8th Week of Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday (Last school mass) - Summer Growth

 

Well, we have come to our last school mass of the school year. Soon you will be able to relax a little bit and enjoy your hard-earned summer vacation.

As you see by my vestments, the Church is back to the season of the year called Ordinary Time. During Ordinary Time the priest wears the color green to symbolize growth. Green is the color of growing things.

The Green of Ordinary Time represents the new, vibrant life and spiritual growth that is to occur within Christian souls during this time of the Church’s Year.

Much of Ordinary Time coincides with the growing summer months in this part of the world. Farmers have planted their seeds, the summer wheat and corn and vegetables will be growing throughout the summer through harvest time. All of you will continue growing through the summer months; many of you will show up to school next fall a several inches taller.

During summer vacation, no doubt, God wants all of you to continue to grow, not just your bodies of course, but your minds and hearts. Now our bodies will grow without much effort, all we have to do is eat right, sleep right, and exercise rightly. But as you it takes much more effort for our minds to grow. And it takes more effort for our hearts to grow.

For our minds to grow, we have to read and study. So, this summer, please, I beg you, and I know I beg you on behalf of your teachers, don’t let your mind go to waste by spending all summer playing video games and scrolling through social media posts. Yes, you’ll have a lot more free time over the summer than you do during the school year, please read books, please limit screen time, spend time outside learning about nature. Summer can even be a time to be able to study a subject you didn’t have time to study during the school year or study and develop a skill, an art. Grow your mind when you have the opportunity.

But, also, this summer, God will want your hearts and souls to grow. And our hearts and souls grow through the choices we make. The choice to be patient, the choice to be kind, the choice to make peace with someone we’ve been arguing with, the choice to forgive, the choice to remain faithful to God when we’re being tempted, the choice to be generous, the choice to turn away from being selfish.

“Love one another intensely from a pure heart”, St. Peter said in our first reading today. And to love is choice. And when that choice is made our hearts and souls grow as God intended.

Dear ones, I pray your summer is restful and rejuvenating, but I also pray that you may continue to grow, that your hearts might become ever more like the heart of Jesus, full of love. Love for your families, love for your country, love for your fellow Christians, love for all people, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church: that during this season of Ordinary Time, all Christians may continue to grow in holiness, charity, wisdom, and faithfulness to the Gospel. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our nation, especially as we celebrate 250 years of the birth of our nation this summer: that leaders may seek the common good, protect the young, serve families, and work for peace and authentic justice.

For all students beginning summer vacation: that they may use their time well, grow in knowledge and virtue, limit distractions, enjoy God’s creation, and choose each day to love one another from a pure heart.

For the students, teachers, staff, and families of our academy: that this summer may be a time of rest, renewal, safety, and growth in mind, body, heart, and soul

For those who are sick, lonely, poor, afraid, or burdened in any way: that they may know the help of God always, and that we may be attentive and responsive to those whom we have an opportunity to help.

That those who mourn may be comforted by the promise of the Resurrection, and for the repose of the souls of our beloved dead.

Heavenly Father, you have planted the seed of faith within us. Help us to grow in wisdom, virtue, and love throughout these summer months. Hear the prayers we offer today, and grant them according to your holy will. Through Christ our Lord.

7th Week of Easter 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - There will be wolves

 

We are arriving rapidly at the end of the school year, and it will be time for some of us to say farewell, for a time.

In our scripture readings today, both St. Paul and Jesus are saying goodbye.

In the first reading, St. Paul was saying goodbye to the Christians of Ephesus. He had come to them as a preacher of the word and stayed with them for three years, seeking to build them up to be good, strong, effective, and faithful Christians.

Before leaving them, he gave the Christians of Ephesus a warning. He says, after I leave, “savage wolves will come upon you” so be prepared. Now, he’s not actually talking about actual, physical wolves. He’s talking about a spiritual threat—those who would come and attack the flock of Christ. He’s talking about the bad influences of the world, and false teachers who would cause division in the Church, people who preach their own opinions instead of the truth of Christ handed on by the Apostles. So before his inevitable departure, Paul said, be on your guard, they’re coming.

Dear ones, as you prepare for summer vacation, of course, I hope you have a lot of fun and relaxation this summer. You’ve worked hard this school year, most of you. But, as st. paul said to the Christians of ephesus, I say to you, be on your guard. There are wolves out there.

Wolves that want to drag you away from Jesus in your thoughts, in your words, in your actions. Wolves that don’t want you to pray, wolves that don’t want you to go to church, wolves that want to cause you to forget all the good things you learned this year. Wolves that will propose corrupt images and ideas on the internet.

Be on your guard. Make sure your faith in Jesus is as strong as it possibly can be.

In the Gospel, as Jesus gives his farewell speech to his apostles, he prays to his Father, that his disciples be protected from the Evil One and that they be consecrated in the Truth. The Truth of Jesus, his teachings are protection against evil, protection against the wolves. Every time you studied your religion lessons this year, that was an opportunity to take up protection against those wolves, against the evil one. So as you face the wolves of summer, hold fast to the truth you have received. Read your bible this summer—see if you can read through the four Gospels. I would LOVE if you came back to school next fall and told me that you read the Gospels. Pray the Rosary, this summer. I would love if you came back to school next fall and told me you prayed the rosary, even just a few times.

This is the last school mass for our 8^th graders. You especially, are going to face some pretty savage wolves in high school. Our prayers go with you. You always have a spiritual home here, to recouperate from the battles. Don’t be a stranger.

And may each of us know the loving protection of Christ, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Trusting in the Lord Jesus, who prays for his disciples and protects them in the truth, let us bring our needs before our heavenly Father.

For Holy Father Pope Leo, all bishops, priests, deacons, teachers, and all who hand on the faith: that they may preach Christ with courage and help God’s people remain strong against the spiritual dangers of the world, let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish school community: that as the school year draws to a close, students, teachers, and families may give thanks for the blessings of this year and continue to grow in wisdom, faith, and virtue, let us pray to the Lord.

For all students during the summer months: that they may be kept safe in body and soul, remain faithful in prayer and not be drawn away from Jesus by bad influences, let us pray to the Lord.

For our 8th grade students, as they prepare to move on to high school:
that the Lord may strengthen them, protect them from the evil one, and help them remain firm in the truth they have received.

