standing beneath the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal. She thus became the tender Mother of the Church which Christ begot on the cross handing on the Spirit. Christ, in turn, in the beloved disciple, chose all disciples as ministers of his love towards his Mother, entrusting her to them so that they might welcome her with filial affection.”

“As a caring guide to the emerging Church Mary had already begun her mission in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (as we heard in our first reading today).”

This connection with Pentecost is surely why the Holy Father placed this memorial on the Monday after Pentecost. Mother Mary prayed with the Apostles, teaching them to be open to the Holy Spirit, as she was at her annunciation, where the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and through whom she conceived the Christ. 

When we pray, Mother Mary is always praying with us, she is praying for us, even before we have the inspiration to pray. She is praying that we may be open to the Holy Spirit’s gifts. She is praying that the fruits of the Holy Spirit may grow in us like the Christ-child grew in her holy womb: gentleness, patience, self-control, chastity, and joy. 

Let us honor her with this tender title, Mary, Mother of the Church, today and always, that all Christians may be open to the new life of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostles on Pentecost, for the mission of the Gospel, and have the strength to remain faithful to the commands of Christ as we carry our crosses, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Mary, Mother of the Church and Immaculate Heart: Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for the repose of the soul of Mr. Joseph Malesic, 104-year old father of Bishop Edward Malesic, who died this week for all the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

Monday after Pentecost 2021 - Mary, Mother of the Church

 The title “Mother of the Church” is not new. St. Ambrose, great Bishop of Milan who was instrumental in the conversion of St. Augustine called Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, “Mother of the Church.” 

Fifteen centuries later, the title was still in use when Pope Leo XIII wrote a beautiful document on Our Lady, titled Adjiutricem Populi, Helper of the people in which he invokes our Lady under this title.

 “The mightiest helper of the Christian people,” Pope Leo writes, “and the most merciful, is the Virgin Mother of God. How fitting it is to accord her honors ever increasing in splendor, and call upon her aid with a confidence daily growing more ardent. The abundant blessings, infinitely varied and constantly multiplying, which flow from her all over the whole world for the common benefit of mankind, add fresh motives for invoking and honoring her…She is invoked as Mother of the Church and the teacher and Queen of the Apostles".

So too, As the third session of the Second Vatican Council closed on November 21st, 1964, Pope Paul VI declared: "We declare Mary Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, of all the Christian people"  writing elsewhere, “We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.”

Just in 2018, Holy Father Pope Francis instituted a new liturgical feast to be celebrated universally the Monday after Pentecost, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church. 

The day after we celebrate, the birthday of the Church, so to speak on Pentecost, we celebrate our Mother, who was present, praying for the apostles, as the Holy Spirit descended upon them.

As our Lady was instrumental in the Apostles receiving the new life of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, she is instrumental in all of our lives, praying that we may open our hearts, minds, souls, and lives to the life-giving Spirit of God. She prays that the Spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and good counsel, and fear of the Lord will flourish in us. She prays that we may bear the Spiritual Fruits of patience, courage, and joy.

Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Mother, prays constantly for us. As the Apostles devoted themselves to praying with Our Lady, their Mother, Our Mother, in the upper room, may we too, be devoted to prayer with her—prayer for openness to the full life of God’s Spirit—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ.

- - - - - - - 

Mary, Mother of the Church: Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Mary, Mother of the Church and Immaculate Heart: Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

7th Week of Easter 2021 - Monday - Did you receive the Holy Spirit?

For a few weeks, I’ve been preparing a number of our young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which we’ll celebrate Sunday at the 11am Mass. And I’ve been encouraging our youth to ensure they are praying every day with their Confirmation in mind—praying to be strengthened in the gifts of the holy spirit and the fruits of the holy spirit. I asked them to examine their lives and ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify the Spiritual Gifts that he wants them to grow in: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, fear of the Lord. And to examine their lives and identify the fruits of the Spirit that seem to be lacking: patience, joy, fortitude. And after considering what is lacking, to pray that as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation they may be strengthened in these gifts.

