15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Parable of the Sower

 

One of the hallmarks of the Lord’s preaching and teaching is his use of parables. Through parables, the Lord drew upon images, ideas, and customs from the everyday life of 1st century Israel—like farming and seeds. Through the parables the Lord challenged the preconceptions of his listeners and lead them to truth, utilizing familiar imagery that even children could connect with. Yet the parables, when pondered, are profound enough to challenge the holiest of saints.

And I say the parables are challenging because they are demanding. They demand some personal engagement, a decision, usually to change our thoughts or behaviors.

In the parable of the good Samaritan, for example, the listener has a choice. Who do I want to be in that story? Who does God want me to be? The self-occupied Levitical priest who passes by on the other side of the road when he glimpses a man in need? Or the good Samaritan who comes to the aid of the stranger? Hearing this parable, you have a choice.

In the parable where Jesus likens the kingdom of God to the pearl of great price, again the listener, has a choice. Will I pursue the kingdom of God, the values of God as the most important thing in my life, or not? Will I allow God to order my priorities, or not?

This weekend, one of the great parables—the parable of the sower—where Lord talks about the different types of soil. And each of those different types of soil represent the different types of responses to his preaching. And again, the listener has a choice: will I make my mind and heart receptive to the truth of God, or not? Will I clear away the thorns of my earthly attractions and distractions or not?

Let’s examine those four different types of responses to the Lord’s preaching. First there is the seed thrown on the path which is quickly eaten up by birds. Seed thrown on the sidewalk can’t take root, the sidewalk is too hard. So, too, hearts can becomes so hardened to God by sin and pride, that the preaching of the Gospel really has no effect on them. They might hear a nice sermon in Church or a fully accurate presentation of the Church’s moral theology, but they are unwilling to trade their sins for conversion and deep faith. Their pride doesn’t allow them to learn or experience anything new about God, because they don’t think they need to.

Now there appear to be a lot of hardened souls these days. But there are countless stories of souls, once hardened toward God, stories of atheist whose hearts melted when exposed to a beautiful liturgy, or a beautiful act of charity by a Catholic.

So just because a soul is hardened in pride, right now at this very moment, doesn’t mean they will be lost forever. God is at work to soften all hearts, and likely his instruments to accomplish this miracle are people like you and me. So we do well to remember the hardened soul in our daily prayers, especially the rosary.

The second type of soil described by the Lord was the rocky ground. Our souls are rocky ground when we listen to the Gospel without the willingness keep the faith through rocky times. Here is the person who is initially enthused about the faith; maybe they have a powerful experience of the Lord at a retreat or in Catholic school, maybe they go through OCIA, but they get a glimpse of the cross and instead of taking it up, they run away from it.

There’s probably a lot of lapsed Catholics in this category. Those who experienced some rockiness in their life, and gave up on religion. Or those who have dug in their feet in opposition to some church teaching. Our souls fail to bear fruit when we do this. And we are sadder for it.

But, again, we shouldn’t despair for these souls either. Plenty of lapsed Catholics come home each year. But again, these souls are brought back to God through prayers and penances offered up for them.

Thirdly, we heard of the seed sown among thorns. Our souls are thorny when they are full of the attachments and distractions of the world. Thorns like selfishness, lust, impatience, or resentment can cause the fire of faith to diminish, the seed of God’s grace to be choked out. Addictions especially can become so thorny they rip our souls to shreds. These spiritual thorns hinder the life God wants to grow in us. So, new Catholics and life-long Catholics must ensure that we stop the thorns from growing by making frequent examination of our conscience and frequent confession.

Lastly, the Lord speaks of rich soil—the seed sown in rich soil. Our souls are rich soil when we hear God’s Word, when we accept its ramifications even with the willingness to suffer for it, when we clear out the thorns, the distractions and the attachments, and we seek to understand and live out the Gospel the best we possibly can.

When we allow the Gospel to be planted deep in our hearts, when we do our part to nurture the life of grace through prayer and charity, our souls bear tremendous fruit.

We see the flourishing of grace particularly in the lives of the Saints. This week, on Wednesday, July 15 we celebrate one of the great Franciscan saints, St. Bonaventure, who is considered a sort of “second Founder” of the Franciscan Order. In order to cultivate that exuberant and joyful Franciscan Spirit, Bonaventure stressed the importance of studying the Word of God and serving Christ with a burning heart.

Is your heart on fire with love of God? If not, why not? It’s possible, you know. It’s possible for each and every one of us, for our souls to catch fire. That’s the ultimate good fruit that’s available to us through study, and prayer, and charity—a burning love for Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified.

That’s the harvest God of abundant fruit that God wants for us—a burning love of Jesus that transforms us. And again Bonaventure, and so many of the saints, show us how to achieve that. We must make our souls into rich soil for the Word of God—through  prayer, frequent honest and humble confession of sins, meditation on Scripture, and intentional acts of mercy.