For our families: that homes may be places of prayer, peace, faith, hope, and love.

For the sick, the suffering, and for all the faithful departed: that the Lord may bring healing to those in need and eternal joy to those who have died, let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, hear the prayers we offer you today, and keep us always close to you Christ your Son. This we ask through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

May 13 2026 - Our Lady of Fatima (school mass) - Become like shepherd children

 

Today, May 13 is the anniversary of Mary, the Mother of Jesus appearing to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917.  Mary appeared six times to Lucia, age 9, and her cousins Francisco, age 8, and his sister Jacinta, age 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917.

Why was it, that out of all the people in the world, Mary appeared to three young children the ages of many of you here? She didn’t appear to the Pope. She didn’t appear to a journalist or a historian who could write a thorough and detailed account of her visit. She didn’t appear to a news anchor who could interview her on live television. Why three young shepherd children?

Part of that answer is mysterious—God works in mysterious ways. God wanted Mary to appear to those three children in Portugal because that’s what God wanted, He has his reasons, and those reasons are not always immediately known to us—we’ll find out in heaven.

Likely though, Mary appearing to three, poor shepherd children has something to do with Jesus telling us that unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This message was especially true in 1917. For in 1917, the world was on the verge of tremendous technological advancement: a lot of our own country still didn’t have electricity, but in just a few yers the world would change—automobiles, airplanes, nuclear power, soon computers, wireless communication, space rockets, internet, now artificial intelligence.

In 1917, the world would soon be getting more powerful and more complex, and Mary, appears from heaven to three simple, weak, poor children, and tells them to pray, to be dependent on God, and to not let material things become the center of your lives.

If Mary had appeared to adults, to their parents even, would they have believed her, that God wanted us to pray the rosary, to go to confession, to believe in Jesus. Many adults think of themselves as too sophisticated to pray the rosary, too proud to go to confession, too learned to believe in hell and the devil, too cultivated to practice fasting. This is why they are often so unhappy, because they have stopped believing in God in their deepest hearts. But, as we heard in the Gospel, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Dear ones, please head our Lady’s message. Don’t grow up to think that you don’t need God. Don’t grow up to think that the point of this life is just to become rich or that the right amount of material things will make you happy. Don’t grow up to think that it’s okay to sin. If you do, you’ve grown up wrong.

God gave Mary a special job to appear to these three young children, he trusted them with this simple yet profound message: that if we want to be happy in this life and be with God in eternity, we need to turn way from sin, practice prayer, believe in Jesus and his teachings, and do what we can to help others turn to God.

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Inspired by Mary’s call to prayer and to trust in God, we offer now our prayers of petition:

For the holy Church of God, that she may always heed Our Lady’s message of Fatima by proclaiming and living out the call to prayer, penance, and conversion with faith, hope, and love.

For peace in our world, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, hatred may give way to reconciliation, violence to justice, and war to enduring peace,

For the conversion of sinners and the renewal of faith, especially in places darkened by unbelief and indifference to Christ.

That during this month of May, all people may turn their hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, imitating her example of Faith, Hope, and Love..

For those who suffer, especially the poor, the persecuted, and the forgotten, that they may know the comfort of Mary’s immaculate heart and the strength of her Son’s redeeming love,

For the dead, that they may be received into the glory of heaven where Mary, reigns as Queen.

O God, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring your Son into the world, hear our prayers and strengthen us in faith, hope, and charity, that we may one day share in the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Through Christ our Lord.

 

4th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday (School Mass) - David Trusts in God's Mercy

 

Today’s readings tell us two stories that might seem very different—a story about King David sinning against God and a story about Jesus being rejected by the people of his home town. But these stories are really about the same problem—the same choice.

In the first reading, we heard about King David. David was a good king. He loved God. But one day, he made a mistake. He told his army to count how many soldiers he had. That doesn’t sound very bad—until we understand why he did it. For a moment, David trusted numbers and power more than he trusted God.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for David to realize his sin. And notice, he didn’t make excuses. He didn’t blame anyone else. He said: “I have sinned. I have been very foolish.”

Then God gave David a choice about what would happen next—and David said something very important: “Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful.” In other words, David was saying: “If something bad has to happen, I would rather put myself in God’s hands—because God is kind, and God knows when to stop.”

David remembered something very important: God is always more merciful than we expect.

Now let’s look at the Gospel. Jesus goes back to his hometown—the place where everyone knew him growing up. He teaches in the synagogue, and the people are amazed… but instead of trusting God, they start to doubt. They say: “Isn’t this just the carpenter?” “Isn’t this Mary’s son?” “Who does he think he is?” And the Gospel says: “They took offense at him.”

In other words, they rejected Jesus—not because he did something wrong, but because they thought they already knew him. They trusted their assumptions instead of trusting what God was doing right in front of them. And because of their lack of faith, they were unable to witness the miracles of Jesus.

Here’s the connection between the two readings: both are stories about how we fail to trust God. Like David, we trust in our own strength, thinking we can overcome life’s obstacles by our own power, or military might. Like the people of Nazareth, we fail to take the time to know Jesus.

But David shows us what we must do when we fail to trust God: run back to God as soon as you can. Sometimes, like David, we mess up. But the good news—the very good news—is this: God is merciful. When we admit we’re wrong…When we say we’re sorry…When we trust God again…God always wants to forgive, to heal, and to begin again.

So today, let’s remember: Don’t be afraid to trust God, even when it’s hard. And when we fall, let us trust in God’s mercy—because, like David said, “The Lord is most merciful.” For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the mercy of God, who is always faithful even when we struggle to trust Him, let us bring our prayers before the Lord.

 For the Church throughout the world: that she may always trust in God’s mercy and help all people turn back to the Lord when they fall away.

For our Holy Father, bishops, priests, and teachers: that they may humbly serve God’s people and help others recognize Christ.

For all students in our school: that we may grow in faith, learning to trust God more than our own fears, assumptions, or doubts.

For those who struggle to believe or who have turned away from God: that they may encounter His mercy and be given the grace to trust Him again.

For those who are sick, sad, or in need of healing: that they may be comforted by God’s loving care and feel His mercy close to them.

For those who have died, that they may rest in the peace and mercy of God forever.

