26th Sunday, Humility of God

 

In the Gospel today, one son at first refused to do his father's will and then changed his mind and did it. The other son said he would do the will of his father, but later refused. Jesus was always obedient to the will of His heavenly Father.

Today’s second reading speaks about the humility of Jesus. St. Paul said, “…He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found in human appearance, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the Cross.”

Imagine for a moment, what if God the Father said this to Jesus, His only-begotten Son, “I want you to become a man and to live with human beings. You will have two natures, both human and divine. For many years they won’t recognize your divinity and will treat you as one of them.

To become human, you must descend from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit and become an unborn fetus. You will be so small, you won’t have eyes to see, ears to hear, nor a mouth to speak. For nine months, you will be in the womb of a Virgin, who will take you place to place as you grow inside Her. You will eventually have a heart, which will beat, but that heart will someday be pierced after your death. You will be born in poor conditions and placed in an animal trough. The breath of animals will keep you warm. Your Mother and step-father will teach you talk, to walk, to write, and you will grow in wisdom and strength. You will be Jewish and speak their language. As you grow, you will work beside your stepfather. The trees you created, you will cut down and make into furniture and later a tree you created will be used to hang your hands and feet by nails. The humans will mistreat you, they will ignore you. They will not know you are my eternal Son, who is God. Eventually many will come to know who you are, as their Messiah, their Savior and God. You will come to know hunger and thirst and sweat. You will need to sleep, eat and pray. You will continue to have power to change stones into bread, but will not do so. I want you to establish a Church and through its sacraments, every generation will have the opportunity of becoming one with us through baptism so that we may dwell within their hearts. They will be able to confess their sins to a representative who will share in your priesthood. The sacrifice you make on Calvary will become present in every age on the altar-- in what will be called the Holy Mass. But your greatest act of humility will be that you will take the form of bread and the humans will eat your flesh and drink your blood, so that we can be one with them and bring them to eternal life.

In your Eucharistic humility, you will enter into the hearts of humans and in your hidden unity, when you are one with each person, who receives You in Communion, you will pour into their hearts your love and grace to grant them eternal life and raise them up on the last day.

In your humility, priests will move your divine presence in the Eucharist to and from place to place and keep you stored in a humble tabernacle.

People will come and gaze upon your humility in the Sacred Host. They will kneel before you during Eucharistic Adoration, and it will cause them to humble themselves by receiving You in on their tongue.

Many of them will be your followers, who will die out of love of you as martyrs. Others will betray you and hand you over. They will accuse you falsely, spit upon you, slap you, and hit you with their fists. They will place a crown of thorns on your head and scourge your back until you are nearly dead. They will have you carry the wooden beams they will hang you. One of your greatest sufferings, will be to see your Mother stand beneath your Cross and with tears flowing from Her cheeks, Her Heart will be pierced. They will place your dead body in Her lap, and then in a tomb. But three days later, by your own power, you will rise from the dead, receive a glorified body and greet them.

Saints will write about your humility and your example and inspire others to come to know you and love you and the Holy Spirit and accept me as their heavenly Father. For what they do to you, they do to me, and you will tell them, “The Father and I are One.” The Holy Spirit will be sent to give birth to the Church on Pentecost and will guide them to all truth. When you ascend back to me on a cloud with your physical body marked by your wounds, the angels will bow down in awe of you and your humility. So that at your name, Jesus, every knee shall bend, of those in heaven and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to my glory.

And Jesus responded with the same words His Mother would someday say, “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of woman subject to the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we may receive out adoption as sons and daughters.

I would like to close with these words of St. Francis of Assisi about the humility of God in the Eucharist. St. Francis of Assisi told his friars: “Kissing your feet, therefore, and with all the love of which I am capable, I implore all of you brothers to show all possible reverence and honor to the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in Whom that which is in heaven and on earth has been brought to peace and reconciled to almighty God . . . How holy, just and fitting must be he (the priest) who touches with his hands, receives in his heart and mouth, and offers to others to be received the One Who is not about to die but Who is to conquer and be glorified, upon Whom the angels longed to gaze . . . Let everyone be struck with fear, let the whole world tremble, and let the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest! O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! The Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under an ordinary piece of bread! Brothers, look at the humility of God, and pour out your hearts before Him! Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by Him! Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!”

25th Sunday, Come Late Receive Same Reward

 

“You too go into my vineyard”.

Jesus told this parable to help us better understand how generous and merciful God is. And it helps to understand how God’s chosen people, who were faithful through the centuries before Christ, have no reason to complain about the Gentiles (non-Jews), who are now able to receive the same reward, the gift of being a Christian, a follower of Christ, a worker in His vineyard and the gift of eternal life.

The Gentiles are those paid for only one hour of work, while the Jews are those who worked all day to obtain the same reward. The Jews have nothing to complain about because they receive what has was promised to them.

But the seeming unfairness of the landowner’s decision can still leave us feeling a bit unsettled. We might react differently, however, when we consider the lives of two people who, like the workers in this parable, came to the vineyard later in life.

Felix Leseur was raised Catholic in 19^th century France, but lost his faith in medical school and became an atheist. His wife, Elisabeth, on the other hand, grew closer to God and began praying fervently for her husband’s conversion. After her death at the age of 47, Felix began reading her diary. The deep faith he saw in the diary touched him, and he returned to the Lord at the age of 56 and eventually became a Dominican priest. In her diary, she explained how she offered all her pain and suffering for her husband, so that he could become her faith. She had the most remarkable results. Her strength was in her pain. Her greatest suffering was her loneliness, because her husband was not sharing her faith. She was tempted to think, she married the wrong person. She became an invalid for 10 years.

