28th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - Fruits of the Spirit

 

Friedrich Nietzsche once told a group of Christians, “You Christians disgust me, if you really are redeemed, why don’t you look redeemed?”  Now of course Nietzsche and others are so hardened to Christianity that they are blinded to goodness and truth when it is right in front of them. But, he does have a point! Why don’t we look redeemed?

In today’s first reading (Gal 5:18-25) St. Paul explains that the fruits of the Spirit need to be evident in our lives.  The fruits of the Spirit are to be evident in us; “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”, they need to be seen, obvious, apparent, manifest in word and deed, clear to believers and unbelievers. 

Why should they be evident? Because they point to God. They are signs that God is real and that his Spirit dwells within us. They are signs that we take our faith seriously. But most importantly, they point to God. And our job—our mission—is to point others to God. In the Gospels, the Lord says, “let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 

Making evident the fruits of the spirit is not a selfish endeavor—it’s not prideful for us to display kindness, generosity and joy. We don’t seek to make the fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives for worldly attention or fame: “Look at me. Look how holy I am.” No, of course not. Christians are to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit for the sake of the mission, for drawing souls to Christ. 

When people detect the fruits of the Spirit in us, they become intrigued, they are our best advertisement for God. Wow, the world is so full of hatred and jealousy, but look at this Christian, their kindness, their generosity points to something else, something bigger than them. 

Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in my life? If not, why not? Is it because I have not cultivated them through prayer and good works? Is it because I’m too busy indulging in the works of the flesh?  Sometimes cultivating the fruits of the Spirit is difficult because we’ve lacked good role models. Sometimes it’s hard for us to be patient or joyful because our parents were not really patient or joyful people. Or it’s hard to practice self-control because we really didn’t have good teachers of that fruit. So we have to really struggle to bear those fruits.

But the Holy Spirit will teach you all these things and cause them to grow in you, if you really till the soil. 

Homework: identify which fruit of the Spirit is most evident in your life, and identify which is most lacking. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make use of your strongest fruit, and help you to identify what you need to do to strengthen your weakest fruit, that the life of God may be evident in you, for the glory of God and Salvation of Souls.

 

For “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. 

For wisdom to guide the life of the Church, the decisions of government leaders, and the ordering of our personal lives.

For our young people, that they may be raised in homes where the Word of God is studied, cherished, and practiced. 

During this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, may Catholics take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession.

For all victims of war, For hurricane victims and for all affected by flooding and severe weather conditions, and for those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know God’s sustaining grace.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish; for all of the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

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.

 

18th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - But for Wales?

 One of my favorite scenes from The Man for All Seasons, the movie version about St. Thomas More, is when St. Thomas has been brought before the high court and is being questioned by his former friend Richard Rich. From the beginning of the movie, it is clear that Richard is an ambitious man, he had high ambitions to become a powerful man in the English government. St. Thomas cares for Richard’s soul, and tries to convince Richard to consider a humbler profession, that of a school teacher, in which he may even become a great teacher.

St. Thomas had become chancellor of England, the stripped of his office and imprisoned when he would not sign a declaration that the King, rather than the Pope was head of the Church. Richard is brought forward as a witness in Thomas’ trial, and offers false testimony, accusing Thomas of treason, which carried the penalty of death.

Thomas then notices the new chain of office around Richard’s neck, he had been appointed the new Attorney General for Wales. And then Thomas delivers one of the great lines, echoing the Gospel today: “Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . But for Wales!”

You see, Richard had conspired with the government to offer false testimony against St. Thomas in exchange for political office. “But for Wales”. 

Yet, in any sin, we settle for so much less. We exchange the good of our souls, for a passing pleasure, a forbidden piece of knowledge, a petty act of revenge, a chance to climb the ladder of ambition. Sin, in the end profits us nothing, the Lord says in the Gospel today, not even if we were to gain the whole world. For the result of sin is the destruction of our soul, perhaps even its eternal loss. 

Rather, when we are being tempted to sin, we must deny ourselves, practicing self-control, temperance, and prudence—recognizing that we were made for so much more than sin. 

The Lord acknowledges that to fight against temptation sometimes feels like being nailed to a cross, but those who deny themselves, will find something—obtain something—more valuable and glorious than anything their sin could ever hope to acquire—divine life, divine grace, peace that the world cannot give, joy, that is made perfect in us by the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord keep us strong against temptation, helping us to value the things of heaven over the things of earth, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.

For newly consecrated Bishop Michael Woost, new auxiliary for the Diocese of Cleveland, may he know abundant blessings in his new ministry, and aid the Church in stirring up the flame of faith and witnessing to the Gospel.

That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race

For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. 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 desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

10th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - Inner Transformation

 Since the beginning of the week we’ve been reading from Jesus’ most famous sermon, his sermon on the mount. He has taught his followers to be salt and light, not to lose our saltiness and not to hide our light, and of keeping God’s commandments, the smallest letter, the smallest part of the letter of the law of God.

Today the Lord singles out two of the commandments of the law of Moses regarding adultery and divorce, and by doing so, illustrates a grander point.

Not only are Christians to refrain from activities prohibited by God’s laws—for example adultery and divorce—Christians are to root out the attitudes that lead to sin. 

True external conformity to the laws of God is only possible when we have also sought internal conformity to the heart of God.

Two people are standing in the same line waiting for the cashier at the grocery store. One stands quietly, one angrily complains. One approaches the cashier with gentleness, the other rudely belittles the cashier. 

We must root out—or at least control—those internal dispositions to rudeness, anger, complaint, adultery, divorce, and so on, and desire to remain patient in the face of inconvenience, to remain chaste in the face of all lust.

When the Lord says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away” he is speaking hyperbolically. In other words, if you possess some license within yourself, that in some circumstance it is okay to belittle a cashier, get rid of it. If you possess some license within yourself, that in some circumstance it would be okay to commit adultery or some other sexual sin get rid of it, tear out, throw it away.

And if that’s not possible, develop, nurture and grow the ability to practice “self-control” in all circumstances. 

Well, I’m just a little hot-headed sometimes, I’m only human. No. Grace wants to transform those parts of us that are fallen, and bring them under the dominion of God. And the failure to cooperate with transforming grace is our own fault, our own most grievous fault. 

May we seek to cooperate with God’s manifold grace with as much effort as we can possibly muster, for the healing and transformation that God wants for us, God who love us despite our faults, but who seeks our redemption and conversion from sin, and so come to the Beatitude God has planned for us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the preaching and teaching and charitable works of the Church will inspire all people to seek to radical holiness and obedience to the commands of God.

That those in public office may govern with wisdom, put an end to all political corruption, and work for a society of authentic justice and peace with special care for the most vulnerable.

For an end to oppression, racism, hatred, addiction and injustice. For the healing of all the sick. 

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, for a strengthening of marriages, for all single people who strive to follow Christ, and for the grace to utilize our spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory…

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.