3rd Sunday of Lent 2024 - Cleansing of the Temple and SIOA Capital Campaign Volunteer appeal.

 The Jerusalem Temple held immense significance for the Jewish people.

The Temple was central to Jewish religious practice. God himself called for the building of the Temple and it was to serve as the dwelling place of God’s presence on Earth, particularly that inner most chamber of the Temple known in Hebrew as the “Kodesh HaKodashim”—the Holy of Holies. And of course, at the Temple sacrifices prescribed by God would be offered by the priests on behalf of the people.

The Temple was also a place of holy and religious pilgrimage—particularly for the major Jewish feast of Passover. We know the Holy Family made this pilgrimage, and Jesus in the Gospel this weekend is at the Temple during the Feast of Jerusalem. 

Beyond its religious role, the Temple held immense cultural and national significance for Jews. Especially during times of foreign rule, such as Roman occupation during Jesus' lifetime, the Temple served as a symbol of Jewish sovereignty.  

Jews also believed that the Temple was central to mission of the Messiah—that when the Messiah brought about the ultimate redemption of Israel and the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth—the Temple would be the central focus of that kingdom. 

Imagine the widespread shock, surprise, confusion, and anger when Jesus, believed by many to be the Messiah, enters the Temple. Instead of initiating the full realization of God's kingdom there, he uses a whip of cords to drive out the merchants, signaling not renewal but destruction of the Temple.

This event encourages us to reflect on how the temples of our bodies, minds, and souls need cleansing — be it from greed, anger, pride, or any form of sin. It invites a evaluation of priorities, urging us to seek a cleansing of worldliness so we can experience the spiritual growth God wants for us. 

Just as Jesus cleansed the Temple of commercial activities and distractions, Lent is a time for Christians to examine and cleanse their own lives of anything that hinders their relationship with God. It’s a period for introspection, repentance, and conversion, mirroring Jesus' desire to restore the Temple as a place of pure worship.

Jesus' actions also call us to be mindful of our Temple, our parish Church. Downstairs here at St. Ignatius there is a Latin inscription written on the church’s cornerstone laid by bishop Schrembs in 1925. Templi in honorem sancti ignatii episcopi et martyris lapis sacer auspicalis iactus fuit"  "The sacred foundation stone of the Temple was laid in honor of Saint Ignatius, bishop and martyr." Our parish Church is a Temple where the people of God gather and sacred worship is offered. 

Jesus cleansing the Temple of causes us to consider how we use and care for our Temples--the temples of our body, mind, and soul and this Temple, our parish church —how we are to be responsible stewards of this place. We are to support the works of our parish, its outreach to the poor, and contribute to the upkeep of our church buildings, recognizing them as vital to our spiritual growth and nourishment, and the mission of the Church entrusted to us by Christ. 

With that idea in mind, I’d like to announce officially the start of our Restoration Campaign—what we are calling “Our Spiritual Home – Our Legacy” campaign.

Our decision to move forward with addressing some of our capital needs was made after careful prayer, planning, and conducting a feasibility study. We have worked together with engineers, contractors, and the Diocese of Cleveland to assess the condition of our church and the Boulevard Building. Given that these buildings have been in daily use for almost 100 years, they occasionally require repairs and updates to continue serving as the heart of our Catholic community.

15 years ago, a campaign was held to stabilize parish finances when the parish was slated to close and make partial repairs to the roof. However, following discussions with Pastoral and Finance Councils and the Capital Project Committee, we have concluded that a capital campaign is necessary to undertake our new high priority projects.

These improvements will provide a strong and viable future for St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish and would allow us to address the following:

Repair and replace roof tiles as necessary; Fix and substitute damaged stone panels; Clean the stone panels and apply a water-repellent coating; Demolish and reconstruct the retaining walls; Restore stairs and staircases; Reseal all joints across the entire exterior; Mend and paint wooden window and door frames; Install a new roof and carry out masonry repairs on the Boulevard Building.

