10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - Fellowship, unity, and guarding against division

I’d like to first begin by repeating the sentiments I’ve expressed in the bulletin this weekend. Thank  you to all who took part in the parish picnic last week: members of parish council and volunteers who helped with the planning and set-up, all who brought food, and those who simply attended adding to the fellowship we were able to enjoy. 

Fellowship is a vital dimension of the Christian life. One might call it one of the pillars of our faith. Nowhere in Scripture do we get the impression that the mission of the Church relies solely on a single person. God Himself is not a single person. So Christians are not meant to be lone rangers.

Yes, each of us are to cultivate a personal relationship with God—learning to listen to him, to talk to him, to recognize him in the details of your life—cultivating a deep personal love for Him in your heart. And that’s something that I can’t do for you. The personal relationship with God requires individual effort. 

While we are all to personally nurture that personal relationship with God, we are also part of a community of believers. Jesus founded a church, called groups of people together to work together and worship together. 

A parish, like St. Ignatius of Antioch parish, is not simply a building or set of buildings in which individuals gather for simply my personal moment with Jesus and then i go home. A parish is a sort of headquarters, in which we plan and engage in the mission of the Church given to us by Christ together. A parish is a unique Christian community with unique gifts and challenges.

Throughout his new testament letters, St. Paul is uniqueness of the various Christian communities he visited: the Philippians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Thessalonians, the Corinthians. Like our own, each of those communities had its unique gifts and unique challenges.

Paul praised the Philippians for instance, for their generous support of the Church. And for their strong sense of partnership—they grasped the notion of cooperation in the spread of the Gospel. Yet they were not without challenges. Paul had to address disunity and rivalry among the Philippians. 

The Galatians too had their gifts—Paul describes how they experienced a tremendous outpouring of the holy Spirit and miracles, even, were evident. Yet Paul had to address how members of the Galatian church were being swayed by a "different gospel," as he called it—some members were insisting that gentiles had to be circumcised if they were to be saved. And where does Jesus teach that? So Paul had to correct their sacramental theology—that baptism alone is needed for salvation. 

So, too, the Ephesians. Paul praised their strong faith in Christ,  and their love for the saints. He thanked God for their profound spiritual blessings that were evident among them. Yet, the Ephesians had challenges. Paul challenged them to grow in unity and maturity, to put off their old way of life and put on the new one. He detected some willful ignorance in them, hardness of heart, callousness, licentiousness and impurity.

And then there were the Corinthians! The Corinthians, Paul wrote were enriched in speech and knowledge, and they had a variety of spiritual gifts. But just because they knew the faith and were eloquent in explaining it, didn’t mean they were living it. There were divisions and quarrels among them. They tolerated sexual immorality among them. They had disagreements about marriage and food offered to idols. They also had arguments about theology.  They had issues with disorder in worship. Their culture divisions, political divisions, theological divisions, and spiritual divisions were threatening their mission and their souls.

So, to address their many divisions, Paul gave them theological guidance and practical advice. He stressed the importance of right teaching, but also the need to act in accordance with that teaching. He reminded them that their primary identity was in Christ, not in any human leader. He urged them to build their lives not on the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God—that true wisdom is found in the message of the cross, not in human eloquence or philosophy. Since division is often a rotten fruit of pride and selfishness, Paul called the Corinthians to practice Christlike humility and love. He gave them practical instructions on how to handle their disputes and disagreements, and instruction on how to conduct orderly liturgies. 

Above all, Paul emphasized that love should be the guiding principle in all things. He presented love as the antidote to the rivalry and pride that were causing divisions—"love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous: it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Paul, the keen pastor, addressed the divisions in those early communities, like Corinth, because, like our Master in the Gospel, Paul knew that a house divided against itself will not be able to stand. Christian friendship, fellowship, faith, communal worship, unity of belief strengthen the church, where selfishness, isolation, ignorance, liturgical impiety, and attachment to the values of the world cause disunity, division, and a weakening of a community.