However, she believed God would and could change her husband’s heart, even if she wouldn’t see it in her life. Dr. Leseur, the atheist, dismissed her faith as the fancies of a pious woman.

He went to Lourdes to write a book against the Virgin Mary. However, as he looked up into the face of the statue of Mary, he received the great gift of faith. His conversion was total and complete. He saw it all. At once. Father Leseur would someday be a powerful preacher and give a retreat to Bishop Fulton Sheen.

St. Angela of Floligno was born in 1248 to a wealthy family in Umbria, Italy. Married at a young age, she reveled in the wordly life and all its trappings. But a series of natural disasters and ongoing war led her to reexamine her priorities. At the age of 37 she sought the Lord’s mercy in Confession. Then after the premature deaths of her husband, mother, and two children, she gave up all her possessions and became a lay Franciscan. She entered the Lord’s vineyard as religious, who took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

These examples show us that God’s mercy can touch the hearts of a most anti-Catholic person and a very worldly woman, even after they lived most of their life before their conversion.

As a priest, I baptized a 97 year old unconscious woman, who died within an hour after she was baptized. She always wanted to be baptized, and she received her gift, even though she didn’t know it, until she went to her judgment. All of her sins and the punishment due to her sins were washed away. So when she died, she went straight to heaven. No purgatory time.

This seems unfair if someone was baptized as an infant, and lived their whole life trying to be overcome sin, and they end up in purgatory. The older lady, never had to confess her sins, never attended Mass regularly, and never received Holy Communion. Yet, she went straight to heaven. Does that seem fair?

Once, I baptize an 85 year old man, Confirmed him, gave him his first Holy Communion, and for the rest of his life he was a practicing Catholic. He became a worker in the Lord’s vineyard by his daily living out of his Catholic faith.

Over the years, I heard Confessions of people, who hadn’t been to Confession for 50 years or longer. Yet, God in His mercy forgave them.

Before I thought about becoming a priest, when I was a young, I never went to Confession for 20 years. But after I started practicing my faith, I realized God was calling me, then I became a priest at the age of 40. I was like one who only worked an hour, but God the full pay being a worker in His vineyard. Though undeserving, I pray, God in His mercy will give me the whole enchilada when I die.

Even if someone converts in their later years, God can still make them a saint because His mercy is infinite.

Is there anyone in your family, you have given up on, thinking that they will never come to know and love God?

When we hear about people like Felix and Angela, we don’t begrudge them the heavenly reward they are now enjoying. We don’t begrudge the people who lived many years of a sinful life, but they had a conversion and were able to enter God’s kingdom. They were able to be workers in His vineyard before God called them home to heaven.

It doesn’t matter that they came later to the vineyard. God and his angels in heaven still rejoiced, and so should we-- anytime we hear of someone turning to God later in life.

God is always inviting people to “go into my vineyard”.

Today at Mass, pray for those you know, who have not yet accepted his invitation to become a close follower of Jesus. May they one day receive the reward he so graciously has in store for them! “Father, we praise you for your mercy and generosity, which have no bounds!”

24th Sunday - God Forgives Those Who Forgive Others

 

God forgives those who forgive others.

The first reading threatens us with judgment, if we seek vengeance; it states, “The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for He remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; and then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Can a man nurture anger against another, and expect healing from the Lord?”

We should therefore, not be revengeful, but forgive; not nurture our anger, but pray; and we can expect peace and joy and the healing of our heart from Our Blessed Lord.

The Responsorial Psalm, reminds us to imitate the Lord in mercy and forgiveness. "The Lord is kind and merciful; slow to anger and rich in compassion." He forgives our sins, redeems us from destruction, and crowns us with kindness and compassion. Our Lord is mercy itself and always desires to forgive, and is always kind and full of compassion. It is us who block His mercy, by our lack of forgiveness toward our neighbor.

In the Gospel, St. Peter wondered, “How many times we must forgive others”. He was familiar with rabbis, who stated that a person should forgive, up to three times, but should not forgive the fourth time. Peter knew the number “Seven” was the "perfect number". And, so He asked if a person should be forgiven up to 7 times, thinking he would outdo the Rabbis. He thought, that to forgive 7 times, was something very great. However, Jesus replies, No; make that seventy seven times! He meant a limitless number of times. Since God is infinitely merciful, we must forgive without limit and so imitate God’s mercy and compassion for us.

Jesus then tells the parable of the man, who was forgiven a huge debt, but later would not forgive a much smaller debt, owed to him by one of his servants. Since he had not forgiven, as he had been forgiven, Our Blessed Lord states, he would be handed over to the torturers, until he paid his last debt. He said, “So will His heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Our forgiveness from God is therefore, dependent upon those whom we forgive. If we do not forgive those who hurt us, we will not receive God’s forgiveness. To forgive from one’s heart often requires true faith.

Forgiveness does not mean, we forget the injustice or need to have a relationship with the person who hurt us. Forgiveness is an act of the will. When we forgive, we are saying, “I forgive. I want the person who hurt me to repent and change their life. I want the person to go to heaven.” Sirach said, “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?” Rather, he said, we are to “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.”

Frequently, we are offended by the most trivial things—such as a lack of gratitude, a sharp word, in a moment of weakness. Someone we love, becomes angry, and says something they do not mean. At other times, we can become upset from serious causes too, such as one who threatens divorce, or families who suffer from an alcoholic, and so have to repeatedly forgive, or families with serious strife, or those who suffer from abusive bosses or co-workers.

