June 28 2023 - St. Irenaeus, bishop, martyr, doctor - Knowledge and Error

 

Without a doubt, St. Irenaeus is one of the greatest theologians of the early Church.  St Irenaeus was a disciple of St. Polycarp, who himself heard St. John the Apostle preach and was consecrated bishop by St. John along with our patron, St. Ignatius of Antioch.  

Like St. Cyril whom we honored yesterday, Irenaeus was called to uphold the truth of Christ that comes to us from the Apostles. Irenaeus was bishop two and a half centuries earlier, and he faced what is probably the first major heresy the Church had to confront: Gnosticism.  

The word ‘gnostic’ comes from the greek word for knowledge, as in the words cognizant and recognize.  Gnosis—knowledge is a good thing.  It is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah sings how God gives his people knowledge of salvation. We have a strong philosophical tradition which confirms the role of knowledge in understanding our faith.

The Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge of God that was superior to the faith taught by the Apostles. In other words, they thought they knew better than the official teaching of the Church.  

Gnosticism is the basis of every heresy, in a sense. To claim, I know better. I know better than the clear pronouncements of Church Councils. I know better than the Church Fathers. I know that my interpretation of Scripture is more accurate than 2000 years of consistent teaching. 

What sin does that sound like? Sinful Pride of course. The pride of satan in the garden claiming, I know better than God, trust me, not Him. The pride of Original Sin and every sin. 

Again, Gnosis is good. Knowledge is good. We are meant to cultivate our minds, to seek understanding about the natural world, and to use that knowledge to foster unity and concord, to seek knowledge about God and the Church and the Christian Faith to the extent that our intellect allows. 

But, if we arrive at a conclusion which contradicts Church teaching, the teaching of the Apostles, we’ve made a mistake. And those errors, if followed can have disastrous consequences, eternal consequences. We risk not only the loss of our own souls, but leading others astray.

But, knowledge, real knowledge conforms our minds to Christ who is Truth. Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Christians seek to know the Truth. And that brings us freedom: freedom from the burden of being the sole arbiter of truth, freedom from moral error which keeps us trapped in sin, freedom to preach confidently. We share the Gospel with non-believers because we are confident in the knowledge of God. 

That knowledge enables us as St. Paul says, to “be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness.” And through that gentle, yet confident teaching, “It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth” and freed from the Devil’s snares.

Through the example of the bishop, martyr, and Doctor of the Church St. Irenaeus may we be grounded and confirmed in true doctrine for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the Church during this time of Eucharistic Revival: for a deeper love and reverence for the Bread of Life; that the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist will help us to live out our vocation to holiness with greater zeal, self-sacrifice, and trust in God.  

That during this month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: we may make reparation for the many blasphemies committed against God and the Church, and that the afflicted may know God’s compassion in all of their trials.

For all those who reject the faith, for those who show contempt for the holy word of God and the Catholic Church, for their openness to the Truth, and that all Christians may be committed to spreading the faith boldly, patiently, and clearly.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for…

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

June 27 2023 - St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor - Champion of Truth

 In the Gospels, the blessed Lord warns his disciples against false prophets and spiritual con men. And these agents of error have plagued the Church since the beginning, just as Our Lord foretold. 

The saint we honor today, Saint Cyril of Alexandria, defended and taught the Catholic Faith in the face of a heresy which was creating great division in the Church.  Division is often one of the great fruits of false prophets.

The heresy is now called Nestorianism, named after the bishop who promoted it, named Nestorius.  Nestorius was Archbishop of Constantinople in the early 5th century.  Nestorius taught the heresy that Mary could not be given the title Theotokos, that is God-bearer, and thereby Nestorius taught that Jesus really wasn’t Truly God—a truth clear from Scripture and the Church Fathers and Church Councils like the Council of Nicea.

St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria wrote to Nestorius, reminding him of the duty of bishops to preserve sound doctrine, but Nestorius continued to teach error creating division in the Church. And the division became so great that a Church Council was needed to clarify the issue.