I focus on this issue of unity this weekend, again, because it has been so good to see the parish come together in a number of ways the past few weeks. The Light for love event was such a beautiful example of different members of the parish with different spiritual gifts working together in an evangelical effort. And also, the parish picnic. And the garden club and SVDP. The more we can work together, the better.

I also focus on this issue we are head toward a season wrought with challenge. Election season is just around the corner. And I know this parish has a wide spectrum of political views. But in the Spirit of St. Paul I urge you, please do not allow political differences, and emotions surrounding political opinions keep you from working together, loving one another patiently, praying with each other and for each other. 

There are people who have walked away from the Church and the sacraments because their political views were irreconcilable with church teaching. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t let politics divide you from Christ—and cause division in this parish.

As things get heated up in the world these next few months, we’ll need to fortify ourselves. Fast for peace, make frequent sacramental confessions, and visits to the blessed sacrament, pray for the holy spirit to guard us against division and show us ways to work together, pray together, and love one another. 

Remember, the words of Paul: “what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” Our task, isn’t to fix the world, it’s unfixable, but to draw souls to Christ, to unity with Him and His Body the Church, to the kingdom that is eternal, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 2 2024 - Sts. Basil & Gregory - Building up the Body of Christ

Today is the only day of the entire year on which we celebrate two doctors of the Church together. Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen were both bishops of the 4th century and dear friends. Both the Church of the East and the Church of the West look upon them with great love Their holiness of life, the excellence of their teaching and the harmonious synthesis of their gifts in service of the Gospel were exemplary. 

For their memorial today, we read a passage from the letter to the Ephesians where Paul is writing about the mission of the Church and Church unity.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers of the Church are to work together to equip Christian believers with the tools and competencies for serving God—for carrying out the mission of the Church. And what’s our mission? St. Paul tells us that our common mission is building up the Body of Christ. 

A parish, like ours, isn’t just a building for Catholics to fulfill their obligation to attend Mass on the Lord’s Day. It’s a place where believers themselves are to be built up—to grow in Christian maturity. It’s a training ground for believers to receive the training they need to do the work of God in the world to make new disciples. My efforts as pastor, in conjunction with the Bishop, and those in church leadership is to help train the members of this parish to build up the body of Christ.

Saints Basil and Gregory, who we honor today, through their teaching and preaching confronted a terrible heresy that was drawing souls away from the one true faith. The Church was being ravaged and divided by the Arian heresy—instead of being built up, it was being torn down by the heretics. And so Bishops Basil and Gregory devoted themselves to teaching the Apostolic Faith received from Christ from the beginning to help heal the wounds caused by error. Church unity was preserved and strengthened through their efforts.

The saints take seriously St. Paul’s admonition to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received”—the call to rid ourselves of sin and selfishness, error and folly, and to spend ourselves without reserve in the service of God. 

Let us pray through the intercession of Saints Basil and Gregory, that the Church and that our parish may be opened to being equipped, being trained for the work God desires of us, for building up the Body of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

In this time when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior have appeared, let us, dear brethren, humbly pour forth to him our prayers, trusting not in our own good works, but in his mercy.

That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus, and that our Bishops and Priests might have the courage to proclaim the truth amidst the errors of the world.

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

For the healing of families divided by sin and selfishness, for a strengthening of all marriages, and that young people may be formed to have deep and authentic faith. 

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body. 

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

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

January 26 2022 - Sts. Timothy & Titus - Coworkers in the Vineyard

 Following the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul yesterday, today we commemorate two of Paul’s close co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord: Timothy and Titus.  

Sometimes, when we think of St. Paul, we think of him single-handedly converting Asia Minor and Greece, but not so. Paul had friends, coworkers, companions. 

