11th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Wednesday - Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully

 There is a spiritual truth that applies to our faith, and probably just about everything in life: “the more you put into something, the more you’ll get out of it”. The more you study, the more you’ll learn. The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you engage with joyful, motivated people, the more joyful and motivated you will be.

St. Paul describes this spiritual law in the first reading today: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 

In reference to the spiritual life the more we engage in the life of prayer and good works, the more spiritual fruits will be born. It is not surprising that this is true also about our public prayer, our liturgical worship. The more fully, actively, and consciously we engage in the celebration of mass, the more spiritual fruit you will derive from it. Consider the difference between a Catholic who just shows up for Sunday mass, without having prayerfully prepared throughout the week. They roll out of bed, they show up 2 minutes after mass begins, they don’t pick up the hymnal, they are thinking about the activities they want to accomplish after mass is over. It’s no wonder such Catholics easily fall away from the obligation of Sunday Mass.

Now consider the Catholic who has reflected upon the Sunday scripture readings throughout the week leading up to Sunday. They have been praying for certain neighbors and family members throughout the week, and now on Sunday they lift their loved ones up to the altar with the Eucharist. They unite their mind and heart in the songs of the mass, and contemplate how what the priest is doing on the altar is what Jesus did on the cross. They’ve engaged in works of charity throughout the week and step forward to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord to be their strength for charitable works in the week ahead. They’ve examined their conscience each night, recognizing their sins, and now come to mass with the hope of being purified of selfishness.

The more you put into the mass, the more you’ll get out of it.

This principle is reflected in Jesus' teaching on the three great spiritual disciplines in the Gospel today: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are not meant to be shallow gestures or public performances, but acts of genuine self-giving to God.

And we find that the more generous we are with God, with the practices of the spiritual life, the more generous God is in filling our souls with his divine life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the Lord who desires to fill us with His grace, let us offer our prayers with sincere hearts, seeking to grow in holiness through prayer, worship, and charity.

For the holy Church of God: That her members may sow bountifully in the life of prayer and good works, and thus reap an abundant harvest of holiness and grace.

For world leaders and those in positions of authority: That they may govern with wisdom, integrity, and a genuine commitment to justice and peace, promoting the dignity of every human life and working tirelessly for the common good.

For those whose faith has grown lukewarm or routine: That they may rediscover the joy of drawing near to God and engaging wholeheartedly in prayer and worship.

That those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit may find healing, comfort, and strength through the love of Christ and the compassionate care of His people.

For the faithful departed: That having sown in tears, they may reap the joy of eternal life with Christ.

Heavenly Father, hear these prayers we offer in faith. Help us to grow daily in holiness by cooperating generously with your Divine Will. Through Christ our Lord.

December 6 2023 - St. Nicholas - An Exemplary Advent Saint

Today we honor a saint whose feast always falls early on in Advent, the great bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas. Nicholas is a wonderful Advent saint for us to celebrate, for Nicholas exemplifies some of the important Advent virtues—virtues that we are to cultivate and practice throughout Advent.

Firstly, Nicholas was known for his generosity. There is the well-known story of how Nicholas threw bags of gold through the open window of an impoverished family. Here are certainly the origins of our modern day notion of Santa Claus with his bags of gifts. But Nicholas didn’t have magical elves to fabricate gifts or money out of thin air. Nicholas gave of his own earthly treasure, to ease the sufferings of others. He was attentive of the needs of the poor, he showed concern for strangers, he gave of his own livelihood, and he did so, anonymously, without the expectation of being thanked or praised. We too are to practice Nicholas-like generosity during Advent.

Secondly, Nicholas was known for his dedication to truth, his sound doctrine. As a bishop, Nicholas was present at the Council of Nicaea, when the Church was gathered to address the growing error of Arius, who claimed that Christ was not fully God, neither coeternal nor consubstantial with the Father. 

But Nicholas had sought the truth and knew his duty to proclaim the truth. On the floor of the Council of Nicaea, in front of all of his brother bishops, even knowing that some of them had been persuaded by the errors of Arius, Nicholas defended the true faith that Jesus Christ, is the Word Made Flesh, and true savior of the world.

