32nd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Repairing Scandal

 

There’s a story about an old man on his deathbed speaking to his family about his regrets. He said, “When I was a lad I often played on a wide common. Near its center, two roads met and crossed, and standing at the crossroads was an old rickety signpost. I remember one day twisting the sign round in its socket, thus altering the arms and making them point in the wrong direction; and it’s haunted me ever since, how many travelers I sent down the wrong road.”

In the Gospel today, the Lord speaks about scandal. What is scandal? It’s when we send people down the wrong road, like in the story. Only the road isn’t just to the wrong town, but to sin. 

Scandal is committed when either by bad advice or bad example we encourage others to sin. And using the graphic image of the millstone, Jesus told his disciples that it would be better to die than to be the source of another’s sin. 

Scandal is terrible. It leads souls away from God. It is the very opposite of what the Church is supposed to be about. Our main mission is to lead souls to God, to make disciples, and by scandal we become a sort of anti-Christ, teaching people to pursue sin rather than righteousness, encouraging the pursuit of hell rather than heaven.

If we’ve been the source of scandal, we really need to do everything we can to repair that scandal. Certainly, that includes begging God’s mercy. But also making restitution—going to the person that we scandalized and saying, I’m sorry, I really set a bad example for you or gave bad advice. I was in error, I did not act in a way consistent with Christ, and I’m sorry. Please don’t let my sin and stupidity and error and selfishness keep you from pursuing Christ. 

It's hard and it’s humbling, but the damage done by scandal is worse—and the consequences for scandal unrepented of are eternal. The Lord is clear on this point. 

We are all prone to error, but God gives us ability to repair that error. 

May the Holy Spirit help us to identify where we have led souls away from God, to repent of that terrible error, to endeavor to repair the damage done, for the sake of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be people of forgiveness and mercy, endeavoring to live out the Lord’s teachings in their families, friendships, and encounters with strangers. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our young people may be blessed to be raised in faith filled homes, that they may be protected from the evils of our culture, and be granted a firm knowledge of their vocation to holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ the Good Shepherd will draw close to all who suffer, the sick, the needy, victims of injustice, and the dying. For those who suffer from exhaustion, burn-out, and depression especially from overwork or work-related stress. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you 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.

32nd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Monday - Scandal, Forgiveness, Living Faith

Scandal, forgiveness, and faith. As Lord was making his final journey toward Jerusalem, he taught his disciples what it meant to follow him, and gave brief teachings on these three topics: scandal, forgiveness, and faith.

When we hear the word scandal, we often think of some grievous act, usually by a public official, that causes outrage, a misuse of a position of power.

But the word ‘skandelon’ means a stumbling block. It’s not mere coincidence that the Lord gives this teaching about stumbling blocks as he journeys to Jerusalem. By his journey of the cross in obedience to the will of the Father, the Lord he teaches all Christians to journey to the cross in obedience to the Father. 

Scandal does the exact opposite. What makes a leader’s sins so scandalous is that they set bad example for everyone else. Scandal leads others away from God. 

The sins of a church leader are scandalous because the church leader is meant to be leading us to God, teaching us, not just by words, but by a holy way of life. Parents, too, have a particularly vital role in the faith lives of their children. And when a parent fails to set good Christian example, that is scandalous, it teaches a little one that faith can be set aside. So the Lord teaches all Christians to avoid causing scandal—to be very careful about our speech, attitude, and actions that might lead others away from God.

Secondly, he teaches about forgiveness. This is almost the other side of the coin. We should avoid scandal, but when sin occurs, we must be quick to forgive. This doesn’t mean we fail to rebuke. The Lord says we are to offer fraternal correction when a brother sins. But, when a brother repents, we are to extend mercy.

Avoid scandal. Offer fraternal correction. And forgive without limit? The apostles find these teachings so difficult that they plead for the Lord to increase their faith. That’s an excellent request. These teachings are hard. And we need real, living faith to abide by them.

There’s no way we’ll avoid causing scandal without vibrant faith in the Son of God. There’s no way we’ll be able to effectively offer fraternal correction without faith, and without faith, we’ll never be able to truly forgive.

Increase our faith Lord: through prayer, study of your word and teachings, the development of authentic virtue, increase our faith, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be people of forgiveness and mercy, endeavoring to live out the Lord’s teachings in their families, friendships, and encounters with strangers. Let us pray to the Lord.

That our young people may be blessed to be raised in faith filled homes, that they may be protected from the evils of our culture, and be granted a firm knowledge of their vocation to holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.

