24th Sunday - Accept Sufferings

 

In the Gospel today, Our Lord first told His disciples, He must go to Jerusalem to suffer greatly, be killed and on the third day rise.

Peter rebuked Jesus because He didn’t want Jesus to suffer and die. At first, this sounds very noble. Nobody would want someone they love to suffer and die. However, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan. You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God, but as human beings do.” He wanted Peter to know to run from suffering, is the way of the world, not the way of God. Jesus called Peter, Satan, because only Satan would want Our Lord and us to avoid the Cross.

The Crucifixion was necessary to defeat the devil, to reveal God’s sacrificial love for us and to teach us to love. This is why Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny Himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

Our Lord wanted to teach His apostles and His followers to not reject the cross, but embrace it. And they did. All but John were martyred, but they tried to kill him too. All were willing to suffer for Jesus and the gospel.

The shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France has 70 officially approved medical miracles. But there has been thousands of unapproved miracles. Those who go to Lourdes, will bathe in the miraculous waters and ask the Virgin Mary for a physical healing.

But most of them receive a healing they don’t expect. They obtain a spiritual healing, by receiving the grace to carry the Cross of their illness, and they have peace in their hearts.

Millions of people go there every year for healing. It seems like most often, once people accept the cross of their suffering, it is then the Lord heals them. A number of miracles occur when people are bathed in the waters of Lourdes, but a good number of them occurred during a Eucharistic Procession or Holy Hour of the Blessed Sacrament.

When we accept sufferings, they can be used to atone for our personal sins and reduce our purgatory time. Sufferings when united to the Cross of Jesus can be offered up for the conversion of sinners and help bring about the salvation of souls. Sufferings keep us close to Jesus, because we become more dependent upon Him.

The Virgin Mary told the children of Fatima to embrace their crosses, She said, “Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: ‘O Jesus, this is for love of thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’”

When we deny our self and carry our crosses, we sacrifice our self for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners and to console the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Saint Faustina in her diary (Diary #1804), wrote, “If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.” And she said, “I united my sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus and offered them for myself and for the conversion of souls who do not trust in God...“ (Diary #323)

We should cherish our crosses because through them we gain eternal life. As St. Rose of Lima said, “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”

“Many, says St. Alphonsus Liguori, love Jesus, as long as the breeze of heavenly consolation refreshes them; but if the clouds of diversity lower, if for their trial, Christ, our dear Lord, withdraws His sensible presence from them, they are sorely tempted to give up prayer, neglect self-denial, sink into despondency and tepidity, and finally turn for comfort to creatures and perishable things. Such souls love themselves more than Jesus Christ. Those who truly love Our Lord are faithful in darkness and trial. Faith tells us that Jesus is sovereignly amiable and good when He afflicts as when He consoles. Oh, how dear to the Heart of Jesus is the soul who suffers with loving submission! Precious, beyond all graces, is the grace to suffer and to love!”

St. Teresa of Avila said, “I would always choose the path of suffering, if only to imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ, if there were no other gain. He who shall courageously present himself to drink our Savior’s chalice will never fail in persecutions. I would willingly endure alone all the sufferings of this world to be raised to a higher degree in heaven and to possess the smallest increase of the knowledge of God’s greatness. In order to bear our afflictions with patience it is very useful to read the lives of the saints who endured great torments for Jesus Christ.”

St Padre Pio said, “I do not love suffering itself; I ask it of God because I desire its fruits: it gives glory to God, saves my brothers in exile, and frees souls from the fires of purgatory. God neither wants, nor is able, to save and sanctify us without the Cross. The more He calls a soul to Himself, the more He sanctifies it by means of the Cross. By suffering we are able to give something to God. The gift of pain, of suffering is a big thing and cannot be accomplished in Paradise. Lean on the Cross as Mary did. She was as if paralyzed before Her crucified Son, but was not abandoned by Him.”