In response to the challenge before us we are embarking on a Capital Campaign to raise at least $600,000 to $1 million. The more we raise the more we can do.

Through this campaign, our goal is to ensure that both our church and the wider parish campus remain functional and welcoming for both the current and future generations. This initiative will be dedicated to funding the necessary improvements specifically at St. Ignatius, with all the collected funds staying within our parish. Our main focus will be on the Church, as it requires the most significant repairs. However, we also aim to address issues within the Boulevard Building if funds allow.

We acknowledge that fundraising is a challenging task, but I am optimistic about our success for several key reasons: FIRST, the vibrant spirit and enthusiasm of our parish family here at St. Ignatius of Antioch. The feasibility study showed significant support among parishioners for this campaign.  SECOND, the well-known and longstanding generosity of our parish community. THIRD, the clear and evident need for these repairs. 

For these reasons, and my trust in the Parish Council, Finance Council, and everyone involved with our project, I am confident that we will successfully raise the necessary funds to address our parish's immediate needs.

Today, I am here to seek your help and to encourage every adult man and woman here to contribute their time to our campaign. Our strategy includes personal outreach by fellow parishioners to explain our program to every member of St. Ignatius, particularly to those who cannot attend our planned in-person events.

To make this happen, we need your help as volunteers. We're requesting a small amount of your time—just a few hours across two weeks in March and April. The campaign is designed to be time-efficient, requiring only about a couple of hours from you each week during this period.

I will now ask the ushers to come forward to the first pew in each section and pass out the volunteer cards. When you receive a card, please take a minute to fill it out.  There are also pencils for your use in the pews. Please print your name, address, email, and phone number. 

No special qualifications are necessary, except your willingness to sacrifice a small amount of your leisure time—you should absolutely consider this as a component to your Lenten almsgiving—the giving of your time. We need volunteers who can assist with a variety of tasks including mailings and making phone calls to fellow parishioners. In addition, volunteers can assist in other ways throughout the campaign, such as in helping with our inperson events, writing postcards and other campaign outreach projects, like contacting our alumni. 

So please, take a minute to fill out the volunteer cards. And please place the cards in the collection basket during the offertory, and we’ll get these sorted, and contact you soon.

As I mentioned last week, every family in the parish should have received an invitation to attend one of our in person events. We held one last night at the 6pm. The next one is scheduled this Tuesday, march 5 at 3:30pm, and there will be one after the 11am mass next Sunday. We’ve staggered the times for everyone’s convenience. So please, attend one of these inperson events, to lighten the load on our volunteers. 

In closing, I wish to thank you for your cooperation and look forward to your attendance at one of our parish receptions.  

PLEASE REMEMBER - - that the success of our campaign depends on all our parishioners working together.  This is our sacred home—one that we inherited from generations of Catholics before us, and a legacy we leave to the future. We need your help and prayers to make our campaign the success we are all praying for, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 31 2024 - St. John Bosco - David's Self-Offering

 We’ve been reading from the book of Samuel for the last three weeks since the conclusion of the Christmas season. And we’ve come to the book’s final chapter.

Chapter 24 of II Samuel occurs near the end of David’s life. David has served as king for many years. There have been many successes and many failures. And even in the end, as we heard today, David is still not trusting God as he should. David calls for a census of those able to serve in the military—those who would live and die for the nation. And for David this was a sinful act. Why?

Because it was a failure to trust God. The census infringed upon the prerogatives of God who himself keeps the register of those who are to live or die. And so we heard that there would be a consequence of David’s sin. Sin always has consequences. And so there was a plague. And the plague swept through the nation.

The plague began in the late spring during the wheat harvest. And just as the plague was reaching Jerusalem, David approaches the angel of the Lord, there on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite—the place where wheat was processed—where the edible grain is separated from the stalk.   

And there David offers himself on behalf of his people: “It is I who have sinned, punish me, spare them.” This is David’s finest hour, is it not? The shepherd king offers himself as a self-sacrifice to spare his people. The good shepherd lays down his life for his flock.  David becomes the grain of wheat willing to die, so that his people might live. A beautiful, noble moment for David. 

