May 31 2022 - Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary - Pro-life Joy and Compassion

 

On the final day of this Marian Month of May, we celebrate the joyful feast of the Visitation, a celebration of life. 

For me, today’s Gospel is one of the great Pro-Life passages from scripture. We heard today, John dancing and leaping in the womb of Elizabeth like David joyfully dancing before the Ark of the Covenant when he first encounters his unborn cousin, Jesus, only days old in the womb of Mother Mary.

The infant John the Baptist in his mother’s womb is a powerful pro-life model for us, as John recognizes that Jesus was truly human from the moment of his conception and he leaps for joy over life. Some might claim that it is “above their paygrade” when human life exists. But both Scripture and modern science are clear that human life begins at conception. And we therefore have a duty to reverence it, to protect it, to rejoice over it. 

Mary, going in haste, to help the pregnant, elderly, Elizabeth, models for us that even overwhelmed with burdens of our own, we are all to have a special care for pregnant mothers, especially pregnant mothers in difficult circumstances. We are to devote to them our time, talent, and treasure in helping them nurture and bring-forth life.

Mary would also stay with Elizabeth until the birth her baby, accompanying her through childbirth, and through those difficult days as a first-time mother. Mary reminds us to have a special care for mothers and children throughout pregnancy and afterwards as well.

The Second Vatican Council, in its Decree on the Church in the Modem World, Gaudium et spes, reiterated the Church's ancient and consistent teaching that “from the first moment of conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes” His Holiness, Pope Francis, in keeping with his predecessors, has likewise been quite clear and emphatic in teaching on the dignity of human life in the womb.

Compassion and joy fill those who embrace Church teaching on reverence for life, and who engage in what Pope Francis calls “self-forgetful service of our neighbor” and the needs of the poor in the works of mercy.

May the heavenly intercession of St. John, St. Elizabeth, and Holy Mary and the life and grace of Our Lord help restore reverence and care for human life and make us self-forgetful in charity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the leaders and members of the Church may fulfill with joy their calling to proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of Life.

That God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, and for the safety and welfare of all pregnant mothers, and that all mothers and fathers will know the assistance of the Christian Church in nurturing and raising their children. 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

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

6th Week of Easter 2021 - Wednesday - The Spirit of Truth

 Early in John’s Gospel, Jesus is introduced as the incarnate word of God, filled with grace and truth. “Truth” is an important concept in John’s Gospel, and for Christians. “He who practices the truth comes to the Light”. “The truth will make you free”, the Lord teaches. “I am the way, the Truth, and the life”. “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink”. Those who believe in jesus will be known by god as true worshippers, who worship in Spirit and Truth.

Today, in anticipation of the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Lord explains “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth.”

“Quid est veritas?” asks Pontius Pilate. What is truth? The Gospel notion is truth is not the same as the accumulation of scientific fact. The sending of the Holy Spirit isn’t so that we can understand quantum physics better or how an air conditioner works.  That’s not to say that Christians should have nothing to do with the world of science.  Science, as we know it grew out of Catholic Europe. Many of the important scientific discoveries were made by Catholics. We can thank the Catholic intellectual tradition for the modern scientific method.

But when the Lord speaks of the truth that “makes you free” he’s not talking about scientific knowledge. Rather, he’s speaking about the truth that frees us from moral, theological, and spiritual evil—the light of truth which frees us from darkness of sin and death.

Ignorance of God and his ways keeps us from the blessedness for which we were created. Moral error keeps us from loving God and loving our neighbor as we should.

About three and a half centuries after the Gospel of John was written, St. Augustine wrote “Victoria Veritatis est caritas”—”the victory of truth is love”. Through Christ, God conquers the darkness of error which debilitates us, which mars the mind and soul of the human person. The weakening of the will—darkening of the intellect through sin—is healed and reversed—when we live the truth of the Gospel.

The Second Vatican Council document, Gaudium et Spes, put it like this: without the knowledge of God, man remains an unsolved puzzle to himself.  Only in light of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light, and it is only Christ by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His Love, that fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear.

A culture that does not know him will become depraved, a government that does not acknowledge Him will always be misguided and devolved into tyranny or anarchy, the soul which does not profess Him as Lord will be lost.

And how many of our family, and coworkers, and countrymen do not know Christ, do not know him really.  The Holy Spirit—the Spirit of truth—is sent down upon us, that we may make Christ known. That through us the Spirit of Truth will guide men to all truth—the Truth of Christ—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit among all Christians, and that the Spirit of Truth may be enkindled in all those who do not believe, the lukewarm, and those who have fallen away from the Church. 

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 the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those undergoing surgery, those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.

For the deceased members of our families, friends and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all those who fought and died for our freedom.

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.

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.