However, despite injuries, which we receive from others, St. Ignatius, who was martyred in the second century of the early Church, said, “Meet their angry outbursts with your own gentleness; Their boastfulness with your humility; Their revilings, with your prayers, Their error with your constancy of faith; Their harshness with your meekness. Let us prove ourselves, ( as) their brothers, through courtesy. Let us strive to follow the Lord’s example and see, who can suffer greater.”

These words sound beautiful, but all of us know how difficult it is to be meek, humble, and gentle, and strive to follow the Lord’s example. Our Lord’s most splendid example to forgive comes from His forgiveness of all of us, who by our sins, crucified Him. Our Divine Lord is always ready to forgive everyone. Our power to forgive comes from Christ’s love and forgiveness on the Cross. His glorious last words on Calvary, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” gives us strength to forgive, and gives the antidote to heal the wound. The antidote is to pray for those who hurt us; to truly believe they did not know what they are doing; and to ask God to forgive, those whom have hurt us.

St. Francis of Assisi’s also speaks of these things within his prayer to God with regard to the Our Father, he said, “Forgive us our trespasses’ through thy unspeakable mercy, through thy merits of thy passion and death of thy most dearly beloved Son, through the intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary, and all the saints. As we forgive them that trespass against us; grant us the grace that we may sincerely and truly forgive our enemies, and pray earnestly to Thee, for them, that we may never return evil for evil, but seek to do good to those who injure us.”

If we find ourselves with an unforgiving heart, let us seek the Lord’s mercy through the Sacrament of Confession. In the words of the late Pope John Paul II, he said,“Just as the Lord is always ready to forgive us, so we must always be ready to forgive one another. And how great is the need for forgiveness in our world today—indeed in our communities and families, in our very own hearts! That is why the special sacrament of the Church for forgiveness, the Sacrament of Penance, is such a precious gift from the Lord. In the Sacrament of Penance, God extends His forgiveness to us in a very personal way. Through the ministry of the priest, we come to our loving Savior with the burden of our sins. We confess that we have sinned against God and our neighbor. We manifest our sorrow and ask for pardon from the Lord. Then, through the priest, we hear Christ say, to us: “Your sins are forgiven; Go and do not sin again”. Can we not also hear Him say to us as we are filled with His saving grace: “Extend to others seventy times seven, this same forgiveness and mercy.”

Let us ask Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, for a large and forgiving heart, like Her own. She will help us pray for those, who hurt us; She will help us avoid brooding over our injuries; Not return evil for evil; She will ask God to forgive those who hurt us; She will give us the understanding, that they knew not what they were doing; She will draw us to Her Son’s font of mercy in the sacrament of Penance; And She asks Her Son to help us to forgive, as we have been forgiven.

And when we go to meet our maker, we will have great confidence and trust in Our Lord’s words of His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Our Lady of Sorrows - Sept. 15th

 

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Many of us are familiar with the book called the Imitation of Christ, written by Thomas A Kempis. He had also written some works on the Blessed Virgin Mary, which when compiled together are called the Imitation of Mary. He has a very beautiful meditation on Our Lady of Sorrows, that I will now quote. Thomas A. Kempis states:

“Be sorrowful, now my soul, with sorrowing Virgin, the weeping Mother, loving Mary. If you love Mary, you should share in Her sorrows with Her, in order that She may help you in your sufferings.

See, the Holy Mother weeps for Her only Son. Stop for a moment, therefore, and learn from the Virgin Mary how to mourn, for Her bitter tears can move your heart to its depths. See Her at the foot of the Cross, racked by profound sorrow, this woman who on a day long past was filled with heavenly music at the manger. She is overwhelmed by the cruelty of the soldiers, this woman what at one time was honored by the royal Magi. She is covered with the blood of Her Son, this woman who had been caressed by His candid gaze.

The radiant Star of the Sea is battered by many fearful storms, but Her mind, which remains fixed on God, is not overcome by human malice. No, She stands upright by the Cross with unwavering patience, with persevering love, without fear of those who threaten Her death, without fleeing from those who curse Her.

She endures everything with peaceful soul and endeavors to stand beside Her humiliated, Son, giving no answer to her cruel enemies. She says no words of contempt, makes no sign of indignation. She only utters deep groans, weeps bitterly, gives anxiously, shares closely in Her Son’s suffering, and is immensely afflicted. She does not grow angry with the crucifiers, but prays for the slanderers, She is saddened by those who deride and blaspheme Christ, and She prays for them. Thus, She stands by the Cross in a sea of tears, and by Her example of meekness brings a consoling patience to all in distress.

O all you who pass on the way to Calvary, look upon the sorrowful presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Look to the right of the Cross, and see Mary, the Mother of Christ.

There can be no sorrow like Hers; never in the history of the world was there a Mother who shared Her Son’s suffering with such love, for all the wounds inflicted on the limbs of Jesus She received in Her soul. She became a martyr every time She gazes on the bloody wounds of Her Son.

See to it, then, devout soul, that you imprint these things on your heart. Be meek and courageous when the moment of temptation comes. Do not be troubled and do not despair if you are deprived of something you greatly love or if you are denied something you think necessary for you. The friends of Jesus are often tried by serious afflictions.

Most merciful Jesus, Son of Mary, I ask you to grant me the gift of tears and to wound my heart with the deep compassionate love that I know tore at the heart of your faithful Mother. Look on me with your compassionate eyes with which You looked on your Mother and Your disciple John as they stood weeping by the Cross, at that time You when you entrusted each to the other and said farewell to them, “Behold your Son; behold your Mother.”