St. Louis de Montfort said, “To suffer is not enough: the evil one and the world have their martyrs. We must suffer and carry our cross in the footsteps of Christ. Take advantage of little sufferings even more than great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer… Turn everything as the grocer does in his shop.”

St. Margaret Mary said, “The Heart of Jesus is closer to you when you suffer than when you are full of joy.”

St. Anthony Mary Claret said, “To suffer contempt in silence is the key to Jesus’ Heart and the means of uniting with Him.”

Saint Madeline Sophie Barat said, “Let us go to the foot of the Cross, and there complain—if we have the courage.”

Saint John Vianney said, “You must either suffer in this life or give up the hope of seeing God in heaven. Sufferings and persecutions are of the greatest avail to us, because we can find therein a very efficient means to make atonement for our sins, since we are bound to suffer for them either in this world or in the next.”

Saint John Bosco said, “Accept afflictions with patience. Silently endure cold and heat, wind and rain, fatigue and all other discomforts that God may deign to send to you.”

Several weeks ago, the Faith Formation Class on Wednesdays watched a documentary on Servant of God Rhoda Wise from Canton, Ohio at our parish hall.

She was born in 1888 and died in 1948. She was a Protestant, who converted to the Catholic faith. She had severe health problems, but the Lord miraculously healed her. Not much later, after she was healed, the Lord gave Rhoda the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

Rhoda would suffer the Passion of Jesus including her head bleeding as though a crown of thorns was placed on her head. St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio also had the stigmata.

The evening we watched the video on Rhoda Wise, I had a migraine caused by arthritis in my neck. That night, when I went to bed, my head was throbbing terribly and I prayed to Rhoda Wise. I said, “Rhoda, please help me to accept my suffering.” When I said that prayer, the migraine immediately disappeared and I fell asleep. The Lord just wanted me to embrace the sufferings of it and then He took away the pain. I didn’t ask Jesus to take away the pain, He just did.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us to carry our crosses manfully, keeping our eyes on Jesus, embrace them with love, uniting them to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross, to make atonement for our sins and the sins of others, and offer them for the conversion of sinners. And in this way, we will not complain and will see them as precious gems to help us and others obtain heaven.

23rd Sunday, Be Opened (Baptism)

 

Ephphatha—“Be Opened”

In the first reading, in a moment of darkness the prophet Isaiah lifts up his voice to comfort the Chosen people, who were at the moment living in exile. The prophet announces to the people, that soon they would return to their homeland once again. The prophet Isaiah said, “Say to those whose hearts are frightened: be strong, fear not! Here is your God; He comes with vindication; the divine recompense He comes to save you!”

He also predicts great wonders which will have their complete fulfillment with the coming of the Messiah: “The eyes of the blind be opened, the ear of the deaf be unstopped; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the dry land. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground springs of water.”

Most Jews believed that when the Messiah would come, he would open the eyes of the blind; cause the paralyzed to walk; the deaf would be able to hear; and those who could not speak, would talk.

Some people brought a man to Jesus, who had a speech impediment, and begged Him to lay hands on the man. And so, “Our Divine Lord took him off-- away from the crowd. He then put His finger into the man’s ears, and spitting, touched his tongue; then He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.”

Our Lord’s healing of the deaf and dumb man, in the Gospel clearly indicates that Jesus is the Messiah, because He does what the Jews expected the Messiah to do, as the prophet Isaiah had foretold. But it also indicates that Jesus is God, who has come to save us.

Recall, also, that in the Gospel of Matthew, when John the Baptist was imprisoned, he questioned if Jesus was the Messiah or not. He sent word to Jesus, asking is He the one who is to come, or should we look for another? Our Lord’s response was “Go report to John the Baptist, “The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” This response by Our Lord indicated that He is the long awaited Messiah, and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah.