 Merciful Father, you are slow to anger and rich in compassion. Hear the prayers we offer today with trust in your love, through Christ our Lord.

24th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Wednesday - Pillar and foundation of truth (school mass)

 

If someone told you 2 + 2 = 5, would you believe them? Why not? Because you know the truth. Or if someone said the sun is cold, you’d know that’s wrong.

In the first reading today, St. Paul wrote to a young bishop, named Timothy, and explained that the Church—the Church established by Jesus—is the pillar and foundation of truth, meaning the Catholic Church makes sure we don’t get tricked about what is true about God, about love, about how to live rightly in the eyes of God. The Church is like a giant light that shines so we don’t get lost in the dark.

In the Old Testament there is the story of Moses leading the Israelites through the desert on their way to the promised Land. They had to travel hundreds and hundreds of miles, on foot, with no map, no GPS, no google maps to guide them. But God created a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them, so they wouldn’t get lost.

St. Paul, in calling the Catholic Church the pillar of truth, certainly wants us to think of that Old Testament story. Like that pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night guiding the Israelites through the desert on their way to the promised land, God has erected the Catholic Church as the pillar of truth, so that we may be guided to the promised land of heaven. 

This is why we have priests and bishops and Popes and trained teachers, who teach us about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Because God doesn’t want us lost in the desert. He wants us to make our way through this life with clarity about how we are to live, with truth to guide our actions and decisions and behavior. 

So when you come to Mass, when you listen to your teachers, when you read the Bible, the Church is helping you learn the truth about God—the truth that God wants you to know.

For, Jesus didn’t want His truth to get lost or forgotten, so He gave us the Church. And just like that pillar of fire—shining with light in the darkness-- the Church shines with the light of God’s truth for the world that Jesus is real, that He loves us, that he truly is the Son of God, that He saves us, and that He is with us. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus described the people of his generation who turned their backs on the truth about who he was. So, too, in our own generation many people turn their back on God. Nonetheless, we have the responsibility of learning the truth, making God’s truth the foundation of our lives, living the truth, teaching the truth, shining with the truth of God for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

21st Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Tuesday - Seeking Holiness - (Opening School Mass)

 

Welcome, everyone to our first school mass of the new school year. 

One of the most important things that we can do together as a Catholic school is to gather for Mass.

At Mass, we listen to the sacred scripture—readings from the bible—the Word of God—in which God speaks to us. And we celebrate the Eucharist—the sacrament of the altar—in which bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. 

In the first Scripture reading today, St. Paul talks about the great effort he has undergone to bring the Gospel to a place called Thessalonica. St. Paul had undergone a journey of thousands of miles to travel to Thessalonica. Remember, St. Paul began his journey in Jerusalem, where Jesus died and rose again. And he desired with all his heart to bring the good news of Jesus’ saving death and resurrection to people all over the world. So he journeyed on foot and by sea, through mountains, through country filled with bandits and murders, areas plagued with disease, to places that he had never been before, to share the Christian faith with the world. He nearly died, many times on this journey. He was arrested. He was beaten. He angered people who did not want to believe in Jesus. But he did so because he believed the spreading the Gospel was the most important thing he could do with his life.

And why did he believe that? Because he had met Jesus. And he understood that believing in Jesus, and following Jesus, and learning from Jesus, and changing our lives to become like Jesus by becoming holy like Jesus, was the most important thing any of us can do. 

This is why we have a Catholic school. This is why we have a beautiful catholic church. Because believing in Jesus and following Jesus and changing our lives to become like Jesus by becoming holy like Jesus is the most important thing any of us can do. 

In the Gospel passage today, Jesus himself talks about becoming holy. Jesus was talking to a group of Pharisees—a group of people who thought they knew all about becoming holy. They thought that you become holy if you dress like a holy person dresses. And Jesus says, no, being holy isn’t just a game of dress-up. Holiness is not play acting. You don’t becoming holy by what you wear on the outside, but by what you change on the inside.

Jesus said, if you only wash the outside of the cup, but ignore the inside, you still have a dirty cup. It’s the same thing with people. Catholics believe that we must allow Jesus every day to clean our minds, and clean our hearts, and clean our choices—to change our selfishness into generosity, our pride into humility, our fear into courage, our hate into love.

Throughout the school year you will be coming to mass every week, you will be learning about the message of Jesus during your school days. Really listen to Jesus’ message and consider each day how that message is meant to change your minds and your hearts and your attitudes and the way that you treat people. And as you take Jesus’ message to heart, you will find him dwelling there---for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Please respond to each of these petitions, “Lord hear our prayer”

As we begin a new school year, we pray that God may bestow gifts of wisdom and understanding upon our students, and that teachers may share their knowledge with gentleness, diligence, and patience.

May the message of Jesus be taken to heart, may it transform us, and guide us in the ways of true peace.

We pray for our families, that the peace of God may dwell in them—for parents who struggle with many challenges—that God may give them strength.

We pray for our nation—that God’s word may guide our government leaders—and help them to work for true and lasting justice and peace.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: may they know God’s strength and peace and the assistance of the Christian people. 

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all of the souls in purgatory: may they share in the joy of life-everlasting with the Risen 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.

March 25 2025 - Annunciation - Angelus Prayer (school mass)

 For many years now, the very first thing I do in the morning—before getting up and getting ready for the day, before I check my emails and text messages, before I check my calendar, before I make my breakfast, before even getting out of bed—is that I pray a prayer inspired by the feast we celebrate today. 

It is called the Angelus prayer—angelus is the latin word for An
gel—and it goes something like this: The Angel of the Lord announced to mary, that she would conceive of the Holy Spirit. And then I pray the Hail Mary. Then, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word” And then I pray the Hail Mary, and then “The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”, and then I pray the Hail Mary. And then there is a concluding portion.

But those three ideas—that the angel announced God’s plan to Mary, that she said yes, and that because of that yes, God took flesh—are three very important ideas—three ideas which are at the heart of today’s feast—and three ideas that it is very good to start your day with.