23rd Sunday, Admonish the Sinner

  

Image from the BALTIMORE CATECHISM.

The readings today place before us one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy, which is to admonish the sinner. In case we may have forgotten, there are 7 spiritual works of mercy. To admonish the sinner, to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to comfort the sorrowful, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive all injuries, & to pray for the living and the dead. Now, let us see how the readings today, speak of the spiritual work of mercy of admonishing the sinner.

In the first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, those who are appointed as watchman over the House of Israel, are to help the wicked to see the error of their ways. If the watchman fails to do so, not only will with the wicked perish in his sin, but so will the watchman. But if the watchman warns the wicked, and the wicked refuses to listen, --the wicked man shall die of his guilt, but the watchman shall be saved because he will have attempted to help him.

This reading today, is a reminder that we have an obligation to help someone who appears to be caught in sin, and our failure to help them will result in the same outcome as the sinner. If we remain silent, when we see someone doing something that is clearly wrong, we will be responsible for that same wrong, because it is really a failure to love them as we ought. We fail to be concerned about their salvation.

If the person is saying or doing something scandalous, there is an even greater obligation to say something to the person, most especially if one has authority of them.

A few years ago, the archbishop of San Francisco, publicly corrected a high profile politician, who was Catholic and is a member of his diocese. She considers herself a practicing Catholic, continues to receive Holy Communion even though she publicly supports abortion, including infanticide, and attempts to enact its legislation. It's important to admonish sinners, for the sake of their soul, and help amend their life, for love of neighbor, whose soul is at serious risk of losing heaven.

Because of many other Catholics causing scandal, some wondered why the US Bishops in their document that came out last year, on the Eucharist, during the Year of the Eucharist, failed to mention anything about Catholics causing public scandal and a Christian’s obligation to admonish a public sinner.

St. Paul admonished the Corinthians for their lack of respect towards the Eucharist. Back then, he told them, at times, they need to abstain from receiving Communion. Some of them were mixing food with the Mass. He said, “So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?”

He warned of the consequences of receiving the Lord unworthily. 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 anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor 11:27-30). Paul foresees serious consequences for profaning the Eucharist and out of love for them and love for Jesus in the Eucharist, he admonished them.

While the first reading spoke about the obligation to admonish a sinner, the Gospel gives us the method in which we are to admonish fellow Christians.

First, we must speak with the person (alone and privately) and try to win the person over to the truth. If that doesn’t work, then we are to bring one or two others with us to speak to the person, to again attempt to convince them.

If that does not work, then we take it to the Church. Which means, a priest or the bishop should visit with the person about their behavior. And if that does not work, then we treat the person as a non-believer. Why would Jesus say to treat someone like a non-believer? Perhaps, if we continued to have a friendship with them, the person could be a source of an occasion of sin, such that by being around them, we may continue to fall into sin, or may even lose our faith. We have an obligation to protect our soul, and the souls of our family members from persons who could harm us spiritually.

When I was pastor of a Sacred Heart parish in Halstead, Jared (not his real name), who was a junior in high school, told his father that another boy was saying lies about his sister Kathy (not her real name), who was a freshman in high school. The boy thinking his father would do something about it, was surprised when he said to his son, “You take care of it. Talk to him yourself.” He wanted to teach his son a lesson, by doing as Jesus said in today’s Gospel. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone….etc...

The boy was fearful of a confrontation. He thought he may get into a fight. But he did as his father told him. He went to boy telling lies about his sister, and in a charitable way asked him to stop. To his surprise, the other boy said he wouldn’t do it anymore. It all ended, in a peaceful way. The father taught his son, that at times, he needs to address the problem himself privately, and to do it in the manner Jesus said in today’s Gospel. To go the person our self first.

When I was in high school, I worked at a grocery store. I stocked shelves and bagged groceries. There used to be a very negative woman customer, who came to the store every week. Every time she came in, she complained about something. For example, she would say, “Bananas are 4 lbs for a dollar at the other grocery store, and you are selling them for 3 lbs for a dollar.” Or she would say, “The peaches went up in price since last week, 10 cents a can.” Week after week, there was always some negative comment she would make.

It became so bad, as soon as we saw her coming down the aisle, we would immediately leave that aisle, and go to the next aisle to stock shelves. One day, she caught on to what we were doing. She said, “Why do you young people go down a different aisle, when you see me coming?” Being young and not so savvy as to what to say, I blurted out what was true. I said, “You complain every time you come in the store, and we don’t want you to ruin our day.” She said, “Do I really complain like that all the time?” I said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you are grumpy.” A week later, she came back to the store, and she never again, not even once, complained. She always had good positive things to say. While I hadn’t thought of correcting her, it seemed like the Lord presented the moment for me to blurt out some helpful words of advice to change her life for the better.

However, we should not become “admonish happy”, by correcting others for their faults all the time. Our first obligation is to first correct our self, to look inside our own heart, and see how we can live a better life, how we can follow Jesus and His Church’s teachings more faithfully.

We should also examine why we admonish someone. Our primary motivation should be Christian love-- to help our neighbor to obtain what he or she spiritually needs. But also to correct an injustice that may be happening. We shouldn’t do it to try to control others or in a spirit of authority.

St. Paul in the second reading, helps us to know how we are to treat our each other. He said, “You shall love your neighbor, as yourself”. We should do to others, what we would want others to do to us.

At times, because it may make matters worse, to correct someone by words, we may correct them indirectly by our good example, that we do not approve of their actions.