May we do all that we can to make our hearts into that rich soil praised by the Lord, hearts like his, obedient to the Father, full of mercy and compassion, and willingness to carry our crosses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

July 24 2024 - St. Sharbel and the peace of holy solitude

 In the parable of the sower, this morning, we heard of the different types of soil which represent different responses that people have to Jesus’ Gospel invitation. 

Like the hard soil—some people have hardened themselves to the Gospel

Some people’s hearts are hardened to the Gospel—they have absolutely closed their minds and hearts to receive the Gospel—they are preoccupied with the matters of the world, and have no time and no desire to pursue spiritual realities. Some people are initially receptive and even enthusiastic about the Gospel, but discipleship is abandoned when it becomes difficult. But in some souls the Gospel flourishes—these souls receive the Gospel with understanding, with the willingness to suffer for it, making it the highest priority of their life.

Today we honor a saint, who did just that. St. Sharbel, cultivated the soil of his soul to allow the Gospel to flourish in his life.

A few months ago, a few priest friends and I took an overnight trip up to New York City. And wanting a few moments break from all the noise and cultural insanity of the city, we stopped in the great St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as they have a beautiful quiet adoration chapel behind the main altar. And after spending time with the Lord, and praying for the conversion of the city, honestly, we started to leave, when low and behold we came across a recently installed shrine to the saint we honor today: St. Charbel. 

The beautiful shrine consists is adorned with a hand-crafted mosaic depicting Saint Sharbel in his hermit’s robes standing amidst the mountains and cedars of Lebanon with his arms outstretched in prayer. And there at the center of the shrine is a niche containing first-class relics of Saint Charbel and a kneeler,  inviting pilgrims to spend time in silent prayer, much like that experienced by this renowned saint in his remote desert hermitage.

In the quiet and solitude of his desert hermitage, St. Sharbel made his soul into soil where the life of God flourished. St. Charbel said, “He who loves solitude loves God, for God is the only refuge where the soul finds true peace.” 

We are not all called to be hermits, though what a blessed life that would be. But we must all go to deserted places, like Jesus, to cultivate that inner peace that only comes by approaching God in quiet prayer. 

Our souls crave quiet contemplation more than our bodies crave food and drink, but we so often deny our souls what they need, and we are unhappier for it. We allow the thorns of worldliness to choke out divine life.

May St. Sharbel help us to clear away the thorns and seek the peace of holy solitude with God, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That every member of the Church may cultivate minds, hearts, and souls to receive the Word of God more deeply and fruitfully.

That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all.

That Christian families may be places where the Word of God is studied, understood, obeyed, and cherished.

That the word of God may bring consolation to all those who suffer: for the sick, those affected by inclement weather or political turmoil, the indigent, those who will die today, and those who grieve.

For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., 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 goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - To anyone who has, more will be given

 The Lord touches upon a very important spiritual principle in the Gospel this weekend. And it’s a principle which repeats several times throughout the four Gospels. So it’s an important principle for us to examine.

After delivering the parable of the sower to the crowds, the disciples approach the Lord and ask Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Here's a principle about making good use of the gifts and graces and truths given to us by God. Use them, or lose them. This principle is repeated Parable of the Talents, right? One person is given five talents, another two, and another one talent, and the one with five he invests them, he uses them, he doubles them, and he’s praised. The one with two talents invests his two, he uses them, he doubles them, and he’s praised. But the one with one, does nothing with his talent, and he’s rebuked, and his talent is taken away.

“To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Use it, or lose it.

God gives us light, he gives us Truth, he gives us talents, he gives us time, he gives us gifts, he gives us opportunities, and inspirations. And what we do with these graces makes all the difference.

This spiritual principle underlies the Parable of the Sower. The seed of God is sown in our midst—the Word of God is preached to us. What do you do with it? If you allow it to grow, it will flourish into spiritual gifts. If you squander it, you lose an opportunity for life. And when the human will turns away from grace, it becomes harder to respond to in the future.

This is a very important law of grace. Respond to God’s grace and you’ll receive more. God loves to dispense grace. Grace attracts grace. We see this in the lives of the saints. St. Paul, has an initial conversion. And as he begins to give his life over to Christ more and more, he begins attracting other souls to Christ, he offers his life to Christ as a living sacrifice, and he begins converting towns.

Or think of mystics like St. Theresa of Avila. They respond to the grace of a simple call to a dedicated life of prayer. And as they keep responding, they grow deeper in prayer, their prayer becomes more efficacious. The Lord bestows upon them great graces that show the world the power of prayer. St. Theresa of Avila would levitate. She would literally begin to float, and hover as she prayed. 

Padre Pio would bilocate. Saint John Vianney could read the hearts of his penitents. St. Benedict raised and healed a boy who had been mangled and killed—crushed to death by a stone wall.