Why? For one, it is good to be reminded that God has a plan for each one of us, that we should be listening to the voices of God’s Holy Angels, and that Mary is at the heart of that plan. Secondly, it’s good to be reminded that when God’s plan is made known to us, we are supposed to say “yes” to God, God I am your handmaid, God let me be your servant in all things, in every way. And Thirdly, it is very important to recall that God really and truly took flesh—the Word took flesh—because it reminds us of who Jesus is—truly God and truly man and that we are called to be his disciples. God became one of us, so that we can become like Him.

So I invite you every day, pray that Angelus prayer. By the way, I don’t just pray it once, I pray it three times, upon waking, at noon, when the noon bells ring here at Church, and at six pm, when they ring again, they are, after all, called the Angelus bells, for that reason.

Pray the Angelus, so that your day can be infused with God’s goodness, so that you can recall the presence of the Angels, the example and goodness of our blessed mother, and that we may become more and more like Christ every day, God who took flesh that we may share in his divinity for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

December 20 2024 - The choice for God (school mass)

 This morning’s Gospel should sound familiar to all of us. We heard it just last week, when we were all gathered together for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. 

In the Gospel, Mary of Nazareth is visited by the archangel Gabriel. She is called “full of grace”. Hail Mary full of grace, we pray, echoing the words of the angel. These words signify how God had prepared Mary by his grace from the moment of her conception. 

And now she is presented with a choice: will she consent to God’s will and become the mother of Jesus or not? Of course, Mary chooses God’s will because she has always chosen God’s will in her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”—she has served God in every way she could from the moment of her existence, and now she will continue to serve God. Thanks be to God that Mary made the best choice she could possibly make in that pivotal moment.

Like Mary, each one of us is given a choice, every day. Will I choose to follow God’s will or not?

Will I treat others in a Godly way, or not. Will I pray today as I should, or not. Will I respect my parents, or not. Will I refrain from what is harmful to my mind and my body, or not. Will I use the time I’ve been given to cultivate my intellect, or not. Will I help others who are in need, or not. Will I do what I can to make the world a better place, or not.

Choice. Each of us, every day, are given choice. Our students might not feel like they have a lot of choices about a lot of things. But you do. Will you be kind, or not. Will you be patient, or not. Will you use your gifts and talents in a constructive way, or not. 

Mary trusted God, that choosing God’s will is always what is best. And so, we have this example of the blessed Virgin choosing God’s will just days before Christmas now to remind us of the importance of making good choices, godly choices, with the time we have before Christmas, and the time we are given every day.

We might not be able to control a lot of things about our world and our families or our places of work, but, we always have a choice to grow in holiness or not, to seek God’s will or not, to go through our day prayerfully or not.

May your Christmas break be filled with holy choices—choices to seek and surrender to the Holy Will of God in the circumstances of your life for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

March 17 2023 (school mass) - St. Patrick's Breastplate - Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me

 “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.”

This beautiful prayer was written by St. Patrick himself, over 1,500 years ago. The prayer is often called the “Breastplate of St. Patrick”. A breastplate is a piece of armor worn by soldiers to protect them in battle from the swords and arrows of their enemies. St. Patrick's breastplate is a prayer that invokes the divine protection of Jesus Christ like a suit of armor. 

St. Paul tells Christians to put on the armor of Christ—armor by which God wants to protect us from evil. There are many forces in this world that are evil, that seek to lead us away from God. Evil wants to take root in our life so that we never think of God or what God wants for us. Evil that wants us to be selfish, self-absorbed, jealous, envious, hateful, rude, disobedient, lustful, violent, irreverent and profane. Evil does not want you to follow God, pray to God, love God, have faith in God, or hope in God. Evil does not want you to love Jesus, imitate Jesus, or even think of Jesus.

And because there is so much evil in the world that opposes God and hates us and seeks to ruin our lives, St. Paul told Christians to put on the armor of Christ. And St. Patrick, that great apostle to the land of Ireland, gave us that beautiful prayer. 

“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise”

No athlete, social media influencer, Tiktocker, Hollywood actor, video game hero, social activist or politician has the power to armor you from evil. These people will not be there when you are in trouble or facing the challenges of your life and in the dark times of life. Only Christ. Only Jesus Christ can be with you always to armor your and defend you, to lift you up when you have fallen.

Learn from the example of St. Patrick. He's not just a saint for irish people, his example is important for the whole Church. Make Jesus Christ first in your life. Seek to become like him, preach the Word of God like him, treat others like Him, heal like Him, reconcile people to God like Him. Invite him into your life more deeply so that he is with you when you wake, when you eat, when you go to school and work, when you relax, when you speak. Invoke Christ to be your armor and your shield today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

22nd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday (School Mass) - Do not put new wines into old wineskins

 

What a perfect Gospel for our first school Mass at the beginning of the school year:  “Do not put new wine into old wineskins”. 

In Jesus’ day, wine was a very common drink. Instead of carrying around water bottles, people would carry around wineskins—a sort of pouch—like a giant caprisun if you’ve ever had one of those. The pouch—the wineskin—was made, not out of plastic but leather. And the wineskin could be resused—it was recyclable. But over time, the leather wineskin would become dry and brittle with age. 

Now, where does wine come from? Wine is made out of grape juice a yeast. And you mix them together in the right concentration, and the yeast, which is actually alive, a living organism, eats the sugar in the grape juice, and makes two byproducts. Wine, which in those days, was much cleaner than drinking water, and also carbon dioxide gas.

So, you’ve made some wine, where do you store it? In your leather wineskin. But if the wine is still too new, it’s still fermenting a bit, it’s still producing that carbon dioxide gas. And if you put that new wine, into that old wineskin, it will burst, like a balloon that continues to expand, eventually the balloon pops. So, for new wine, you need to use a fresh, new, pliable, flexible wineskin, that will expand, as the new wine finishes its fermentation process.

I really like how Jesus gives us a little science lesson in the middle of the Gospel, and a very good lesson for the beginning of the school year.

During the course of the school year, you, students are going to be taught a lot of new material, new ideas, like new wine. But you have a choice: will you be like that old, rigid, wineskin, unwilling and unable to expand, intellectually, or will you be like that new wineskin, fresh, flexible, willing to expand. It’s a choice. Do you want to learn or not. Do you want your intellect to grow or not.

Let be honest, If you hate school, if you don’t want to learn, you will be miserable. But, if choose, and your pray for help, and ask for help when learning is difficult, then this will be a good year. 