During his third and final missionary journey, Paul visited Ephesus.  And there he found a group of believers who seemed to be missing something.  He pinpointed the problem by asking, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?”  They gave the surprising answer that they had never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.  They had never received the Christian Sacrament of Baptism, and therefore they had never received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  

What caused Paul to ask them if they had heard of the Holy Spirit?  Though they believed that Jesus was the Messiah, likely, what was missing was the sort of activity that should mark a Spirit-filled group of full-fledged Christians.  Remember, by this time, Paul had visited and established many communities.  He would have seen the gifts of the Spirit at work, with his own eyes: prophesying, speaking in tongues, healings, mighty exhortations, Christians teaching the faith, speaking words of knowledge and understanding.

So immediately Paul baptized them and laid hands on them, and the outward signs of the Spirit began to manifest: speaking in tongues and prophecy.  These are among the many charismatic gifts of the spirit listed by Paul in his letters.

If Paul were to visit a typical Catholic parish today, he’d find in most places the Holy Spirit at work: he’d see the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fear of the Lord; he’d see the fruits, patience, joy. He’d see the charismatic signs: those with the gift of encouragement—strengthening those with wavering faith, he’d see those with the gift of teaching, passing on the faith and correcting error, he’d see those with the gift of mercy assisting the suffering.

As we prepare for Pentecost this Sunday, we’d do well, like our confirmandi, to pray for an increase in the spiritual gifts, the fruits of the spirit, the charismatic gifts, in our own lives, and in the life of our parish, that Church may continuously be built-up, and faithful in her mission of being sent out to preach the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend—that they may open their hearts to the gifts God has in store for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote domestic tranquility, national unity, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

Like the apostles gathered with Our Lady in the Cenacle, may the Church grow in Marian devotion this month, especially in devotion to the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know the peace and consolation of the Good Shepherd. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for …for whom this mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

 

5th Week of Easter 2021 - Wednesday - Allow yourself to be pruned

 

We hear again today how the Lord wants his Church to produce spiritual fruit. We bear spiritual fruit by remaining connected to Jesus—by loving him, following his teachings, and receiving his divine life through the sacraments.

Yet, the Lord also speaks today of pruning. “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”

Every gardener knows that the purpose of pruning is to encourage growth. The gardener prunes his plants by trimming away dead or overgrown branches to encourage growth. Pruning makes the plant as a whole healthier and more fruitful. 

The idea of the Lord cutting away parts of our lives is somewhat off putting, because we are emotionally attached to our habits, our way of doing things, our way of communicating with people. And for most of us there is a lot of good already going on in our lives. We are already bearing fruit. But the Lord says, I want to prune those who are already bearing fruit to bear more fruit.

Baptized Christians have already received a major pruning. There has already been a severing from unbelief and pagan idolatry. There has already been a severing from the false teachings of the world. Many of us have had serious major sin cut out of our lives. And we’ve already begun to see fruits of faith and truth in us. But the Lord wants more fruit.

God wants to increase joy, and peace, forbearance, patience, goodness, self-control, and gentleness in us, and in our parish, in the Church as a whole. But in order to accomplish this, Jesus explains that we need more pruning. He allows us to grow for a while, then he prunes, that there might be new shoots of growth stemming up from the root. 

How does he do this? In the same way he accomplished our initial pruning: through his word, his teachings. Whenever we read the bible, we should hope to find some truth that will prune us—that will trim away some impatience, some in gratitude, some stinginess, some pride. Whenever we encounter the lives or writings of the saints, we should hope to glimpse or detect something in them that will prune us, to cut away some coldness, some laziness, some attachment to worldly comfort.

The secret to the joy and peace of the saints is that they have allowed themselves to be pruned so many times that fruit becomes abundant. And the Lord wants the  same for us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For lasting peace throughout the world: Christ, the Prince of Peace will put an end to all enmity and division, and unify the peoples of the world.

