January 4 2021 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Becoming an Epiphany for others

 Two hundred years ago, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first new community for religious women to be established in the United States.  Her new community would also staff the first free Catholic School for girls in this country.  1000s of women over the last two hundred years have dedicated their lives through consecrated service in Mother Seton’s religious communities, and multitudes more have been educated, cared for, served in her schools, social service centers, and hospitals throughout this country and throughout the world.

Elizabeth Seton was the first person native to American soil to be canonized, and she wasn’t raised a Catholic; rather, as you might know, she was the daughter of a wealthy Episcopalian family from Manhattan New York.  She married a wealthy businessman at the age of 19, and raised 5 children in wealthy New York social circles.  A dispute between the United States and the French Republic led to her husband losing his business and falling into bankruptcy. The Setons lost their home, and the stress caused her husband’s tuberculosis to worsen. The Setons were taken in by a good Italian family, but within 6 weeks, her husband was dead. 

Widowed and destitute, Elizabeth, with her children, continued to live with the Catholics who shared their simple faith with her. She was so touched by their goodness and their faith, particularly to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin, that she decided to convert to Catholicism, despite the stern opposition from her Episcopalian friends. 

Here’s a woman who became Catholic and ultimately a saint because she was treated with great kindness by Catholics at a moment of great tragedy—by ordinary Catholics who were simply living their faith with deep devotion.

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, in which the goodness and light of the Lord is revealed to the nations. The Lord continues to reveal his goodness and light through his Church, through Ordinary Catholics living out their faith with great devotion. Because of that Italian catholic family, shining with the light of the Lord, a saint was born, through whom the Lord has taught and healed multitudes. 

Mother Seaton became an epiphany for others, and we are called to do the same, through acts of goodness and charity and devotion. But, this means going out of our way when we hear that someone has fallen on rough or tragic times—for it is in those dark times, that we are called to bring the light of Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may grow in charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in our midst.

That all those searching and longing for Christ may find him through the witness of His Holy Church.

Through the intercession of Mother Seaton, patron saint of teachers, that all teachers, may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and concern for their students.  

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

Epiphany 2021 - What child is this?

 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; the light of faith, the light of our Catholic Tradition is something that we’ve inherited from ages past, and it’s up to us to keep the light of faith burning in this darkened age.

Light. The Feast of the Epiphany sheds light upon the identity of the child born in Bethlehem, a light which the Catholic Church is called to manifest throughout the world.

“What child is this?” asks that beautiful Christmas carol. To an ordinary onlooker, he is just another child born into poverty—this one so unfortunate that he is born in a stable, amidst the filth of beasts of burden. There is no crib, so he is laid in the feeding trough. But then something interesting happens. As if choreographed by heaven, the christmas star, a spotlight from heaven shines upon the stable, and three strange figures approach the stable, and the fall prostrate before the child. 

What child is this, that these learned men—these magi—these royal philosopher astrologers from the east—having traveled a thousand miles, from Babylon to Bethlehem, see him, and fall flat on their faces?

What child is this that after doing him homage, they offer him gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Who did they think this child was to offer him these strange gifts?

Well, they had studied and pondered the ancient jewish prophecies, and they believed this child to be a king, the king of king and lord of lords, and so they brought him gold. The first gift: gold fit for a king. By the gift of gold they acknowledged the child to be the long-awaited heir to the Davidic Kingdom. A king who would gather all the scattered peoples of the earth into a single kingdom. A king who would rule over the whole earth—over a kingdom that would last forever. An eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. And a king who would make his dwelling place among his people.

The prophet Zechariah says that this king “shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne.” He would not only be a king, but a priest. And hence the second gift—the gift of frankincense. In the book of Exodus, Aaron and his sons were consecrated to God as priests with frankincense.