In addition to learning about all these new ideas over in school, is my hope, and prayer, that you will also grow, not just intellectually, but spiritually. That is the purpose of a Catholic school. A Catholic school exists not just instill new ideas, but to help souls be filled with the life and love of God. 

Teachers, help these children learn, not just their academic lessons, help these students to know God. It’s not as easy as it once was, the culture does not support the knowledge of God. It has become an old, brittle wineskin, and unless there is some rehabilitation at this level, it will burst; it’s only a matter of time.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Wonder and Awe, may each of us to be new wineskins--open to the growth, the conversion that God desires for each of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

6th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Tuesday - Persevering in temptation

 
One of my favorite parts of the whole Bible is the book from which our first reading was taken today: the New Testament Letter of St. James, one of the twelve apostles. There are two apostles named James, actually. James, son of a man named Zebedee, who was a fisherman with his brother, the apostle John, and the other James, the son of a man named Alphaeus. And it’s this second James who wrote today’s first reading.

Whereas many of St. Paul’s letters are written to particular groups of Christians in particular towns or regions, like the Corinthians, the Thessalonians, and the Galatians and Ephesians. St. James writes his letter to all the Church. To all of us.

His letter contains a lot of wonderful, practical advice, so many helpful truth for us to keep in mind as we seek to be faithful to Jesus.

Today’s passage comes from the very beginning of his letter. And St. James again gives advice that is helpful for all of us. James today speaks about temptation and trial.

Everyone experiences temptation. Temptation is when we know something is wrong, but there is a part of us that wants to do it anyway. I know it’s wrong to talk back to my parents, but there’s a part of me that is tempted to talk back. There’s a part of me that is tempted to fight someone who insults me. 

Everyone experiences temptation. Teachers, principals, parents, children, the elderly. And that’s why James wants to address this issue. He knows that we are all tempted, from time to time.

Sometimes we even begin to talk ourselves into following that temptation. We tell ourselves: it’s alright if I steal from my friend, he won’t miss it. It’s alright if I ignore my guardian when they tell me to clean my room or put away the video games, I’m having fun after all. It’s alright to treat people inconsiderately, after all, they’ve treated me without kindness, I might as well do it back to them.

But what was the opening line of St. James today: “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation.” In other words, you grow in holiness, you grow in likeness to Jesus, you allow the life of Jesus to flow in your heart and mind when you resist temptation to do wrong. We become the people God made us to be.

James goes on to explain that when you give into temptation, that’s called sin, and when you sin, when you give in to the temptation to sin, something very sad happens, something in us dies, something good dies. And if you choose sin enough, if you just give in to every temptation, something inside of you might die forever. And that is very sad, because God didn’t create us for sin, he created us for grace, for life, for holiness, for joy.

Now again, every one of us has been tempted, and everyone of us, at some point, has given in to temptation. But it didn’t have to be like, and it doesn’t have to be like that in the future. And that’s part of the goodness of being followers of Jesus: just because we’ve chosen sin and evil in the past, doesn’t mean we have to continue to make bad choices. God forgives us when we ask for forgiveness, he gives us another chance.

With God’s help, may we all come to persevere in temptation, so that we may come to receive the crown of life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Tuesday (School Mass) - Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar's Vision

 

Although we still have a month to go in the calendar year of 2021, we are in the last week of the Church Year, for this Sunday, begins the new church year, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent.

During this last week of the Church year, at daily mass, the Church reads from the book of the prophet Daniel, from which we heard that very long reading about this very strange statue made out of gold, iron, bronze, and clay. 

The book of the prophet Daniel is filled with these strange stories and mysterious visions, a lot of them having to do with the end of the world.  The prophet Daniel lived about 600 years before Jesus, in a time, when the Jewish people had been conquered by a powerful nation known as the Babylonians. The wise and gifted prophet Daniel, had been put to work by God in the court King Nebuchadnezzar who had invaded Israel, destroyed the temple, and marched the people of Israel off into captivity dividing them from their families. Nebuchadnezzar was not a good man, but he did trust Daniel.

And so Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel about a dream he had about this statue made out of gold, iron, bronze, and clay. And Daniel goes on to explain that this statue represents 4 kingdoms that will come to dominate the earth.

The first Kingdom the kingdom of gold represents the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians. And Daniel explains how that kingdom, as powerful and brilliant as it seems, will not last forever, it will be replaced by a second kingdom, a kingdom of iron, which we interpret to be the Persian Empire, and then that kingdom will be replaced by a third kingdom, which we interpret to be the Greek Empire, and then that will be replaced by a fourth kingdom, and that would be the Roman Empire, who were in charge of things when Jesus was born.

But then, Daniel spoke of a fifth kingdom, a kingdom that will be established by God himself, and kingdom that will never be destroyed, a kingdom that will last forever.

The vision of Nebuchadnezzar did come to pass. The Babylonian Kingdom was replaced by the Kingdom of the Persians, which was replaced by the Kingdom of the Greeks, which was replaced by the Kingdom of Rome. 

And the fifth Kingdom has been established, the kingdom established by God himself. Which kingdom is that? Well, the Church. The Church founded by Jesus Christ, who is our head and our king. The Church has lasted longer than the kingdom of the Babylonians and the Persians and the Greeks and the Romans combined. Over the last 2000 years it has seen kingdoms and nations come and go, rise and fall, but the Church,  will last forever, just as Daniel claimed. 

And God invites people of every time and place and nation to membership in this kingdom. Membership in God’s kingdom is not based on race or social status or place of birth or wealth. It is based on faith, faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and obedience to his teachings and commands. To members of God’s kingdom, Jesus promises eternal life in the resurrection to come, when he returns, as he described in our Gospel reading.

This is why the Church is so active in her charitable works—in teaching the young, and caring for the sick, and feeding the hungry, and providing homes for the homeless, and preaching the Gospel. We are so grateful to be apart of this kingdom, that it is seen in our works, in how we treat people and how we pray. The Church is the largest charitable institution in the world and in human history because Christians are filled with such great gratitude and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us, and we want to be faithful to what he taught us.