For Pope Francis and Bishop Malesic, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd and for an increase in vocations to the ordained priesthood, and that our priests may serve the Church with the love and devotion of the Good Shepherd.

That during this month of May, Christians may turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, especially by praying the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For deliverance from all evil and all temptation: for those under the influence of drug abuse, addiction, insanity, occultism, atheism, sexual perversion, and any spiritual evils which degrade the human person.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness, and that the Lord may grant his gift of peace to those most in need of it.

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

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.

28th Week in OT 2020 - Wednesday - Works of the flesh and fruits of the Spirit

In yesterday’s reading from the letter to the Galatians, St. Paul explained how Christ has set us free, so we must not submit to the yoke of slavery, in other words, not fall back into the sins or beliefs or attitudes of the old life. 

In today’s reading, Paul lists off a number of those behaviors which constitute behaviors which are contrary to the Christian life: impurity, jealousy, jealousy, outbursts of fury, drinking bouts, and the like. These he calls the works of the flesh, and obviously the list could be longer, a lot longer. If we happen to fall back into any of these behaviors, they need to be repented of immediately in the Sacrament of Confession, changes need to be made in one’s life, serious changes, if we are falling into any of these behaviors. A good thorough examination of conscience should help us root out the works of the flesh.

St. Paul then goes on to list the fruits of the spirit which are signs that the grace of God is flourishing in our life: joy, patience, self-control. And the like. The fruits of the spirit are given room to grow and flourish in our lives when we repent from the works of the flesh, and should be manifest in each of our lives. They aren’t just for a select few. Every Christian should manifest each of the the fruits of the Spirit. Because again, they are the result of being rooted in Christ, in right belief, and right practice. If we are lacking in any one of them, we have some real self-examination to do. What is stifling self-control? What is hindering joy? What habitual attitudes are keeping me from practicing kindness and gentleness?

Readings like this help us to recognize the need to rid sin from our life, and to make room for the flourishing of grace, so that we may become the people God made us to be. Many Catholics, even many priests, do not take this call to self-examination seriously. They think the call to continual conversion is for other people. Or, they think God will overlook their failure to give-up certain works of the flesh. 

But the call to turn away from sin and to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit isn’t just for super saints. This is part of the ordinary Christian life, ordinary discipleship, bare minimum stuff here. Which is why Paul keeps returning to these themes in his letters. For the flourishing of the fruits of the spirit are not only important for the individual, they are important for the community as a whole and for the mission of the Gospel.

If non-believers do not see the fruits of the spirit flourishing in our lives, why would they convert to Christianity? If they see the works of the flesh rampant in a community, why would they consider joining it?

Rather, the fruits of the spirit, especially joy, like Mother Theresa said, are net which catch souls for Christ. Set let us cultivate them with great effort and reliance on grace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

That all Christians may repent of the works of the flesh and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.

That, during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, many Christians will discover new and deep devotion to Our Lady’s powerful intercession and maternal care for the Church.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That our young people may take seriously the call to holiness, and turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering may come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

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 freedom.

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

5th Sunday of Easter 2018 - "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit"

Last Week, Fr. Klasinski shared how some of the most ancient sacred images of Jesus we have, are not of the crucifixion, but of Jesus, as a young, strapping shepherd. These images of Jesus the Good Shepherd are found throughout the catacombs of Rome.

Once we came out from the underground, with the legalization of Christianity in 313 by the Roman Emperor Constantine, we started building beautiful basilicas in honor of the Lord. One such basilica, built over an ancient pagan temple to the roman god Mithras is the basilica of San Clemente—named after the first century Pope, Pope St. Clement I who was martyred around the year 99 during the persecution of the Emperor Trajan and who is mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer.

I’ll never forget visiting the Basilica of San Clemente, for it contains one of the most beautiful mosaics in the world, and it depicts our Gospel today. I recommend you search the web for an image of this amazing mosaic when you get home; for now you will just have to imagine. At the center of the mosaic is Jesus on the cross, and out of the foot of the cross grows this green leafy vine. “I am the true vine”, Jesus says in the Gospel today.