There are numerous stories of extraordinary miracles from the lives of the saints, all which the Lord himself foretold. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.

 Some of the saints were so full of grace that even after bodily death, their bodies remain incorrupt centuries after their death. There is a holy Benedictine nun in Gower, Missouri Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster who died four years ago, and he body has been found to be incorrupt—now four years after she died, not having been embalmed and buried in a cracked wooden coffin—which would normally hasted the decaying process—her body remains incorrupt as well as her religious habit. 

The saints show us: respond to grace and you will grow in grace and spiritual gifts. Through prayer, works, mortification, and the sacraments, grace builds upon grace to the point where the saints life becomes illuminated by God and a beacon of God for others. 

And, you know, don’t you? That this is what God wants you for you? He wants his grace to become so evident, his light so brilliant in you, that your life radiates his presence. But just like the saints, growth in grace takes work.

Which is why the Lord uses all of these agricultural images. Farming, growing crops, it’s hard work. If you are a farmer, and you neglect the hard work necessary to cultivate your field and your crop, your family will starve. Is the world starving for God because Christians aren’t doing the hard work? Perhaps.

The Lord speaks of two reasons in the parable—two specific reasons— why the life of the Word is choked out in us. First, he speaks of “worldly anxiety”. Worldly anxiety is one reason why we lack spiritual fruitfulness. In the Greek, worldly anxiety is “he merimne tou aionas, literally it means the anxiety of the present age. The worries associated with living in 2023 choke out the life of God in us. And there are a lot of worries associated with this present life: unemployment, nuclear proliferation, terrorist states, elections, censorship of free speech, wars, epidemics, government corruption, crime, failing education systems, and the list goes on. 

But what does the Lord say over and over in the Gospel “do not be afraid”, “do not worry”, “do not have anxiety”. Anxiety over the present age chokes out divine life in us.  In fact, “Do not worry” is a direct commandment of Jesus, not just a suggestion. And when we worry, when we fail to turn away our worries and give our worries to Jesus, aren’t we venturing into the territory of disobedience? 

Church, many of us are spending much too much time and energy on things that increase our anxiety. There are news outlets on TV and the internet that are designed to keep you addicted to the steady flow of anxiety inducing media. Some of us are anxiety addicts, and it’s choking out divine life in some of us. Worry that keeps you from engaging in generous work of charity, worry that keeps you from reconciling with an enemy, worry that keeps you from living more for God—is keeping you from life. 

The second thing that chokes out divine life, the Lord says is the “lure of riches”—he apate tou ploutou—the deceitfulness of riches. There are many of us, as well, who believe more stuff will make us happy. Seeking happiness in the riches of the world is also disobedience for the Lord says “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

Divine life is choked from us when we become absorbed by the pursuit of wealth, and addicted to worldly pursuits like entertainment, video games, sports, and hobbies. These things are not bad in themselves. But…you’ve got to admit, you are likely less holy than you could have been, if these things had been moderated a bit more. 

Riches, ploutou in the Greek, is from the name Pluto—who was the God of Riches and also the God of Death. Even the Greeks and Romans knew: the unreasonable pursuit of riches leads to death. 

Rather, Our God, the One True God, incarnate in Jesus Christ, loves life. And, he tells us what we must do in order to obtain life. 

Read the Word of God every day, pray every day, don’t let the worries and things of the world keep you from the opportunities for grace that God wants for you, that you may become illumined by him for His glory and the salvation of souls.

September 20 2021 - St. Andrew Kim and Companion martyrs - Do not hide your light

 In his parable of the Sower, the Lord explains how his disciples are called to hear the word of God with openness to its transformative power. Unlike the seed that is sown among thorns, where it is choked, or among rocky soil, where it fails to take root, we need allow the word of God to take root and grow and bear fruit in our lives.

Today’s Gospel immediately follows the Lord’s Parable of the Sower, and in this parable the Lord takes his teaching one step further.

Not only do we need to clear the debris, the thorns from our life, so that the word of God may grow, not only do we clear our souls of rockiness, that is hardness and resistance to his teaching, not only do we need to make sure that our hearing of the word of God is much more than surface level, in today’s Gospel, the Lord gives us this image of a lamp, a light. When we have properly heard the Word of God and taken it to heart, our lives begin to be filled with light. Where there was once darkness there is now light, like in the creation story, when God says, let there be light, when we’ve allowed the Lord’s teachings to be planted in us, new light is born.

The person when hearing God’s word, embraces and understands it, they are filled with a light that others can see. You can see the difference the Gospel makes in the lives of people who are living it. And you can see the lack of light when people are not. 

“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand.” Those who have been filled with the light of the Gospel, need to make that light known. 

Today we honor a saint who did just that. St. Andrew Kim, the first native-born Korean priest, risked his life smuggling missionaries into Korea, so that his native countrymen might have the Word of God preached to them. For this he was arrested, tortured and killed.

