15th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Cleveland's New Bishop and Effectively Communicating the Gospel

Yesterday, as you may have seen on the internet or on television, the Holy Father named a new bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland. Thanks be to God! Bishop Edward Malesic. If you haven’t had the chance, you can watch the Bishop’s press conference on the diocesan website or on youtube. I also put a link on my personal facebook page.

After introducing himself, and speaking about receiving the call from the Papal Nuncio, he was asked a few questions by the attending press. And in the first question he was asked about his vision for the Church. And he gave a great answer, he said “I don’t have a vision, Jesus has a vision…The only vision I have” he said, “is to communicate the Gospel…. but then the big question is”, the Bishop asked  “how is that done?”

And that, indeed, is a very important question. We know we must communicate the Gospel, but How do we communicate the Gospel. When we are confronted by a non-believer, or an angry family member at Thanksgiving dinner, or a confused parishioner…HOW we communicate the Gospel is of great importance. Do we do so with patience, gentleness, clarity, with a tone of accusation, with embarrassment over Church teaching, wishing to water it down in order not to offend political correctness? It’s not always easy to know HOW to communicate the Gospel.

And I thought about this part of the bishop’s press conference in light of the Gospel this morning. The Lord Jesus is approached by Pharisees who condemn him for supposedly violating the sabbath. Now, the Lord could have responded to the Pharisees in a lot of ways. He could have argued with them, he could have condemned them for trying to trap him in some sort of technicality, he could have displayed his divine glory to them and had them cowering in fear. We do well to take note HOW the Lord engaged his opponents throughout the Gospels, for he certainly gives us some very valid options...which may or may not include making a whip out of cords and flipping over tables if the opportunity presents itself.
But at least in this instance, the Lord responds to his critics, his opponents, by drawing their attention to the Scriptures. He knows the Scriptures well, and so should we. He redirects the conversation, and the condemnation, to speak about the deeper meaning of the Scriptures.

HOW we communicate the Gospel is more art than science, really, in fact. The HOW comes through practice, reflection on our successes and failures, conviction in the truth of the Church’s teaching, it comes through study of the Scriptures, certainly.

But most importantly, the HOW comes from deep union with God, from authentic holiness. Remember, just two chapters earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord says, when you are brought before kings and governors because of me, do not worry what you are to say, the holy spirit will give you the words.” Our effectiveness at communicating the Gospel comes from deep union with God.

When we have cultivated that attentiveness to the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the ordinary circumstances of our life, we will be able to hear him speaking to us in those extraordinary circumstances, when we are called to witness to the faith. This is what made Mother Theresa and Saint Francis, St. Ignatius our patron, such effective communicators of the Gospel: their holiness gave them authority, their love for God and love for neighbor, the virtues that they cultivated.
May we cultivate that deep union with God this day through Word and Sacrament, penance and works of mercy, that we may be effective communicators of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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In thanksgiving for the Holy Father’s appointment of Bishop Malesic, that he may be blessed with all the spiritual gifts he needs for this tremendous responsibility in leading the Church of Cleveland in the effective preaching of the Gospel.

For the conversion of hearts hardened to the Gospel, for those who have fallen away from the Church, for non-believers and unrepentant sinners, and that we may bring the healing of the Gospel to their troubled hearts.

For the purification of our minds and hearts from the errors of the culture and from the lure of worldly attachments.

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

2nd Week of OT 2020 - Tuesday - Faith in Jesus' Divinity

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus’ critics attacked him and his disciples for not living up to their standards of piety. Compared to the pharisees who fasted twice a week, Jesus and his disciples appeared not to fast. Jesus answered their criticism by hinting at his divine identity which his critics failed to grasp.

Today’s Gospel escalates things. The Lord’s critics accuse him, not simply of minimal piety, but downright sin—violating the sabbath, violating the third commandment by picking heads of grain from the field. Well, the Lord escalates things too. He doesn’t just hint at his divine identity, he equates himself with God. He is Lord of the Sabbath.

David was justified in eating the bread of offering on the Sabbath because David was the Lord’s anointed king and he was on a mission from God. How much more justified is Jesus who is the anointed king of kings on the ultimate divine mission to save us from our sins.

Again, his critics fail to understand his actions because they fail to understand his identity. St. Mark highlights many of these encounters throughout his Gospel. Jesus’ actions are criticized, and then the Lord explains that their criticism is rooted in their failure to believe that He is the Son of God.

