November 30 2022 - St. Andrew, Apostle & Martyr - Advent Courage

 On this first weekday of Advent, we honor the first called Apostle of Jesus. The Byzantine Church honors the Apostle Saint Andrew with the title: Protokletos, which means, “the first called” because he was the first of the Apostles to be called and to follow Jesus.

Though he was Jewish, his name Andrew, comes not from a Hebrew word, but a Greek word: andreios, meaning “brave” or the virtue of a warrior.  The Apostle Andrew like a Warrior bravely followed Christ, bravely spread Christ’s Gospel, and bravely witnessed to Christ in martyrdom.  

Tradition says that he preached the gospel in Greece and in the year 60 was crucified on an X shaped cross.  He hung on the cross for two days before he died, and it is said that he continued to preach the Gospel while hanging from the cross.  

What lessons particularly for Advent, can we learn from this courageous martyred apostle? Courage. Courage is not typically associated with Advent. We usually think of Advent hope, Advent peace, Advent joy, and Advent Love. But Courage is needed if we hope to grow in these virtues—to do what is needed in order to grow in virtue. As C. S. Lewis wisely noted, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

Courage is needed to turn away from worldly distraction in order to practice the prayer, penance, poverty, quiet, charity, contemplation, and meditation characteristic of the season of Advent. Without those things we will never grow in the supernatural virtues of hope, peace, joy, and love. It takes courage, doesn’t it, to say no to our addictions, our attachments, and our habits. It takes courage to not return to those familiar things, even though they aren’t good for us.

St. Andrew required Courage to turn away from good things, in order to turn toward something better. He required Courage to turn away from fishing, from his profession, which provided him and his family certain worldly security, in order to follow Christ in his special vocation as apostle. 

And he was the first. The protokletos. It takes a lot of Courage in order to be the first to do something. The second person has the benefit of the example and witness of the first. But the first requires a tremendous leap of faith.

There are likely even good things in our life, that we need the courage to turn away from, in order to follow Jesus more deeply. It’s not just addictions that we need the courage to break. But fasting from luxurious foods and restaurants perhaps, some of our creature comforts that aren’t necessarily bad. Perhaps, just ordering our days in a more structured manner, so we can be more attentive to prayer and study and good works. Again, it takes an Andrew amount of Courage to begin some new charitable endeavor that no one else is doing.

This brave martyr embraced Christ, embraced living for Him over everything else, and lived to bring others to Jesus, witnessing to Christ unto death. We do well to consider, how our lives should change in order to follow Andrew’s example this Advent, of going out to meet the Lord and embracing him when he arrives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That through the courageous witness of the Christian Church, Our Lord will bring hope to the hopeless and joy to the joyless.

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

That Christ may heal every disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and bring peace to the suffering.

For the deceased of our parish, family and friends, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God, as we await the advent of Christ your son, so that, when he comes and knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in  his praise. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

1st Week of Advent 2022 - Tuesday - Rotting Stump or Fruitful Branch

 

Throughout Advent, we read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Since Isaiah is such a long book, 66 chapters, the longest of the prophetic books, we really only get to read bits and pieces at Mass. 

Yesterday, we read a passage from chapter 4 of Isaiah. Isaiah foretells how Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness to God will have some pretty devastating consequences. God’s people, Isaiah explains turned to sorcery & divination like their pagan neighbors (2:6b), so they were embroiled in the occult and pagan religions; they made alliances and covenants with pagans (2:6c); they lusted after financial gain and filled their lives with material things to secure their future instead of trusting in God (2:7), and there would be consequences for these things. 

Violating their covenant with God would bring societal chaos and destabilization. The Jews would would seek out leaders to help stabilize society, but the godless would prove themselves unqualified, mislead the people and set up conditions for anarchy, making the nation vulnerable to their enemies.  the Assyrians—Jerusalem would be sacked and destroyed. 