So in 431, the First Council of Ephesus was called to deal with this false teaching. Ephesus being the very place where Our Lady—the God Bearer—lived with St. John the Apostle before her Glorious Assumption.  St. Cyril was tasked by the Pope to preside over the Council as Papal representative. Now, many of the bishops gathered at Ephesus, some say the majority of bishops, sided with the heretic bishop Nestorius. But the Papal Representative Archbishop Cyril defended the Truth that Christ is truly God and Truly man and thereby Our Lady can rightly be called Theotokos—God-Bearer—Mother of God.

Listen to his words, from this morning’s Office of Readings from the writings of St. Cyril, “That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to him! Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this has also been taught us by the holy fathers” (especially St. Athanasius) 

St. Cyril sets the standard for theological questions in the Church. We must look to Scripture and Apostolic Tradition and apply clear logic. Scripture is clear that Jesus is God—the Word Made Flesh, and that he took that flesh from the Virgin Mary. As St. Paul writes “he fashioned a body for himself from a woman and shared our flesh and blood”. Cyril also looked to the Church Fathers, like St. Athanasius, who taught nothing contrary to the Scriptures. And St. Athanasius several times calls Mary, Theotokos, in his writings.

What’s the practical lesson from this? All Christians need to be discerning, using our gifts of reason and wisdom in living out the Christian faith.  Jesus warns us that there ARE false prophets.  There ARE teachings which lead us away from the true faith, that lead us away from the union of our minds and hearts with God. False teachings, especially in recent centuries, have caused terrible division in the Church. And that division has born nothing but rotten fruit: so-called Christians who promote abortion, euthanasia, sexual perversion, and adultery. There are many sects of Christians who deny the sacraments of Holy Orders, Confession, and Eucharist, and even baptism. So-called Christians who even deny the need for baptism, so clearly taught by Our Lord.

The doctors of the Church, St. Athanasius, St. Cyril, equip us with doing our part to heal the divisions in the Church, to lead souls to the truth. At least one member of our RCIA last year was raised protestant but came to the Faith by reading the Fathers. 

And the doctors help us to be on guard against those false prophets about whom the Lord Himself warned us. 

May St. Cyril help us to revere Our Lady, to champion and live the truth, and to labor always for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That our bishops and clergy may be zealous in preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel.

That this fortnight of prayer for religious freedom may help people of faith remain vigilant in defending their religious liberty and united in making their voice heard on behalf of the rights of the Church.

For all those who reject the faith, for those who show contempt for the holy word of God and the Catholic Church, for their openness to the Truth, and that all Christians may be committed to spreading the faith boldly, patiently, and clearly.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, 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 the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

June 21 2023 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Love God with all your strength

 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born into a noble family in Renaissance Italy.  16th-century Florence was not very different from 21st-century America.  It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. At the young age of 7, Aloysius vowed not to be part of it.   

By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great penances. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus. However, it took several years to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

In 1591, a catastrophic plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened up a hospital.  The young Jesuit novice, Aloysius, nursed patients, carried them on his shoulders, washed them, and made their beds.  As a result of his tireless care of the sick, Aloysius caught the disease himself. He was overcome with a great fever and died at the age of 23 in 1591. His holiness was so evident that he was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1605.  

St. Aloysius Gonzaga is a patron saint of catholic youth and teenagers. Like young people, we all experience social pressures. St. Aloysius reminds us to have courage to stand firm in the faith against the tides of society which are antithetical to the Gospel. Due to his willingness to put himself in direct contact with plague victims, St. Aloysius was also named patron saint of those with HIV and AIDS and their caregivers.

St. Aloysius is often shown in sacred art and statues as a young man wearing the black cassock of the Jesuits and contemplating a crucifix. He contemplated the suffering of Our Lord, and considered how he, too, was called to suffer in order to further the kingdom of God.  The young saint, once said, “He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for his sake.”  Aloysius helps us to consider how taking on how the great commandment to love God with one’s whole strength and to love one’s neighbor involves suffering for them. 

Doing good, accomplishing good, furthering the kingdom, bringing souls to God, involves some suffering on our part. Will you willingly embrace that suffering if it is God’s will for you?

Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, may each of us consider how God is calling us to pour ourselves out in service of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for those with HIV, AIDS, and their caregivers, 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 the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the repose of the good Jesuits who have served the Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

11th Week in Ordinary Time 2023 - Tuesday - Pro omnibus et singulis (For all and for each)

 Throughout his Sermon on the Mount, the Lord expounds what it means to be truly righteous, truly holy—to live in such a way that one is filled with the life of God on earth, that you may enter into the beatitude of God in eternity. 

And so hear today the a portion of his sermon on love. Already he has challenged his disciples to expand their concepts of holiness and generosity, and today’s passage certainly presents a challenge as well. 

The Lord begins with a saying his audience would have been familiar with, a saying that even seems like common sense: “you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 

It's easy to love one's neighbor. My neighbor looks like me, talks like me, acts like me.  He’ll let me borrow a mule, or a wine press, or a piece of bread if I ask him.  I feel comfortable inviting him over for a cup of coffee.  My neighbor is lovable.

But an enemy, he looks differently, he talks differently, he might not worship the same God as me or vote for the same politicians. In fact, if I think about it, he is undermining the very fabric of society, he’s barely human; therefore, the best thing would be if he were to not exist at all, right?  Hating one's enemy makes sense...and, honestly...it's not all that difficult.

But, Jesus says, listen: the sun rises and sets on the evil and the good alike; God loves the person you perceive as your enemy just as much as he loves you.  For God loves without measure.  

To follow Christ is to love without regard to race or creed. You must seek what is best pro omnibus et singulis—for all and for each individual—neighbor or enemy. And if you are to treat each with love…is there really any distinction at all?  Kindness must not be limited to those who are kind to us.  

For many, perhaps for most, this may be the hardest of all Jesus’ instructions. But, as we heard this last Sunday, “God proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God loves the sinner. He loves those who made themselves his enemies. For a sinner becomes an ally and an agent of evil in his sin—evil which opposes the goodness of God. You have opposed God. I have opposed God in my sin. But he died for all those who opposed him, out of love and utter goodness.

And that very same divine love for all is to make its dwelling in the hearts of Christians and is to animate our lives, our behaviors, our actions, our decisions, our relationships pro omnibus et singulis—for all and for each for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the Church during this time of Eucharistic Revival: for a deeper love and reverence for the Bread of Life; that the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist will help us to live out our vocation to holiness with greater zeal, self-sacrifice, and trust in God.  

That during this month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: we may make reparation for the many blasphemies committed against God and the Church, and that the afflicted may know God’s compassion in all of their trials.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for…

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

June 19 2023 - St. Romuald - Reparation & Evangelization

 On Friday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a feast day on which we make reparation—through prayer and penance—for the blasphemies and sins committed against God and His Holy Church. And throughout the year, the first Friday of each month is traditionally set aside for this purpose as well—to do penance and offer prayer and make reparation for our sins and those of the world.

Well the saint honored today, made that his life. St. Romuald grew up without the practice of religion in Ravenna, Italy. But after he witnessed his father kill a relative in a duel over and argument about money, he entered monastic life to escape the violence of the world and to perform penance for his father. 

He took penance very seriously, and made some of the less strict monks a bit uncomfortable. But after some time, his father repented of his sins, and entered the monastery as well.

Now, Romuald would later become abbot of the monastery, and would also go on to be sent by the Pope to preach in Hungary, and also founded a new religious order, the Camaldolese hermits, but that initial inspiration to do penance for another shouldn’t be glossed over.

We see a lot of evil in the world right now—sins repugnant to the call to holiness are pridefully celebrated, blasphemies are broadcast, vice is normalized and encouraged. What can I we, the church asks? We can follow the example of St Romuald—if not entering religious life to do penance, we can certainly fast and pray a little bit more assiduously in reparation for the multitude to of sins and for the conversion of sinners. Our Blessed Lord Himself said, some demons are only cast out through prayer and fasting. 

