4th Week of Lent 2025 - Friday - A spotlight into the darkness of our hearts

 During the final weeks of Lent, the weekday scripture readings detail the growing hostility towards Jesus culminating in his crucifixion.  Why do Jesus’ enemies hate him so?  

Our first reading from the book of Wisdom depicts a group of the wicked-hearted conspiring to condemn a just and holy man to a shameful death. Why? What has he done to offend them so? They claim: “he is obnoxious to us” because he corrects us, he points out our violations of the law, he judges us debased. A line from John’s Gospel says, “everyone who practices evil hates the light”.   

This passage helps us to understand the psychology of those who opposed Jesus and conspired to have him killed. 

His teaching, His actions, His holiness—was like a bright, spotlight shining into the dark corners of their hearts, exposing pride, envy, hypocrisy, and corruption. Instead of responding with humility and repentance, they responded with resentment, hostility, and ultimately violence.

Yet, it would be a mistake to consider this hostility as something limited only to the historical enemies of Christ. We, too, must examine our own hearts. Are there parts of us that resist the light of Christ’s truth? Are there moments when we feel uncomfortable, even hostile, because Jesus challenges our sins, our bad habits, and our selfishness?

Lent invites us precisely into this examination, urging us to confront these hidden corners of darkness within ourselves. Rather than turning away in resentment or denial, we are called to respond with humility, openness, and repentance. When we allow the light of Christ to enter our hearts fully, we are not condemned but healed, forgiven, and restored.

As we approach Holy Week, let us pray for the grace to welcome the transforming and purifying light of Christ. Let us allow His truth to penetrate deeply, that our lives may bear witness to His holiness, compassion, and love—for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God’s mercy and grace, we humbly present our prayers and petitions, seeking the transforming and purifying light of Christ.

For the Church throughout the world, that during this Lenten season, all members may courageously confront their personal darkness, allowing Christ’s light to heal, forgive, and restore them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all leaders and those in authority, that they may be guided by humility, justice, and integrity, resisting the temptations of pride, envy, and corruption. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing hostility, persecution, or opposition because of their faith, that they may find strength and comfort in Christ’s own sufferings and remain faithful witnesses to His truth. Let us pray to the Lord.

For individuals struggling or unwilling to confront sin and selfishness in their lives, that this Lenten season may inspire a spirit of honest self-examination, openness, and true repentance. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community, that the coming celebration of Holy Week may deepen our understanding of Christ’s passion and sacrifice, leading us to greater love, compassion, and holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who suffer physically, emotionally, or spiritually, that the healing and comforting presence of Christ may touch their lives, bringing hope, peace, and renewal. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our deceased loved ones, that they may be welcomed into the fullness of eternal life, forever basking in the light and love of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, shine your light upon us, that we may recognize our need for your mercy and experience your transformative grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

4th Week of Lent 2024 - Friday - Obnoxious to the Satanic

 During the final weeks of Lent, the weekday scripture readings detail the growing hostility towards Jesus culminating in his crucifixion.  Why do Jesus’ enemies hate him so?  

Our first reading from the book of Wisdom gives us a glimpse into the psychology of Jesus’ opponents. In these verses, we encounter the musings of the wicked about the just man. The wicked call the just man obnoxious, he challenges their attitudes and behaviors and ideals, his righteousness is a rebuke to their wicked ways, his relationship with God exposes their alienation from God. 

In the just man, the wicked face a mirror reflecting their own iniquities. The just man walks a path of righteousness and divine trust contrasting sharply with their world of deception and malice. And so what do the wicked do when faced with this reminder of their iniquity? They plot against him: “With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him."

The plotting of the wicked mirrors the behavior of Satan in the Book of Job. Recall how Satan challenges Job’s integrity by arguing that Job is faithful only because God has blessed him with prosperity. He suggests that if Job were to face suffering, his true nature would be revealed, and he would surely curse God. Similarly, in the Book of Wisdom, the wicked test the just man, challenging his righteousness and hoping to unveil hypocrisy or weakness. They both act out of a belief that righteousness is not genuine but merely a facade maintained for personal gain or under favorable circumstances.

In the hostility towards the just man there is a clear parallel to the way Jesus was treated by His opponents leading up to the crucifixion, who are filled with the Satanic spirit. 

The wicked of his day plotted against Jesus, twisted His words, and sought to eliminate Him. For the Lord Jesus, in His perfection, was a living rebuke to their hypocrisy and sinfulness. His light exposed their darkness. His Divine love and truth, exposed their selfishness and pride, which mirrors the Selfishness and pride of the Satan himself. 

The Satanic spirit is constantly at work to turn hearts from justice and truth, to twist human minds so that they interpret the goodness and truth and beauty of Christ to be obnoxious. And Satan has won over many souls.

So again, our Lenten penances, are not just for ourselves. They are done in the spirit of Christ who came to destroy the works of Satan, and the hold Satan has on souls, that they we may live in the goodness, truth, and beauty of the living God. Let us be lavish in our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for ourselves and the deliverance of those bound by the lies of the Evil One, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - Be obnoxious to the wicked

One of the books of the Old Testament that is perennially useful to meditate upon is the book of wisdom, from which our first reading is taken this weekend. Scripture Scholars tell us that the Book of Wisdom, also know as the Wisdom of Solomon, was written in Alexandria Egypt, making it different from the other books of the old testament, not only for where it was written, but because of the fact it was written in Greek, rather than in Hebrew. 