Isaiah chapters 9 and 10 which proceed today’s reading, speak of not only the devastation of Jerusalem, but of a time when the house of David would be in shambles. And remember, God had made a promise to David, that his descendants would flourish, and from his line would come the king of kings, and Isaiah said, there will be a time when the Davidic line would appear more like a rotting stump than a flourishing royal tree. 

But then, in today’s reading, we read of a glimmer of hope. Isaiah prophesied that God would not forget his people, and that from that rotting stump, would arise a new shoot, a new branch, from which the Messiah would come—a Savior. And unlike those useless corrupt leaders and kings—"The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.”

I don’t know about you, but at times it seems like the political upheaval and societal chaos described by Isaiah hits a little close to home. But Advent calls the faithful, to focus not on the rotting stump, but on the new shoot—to align yourself with Him, to ensure you are grafted upon Him, that you are placing your trust and hopes not in earthly princes or political machinations or material security or occult practices like the unfaithful to whom Isaiah prophecied, but in the wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and holy Fear of the Savior, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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 repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

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.

1st Week of Advent 2022 - Monday - The New is hidden in the Old

Saint Augustine once observed that the "New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” Yesterday, I preached on how God made promises in the Old Testament that are fulfilled by the Lord Jesus and His Church. The New lay hidden in the Old—the promise in the Old is fulfilled in the New. And so, throughout the Old testament there are glimpses of what is yet to be fulfilled, Who is yet to come. 

Again yesterday, I shared how immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, there is this foreshadowing of Savior—the seed of the woman at enmity with the serpent. The Savior is foreshadowed in every book of the Old Testament—he is the seed of the woman in Genesis. He is the Passover Lamb in Exodus. In Leviticus He is… “The Priest, the Altar & the Sacrifice”.  In Joshua, He is…“The Captain of Our Salvation”.  In Judges He is…“Our Judge and Lawgiver”. In Ruth He is…“Our Kinsman-Redeemer“.  In I & II Samuel He is…“Our Trusted Prophet” In Kings & Chronicles He is…“Our Reigning King” In Ezra He is… “The Rebuilder of the Broken-Down Walls of Human Life”.  And so on.

Did you catch the reference to the Savior in today’s reading from Isaiah? “On that day, the branch of the LORD will be luster and glory.” The Savior is “the branch”—the branch. This passage of Isaiah describes how from this new branch coming forth from the house of Judah will bring new life to Israel. And this is certainly a foreshadowing of how the Lord who traces his lineage back to David and Judah, the Son of Jacob, will bring new life through his death and resurrection—new life, new fruit to a tree, an organism that had begun to wither. The New lies hidden in the old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.

For what do we hear in our New Testament reading today? The Lord curing—bringing new life—to a paralyzed man, but not just any man, the servant of a Roman Centurion. This servant was a real man who suffered dreadfully, to whom the Lord brought healing, and comfort, and new life. He is also a symbol of all of the Jewish people under the servitude of Rome at the time of Our Lord. The Lord offered them new life, if they would but believe. 

During Advent, we deepen seek a deepening of our own faith, a renewal of faith, so that Jesus the Branch may bear new life giving fruit in our lives—that his goodness, the goodness of the one who makes all things new, may be revealed in us, 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 repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

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.

1st Sunday of Advent 2022 - Promises of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

 

Happy Advent Everyone. 

If you were to pick up the bible, and turn to nearly any page of the holy book, you would be able to discover either God making a promise or God fulfilling a promise. 

God makes his first promise to mankind immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. God makes a promise that the evil unleashed through sin would be undone by the offspring of the Woman—a promise of a savior dating back to the very moment when mankind was in need of one.  

To Abraham, our father in faith, God made several promises: God promised to make Abraham’s descendants as countless as the stars, that all the nations of the world would come to be blessed through Abraham and his descendants, that God’s people would come to possess land—the promised land—forever, and that the enemies of God would be cast down through the seed of Abraham. Promises that would come to be fulfilled in Christ and his holy Church to which countless members are a blessing to the world. 