And that’s where our reading stops this morning. But in the final verses of the book of Samuel we read how this very spot, this threshing floor, this place where David offered himself as a sacrifice, will be ordained by God as the place on which his Temple would be built—the altar, the place of worship, that would serve as the locus of religious worship for the next thousand years. And as Jews would come to offer their sacrifices to God in that place, they would recall that they were to emulate David. They weren’t simply making sacrifice of wheat, and animals, they were making sacrifices of themselves.

So too, for Christians, as we gather at the altar, yes, we gather at the cross, that place in which our shepherd king offered sacrifice of himself, but at the same time, we must offer ourselves. As Eucharistic Prayer IV says: “may all who partake of this one Bread and one Chalice, that gathered into one body of the Holy Spirit, they may truly become a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your glory”

As we gather at the altar this day, with all of our successes and failures, like David, like all Christians, saints and sinners a like, we offer ourselves, submitting ourselves to the Divine Will, that our lives may be always in service to the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

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

For all young people who have fallen into delinquency, through the intercession of St. John Bosco, they may they turn away from sin and crime, and develop a deep love for the ways of Christ.

For all those in prison, for those who struggle with addiction and mental distress, that the healing of Christ may bring them wholeness and the promises of Christ may bring them hope.

For the sick and suffering among us, for those who care for them, and for all of our beloved dead, especially X, for whom this mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

November 21 2023 (school mass) - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - I am totally yours

 Imagine, you are three years old. And one day, you ask your parents to bring you to Church because you want to speak to God. And so they do. They bring you to Church. But you ask them to wait in the back of the Church as you go to speak to God. So they do. You then walk up the long aisle. You kneel at the steps of the sanctuary here, and you tell God, “God, I know that you made me for a special purpose. Do with me whatever you want. I give my whole life to you. If you want me to be a leader, I will be a leader. If you want me to be a teacher, I will be a teacher. If you want me to go live in a cave where I will pray all day to you, I will.”

That’s a pretty amazing thing for anyone to do, wouldn’t you say? It’s even more amazing, for a three year old, to love God that much, to trust God that much, to offer themselves to God for whatever God wanted.

Well, that is precisely what we celebrate today. When she was 3 years old, the little Blessed Virgin Mary asked her parents to bring her to the Jerusalem Temple. And there, she prayerfully spoke to God, and consecrated herself to God, offering herself to God for whatever God wanted of her.

Do you trust God that much? Do you love God that much? If not, why not?

God made us in a way that we are happiest when we do what He wants. God designed us that way. He made us that way. We are hard-wired for God. Our minds work as they are supposed to. Our bodies work as they are supposed to. Our hearts work as they are supposed to, when we, like Mary consecrate ourselves to God. When we say, God, I’m yours. I am totally yours, do with me as you will. Whatever it is, I know, that is what will make me happiest. 

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.”

If you don’t trust God enough to say that, ask God to help you trust Him more. Because until you do. You are missing out. 

What a beautiful story for us to consider as we go off on Thanksgiving Break. The best way we can show our thanksgiving to God for all of the good things in our life, all of your natural abilities, all of your possessions is to offer them back to God, and to say, all that I have Lord, I offer back to you, everything is yours, do with it what you will. For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 - My soul is prepared, how's yours?

 

The conversation in today’s Gospel between Jesus and his apostles occurs during the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.  He and his followers had gone to Jerusalem to consummation of his mission—the end, for which he took our flesh. 

And that last week, Each day between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday, the Lord Jesus went with his Twelve Apostles to the Temple, to teach and preach about God’s saving love and that the kingdom of God was at hand.  Today, we hear the Lord, standing at the temple, and the crowds are commenting on the magnificent marble Temple with its stones glittering in the afternoon sun, the Christ uttered a stark prophecy: “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.”  

Now for the Jews, remember, the Temple was the center of religious and civic life. To foretell the end of the temple to the Jews, would mean an end to life as they knew it, the end of the world. 