And the book wasn't in fact written by Solomon, rather it was the very last book of the Old Testament to be written, composed just about 50 years before the birth of Jesus. The book was written primarily to the Jews of the Diaspora. The Greek General Ptolomy after conquering the Holy Land, sent nearly 120,000 Jews into exile, mostly to Egypt. And so, this book, the book of wisdom, was written to them, to the Jews exiled from the Holy Land—to give them the religious guidance, the wisdom, they would need in order to be on guard against the temptations they might experience in the Egyptian culture—with its many forms idolatry. 

Sadly, the book is written, also, in response to a number of Jewish exiles who had apostatized—they had given up their Jewish faith in favor of the pagan practices of the Greeks who dominated Alexandria. So, the faithful Jews would not only have to be on guard against the pressures from the surrounding pagan culture, but they’d have to withstand pressure from their own kind, their own people who forsaken the faith. 

In the passage today, we hear of the wicked conspiring against the faithful—the wicked, being those former Jews who had turned their hearts from the covenant. “Let us beset the just one,” the wicked say, “because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” 

The wicked apostates are depicted as conspiring against the holy ones, because the holy ones remind them of what they left behind when they abandoned their faith. The righteous ones were making the wicked nervous because by their good deeds they showed that the way of the wicked leads to doom. 

One of the prevailing philosophies of the Greeks, one of the prevailing philosophies of Alexandria at the time was the philosophy of Hedonism. Eat drink and be merry, over-indulgence, avoid any suffering, sexual promiscuity and libertinism. The wicked had traded the beautiful covenant with God for deviant Hedonism.

We live in a very Hedonistic culture don’t we? Instant gratification and instant pleasure are idolized, promiscuity is normalized.  The Church is often attacked because she reminds our hedonistic culture that there is more to life than just seeking pleasure all the time. Christians are seen as obnoxious to the wicked, for we engage in many practices that Hedonists consider foolish: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, chastity, poverty, obedience, self-sacrifice, study, going out into the streets and serving the poor, patiently enduring suffering for the good of souls.

In a way, I think, the Word of God is giving us our marching orders this morning.  Be obnoxious to the wicked.  Be so holy, take your faith so seriously, engage in the works of mercy so devoutly, that you make the wicked a little nervous.  It might just cause him to rethink his life.

the wicked are ignoring us, because they don’t us as a threat to their hedonistic ways, are we really living the faith? If we are blending in with the wicked, valuing the same things they do, then are we really on the path of life?

In the Gospel, the Lord foretells his suffering and death.  Why did the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day plot against him to torture and kill him? He had become obnoxious to them.  He told them that to inherit the kingdom of God, you had to repent, you had to not only be externally observant of God’s laws, you had to transform your heart. 

Mercy is to be extended not only to those who can repay you, but even to those who persecute you, you have to treat as family even those who are of different ethnicities than you, you have to go and touch the leper and wash him clean. Obnoxious behavior for the pious Jewish Pharisee of the 1st century.

Taking a child, and placing it in their midst, and saying, you need to become like, was obnoxious behavior to the great scholars of the law. To the Pharisee, a child is so insignificant, they have nothing to hold over anybody, no power, and Jesus is saying, yes, exactly. How obnoxious. To welcome women into his band of disciples, to eat with tax collectors and prostitutes, to lay hands on lepers, all obnoxious behavior, all to show that God’s love extends to all.

After communion today, we’ll hear from Margaret McIntyre a volunteer with the Franciscan capuchins and the Catholic Volunteer network. The founder of the Franciscans, St. Francis, had a wonderful title, “God’s fool. He was foolish for Christ, he was obnoxious for Christ, he was obnoxious to the worldly and woke them up from their selfishness through a life of preaching, poverty, and penance.

To become a saint, we must be willing to be obnoxious in our faith, obnoxious to the wicked. That would be my dismissal from mass today if we could change the words of the mass: go forth and be obnoxious to the wicked, thanks be to God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

4th Week of Lent 2019 - Friday - Obnoxious to the wicked

The passage from the Book of Wisdom this morning is taken from a section of the book called “the speech of the wicked”.  This wicked person is lamenting that just, righteous people of God, are obnoxious to their wicked way of life.

One of the reasons the Church is often attacked is because we are obnoxious to the wicked. The Church reminds our hedonistic culture that there is more to life than just seeking pleasure all the time. Christians are seen as obnoxious to the wicked, for we engage in many practices the wicked consider foolish: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, chastity, poverty, obedience, self-sacrifice, study, going out into the streets and serving the poor, patiently enduring suffering for the good of souls.

In a way, the Word of God is giving us our marching orders this morning.  Be obnoxious, be obnoxious to the wicked, be “Fools for Christ” as St. Paul would say.  Be so holy, take your faith so seriously, engage in the works of mercy so devoutly, that you make the wicked a little nervous—you prick their conscience, you bring into doubt their manner of life, by the way you live your faith.

That’ll be my dismissal from Mass today: “Go forth, and be obnoxious to the wicked…Thanks be to God”.  Not really, but it does have a certain ring to it. Become so holy that you are noticed. If the wicked are ignoring us, because they don’t view us as a threat to their hedonistic ways, are we really living the faith? If we are blending in with the wicked, valuing the same things they do, then are we really imitating Jesus as we should?

For as we hear in the Gospel, Jesus became known publicly as one who the wicked wished to put to death. They wished to silence because his truth exposed their error, his authority challenged their self-importance, the light of his goodness exposed the darkness of their selfishness. Amidst ferocious opposition, Jesus publicly and boldly proclaimed the Word of God because he desires our conversation and our salvation more than we desire our sins. 

May our Lenten penances which the world finds obnoxious, help us to conform our hearts ever more totally to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an increase in faith for the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That the Church might be delivered and protected from all spirits of error, heresy, schism, and unbelief.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

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

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.