Above Jesus crucified is a hand, the hand of God the Father, the vine grower, the one who blesses the sacrifice of his son and the growth of the Church, as Jesus says “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.”

Now picture, growing out of the foot of the cross is this multitude of curling branches, filling this whole mosaic. And in the midst of all these undulating, curling branches, are birds and deer and fruit and flowers, poor peasants, pious religious, and Doctors of the Church. And these represent us, the rich diversity of the Church. As Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

Now picture on the branches closest to Jesus on the cross are his blessed mother on one side and the beloved disciple St. John on the other, with his head inclined toward Jesus, like he did at the last supper. Mary and John are for us two great examples of how to remain close to Jesus, as he teaches us “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” We are each to follow the example of the Blessed Mother, imitating her humility and her courage. And we are to follow the example of St. John who inclines his ear to the heart of Jesus. To remain with Jesus we, like Mary and St. John, need to follow Jesus to the cross, meditate upon his sufferings, and love Him with the heart of a mother and the heart of an apostle.

Now picture, on the wood of the cross, surrounding Jesus’ body are twelve white doves. The dove makes us think of the holy spirit, and the number 12 makes us think of the 12 apostles. So these white doves are the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, ready to fly around the world to spread the peace of the Gospel. They also symbolize the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, modesty, chastity, self-control, and the like. These fruits are to be evident in the life of the Church, for as the Lord teaches: “Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit.” Only when we remain connected to Jesus will we be as patient as we need to be, as gentle and kind and courageous as God made us to be.

I’ll post an image of this mosaic on my blog and facebook page, along with a copy of this homily, as I do every week. So you can see for yourselves this tremendous image. And you’ll notice all those branches growing from the cross are not growing in a haphazard, random way. They fit perfectly together, in an orderly fashion, as if they have been pruned and cared for by the vine grower. As the Lord teaches, “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”

The Father prunes us. The Father seeks to remove all those attitudes and behaviors which are unbecoming of His children, for He wants those spiritual fruits to flourish in our lives. So often, we resist spiritual growth by speaking violent resentful words instead of forgiving upbuilding words, by letting others do the hard work of the Church instead of taking it up ourselves, by giving into temptations of the flesh instead of the deep urgings of the spirit. So, through the trials, challenges, and, yes, the suffering of our life, the Father prunes us, to teach us, to humble us, to help us sever our unhealthy relationships and behaviors, so that we can bear healthy spiritual fruit.

In the mosaic there are no dead branches, just as Jesus says, those that do not bear good fruit “will be thrown”, gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.  Jesus here speaks quite apocalyptically, speaking of the eternal consequences for those who do not remain in communion with Him through lives of faith, hope, and love.

Thanks be to God, that if and when we have severed ourselves from God through serious sin, through mortal sin, we can be grafted back upon the vine through the Sacrament of Confession. For as the Catechism teaches, “The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God's grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.”

So, as you’ve been imagining this mosaic from San Clemente, imagine now the moment in the Mass, where you come forward to receive Holy Communion. Imagine from this altar, vines curling out to you, to bring spiritual nourishment and God’s very life. The life that flows from the self-giving of Jesus on the cross is to flow into your life so that your life might bear the same fruit that Jesus’ life bore.

But that vine isn’t detached as you leave Mass, let it not be severed as you walk out of Church. You are to remain connected to the altar, to the cross, to the Lord, in your family interactions, your business relationships, your political associations, your treatment of strangers, your sensitivity to the needs of the poor.

The final detail from the mosaic is the type of vine the artist chose to depict. He chose to use the ancient symbol of the acanthus plant. From Greek antiquity, the acanthus has been used for medicinal purposes. So, too the Christian in the world, united to Christ through prayer and through the Sacraments, is to have a medicinal effect in the world. We are to bring healing to broken relationships, peace to violent conflicts, purification to corrupt governments, cleansing of perverted cultural norms.