During Advent, we too are to seek the truth and proclaim the truth. We pray that people without faith, through our example, will come to seek the truth of the one born in Bethlehem, who He truly is. For, Advent and Christmas for so many people have become Christ-less. Advent is filled with everything but Christ. The world is impoverished, spiritually, due to its faithlessness and error. 

And so during Advent, the Church, by her prayer, and worship, and good works, and study of the scriptures, helps the world rediscover the reason for the season, to reclaim the riches of preparing for Christ to enter more deeply into our lives. But like Nicholas, we must be people of sound doctrine, committed to the truth of Christ—true God and true man, savior, and Lord. 

The prayers of the Mass today refer to St. Nicholas as a powerful helper.  In the Opening Prayer we prayed that “by the help of St. Nicholas keep us safe from all danger.”  His example, his virtues, and his heavenly intercession help to protect us from the dangers of selfishness, self-absorption, and error. By his help may we be filled, like him, with the generosity, love, compassionate concern for others, sound doctrine and truth of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - Trust and the Miraculous Catch

My guess is that everyone here has in some way experienced a little something of what Simon Peter experienced in today’s Gospel passage. To help digest this experience, I’d like to break down the passage into six stages which correspond to six stages of spiritual growth.

Firstly, there is frustration. We’ve all experienced frustrated when things don’t go our way. For Peter and his crew, their frustration was the result of a miserable night of hard work with nothing to show for it. These were expert life-long fisherman, and it’s almost unfathomable how unsuccessful they were.

There is frustration when we exert effort and have nothing to show for it. This is true for business, or our hobbies, or our relationships. And this is true in our work for God. We set the table and nobody shows up. 

But also, the self-centered life, the life centered on the false gods of the world, is frustrating, for it leaves us unhappy and empty.

But then, what happens in the Gospel. God barges into your life. Maybe in a sermon, or a book, or a powerful conversation with a friend, God shows up and asks you to trust Him. Try again, this time, trust in Me. You might imagine Peter’s confusion or annoyance, when Jesus, a carpenter, told him how to do his job. Peter and his crew had just fished all night and had just finished cleaning all of their equipment when Jesus instructed Peter to cast his net into deep waters.  

And so you have a choice, and it might not be an easy one. Not unlike Adam and Eve in the garden, the Devil often shows up and says, “don’t trust God, his expectations are unrealistic, the consequences for disobedience probably aren’t that bad.” Doubts and confusion sometimes arise whenever it’s time to trust God. Because there’s a lot of spiritual warfare around that choice. Devils conspire against us, an angels are fighting for us.

And this raises an important question: How do we know it’s God asking us to trust Him and not the devil or our own imagination? Well, God never asks anything that violates his commands or the teachings of the Church. Jesus’ command to cast into the deep waters to the fishermen was a strange one, he was asking something that would normally never do, but he wasn’t asking them to violate a commandment. 

So, yes, that little voice must be discerned. Is it coming from God or not? We certainly shouldn’t do anything that puts the welfare of our families in jeopardy—like selling your house in order to buy a bunch of lotto tickets. A good spiritual director, a fellow parishioner known for their prudence and wisdom, can help you discern. But once you discern that it is likely God asking you to trust Him, it is time for trust.

And that’s the third stage: the disciples make the choice to trust. Even though it slightly grated against their professional sensibilities, trusting his master, Peter and the crew cast out into the depths of Lake Gennesaret. 

Another question: Why should we Trust God? Why should we risk wasting our time doing something potentially foolish for God? Because God loves us, he would would never fool us. Unlike the enemy, he would never deceive us. He has our best interests in mind. 

Many young men considering the seminary are given this choice. To the world, even their families, entering seminary, even just for a year, is a ridiculous choice. Spend an entire year, with limited communication with family and friends, to discern something that you might not end up doing? Spend a year learning to pray instead of learning a trade?  

But then something happens, and this is the fourth stage, the result of trusting in God is a miraculous catch of fish. The time in discernment, the choice to trust wasn’t wasted, for God doesn’t waste our time. It’s we that waste our time, when we only follow our own fluctuating and fleeting emotions and impulses.