There is no greater way to love our neighbor, than to help them to get to heaven. Let us ask the Virgin Mary, to pray for us, so that we may be faithful in the role God has for us, in helping others to get to heaven. And may we see that admonishing others is a spiritual work of mercy, and may do it with tenderness and compassion.

22nd Sunday - Avoid Suffering - Embrace Crosses

  

“Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny Himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

In the Gospel today, Peter wanted to prevent Jesus, from suffering and dying, when He goes to Jerusalem. He said, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” At first, this sounds like a very noble thing to do. Nobody would want someone they love to suffer and die.

Surprisingly, 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 suffering has infinite value and is the means of showing the depths of His love. He also wanted Peter to know to run away from suffering, is the way of the world, not the way of God. All the apostles, except John would be martyred.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the emperor Nero caused a great persecution of Christians and many were fleeing Rome, including Peter. But Jesus appeared to Peter, carrying the Cross going to Rome. Peter asked Jesus, “Where are you going Lord?” Jesus said, “I am going to Rome to be crucified.” Peter realized, he was running away from the cross, and so he returned to Rome, was captured, and then crucified with many other Christians.

Many of us run from suffering. We don’t want to endure pain, and complain to others about what we endure. While it is true we should try to alleviate some suffering, it is a means of revealing love.

The root behind impatience is the unwillingness to suffer. To be patient is to suffer willingly. We suffer standing in line at a grocery store, because the person in front of us is chatting with the clerk, and so, we become impatient. We suffer when we follow a vehicle going slow. When we lose our temper, oftentimes, it's an unwillingness to accept the suffering of a circumstance.

The word, “patient”, means “one who suffers”, such as a patient in a hospital. When patient, we embrace the cross that goes with it, and are willing to suffer.

If we realize we are becoming aggravated, our anger is building, and, if we want to be patient, we can say, “O Jesus, I accept this suffering for love of you.”

St. Thomas Aquinas said, “If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and he did not open his mouth. Therefore, Christ's patience on the cross was great. In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore His cross and despised the shame.”

St. Francis de Sales’ example is especially admirable. By nature, he was fiery and temperamental, but through constant training, he became as calm as the moon. He said, “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.”

We should not expect our self to always be patient, because we are human. One day when St. Philip Neri’s sufferings were extreme. During Mass, he fixed his eyes on the crucifix, and earnestly prayed, “O good Jesus, why is it that you don’t hear me? See how long a time I have besought you to give me patience! Why is it that you have not heard me, and why is my soul disquieted with thoughts of anger and impatience?”

Patience is comparable to an athlete building muscles by means of resistance. By resisting impulsive behavior, or by not yelling, or if we put up with annoyances, and tedium of life-- with calm, one grows little by little to be patient, because they are willing to suffer.

If we are willing to embrace crosses- when its not required, it strengthens the will to endure sufferings when they come. Here are some example of allowing our self to suffer willingly, when it's not required of us.

If we are going to get a cold drink of water, we can make our self wait, 5 minutes before we drink it. If It's hot out, we can wait before turning on the air conditioner in the car. Or we can make ourself drive the actual speed limit, instead of 5 miles an hour over the limit. If we are enjoying a good meal, we can make our self wait to eat the food most pleasing to us, and so eat the food that is least pleasing to us first.

Making our self wait for things, especially those that give pleasure, helps us to control our self, our anger, our impulsiveness, and give us more patience, by dying to our self and our desires.

Refusing to accept crosses may include: not wanting to clean the house. Children not wanting to do homework because it’s more fun to play video games or be with friends. Avoiding someone we don’t like. Eating foods we would rather not eat, like peas, or spinach. Complaining about difficulties.

We should be willing to suffer for Jesus and to suffer for others by embracing their crosses.

For example, Olivia, a woman in Africa, crawls 2 1/2 miles every Sunday to go to Mass, because she does not have legs. She’s not afraid to suffer for Jesus.

Our ancestors walked miles or rode horses in the hot summer, and prayed in a non-air-conditioned church, wearing suits and ties and women wore dresses and hats.

Young people can give us inspiration with regard to not being afraid to be willing to suffer. In 2019, a 15-year-old Polish boy, Jakob Baryla was hailed as a Catholic "hero" by blocking an LGBTQ Pride March with a raised crucifix and Rosary in his hand. The boy said, “I directed my prayer to Mary, the Mother of God, by reciting the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen), because She is the ideal of purity.” "I didn't think about fear. I was focused on the cross I was holding. I am Catholic, so I focused on God who gives me strength. I have the impression that God was directing me."

Willingness to suffer includes, parents who work two jobs in order to send their children to college. There are people who mow their neighbor’s lawn or the church’s lawn, as an act of charity, even in the heat. Dominican sisters in Alabama wear habits when its above 100 degrees, with no air-conditioning. Chinese Catholics, bishops and priests are in prison, for practicing their faith. All of these people are not afraid to suffer for Jesus because they love Him.

By the Cross, we come to understand the infinite value of suffering. We see in the sufferings of Jesus, that our suffering is not in vain, but rather priceless. If we unite our suffering to the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, it purifies our soul and brings us closer to God.

When we suffer, all we have to say is “Jesus, I accept this suffering, for love of you.” If we unite our suffering with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, we can help Jesus to save the souls. We are filled with joy to suffer for Jesus and for others-- knowing it will help others to get to heaven. No matter how small the suffering, if we embrace it, it has great value.