“By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." Throughout the eek may you remain to the Lord, bear fruit for the Lord, bring healing to the world for the Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Before the Creed I would like to share with you some news. This week, I received a letter from Bishop Perez.  After four years here at St. Clare, my assignment has come to an end. And so on the 12th of June, I will be the new parochial vicar of Holy Family Parish in Parma, Ohio. I have treasured my time here at St. Clare, but  "we must go where we are sent" by God...and the Bishop. I’m so glad I was sent here to St. Clare, but the bishop, also like the good vine grower, tends the vine, and sends me back to the west side.

But listen to the beautiful words of the Bishop from my appointment letter from Bishop Perez describing the work of the Parochial vicar: "Continually fortified by the grace of ordination, you have the task and the privilege of reverently leading the faithful in prayer, especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. You are empowered by God's call and by his grace to know and love the people you serve, to care for the poor and needy, to teach the youth, and to attend the sick and dying with the compassion of Christ."

So, please pray for me, that I may be faithful in this new ministerial assignment. Fr. Klasinksi will share news about your new parochial vicar after communion today. So if you are in the habit of immediately leaving Mass after receiving Holy Communion…shame on you…you should stay and finish mass anyway, but today you’ll hear some news affecting your parish.

27th Sunday of OT 2017 - The Art of Christianity

Yesterday, I had a funeral for a long time parishioner, Lenny Giuliani. Lenny was a winemaker.  Making wine wasn’t his profession, but it wasn’t simply a hobby either. His family called him the “Einstein of Wines” because he was extremely scientific in perfecting his wines. His daughters brought me a few bottles of their father’s wine and suggested that I try them before the funeral. Their father loved constructive criticism, and they said they’d love to hear my honest opinion.

And so I opened his bottle of red, a blend of several different grapes noted on the label, and I’m no connoisseur, but I could tell that I was drinking something special, the culmination of a life’s work, a work of art. It made me think of Pope St. John Paul II. You might be a Catholic nerd if a glass of wine makes you think of a Pope! For, back in 1999, Pope St. John Paul wrote a letter to artists, to all who passionately dedicate themselves to beauty and creativity. The Pope reflected upon how the creative work of artists, often comes painstakingly, but their beauty is a gift to the world. Maybe it’s because I’m half Italian, but I believe good food and good wine are works of art. And Lenny’s wine was certainly artfully made. He developed these wines, painstakingly, and shared the fruits of his labors with the family and friends, and for that, the world was blessed.

I thought I’d share that with you not simply because wine, vineyards, grapes, and winepresses, flow throughout our readings this weekend, but I think Lenny’s dedication to his art also speaks to the lessons of these readings.

For our readings focus on how we use our time, how we spend our life. Self-absorption or self-donation.

In today’s First Reading Isaiah explains how the Lord had prepared Israel like a fine vineyard. God had given Israel the Law, the Torah, he had taken them out of the slavery of Egypt, and sent them prophets to help them be his holy people. And yet, what did they do with that freedom, what did they do to the prophets?

Rather than yielding the lush, juicy grapes of faithfulness, justice and peace, Israel had produced the wild sour grapes of infidelity, false worship, ignorance of the scriptures, injustice toward the poor.
Isaiah’s prophetic warning urges us to examine the vineyard of our own souls. When we examine our life, do we find the good fruit of peace, justice, faithfulness, and joy or do we find the sour fruit of turbulence, selfishness, ignorance, and crankiness? Are you yielding lush spiritual fruit or sour worldly fruit?

The crankiness, bitterness, selfishness, are typically signs of self-absorption rather than self-donation. They are signs of the need to hand our souls over to God in a fuller way, by devoting more time to prayer, fasting, spiritual reading, meditation on the scriptures, and engaging in the works of mercy. They are signs of our need to turn away from the things that do not give us life: the works of selfishness and slothfulness.