That Christ the Good Shepherd will draw close to all who suffer, the sick, the needy, victims of injustice, and the dying. For those who suffer from exhaustion, burn-out, and depression especially from overwork or work-related stress. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you 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.

 

May 14 2021 - St. Matthias, apostle - Counterbalancing Evil

Matthias is mentioned only once in the entire New Testament—that short passage in the Acts of the Apostles describing the resplendent hour when he was chosen as an apostle.  

More than forty days had passed since the unforgettable events of Holy Week.  The eleven were no doubt still astonished by all that took place.  The Lord had risen just as he said he would, and over 40 days appeared to them multiple times.  He had just Ascended into heaven and promised that the Holy Spirit would descend upon them.

The eleven discerned that apostolic ranks needed to be replenished after the death of Judas, and as we read Matthias was chosen to take his place. One author said, “the dead branch of Judas had to be broken away from the living vine of Christ, that Matthias might be grafted in its place.  What Judas squandered was now entrusted to Matthias; what Judas should have accomplished was now to be completed by Matthias.”  

In a reflection on these events, Pope Benedict wrote: “[Matthias] was enrolled with the eleven apostles.  We know nothing else about him, if not that he had been a witness to all Jesus’ earthly events, remaining faithful to him to the end.  To the greatness of his fidelity was added the divine call to take the place of Judas, almost compensating for his betrayal.” “We draw from this a final lesson,” writes the Holy Father, “while there is no lack of unworthy and traitorous Christians in the Church, it is up to each of us to counterbalance the evil done by them with our clear witness to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.”  To counterbalance scandal and betrayal by clear witness to Jesus.  

In an age, when we have no lack of Christians who have abandoned the commandments, the clear witness of the faithful is needed.  To counterbalance their apathy, we go strive to bear good fruit.  To counterbalance their idolatry of worldly vices, we fast, do penance, and perform sacrificial works of mercy.

Jesus chose the twelve personally.  But he also chose Matthias through the apostles.  And he has chosen us to be clear witnesses in this twenty-first century of the Church, to be a counter-sign to all the evil in the world—and all the Judas' in the Church--to be a sign of God’s goodness the world so desperately needs.

Through the heavenly intercession of the Apostle Matthias, may we be faithful to this divine call of ours and bear good fruit that will last for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

May we join the Holy Apostles in our prayer for the world and the Church.

As the Apostles witnessed to the Resurrection of the Lord, may we be his witnesses to the farthest corners of the world.

For the bishops, the successors of the apostles: That they may be courageous in stirring up the flame of faith and defending the Church from error.

For 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. We pray to the Lord.

For all who long to see the face of the Father, for all our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. We 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

7th Week of OT 2020 - Monday - Jealousy and Selfish Ambition

Last week, my morning homilies focused primarily on our readings from the letter of St. James.

James taught us to undergo our trials joyfully, to persevere amidst every temptation, to be doers of the word, not just hearers of the word, and that faith without works is dead. His instruction is certainly applicable for every Christian, for temptation and trial are inevitable for all of us, we must all be concerned that we don’t allow the Gospel to go in one ear and out the other, but to put the Gospel into practice in concrete works of charity.

Today’s reading may or may not be universally applicable. James seems to be addressing Christians with the unique role of teaching the faith. “Not everyone should become teachers of the faith” he says in the preceding passage, “for teachers will be judged more severely.” James is concerned that those who are teaching the faith aren’t living the faith, they are just giving the Gospel lip-service. They are falling into hypocrisy—saying one thing and doing another. And James is worried about the scandal this sort of hypocrisy causes. For if a teacher, a priest, a bishop can’t live the faith, how can anyone else be expected to do so.

In today’s passage, James seems to be still speaking to teachers and Christians with official roles in the community, and he gives a warning against jealousy and selfish ambition, and he says these motives are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic—and they cause disorder in a community and allow foul practices to occur.

In recent years, we certainly have been scandalized by many teachers, many clergy and religious, who have caused public scandal by failing to live up to the Gospel they have been charged to teach and preach. Jealousy and ambition continue to allow disorder and foul practices to fester in many areas of the Church.

So, James calls forth those with true wisdom and understanding to take up these public roles, but with great caution. They must ensure that their motives remain pure, that their actions are not for their own self-interest, but for the good of souls, that they cultivate not division but peace, but putting into practice, not the corrupt values of the world, but the authentic wisdom of the Gospel.