Through the sufferings of Our Lord, souls are redeemed and heaven is opened, so that all who freely follow the way of the cross--- may enjoy eternal happiness with God in heaven. By gazing upon the sufferings and death of Jesus, we become sorry for our sins, and we see before our eyes, how our sins not only offend God, but have hurt Him. Jesus carried our sins to the Cross and we nailed Him to the Cross. Can we not carry our cross and endure our sufferings for love of Him?

We should not be afraid to hold high the Cross, in face of evil, and trust that if we suffer for Jesus, and for our faith, we will have a great reward in heaven. As St. Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” And in the second reading he said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.”

I would to close with some words from St. Faustina, who said, “In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus stretched on the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.”

21st Sunday, Homily for Adult Children of Divorced

In the Gospel today, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” He wanted to know what other people thin of Him and to have the disciples express it. The disciples said, “Some say, John the Baptist, Others Elijah, Jeremiah and others a prophet.

But then He asked His disciples, “But, who do you say that I am?”

There must have been dead silence, until Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” In other words, Peter was saying, Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus as the Son of the Father. Therefore, Jesus Himself is God.

Jesus has other names that could be given Him. Jesus is king. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Savior. Jesus is a healer. Jesus is a moral teacher. Jesus is the rock. Jesus is a friend. Jesus is the redeemer. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the way. Jesus the truth. Jesus is the life. Jesus is the Son of David. Jesus is the Mediator. Jesus is Emmanuel.

All of those titles in some way point to His death and Resurrection. For example, Jesus said, “There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Because Jesus healed the sick. The Pharisees would want to kill Him. Because He announced He is the Messiah at the synagogue by reading the prophet of Isiah, they attempted to throw Him off the cliff and kill Him.

The sign of above the head of Jesus on the Cross said, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” That is why was condemned to death, because He claimed to be a king. Some of the Jews said, “We are not stoning you for any work, you have done, but for making you self out to be God.”

What I would like to do is go through some of the suffering of Jesus, so that we can understand our own wounds better in the light of the wounds of Jesus.

Before Jesus was crucified, He was scourged, then crowned with thorns. He was mocked and spat upon. He carried His Cross. He was stripped of His clothes. Then they nailed His hands and feet to the Cross. He was abandoned by all his Apostles, except John. While He was on the Cross, He was mocked and given sour wine to drink. He felt abandoned even by His Father. After Jesus died His side was pierced. His body was placed in a tomb and then 3 days later He rose from the dead.

Remember when He appeared to His apostles, he showed them His wounds in His hands, His feet and side. Then He ascended into heaven. It was like He held them up to the Father and said, “See my wounds Father, that I suffered out of love for You and for the people to bring to salvation.”
“Our Lord bore iniquities. He carried our sins to the Cross and nailed them to the tree. By His wounds we are healed.”

Through baptism, Jesus dwells inside us. Remember what Jesus said, “What you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” So the way we treat others, is the way we treat Jesus and the way others treat us, is the way the treat Jesus.

Because Jesus is each of us, He feels everything we feel. When we are sad, Jesus feels sad. When we are lonely Jesus feels lonely. When we feel abandoned Jesus feels abandoned. When we feel neglected or rejected un-noticed, hurt, confused, angry, Jesus feels all these. Same is true for feeling happy or joyful.

Jesus is our friend, loves us, so much He feels everything, Our wounds are His wounds. St. Paul said, “We make up for the suffering of Jesus for what is lacking in the body of Christ, the Church.” Our Lord came to transform sufferings into glory. By His suffering on the Cross, He makes our sufferings special, powerful, worthy and noble.

No matter what kind of suffering we have, Jesus can transform it into graces that can be benefits us and others.

We heard the phrase, “Offer it up.” What does that mean?

Jesus offered up His life for us on the Cross and as a result we can obtain eternal salvation. By His suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus made it possible for us to go to heaven.

What we do when we offer up our sufferings, is we unite them to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross and He takes those sufferings and transforms them into His redeeming graces for others.

Our wounds become a source of glory and love. There is great power in offering up your sufferings. St. Maximilian Kolbe had a printing press that produced a million copies a month called the Immaculata, which promoted devotion to the Virgin Mary. One day a reporter came to find out how these Franciscan friars, who lived a life a poverty could produce so many magazines.

St. Maximilian said, to the reporter, “Follow me.” He said the reporter walked down this long side-walk and went to a building. When he opened the door, the reporter saw a bunch of friars who were sick lying in beds. He pointed to them and said, “Here is the power behind our success. They are offering up their sufferings for our apostolate.”

But we can also offer up emotional sufferings or psychological suffering or spiritual suffering, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, suffering of misunderstandings and relationships.

At every Mass, the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus that occurred on Calvary becomes present on the altar. The crucifixion event truly becomes present at the words of Consecration when the priest says, “This is my body” and then later takes the chalice and says, “This is the chalice of my blood.” The Mass is like a time machine. We become present at that event that happened 2000 years ago. It's not representation, but re-presentation of Calvary.

At every Mass every person is supposed to offer their sufferings, their pain, sacrifices, wounds, our joys, our works, our very self with the bread and wine when they are offered on the altar and Jesus will offer all to the Father. At Mass Jesus mediates for us. Jesus shows God the Father, His wounds and our wounds.

He transforms our wounds into His wounds. They are like precious gems. More precious than gold or silver.

Today, when the bread and wine are brought forward. I want you to consciously place your wounds on the altar. I want you give everything to God as a gift. Offer your very self to God as a gift. Every day you can offer yourself, your wounds, your life to God as gift. Our sufferings can sanctify us and others and we can become holy. At Mass, we give our self to God and God gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.

