4th Week of Easter 2024 - Monday - Universal Love, Universal Mission

 During the Easter season we consider the Church’s call to spread the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

The Lord, in his first recorded post-resurrection appearance to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, mandates them to “go and teach and baptize and make disciples of all nations. 

We are sent to all nations and peoples because God loves all nations and all peoples. Our universal missionary mandate is grounded in the eternal and universal love of the Most Holy Trinity. God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" writes Paul to Timothy.

And even though this mandate was clearly enunciated by the Lord, it was certainly a challenge to the early Christians. Remember the earliest Christians including the apostles were Jews. The Jews were treated with suspicion and disdain even then, not to mention, they were a conquered people, non-Romans in a Roman controlled world—fisherman and farmers in a world controlled by military might. On top of that, their whole religion was about avoiding contact with the Gentiles, who were considered unclean for a variety of reasons.

Now, yes, there are many scriptural prophecies of how God would use the Jews to gather all nations, how the nations of the world would stream up to Jerusalem to glorify God. But Jesus’ commission wasn’t just to wait around in Jerusalem, waiting for the nations to magically appear—Jesus’ commission was to go out and gather, to put out into the deep. 

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St Peter explains to the early Jewish converts in Jerusalem how he himself was initially hesitant to go out to the Gentiles, but God kept reminding him, like in the dream he described, not to call unclean what God has made clean. Not only was there a mission to the Gentiles, but through Christ, the Gentile is made clean, equally clean—a brother in the Lord.

Those of us of non-Jewish descent must be eternally thankful that Peter and Paul and the early Church overcame their fears and heeded the mandate. And as they did, so must we, in our own day, in our age, to all people in all places—not just waiting for others to come to us, but to go out and teach and share.

For, the Great Commission given by Jesus is not merely a suggestion but a mandate to actively go out and share the Good News with the entire world. Like those early Jewish converts we must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with courage to reach across cultural barriers, prejudices, and the fear of rejection—to be motivated by authentic Trinitarian love for all people for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That the love and goodness of the Good Shepherd may be evident in the charitable self-giving of Christians towards the poor; for unity among believers, protection from worldly errors and evils, and the gathering of scattered humanity into the one flock of Christ. 

For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ—especially in places afflicted with violence, corruption, injustice and oppression.

That our parish may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received. 

For those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction or grief; and for the consolation of all the afflicted. 

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.

7th Week of Easter 2021 - Tuesday - Self-Donation and Heavenly Glory

 At this point in the Easter season, you’ve heard me say a time or two that Chapters 14-17 of the Gospel of John comprise the Lord’s Farewell Discourse—his instruction to the apostles on the night before he was to be crucified, given at the Last Supper. 

Today we begin the final chapter of the Farewell Discourse, where Jesus turns from addressing his disciples to addressing his Father. Chapter 17 consists of a prayer.

And within this prayer you will find five specific petitions. Today’s Gospel contains the first two: First there is a petition for glory—that as the Father has been glorified through the Lord’s earthly ministry, that glory may reach a culmination as the mission of Jesus is completed upon the cross. The Second petition is a prayer for his disciples—the Lord lifts up his disciples to the Father as a way of uniting them to himself.

In this prayer, Jesus opens a window into his relationship with the Father, and we see that it is marked by complete selflessness. His only desire is to glorify his Father and do his Father’s will. Everything that the Father has given to the Son, the Son, in turn gives back to the Father. It is in this total giving of self that we come to some understanding of that mysterious statement that “God is love”.

And that the Lord prays for his disciples in the very next breath after praying to do his Father’s will is also profound. He prays that God may be glorified through Jesus’ loving self-donation, and then he prays for us, that we may come to share in that very same glory by remaining united with the Son by imitating his self-donation, his self-sacrifice.

The Christian life consists of imitating the Love Jesus has for his Father, love that is manifested in self-sacrifice.

This section of John’s Gospel is perhaps the most theologically dense, but that is because it is so theologically rich. We begin to pear into the very mysterious heart of God, and begin to see how Jesus’ own love for his Father is intertwined with his love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that we may believe in Him and have eternal life” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend—that they may open their hearts to the gifts God has in store for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote domestic tranquility, national unity, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life. Let us pray to the Lord.

Like the apostles gathered with Our Lady in the Cenacle, may the Church grow in Marian devotion this month, especially in devotion to the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know the peace and consolation of the Good Shepherd. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for …for whom this mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.

7th Week of Easter 2018 - Tuesday - The High Priest's Love for God and Man

There are many titles applied to Jesus throughout the Scriptures: he is the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God, the Son of Man.  He is also called the High Priest.  Each title focuses on a particular aspect of who Jesus is and what that means for us.  Today’s Gospel is from the final section of Jesus’ farewell discourse known as his High Priestly Prayer.

Jesus turns from addressing the apostles and begins addressing the Father, praying that his Father might be glorified in what he is about to do: namely his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and that his disciples might receive eternal life through it.

In his High Priestly prayer Jesus opens a window into his relationship with His Father. The Father glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father through his humble self-sacrifice. Jesus reveals the nature of God, that “God is love”, a reality St. John will reflect upon in his first New Testament Letter. Jesus reveals the inner nature of God and simultaneously calls his disciples to the same highest, purist form of self-giving. God’s life is to become our life, our lives must become characterized by divine love.

Whether you are an ordained priest,  a homeless beggar, a widow, or a farmer, like St. Isidore, whom the Church honors today, we are called to a life which glorifies God, a life in which the love that exists between the Father and the Son increasingly characterizes our own life.