While James addresses those involved in official public roles in the church, every Christian in a sense is a public figure, and has a responsibility to set good example, to be full of mercy and good works.
May we be faithful to our calling, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Holy Spirit may direct the appointment of a new Bishop for the Church of Cleveland, that he may be a man of true wisdom and understanding and fidelity to the Gospel

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, for those afflicted with 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.

33rd Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Examples of faith for young people and the whole nation

What a powerful passage from second Maccabees this morning: the martyrdom account of the elderly sage Eleazar. We come to understand the reasons for his willingness to suffer death. For one, he dies for the sake of the holy laws of his faith, refusing to violate them and refusing to be forced to violate them. And two, he stands for his faith to set good example for the young believers of his faith. If he can’t courageously stand for his faith, how could the young people be expected to keep the faith? I love how second Maccabees puts this: his ability to make up his mind was “the merited distinction of his gray hair.”

Young people need adults to set good example, to be exemplars of faith. When we look around, in 2019, at the lack of young people attending Mass and professing the faith, we wonder, where was the failure to set good example? On the part of bishops and priests allowing secular values to infiltrate divine worship, not to mention the scandal of their misdeeds? On the part of catechists failing to teach the faith with conviction and its eternal consequences? On the part of parents valuing materialism over religion, making excuses for not coming to Church, treating the faith as less important than worldly success? Likely all these things.

I for one believe young people are starving for God, to know God, to experience the stability that comes from the concrete truths of our faith amidst all the chaos of the world, to experience the beauty of our ever-ancient, ever-new religion, to participate in the charitable outreach to the poor our faith commands.

But we need Eleazar’s, men and women of conviction, who refuse to violate our sacred laws because they come from God and his representatives on earth, and men and women of courage, who are unashamed to preach the truth when our culture tries to silence us. Men and women who are able to witness why living for Jesus Christ matters more than anything else, like Zacchaeus in the Gospel, willing to make a fool out of himself in front of his peers, climbing trees to see Jesus, willing to give his possessions to serve Jesus. Courage requires sacrifice and sacrifice requires courage.

May our love for Jesus impel us to set heroic example for those of weaker faith today, especially the young, may we be models of courage and “examples of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That our bishops and priests may be models of faith and preach the Gospel faithfully amidst the pressures of the world.

That parents may be models of faith for their children, and center their family life on the Gospel through worship, prayer, and charity.

That God will raise up many priestly and religious vocations in our diocese and that young people may strive after holiness and God’s will in their lives.

For an end to all scandal which drives souls away from Jesus, that we may be guarded by all error and heresy, and that all Christians may head the call to spread the Gospel.

That Christ the Good Shepherd will draw close to all who suffer, the sick, the needy, victims of injustice, and the dying.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you 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.

Feb 06 2019 - St. Paul Miki and Companions - Martyrs willingly face rejection

In the first five chapters of St. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ ministry has gained incredible momentum: he’s preaching in synogogues all over galilee. He has manifested his divine power by casting out demons both in jewish and gentile territory, he’s calmed a stormy sea, he’s healed countless sick, he’s even raised the dead. We hear today how Jesus then goes to his native place where he is rejected. The Greek word translated "offense" is skandalizomai, meaning "to stumble over an obstacle"; it is the word from which we get our English word "scandal." Why were they scandalized? Jesus lived such an ordinary life among the people of His community that they found it incredible that He should be anything special. They rejected him because they were not willing to get beyond their preconceptions about Jesus. So the Lord proclaims: “"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place”

In a sense, it was good for his disciples to witness the Lord’s rejection by his townsfolk. Because, they, like him, would have to face the same fate. They would have to be willing to preach his Gospel, even when it meant being rejected by one’s own family.

The martyrs throughout the centuries, like Paul Miki and his 25 companions, suffered that ultimate rejection for the sake of the kingdom. Paul Miki and his companions were martyred on February 5, 1597 on a hill overlooking Nagasaki, Japan. The group was comprised of 6 Franciscans from Spain, Mexico, and India and 3 native Japanese Jesuits.  Among the 17 lay Japanese Catholics martyred there were native Japanese catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children. After being forced to march 600 miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki, they were all hung on wooded crosses with ropes and chains and then put to death by the thrust of a lance by their own native countrymen.

For nearly two hundred years, priests, religious, and Christians missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, were banned from Japan.  And, when missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. Yet, soon they discovered thousands of Christians living around Nagasaki. They had secretly preserved the faith that Paul Miki and his companions died for two hundred years.