After wandering through the desert for 40 years, God promised that all those who search for Him would be able to find him—a promise fulfilled in your life and mine, and all those with the name of Christian who have found God through Christ. 

God promised, indeed, that His love would never fail—that no sin is so great that we would lose His love. Here is the promise that sin could be forgiven and the wounds within humanity would be healed. 

In the Psalms and prophets and the accumulated wisdom literature of ancient Israel, repeated over and over is the promise that those who allow the Word of God and the wisdom of God to light their way, the will know joy, delight, guidance, comfort and peace.

In the first reading, the first scripture of this first Sunday of the first week of Advent, we hear a powerful promise made the Isaiah the prophet. In fact, one might say, that is the job of the prophet—to dictate God’s promises to the people who need to hear them. 

And the promise Isaiah speaks to us is a promise of peace—of a whole world of saints—all the nations of the world, together worshipping the same God, the true God, in great joy in a world without war: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again

Next Sunday, we’ll hear how this promise of peace will be so all-encompassing that it will even extend to the animals. The wolf will be the guest of the lamb, the calf and the lion will roam the earth side-by-side, instead of one being food for the other. Here is a promise of  the experience of God’s peace, and harmony, and joy.

Does that sound like our world today? Well, far from it. But that is because Isaiah’s vision is a promise of what will yet come to pass. It is a vision of a promise yet fulfilled. A promise that will be fulfilled when Christ comes again, his final Advent. 

But we believe he will come again, on good authority, his own. “I will come back again and take you to myself” he said at the Last Supper. That promise of the Lord’s return will come to pass, just as his first coming, promised by Isaiah when he foretold that the virgin would give birth to a son, the Lord’s first Advent came to pass.

The Lord tells us to prepare ourselves for his return in the Gospel today: we do not know the day nor the hour of the Lord’s return. Readiness for the Lord’s return. The whole Christian life, in a sense, the whole purpose of our faith, is about cultivating readiness—being awakened to the truth about reality—and conforming our lives to that Truth. Nothing could be more important than that; it is a matter, as the Lord explains, of being taken with him into the eternal city of heaven, or being left behind, outside heaven’s gates, excluded from God’s presence, for ever.

St. Paul on this first advent Sunday, guides us on how to prepare for the Lord’s return by casting off , what he calls “the works of darkness”—ridding our lives of lust, drunkenness, rivalry, and jealousy. “Make no provision for the flesh” Paul tells us. We must seek to turn away from our fallen, sinful tendencies and selfish desires and make “no provision” for them…meaning, we aren’t giving them room in our lives to grow, we are remaining vigilant against putting ourselves in the near occasion of sin, we avert our eyes from what leads to sin. When temptation arises, we don’t feed the fire by giving in, but turning to the Lord for help and putting on the armor of light—truth, prayer, faith.

During Advent, we prepare for Christmas and we prepare for the Lord’s final return, by putting on Christ—imitating his virtues—his own love for the poor, his own devotion to the will of the Father, the truth he teaches, the commands he makes, the prayer he practices and teaches, his enmity toward sin and selfishness. 

Throughout this holy season, the beautiful promises of God are reiterated to us anew. The four candles of the Advent wreath stand for four promises: the first candle represents the promise of increased hope, that in a world filled with such chaos, you will have more hope, if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply. The second candle represents the promise of peace—that in a world filled with so much hostility, and frantic, frenetic activity and exhaustion, you will have more peace—spiritual peace; if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply.; the third candle represents God’s promise of increased joy—that in a world with so much sadness and suffering—you will experience greater joy, if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply. And the fourth candle represents greater love—in world where there is loneliness, where God often seems distant, where we fall into sin that makes us feel quite unlovable—you will experience greater love,  if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply.

I promise, the Church promises, that if you seek these things—hope, peace, joy, and love, this Advent,  you will find them, knock and the door will be opened. I promise. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - The war between Lamb and Beast

Throughout the visions contained in the book of Revelation, it becomes clear that history involves a battle: a war of good versus evil. In chapter 12 of Revelation, we hear of the dragon—"the dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.” And the dragon wages war against the women and her offspring. Think of Mary and her children, the Church. 