St. Andrew truly shared the light that he had received. In fact, he realized that this is the most important thing a Christian can do. It is worth risking your life for, it is worth dying for. Because the Gospel sets men free. It brings them to Christ the Savior. The preaching of the Gospel is a matter of eternal life and death. Souls are at stake.

St. Andrew believed this, he lived this. 

This is why we continue to support the mission of the Church as best we can, and its why we continue to open our hearts to the transformative power of the Gospel, that we may shine with the light of Christ, and share that light with all, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For all Christians facing persecution for the faith, that their sufferings may bring about the conversion of hardened souls to Christ.

For the good Korean Catholics of our diocese, that they may continue to be a blessing to our local Church.

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 the deceased priests, deacons and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, 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.

July 21 2021 - St. Lawrence of Brindisi - Producing fruit a hundredfold

Augusto_Mussini_-_S._Lorenzo_da_Brindisi

St. Lawrence of Brindisi devoted himself to many different forms of service in his 60 years: Franciscan priest, Army chaplain, diplomat & peacemaker, miracle-worker, exorcist, theologian, biblical scholar, linguist, confessor, mystic, and leader of the Counter-Reformation, doctor of the Church.  Certainly a man of many talents. 

A 17th Century  contemporary of his, the Cardinal theologian Cajetan, said that St. Lawrence of Brindisi was “an incarnation of the old apostles, who, speaking to all nations, were understood by all.  He is a living Pentecost.” St. Lawrence was certainly enlivened by the Holy Spirit, he was able to preach effectively in at least 6 languages. 

As vicar general for the Capuchins he combined his brilliance, his great administrative skill, and his great sensitivity and human compassion.  He founded many friaries, in Prague, Vienna, Bohemia, Madrid, and Austria.

What was the source of his greatness, of his devotion, of his fortitude, and immense energy?  No doubt he allowed the seed of the Word of God to be planted deeply in his heart, to borrow the image from the Gospel today. And that seed did not remain dormant and unnourished. Lawrence had a vibrant interior life—particularly a great love for the Mass and a profound devotion to the Blessed Virgin to whom he attributed his vocation. He would sometimes be so caught up in ecstasy during the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice that he would be weeping with love and adoration.

He cleared his soul of the thorns of earthly attachment by a life of poverty and simplicity. He cleared out the rocks in his soul of hard-heartedness, stubbornness, resentment. 

If we wish to become the person God made us to become, we too must nurture the seed of the Word of God and till the soil of our souls. To develop a burning love of Christ, we must seek purification from all of our sins, habituating ourselves in the ways of Christ through a fervent practice of the virtue, enlightenment of mind through meditation of His Holy Word, and seek as our true nourishment prayer and the Sacraments. 

In the words of St. Lawrence: “My dear souls, let us recognize, I pray you, Christ’s infinite charity towards us in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist. In order that our love be a spiritual love, He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.”

May we seek that new heart, new love, new spirit, and new energy for the work of the Gospel in the Eucharist we celebrate and receive this day, that our lives may bear fruit a hundredfold, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That the Holy Spirit may animate the lives of all Christians, deepening in them conviction for the Gospel. 

That our young people on summer vacation may be kept safe from the poisonous errors of our culture, and that their families may be places where the faith is practiced and cherished.

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

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.

 

July 24 2020 - St. Charbel - To liberate the soul in its ascent to God

This morning’s Gospel should sound familiar, we just heard it a week and a half ago on the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

In the parable of the sower, the different types of soil are the different responses to the Lord’s Gospel. Some souls' hearts are hardened to the Gospel, they have no inclination to understand what the Lord is teaching or why he is teaching it. Some souls are initially receptive and even enthusiastic about the Gospel, but discipleship is abandoned when it becomes difficult. Some souls do not make room for the Gospel amidst all the distractions of the world. But in some souls the Gospel flourishes—these souls receive the Gospel with understanding, with the willingness to suffer for it, making it the highest priority of their life.

Today we honor a saint, who did just that, St. Charbel the hermit, who made his soul into good soil where the Gospel flourished. Let’s examine how.

At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, on December 5, 1965 Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI who said:

"...a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed...a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people... May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance, and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God..."

How did St. Charbel make his soul into good soil where the Gospel could flourish? Prayer, poverty, penance, and asceticism. A good gardener needs tools to cultivate soil. Well here are the indispensable tools if the soul wishes to ascend to God: poverty, penance, and asceticism.

We are not all called to be hermits, but the hermits to love quiet and solitude in which we can seek the heart of Christ and the face of God.  Jesus himself would often go to quiet deserted places in order to seek His Father’s Will.  We too must go to God in prayerful solitude, every day, to be refreshed.