I’ve never met a young man, who entered seminary even for a year, and regretted it. When you trust generously, “God will not be outdone in generosity” said Mother Theresa. There is always, at least, growth in wisdom, knowledge that will be utilized later in life. But often, God exceeds our expectations. Over and over, people who volunteer their time, engaging in ministry, say that they were blessed beyond what they ever imagined. 

Notice, too, the miraculous catch wasn’t an individual effort, but a joint effort. It took the whole crew to bring in the large catch. God doesn’t just ask us to trust Him, but also others, enough to work together. Marriage is a joint effort. The mission of the parish is a joint effort. Maybe we’ve often been so frustrated because we’ve so often tried to do everything on our own, rather than as a family. But we can catch more fish together than we could on our own.

And then comes the fifth stage, after bringing in the miraculous catch, what happens? Peter falls to his knees. “Depart from me Lord, for I am sinful man”. More valuable than the miraculous catch is the recognition that you are in God’s presence. When God shows forth his generosity, we are humbled. I should have been trusting God all along, God have mercy on me. I’ve been so stupid to trust in my own will. My distrust has not brought me anything good, ever. If I had trusted just a little bit more, my life would have been so different.

And that’s the final stage: the encounter with divine grace changes you. Now that you have witnessed what God can do, the Lord says, “from now you will be catching, not fish, but men.” 

St. Paul speaks about this transformation in the second reading today, the whole reading is Paul explaining how God changed his life when he came to recognize Jesus crucified and risen. Paul, remember, as a zealous Jew, had been on a crusade to wipe out the believers of Jesus. “I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” But encountering grace, in choosing to believe, Paul was transformed, and made the greatest of apostles.

As a result of trusting God, encountering his grace, we are changed, not to become wealthy or successful in the eyes of the world, but to catch souls for Christ, to work for the spread of the Gospel. 

Not every Christian is called to be priest or nun or monk or miracle worker. But every Christian is called to be an evangelist, just as every Christian is called to be a saint. But the path to both vocations is identical. In the frustrations of life, we learn to trust God, and allow him to bring about a miraculous catch. And recognizing what he has done, we humbly kneel before him, and allowing that grace to transform us, He gives us what we need for the work he has planned for us.

Friends, every frustration is an opportunity to trust God. So much unhappiness and anxiety could be avoided if in our frustrations we placed our trust in Him sooner. So much boredom and sadness could be avoided, if we allowed his grace to help us realize our potential inworking for the spread of his kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 6 2021 - St. Nicholas - Generous, miracle-worker, hammer of heretics

 

Children of all ages can readily identify the saint we honor today.  The man with the twinkling eyes, the smiling face, the ample body and the pillowed red suit.  Historically, we know that Nicholas was a bishop of Myra a city in what is now Turkey in the fourth century.

Perhaps one of the best-known stories about Nicholas concerns his generosity towards a poor family

The culture of the time , in order for a young woman to marry, the father had to provide her with a dowry so that her new husband would be able to pay for her upkeep, at least for some period of time. Families without money for a dowry often couldn’t get their daughters married. One poor father didn’t know what to do for his three daughters. If he were to die or be incapable of work, they would be driven prostitution for survival.

Nicholas heard of the family’s situation and one night threw a bag of gold coins through the family’s open window, enough for the dowry for the oldest daughter who was soon married. The next night, Nicholas threw in another bag, sufficient for the dowry of the middle daughter, who likewise was married. The third night Nicholas tossed a third bag to help marry the third daughter of the father.

There is something profoundly holy about this sort of anonymous charity. “When you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites, rather, let your giving be in secret” the Lord teaches us.

St. Nicholas was not only charitable, but a miracle worker. There is an amazing miracle story where Bishop Nicholas restored to life three young men who had been killed.  There was a food shortage in Myra, and the local butcher abducted and killed three young men, and put them in brine to cure them before making them into a ham.  Bishop Nicholas became aware of this through the Holy Spirit, found the boys, restored them to life, and converted the butcher to Christianity.