Why do we meditate upon this scene today? Well, we, too, have come to the end of things: the end of the liturgical year is just a week away. So, we consider the end, so that we may prepared for our earthly end, and the end of time. 

I think I’ve used this image before, but one of my favorite action movie heroes is Indiana Jones—the archaeologist college professor who dons his fedora and leather whip to track down lost artifacts in foreign lands. And of course he has to fight through waves of Nazis and cultists in order to do so. Before I ever considered a vocation to the priesthood, I thought that would be a pretty interesting job.

One of my favorite scenes is from the third installment of the movie series Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Indiana Jones’ father had been kidnapped, and he is pursuing who he thinks are the kidnappers on a boat chase through the water ways of Venice Italy.  Finally, Indiana and the kidnapper are in a boat being drawn towards the propeller of this huge steam ship, and the propeller starts to chop up the boat they are in.  The kidnapper says, if you don’t let me go, Doctor Jones, we’ll both die.  He reveals a cross around his neck and says, My soul is prepared Doctor Jones, how is yours?” What a powerful line. My soul is prepared, how’s yours? 

The Christian must live with his soul prepared always. The coast guard of these United States has a great motto: semper paratus. Always prepared. Well, every human being does well to consider, is your soul prepared. Prepared for what’s next. 

Holy Mother Church very wisely, reminds us of the need to be prepared, every year, at the end of the liturgical year. We know when that day will come. The last day of the liturgical year is the Saturday prior to the first day of Advent. But, we do not know the day, when the the end is coming, either for each of us, individually, or collectively, for the human race. We know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will return, but he will, just as he said. 

Will it be soon? We don’t know. He mentions the signs that will proceed his return in the Gospel today: earthquakes, hurricanes, war, rampant immorality, famine, and plagues. These dangers to mortal life are reason enough to ensure our souls are prepared. Walking around as if we shall never face our judge is foolishness. 

Rather, we are to wisely prepare by following the Lord’s own teaching. He says, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Perseverance in what?  In faith, of course. Faith, hope, and love. Perseverance in following Christ’s teachings, keeping God’s commands, repenting of sin; engaging in works of mercy, forgiving our enemies, and spreading the Gospel. Perseverance in using the time we have been given to pursue the will of the heavenly Father, like Jesus. 

I heard a story this week about a millionaire who visited a holy mystic, who told him that in 10 days he would die. So the millionaire books a flight to paris, and for the next few days, he drinks wine, and dines, spends a night on the riviera, he gambles, and seeks after thrills, but after a few days, he finds himself empty and deeply depressed. So he goes to his family, whom he had neglected in the pursuit of his wealth, and tries to rekindle things with them; he has a coffee with his brother, takes his nieces to the park, seeks and asks forgiveness from his estranged wife and children, and senses something beginning to stir in him. On the tenth day, he goes into church, kneels down and asks God what he is to do with his final hours. He gets no answer, but his gaze kept returning to the crucifix. Stepping out of church, he sees a young boy crossing the street, and sees a large truck barreling down toward the child. He runs into the street and pushes the boy out of the way, but is struck by the truck. Months later, he awakes from a coma, surprised to be alive. He undergoes therapy, is thanked profusely by the child’s mother, and is named a hero. But he is confused, he thought he was going to die in 10 days from his encounter with the mystic.  So he returns to the holy figure, and seeks an answer: “holy one, I thought you said I would die in 10 days.” To which the mystic responded: “you did die. You died to worldliness, recognizing the emptiness in wealth and worldly pleasure. You died to pride, seeking reconciliation and forgiveness with your estranged family members. And you died to fear and selfishness, putting your own life at risk to save another. The old you is dead, see to it that he stays that way.”

A nice little story illustrating the a great lesson of our faith. In baptism, we have died to the old way of life, to worldliness, pride, and selfishness, so that we may live a new life for God. And with God's help, we are to see to it that we stay dead to those things, persevering in faith, hope, and charity. In this way, our soul becomes prepared for the end, for judgment. Detachment to the old way of life, death to sinfulness, enables us to be filled with the life of God, and the fruits of the Spirit--with peace, joy, gentleness, and so on...