Love isn’t easy. Love involves embracing suffering for the good of others, it involves self-sacrifice for those who have no way of repaying you. But by practicing this form of Christ-like love, our souls expand, our life obtains the purpose for which it was created.

Today each of us are called to bring God to others and bring others to God. God is to be glorified in us by accomplishing the work that God has given us to do, to bring others to believe in the one that God sent for our salvation.

May the entirety of our lives—our thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes, all be conformed this day to Jesus Our High Priest for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Catholics in all walks of life, that we may glorify God through our daily labors in service of the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Isidore, we pray for farmers, day laborers, and those who work by the sweat of their brow, that they may receive a just reward for their laborers, and for the unemployed and underemployed.

That spouses may help each other to grow rich in the treasures of heaven, and all those preparing for Holy Matrimony may do so rightly and chastely in the eyes of God.

That all families may seek to model themselves after the Holy Family and always know their guidance and protection.

For the sick, the suffering, the lonely, and the dying, that they may know the consolation of the grace of God.

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for all those who have fought and died for our nation’s freedom.

Tuesday - 4th Week of Easter 2017 - "The Father and I are one"

“The Father and I are one”

What could be more a profound statement? You can just imagine how Jesus’ hearers might have responded to this truth. In the verse following today’s reading, we hear some of his audience wanted to stone him for claiming equality with God. Others were probably so astounded that they began to reevaluate everything Jesus said and did in light of such a claim.

Jesus’s words here are certainly part of the basis of our belief in the Trinity. As St. Augustine teaches: “He did not say, 'I am the Father' or 'I and the Father are one [Person].'  But when he says 'I and the Father are one,' notice the two words 'we are' and 'one'.. if 'we are', then there is both a Father and a Son.

Jesus is one in substance with the Father, yet the Father and the Son are distinct Persons.

So Jesus words teach us WHAT God is, and he also teaches us HOW God is, what God is like.
Jesus speaks about his deeds, how they point to the Father. Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”. In everything he said or did, Jesus revealed something about the Father. And with each revelation, the loving, just, and compassionate character of the Father became clearer and clearer.

Whenever he healed, Jesus revealed his Father’s compassion. He revealed his Father’s mercy when he forgave the woman caught in adultery and offered living water to the woman from Samaria. He demonstrated the power of God when he calmed the storm, and showed his power to be transcendent to that of nature when he walked on turbulent waters and passed through solid walls. He showed God’s righteousness when he overturned the merchants’ tables in the temple. Time and time again, he revealed the wisdom of God as he deftly answers the religious leaders’ attempts to trap him in his own words.

God is full of wisdom, compassion, power, mercy, and love. And through Jesus we are united with God, his power and wisdom and mercy and love begin to permeate the life of the faithful Christian. Through their union with God through Jesus the Saints are powerful signs of God’s presence and care for the world, and that is our vocation as well: to become saints who point to the Father in all we say and do.

May our union with God grow today through acts of faith, prayer, and righteousness for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Jesus is Risen from the dead, and leads his flock to eternal blessings. With new trust, we now bring our needs to the Father through him.

That all Christians may be strengthened in the grace that helps them witness to the Mercy of God.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, and for the 8 men who will be ordained priests in the diocese of Cleveland next Friday.

For our young parishioners who received their First Holy Communion this weekend, that they may always be blessed to raised in faith-filled homes and know the closeness of Jesus their Shepherd.
For mercy upon those who have fallen away from the faith or who have fallen into serious sin.

For the poor and homeless, for those who suffer discrimination and rejection, those with addictions or mental illness, for the imprisoned, and for all who are ill or undergoing surgery this week.

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all of the pour souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, that those who have died may be led by the Good Shepherd to the waters of eternal life.

Father, you call each of us to serve you with faithfulness and joy. Hear our prayers, and bring us to the joy that never ends. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Homily: Friday - 28th Week in OT 2016 - Sealed with the Spirit

Yesterday, we began St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which we’ll be reading from for the rest of the month.  Just as we begin every prayer evoking the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Paul begins his letter praising the three Divine persons

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We heard yesterday his praises of the Father. He praises the Father for His plan of salvation—choosing us from the foundation of the world to be adopted sons and daughters.

He then praised Christ, the Son—how Christ fulfills the Father’s plan through his blood.

Today we heard the next section of Paul’s Trinitarian opening to his letter in which Paul recalls three truths about the Holy Spirit.

First he says, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, Paul says we’ve receive the Spirit according to God’s promise.

Thirdly, he calls the Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance.”

In the ancient world, a letter or legal document was marked in wax with the seal of its author; the seal gave evidence of its authenticity. A seal was also used to indicate ownership: sheep and cattle were branded with their owner’s seal. When soldiers enlisted in the Roman army, they were often sealed by tattooing the name of their commanding general on their hand or forearm.

Several place in Scripture speak of God placing seals on people to indicate that they belong to him and are under his protection. In baptism and confirmation, Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit—we are marked as belonging to God, being under his protection, and is proof that we are his sons and daughters, and members of God’s army.

It’s kind of ironic that a seal, which is something visible, is used to describe the mark the holy Spirit leaves on us—for the Spirit is invisible. So the proof that we are sealed needs to be seen in the way we live—in the way the sacramental grace is appropriated into our lives by our constant turning away from sin, through prayer, and charity, and manifesting the charisms and fruits of the Spirit.

That St. Paul calls our experience of the Holy Spirit “the first installment of our inheritance” means that the joy and the peace the Spirit gives us is but a foretaste of what the faithful shall enjoy in heaven.

But in order to come to that eternal reward, we must continue to cooperate with the Spirit, to be faithful to God by making use of the gifts he gives us, by working always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.