Because of the martyrs willingness to suffer rejection, Christianity was preserved. When John Paul II visited Nagasaki in 1981, he said, “In this holy place, people of all walks of life gave proof that love is stronger than death. They embodied the essence of the Christian message, the spirit of the Beatitudes, so that all who look up to them may be inspired to let their lives be shaped by unselfish love of God and love of neighbor.”

May we allow that unselfish love of God and love of neighbor lead us to that willingness to strive and suffer for the spread of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
The martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood, may we have a faith that is constant and pure.

The martyrs followed in Christ’s footsteps by carrying the cross, may we endure courageously our earthly trials and all the misfortunes of life.

The martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, may we be helped by their prayers to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements.

That all missionaries may have courage and strength in their witness to the Gospel, for an increase in priestly and religious vocations, and for increased willingness among Christians to answer the missionary call.

For the sick and all who suffer, may their suffering be united to those of Our Savior and know his consolation and peace.

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

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Holy Hour of Reparation - Healing from Scandal and Grief

In response to the sexual abuse crisis engulfing the Church, the Holy Father, Pope Francis has asked the faithful and the clergy, “the entire holy faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting, following the Lord’s command.”

“This can awaken our conscience and arouse our solidarity and commitment to a culture of care that says ‘never again’ to every form of abuse,” he said. “Every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need.”

To be honest, my first emotions in response to the news of these recent revelations were those of anger and sadness. Anger and sadness over brother priests, consecrated to the Lord, who disgraced their sacred orders; anger at the injustice of bishops and cardinals covering-up the crimes of the abusers; sadness for the pain caused to the victims and the scandal caused to them, how their image of the priesthood and of the Church and perhaps of God has been damaged, how their trust in their priests has been undermined.

Emotions of anger and sadness must always be brought to the Lord to be healed, lest they fester and become poisonous. Likely, I am not alone, here tonight, in bringing my anger and my sorrow to the Lord to be healed.

I came across a quote, just yesterday, from a letter written by the irish playright Oscar Wilde. Wilde writes from prison, this letter which he titled “De Profundis”, out of the depths, the first words of Psalm 130. Wilde writes from the depths of prison, a place of helplessness, despair, anger and sadness. A short sentence near the letter’s beginning resonated with he. He wrote, “where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.” “where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.”

His words reminded me of the second beatitude, “Blessed are the sorrowful, for they shall be comforted.” A time of sorrow can become holy when that sorrow is brought to the Lord. Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, the loss of property, or we are sorrowful for the sins of fellow Christians, like during this time of scandal, grieving can be a holy activity, when our grief is brought to God to be healed.

I think our grief is so great, because grief is a consequence of wounded love.

We grieve the sins of the clergy because we love the clergy, we love our bishops and priests, and it grieves us when they fail, when their sins are so great. We grieve the wounds of the victims, because we love them, especially our young people who put their trust in the Lord and those he has ordained to serve the Church. We grieve their sense of betrayal.

But I truly believe that in coming here is holy, acknowledging our anger and grief before our Eucharistic Lord. This is holy ground because we come to the Lord for healing, healing our wounds, and those of the Church.

We pray that the Lord will hear the prayers of the grieving and bring healing to all the victims of abuse, those who are scandalized by the sins of trusted clergy, and that the Lord will give us strength to continue to work for the spread of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

23rd Sunday in OT 2018 - Christ's Healing Activity Then and Now

As you may have seen in the bulletin, this month I’ll be hosting a bible study of the Gospel of Mark. Though we hear the Scriptures proclaimed at Holy Mass, to take them time to study them opens us to more deeply understand God’s Word. Like the deaf and the dumb man in the Gospel today, the Lord wishes to open our ears to understand the Word more deeply and loosen our tongues to proclaim the Word with greater courage, conviction, and faithfulness. So consider participating in our upcoming Scripture study on Monday nights in the chapel.

St. Mark’s Gospel is such an interesting Gospel to study. Compared to the Gospels of St. John, St. Luke, and St. Matthew, which relate to us many of the Lord’s sermons and longer teachings, St. Mark’s Gospel is very action-oriented. We see in Mark’s Gospel the Lord’s power, dominating the forces of evil and sickness, his strength of will in accomplishing the mission preordained by his Heavenly Father. St. Mark details how The Savior of the World working: healing the wounds of our sinfulness, casting out demons, opening eyes, ears, lips, minds, and hearts to God’s grace.