The hermits are witnesses that the kingdom of noise and distraction of our digital age is not the true kingdom.  So we must practice penance and asceticism, yes, guarding our minds and eyes from that which corrupts, but also intentionally turning away from the non-essential, in order to focus on the spiritually essential.

May St. Charbel teach us cultivate our souls so that the Gospel may flourish within them, that we may be effective in spreading the Gospel in the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That every member of the Church may cultivate minds, hearts, and souls to receive the Word of God more deeply and fruitfully.
That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all.
That Christian families may be places where the Word of God is studied, understood, obeyed, and cherished.
That the word of God may bring consolation to all those who suffer: for the sick, those affected by inclement weather or political turmoil, the indigent, those who will die today, and those who grieve.
For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., 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 goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain

15th Sunday in OT 2020 - The soil of the heart

Matthew’s Gospel, through which we are reading extensively this year, is full of the Lord’s parables; of the four Gospels, Matthew has the most parables recorded. The Lord’s parables are simple enough for children to understand them, yet deep enough to continue to challenge the greatest of saints. In many of the parables, the Lord draws upon images, ideas, and customs from the everyday life of 1st century Israel, to illustrate some religious truth.  And though we now live 20 centuries and thousands of miles from ancient Israel, the Lord’s parables speak right to our hearts.

In fact, it is the human heart which is the focus of the parable of the sower we hear on this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Is your heart receptive to the Gospel? is the question underlying this great parable. What is the state of our hearts? Are our hearts open, understanding, and responsive, to Jesus’ the Word of God and the grace of God.

The imagery of this parable was familiar territory for the Lord’s Jewish audience. In the Old Testament, the prophets often depict God as farmer, a sower of seed, who wishes to plant the seed of divine life in the hearts of his people in order to produce an abundant crop. As we hear in Isaiah, in the first reading, God’s word is a seed that is meant to bear fruit in us. Well, the Lord Jesus in today’s parable takes up that same theme. He is the sower and the seed is his Gospel, and the different soils represent the different hearts he encounters.

Let’s look at the four different types of responses to the Lord’s preaching. First there is the seed thrown on the path which is quickly eaten up by birds. Seed thrown on the sidewalk can’t take root, the sidewalk is too hard. So, too hearts can becomes so hardened to God by sin, that the preaching of the Gospel really has no effect on them. They might hear a nice sermon in Church or a fully accurate presentation of the Church’s moral theology, but they are unwilling to trade their sins for conversion and deep faith.

Lest we despair about just how many people seem to have hardened souls, these days, souls hardened toward God, we must not discount the power of grace to touch even the hardest of hearts. One of the promises the Lord made to St. Margaret Mary was that those who are devoted to the Sacred of Jesus, will have the gift to touch the most hardened of hearts. We believe that prayer and penance are powerful in obtaining the grace needed to touch and to reach those hard hearts. There are plenty of stories of atheists and people who even proclaimed to hate God, or who lived as if God didn’t exist, whose hearts melted when exposed to a beautiful liturgy, or a beautiful act of charity by a Catholic.
So just because a soul is hardened in sin now, doesn’t mean they are lost, or condemned to hell, just yet. God is at work to soften all hearts, and likely his instruments are people like you, people like me. But we must  remember such souls hardened souls, in our daily prayers, especially the rosary.

Secondly, we hear of the seed thrown on rocky ground. Our souls are rocky ground when we listen to the Gospel without the willingness keep the faith through rocky times. Here is the person who is initially enthused about the faith; maybe they have a powerful experience of the Lord at a retreat or in Catholic school, maybe they go through RCIA, but when they realize that Jesus makes demands of them, they give up the faith. They get a glimpse of the cross and instead of taking it up, the run away.
Again, we shouldn’t despair for these souls either. Plenty of lapsed Catholics come to recognize the importance of the faith for the good of their families and for their own eternal salvation. But again, these souls are brought back to God through our prayers and penances offered up for them.

Thirdly, we heard of the seed sown among thorns. What are these thorns but the attachments and distractions of the world. Our souls are thorny when we give too much energy to pursuing worldly things instead of seeking to grow in our faith and practice the works of charity: thorns like selfishness, lust, impatience, or resentment can cause the fire of faith to diminish, the seed of life to be choked out. Addictions especially can become so thorny they rip our souls to shreds. These spiritual thorns hinder the life God wants to grow in us. So, new Catholics and life-long Catholics must ensure that we stop the thorns from growing by making frequent examination of our conscience and frequent confession.

I saw a wonderful quote yesterday from the Bishop of Madison, Wisconsin about confession. He said, “If you don’t often go to confession, try going once a month for a year. Then, ask yourself, have I grown in virtue, overcome sins and bad habits? Am I more joyful, at peace, and more generous? Do I love God and neighbor more? The answer will be YES.”

Why does the bishop make that promise? Because confession helps us to rid our souls from thorns which keep us from the joy, peace, generosity, and love God wants for us.