This is why the two great moments in Mark’s Gospel occur at the halfway point and then at the end. Peter’s Confession, his proclamation of belief that Jesus is the Christ, the first person in the Gospel to vocalize faith. And then at the crucifixion, the Roman centurion vocalizing, proclaiming, “truly this man was the Son of God.”

Many people throughout the centuries have looked to Jesus’ teaching. Even non-believers can quote and even abide somewhat by the Lord’s teachings or parables. Sadly, though many of the baptized, while recognizing Jesus as a moral authority, fail to recognize him as God. This failure to believe is certainly the great cause of lukewarmness today and throughout the centuries.

We honor today, a saint of just 12 or 13 years old, who was anything but lukewarm. St. Agnes faced with the choice to forsake her faith or die, she exclaimed, “Such is Christ’s beauty that his brightness excels all the brightness of the sun and the stars; the heavens are ravished with his glory.  He is so powerful that all the forces of heaven and earth cannot conquer him.  I love him more than my soul and life and am willing to die for him.”

Again, if he were just some moral teacher, he may be worth admiring. But he is God, and his beauty and goodness exceeds all of the created universe. And that others may know that salvation comes through him, is worth dying for.

The 12 year old martyr reminds us, that children understand, often better than adults, that following jesus means to give him our whole hearts, minds, and souls, to testify with every ounce of our being that he is the Son of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty we direct the prayers of our heart for the needs and salvation of humanity and the good of His faithful ones.
For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.
For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may grant them relief and move Christians to come to the aid of the suffering.
For the safety of all those traveling to the March for Life this week in Washington D.C., and that the witness to the dignity of human life may bring about greater protection for the unborn and conversion to the Gospel of Life.
For our beloved dead, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for 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.

January 22, 2019 - Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Several times in the Gospels Jesus asks those who had spent years studying the Scriptures if they've ever read a certain passage. He asks the Pharisees today, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?” Jesus, of course, knew that the Pharisees had indeed read that passage before. However, He also knew they had not grasped the full meaning of the passage, they did not realize how the Scriptures were being fulfilled through Jesus.

They had read the scriptures, but had failed to allow God’s word to take root in their souls, to give them fresh eyes for seeing, fresh minds for understanding and believing. So they were unable or unwilling to believe in Jesus and hardened their hearts toward Him.

A similar hardness of heart afflicts our nation. A hardness of heart which is unwilling to respect human life.

46 Years ago today, the Supreme Court made a decision which has led to the death of ten times more babies than the deaths of U.S. soldiers in all of our nation’s wars including the Civil War, the World Wars, the Vietnam War, and the War on Terror.

Even with science increasingly clear that human life begins with conception, hearts continue to grow harder toward life. I remember as a kid, the slogan was “make abortion safe, legal, and rare”. Now the slogan is “shout your abortion”. They revel in the fact that they have murdered a life.

So throughout the United States today, U.S. Catholics engage in prayer for the restored legal protection of the unborn.  This liturgy for life and justice calls for the wearing of purple vestments: purple, the color of grief and prayerful penance.  We grieve the abundance of sin and murder occurring on a daily basis for 46 years.  And we do penance for the abortionists, for the parents, for the politicians, for all those who further the culture of death, even those who do not repent. We do penance because we love life and we hope for their salvation. And we commit ourselves to praying and working for authentic justice for the unborn.

We pray that the truth of the Gospel of Life will take root in the hearts of every member of the human family, that it will dispel all darkness, and all hardness toward innocent human life, all unwillingness to respect life.

May every life be cherished and held sacred 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, we pray to the Lord…
That Court decisions which permit the destruction of innocent life may be resisted and reversed, we pray to the Lord…
That God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord...
That all women facing difficult or unplanned pregnancies may receive compassionate care and the support they need, let us pray to the Lord.
That all medical professionals involved in the practices of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia, may experience conversion of mind and heart and cease these activities, we pray to the Lord…
For all women who have had abortions, that they may seek out and experience God’s tender mercy, we pray to the Lord.
In thanksgiving for the many children who have been saved from abortion through the efforts of the pro-life movement, we pray to the Lord…
For all the dead, for all the souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and for X, for whom this Holy 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