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After the death of her husband, Anna could have stayed home, depressed and withdrawn, but after a period of grief and mourning, she devoted her life to God.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

July 5 2019 - St. Elizabeth of Portugal & St. Anthony Zaccaria - Pursuing holiness

The General Calendar of the Roman Catholic Church honors the memory of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal on July 4. However, because July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States, her commemoration has been transferred to July 5 in the United States.

Elizabeth was a 12th-century Spanish princess who was given in marriage to the king of Portugal. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to Mass every day. Her faith, no doubt enabled her to patiently endure her husband’s cruelty and infidelity. She even contributed to the education of his illegitimate children.

Throughout her marriage she also engaged in charitable works: building a hospital and orphanage and a monastery for the Poor Clares. She entered the Poor Clares as a Third Order Franciscan after the death of her husband. She died at the age of 65, after a life pursuing holiness as the most important goal.

July 5 is also the feast of Saint Anthony Zaccaria, who lived about 300 years after Elizabeth. Anthony was a pious young man who supported his widowed mother as a medical doctor. While working among the poor he became attracted to the religious vocation and was ordained a priest. During the Protestant Reformation, he worked to “regenerate and revive the love of divine worship and a properly Christian way of life” through simple-solid preaching and faithful ministering of the sacraments

By the age of 36, when he died, he founded three religious communities, one for men, one for women, and an association for married couples. Their aim was to simply and devoutly amidst the austerity and decadence of their day.

Two saints from two very different walks of life, who, like Matthew in the Gospel today, heard Jesus calling them from one walk of life, to follow him in something radical and holy. The saint seeks to live not according to the precepts of the world, but to the charity found in the sacred heart of Jesus Christ. The saints put themselves at the service of others “preaching the saving Word” of Christ, “reconciling those in conflict” as peacemakers.

Pope Benedict, preaching on the feast of All Saints, said, “Holiness demands a constant effort, but it is possible for everyone because, rather than a human effort, it is first and foremost a gift of God.”
May we be about the constant effort of allowing God’s gift to grow in us, and allowing the life of Jesus to be lived in us, recognizing that each one of us are called to be saints responding generously to the divine call for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be deeply committed to the spread of Christ’s Gospel, and respond generously to the Lord’s call to holiness amidst the distractions of the world.

For our nation, as we celebrate our independence this week, that we may be always grateful for our freedom, but more importantly, may we use that freedom for God’s will, rather than our own.

That our young people on summer vacation, for their protection from physical and spiritual harm, that faith may be practiced in their homes, that their parents may raise them rightly in the faith, teaching them to value the things of heaven over the things of earth.

For all those who suffer from violence, war, famine, extreme poverty, addiction, discouragement, loneliness, and those who are alienated from their families.

For all those who suffer illness, and those in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care, that they may be comforted by the healing light of Christ.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, the deceased members of our families friends and parishes, for those who fought and died for our freedom, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Graciously grant our petitions, we beseech thee, O Lord; may your grace sustain us always in your service, through Christ Our Lord.

32nd Sunday in OT 2018 - The self-sacrifice of veterans and widows

On November 11, 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed an Armistice Day to be observed annually, to honor the armistice ending World War I—with major hostilities formally ending at the 11th hour of the 11th day of  the 11th month of 1918.  After WWII, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law, that November 11 would be a day to honor all veterans, and so today our country celebrates Veterans Day, and it is observed, federally tomorrow.

We thank God today for the sacrifices of our veterans. Leaving their homes, leaving their families, leaving the comforts which we all take for granted, and putting their lives at stake for our freedom. They lived and fought for the greater good, our freedoms. And what we do with those freedoms brings either honor or shame to their sacrifices.

My father, uncles, and godfather are veterans of Vietnam. Both my grandfathers were proud veterans of World War II, and my great grandfather was honored as the oldest veteran of world war I in Lake County, when he died.  I thank God for them today, and we certainly join together thanking God for the veterans in all our families, and those veterans whose names and sacrifices we will only discover in eternity.

Providence would have it that November 11 is also the feast day of veteran, one of our Church’s well known and beloved soldier Saints, Saint Martin of Tours, who is patron Saint of soldiers along with St. Michael, St. George, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Joan of Arc.

St. Martin of Tours was the son of a veteran, a soldier and officer in the Roman army. Martin was actually forced to serve in the army against his will at the age of 15. But, while serving in the army, he came to understand sacrifice, honor, loyalty and it was there that he was exposed to the Christian faith. Soon Martin began to desire baptism and was enrolled as a catechumen.

There is the famous story when on a bitterly cold day, Martin met a poor man, almost naked, trembling in the cold and begging at the city gate.  Martin had nothing but his weapons and his clothes.  So he drew his sword, cut his cloak into two pieces, and gave one piece to the beggar.  Some of the bystanders laughed at Martin’s foolish act of charity. But that night Martin had a vision of Jesus dressed in the cloak he had given to the beggar. The Lord said, “Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with his garment.”

At the age of 23, Martin ended his service to the empire and discerned a calling to religious consecration. Martin was discharged from the army and became a hermit under the direction of another saint, St. Hilary. Years later, despite his desire for a life of solitude, Martin was elected bishop. He dedicated his efforts to evangelization and promoting monastic life, encouraging many young people to enter lives of sacrificial service to Christ through lives of prayer, penance, and charity.  He continued to live the ascetic life as a bishop, always keeping to heart, “that which you did for these least of my brethren, you did for me” as he did for that beggar.

Martin’s act of charity toward that beggar, and the poverty of spirit he cultivated EVEN as a bishop was no doubt inspired by today’s Gospel, the example of the widow, who gave, not simply a portion of her wealth, but from her livelihood.

Widows had no inheritance rights in ancient Israel. They had to rely on their children, male relatives, or charity for survival. You could definitely say they had a fixed income.
Unlike the rich man in the Gospel who goes away sad because of his unwillingness to part from his possessions in order to follow Christ, the Lord praises this widow not only for her willingness to give to charity, but for her trust in God. On a fixed income, she gave not from her surplus, but her poverty, she gave from her livelihood to honor God and to provide charity for those who may have been worse off than she. And Jesus praises this.

This destitute widow is another example in the Gospels of the divine logic overturning human logic. To most people, the scribes, the chief elders, the pharisees, and King Herod, these were the real pillars of the community. But, Jesus points out that the truly holy are those who are beautiful and wealthy not on the outside, but the inside—those whose generosity flows from their love of God, not the desire to be noticed by others. Jesus condemns, in fact, over and over the scribes and pharisees for making a show of faith on the outside, while being far from God on the inside. He condemns them for the grievous corruption of what religious faith is supposed to be—not outward show, but inner union with the heart of God.

And the widow, the saints, like St .Martin, so many of our veterans, show us what the heart of God looks like: Self-sacrifice, trust in God, boundless generosity, willingness to mocked for charity’s sake, for goodness’ sake.

While visiting Cuba a few years ago, Pope Francis spoke of how the spirit of the world differs from the Spirit of Christ. He said, “The spirit of the world does not love the way of the Son of God, who emptied himself and became poor. He became nothing — he humiliated himself in order to be one of us.” The saints, who we began the month celebrating choose the way of self-emptying, Christ’s poverty of spirit, and come to discover the riches of the kingdom of God. May we do the same.

The Eucharist, which we come to celebrate today, has the power to transform our hearts to become like Christ’s. We come to the altar praying that we may have the widow’s trust, st. martin’s willingness to sacrifice his own possessions, gratitude for the freedom for which so many veterans fought for, that we may have the heart of Christ who pours himself out, that the poor in spirit may become rich in the love and life of God…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.