The Gospel Parable of the Tenants also highlights the twisted logic of sin by which we reject God’s plan for his vineyard, God’s plan for our souls.

In the parable, who is the vineyard owner, who is his servant, who is his son, who are the tenants? Well, of course the vineyard owner is God, who has set us upon the earth to love and serve him. The vineyard owner’s servants are the prophets God has sent to call us to be faithful to God. The vineyard owner’s son, killed by the wicked tenants, is Jesus, who is rejected by sinful man, and dies on the cross.

Sadly, we are the wicked tenants in that story. The one’s who do the rejecting. We are placed in the vineyard of the Lord, and instead of using our time to serve the Lord alone, we hijack the vineyard, and use it to pursue our own selfish ends.

But the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. God is greater than our sins. He has given us another chance through Jesus Christ. The sinful tenant can repent and enter into a restored relationship with God, and bear the fruit we were supposed to bear from the beginning.

So the parable is ultimately one of Good News, it is an invitation to repent and believe in and follow the Son who is greater than our sins.

Living in a fallen world, we often get used to sin. I know, I was shocked by the mass shooting this week in Las Vegas. I was shocked, but sadly, not surprised. Not surprised because as a nation, we seem to be falling farther and farther from God. And the farther and farther we fall, the more common these tragedies become.

The lesson from Scripture is clear, Isaiah warns Israel because it had become infested with sin and was bearing rotten, sour fruit. Our nation, any nation, will also bear similar rotten, ghastly horrors, as long as faithlessness, godlessness, perversion, and disrespect for human life persist.

Our duty and our salvation as Catholic Christians is to continue to gather as God’s people as we are doing now, at the altar, at the foot of the cross, to plead God’s mercy for our national and personal sinfulness, and to receive the strength we need to spread the Gospel, to convert hearts, to purify perversions, and to enlighten darkened minds and hearts.

Catholic Christianity is the remedy because it is the way of Jesus Christ, the way of self-donation in fidelity to the will of the Father.

“Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,” Paul tells the Philippians. “Then the God of peace will be with you.” St. Paul of course was pointing to his own tireless labors in the vineyard of the Lord for the spread of the Gospel. The saints are always our teachers, they show us how ordinary people can become extraordinary blessings for the world. In just a few weeks, we'll be celebrating the great Solemnity of All Saints. I encourage you to choose a saint and learn everything you can about them, that they can inspire you in the Christian life. The saints are the true geniuses, the true artists of history.

Ordinary things, small acts of love, truly can transform the world. So become artists, in the words of Pope St. John Paul, “become passionately dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty” and make your art a gift to the world. Your art might be music, or winemaking, or teaching or healing or writing or works of mercy. Become artists of prayer, hospitality, scripture. Become artists of self-donation, become artists of Catholicism, lights in the darkness, and make the world beautiful for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Pentecost 2017 - The Holy Spirit fills the Church

Today we celebrate the great feast of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, the word “Spirit” is used about a thousand times, the Holy Spirit certainly left his mark on the inspired Scriptures. The word “spirit” is a translation of the Hebrew word ru’ach and the Greek word pnue’ma. These words refer to that which gives life to a body—the breath of life.

The body needs the spirit in much the same way a radio or mobile phone needs electricity. As long as electricity runs through the device it will work, when the electricity runs out, the device is unusable, except as a paper-weight.

Having “spirit”, the “breath of life”, is something we humans share with the animals and plants, the living beings. What separates us from the animals and plants, is that part of us that is immortal, the human soul. The soul is that part of us that goes before the judgment seat of Christ when we die, and waits to be rejoined with the body in the resurrection.

We also use the word “spirit” to refer to the purpose that unites a particular group, l’esprit de corps, as the French say. We speak of the “spirit of the American people,”, “team spirit”, “the fighting spirit of the United States Marines”.