This weekend, our Gospel reading contains one of these wonderful detailed accounts from Mark’s Gospel of the Lord healing man who is deaf and dumb. To accomplish this miraculous healing the Lord could have simply willed the man to be healed, he could have snapped his finger or waved his hand and this man would be healed. But instead, we read of this multi-stepped ritual. The Lord first receives this man, then the Lord then takes him aside and he puts his fingers into the deaf man’s ears, and he spits and he rubs his spittle on the deaf man’s ears and tongue.   And then the Lord looks up to heaven, and he groans, and then he yells out, “Ephphatha, be opened.”  Why this ritual?  Why all these gestures, these signs, these actions? 

The Lord of course not only wanted to heal this man, but as usual, to teach us a lesson.  Namely, that he prefers to work through words, and gestures, and touch, and actions, and signs and intermediaries.  That’s how he healed so many during his earthly ministry, back then, and that’s how he wishes to bring healing to us, now, and all the ages of the Church.

This ritual healing, these gestures and signs in the Gospel today, teach us that the Lord heals through the gestures, signs, and rituals of his holy Church, primarily the Seven Sacraments. In washing our bodies in the waters of baptism, he brings cleansing of our sinful nature. In anointing our heads with chrism in the sacrament of confirmation, he brings strength for the work of the Gospel. In feeding us, under the appearance of bread and wine, in the Eucharist, he nourishes our deepest hunger for God, so that we turn less to be satiated by sin. Through the ritual words of absolution in the sacrament of confession, he brings the reconciliation with God that we cannot achieve on our own. In the exchange of vows in holy matrimony, he joins man and woman to become instruments of God’s fruitful love. Through the anointing of the Sick, the Lord gives powerful grace to endure bodily sickness and the final trial of physical death.

In recent years, there has been a real decline in the number of people coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of their grave sins.  One of the reasons one often hears is that, “I don’t need to go to a priest, I just pray to God directly.”  But that’s not Christianity. The Lord works through his ministers, and through the words, gestures, and rituals of the Church. Offering our contrition to God in the privacy of our homes is good, for our sins truly offend God.  And we should offer our sorrow as soon as we recognize our sin.  BUT, God has made known exactly how He desires to forgive sins. We cannot insist that God forgive our sins on our own conditions.   That  forgiveness, that healing of sin, comes through the words and gestures of the sacrament—through the confession of our particular sins to a priest and the penitent’s expression of contrition, and the priest’s prayer of absolution.

The healing power of the Lord is not limited to the Sacraments, of course. He is present, when two or three are gathered in his name. The healing ritual in today’s gospel begins when the deaf man was brought to the Lord by other people. The Lord loves to work through other people, through parents and priests, neighbors and strangers, through support groups and best-friends-forever. He heals through doctors and medicine and nurses and caregivers, people who have dedicated their lives to healing. He helps those with emotional and psychological wounds through therapists and psychologists, by helping people confront wounds accumulated from childhood or trauma.  He teaches through catechists and clergy. Through Christians like you and me, the Lord desires to bring food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, consolation to the grieving, friendship to the lonely. He wants to use us, each and every one of us, to bring the healing the world so desperately needs.

What is the healing each of us needs? The Lord wishes to heal each one of us, to heal our wounded sense of right and wrong, our disordered attractions, to fix our broken moral compasses, to embolden our fear of speaking truth and being generous to the poor. Because of Original Sin we desire too much of what we don’t need and too little of what we do need. We desire too much social media, gossip, shopping, dessert, selfish exaltation, noise and entertainment, and too little prayer, study, charity, self-discipline, penance, fasting, mortification, silence and meditation. We do well to identify those parts of our lives which need healing, and bring them to the Lord.

That so many Catholics have fallen away from the Church in recent years is such a tragedy, because our brothers and sisters have fallen away from the ways that Jesus wants to work miracles in their lives, the ways the Lord wants to bring them healing and wholeness.

In the news these days, we’ve heard a lot about bishops and priests falling short of their sacred duties. It is a true scandal when ordained clerics undermine the spread of the Gospel through their grave sins. And yet, Christ has not abandoned us. He wants to bring healing to our Church now, and he will continue to do that through the Sacraments, through good holy priests and religious and lay faithful committed to the Gospel. Scandal, in a sense, is always a wake up call to the Church, the hierarchy and the lay faithful, and even to non-Catholics, that counterfeit and watered-down Christianity isn’t good for anybody. May we work and pray for the healing needed in the Church, our families, our community, by turning to the Lord in prayer and penance and the works of charity.