Lastly, the Lord speaks of rich soil—the seed sown in rich soil. Our souls are rich soil when we hear God’s Word, when we accept its ramifications even with the willingness to suffer for it, when we clear out the thorns, the distractions the attachments, and we seek to understand all of the Gospel means for our ordinary lives. We must allow the Gospel to be planted deep in our their hearts, nurturing grace through prayer and acts of charity. And when we do, we bear tremendous fruit for the building up of the church.

We must make our hearts rich soil for the Word, but rich soil takes real effort to cultivate—our souls will never be fertile without prayer, serious examination of conscience, confession, meditation on Scripture, and getting serious about those works of mercy—clothing the naked, instructing the ignorant, feeding the hungry, bearing our crosses patiently.

But when we do get serious and make our hearts into that rich soil praised by the Lord, we become powerful instruments of the kingdom. May our hearts be like his, obedient to all the Father commands, filled with grace and courage for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

6th Week in OT 2020 - Wednesday - Hearers and Doers of the Word

Summing up the entire spiritual life, St. Francis de Sales said: “Simply Obey. God does not ask anything else of you.”

Obedience is the fundamental disposition of the Christian disciple. The word obedience comes from the latin – oboedire which means to listen to, to give ear to, to heed, to pay attention.

The Old Testament prophets constantly remind the Jewish people to listen to the Word of God. Standing at the steps of the Jerusalem Temple, the Prophet Jeremiah instructed: “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord.” Certainly we enter in through the doors of the Church, to hear the word of God, to incline our ear to God’s word. One of Israel’s most beloved Scripture passages, known as the Shema, is a command to listen: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is God. Love God with your whole heart.” We find the same command on the lips of Jesus in the Gospels.

St. James is clear in our reading today, that Christians must not allowing God’s Word to go in one ear and out the other. Christian discipleship requires an obedience that hears and heeds, listens and acts.  “Be doers of the word and not hearers only”. What we hear in Church, what we read in the Scriptures must be put into practice.

One of my favorite parts of the Ordination Rites, is when the deacon kneels in front of the Bishop who hands him the Book of the Gospels and says, “receive the word of God whose herald you have become: believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” All of us are to put into practice what we read in the Scriptures.

James explains too that in order for the Word of God to really take root in us, we must put away filth—the filth and the evil excesses of the world. A degenerate lifestyle, a love of sin, blocks our ability to hear the word, it hinders the transforming power of the word.

Rather, we must cultivate our souls to be rich soil, as the Lord teaches, that the word may take deep root in our souls so that it can bear fruit.

May we be not just hearers of the word but doers of the word, acting upon God’s word by striving for virtue and living in fraternal charity for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Word of God may take ever deeper root in our hearts, minds, and souls.

That the Holy Spirit may direct the appointment of a new Bishop for the Church of Cleveland.

That young people may seek Christ amidst all the filth and evils of the world, and for the protection of innocent human life from evil.

For healing for all those suffering disease, especially diseases without known cures, for the people of China and all people afflicted by the Coronavirus, and all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, and For the Holy Father’s prayer intentions for this month: that the needs of migrants and victims of human trafficking may be heard and acted upon.

For the dead, for all of the souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Holy mass is offered.

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

3rd Week of OT 2020 - Wednesday - Christ the Teacher and his teacher Saints

During this Catholic Schools Week already we’ve celebrated two saintly teachers. First, St. Angela Merici who taught the young children of her neighborhood and went on to found the first religious order of women primarily dedicated to teaching, the Ursulines. That religious Order of teachers spread throughout Europe then to our North American shores, and can now be found in nearly every corner of the globe, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second teacher we honored yesterday was the great Angelic Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, whose clear, systematic teaching of theology has shaped the minds of generations of Catholics, not to mention, the texts of our Sacred Worship. Thomas’ writings and teachings are clearly motivated by his love for God and his love for others, wanting to help them to understand our wonderful faith.

These teacher Saints reflect the mind and heart of Christ the Teacher. Throughout the Gospels and in particular our Gospel today, we discover Our Lord who loves to teach. He teaches in synagogues, in teaches in the streets of Jerusalem and on the temple steps, he teaches at dinner tables full of sinners, he teaches in the plains and on mountain peaks.

His most notable method of teaching was his use of parables: using common symbols often taken from common life to convey deep lessons touching upon the most profound realities of God, eternal life, the human soul, love and forgiveness, sin and salvation.

Today’s parable is one of my favorites because it is a parable about parables, a parable which explains what he teaches, why he teaches, and different human responses to his teaching. When our minds and hearts are clogged with sin, or unwillingness to change, his teaching will be lost on us. When our minds and hearts are open, and committed to change to adapt to his teachings, something new grows in us.