Bishop Nicholas was also a great lover and defender of truth. Bishop Nicholas stood up for the truth at the council of Nicaea. When the heretic priest Arius claimed that Jesus was not of the same substance with the Father, Nicholas corrected Arius….physically. There are pictures of Nicholas slapping Arius in the mouth for the foul errors spewing from it. St. Nicholas is sometimes called the “hammer of heretics” for this great defense of the faith.

Here was a bishop, aware and responsive to the needs of the poor in his diocese, whose holiness was evident due to the miraculous stories which began to arise around him, and a bishop who was a great defender of the Apostolic Faith. He is certainly a model for all bishops today.

And, Nicholas is a model for all of us especially during advent—a saint in which generosity, holiness, and love of truth are combined, as they always are. Where one is lacking so will the other two.

Advent challenges us to look for opportunities for such anonymous benefaction, for the corporal and spiritual needs of others, to pray for others, especially those in need of a miracles, perhaps, even through lives of holiness to become instruments of God’s miraculous love, and like St. Nicholas to deepen our understanding and preach the Apostolic Truth about Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Malesic, and all of the ordained, that their ministry may be effective in leading the Church in spreading Christ’s saving Gospel.

That our elected officials, judges, government leaders and people of good will may work together in defending innocent human life, working for the common good, and righting injustice.

For our young people, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all whose lives are marked by suffering, disease or sorrow, may they come to know the healing and peace of Christ.

For the deceased of our parish, family and friends, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

A reading from the epistle to the Hebrews

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching.* It is good to have our hearts strengthened by grace and not by foods, which do not benefit those who live by them. We have an altar* from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. The bodies of the animals whose blood the high priest brings into the sanctuary as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, to consecrate the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. Through him [then] let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

A continuation of the holy gospel according to St. matthew

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples: a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents;* to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.* He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

 

24th Week of OT 2020 - Friday - Jesus' unconventional followers and benefactors

 

We often speak of the ways that Jesus shattered the social convention and religious expectation of his day. The pious Jews of Jesus’ day greatly anticipated and deeply longed-for the arrival of the Messiah. But the Messiah turned out to look and talk and act a lot different than what they expected. He was born in a barn to unknown parents without anyone knowing. He grew up, not in a palace, but in a home of a carpenter. He dressed not in fine linens and jewels, but in the ordinary garb of the working class. His retinue, too, were not the powerful and the well-connected, but as St. Luke tells us this morning, they were comprised of a group of fishermen, tax collectors, and women—poor, socially marginal, and unschooled in their religion.

St. Luke mentions Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many other women as among those who accompanied Jesus. The presence of women—single and married—accompanying an itinerant teacher and his male disciples would have been extraordinary and even scandalous in first-century Palestine. This would be especially true in the case of Joanna because of her public role as wife of Herod’s chief steward. Despite the social pressures and conventions, they followed Him anyway.

These were women who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Many, if not all of them, had been miraculously healed or delivered by Jesus—like Mary Magdalene—out of whom the Lord had cast out seven demons. Their response to Jesus is certainly contrasted to hard-heartedness of the Scribes and Pharisees—who while witnessing signs of Jesus’ divinity—conspired against him to put him to death.

Notice, too, these remarkable women financially supported the Lord’s work out of their resources, for his ministry. They recognized not only Jesus’ divinity, but his humanity. He still needed to eat. He and his disciples still had temporal needs--just like the Church today still has temporal needs--we need to pay the electric bill.

And it is often through women—like the good women who make up the majority of many parish congregations--who recognize the needs of the Church and contribute from their resources in many and often hidden ways. Thank God for these women!

When I think of this strange and unconventional retinue of the Lord those two thousand years ago, I can’t but help think of how the Lord wishes to use us, in the midst of this changing neighborhood, with its many challenges and hardships, to continue his saving work. 

For, the work of the Church only continues when men and women, rich and poor, the well-connected, the simple,  and the gifted and uneducated utilize their resources, their time, talent, and treasure—to further the mission of the Gospel. May neither social convention, nor fear of failure or ridicule, keep us from doing the Lord’s good work .May each of us consider-well how each of us can generously respond and contribute to the work of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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In great gratitude for the benefactors of this parish, and for those who generously provide for the needs of the Church. 