We speak a lot about evangelization these days, the need to spread the Gospel. Monks and hermits like St. Romuald remind us of a powerful way of engaging in evangelization—joining a religious community who take religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the context of a penitential rule of life. The great powerhouses of evangelization throughout history, have often been those monasteries where men and women have sought to conform themselves to Christ and to do penance for sin. Hermits inspire people to turn away from the emptiness and the noise of the world in order to find Christ. That’s evangelization. We become effective instruments of evangelization when we are serious about our personal call to holiness. 

And shouldn’t that be the pursuit about which we are most serious? St. Romuald brought his father to Christ through his humble quiet life of prayer and penance. May his example and heavenly intercession inspire us to similar endeavors for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

To God the Father Almighty, may every prayer of our heart be directed, for it is His will that all humanity should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.

For the peoples of all the world, that the Lord may graciously preserve harmony among them, and deepen in them the virtues of justice and religion.

For an increase in vocations to the consecrated religious life—especially to those holy orders of hermits—who inspired us by their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, especially for the sick and victims of war and terror and natural disaster.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - Father's Day lessons from Pope Francis

 Happy Father’s Day (weekend). There was a book published a few years ago, called “Our Father: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer by Pope Francis”. And the book contains a conversation between Holy Father Francis and an Italian priest and prison chaplain named Father Marco Pozza. 

And in this conversation, Pope Francis offers his insight into the words that our Blessed Lord taught us to pray. What it means to call upon God the Father, and so on. But, he also reflected upon the importance of our earthly fathers. And I think it significant that Pope Francis has this conversation with a prison chaplain. Because so many of the imprisoned—in Italy, in the united states, and around the world, are men and women, who more than often have very broken relationships with their earthly fathers. 

Statistics are abundantly clear: when a child is raised without a father there is a greater risk of behavioral problems; they are more likely to commit a crime and go to prison. They are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, more likely to suffer obesity, more likely to drop out of school, and to experience poverty. Teen girls without fathers are 7x more likely to get pregnant as a teen.

On the other hand fathers involved in their children’s lives improve their children’s overall emotional and social well-being, those kids do better in school, they are less likely to carry guns and deal drugs. Good fathers reduce the parenting stress of the mothers. Fathers help their children to be honest, ethical, hardworking adults. 

The impact on religious life is also striking. Data shows if a father does not go to church, even if his wife does, only 1 child in 50 will become a regular church goer. But, if a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will attend church as adults. 

Raising a family in today’s culture us tremendously challenging. So in the course of his conversation with that prison chaplain, Pope Francis offered five pieces of wisdom, which I will now share. 

“The first thing needed is this,” Pope Francis said, “that the father be present in the family; that he be close to his wife, to share everything, joys and sorrows, hardships and hopes. A father needs to be close to the children as they grow up; when they are playing and when they are working on a task; when they are carefree and when they are troubled.”

Presence. Closeness. Earthly fatherhood is to be a reflection of the Heavenly Father, and scripture speaks over and over of God’s closeness to his people. Deuteronomy asks, “what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” Psalm 16 says, “Because God is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” And Psalm 145 says, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Hebrews says, God will NEVER leave us or forsake us. So, earthly fathers must be involved, be near, and be present in all of those family activities and tasks. After a long grueling day at work, it is difficult to be “emotionally present” to one’s family. But’s it vital. 

Secondly, Pope Francis explains that God the Father gives earthly fathers an example to follow in patience. God loves us even when we are sinners, Paul says in the second reading today. And so Fathers have to be patient,” he explained. Love is patient. Children really can test one’s patience. But as Scripture says “God is slow to anger…so Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger dwells in the heart of fools.” Learn to count to 10 and inwardly ask, “Is what I’m about to do or say going to help my kid or hurt my kid emotionally?”

And many times, the Pope admits, “there is nothing that can be done, like the father in the story of the Prodigal son, but wait in patience, kindness, generosity, and mercy, and pray.”