St. Angela, St. Thomas and all of the great saints become great teachers and great paragons of holiness because their minds and hearts and souls were rich soil for the word of God to take root and bear fruit. They became the greatest of teachers because they allowed themselves to be taught. In a sense, they become the parables of Jesus, which Christ the teacher uses to teach his disciples and save their souls. May our hearts and minds be as receptive as theirs, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Church leaders will faithfully proclaim Christ’s love and truth to the world.
That our parish families and the families of all of our school children will be places where the Christian faith is believed, followed, taught, and cherished.
For the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.
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.

September 13 2019 - St. John Chrysostom - Preach in and out of season

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch, about 250 years after our parish patron, the bishop St. Ignatius of Antioch went to his martyrdom. Perhaps the seed of our patron’s martyrdom yielded the fruit of St. John’s great faith.

The Gospel reading for his feast day is the parable of the sower of the seeds, for St. John sewed the seeds of the Gospel through his eloquent preaching and teaching. His name “Chrysostom” means golden tongued, about 600 hundred of his sermons and commentaries on scripture have been preserved, as well as many treatises on the moral and spiritual life, and a very famous book on the priesthood.

He explains that priests, as preachers must never simply preach what people want to hear, but preach the fullness of the Word of God. “A preacher must have a noble disposition to be able to check the inordinate and useless passion of the people, and to direct their attention to what is more profitable, and so to lead and direct them without being himself the slave of their fancies.”

Our Lord, we know from the Gospels, faced much hostility for the content of his preaching. He did not compromise the truth in order to appease the fancies of his audience.

In an age of moral relativism, when even many Christians turn away from authentic doctrine and sound moral teaching, each of us has the duty to remaining faithful to the truth of Christ despite pressures from the world and the worldly. Priests and bishops are under great pressure to compromise, to deviate from the truth, to preach to appease those "itching ears that turn away from sound doctrine" as Paul say, just as faithful Christians are labeled as “intolerant” by those who reject Church teaching, even by members of our family.

Rather, we seek to develop our skill in preaching, in sharing the truth of the Gospel clearly and eloquently, like St. John the Golden-Tongued, “to preach the word; in season and out of season; to reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction” as St. Paul writes to Timothy; for we were not made Christian to win the adulation of men, but for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the bishops and priests may be men of sound doctrine, and courageously preach the Gospel in its fullness. We pray to the Lord.
That government leaders around the world may carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for freedom and the dignity of human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love our neighbors and enemies and those who persecute us, and to share the truth of the Gospel with all.  We pray to the Lord.
For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way, especially those effected by hurricanes and storms.  We pray to the Lord.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray to the Lord.
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.

July 26 2019 - Sts. Joachim & Anne - Feast of the Grandparents

A few years ago, on the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, Pope Francis said, “How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society!” Elsewhere he said, “Grandparents are the living memory of family. They pass on the faith, they transmit the faith, to us.”

I was blessed to grow up very close to my maternal grandparents. Maybe more than any of my cousins, I got to hear the stories of our family, and really come to discover what my grandparents valued most in life: faith, family, hard work, wine & food.

Some children are blessed to grow up near their grandparents, while others because of distance only get to spend time with their grandparents a few times a year.  Given the culture of the Holy Land, it’s likely that Jesus spent considerable time with His grandparents, even if they didn’t live in the same town.  They undoubtedly were a source of great human affection and examples of Jewish piety and devotion

For many years on Sunday, when my parents worked late the night before, my grandparents would drive miles out of their way to pick me up for Sunday Mass. I may have mentioned before, that I don’t know if I would have discovered my priestly vocation, without my grandparents.

The role of grandparents today is paramount in an age where there is a growing laxity in the practice of the faith: great effort is made for vacation, sports & leisure, but little effort is expended to pursue holiness. Grandparents can help to ensure that the Tradition and Faith is passed on to the younger generations, and help to guide their own children in responsible Christian parenting.

Grandparents, when you know there is something lacking in your children’s and grandchildren’s religious practice, don’t be afraid to remind your families of the importance of faith and prayer by your words and example.  When the grandkids come over, pray a rosary before the television goes on in the evening, make sure that prayers are said before family meals, teach the traditions, share the family stories, model the values, instill the faith.

In the Gospel, Our Lord explains the parable of the Sower to his disciples. Grandparents are in a very privileged position to plant and cultivate the most important seeds in a children’s lives, which is why Pope Francis speaks of the importance of grandparents for family life.

Through the prayers of Saints Joachim and Anne may we all come to a deeper knowledge of the role we have in spreading the Faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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In gratitude for the example of faith and the role of grandparents in the Church, we pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and a strengthening of all marriages.