St. Paul speaks of the Spirit of the Church in our second reading, but he’s not speaking of a club or group, he’s speaking about something entirely new in the course of history. The Church is not a club, but a living organism; not a building, but a body made up of baptized souls united and filled with the Holy Spirit.

A radio’s purpose is to broadcast news, music, entertainment. The Church’s purpose is to broadcast, as St. Paul says, “Jesus is Lord”. Lebron isn’t Lord, politics isn’t Lord, pop stars aren’t Lords, not even the Pope is Lord, money isn’t Lord, sex isn’t Lord, celebrity and power aren’t Lord. The Holy Spirit enables the Church to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, amidst all the noise and distraction of the world.

The Holy Spirit also animates the Church to engage in many kinds of service: we feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we call sinners to repentance, and instruct the ignorant, we go out to the lost and forsaken, the addict, the imprisoned, and help them to know the comfort of God. And yet the Church is more than a secular charitable organization, She’s an organism of Love, concerned not simply for earthly welfare, but the eternal soul.

She speaks the truth when no one else will, when the world is against her, in and out of season. She comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable, speaks truth to power, and suffers for the sake of righteousness.

St. Paul also says the Holy Spirit produces many different kinds of spiritual gifts, what are known as the charismata, the spiritual charisms: some members of the Church are blessed with gifts for preaching, gifts for teaching, gifts for comforting, gifts for organizing, gifts for fundraising, gifts for hard-labor, gifts for grand visions, and gifts for minute details, gifts for healing. What is your unique gift? Is it being used to build up the Church?

There are also the seven Spiritual Gifts given to every baptized soul. In each and every member of the Church, the Spirit produces wisdom which helps us desire God over the things of the earth; Understanding, which helps us to grasp the divine truths of our faith, knowledge; which helps us to see God’s plan in the events of our life and use the things of creation in a way that will lead us to heaven; counsel, which helps us to judge how best to act in the circumstances that confront us in our daily life; fortitude, which helps us to remain sturdy against the temptations and challenges in the Christian life; piety, which fills us with love affection for God and enables us to experience joy in prayer and service; and fear of the Lord which helps us to be conscious that the eye of God is watching us always, helping us to be mindful that we will all face judgment for the choice we’ve made in our life.

The seven-fold gifts are given to every Christian, but to grow in them, we must nurture them through the practices of the spiritual life. This is why there are wise octogenarians and foolish octogenarians, young people who are wise for their age, and young people who…well, don’t have a clue.
What is animating your life? The Spirit of God or the spirits of the world. When we are cooperating with the Spirit of God he produces the good spiritual fruits of gentleness, self-control, meekness, patience, and temperance. When we are indulging in the spirits of the world there is recklessness, irascibility, perversion, addiction, greed, anger, envy, jealousy, pride.

How do we become so filled with these worldly spirits? Part of it is how we spend our time: inordinate time with entertainment, social media, insufficient time studying and praying with the Word of God, undue focus on selfish pursuits, rather than service. These things have spiritual consequences.
In the Gospel reading for Pentecost, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit through whom sins are forgiven. To be free from the spirits of the world, we must turn our souls over to God in the sacraments. In Sacramental Confession we name those spirits that we might be delivered from them.

In the solemn ritual of exorcism, in which a soul held captive by a demonic spirit is liberated through the power of Christ, before deliverance can occur, the demonic spirit must be named. The need for solemn exorcism is extraordinary and rare. But Christians must face and name the unclean spirits which seek the ruin of our souls, by naming them, by bringing them to Christ in Sacramental Confession, by turning away from the near occasions of sin, and by strengthening the weak parts of our souls through prayer and acts of charity.

On this great Feast of Pentecost, as the Easter Season comes to a close and Ordinary Time begins again, we recognize how the Holy Spirit wants to produce new a glorious effects in our lives. He wants to help us take up new modes of serving those in need, the physically poor and the spiritually poor. He wants to produce in us new charisms for the building up of the Church. He wants to deepen in us the seven-fold gifts. He wants to help us to be cleansed of the unclean spirits of the world. He wants to do all these things and more, that we may proclaim to all the world “Jesus is Lord” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday - 1st Week of Advent 2016 - A shoot shall sprout from the stump

Even though we read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah during Advent, since it is such a long book, 66 chapters, the longest of the prophetic books, we really only get to read bits and pieces at Mass.