The Lord wishes to speak that powerful word, “Ephphatha” in each of our lives, that we might be ever-more open to his light and healing grace, by bringing our wounds to Him, by trusting in Him, by sharing our faith in Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

22nd Week in OT 2018 - Friday - Fasting is a weapon against evil

Friday, is the traditional day of fasting for Christians. And so how appropriate that our Gospel, this Friday morning speaks of fasting. Jesus said that after His Ascension His followers would surely fast

As we’ve done for centuries, each Lent we engage in fasting in imitation of Jesus' forty-day fast in the desert. But Fasting is not just for Lent. Fasting is to be a sign of our repentance for sin and our desire to find our joy in God alone all-year round.

Before Vatican II, Roman Catholics were to abstain from meat on Fridays, and many fasted also on Wednesdays.  After Vatican II, the Church's laws regarding Friday abstinence and fasting were changed.  Some people thought that the Church was de-emphasizing fasting.  But this is not so, Church law (canon 1250 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law) still requires us to do some sort of penance on Friday, which may include fasting and abstaining from eating meat.

St. John Paul II spoke of the importance of fasting. He stated: "Jesus Himself has shown us by His own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil.”  If we struggle with a particular temptation: gluttony, lust, pride, fasting helps us to overcome these evils. In these dark days of scandal, fasting is no doubt one of the ways the Lord desires to bring light and healing to our wounded Church.

Through fasting we show that the pleasures of this world are not what make us whole and truly fulfilled. It is not cookies and snacking and desserts and television and internet and whiskey and wine in which man is to seek fulfillment.

By fasting we unite ourselves to the heart of Jesus, we share in his cross and win graces for souls, and we share in his love for his Father, to whose Holy Will we are to be totally dedicated. Voluntary fasting from food help us acquire mastery over our impulsiveness, and creates in us a greater openness to God's Spirit and deepens our compassion for those who are forced to go without food. When our souls begin to resemble Old Wine Skins because of our sinful attachments, fasting helps to make them new, to receive the new wine of the spirit.

Whatever our Friday penance, we do well to offer up our voluntary penance for those who suffer involuntarily, for the purification of the Church for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For willingness to do penance in reparation for sin, for the spread of the Gospel and sanctification of souls.

That our young people may be kept safe from the errors and poison of the world, so to grow in the ways of righteousness and truth.

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, abuse, and terrorism, for the sanctification of the clergy, 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.

Homily: Monday - 32nd Week in OT - Scandal, Forgiveness, and Faith

There are three distinct sections in this morning’s short Gospel. The first one is about scandal—how it would be better for us to die than to lead others away from God. Second, fraternal correction and forgiveness—we cannot place limits on the forgiveness we offer. Thirdly, the great things we can accomplish when we trust in God.

As Jesus continued his journey toward Jerusalem, he taught his disciples what it meant to follow him. And he gives these three short lessons, right after another.

He first acknowledges that temptations are all around us. Satan is prowling the world seeking to separate us from God, and we must always be vigilant against sin. And Jesus says, Woe to anyone by whom anyone else is lead away from God. By our speech, attitudes, and actions we, as Christians, are to lead others to God, not away from Him.

When I am celebrating baptisms, as I did yesterday, I always remind parents and Godparents of their great duty of raising their children in the faith, to know, love, and serve God. And the primary way this is done is by their example. Children will use the words they hear their parents using, they will adopt attitudes they see their parents adopting. I tell the parents, that their job is to instill in these children a great love for the ways of God—and that is done by living them yourselves. The children will learn the importance of going to church, praying as a family, generosity towards the poor, from their parents. It’s kind of funny how there are almost more prayers in the baptism ritual for the parents then there are for the children. For woe to those parents who do not set good example for their children. 

And as Christians we must show good example not just to children, but to everyone: to the cashier, the waitress, the mailman, to neighbors, and people of other faith.

Leading others to God, as Jesus teaches this morning, sometimes involves rebuke. Children and family who have fallen away from the faith, need to be patiently and gently reminded of the eternal importance of living the faith. This is an act of mercy, an act of love.

Reeling under the impact of these demands, the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus assured them that faith would prove adequate to the demands God places on us. Treating people with respect, dignity, setting good example for the young, now more than ever these demands seem impossible, but Jesus says that when we live the faith, nurture the faith through study, prayer, meditation, acts of charity, the demands of discipleship become possible.

God wishes to build up his kingdom through us. May we never be a stumbling block for others, but be on guard against temptation, forgive easily, and develop true and authentic faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.