All Souls 2020 - Mourning and Praying for the Dead

A few years ago, All Souls Day fell on the first Friday of November, and so I was visiting and bringing Holy Communion to homebound parishioners. My first stop was to a woman named Josephine, and elderly woman with a thick polish accent, to whom I had been bringing Communion for several years.  

I asked her if she had any particular intentions she would like to offer as she received Holy Communion, and she said, since today is the Feast of All Souls she would like to pray for her husband and her father who were arrested and killed in the Concentration Camp at Aushwitz during World War II.  After we prayed, and she received Holy Communion, she asked if I would like to see a picture of her father.  I said I would.

She went into the bedroom and brought out a rectangular photograph of very thin man, dressed in a prison outfit, in three poses: a profile looking to the right, one where he was looking up and to the left, and the middle one, he was looking directly at the camera with a haunted expression.

I thought of the horrors he witnessed—they seemed reflected in his eyes--and I had to sit down.  

Josephine then said, Father, I try to think of good memories, but so often I am overwhelmed with sadness.  Why do we always remember the hurtful things?

After a moment, I said, I think it’s important not to forget our loved ones, as hurtful as their memories are, so that we can pray for them, and to pray that terrible things like war and genocide never happen again.

She said, “All Souls Day is always a very sad day for me, but it is also the anniversary of our coming to this country and escaping those horrors.”  How fitting, I thought because that’s what All Souls is all about. Today we pray that our loved ones arrive at their heavenly homeland. 

Today can be a sad day, it might be a sad month, for the whole month is dedicated to praying for the souls of the dead—remembering the faithful departed whom we loved in this life can evoke strong emotions. And that’s not bad. For the Lord promises comfort to those who mourn: blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. We are comforted by the knowledge that our prayers truly help our departed loved ones. Every moment of sorrow, is a moment to turn to the Lord, and to know the comfort that can only come through Him.

When are overwhelmed with grief for our loved ones the best thing to do is to turn to God in prayer for their souls and to renew our hope in the resurrection. As Saint Thomas Aquinas said that the greatest act of love we can perform on behalf of the dead is to pray for them.  

And yet, we simply don’t pray, today and this month, for those who were good, we pray for all souls. No matter who they were in life, how they acted, who they loved or hurt, we pray for all of the souls in purgatory, that they may be open to all of the purification they need in order to enter eternal life with God. If there is a soul, who may have hurt us or hurt a family member, that we cannot bring ourselves to pray for, we should work on that today, and this month. Praying for our enemies, truly praying for their greatest good, their conversion to Christ, shows that we are not bound by malice or hate for them, but are concerned for all souls.

The scripture readings for this holy day speak of a time when the dead, when all souls shall be gathered before Christ, to be judged, but in the meantime, we continue to pray for all, to work for the good of all, the conversion of all, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christ, Son of the Living God, who raised up Lazarus from the dead, will raise up to life all the dead who have been redeemed by his precious blood.  We pray to the Lord.

That Christ, consoler of all who mourn, who dried the tears of the family of Lazarus, the widow’s son, and the daughter of Jairus, will bring comfort to all those who mourn for the dead.  We pray to the Lord.

That Christ, our Savior, will destroy the reign of sin in our earthly bodies, and grant us eternal life.  We pray to the Lord.

That Christ, our Redeemer, will look on all those who have no hope because they do not know him, and bring them to faith in the resurrection and in the life of the world to come.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died. For our beloved dead who we pray for in a special way today, this All Souls day and during the month of November, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. Let us pray to the Lord.

January 27 2020 - St. Angela Merici - Catholic Schools Week

We begin Catholic Schools Week this year celebrating the feast day of one of the great Patron Saints of Catholic education, St. Angela Merici. St. Angela lived about 500 years ago. Out of love for Jesus, she consecrated her life to him from a very young age—promising never to get married and to live a life of prayer and service and she convinced her sisters to do the same.

Around the age of 10, Angela’s parents and one of her sisters died. So she moved to a nearby town to live with her uncle. One day, she was out in a field, when she had a vision of heaven. She saw angels and young women coming toward her singing and surrounded by light.  One of the young girls was Angela’s sister who had died, and she told Angela that God wanted her to form a group of women consecrated to the Lord for doing God’s work.

After her vision, she became deeply concerned for the religious education of the children in her native town. She was saddened because they did not love the Lord Jesus as they should, so she took it upon herself to give regular religious instruction to the children. She was soon joined by other women from the neighborhood who shared a similar calling.