You and I are each invited and called to full membership in this kingdom that will last forever. May we respond to this invitation to God generously, with lives full of gratitude for all of God’s gifts and blessings, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

October 22 2021 - Pope St John Paul II (school mass) - Lives of holiness

 The last time the school was gathered over in Church we were celebrating the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis lived and died over 800 years ago, yet we celebrate him to this day because of his holiness, his example of love for God, his willingness to bear the sufferings of Jesus in his body and in his life.

Today we celebrate a saint, who lived and died not 800 years ago, but just 16 years ago. He was the Pope at the turning of the 21st century, the Pope for the majority of my life and many of your teachers and parents: Pope John Paul II.

Not every Pope is a saint or will be canonized as a saint. But Pope John Paul II was one of the holiest men who lived in the last 100 years. 

He was Pope for 26 years, 5 months, and 17 days, the third longest papacy in history.  He traveled the world more than any Pope before or after, visiting 129 countries: he was the first pope to visit the White house.  He spoke latin fluently, but could also converse in Slovak, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ukrainian, English, and of course, his native Polish.  

He had one of the most prolific pontificates in history: publishing, 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 45 apostolic letters and 28 motu proprios.  And he canonized more saints than any other Pope in history.  He played a decisive role in the downfall of communism in eastern Europe. The list of accomplishments goes on and on.  

And yet, his personal holiness could be felt by those around him. I was in Rome back in 2004, and attended a Mass with John Paul. And, I remember locking eyes with the Pope as he came up the aisle in the procession for Mass, and he looked at me, and smiled at me, and it was like I could see the light of Jesus in him and his deep love of God and for the people of the world. His love for God, his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, his love for the Church infused his life and radiated from Him.

Holiness is real, saints are real. And becoming holy, becoming a saint, is the most important thing you could do in life. It’s more important than wealth, riches, fame, popularity. You can be poor as dirt, you can be sick as a dog, but if you are holy, you have everything.

Again, the fact that John Paul was Pope was nothing compared to his holiness. He can be a brilliant scientist or the best athlete or most famous moviestar in the world, but it is all nothing, if you do not have the life of Jesus in you.

This is what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel today. In the Gospel, Jesus says, there are people who are brilliant at predicting the weather, they can look at the sky, and know what kind of weather we are going to have. But it is all a waste of time if you have this great ability, but do not learn the difference between right and wrong, evil and righteousness, and strive to live a life of grace. You can learn to speak all the languages of the world, but if you do not have God’s love in you, you are just going through life making a bunch of noise.

John Paul remained deeply united to God amid the many demands of his ministry, of his life, and in his sufferings. May Pope St. John Paul II, through his heavenly intercession help us to seek the deep union with God through a life of holiness that will make our lives complete for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.

23rd Week in Ordinary Time 2021 (First School Mass) - Abundant Graces through Christ

Happy New School Year everybody. For our new students, I am Father Estabrook, the pastor of St. Ignatius. I’ve been pastor here since December of 2018. This may be the first time some of you have been inside the church building. So, I’d like to say a word about this magnificent edifice. 

In the early 1900s, Catholics who lived downtown were moving out of the city out to this area, which was a cornfield at the time. Looking northward from this property, you could see all the way to Lake Erie. In 1902 there were just about 250 Catholic families in this neighborhood. And so they planned and built a school and a church building, along Lorain ave. Over the next 20 years, that number of Catholics grew and grew and grew that they needed to build a new school building, the boulevard building, and they started construction on this building, modeling its architecture after some of the beautiful basilicas of Rome.

They wanted a church building that inspired people, that helped them to remember that they were connected to the Church in Rome, and were they could gather with their families week after week to worship God. They poured their love of God into building this place, and it still stands 100 years later. Everyone that contributed to the building of this place is dead, though their great great great grandchildren are still in this neighborhood. But they built this place to last, to endure the changing of times and seasons, in order to have a timeless place, where you could feel and kneel down in the presence of God.

In the first reading we hear two names, Paul and Timothy. Paul tells the story how he came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God who died for our sins. He didn’t initially believe this. In fact, he was a persecutor of Christians. He hated Christians. But he had a change of heart and change of believe when Jesus appeared to him, and since then, he’s been trying to spread belief in Jesus and build up the church. 

And he is writing to Timothy today because Timothy was the new bishop and pastor of a community of Christians, much like St. Ignatius. Paul wants Timothy to trust in the abundant graces that comes from following, believing in, and loving Jesus. When Christians are faithful to Jesus, when they work together, when they root out sins from their lives, when the make Jesus the most important part of their life, they can do amazing things. They can build churches like this, they can work miracles, they can endure with amazing strength all of life’s difficulties. And most importantly they will be granted life after death and live forever with God.

Paul wants Timothy to help his community truly believe this, truly live out the Christian faith, much as my bishop, Bishop Ed Malesic has sent me, here to this parish, to do the same, to help the Catholics of this place to be faithful, and to help others come to make Jesus the most important person in their lives.

That’s my prayer for all of you as we begin this school year, and that’s my prayer for you always, that you, like St. Paul, and so many Catholics throughout the centuries, may know the abundant graces that comes through faith in Christ, that you may come to do amazing things through him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Week of Easter 2021 - Tuesday (School Mass) - Jesus is the bread of life

 All of this week, our Gospel readings are taken from the sixth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus performs the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. People had followed him out into the desert, far from their homes, they were starving, and so Jesus performs a miracle to feed them. From just a few loaves of bread, Jesus feeds 5000 people. There was so much bread left over after his miracle, that the leftover filled 12 large baskets.

If Jesus can satisfy 5000 people with just a few loaves, imagine what he can do with all the bread of the world, if we but dedicated it to him. If we took all of our possessions, all of the goods of the world, and consecrated them to Jesus and his purposes. If we were less selfish with our things and gave them to God, how much more peace would we enjoy!

In today’s Gospel the people were asking for a sign so they could believe that Jesus was really sent by God. People aren’t just hungry for physical food, they are hungry for the food of heaven. They are hungry for the things that the world cannot supply: true peace, true joy, eternal life, truth and goodness. Politics and government can’t give us these things. Science and technology cannot grant them. As much as they try, they cannot. But we know we long for these things, so where will they come from?

And Jesus says, the world cannot grant these things, but my Father can.  Peace and truth and eternal life: this is the food my father gives, this is the food I’ve come to give. And the people respond, Jesus, give us this heavenly bread. And what does Jesus say? “I am that bread”.