In chapter 13, Revelation introduces two beasts, demonic lieutenants of Satan. And the beasts worship the dragon because it gives them power. And the beasts blaspheme against God. And they too, wage war against the holy ones of God. 

But then in Chapter 14, we meet not a hellish dragon, or a demonic beast, but the innocent Lamb and the holy ones who follow Him wherever he goes. 

Today’s passage describes a vision of the Lamb who has waged war and is victorious over the beast and its followers. And surrounding the Lamb are, the Lambs followers, who share in his victory. These are the martyrs and the holy people who remained faithful to the Lamb unto death throughout the great battle—the great struggle—the great war that is this earthly life. 

And the followers of the Lamb sing a victory song to celebrate God’s triumph over his adversaries that is about to unfold as God brings history to an end. 

The battle is real. Our sinful condition means that our earthly life involves choosing sides—will we give in to sin, to the influence of the dragon whose evil permeates the whole world—will we join the beasts of hell in their vicious attacks on goodness, truth, and beauty? Or will we join the Lamb who delivers us from sin, who clothes his followers in righteousness?

The Catechism speaks of this battle saying the dramatic situation of “the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one” makes man’s life a battle: The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.”

The battle is real, my friends. And the battle to do right—the battle for holiness—the battle to win souls—costs us something, as it cost the Lamb—we will be hated by all—handed over by parents and friends, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel today. But sacrifice for God—for the Lamb—is rewarded with an eternal share in his victory. 

Revelation says, “The devil is in a great fury, for he knows his time on earth is short”. And evil in the world is not a sign that evil wins, but that it is making it’s last, furious grasp for souls. May we work and pray assiduously for the deliverance of those who remain in Satan’s grasp through error and sin, pleading for their deliverance through the blood of the Lamb—Christ the Lord—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Lord, sanctify your bishops and priests, and grant them courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

Make the lives of parents examples of faith to inspire their children to seek first your heavenly kingdom. 

Bring all those who have fallen away back to the sacraments, help them to repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

That the Wisdom of Christ may preside over our thanksgiving gatherings tomorrow, for safety for all travelers, and protection from food-born illnesses. 

Bring comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, be present through your church to the miserable. 

Welcome into your kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and 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.

November 22 2022 - St. Cecilia - The most beautiful song (school mass)

 All throughout the scriptures God’s people are known for making music.  After escaping from the Egyptians and crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites sang a song exulting the Lord for delivering them from their enemies.

Israel sang as she traversed the desert, she sang in the Temple, she sang in exile.

And entire book of the Bible—the book of Psalms—contains songs of joy, songs of adoration of God, songs of repentance for sin, songs of desperation, songs of thanksgiving in acknowledgement of God’s blessings, songs to bestow courage on God’s people as they faced their enemies, songs which contain timeless wisdom to guide one’s life.

There are even Psalms instructing God’s people to pick up your instruments and make some music for God—on lutes and harps, and pipe instruments, even with loud clashing cymbals. 

The Lord Jesus himself in the Gospels is recorded as singing hymns with his disciples on their way to Mount Olivet, after the Last Supper. A recessional hymn following the first Mass.  

St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, telling them, “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord…”

In the book of the apocalypse, the saints of heaven are depicted standing around the throne of the Lamb, singing. 

We celebrate today the feast of the patron saint of musicians, St. Cecilia—so a very happy feast day to all musicians—and to the whole Church who constantly sings God’s praises. St. Cecilia was an early Christian martyr, she was arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and sentenced to death because of her Catholic faith. Legend states that throughout her tortures, which lasted for days, she sang to God. 

Think about that. St. Cecilia’s faith was so important to her, that she was able to sing in the face of death. Is your faith strong enough? 