Together with these women, St. Angela formed the Order of Ursulines, the first religious order of religious sisters in Church history dedicated primarily to teaching. St. Angela and the Ursulines dedicated their lives to teaching children about Jesus. St. Angela’s Ursulines spread throughout Italy and France and eventually throughout all of Europe and they were the very first Catholic nuns in the United States.

When Catholics spread to Cleveland, our first Bishop, Bishop Amadeus Rappe knew that establishing Catholics schools was a top priority. He invited the Ursulines to Cleveland to start the Catholic school system here in northeast Ohio. St. Angela’s Ursulines have been a blessing to the Church of Cleveland for over 170 years.

St. Angela knew the importance of helping people to know, love, and follow Jesus which is the primary mission of Catholic Schools. She was a woman of action whose efforts changed world history. When she saw the ignorance of the children in her neighborhood, she didn’t just wring her hands or complain, she went out and taught them.

She is a wonderful saint to celebrate and imitate during this Catholic Schools Week.  Now she prays for all Catholic school children from her place near God in heaven and for all of us, that we may learn everything we can about Jesus, that we may love him and follow him and spread that faith to others, for the glory of god and salvation of souls.

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As we begin Catholic Schools Week, we pray for all students, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding, and that teachers may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and competence.

For parents, the first teachers of their children, that by their faith and love, they may be blessings to their families, and for a strengthening of all families in faith.

In Thanksgiving for the Ursuline Order, for their efforts to instill faith in our Diocese over the decades.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

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

December 30 2019 - Christmas Octave - "A certain prophetess "

The first two chapters of St. Luke’s Gospel contain what are known as the “Infancy Narratives”. They are familiar stories to us, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Our Lord, and his Presentation in the Temple.

Today, we read the concluding verses of the infancy narratives—of a woman named Anna. Anna is described by Luke as a prophetess, a widow, and a woman of advanced years. Her husband had died after only seven years of marriage, and since his death, for about sixty years, Luke tells us “she never left the temple.”

She, like Simeon, is a representative of faithful Israel who awaited the Messiah, who prepared for him through prayer and fasting and an enduring hope, and was now blessed to witness his coming. Here was a woman, whose life had become focused on patiently awaiting the promises of God. Can we even begin to comprehend her joy upon meeting Christ?

Notice, how after encountering Jesus, she begins to speak about the encounter, she becomes an evangelizer.

After the death of her husband, Anna could have stayed home, depressed and withdrawn, but after a period of grief and mourning, she devoted her life to God. Anna is a wonderful example for all widows and widowers, who answer the call to come to daily mass, to worship, to pray, to encounter the Lord.

There in the Temple, even in widowhood, her life was filled with Joy, as she encountered God, and that joy translated into evangelization. She is an example for all Christians. Those who celebrate the Lord’s birth on Christmas day, are tasked, like Anna, with sharing the good news of his birth with others.

We are to speak about Him, sharing with others, how he is the fulfillment of all their desires, he is the way by which God’s peace is offered to us, the way joy can fill our lives in this dark world.
May Anna help us to live out the true meaning of Christmas, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.
That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice and honesty, and for the reversal of any law which permits or leads to the destruction of innocent human life, and that God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.
For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

2nd Week of Advent 2019 - Wednesday - Faith in the One True God

Over the last week and a half, we’ve heard a number of promises from Isaiah the prophet. Promises that God would send a Messiah to usher in an endless age of peace; how the messiah’s peaceful rule will put an end to war, how God’s people will be protected from the forces of evil and chaos, how God will feed his people with rich foods and choice wines, how tears of sadness and suffering and guilt will be wiped away.

So, over the last week and a half, we’ve heard promises of what God will do. But today, Isaiah justifies those promises. Why should we believe them?

Because God has no equal. He is the Creator of the Cosmos and commander of the heavenly hosts. He does not grow faint nor weary, but lends his own strength and power and life to his faithful ones.

To the Jews captive in Babylon this was an important call to faith. For, they had seen their own holy city and temple destroyed. And while in Babylon, the Jews were exposed to this strange pantheon of Babylonian gods and their strange mystic cults. These false gods seemed to be pretty effective, no?

Yet, Isaiah calls the captive Jews to remember and put their hope in the one true God of strength and power and creation, the God of New Life, whose existence is evident from the life that flows through their veins. . The Messiah will come not come from Babylon, not from these false gods, not from the political powers and armies that destroyed Jerusalem, but from the One True God.

During Advent, we recall the same thing. Our Savior comes not from the world, not from the false gods of the world, not from any political party, not from any human army, not from amassing wealth and material goods, not from technology, medical or environmental. Salvation comes from the One True God and his Son Jesus Christ.