You want peace, you want joy, you want eternal life, you want your life to be filled with truth, and goodness, and beauty, go to Jesus to be fed. Come to Jesus to be fed. Believe and follow Jesus. Becomes his disciple. Walk in his truth. Follow his teachings. Pray to him. Ask his help. Ask him, like the people in the Gospel, “Sir, give us this heavenly bread. Give us this bread, always.”

In the words of the Psalm “Be my rock of refuge” Jesus. “A stronghold to give me safety.” Jesus. Be my rock and my fortress” Jesus. “For your name’s sake lead me and guide me Jesus” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For Pope Francis, all bishops and priests, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.

That the peoples of the world may turn to God as the source of all true and lasting peace.

That the parish and school of St. Ignatius of Antioch, may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Jesus.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the good graces that come from Jesus’ Paschal Victory. Let us pray to the Lord.

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.

25th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - A time for everything (School Mass)

 I’ve been able to say hello to some of you in the parking lot in the mornings before school, but I’m very happy to greet you all for the first time, albeit virtually, and to wish you all a very blessed new school year.

This is a year unlike any other years, isn’t it? Virtual classrooms, social distancing. And I don’t think we could have a more relevant first reading than we did this morning. So, relevant to the strange circumstances in which education must occur this year. 

Ecclesiastes says, there is an appointed time for everything, a time for everything under the heavens.  

“A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.” Most schools years fall into that first category, don’t they? A time for embrace—of being close to each other. The word embrace literally means, being able to throw your arms around a friend or a loved one. And now, about half of our students are not able to join us in person, quite yet. And, sadly, we have to avoid the physical contact we are used to.

It is a time to be far from embraces. Most of our families even are forced to be far from embraces. We can’t just go and throw our arms around our cousins or aunts and uncles or grandparents. And that’s terribly sad.

But, this reading from ecclesiastes reminds us that through all these different changing times and seasons of life and human history, even very strange times like the one we live in now, God is working in our lives. God is bigger, God is stronger, than even our worst problems. 

And what is God doing? What is God doing even now in this time of sickness, this time where we must be far from embraces?. God is at work, the book of ecclesiastes says, to put the timeless into our hearts.

What does that mean? That means when we are living through good times, God is at work to make us holy. And when we are going through bad times or difficult times or terrible times, God is at work to make us holy. God wants to make us holy whether we are in peace times or at war, whether we are rejoicing over the wonderful things happening to us, or we are mourning over the very sad things.

Ecclesiastes says that God is at work, often, without us discovering what he is doing. Often, and especially when we are going through difficult times, like we are right now, it is hard to know what God is doing. It’s hard to fathom that anything good can come out of evil. It is hard to see the hand of God. It is hard to imagine just what good God can bring out of social distancing, distance learning, quarantine.

There is an old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. In other words, being far from embraces, as ecclesiastes puts it, helps us to value and be grateful for the times that we are able to be together and share embraces. God wants to help us see goodness everywhere and in all people. God wants us to work to bring goodness out of every evil and to love and cherish every person—every human life. Ecclesiastes reminds us to make the best use of the time that we’ve been given, and that always means, looking for God, praying to God, and valuing the things of God. 

I’d rather that all of you would be able to join me in church today, but, perhaps, God is teaching all of us to value being in Church more than we did, when we could come here freely.

The theme for this school year is “go out to all the world and tell the good news”, with the help of the Holy Spirit, may we continue to look for creative ways to do that, even with the constraints upon us, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the time that we’ve been given, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That we may use the time, talent, and treasure with which they’ve been blessed, to grow in the timeless virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Let us pray to the Lord.

For blessings upon the teachers and staff of St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary, that they may strive to share their knowledge with gentle patience and endeavor always to bring the truth to eager minds. Let us pray to the Lord.

For parents, the first teachers of their children, that their faith and love may be an example to their children always. Let us pray to the Lord Let us pray to the Lord.

For students: that they may use their God given gifts and talents to apply themselves diligently to their studies, for peace and harmony among them, and the flowering of the Gifts of every spiritual gift. Let us pray to the Lord.

That all of our homes may be places where the timeless word of God is studied, cherished, and practiced Let us pray to the Lord.

For an end to oppression, racism, hatred, addiction and injustice. For those most profoundly impacted by the coronavirus, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, and the healing of all the sick Let us pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N. …for whom this Mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

O God, you know that present life 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.

February 11 2020 - Our Lady of Lourdes - Countless Healing Miracles

During his earthly ministry, Jesus gained great popularity as a healer—he became known in the many towns and regions as a healer, he could perform miraculous healings. People brought their sick family members to him to be healed. St. Matthew tells us: “News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed--and He healed them.”

When Jesus began training the apostles to carry on his gospel and carry on his work of saving souls, he gave them the power to heal and sent them to many of the different towns to heal the sick.
After his resurrection, Peter and the Apostles continued to preach and heal the sick and up and down the centuries many of the saints also were given the gift of healing. St. Francis, St. Benedict, St. Patrick in Ireland, St. Andre up in Canada, Padre Pio.

Well, in the year 1858, Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, appeared to a young girl named Bernadette in southwestern France, in a little town called Lourdes that most people had never heard of before. At Lourdes, the Virgin Mary told Bernadette a number of things: Mary told Bernadette how God wants us to pray for the conversion of sinners and unbelievers by praying the Rosary and meditating on the events in the life of Christ. And of course, the young, mostly unschooled Bernadette had the job of convincing the Bishop to have a chapel built on that place where Mary appeared. And from that place a stream of water began to flow.

Today, more than 7 million people make a pilgrimage to this place to bathe in those waters. And just as Jesus and His saint performed many healing miracles, this place, this shrine of Lourdes, has become a place of countless healing miracles. People from all over the world over the last 160 years have traveled to Lourdes, the paralyzed, the demon possessed, the terminally ill, and they have been healed.

February 11 is the anniversary of Mary’s appearance at Lourdes, and it was also designated by the Pope as a day of prayer for healing. Christians around the world are to pray today for the sick.
Not everyone can travel to Lourdes, but everyone here can travel in their hearts to Mary, and ask Mary to bring healing for the sick, to ask holy Mary to bring faith for those who do not believe in God, and to ask Mary to help sinners to seek God’s mercy. Today we pray for miracles, knowing that God loves miracles, especially when it helps people to repent and believe in the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Our Lady may help cleanse the Church of all evil and to bring sinners and unbelievers to God.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world. 

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven.

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.

October 17 2019 - St. Ignatius of Antioch - Parish Patron Saint (School Mass)

Today is the Feast Day of the Patron Saint of our Parish, St. Ignatius of Antioch. Happy Feast Day to all of our parishioners present.

What does it mean that St. Ignatius of Antioch is the Patron Saint of our parish and school?

That St. Ignatius is the patron Saint of our parish, means that we venerate and honor him in a special way, we look to his holy example and ask for his prayers intercession in a special way. His statue stands along Lorain Ave, as if guarding us from evil, and also welcoming those who want to know Jesus.

Each of us should be able to tell the story of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was a Catholic bishop who lived almost 2000 years ago. He was arrested when it was against the law to be a Christian. He was sentenced to death, and was marched from Syria to Rome where he was thrown to the lions. Yet, while he made his way to Rome, he did not fear death, nor did he try to escape. Rather, he wrote letters to encourage the Christians to keep the faith, to believe in the promises of Jesus.

Upon the small table in the middle of the sanctuary, is a relic of St. Ignatius, a piece of his bone. And I invite you to direct your prayers to St. Ignatius today, asking him to help you to love Jesus today, to obtain blessings for your family and for this parish.

The theme song for the school year is “Go Make a Difference” right? “Go make a difference” well St. Ignatius lived 2000 years ago. He made a difference in the life of the Church through his courage, he made a difference by encouraging others, he made a difference by teaching others to follow Jesus and to love Jesus. And over those 2000 years he continues to make a difference, now in 2019, not because he made a lot of money, not because he was the best athlete, not because of his popularity, but because of his holiness.

The sort of difference God needs us to make in the world always, always has to do with us growing in holiness, becoming like Jesus in our love for God the Father and our willingness like Jesus to embrace hardship for the sake of the Gospel.

Ask St. Ignatius today to help you make the difference God wants you to make, through faith in Jesus, through patience, love, self-control, and service of those in need, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. St. Ignatius of Antioch. Pray for us.

22nd Week in OT 2019 - Friday - First School Mass - Purpose of Catholic Schools

Why are you here today? Why are you here in Church on a Friday morning?

One answer, at least for our students, is because, well our teachers told us we were going over to church, and so we here we are.

But why, have they brought you here? Why are you not in your classroom, or playing basketball in the gym, or learning your morning lessons?

Why do students at Catholic schools go to Church, why do you trek across the parking lot, for the celebration of what Catholics call Holy Mass?

That’s an important question, as you will be going to Holy Mass at least once a month this school year. Why are you here? Why disrupt the academic day to come to Church, why do you put down your pencils and crayons and basketballs, in order to come to Church to kneel down and pray? And for those who are Catholic to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion?

What if I told you, that what we do here, is more important, than what goes on over there? That what we do here, makes what we do over there, possible? Do you believe that? Students? Teachers? Staff?
Just about 50 years ago, the Second Vatican council talked about the purpose of Catholic schools. It said that Catholic schools are, like most schools, zealous about forming young people, teaching young people, reading, writing, arithmetic, academics, and all that. But what makes Catholic schools special is that they, and I quote, to enable young people “to grow in the new life which has been given them in baptism.” New life. We are here at Church, at Holy Mass, to grow in New Life.

This new life is what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel today. If you put new wine into old, dried-up wineskins, they will burst. Similarly, Catholics schools don’t just focus on the mind, on academic learning, but the soul, making sure that our souls don’t become long those old, dried-up wineskins in the Gospel, but that our souls are pliant, open to the new life of God.

Catholic schools recognize that for humans to truly flourish, to really become the people God made them to be, we do not ignore the need of the human soul for God, for worship, for prayer, but we realize its priority, the priority of faith.

Why are we here? To allow God to do the work that teachers cannot do, that none of us can do on our own: to nourish our souls, to transform our souls, to give new life to our souls. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

November 12 2018 (school mass) - St. Josaphat - Martyrdom and Eucharist

The month of November began with the great feast of All Saints. There are many types of saints canonized over the centuries. Saints who were Holy Popes, priests, and deacons, saints who were married or widowed. Saints who were religious brothers and sisters who remained unmarried and consecrated themselves to Jesus for their whole of life. Saints whose names and stories we know, and saints whose names we will only learn in heaven.

A very special category of saints are known as the martyrs. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for witness, for the martyrs witness, they testify, they tell the world about Jesus, not only through their preaching and teaching, but to the point of death. Martyrs are so dearly beloved by the Church and exalted by the Church because they follow in the footsteps of Jesus who himself was arrested, tortured, and killed for his witness to the Truth of God.

Today, the Church honors a saint who witnessed to the truth that Christians are supposed to look to and follow the spiritual leadership of the Pope. St. Josephat was a bishop who was killed by a mob of people who hated the Pope. As bishop, St. Josephat witnessed to the truth that Jesus, Our Lord, created the Church and organized it to have a spiritual leader, who governs the Church in faithfulness to Jesus. For defending this truth, Josephat was killed. Josephat was faithful to those words we heard in our first reading, St. Paul writing to Titus about bishops "holding fast to the true message."


So many of the martyrs throughout the centuries have died defending what is True, what is true about Jesus, what is true about God, what is true about the Church, and what is true about the human soul, that the human soul is need of conversion, it needs to humble itself, turn away from sin, and believe in the Gospel.

We are thankful for the witness of the martyrs. And every time we come to celebrate the Eucharist, we need to approach the altar with the desire to have the same strength of faith that the martyrs showed. That when we are called to witness to the truth, we will have the strength to endure mockery, social-pressure; that our courage and love of God will be stronger than our human fears of suffering.

There is a strong connection between martyrdom and what happens on the altar every time we celebrate mass. For on the altar, bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, who offered himself in witness to the truth of God’s love. And the martyrs offer themselves as well, that we may know and remember that same truth. As we prayed in the opening prayer, “Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep, so that through his intercession, we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not be afraid to lay down our life for others”…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.