Just like the smoke of the sweet smelling incense rises up to God, the priest’s job is to offer sacrifice to God on behalf of the people--to offer sacrifice for peace and blessing and healing and favor and the forgiveness of sins. And so the gift of frankincense acknowledges the identity of the child as priest—the high priest of the One True God—the fulfillment of the priesthood.

And then the final gift, the bitter gift, the gift of Myrrh. Myrrh was used throughout the scriptures in many different ways: for purification, for anointing, as a medicine and a painkiller, as a sort of perfume for the wedding bed, and also for the anointing dead bodies at the time of burial.

Myrrh, like frankincense is a sort of resin cultivated from trees. Myrrh is extracted by piercing the tree’s heartwood and allowing the resin to trickle out into bitter red droplets called tears. Even the process of cultivating myrrh makes us think of the sort of death the Lord would endure—pierced on the cross for our sins and laid in the tomb, so that we may be healed, and cleansed, so and presented to God as a pure and spotless bride.

What child is this? Through the gift of Myrrh, the Magi showed that this child through his suffering and death would bring about our healing and purification and union with God.

Throughout the centuries there have been attempts to reduce Jesus to a moral teacher—simply a good role model of the morals we should adopt. In the early 1800s for example, Thomas Jefferson composed a sort of alternative bible, in which he attempted to extract all of the moral principles of Jesus’ teaching from the new testament, while leaving behind anything that hinted at the Lord’s divine mission and establishing the Church. Jefferson’s Bible contains a bit of the Christmas story, how the child Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. But it omits any reference to today’s Gospel of the Magi and the gifts they brought. For the gifts of the Magi show that the child is much more than a moral teacher, guru or life coach. He is king, priest, and savior. 

Jefferson, a wonderful statesman, but a lousy theologian, and so many of our contemporaries, deny that Jesus is anything more than a moral teacher. They believe that human flourishing and blessedness can be reached simply by human efforts. But God directs us to a higher good than human frailty can attain on its own. Jesus is not simply a frail human teacher with some good ideas about living an upstanding life. He is more than that. He is king, priest, and savior, and so we owe him more than an interested ear. We, like the wise men, owe him our complete homage. We journey to him and fall prostrate before him. We like the magi bring him the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of our lives—the honor, obedience, and worship we owe to God.  

And by allowing the fullness of his light to shine in our lives, in the words of our collect today, we are able to pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home. Picking which moral teachings we wish to follow is not enough in order to obtain heaven.

“What child is this?” How we answer that question, how we allow that question to shape our earthly life will determine our eternity. Will we go a search diligently for him, and fall down in worship before him, or will we, like Herod, sit in our palaces lazily, and leave the work of worship and service to others—the spreading of the light of His Gospel.

May this new year be filled with gifts, the gifts of homage, prayer, worship, obedience, gratitude, honor and faith, given to Him, every day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

First Friday Holy Hour - January 2021 - Mary Mother of the Eucharist

 

This morning at Mass for the Solemnity of the Motherhood of Mary, I reflected upon the beautiful image of the Madonna and Child. Already in the first centuries of the Church, the early Christians revered images of Our Lady holding the Christ Child. It is certainly a fitting image for us to contemplate, especially today on the octave day of Christmas, for this holy season aims at deepening our love and devotion for the Lord. And there has been no greater love for him, no greater devotion to him, than that of his mother. We contemplate the mother’s love for her son, that we might come to love him as she loves him.

Kneeling before the monstrance this evening, we are not limited to an artist’s representation, painted on canvas or on the wall of catacomb. The very word made flesh is present in our midst—the flesh held in the arms of the mother—cradled, nursed, and protected. She invites us to gaze upon him this evening, she invites us to tenderly enter into the stable of Bethlehem, like the shepherds, like the magi, like St. Joseph, like her very self, to quietly enter into Bethlehem to gaze lovingly upon his flesh.