At very beginning of Christianity, the priest prayed over the one to be baptized using the Ephphatha Prayer. Most early Christians were adults, but little children were also baptized from the very beginning as well. The tradition of praying the Ephphatha prayer continues today. When a child is baptized, the priest touches the child’s mouth and ears, and says, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and dumb speak. May He soon touch ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

These words signify what the child will someday do. Because he is not yet baptized, and because he is just a child, he is unable to hear, and to speak, the word of God, like the deaf man, who could not hear nor speak.

However, once baptized, when the child is old enough, his ears will be touched by divine grace, to receive the Lord’s word, and the child’s mouth, will be able to speak His praises. As he begins to practice his Christian faith, he will proclaim his faith--- to the praise and glory of God the Father.

St. Augustine speaks of how this is put into practice. He said, “the tongue of someone united to God-- will speak of the Good,-- will bring to agreement those who are divided,--- will console those who weep. God will be praised--, Christ will be announced.”

Beginning Sunday, Sept. 8^th (today), those who are thinking about becoming Catholic will meet at 4pm begin the process of OCIA. Those who are not yet baptized, and who may later choose to become Catholic, will be given the ancient Ephphatha Rite, which occurs a few weeks before Easter.

And at the Easter Vigil, those to be baptized will be like the man in today’s Gospel, they will to receive the Word of the Lord by first hearing it, and they will open their mouth to proclaim their faith-- to the praise and glory of God the Father.

Do you know of someone who is not baptized? Do you want to help them to receive the most glorious gift of baptism, whereby God comes to dwell within their heart? Whereby God comes with vindication to defeat the devil by washing away all sin? Whereby God comes to save us? I encourage each and every person here in the church to ask one non-Catholic if they are interested in becoming Catholic or interested in learning about the Catholic faith.

The un-baptized, who choose to become Catholic, long for the day, when God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in their heart at baptism. They long to hear His word, so that they may profess it, and proclaim it. And to those seeking baptism, the words of the prophet Isaiah can eloquently refer to our Lord’s coming into our hearts at baptism.

“Say to those whose hearts are frightened, be strong, fear not! Here is your God; He comes with vindication; the divine recompense He comes to save you!”

Pope St. Gregory, Sept 3rd

 

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Pope Gregory the Great. Pope Gregory is one the greatest popes in the history of the Church, but he is also the patron of teachers.

He was born in Rome about the year 540. After the death of his father, he built seven monasteries and then took the habit of a Benedictine monk at the age of 35. He was chosen pope and then later came to merit the title of Great. His predecessor, Pope Pelagius II died from a plague.

He had a great love for the poor and tried to do all that was possible to help them. Everyday he would invite 12 poor people to be guests at his table, and he himself was accustomed to pouring the water over their hands to wash them. Pope Gregory humbly served the Church and so took upon the title, “Servant of the Servants of God”.

As the servant of servants, tradition tells us that, once he elected, he organized a triumphal procession to the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin in order to serve the people, by calling upon the Blessed Virgin Mary to stop a plague. He himself carried a picture of Our Lady, painted by St. Luke. When the procession came to the mausoleum of Hadrian, Pope Gregory and all the people saw the Archangel Michael standing on its summit in the act of sheathing a flaming sword, symbolizing that the plague was over.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, in Her Magnificat said, “For He has looked upon His servant in Her lowliness and all ages shall call me blessed.” She is truly THE Servant of Servants, as She served the Lord like no other person could, because She served Him as His Mother.

Today let us call upon St. Gregory and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we choose to serve Jesus in each other.

22nd Sunday, Cups, Kettles, Beds vs Clean Heart

 

In the Gospel today, St. Mark tells us that the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders. The Pharisees and scribes question Jesus, they said, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but instead eat a meal without unclean hands.”

Our Blessed Lord responds stating, “You disregard God’s commandments, but cling to human tradition.” The traditions, which the Jews and Pharisees were following, were human traditions. These traditions invented by man were treated, as though they were doctrines. And if anyone didn’t follow the human traditions, it would be considered sinful.