Jesus on the cross recited the lyrics of a song: a song that begins, “my god my god, why have you forsaken me” expressing the sentiments of all those who suffer and feel that God is at a distance…but the song continues: “Dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and my feet”…a thousand years before Jesus was born, this song about a man having his hands and feet pierced for God was written by David..Jesus’s ancestor. And then the song concludes: All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD;” From the cross, Jesus referenced this song about a man who dies for the Lord, who, even though he dies, will live, will continue to praise God even in death, who will live for God forever. 

That is why St. Cecilia was able to sing when she was facing death. Because of Jesus’ promise, that all those who believe that Jesus is the son of God, those who die with his praises on their lips, will live beyond death. 

The Catholic Church has had on her lips for two thousand years, this very song—the song of Songs—the most beautiful song--the song singing of God’s victory over death through Jesus Christ. Will you sing it? Why wouldn’t you?

The Feast of St. Cecilia—what a wonderful saint to celebrate before taking off a few days for Thanksgiving Break. Cecilia reminds us to join in the Church’s song every day—a song that turns to God with the sentiments of every human heart—thanking God and praising God—for the invitation to sing forever. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - Sweet and Sour

 Our first readings at Mass this week have been taken from the Book of Revelation. On Wednesday, we read of John’s Vision of the Heavenly throne room—a glorious and mysterious vision. A thousand years earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had been given a glimpse of the same heavenly throne room at the beginning of his life as a prophet. 

In today’s reading, there is another parallel to Ezekiel. Like Ezekiel, John is given a scroll to eat—a scroll sweet as honey, but sour to the stomach. 

What’s going on here? 

First of all, these parallels with Ezekiel indicate the importance of John’s visions. When a prophet is sent by God you have choice—heed his words, or ignore them. God doesn’t send a prophet just for fun. It’s a message that is to be taken seriously. To heed the prophet’s message will bring blessing, to ignore them will bring a curse. So the message of the Book of Revelation is to be taken very seriously. 

And like Ezekiel’s prophecy, John’s Revelation is both Sweet and Sour. Sweet in that it contains consolations, sour in that it communicates challenge. 

The Book of Revelation announces the completion and consummation of God’s plan for Creation.

The King of the Universe, who sits upon the heavenly throne, has witnessed the suffering of his people, the injustices they have endured at the hands of the wicked. There will be justice. This is a consolation to the righteous, and a warning to wicked, to repent before it is too late. 

But the Gospel itself is sweet and sour, isn’t it? God so loved the world that he sent his Son to redeem us, yet that redemption came at a price. So too the mission of the Church is sweet and sour. The Christian life involves the sweet consolations of the spirit, the experience of heavenly gifts, the knowledge and experience of Jesus’ presence with us in the Sacraments--the grace-filled ability to participate in the works of charity—a sweet foretaste of heaven.

And yet, the experience of the Church is also sour at the same time, bitter in her sufferings, her experience of persecutions, her penances, the carrying of our individual crosses—sweet and sour at the same time. 

In our modern age, many want the sweet part of the Gospel, but not the sour. They want the promises without the challenge, they want the resurrection without the cross, they want peace without having to suffer for it. And that’s somewhat understandable, who likes to suffer? But the Gospel must be taken in and preached in its entirety if we are to attain true freedom, and true beatitude.

Like Ezekiel, like John, we are given the sweet and sour Gospel to eat and internalize and digest, so that it becomes part of us. For, we too, are sent to peoples and nations and kings with the Word of God, and we must share the Gospel in its entirety, its sweet parts and also its sour parts—the parts which console us in our sufferings and challenge us in our complacencies, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That Christians may undertake the meditation and prayer necessary to live holy and righteous lives. 

For a healing of all family divisions, reunion for the estranged and welcoming of the alienated. 

That those who have fallen away from the Church or fallen into serious sin may repent and return to the grace of the Sacraments. 

For the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the aged, the lonely, the grieving, the unemployed, those who are facing financial difficulties, those with addictions, and the imprisoned: that God will draw close to them, and bless them with grace and peace.

We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for 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 prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.