What a beautiful exchange of love. In Holy Communion, the beating Heart of Jesus is united to our beating heart. Two hearts beating in love, oh what joy to be one with Jesus.

The physical union of Jesus and us lasts about 15 min, but we can always come and spend time with Jesus in the tabernacle or to an adoration chapel and gaze upon Jesus with love.

My friends, your wounds, are the wounds of Jesus. And those wounds when united to the Cross causes all of heaven to rejoice and give praise to the Trinity.

Finally, I would also like to make a suggestion and that is to try to place yourself in the shoes of your parents when they were children. Try to open your heart to have compassion for them.

What kind of events and experiences in their life happened to them which would cause them to later to treat you in a way you did not expect.

Could they have experienced events in their life that were traumatic and would later be a source for their adult behavior and they were never told you about them?

What kind of emotional or physical or spiritual wounds do they have from their childhood and throughout their life and now suffer from these miseries. We all suffer from original sin, our sins and the sins of others.

Our parents were wounded too. And Jesus wants to heal their wounds as well.

Jesus loves all of us infinitely, and He wants to bring peace to every human heart. How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who have been counselor?

By our prayers, by us treating our parents with love by our virtuous actions toward them, we can be a source of healing for them by allowing Jesus to act through us.

It is very comforting to know that in heaven our relationships with parents, our family members, will be perfect. No division, no discord, no contradictions, In heaven we will all be a happy family united with the family of God. We will have eternity to get to know and love them in a way we could not on earth.

All our human desires will be more than satisfied and fulfilled.

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus in this life let us. Let us never forget Jesus is always with us and He is our friend, our deliverer, our healer, our rock, our Lord, our king, our redeemer, our savior, for truly He is the Son of the living God, and Mary is our Mother, the Mother of God, who prays for us and helps us on our journey to our eternal home, that last forever.

Our Lady of Knock & Pope Pius X August 21st

Today, is the universal Church memorial of Pope St. Pius X, who was responsible for lowering the age of First Communion to 7 years old. He was also a promoter of frequent and daily Holy Communion.

At the time, Catholics were accustomed to receiving holy communion only once a year. Very few would receive holy communion on a weekly basis, and typically only priests would receive on a daily basis.

People rarely received Communion out of fear of offending the Lord, by their venial sins. The age for first Communion at that time was 12 years old. He was also the pope who attempted to tackle the heresy of modernism, which believes doctrines can change according to the time people lived.

But in some parts of Ireland, today is the feast of Our Lady of Knock. The rest of Ireland celebrates it on August 17th.

The apparition in County Mayo occurred on the evening of August 21, 1879, the vigil of the octave of the feast of the Assumption. The apparition occurred at the time Pope Pius X was not yet pope. He was a priest, who was ordained about 20 years, but, about 5 years after the apparition, he would become a bishop and then elected pope in 1903.

Back then, due to the failure of the potato crop, there was a severe famine in Ireland, so much so, that its estimated that a million Irish died and another million migrated out of the country. It was believed to be a punishment by God for the people not keeping the Sabbath and taking God’s name in vain.

The apparition was described as follows: Our Lady appeared standing only a few feet off the ground, the Blessed Virgin wore a white cloak and was described by witnesses as being incredibly beautiful. She wore a bright golden crown with a golden rose in the center of the crown, and appeared to be praying with her eyes looking toward heaven with her arms bend in front of her with her palms facing inward. Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, also wore white robes and stood on the Virgin’s right. He inclined his head respectfully toward the Blessed Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist wore a miter, and appeared to be preaching as he held a book in his left hand. To their right was an altar with the cross and the lamb.

Those who witnessed the miracle ranged in age from five years old to seventy-five. Twenty parishioners witnessed the apparition for two hours as they recited the rosary. Some parishioners ran home to get family members to come to see it. Although it was daylight when the apparition began, the weather turned for the worse, and it began to rain heavily. The area around the apparition appeared unaffected, however, as the ground remained dry as long as the vision lasted. She did not speak, but the edge of the church where the manifestation was made was covered with a cloud of light.  

A five year old boy crossed the fence that separated the people from the apparition and was able to see the writing in the book held by St. John the Evangelist. A 75-year-old woman also crossed the fence and walked up to Our Lady and touched her feet.

The Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John never spoke. The silent apparition that lasted hours.

There has been over 600 alleged miracles at the shrine of Our Lady of Knock. However, there has only been one Church approved miracle.

In Sept. of 2019, the Church approved the first miracle at the shrine. Marion Carroll was healed of multiple sclerosis. She was blind in one eye, and deaf in one ear, her speech was slurred and she was incontinent. She was bedridden for years until she was healed in 1989 during a blessing with a monstrance at the shrine. Her own bishop is the one who blessed her with the Jesus in the monstrance. At the moment of the blessing she said she had a magnificent peace and felt like the Lord told her she could now walk. Those who investigated the apparition, said the healing had no medical explanation for the cure.

Today, let us ponder the mystery of the apparition, with Mary, with a crown on her head, Joseph, whose head was bowed toward Mary. St. John who had a bishop’s miter and a book in his hand, and the altar with the cross and the lamb.

What was God trying to say to the people of Ireland back then, who went through a severe famine, such that 1 million died and 1 million migrated away? Perhaps it was meant be a consolation to them in their time of suffering and sorrow.

And what is God trying to tell us today about the silent apparition that lasted for hours and was seen by about 20 people?

Our Lady of Knock and Pope St. Pius X, pray for us!