On his second missionary journey, Paul recruited young Timothy, from his native town of Lystra in Asia Minor. Timothy accompanied Paul, and was trained by him. Paul sent Timothy on two important missions of his own, one to Thessalonica, another to Corinth. Timothy stayed with Paul in prison. Paul also mentions Timothy as cosender of six of his letters: I & II Thessolonians, II Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon, and Colossians. 

When Paul writes to Timothy, he writes as a spiritual father to a spiritual son, yes, one having superior experience and wisdom, but also as a brother and collaborator in the vineyard of the Lord.

Titus was a gentile disciple and close friend of Paul, also accompanying and assisting Paul in his missionary activity.  Titus was with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem, and when Paul was having trouble with the community at Corinth because of community division, erroneous faith and rampant immorality, Paul sent Titus bearing his letter to the Corinthians, and Titus embraced them with the love of the true pastor’s heart.  This was probably one reason, why Paul felt so assured at naming Titus bishop of Crete, which was also riddled with error. He too would be martyred—he was beheaded by his adversaries on Crete in AD 97.

As they shared in the missionary activity of the Church, Timothy and Titus now share a feast day, reminding us all that we share our work in the vineyard of the Lord. Christians are so much more effective in spreading the Gospel when we are working together. 

For, by its very nature, the life of Christian holiness involves a dynamic openness and collaboration with others. The Church exists to give glory to God and to continue Christ’s work of salvation, and this is a communal effort. 

This is one reason why livestreaming Sunday Mass from our couches can never become the norm. Not only are we deprived of the Eucharist, but from gathering together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are our collaborators in the vineyard. St. John Paul writes, “communion and mission are profoundly connected with each  other, they interpenetrate and  mutually imply each other to the point that communion represents both the source and the  fruit of mission: communion gives rise to mission and mission is accomplished in communion.”

We should always be open and looking for opportunities to work together for God, bringing our unique gifts to complement the gifts of others. That’s what parish is supposed to be. A place of communal worship and communal mission.

Through the holy example and heavenly intercession of Saints Timothy and Titus and the whole communion of saints, may we be faithful in working together for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That our bishops in union with the Pope, may share a profound zeal for faithful preaching and teaching, stirring up the flame of faith in the life of the Church. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our parish may build up missionary disciples equipped for working together for the spread of the Gospel. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the conversion of all hardened sinners and all persecutors of the faith and those in error, that the Lord may touch their hearts and remove the blindness from their eyes. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who have suffered as a result of violence or abuse, all of the sick and suffering, especially victims of natural disaster, poverty, and addiction, may they be comforted and supported by God’s healing love. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

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

Pentecost 2020 - Gathered in our spiritual home

There is a common saying, “Home is where the heart is”. Home: it’s the place where you feel the warmth and safety of a familiar surrounding, the love of family, the peace of warm memories. Home is the place where you want to be at the end of the day, kick off your shoes, and put your feet up after a hard day’s work. Home is where you can let your guard down, rest, relax, and recharge. Hopefully, it’s the place where your heart is renewed in the presence of loved ones who love you, and understand you, and are patient with you.

Yet, some claim that this little truism, “home is where the heart is” originated from an earlier saying: “home is where the hearth is.” The hearth is the fireplace, especially important in earlier eras. The stone-hearth was where family would gather, especially before electricity, to cook and take their meals, to warm up after a day out in the cold. Children would sit on their parents lap before the hearth. The family bible would be read at the hearth. Stories would be told around the family hearth. The hearth, the fire, was central and indispensable to the family life.

The new proverb, “home is where the heart is” conveys something a little different. Home is not bound to a particular place, it is not tied to a particular assemblage of bricks and mortar. Home is wherever faith, family, and warmth are enjoyed, wherever we can bask in our happy memories, share our foundational stories, and be refreshed in the presence of those who love us—that’s home.