The washing of the hands and purifications were not simply done to keep the body clean, but also symbolized moral purity. Purity of heart was a condition one needed before approaching God, and taking part in worshipping Him.

Back then, the Pharisees had not gotten beyond the external level, and even added more external things, while neglecting cleanness of heart of which all the external purifications were only a symbol. They were failing to keep God’s commandments, all the while, exteriorly making themselves clean, which was to be symbolic of a pure heart, which they did not have.

Jesus responds to their question stating, “You hypocrites, “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He states, “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

In another words, Jesus told the Pharisees, that even though the scribes and Pharisees washed their hands, cleaned bowls, and did the purifications, their hearts were unclean. It is more important to have a clean heart, than clean hands and cleans bowls.

An unclean heart is a heart filled with sin, such as, un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly.

Today, in order for us to have a pure heart, we need to keep God’s commandments, to avoid all sin, and to practice virtue. If we fail, which all of us do, we have the sacrament of confession to wash away our sins, which makes our heart pure.

We keep God’s commandments, when we honor our father and mother, keep the Lord’s Day Holy, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, don’t covet our neighbor’s goods or wife, don’t steal, don’t place false gods such as money and power before God, don’t miss Mass on Sunday, or don’t kill anyone.

Most can say, they do well keeping God’s commandments. But do we avoid other sins, such as looking lustfully at someone, gossiping, anger, un-forgiveness, judging others, being rude, or selfish, or impatient?

Do we practice virtue as well as we ought: eating and drinking moderately, denying our self excessive pleasure, practicing patience, or avoiding speech which offends others. Do we attempt to practice humility or detachment from worldly things? Do we try to grow in faith, in hope, and in love of God and neighbor?

All of us can easily fail, in so many ways, but that’s why Jesus gave us the sacrament of confession. As we approach confession the words of David’s psalm, can echo in our heart, “Have mercy on me O God in our goodness. In the greatness of your compassion, wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me of my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. A clean heart, create for me O God! And a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

This psalm helps us to understand the power and the mercy of God in the sacrament of confession. Out of compassion- Our Lord wipes out our offense. He thoroughly washes our guilt away, and cleanses us of our sins, that we may be purified. We are washed in His blood that our souls may be whiter than snow. He creates within us a clean heart and renews a steadfast spirit within us.

If we bathed once or twice a year, we wouldn’t smell very good would we? The more often we go to confession, the more our soul is bathed and cleansed. Monthly confession or confession once a week is a good way for us to keep our heart and our soul nice and pure.

In addition to confession, every time we come into the church, we dip our fingers in Holy Water asking God to wash away our sins, to make our soul pure, like at our baptism. At the beginning of Mass, we call to mind our sins, and make an act of contrition, and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints to pray for us to the Lord Our God.

The Church especially desires the priest to have a pure heart. Before Mass, he puts on a white alb, to remind him of the purity he is to seek. When he places the alb on, he prays, “Purify me Lord, and cleanse my heart, so that, washed in the blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal bliss,” And at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest washes his hands in a bowl of water, and prays to himself, “Lord, wash away my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. The priestly heart is to impeccable, because his hands offer the Most Pure Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the altar.

At the Mass, the priest is to prepare himself and the congregation to approach God and worship Him in the Eucharist with a pure heart. And the exterior practices we do are to symbolize the purity of heart, we hope to obtain.

As we now prepare to approach our Eucharistic Lord, let us resolve to imitate Our Blessed Mother, Virgin most pure. May we come to confession at least once month, or perhaps weekly, strive to keep God’s commandments, avoid sin, and practice virtue in order, that we may approach our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion, with a pure and humble heart, a heart He will not spurn.

21st Sunday, Eucharist & Confession

 

   

Our Lord had told His disciples, “I am the bread of life, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, I will raise Him on the last day.”

His disciples took what He said literally and were murmuring saying, “This saying is hard, who can accept it?”