She is the Mother of the Lord and therefore she the Mother of the Eucharist. St. Augustine writes that in the Eucharist "Mary extends and perpetuates Her Divine Maternity"  Wherever the Eucharist is, she is there, lovingly adoring him, inviting us to adore and worship him along with her. It was from her that the Lord took flesh and blood, the very flesh and blood we kneel before this evening. Her love for this Sacrament and her love for Jesus are the very same.

She is both the eternal Eucharistic Monstrance and also the eternal Eucharistic Adorer.

We can be sure that in those places where the Eucharist is profaned and abandoned and treated with little respect, there is also little love for the mother. But in those places where love and devotion to the mother increase, so too will love and devotion to the Eucharist.

We can be sure, too, that Our Lady wants nothing more than the life of her son to become more and more present in us, and so we will pray the rosary this evening, asking her to intercede for us, and for the world, that 2021 may be a year in which many souls return with great devotion and zeal to the eucharist, that the world may know through our Lady’s aid, blessing through Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2021 - Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Madonna and Child

 

This eighth day of Christmas is celebrated with particular solemnity, as we adore Christ embraced by the arms of his Mother.

Among the most ancient and important catacombs in Rome are the catacombs of St. Priscilla on the Via Salaria, east-northeast of the Vatican.  Painted on the walls of these catacombs are numerous frescoes that throw light on the faith of the early Church.  One fresco depicts the Virgin Mary seated, with the infant Jesus at her breast.  Next to her stands the prophet Isaiah pointing to star—the star being the ancient Jewish symbol for the Messiah. 

This Fresco, dating from the early 200s is one of the oldest known representations in art of the Madonna and Child, certain evidence that, from the very beginning, the Church has given the Mother of Our Lord a place of special honor and devotion.  The Roman Christians, during a time of persecution, would gather in those catacombs for prayer and to bury their dead, and would look upon that image and contemplate its truths. 

Just as babies are embraced in love by their mother; Mary embraces every Christian—in life and in death.

Just as babies learn to smile and sing in the arms of their mothers; so every Christian learns what real joy looks like, by looking to the face of the Mother, who finds her joy in doing the will of the heavenly Father, in caring for the life of the Son.

Just as babies learn talk, walk, eat, and clothe themselves, so also Christians are taught to talk, walk, think, feel, and act like Christ by Our Mother.  Mary nurtured and taught the Christ child, and she will nurture and teach us—how to put God first in our lives, how to serve him, how to be healed by him, how to be saved by him, that his peace and joy and strength may be ours.

From the cross, Jesus gave Mary to be our Mother in the order of grace. If what St. Paul said is true, that “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Then we also, like the Son, turn to Mary, and cry, “Hail, Mother”

Throughout the Christmas octave, we’ve considered the example of martyrs and apostles who have followed Christ unto death. And on this octave Day, we look to the perfect disciple, the Mother Mary who gives herself without reserve to the person and work of her Son. Her self-giving and cooperation with Christ continues now, from her place in heaven. She always helps us to adore, contemplate, and follow Christ ever more faithfully, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will help us all to reach the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of the Lord and Mother of the Church—blessings may be upon the world and the Church in this Year of Our Lord 2021.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families. 

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

December 30 2020 - Sixth Day of Christmas - To love Christ More

 During the Octave of Christmas, our first readings are taken from the first Letter of Saint John whose feast is celebrated two days after Christmas. In his old age, the apostle writes to his spiritual children to guide them in growing in Christian maturity—that the life and light and “love of God might be perfected” in them.  Like his Gospel, this letter is profound, yet simple.  Mysterious, yet clear enough for a child to understand it.  

John begins his letter urging Christians to believe in the one born on Christmas—"what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands.” God truly took on flesh and was able to be heard, and seen and touched. Yesterday, John urged us to follow the commands of the Christ, most importantly the command to love. If we continue to hate our brother, while claiming to be a disciple, we are deceiving ourselves. Love for God, love for Christ, love for our neighbor must characterize our life. 

Yet, as we heard today, we must not love the world. “For all that is in the world,” john says, “sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.” 