Now, patience doesn’t mean you aren’t to discipline your children. And that’s the third word of wisdom, Pope Francis says discipline, but don’t humiliate.  Scriptures says, “do not fail to correct your children…a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother” Children who are not disciplined often grow up rebellious, have no respect for authority, and as a result find it difficult to willingly obey and follow God. God Himself uses discipline to correct us and lead us down the right path and to encourage repentance for our wrong actions. Hebrews says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” 

Fourthly, Pope Francis explains that Father’s need to be a source of comfort in their children’s failures. “Children need to find a father who is waiting for them when they return from their failures. These children will do all they can in order not to admit their mistakes, not to let their embarrassment show, but they need this security. Not finding their father at the door opens wounds inside them that are difficult to heal.” Let your children know that they can come to you in their failures: business failures, relationship failures, moral failures. That you will help them overcome their challenges and to learn wisdom from their failures.

Finally, the Pope reminds earthly Fathers to have constant recourse to the heavenly Father in prayer and the practice of religion. “Without the grace that comes from the Father who is in Heaven,” the Pope says, “fathers lose courage and abandon the field.” Fathers please speak to your children about the importance of Faith. Tell them why you go to Church. Why you receive Holy Communion. How Catholicism is indispensable. 

Fathers, when the grace of God is evident in your life, that touches the hearts of your children like nothing else in this life. Your witness, your faith is indispensable, irreplaceable. The Pope says, “The Church, our mother, is committed to supporting the good and generous presence of fathers in families. Fathers: you are in our prayers, for your vocation is vital.

In the Gospel, we heard how “at the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” So many in the world today are troubled and abandoned--fatherless. Perhaps, some of you have wounds of abandonment--physical or emotional. And the Lord looks upon all the abandoned and offers the healing of his sacred heart, and calls all the abandoned to mercy.

But the Lord sends us out as laborers, just like he did the apostles, to the troubled and abandoned of the world: to bring God’s love, God’s healing, God’s grace, the message of the Gospel, to be baptized, to have faith in Christ, to receive his body and blood. May we be generous and faithful in this holy calling of ours, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

June 16 2023 - Sacred Heart of Jesus - Reparation for blasphemy and rest for the weary

 While honoring the Sacred Heart has roots stretching back to the early Church, special devotion to Christ’s burning love for mankind is closely associated with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century Visitation nun at the convent of Paray-le-Monial. It was to this humble nun that our Blessed Lord revealed His desire that a special feast of reparation to His Sacred Heart be established on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi (or the third Friday after Pentecost). 

After Mass today, we will pray to together the Act of Reparation prescribed by Pope Pius XI along with the Litany of the Sacred Heart. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is publicly recited on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as long as the ordinary requirements for the indulgence are met.

Particularly this year, we have reason to pray the Litany. A few days ago, it was announced Archbishop Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), along with his brother bishops have called on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart, and make this act of reparation with the intention of repairing the spiritual damage inflicted by sin.

Archbishop Broglio writes: “Catholic Christians traditionally recognize June as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During this time, we call to mind Christ’s love for us, which is visible in a special way in the image of His pierced heart, and we pray that our own hearts might be conformed to His, calling us to love and respect all His people. This year, on June 16—the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated. This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy. It has been heartening to see so many faithful Catholics and others of good will stand up to say that what this group does is wrong, and it is wrong to honor them. We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16th, offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.”

In the Gospel today, the Lord say "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” There are a lot of people, Christians and non-Christians alike in our world who are getting very tired of the constant bombardment of evil in the media, in politics, in the education system being forced on our young ones. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the answer. We go with our burdens and our fatigue to the Sacred Heart, to refresh us, to strengthen us, to rekindle our fire for the good fight, and to make reparation for all of these evils. The good Lord knows our struggle, he has chosen us to be Christians now in 2023, and in His Heart are the graces and strength we need to be faithful. 

To anyone growing weary of all of the chaos and blasphemy and impurity and evil: go to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring our needs to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Please respond to each of these petitions, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us”

That the Church may be continually cleansed and sanctified by the blood and water that gave us new birth.

For all who have fallen away from the Church, for those who lack faith, and in reparation to the Sacred Heart for all sin and all blasphemy.

On this World Day for the Sanctification of Priests, may the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the intercession of St. Margaret Mary and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, imbue all priests with his grace, strengthen their hearts, and renew them in their vocation, conforming them to Christ, head and shepherd, servant and spouse.

For all those who are sick or burdened in any way, may come to know and experience the refreshment of Christ’s love. 

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

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