That our young people on summer vacation may be protected from all physical and spiritual harm, shielded from the errors and perversions of the world, and kept in closeness to God through prayer and virtue.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

For all who have died, for our deceased grandparents, 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

July 24 2019 - St. Charbel Mahkluf - Seeds grow in silence

One of the characteristics of the Parables of Jesus, is that they are not always immediately comprehensible. They take a little figuring out. Though Jesus uses symbolism and images that regular folks were familiar with, the meaning of the parable still needed to be pondered.

Our Lord puts the responsibility on the listener to take the time to understand, to take the lesson to heart. We do well to take the Scriptures, sit down with them, to ponder the message and applicability to our own life. Bible study, both individual and with others, should be undertaken often.

Today’s parable is one of the few that Our Lord takes the time to explain in detail, and we will hear do that in Friday’s Gospel. So, I won’t belabor that too much today, especially since I’d like to say a word about the saint we honor today.

The saints, like St. Charbel Makhluf who we honor today, are a lot like those parables. From a distance, we hear the lives of the saints, and respond, “oh that’s nice.” But they have so much to teach us, when we study their lives. Pope Benedict would say that the saints are a “school of prayer”, they instruct us how to nurture that deeper intimacy with God, to not settle for a superficial prayer life, like seed that fails to take root.

St. Charbel was a Maronite Catholic, born in a small mountain village in north Lebanon in 1828. Charbel spent his early years as a shepherd, and spent much time in quiet reflection and prayer.  At age 23, he joined the monastery of St. Maron, was ordained a priest, and lived as a hermit until his death in 1898.  His deepest desire was to live a life of prayer and solitude where he could focus his attention on Christ. 

We are not all called to be hermits, but the hermits remind us that each of us does need a great love of quiet and solitude in which we can seek the heart of Christ and the face of God.  Jesus himself would often go to quiet deserted places in order to seek His Father’s Will.

The hermits are witnesses that the kingdom of noise and distraction of our digital age is not the true kingdom.  The graces of the true kingdom—prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice, faith, hope, and love— are found when we withdraw from distraction in prayer. Seeds after all, grow in silence.

May St. Charbel and the holy consecrated hermits continue to enrich the Church by their, meditation, silence and penance, and teach us to seek first the kingdom of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That every member of the Church may cultivate minds, hearts, and souls to receive the Word of God more deeply and fruitfully.

That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all.

That Christian families may be places where the Word of God is studied, understood, obeyed, and cherished.

That the word of God may bring consolation to all those who suffer: for the sick, those affected by inclement weather or political turmoil, the indigent, those who will die today, and those who grieve.

For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., 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 goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain.

3rd Week in OT 2019 - Wednesday - "Whoever has ears ought to hear"

One of the most distinctive and well-known characteristic of Jesus’ teaching is his use of parables.  A parable is a short, memorable story or image, usually drawn from nature or daily life, that conveys profound spiritual truths.

And though we are 20 centuries and thousands of miles removed from ancient Israel, Jesus’ parables and teachings speak right to the heart.  Jesus’ parables are simple enough for a child to understand them, yet they have a hidden depth of meaning that it is not always easy to grasp, and only comes to light upon thoughtful, reflection.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus was quite aware that some people would hear and listen to him, but not understand him.  Even the disciples are often very slow in grasping the message, very hard-headed.

So, in the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches us how to listen to parables.  It is a parable about parables.  When you are listening to the teacher you must do your best that your mind and heart are not rocky, or thorny. He urges his listeners cultivate their souls to be like good soil to receive the seed of Jesus’ Word.

The Gospel is seed that is eaten by birds when we fail to reflect upon the Gospel and seek to understand it. Without deep reflection upon God’s Word, it will be like we never heard it at all.

Our souls are rocky grown when we listen to the Gospel without the willingness to live it out through the rocky times of life. Many give up on the Gospel when it gets difficult.

Our souls are thorny when we have too many worldly attachments, too many distractions, too much regard for earthly pursuits over heavenly pursuits. The thorns of the world choke out the goodness God wants to grow in us.

Our souls however are rich soil, when we hear God’s Word, when we accept its ramifications even with the willingness to suffer for it, when we clear out the thorniness of our worldly attachments so we can be more focused on doing God’s will.

The obstinate heart, the cowardly heart, the worldly and materialistic heart, the slothful heart: these are real enemies to the spiritual growth, the growth in holiness, the growth in understanding and truth, that God wants for us.

May our hearts be cultivated into the rich soil that generously receives God’s word and bear fruit that will last into eternity for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That every member of the Church may cultivate minds, hearts, and souls to receive the Word of God more deeply and fruitfully.
That leaders of nations may find guidance in the Word of God for proper governance and the pursuit of justice for all.
That Christian families may be places where the Word of God is studied, understood, obeyed, and cherished.
That the word of God may bring consolation to all those who suffer: for the sick, those affected by inclement weather or political turmoil, the indigent, those who will die today, and those who grieve.
For the deceased members of our families and parishes, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., 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 goodness, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain.