30th Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Mustard seeds can change the world

The parable of the Mustard Seed reminds us how tiny acts of faith can bring about tremendous goods. An act of kindness, an act of goodness, an act of charity appears so small and insignificant, but it can transform the world. 

Consider the Church herself: A small group of uneducated Galilean fishermen and a small group of itinerant missionaries like Paul and Timothy have changed the world. She started off small, imperceptible on a global scale. Now, she has grown and reached nearly every corner of the globe. 

The Church has been foundational in the creation of educational systems. Monasteries, cathedral schools, and later, universities—like the University of Paris, Oxford, and Bologna—were established by the Church. The monasteries kept knowledge and learning alive in the dark ages. The monks applying their learning to practical problems, advanced agricultural techniques and metallurgy. They practically enabled science to emerge as a method of addressing everyday human needs.

Catholic patronage has inspired the world’s greatest art, architecture, music, and literature. The Church invented hospitals. Church Canon law laid the foundation for many principles seen in modern legal systems. Catholic thinkers, especially during the Scholastic period, have shaped Western philosophy.

The lives which have been touched by the charity of the members of the Church is beyond measure. Missionaries established schools, hospitals, farms in the poorest most undeveloped areas, uplifting local economies and advancing health and education in diverse cultures.

The positive impact of the Church in history and in human lives is incalculable. But again, we started as a mustard seed. 

But the mustard seed principle is not just for the church as a whole, it is the way of life for the individual Christian. We take small acts of charity very seriously because it is clear that this is how God wants to spread his kingdom: through small acts with great love, as st. therese the little flower would say, whom we celebrated at the beginning of the month.

We must not discount or underestimate the power of those little acts of kindness: of giving a coat to a shivering stranger, a hot meal, a listening ear, a comforting message, a prayer card, a helpful reference to a bible verse that touches upon a doubt or concern. 

The Christian who is quietly trying to bring relief to the suffering, the sick, and the lonely, is a mustard seed that God uses to transform the world. May we be faithful in this great vocation of being mustard seeds…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the mission of the Church in all corners of the world, that her charitable work in schools, hospitals, and communities may uplift the poor, advance health, bring the love of Christ to the underserved, and the Gospel to all people.

For all victims of war, for peace in the Holy Land, an end to the violence and the consolation of the suffering. May God come to the assistance of the communities and families devastated by terrorism and war; and may world leaders work together for peace. 

For a greater respect for human life in our laws and institutions: that we may cherish, defend, and protect the most vulnerable

That all Christians may embrace their calling to bring hope, comfort, and relief to those in need. For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know God’s consolation, healing, and grace. 

For the souls of the departed, that through the mercy of God, they may experience the fullness of eternal life in His Kingdom.

Loving Father, you reveal your Kingdom in the smallest acts of charity and faith. Hear these prayers we bring before you, and grant us what we need to be faithful in bringing your love to the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Epiphany 2022 - "We saw his star at its rising"

 In keeping with the ancient practice, following the proclamation of the Epiphany Gospel, I just chanted the announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts for this liturgical year.  

Before the age of mass produced calendars and smart phones, the chanting of the feasts was a practical necessity; now, we do it as a way of remaining rooted in our Catholic tradition, and still to help us plan our year around Christ.

God Himself planned creation around Christ. He planned our salvation around Christ. From the Big Bang nearly fourteen billion years ago, God planned the saving birth of Christ at Christmas. “In the fullness of time” writes St. paul to the Galatians, “God sent forth his Son born of a woman.” And this plan of God included the confluence of a multitude of historical events—the census of Caesar, the plotting of King Herod, the appearance of angels to the shepherds, the inquisitiveness of the wise men from the east, the stable, the gifts, the poverty of the Holy family, the Christmas star. 

A few years ago, Frederick Larson, an American university professor set out to investigate the Christmas star using modern scientific methods. And he discovered some very interesting things. 

First, he looked into the bible’s claim of the wise men from the east. There are many references in ancient literature to the Magi who were basically the “scientists” of the ancient world. They didn't have the benefit of modern scientific, experimental methods, but they did make a rational, logical study of philosophy, medicine, and the natural world - including the stars.

One group of these scholars revered throughout the ancient world were the Chaldean Magi, based in the city of Babylon, just south of Bagdad, in modern Iraq. The scholars of Babylon were already well-established 600 years before the birth of Jesus. The prophet Daniel encountered them during the Babylonian exile. In fact, it’s likely thanks to Daniel and the exiles, that the Magi even heard the biblical prophecies of the Messiah and the star marking his birth. 

After verifying the biblical claim of these wise men from Babylon, Professor Larson put modern astronomy to work. He programmed computer software to show what the stars would have looked like in Babylon around the year 3 BC. Larson deduced that the star of Bethlehem wouldn’t have been a shooting star, or a super nova, or even a comet. Those things would have been obvious to everyone, and yet, King Herod and his advisers were astonished by the Magi's news of this strange astronomical event. Instead, this event would have been detectable only by the wise, those who were looking for it. And there was a remarkable astronomical event at that time. 

That September, the Planet Jupiter, the brightest planet in the night sky, known as the King Planet, began to converge upon a star known at that time as Regulus, regulus whose name also means King. The convergence of the King Planet and the King star was an interesting coincidence, but that’s not all. 

The convergence of Jupiter and Regulus occurred within the constellation known as Leo, the Lion. The Magi would certainly have recognized the Lion as the Biblical image for the tribe of Judah, from which the Messiah would be born. 

Thirdly, the constellation Virgo, the Virgin, began to arise in the east, and right at the feet of the constellation of the Virgin, sat the new crescent moon, the "birthing" moon. The birthing virgin—that’s an interesting idea. Where have we heard that?

Together, these astronomical coincidences pointed to Jewish King coming forth from the line of Judah being born to a virgin. But that’s not all…Nine months later, things got even more interesting astronomically.

In June of the year 2 BC, the Planet Jupiter, the King Planet, was no longer in conjunction with the King Star, Regulus. Instead, on the horizon of the western sky, Jupiter was having an even more spectacular rendezvous. Jupiter came so close to the Planet Venus that their light merged, becoming the brightest light in the night sky - the brightest the Magi would have ever seen. The Magi, along with the rest of the pagan world, knew the planet Venus as the Mother Planet - the icing on the cake. 

If at that point the Magi had begun their journey, by the time they reached Jerusalem the orientation of the Jupiter-Venus conjunction would have changed. Looking up from Jerusalem, the Magi would have seen the stars pointing south - the exact direction of Bethlehem. And so, leaving Herod’s company, as we heard in the gospel today, they simply followed this convergence of planets and stars, that God had set into motion billions of years ago.

This scientific research gives credence to the biblical claim and our Catholic faith that God had planned the saving birth of Jesus Christ from the beginning—our salvation is God’s highest priority. His love for us, is truly beyond all telling.

And like the wise men, we are to use our intellectual gifts and talents to seek him out, to understand him, to bow down and worship him. The God who guides the entire universe, who guided the Magi to Bethlehem, wants also to guide our lives because he loves us and desires our salvations.

But we must do our part, we must seek him out. “Seek and ye shall find” the Lord says in the Gospel. Why do so many not believe, even though Christ, Savior, King, and Lion of Judah has been born of the virgin and  has been revealed to the nations? They do not really want to find him. Their egos, like Herod’s eclipse the truth, that Jesus is Christ and Lord, and to him every knee should bend.

Because upon finding him, you have a choice: will your life revolve around him or not? Will you allow him to be the center of the universe or not? Many do not seek him out because, like Herod, they are threatened by Him, by the babe of Bethlehem. They will not allow the universe to spin around anyone but themselves. And their earthly lives are sorrier for it, and their eternity is in danger. 

The feast of the Epiphany reminds us that the wise seek him out, and fall down in worship before him, and by doing so, point others to do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

November 15 2021 - St. Albert the Great - Patron of Scientists and Philosophers

St. Albert the Great—Albertus Magnus—was born at the beginning of the 13th century to an influential family in Germany. He went to Padua in Italy to study the so-called “liberal arts” : grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music.

During his stay in Padua he attended the Church of the Dominicans, whom he then joined with the profession of the religious vows. It is said, however, that, he came to the discernment of his vocation quite gradually, and three main factors played a role: the Dominican Friars' example of holiness, hearing the sermons of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, St Dominic's successor as the Master General of the Order of Preachers, and his own intense relationship with God.

In my late teenage years, as I began to discern my vocation to the priesthood, I think of the holy example of my home parish pastor, some excellent homilies, and some pretty intense prayer that led to my entrance into holiness. God can and does speak to us in our youth in pointing us toward our life’s project. 

As it was for Albert, so also for all of us, personal prayer, nourished by the Lord's word, frequent reception of the Sacraments and the spiritual guidance of enlightened people are the means to discover and follow God's voice. 

Albertus Magnus is best known as one of the Fathers of the scholastic method of philosophy in the Medieval period that became the predominant system of philosophy in the Church for centuries. His synthesis of the philosophy of Aristotle was further developer by his student and friend, Thomas Aquinas.  

Albert wrote a compendium of knowledge which addressed topics such as logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics, and so many of the natural sciences from physics to chemistry, astronomy and minerology, from botany to zoology.  He is one of the patron saints of philosophy and the natural sciences. He certainly shows us that there is not only a place in the Church for deeply rational thought, but a need for men and women of scientific minds who are also open to and fervent for the deep mystery of God. We need faithful Catholic economists and mathematicians and astronomers and politicians to lend their rational thought and faith to the mission of the Church.

There is a place for the greatest minds inside the Church. May St. Albertus Magnus help us put our own ingenuity, creativity, energy, and interests in service of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

Through the intercession of St. Albert the Great, patron of philosophers and scientists, that those involved in the sciences may be men and women of faith may glorify God in their learning, research, and work. 

For safety for travelers and for the homeless and destitute affected by cold and inclement weather, and that Christians may be every more attentive to the needs of the poor and the despairing in our midst. 

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution. For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and the healing of all the sick.  

We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for N. 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

Sacred Heart 2018 - The Flesh of His Heart

In 1996 in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, then under the care of Archbishop Jorge Bergolio, now Pope Francis, an investigation was conducted of a possible Eucharistic miracle. A consecrated Host was found on the ground and soon placed in a glass of water to dissolve. Days later, the Eucharist hadn’t dissolved at all — it had turned into bloody Flesh. It was stored in the tabernacle for three years, and when it did not dissolve, Archbishop Bergolio summoned a neurophysiologist to have samples from the Host examined in a laboratory environment.

The scientist brought the sample to San Francisco without telling anyone there what it was or where it came from. Blind testing revealed the samples were constituted of human heart muscle, specifically from the myocardium of the left ventricle. Further, the tests showed the blood was human, with human DNA, and of the rare AB-positive type — the same as found on the Shroud of Turin.

A similar miracle was recently confirmed as authentic in Poland. In this case too, a Host had fallen to the ground, so it was placed in water to dissolve. Not long afterward, the Eucharist began turning red, as if bloody.

The bishop allowed scientific tests to be conducted, which indicated that the host had become human tissue, specifically heart muscle, and more specifically heart muscle, under great strain, as if it were undergoing great agony.

We celebrated last Sunday, the great gift of the Eucharist, how the Lord left us the Eucharist as the memorial of his suffering and death. These miracles in a sense link last Sunday’s feast with today’s feast of the Sacred Heart: that the Eucharist comes from the heart of Christ. The Eucharistic Preface today, in fact, calls the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the wellspring of the Church’s Sacraments. The Sacraments are born of the love of Christ, the heart of Christ, who willingly undergoes the excruciating agony of crucifixion, that we might be redeemed from our sinful rejection of God, of which all men are guilty.

His love encompasses all. Salvation is offered to all. The Gospel is preached to all. And the Sacraments are offered to all who will humble themselves to acknowledge and confess their sins and to profess the Christian faith of Christ’s one true Church. No one is excluded from the invitation to repent and believe.

Now some people want salvation without repentance, and some want it without belief, some people want it without engaging in the Sacramental life of the Church. So we pray for them, we do reparation for them, and we share the truth of the Gospel with them, that all may come to drink from the wellspring of Charity, the heart of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the Church may be continually cleansed and sanctified by the blood and water that gave us new birth.

For all who have fallen away from the Church, for those who lack faith, and in reparation to the Sacred Heart for all sin and all blasphemy.

For all those who are sick or burdened in any way, may come to know and experience the refreshment of Christ’s love.

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 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