This is a hard message because the world is enticing and seductive. Who hasn’t allowed the world or the things of the world to distract us from loving God as we should?

Christmas is celebrated with such great joy, throughout the Christmas octave and Christmas season, we continue to reflect upon the event of God taking flesh, being born in a stable to the most holy Virgin, so that we may deepen our love for him, that when faced with the inevitable temptations and seductions of the world, we may cling to the Christ. 

Especially as we enter into a new year, we do well to identity an object or an activity, a pastime, that we need to love less, that we may love Christ more. 

To love Christ more: that is the gift God offers to each of us at Christmas. To love him more than the passing enticements of the world. And to allow that love to animate our lives, to form the way we treat others, to deepen our conviction for spreading his Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

That the joyful celebration of our Savior’s birth bring renewed conviction for Christ’s truth to the Pope, all bishops, clergy, and lay faithful.

That our President and all leaders of nations may protect and promote religious liberty for all. 

For the young people of our parish and school, that they may be blessed with faith-filled homes, centered on Christ Jesus, that they may not become enamored with the things of the world, but be encouraged to live for Him.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness 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

December 29 2020 - St. Thomas Becket - 850th Anniversary of Martyrdom

 From his youth, Thomas Becket was a good friend of King Henry II, and it was the King who nominated Thomas as archbishop of Canterbury.  But when the King began to overstep his authority and infringe upon the Church, Thomas opposed the king. Like Herod, in yesterday’s Gospel for the Holy Innocents, the king was filled with fury, and shouted “who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”  Four of his knights took these words literally, and killed the archbishop in his own cathedral.  

Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket. I was surprised to see in my news feed this morning, President Trump issued a proclamation today in honor of today’s saint, and offered some pretty poignant words. ““Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty. It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.”

Freedom is not a mere luxury or accident of history. I couldn’t have said it better myself. And I think the president touches upon the connection with this martyr’s death and Christmas.

For our salvation, our reconciliation with God, doesn’t just happen. It’s not an accident. Salvation comes through a savior, born into history, who makes choices and decisions, and suffers. In a sense, Thomas Becket and the Martyrs are living out the spirit of Christmas in their martyrdom. 

Sacrificed everything, opposing the wolves which seek to invade the fold of our shepherd. The Spirit of Christmas, lived authentically, leads us to witness to the one born on Christmas. It pits us against the spirit of the world, the spirit of darkness, which seeks to overcome the light of Christ. 

Thomas Becket, when those four knights with swords drawn approached him in his Cathedral said, “I am ready to die for God.  I am ready to die for the defense of justice. I am ready to die for the freedom of the Church. Would only that my lifeblood might purchase Her peace and freedom”.

Again, to quote our president, “A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God”

May we like St. Thomas Becket allow the grace of God, the grace of Christmas, to transform and animate our lives, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

That the joyful celebration of our Savior’s birth bring renewed conviction for Christ’s truth to the Pope, all bishops, clergy, and lay faithful.

That our President and all leaders of nations may protect and promote religious liberty for all. 

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness 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

Holy Family 2020 - What makes a family holy

 

A few years ago, on the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis asked the world a simple question: “What makes a family holy?”

The Pope mentioned how holy families keep the faith amidst challenges and spread the faith to other families by setting good Christian example. And members of holy families support each other through challenges and are patient with each other. But at the top of his list, Pope Francis explains what makes holy families holy, is that they pray. And Pope Francis said,”.…I would like to ask you, dear families do you pray together from time to time as a family? Praying the Our Father together, around the table, is not something extraordinarily difficult: it’s easy. And praying the Rosary together, as a family, is very beautiful and a source of great strength!  And also praying for one another! The husband for his wife, the wife for her husband, both together for their children, the children for their grandparents….praying for each other.  This is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong: prayer.”

There can be no real holiness, either for oneself or ones family, without prayer. And the peace, and healing, and blessing, and guidance for family members who seem to be making one bad decision after another, patience with one another, and respect for one another, these things will only be obtained when they are prayed for, regularly.