“Come to me, you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give rest.” This invitation is extended to all people, of every place. Come to ME, all you who are burdened.  Any real healing and comfort and strength and security and peace comes from Him. 

Our secular culture offers a million and one alternatives to Jesus.  But Jesus says, come to ME.  Don’t turn to sin, don’t turn to selfishness, don’t run away from the Church, don’t turn to those million OTHER things, come to ME, Jesus says, and you will find refreshment and rest.

May we place our faith in Him, and lead others to that same faith, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have become separated from God through error and sin, for those who reject the teachings of Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.

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

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

1st Week of Advent 2019 - Monday - The Messiah in God's Plan of Salvation

Throughout the season of Advent we will read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah speaks about many of the same themes as Jesus: the need for repentance, salvation, mercy, judgment, justice, and the need for faith. Most important for the season of Advent though are Isaiah’s prophecies of the Messiah and how he will usher in the eternal reign of God.

Yet today, Isaiah’s passage isn’t so much about the birth of a child to a virgin-maiden, but of the work of the Messiah to usher in the eternal kingdom of peace. The Messiah will come with a “blast of searing judgment” upon the wicked, Isaiah says today. Zion, the assembly of God’s holy ones will be purged of defilement. And the Lord will grant shelter and protection to the holy ones. Isaiah’s vision here is certainly consistent with John’s vision in the book of Revelation.

These early Advent days urge us to reflect not so much on the first coming of Christ, at Bethlehem but the second coming at the end of time; not so much the first Advent, but the second. But this is to help us keep in mind who the Christ-Child is, what he comes to do, how he fits into and fulfills the eternal plan of God, and the consequences for not believing in Him and following Him. How he fulfills our deepest longings.

For each of the readings speak of restoration, healing, shelter, peace. The longing to be safe and secure from our enemies, is one of our deepest human needs. This promise of be gathered within the secure walls of our Father’s house, recalls the safe walls of the garden Paradise from which we were expelled, but to which we will are joyfully readmitted through Christ.

The healing of the dreadfully suffering paralyzed man in the Gospel, too, speaks of  the ultimate healing and restoration that comes through Christ for those who believe in Him.

We pray during this Advent season that we will come to recognize Jesus as Messiah in a deeper way, that we will allow him to cure our paralyses, and bring conversion to those parts of us which are set in opposition to God, free us from our captivities, wash away our filth, and strengthen our communion with God and the Church. 

We pray too that we may be God’s instruments in the world this Advent, that we can bring others to recognize Jesus as savior, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces and For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of December, “That every country take the measures necessary to prioritize the future of the very young, especially those who are suffering.”

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. 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.

September 9 2019 - St. Peter Claver - A slave of slaves

In the age of the explorers and conquistadors, many young men were leaving Europe for the Americas in order to seek out a fortune. Peter Claver, a young Jesuit priest, rather, left his native Spain, to build up treasure in heaven, in Cartegena, a port city in modern day Columbia. The Collect prayer refers to Peter Claver as “a slave of slaves” for he ministered to the African slaves who were brought there to work in the fields and the mines.

When the slave ships entered the port, Peter Claver would board the ships to care for the sick and malnourished. And when the slaves were herded to the slave-market, Peter, would bring them medicine, food, bread, and other items that would help them survive in this new land.

With the help of interpreters, he gave the slaves basic instructions in the faith; he assured them of their human dignity and the salvation that awaited them in God's kingdom.  During the 40 years of his ministry in Columbia, it is estimated that Claver baptized more 300,000 slaves.

Additionally, Peter Claver preached Christ’s Gospel message to the sailors, and tradesman, the imprisoned, and those condemned to death, and to the rich. On many occasions, he was ill-received by the plantation owners and their wives, who looked upon his ministry among their slaves as a waste of their time.

On this Memorial we hear from Matthew 25, the Lord’s teaching on the final judgment, a reminder that service of those in need is never a waste of time. In each slave, to whom he ministered, Peter Claver ministered to Christ himself. And for this, he is counted among the blessed. In the words of Mother Theresa: "At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me.

We might not be called to baptized 300,000 slaves. But we are certainly called to help someone other than ourselves today. Again, in the words of Mother Theresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

May we use the time we have been given today, to serve Christ in the poor, in the midst of their daily suffering, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be diligent in the works of charity, and generous with our time, talent, and treasure in serving those in need.
For an end to slavery, human trafficking, and all forms of inhumane oppression, for the protection and respect of human life.
For those whose lives are marked by suffering, that they may find hope in the promises of Christ.
For the repose of the souls of the dead, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.
Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrimage Church, grant us what we truly need to remain faithful to your Son in all things. Through Christ Our Lord.