For an end to indifference to God and human dignity in our government and educational institutions, businesses, and personal attitudes.

During this month of September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve, and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

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

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.

31st Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Renewal of Minds and Sharing Spiritual Gifts

 Our daily readings from Romans have brought us into the final major section of Paul’s great letter. St. Paul has completed his teachings on basic Christian doctrine and has spoken of God’s plan to bring unification to humanity. Now in the last part of his letter he turns his attention to instruction on the moral considerations and consequences of the Gospel—how members of the Church are to treat each other, non-believers, and the poor.

Paul begins his instruction by setting the stage: Christians must not model their lives and their behavior on the contemporary world. For the Roman Christians, they were to avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, and the worldview of the Pagan Romans. What would be his exhortation to us? Avoid the excesses, the decadence, the violence, the impurity, the worldview of secular society!

Rather, Paul says, renew your minds, metamorphousthe, he says in the Greek, be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Put on the mind of Christ in all things, study the faith, meditate on the word of God day and night, that you can know what is good, and pleasing to God. Wonderful advice. To the extent of their intellectual ability, every Christian should seek to understand the faith. You are never to old to renew your minds.

Okay, then Paul gets to the exhortations we find today. Rather than conforming yourself to the world, having put on the mind of Christ, Paul explains how God wants communities of Christians to discern and share and make use of their spiritual gifts. The gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, acts of mercy are to be discerned, developed, and shared.

What are these gifts? Ministry is the gift of practical service to others, particularly to widows, orphans, and the elderly. Teaching helps believers and non-believers to understand the faith with clarity. Exhortation encourages others and motivates them to live the gospel with heroic fidelity. Generosity prompts persons to make give liberally of their financial resources to assist the needy and to advance the mission of the church. Community leadership orchestrates the gifts of the community, perhaps helping other discover their gifts. Mercy is reaching out to the hungry, sick, dying, imprisoned and so forth.

We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our parish, to protect us from the errors of the world, to teach us what is good and pleasing to God, and to help us discern, develop and share our spiritual gifts for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That God’s manifold gifts may be evident in our Diocese and in our parish.

That our parishioners may be kept safe from the errors of the world and be transformed by the renewal of their minds and hearts through the Gospel.

That during this National Vocations Awareness Week our young people may respond generously to the call of the Lord to serve the Church.

That we may be attentive to the needs of the sick, the poor, and the despairing in our midst.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

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

2nd Week of OT 2018 - Tuesday - Envy Kills

When David returned from slaying the giant Goliath, King Saul became jealous of his servant’s fame.  He allowed anger and resentment to shape his behavior, and he began to plot to kill David, the Lord’s anointed.  It’s not the first time we hear about envy in Scripture. In fact, it goes back to the very beginning.  Adam and Eve were envious of God, and so they ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God, and committed the first sin which would mark the race of man for all generations.

Cain was envious of his brother Abel. He let that envy turn to rage, and committed the first homicide and fratricide—murdering his brother.

The Scribes and Pharisees seemed to envy Our Lord’s authority. They refused to put their jealousy to death, and instead, they put God to death after brutally torturing Him.

Envy is listed as one of the deadly sins. It was the motive for the first murder and the worst murder. Archbishop Sheen states that, What rust is to iron, what moths are to wool, what termites are to wood, that envy is to the soul - the assassination of brotherly love.

John Vianney said, “I do not believe there is a more ugly and dangerous sin than envy because it is hidden and often covered by the attractive mantle of virtue or friendship…people will employ a hundred and one devices to conceal their envy from others.”

Envy says that if I can’t have it, you shouldn’t have it either. Cain didn’t have God’s favor, so Abel shouldn’t have it either. Saul didn’t have God’s favor, or the adulation of the people, David shouldn’t either. St Paul places envy among the works of the flesh and declares that “those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God”

Envy often leads to explosions of rage, but I think it can just as easily lead to lives of quiet rage, and much misery. Envy has been called “the most joyless of the Seven Deadly Sins.” Envy causes us to be overly competitive and overly comparative. Achieving the object of our envy may bring a temporary pleasure, but that pleasure is fleeting and tainted and filled with regret.