Often in the confessional, when someone confesses that they are losing their temper with a particular family member, I recommend adding special prayers at the very beginning of the day, before you begin to interact with them. To pray honestly to God, “Lord, help me.  I’ve been arguing with my spouse a lot, we’ve been getting on each other’s nerves, we don’t seem to be listening to each other, we don’t seem to be understanding each other, as we should. Lord help me. Help us.  Lord give me patience to love my spouse as I should, to listen as I should, to understand as I should, to serve as I should. Lord help me. And help my spouse and I to build a holy family, to emulate the Holy Family and Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”

When family members commit to praying for each other—praying for the grace to love each other as they should and loving God as they should, that’s a huge step in the right direction, and a huge step in opening the life of the family to the grace and peace God wishes to give you. 

In the Collect for this feast of the Holy Family, we asked God to graciously grant us the ability to imitate the Holy family in practicing the virtues of family life. And constant, regular, devout prayer for each other is one of those virtues of family life that we need to take seriously. 

For Prayer enables us to love as we should—to love God, to love neighbor, to love our family, and to love our enemy, as we are called to as followers of Christ. As prayer diminishes, love will soon follow. Why? Because prayer opens the soul to receive the help we need from God. Prayer acknowledges that I cannot love as I should by my own power. 

Notice, in the Gospel for this feast day, we see Mary and Joseph going to God to bless their family. Mary and Joseph go to the Temple to offer the prescribed prayers and sacrifices to thank God for the safe delivery of their child, to ask God to bless their child and their family, asking God to help them to be good parents, to consecrate their child to God’s purposes. There’s a powerful petition parents do well to offer to God daily: Lord help my children to be consecrated to your purpose. That’s a prayer that should begin when the child is still in the womb: a mother’s prayer: “God, I consecrate this baby to your Holy Will”.

Notice, too, that it was in the Temple, as Mary and Joseph were being faithful to the prescribed religious precepts, that God’s will was made known to them for their child. Similarly, for all families it is always in the context of the devout practice of our faith that God’s will is made known. As families practice the precepts of the faith, together, they are bound more closely in the bonds of love. But, as families fall away from the devout practice of the faith, their fractures begin to intensify—they turn away from God’s will, and begin to focus on what they think will make them happy and whole. But, the human recipe for wholeness, divorced from God, will always bring frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness.

The family that prays together stays together. So, prays together in the home: before meals, before bed, maybe praying the angelus together at noon and six. Also, Pray for one another individually, privately, particularly at the beginning of the day. And pray together in church. I know husbands and wives who make a holy hour together every week, and can attest to the powerful blessings that flow from that hour kneeling in front of the blessed Sacrament together for their family. 

Families, too, that come up to church for confession together, unleash the power of the Lord’s mercy in their families. 

Speaking of confession. I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that I resumed offering confessions in the church months ago. It’s been kind of lonely in their on Saturday afternoons and Sundays between masses. I also added confessions on Monday evenings at 4:45 prior to the 5:30pm Monday Latin Mass. I go to confession at least once a month. I strongly recommend monthly confession to every Catholic. Again, what makes a family holy? A family who prays. And that act of confession, where members humbly approach the sacrament to acknowledge their failures to love each other as they should and to practice those virtues of family life as they should, is so powerful. You are going to see a lot of growth in holiness and peace in that family who confesses often, versus the family that can’t or won’t admit its mistakes to God.

In his reflections, Pope Francis summarized what makes a family holy, when he said,  “The family of Nazareth is holy: because it was centered on Jesus.” Prayer, the precepts of our faith, the humble acknowledgment of sin, and striving for virtue help us to remain centered on Jesus and enable us to grow in the holiness God wants for each of us. May all of the families of our parish and in our neighborhood grow in holiness by the same means, and may all members of the human family become united to God the Father through His Son for the glory of God and salvation of souls.