As Catholics, we speak of our parish as our spiritual home. And aren’t we so grateful that after several months of lockdown and quarantine, we are able to gather once again around the hearth of our spiritual home, the tabernacle, the altar. In the presence of a God who loves us, no matter what we’ve been going through, in the presence of fellow Catholics who support us in our call to holiness. We hope that we will never again be kept from gathering in our spiritual home.

St. Ignatius of Antioch has been spiritual home to thousands and thousands of Catholics in her 117 year history. Souls, many who have gone into eternity before us, many who have moved beyond our parish borders, some who have joined us via livestream over the past few weeks. In this place, God has been encountered through sacramental worship, in transcendent art, architecture, music, and ritual. Common bonds have been formed, so much that we refer to members of our parish family.

In this home, souls have progressed from spiritual infancy to various degrees of spiritual maturity—receiving the spiritual new birth of baptism, the spiritual food of the Eucharist, the spiritual medicine of reconciliation—gathering for weddings, funerals, picnics, festivals, graduations, athletic competitions, primary and secondary education, for the feeding and clothing of the poor.  We’ve been inspired, consoled, corrected, emboldened and empowered for the work of the Gospel.

At my installation mass as 10th Pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch, I quoted the words of the fifth pastor, the great Monsignor Albert Murphy. And I’d like to quote him again, as his words, are so pertinent. Monsignor Murphy wrote “Few things in life are dearer to the heart of a devout Catholic than his parish. Along with home and family, she is the focus of our finest loyalties. From birth on through to death she is our Spiritual Mother—teaching, sustaining, admonishing, safeguarding and consoling—enriching our souls from the treasure house of her changeless love and shaping our days in the pattern of God’s bounteous graces.”

Your love for your spiritual home can be seen in the ways that you’ve continued to support, so generously, its upkeep and mission, through the years and during the lockdown. For, like any physical home, our spiritual home, our parish church requires constant upkeep, maintenance, repair, especially a spiritual home such as ours, which has stood for nearly a hundred years.

This feast of Pentecost is such a fitting feast to regather after months of lockdown in our spiritual home. For Pentecost is always a feast of new beginnings, new chapters. For the apostles, that first Pentecost began something new, a new experience of God, with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. That first Pentecost brought the apostles a new flowering of spiritual gifts, which they would utilize as they burst forth from that upper room into to the streets of Jerusalem, to preach that Christ is risen there and to the corners of the earth.

So, too for us. Whenever we gather in our spiritual home, yes we are gathering in a familiar place, with familiar faces, and familiar rituals—to experience warmth and to be spiritually recharged. But we also gather to be emboldened and commissioned for something new. As our economy and society begins to upon up once again, as individuals and as a parish, we need to consider well, how are we being called to engage society in new ways?  To make use of our resources more diligently. How can we cultivate new spiritual gifts here? Forge new bonds with the members of this neighborhood and welcome new parishioners who do not share our history? How can we love God and neighbor, family and enemy just a little more deeply?

There is a sort of paradox in our Catholic faith, isn’t there? God who is unchanging, calls us to one faith, one church, one Gospel truth which is essentially unchanging. But, at the same time God calls us to always change, semper reformanda, in the latin, to always seek ever-deeper conversion to Christ, to always nurture new spiritual gifts and make use of them in our ever-changing circumstances. Our rituals, our creeds, our doctrines are essentially unchanging, and yet, they prepare us to allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow where He pleases, to direct us, not just where I want to go, but where God wants me to go.

We flock back to the spiritual warmth and fire of our rock solid faith and spiritual home. However, that the warmth and that faith needs to be spread out there, in the coldness and chaos of the world. Or else, what are we doing here? We don’t go to church to be lulled to sleep, but to be woken up, to become animated, activated, illuminated, conformed to an itinerant preacher who claimed no place to lay his head; who saw this earth, not so much as a home, but as a temporary dwelling in which to engage in his Father’s work.