But Our Lord did not back down, He said, “My flesh is real food and blood real drink.”

He said, “It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some who do not believe.”

The flesh He is speaking of here is the worldly way of viewing things, whereas before, He was referring to the flesh of His body and blood.

Because they took Jesus literally, “many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.”

Jesus meant it literally, because He said, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter’s responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

After the loaves were multiplied and given to the people, “they filled the wicker baskets with fragments from the five barely loaves…”

If Jesus was concerned about fragments left over from the multiplication of the loaves, how much more is He concerned about Particles from the Eucharist.

The Council of Trent states: “Nor should it be forgotten that Christ, whole and entire, is contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species.”

This is one of the reasons the ordinary manner, the Church desires we receive Communion is on the tongue. I will repeat. The ordinary manner the Church desires we receive Communion is on the tongue.

Particular bishops give an indult to receive on the hand. An indult is a permission. If we receive on the hand, after placing the Host in our mouth, we are to look for particles on the hand, and pick up the particles and consumes them. It’s a sin to knowingly allow particles to fall from our hands onto the floor.

You will notice today, the priest washes particles from his hands after giving Communion by pouring water over his fingers into the chalice. Linen purificators and corporals used during Mass are usually soaked overnight before washing to allow small particles of the Hosts to dissolve. Server patens are often used to catch small particles that may fall during the distribution of Holy Communion. We pay attention to every particle, no matter how small because each particle is whole and entire person of Jesus.

I humbly ask you to pray about receiving Communion on the tongue, to give Jesus the greatest possible reverence and respect. Ask Jesus, how He would like you to receive Holy Communion. According to scripture St. John the Apostle, took Mary into his home. He was a priest, he offered Mass, so the Virgin Mary would have received Communion from John. How do you think Mary received Jesus in Holy Communion? Most likely, on Her tongue.

When we receive Communion on the tongue, particles of the Sacred Host don’t fall to the ground. It’s a more humble way to receive the Eucharist, because we treat the Eucharist not as mere bread, but as to what it truly is, the real and true resurrected Jesus.

The Eucharist is a multiplication of the real physical presence of Jesus. It’s a miracle every person who comes to Mass is able to receive the real physical body of Christ in Holy Communion.

According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, Communion lasts at least 10 to 15 minutes before the Sacred Host is assimilated in the body. What a joy and consolation to have Jesus come to dwell within us.

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul makes it very clear, that we cannot receive the Eucharist, in the state of mortal sin. He said, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Corn. 11:27-29)

These words are proof, we are not eating bread at Mass. No! We are receiving the true body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion. When we receive the Eucharist, after committing a mortal sin, such as missing Mass on Sunday, viewing pornography, committing adultery or impure actions or having relations before marriage, etc…, not only do we commit a sacrilegious communion, we commit another mortal sin and do not receive any graces whatsoever, but rather deeply offend our Lord.

If we have committed a mortal sin, we are required to go to Confession before we receive Holy Communion.

Catholics, should go to confession at least once a month. St. Padre Pio said we should confess once a week. Pope John Paul II, confessed every day.

Years ago, before I was a priest, I heard a priest erroneously say, we don’t need to go to Confession unless we commit a mortal sin. This is very bad advice.

In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the opposite. It states, CCC#1458 “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church..” I will repeat it again, “confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.”

The Catechism goes on to tell why we should confess venial sins regularly. It states, “Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful: 

So, if we don’t confess frequently, our conscience is not formed well, we don’t receive grace to fight against evil tendencies and we can’t be sacramentally healed by Christ in Confession. We should receive the Eucharist, only in the state of grace and with a pure heart.

Here at Mass, and at every Mass, we will find infinite love, contained in the beating Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist. O Lord, we give you our love and we receive your love, through Your Mother’s intercession, help us to grow in our faith, confess venial sins frequently and receive Your flesh and blood in the Eucharist as often as possible.