After several chapters prophesying the defeat and judgment of Israel’s enemies, we hear one of the most beautiful passages of the book—beautiful because of its prose, but also its subject matter, and its promises. We hear today, so early in Advent, of the promise of the Redeemer, a Messiah, where he’ll come from, and some of his characteristics.

At the time of Isaiah’s writing, the house of david was in shambles, though God had promised David that his heir would be the king of kings, the Davidic line appeared more like a rotting stump than a flourishing royal tree. But Isaiah prophesied that from this stump shall arise a shoot; the line will continue, the Messiah will come.

And this Messiah-King will be graced with the Holy Spirit of God—the Spirit that breathed on the waters of creation, the spirit that breathed life into Adam, the Spirit that was given to Moses then portioned out to the elders, the Spirit that fell upon David when anointed by Samuel.

From the earliest years of the Church, the Church Fathers have taught that Jesus is the promised Davidic Messiah Isaiah wrote about in this passage. God the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism (Mt 3:16). The "gifts of the spirit" that are His are transferred to baptized and confirmed Christians as His heirs. St. Paul wrote: For all who are let by the Spirit of God are sons of God...if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Rom 8:14, 17).

And the Catechism teaches: "The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understand, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations" (CCC 1831).

The Catechism goes on to teach that "The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity'" (CCC 1832; quoting Gal 5:22-23).

This Advent ought to be a fruitful time for each of us in which we nurture the spiritual gifts. You might consider using the list of spiritual gifts as a sort of examination of conscience; which is your weakest, which is your strongest, which do you think God is calling you to practice more devoutly? Some of these gifts might appear to be more like old stumps than flourishing trees, but new growth is possible.

We recognize that we prepare best this Advent for the coming of the Messiah by seeking to become more like Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday - 28th Week in OT 2016 - Sealed with the Spirit

Yesterday, we began St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which we’ll be reading from for the rest of the month.  Just as we begin every prayer evoking the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Paul begins his letter praising the three Divine persons

.

We heard yesterday his praises of the Father. He praises the Father for His plan of salvation—choosing us from the foundation of the world to be adopted sons and daughters.

He then praised Christ, the Son—how Christ fulfills the Father’s plan through his blood.

Today we heard the next section of Paul’s Trinitarian opening to his letter in which Paul recalls three truths about the Holy Spirit.

First he says, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, Paul says we’ve receive the Spirit according to God’s promise.

Thirdly, he calls the Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance.”

In the ancient world, a letter or legal document was marked in wax with the seal of its author; the seal gave evidence of its authenticity. A seal was also used to indicate ownership: sheep and cattle were branded with their owner’s seal. When soldiers enlisted in the Roman army, they were often sealed by tattooing the name of their commanding general on their hand or forearm.

Several place in Scripture speak of God placing seals on people to indicate that they belong to him and are under his protection. In baptism and confirmation, Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit—we are marked as belonging to God, being under his protection, and is proof that we are his sons and daughters, and members of God’s army.

It’s kind of ironic that a seal, which is something visible, is used to describe the mark the holy Spirit leaves on us—for the Spirit is invisible. So the proof that we are sealed needs to be seen in the way we live—in the way the sacramental grace is appropriated into our lives by our constant turning away from sin, through prayer, and charity, and manifesting the charisms and fruits of the Spirit.

That St. Paul calls our experience of the Holy Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance” means that the joy and the peace the Spirit gives us is but a foretaste of what the faithful shall enjoy in heaven.

But in order to come to that eternal reward, we must continue to cooperate with the Spirit, to be faithful to God by making use of the gifts he gives us, by working always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.