In the first reading, it was the empathy of Johnathan which helped to asway the envy of Saul toward David. Johnathan, the true friend, stuck up for David, and it appeared to change Saul’s attitude. Calm, compassionate and rational thinking helps to cure the disease of envy. Generosity is especially the opposite of envy. Whereas envy brings only sorrow and pain, generosity is the seedbed of joy.

May we be delivered from all envious thoughts and pursuits, and may generosity and joy be spread among us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may live out their baptismal call with greater conviction and faithfulness.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

That the March for Life in Washington D.C. this Friday will help to transform our culture and inspire many to adhere to the Gospel of Life.

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

August 10 2017 - St. Lawrence of Rome - A Cheerful Giver

St. Lawrence is remembered both for his courageous martyrdom and his care for the poor.
As a deacon in Rome, Lawrence was in charge of the Roman Church’s treasury, and had the responsibility of distributing alms to the poor.  When Pope Sixtus was arrested and killed, Lawrence knew that he would be next—he sold all of his personal possessions and gave them away to the poor widows, orphans, and beggars of Rome.

When the prefect of Rome heard this, he imagined that Church must have a considerable treasure hidden somewhere in the city.  He ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasure to him.  So, Deacon Lawrence gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was to be slowly roasted alive upon an iron grill.  Lawrence however was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flame. He even joked.  I'm done on this side! Turn me over” Among many other things, Lawrence is a patron saint of Comedians.

Both St. Paul and our Lord draw from the realm of agriculture to speak of how Christians are called to pour themselves out in service, generosity. Our Lord speaks of the grain of wheat, falling to the ground and dying before it can bear much fruit. Each Christian is to be that grain of wheat in imitation of Our Lord who died to bear the fruit of eternal life. Our witness, our service, our charity requires us to die to our selfishness and self-centeredness.

Paul, too, states: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Paul was exhorting the Corinthian Church to be generous in their contributions to poor members of the Church, reminding them, that their generosity will be blessed in eternity. But this proverb is applicable, not simply in our contributions to the poor, but in the gift we are to make of ourselves, giving back to God the life, the talents, the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

St. Lawrence, being roasted alive, joking to his torturers was a model of the cheerful giver that Paul commends all of us to be. Even as we are giving of ourselves, dying to ourselves, we do so cheerfully, because we do it for the Lord who is the object of our Love.

Let us cheerfully give of ourselves, let us cheerfully die to ourselves, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in their awareness of and charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in their midst.

That Christians persecuted for the faith may be courageous in their witness to the saving Truth of Christ. And that the witness of the martyrs may never be in vain.

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

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Lent 2017 - The woman at the well

The Gospel of the Samaritan Woman contains many insights which enrich our Lenten journey.
There are a couple important details right at the beginning of the story: “Jesus came to a town of Samaria…Jacob's well was there.” Jesus enters this place, where no pious Jew would go. Samaria was filled with half-breeds—Jews who had intermarried with the Assyrians invaders of centuries past. The Samaritans were no longer considered Jewish, and so they and their land were considered unclean and would be avoided by the pious Jew.

First, insight: Jesus doesn’t go around the unclean land or the unclean person. Jesus loves the unclean, the marginalized, the outsider. In the Second Reading, we are reminded by St. Paul that Jesus loves the sinner so much, he lays down his life for them.

The encounter between Jesus and the woman doesn’t just take place in a random location in Samaria, rather, we hear it takes place on a well.  Last week, Jesus was on top of a mountain, the place where heaven meets earth, divinity meets humanity.

What’s symbolic about a well? If you’ve ever been to a wedding reception, sometimes the repository for the wedding gifts and wedding cards is in the shape of a well. In Scripture, many brides and grooms meet at wells. Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Moses and Zipporah, all meet at wells.
Jesus, has but one bride, the Church. So the sinful, unclean Samaritan woman is a symbol of us all, invited to be wedded to Christ through his death and resurrection.

We know where this encounter takes place, but when does this encounter take place? St. John tells us: it was around noon. It’s the part of the day when the sun is at its most brilliant and most illuminating…in the course of this story Jesus is certainly going to shed light upon something truly important: his identity and the promises available for those who believe in Him.

So this woman of Samaria comes to draw water, and Jesus said to her “give me a drink”. This is a very strange request. In the society of his time, men and women, especially strangers, would not speak to each other publicly; It would be highly unusually and unconventional for a Jewish man to be so frank and direct with a Samaritan woman.

Notice that Jesus invites her to give Him a drink. St. Augustine said magnificently, this is God thirsting for our faith. Yes, indeed. This is God thirsting for our generosity. God thirsts for our generosity because generosity makes us joyful and God made us to be joyful. Sin and selfishness are always a failure to be generous with God and neighbor and result in joylessness.

The woman responds to Jesus’ invitation, not at all aware of the spiritual significance of the encounter: “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"” To which Jesus responds, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, ' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus IS the gift of God—the Son is given to us by the Father that we may have eternal life. Jesus is saying, if you knew who I was, you’d ask me to give you what no one else on earth can provide: living water. Living water, what a powerful image for desert people—liveliness, hope, vitality, grace. Jesus is saying, I can give you what you most long for, that which humanity lost through sin, reconciliation with God that will bring you eternal life.

The woman shows she still doesn’t quite understand: “You don’t even have a bucket, how can you give living water?” She’s still thinking simply about physical water. So, Jesus takes her where she is, but then leads her deeper. Everyone who drinks from the earthly well will be thirsty again.

The earthly wells are all those earthly places we go to quench our thirst for the divine, but do not satisfy. All the addictions that leave us longing, all the worldly pursuits we chase after because we think they will make us happy. We’re wired for God, we are built for God, but we seek our happiness in all the wrong places, in created things like money, fame, and pleasure. We drink from those wells, and we are still thirsty. As good as these things are, none of them are God, so nothing can satisfy our desire for the infinite.

The woman so focused on the earthly well is all of us who fail to come to Jesus to be satisfied. What is your well? What is the behavior you go back to over and over looking for happiness where true happiness cannot be found? That’s an important Lenten exercise. What is your well? Hear the voice of Jesus this Lent inviting you to be generous with God, that God teach you a new way of drinking living water.

Jesus wants to give us living water that will bring us wholeness, joy, peace, and eternal life. But we must choose between him and the well.

Jesus then poses another interesting request: “go invite your husband and come back.” And the woman answers, “I don’t have a husband”. And Jesus says, “you are right, you don’t have a husband, you’ve had five husbands, and the man you are living with isn’t your husband.”

Why has this woman come at the worst part of day, the hottest part of day to draw water, and why is she alone? The custom at the time was for women to venture together to the village well, it was a time of comradery, and they’d go to the well either in the morning or evening, not at the hottest part of the day because it’s hard work drawing water.

So this woman has gone to the well, alone and at the hottest part of the day because she is probably a woman of ill-repute, someone who is morally suspect even to her neighbors, she’s had five husbands, she may have stolen seduced men away from their lawful wives.

Jesus invites even her, even us, to drink. We are all sinners. Maybe not exactly like the Samaritan woman, but we have all engaged in false relationships, gone back to worldly wells, isolated ourselves from others through poor choices? And what do we hear from Jesus? The invitation to life. The invitation to drink deeply, to have a deep intimate relationship to Christ through prayer isn’t just for the saints, it is for all of us.

The invitation to life involves change, it involves breaking habits, healing relationships, turning away from attitudes and behaviors which are contrary to our faith, putting an end to selfishness. Jesus invites the Samaritan woman to look humbly and honestly at her sins, and to let go of them, that she may know eternal life, and Jesus makes the same invitation to us.

May our Lenten observances help us to hear Jesus calling us to drink deeply of the living water which only comes through Him, through prayer, through repentance of sins, through reception of the sacrament, through generosity with God and selfless charity towards our neighbors, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.