With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we prepare our souls by confessing our sins and persevering in Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

February 2 2020 - Feast of the Presentation - Light of Encounter

The Jerusalem Temple, as you know, had profound significance for the Jewish people. Of all the places in the world, in the cosmos, the one True God, Creator of the universe, chose to make his dwelling on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem on planet earth. A temple was built for Him to be a place of dwelling and encounter. A place where God’s glory would shine forth, signifying God’s presence with Israel and Israel’s mission to glorify God by their lives.

The Temple was the place where divinity and humanity could meet and encounter each other. In my bulletin column this week, I explain how this feast of the presentation, in the eastern churches, is called the Feast of the Encounter, for here in the Temple, Simeon encounters God—God made flesh—Jesus Christ true God and true man.

The temple was also the place where sacrifice was offered. Mary and Joseph go to the temple in the Gospel today to offer Sacrifice. Sacrifice was offered as a way of turning one’s life to God. Faith and love, entrusting ones life to God, were made concrete through Sacrifice.

In the case of sin, sacrifice was a plea for reconciliation. Sacrificed was offered as showing you were serious about turning away from sin and back to God, and recognizing that God and God alone has the power to forgive sins. Reconciliation is one of my favorite words in our faith dictionary. From the latin reconciliation, It contains  the word cilia—recon-CILIA-tion…cilia are eyelashes. Reconciliation means to turn back from sin eyelashes meet God again. Reconciliation makes encounter possible.

In the time of the prophets, the sins of the nation had compromised the religious life of Israel and the ability to encounter God in the Temple. Things got so bad in Israel, the people had fallen so out of right relationship with God due to sin, that the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God’s glory departing from the temple. Sin was so great, faith and love were so lacking, the light of God was extinguished in the Temple.

This certainly makes us think of what happens to the human soul who falls into mortal sin. The act of sin creates a condition in which grace has no place to dwell. Light is extinguished. And the only way grace is restored, rekindled, and re-illumined in the soul is through the humble confession of sin in the sacrament of reconciliation.

The faithful remnant of Israel longed for God’s glory to return to the Temple. We hear this sentiment in the later prophets of the Old Testament. Our first reading this weekend, from the prophet Malachi, describes the promise of glory’s return: “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek” He will bring purification and refinement and right worship and perfect sacrifice to Israel.  Where Ezekiel described God’s departure from the Temple, Malachi foretells God’s return.

Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph and Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, bring him to the temple to be presented to his heavenly Father.

We can then begin to appreciate the sentiment of Simeon who filled with the Holy Spirit recognizes His Lord. Master, he says, now your servant can go in peace, I can die peacefully, knowing you have returned as the prophets foretold.

Simeon goes on to echo another prophet, Isaiah, who foretold how the Savior the savior of Israel would also be a light for the whole world. Master, my own eyes have now seen your salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. Simeon recognized that the promised era of light and glory has now begun, an era in which all the nations of the world, would turn to the God of Israel to be saved by Him. The light of God’s glory would never be extinguished again. His light would emanate from this child that he now held in his arms, and his light would enlighten the whole world.

Hence our blessing of candles today. Candles for Christians are symbolic of the light of Christ which now shines in the world through the Church to which all people and nations of the earth are now summoned. Candles are lit particularly during our liturgical rites, especially at Mass, because when we are gathered together, rich and poor, members of every nation, we shine most brightly with the light of God.

The sanctuary candle reminds us that Christ can truly be discovered and worshiped in this temple, he is truly present here, as he was in that Jerusalem temple so many centuries ago.

I think too how our parish, for so many years, nearly a 100 has been a beacon of the Christ light for our neighborhood. Our beautiful tower, here at St. Ignatius of Antioch, the tallest in the diocese, is like a giant candle, or lighthouse, guiding the wayward home, guiding pilgrims to this place of encounter. It’s a symbol that God can be found here. Sinners can be reconciled here. Souls can become enlightened here. The spiritually hungry can be fed here. The sorrowful can be consoled here. The lost and confused can be given direction here.