May the fire of the Holy Spirit warm us, for it has been so cold and lonely in our lock down. But, may that same fire ignite new spiritual gifts within us, and set us aflame with courage and conviction for spreading the Gospel out in the unfamiliar places of the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

2nd Week of Easter 2019 - Tuesday - Unity of Believers

Early in the Easter season, our attention is drawn by our readings from the acts of the apostles to that early group of Christians, living in Jerusalem, just weeks and months after the resurrection of Jesus. We hear today about the profound unity of this group of Christians, unity which is to serve as a model for Christians of all ages.

Their unity could be seen in their concern for one another, their administration of their material goods, their evangelization efforts, their deference to the apostles, and their unity of belief. “They were of one heart and mind.”

Could we say the same here at St. Ignatius of Antioch? In the diocese of Cleveland?
In some ways, yes, I think. The communal charity of the early Church was seen in their willingness to sacrifice for each other, to use their own goods for the good of the other. This parish has a long history of profound charity. And our diocese, year after year, runs the largest Catholic Charities, not just in the country, but in the world.

And such charity does not come from being compelled. The Church is not Communist in the sense that her functions are compelled by a Communist Dictator. Rather, our Christian Charity here is born from love and freedom.

Unity in the community of Christians, is hard work, just like unity in a marriage. And we are always being challenged, aren’t we, to grow in unity. Are we of one heart, always, with the universal Church, with the Bishop, with the Pope, with the Magisterium? If not, why not? What needs to change in us?
The Lord Jesus in the Gospel today describes the Holy Spirit like a wind, that blows in particular directions, and those “born of the Spirit” through baptism, are to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Are we of one heart in discerning and following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit within our parish and community? If not, what needs to change?

A community of believers of one mind and heart, certainly requires individuals who make every personal effort to work for that unity.  One of the things the Lord Jesus came to overcome through his death and resurrection are the divisions which hinder God’s people from following the Divine Will. May the power of the Lord’s Resurrection heal our wounds of sin and division, and lead us in the ways of the Spirit, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.
For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.
For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ, especially for all victims of religious violence.
For our parish, that we may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ.
For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.
That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

Thursday - 22nd Week of OT 2017 - "Animated by a missionary spirit"

What a beautiful coincidence…if those really exist…that the Gospel reading for today is the very same as the one for Bishop Perez’ installation Mass on Wednesday: the Lord’s command to Peter and the Apostles to put out into the deep waters to bring in the abundance of fish. This miraculous catch of fish through the efforts of the apostles and the help of God would become symbolic for all those souls who would come to salvation through Christ through the missionary efforts of the Church throughout the ages.

by Michael Dudash

Bishop Perez made it very clear that he is not the only fisherman in town; he is here, sent by the Pope, to help each of us be faithful to our own God-given vocation to be fishers of men.
Today’s Gospel also coincides with Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September, asks the Lord to help parishes, “animated by a missionary spirit, to be places where the faith is communicated and charity is seen.”

Notice several things about this prayer intention. First, it is about parishes. Parishes are places under the care of a pastor, where a diversity of God’s people come together for worship, to study the faith, to pass on the faith, to contribute to the charitable works. We aren’t in this alone. We have priests to help us, fellow Christians to encourage us. Parishes should always be discerning how God is calling them to use their many gifts to forward the mission of Christ.

Notice also how parishes are to be places where “the faith is communicated” and “charity is seen”. These are two primary ways how we are to be the fishers of men, the Lord spoke about. We communicate the faith by catechesis to our young people, forming new disciples, and studying the faith, that we can communicate it better, more clearly out in the world.

How can the faith be better communicated here at St. Clare? To whom do we need to be better communicators?

And how is our charity to be more clearly seen? What charitable works does St. Clare need to take more seriously or engage in more faithfully?

May the Lord help our parish to become more faithful, more loving, more filled with His own missionary spirit, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For our new Bishop, Nelson Perez, that he may assist all of God’s people in being faithful to all the Lord teaches and commands.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.”

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, the imprisoned, the unchaste, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

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.
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.