We do well to ask ourselves as individuals and as a parish, what can we do to better and more faithfully shine with the light of Christ. In our worship. In our service and charitable outreach, in our attitudes and actions. What can I do to better lead people to this place of encounter, what can I do to better lead people to Christ? For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ascension Sunday 2018 - The divine stamp of gaurentee

Years ago, a Catholic missionary was preaching in the open square of a village in North India.
As he finished, a Muslim man approached him and said: "You must admit: we Muslims have one thing you Christians have not, and it is better than anything you have." The missionary smiled and said, "I should be pleased to hear what it is." The Muslim went on, "You know, that when Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca, to the burial place of Muhammed, we have our founder’s coffin, his body to venerate to embolden us. But when you Christians go to Jerusalem, your Mecca, you find nothing but an empty grave."

The Missionary replied, "Ah ha! But that's just it, and it makes all the difference. Mohammad, the founder of Islam, is dead, and he is in his coffin. But our Leader has risen from the dead and returned to heaven."

As Christians, we don't just believe in a philosophy or a theology, we believe in a person, a Savior, a God who is alive and who has brought our own human nature into heaven.

There is however an ancient monument on the Mount of Olives. When Christ Ascended into heaven, he left his footprints in the rock of Mount Olivet. You can visit this spot, or see an image of Christ’s footprints on the internet. Our faith isn’t based on wishful thinking, but on real events which we have received from the apostolic tradition.

The reconciliation of humanity and divinity was pleaded for and longed for in ancient Israel. From the Old Testament we know of an ancient Jewish practice which foreshadowed the Ascension.  Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. He would pass through a huge, thick, ancient curtain into the Holy of Holies symbolizing the throne of God in heaven. There the High Priest would offer the sacrifice of atonement, pleading to God to forgive the sins of humanity which separates man from God.

In his Ascension, Christ goes to the true eternal Holy of Holies, the inner chamber of the universe, heaven itself. Christ, who is both the atoning sacrifice and the priest, He has brought fallen, and now, redeemed humanity to heaven.

The Ascension is the stamp of guarantee that humanity is redeemed, and has a place in heaven. And no other religion makes that claim. And this is why we are bold as we go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel. The Gospel isn’t based in wishful thinking. It isn’t based in fairy tales.
Christianity isn’t man’s best attempt at religion. It isn’t man’s word about God, it’s God’s word about man. God Himself offers the Divine Guarantee, that following Christ leads to everlasting life.
And so bearing witness to Christ, to his message and the power of his goodness: this is our primary mission on earth. Before he ascended, Jesus didn't say, “Enjoy yourselves. And if you have time, go to church once and a while.”  No! He said, "Go be my witnesses to all the nations."

We are each called to witness in different ways. God calls some to witness as priests. He calls some to consecrate their lives as full-time missionaries. Others are called to be leaven in the world, transforming culture from within, either as humble workers or as great leaders. But each of us God tasks to bear witness to Him by allowing the Christian faith to permeate every dimension of our life, ever relationship. And, until this mission becomes our highest priority in life, until it becomes more important than sports, than bank accounts and stock markets, more important that receiving the adulation of our neighbors for a fine-kept lawn or a new car, until the Gospel is our highest priority we will experience an interior restlessness that nothing will cure.

For, we were created to live in friendship with God, and that means sharing in God's projects. And his project in this fallen world is "that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in Jesus’ name to all the nations". May we grow in our faithfulness to this mission.

On this Ascension Sunday we also honor our mothers on this Mother’s Day. We thank our Mothers for all of their sacrifices, with flowers and chocolates, cards and kind words, praises and prayers. But we acknowledge that the best way of honoring them is by becoming the people God made us to be; for they bore us in their wombs, that we may become bearers of God’s Word to all nations, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.