20th Sunday - The Church is for Everyone - Holy Communion

 

This weekend’s Gospel is about the universal acceptance of everyone into the kingdom of God, and it’s about welcoming everyone to our church.

In the Gospel, the Canaanite woman approached Jesus trusting Him to help her daughter. She said, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Despite her cries, Jesus did not answer. And then to make matters even worse, Our Blessed Lord said something, that appears harsh. He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Could it really be He was unconcerned for the woman’s daughter, because she was not a Jew? Perhaps He was expressing what the Jews were thinking? Despite her saying, “Lord help me”, Jesus ignored her, and then said something, that sounds insulting, “It is not right to take the food of the children, and throw it to the dogs.” Was Our Lord really insulting her by calling her and the Canaanites, dogs?

During the time of Jesus, the Jewish people looked down upon the Gentile people, who weren’t Jewish and referred to them as dogs. Again He was making manifest what the Jews were thinking about her. Our Lord was stating, it’s not right to give to her (a non-Jew), what was meant for Jews. Jesus wanted her to know, He must first preach the Gospel to the Jews. The Jews are God’s chosen people. Yet, Jesus wanted to show those present-- Jew and non-Jews are now accepted into His kingdom. She continued pleading, and said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” One of the reasons why Jesus didn’t reply to her immediately was to allow others to see her great faith and her humility, which many Jews didn’t have. He also wanted to show others not only was He concerned for the non-Jews, but they can be an example for the Jews.

Finally, Jesus exclaimed, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” Our Lord rewarded her perseverance by complimenting her unshakable faith and trust--- many of the Jews didn’t have, her daughter is healed and all are led to understand Jesus’ love for everyone.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that kingdom of heaven is for everyone, not just the Jews. And if we put this in a more historical context, we can see that the Kingdom of heaven on earth is the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is for everyone. The first reading today said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
The fulfillment of the Heavenly Father's Divine plan was manifested by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who instituted the Holy Catholic Church. The Church is called “Catholic” because the word “Catholic” means universal, it’s for everyone. No matter how great the sinner, no matter what religion someone once professed, all are welcome to become members of the Catholic Church.

If the Catholic Church is for everyone, and welcome’s everyone, then why can’t non-Catholics receive Holy Communion? After all, most non-Catholic churches permit anyone to receive their communion at their service.

First, non-Catholics don’t believe the Eucharist is the real and true body of Christ. They believe it's only a symbol. They believe Jesus comes inside the bread.

Catholics, however, believe the bread and wine is changed into the real body and blood of Christ. It looks like bread, and tastes like bread, but is totally changed into Jesus.

The Catholic Church follows the ancient Christian practice of specific requirements, before one is permitted to receive Holy Communion. Justin Martyr, who died about the year 150, in First Apology said, “Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist, we call this food Eucharist, and no one may partake in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught.”

A non-Catholic who does not believe in the Real Presence would not be properly prepared to receive the Eucharist. Also, as indicated by St. Justin, those who receive Communion, must be baptized and believe everything Catholics believe and also live in accord with those teachings.

Non-Catholics don't have Apostolic Succession, meaning they don't have valid Holy Orders, because they don't have the continuous succession of bishops laying on hands from the Apostles unto today. Therefore, even if they were to believe in the true presence, they could not have it because they don't have authority to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gives something else that’s necessary before a person can receive Holy Communion. He said, "Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. This means that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord. A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup'' (I Cor 11: 26-28).

St. Paul is reminding the Corinthians, and us, that a Catholic must be in a state of grace to receive holy Communion. For Catholics, if we purposely miss Mass on Sunday, or commit adultery or do some other serious sin, we are to first go to Confession, before receiving Holy Communion. If one receives Communion in mortal sin, one commits a sacrilegious communion, which deeply offends Our Lord, and doesn’t receive any graces from Communion, because their soul is not in the state of grace.

In the book, Jesus Our Eucharistic Love, it speaks about the mystery and joy of receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. It quotes some saints. For example, Pope St. Pius X said, “If the angels could envy, they would envy us for Holy Communion.” St. Madeline Sophie defined Holy Communion, as “Paradise on Earth.” St. Therese of Lisieux said, “I would like to be the chalice and adore the Divine Blood therein. My soul is dearer to Jesus, it is more precious than vessels of Gold.” The author of the book said this about St. Therese, “Oh, how great was the happiness of the angelic Saint when, during an epidemic, daily Communion was given to her.”
In the winter mornings, the mother of a pious young boy, Aldo Marcozzi, wanted him to eat a hot meal before leaving for school. In doing so, however, he would not be able to receive Holy Communion (since in those times fasting was required from midnight, and not for only one hour as it is today). The holy youth would then say to his mother with sorrow: “Mother, you will have to render an account to God for the Communions that you do not let me receive!” Another time a companion asked him if he was not feeling well because he appeared a little sad. Aldo replied, “Today is a bad day for me, because I have not been able to receive Jesus.” Aldo Marcozzi lived only 14 years from 1914 to 1928, but may someday be declared a saint.

St. Bonaventure used to say, “O Christian souls, do you wish to prove your love towards your dead? Do wish to send them a most precious help and golden key to heaven? Receive Communion often for the repose of their souls.”

St. Gemma Gelgani said, “Holy Communion is the feast of love.”

My friends, the Catholic Church, the Holy Mass and Holy Communion is for everyone. But, one must first believe all that we believe, be baptized, be in the state of grace, live out their faith. And those who do, are blessed to be able to receive Jesus in their hearts every time they attend Holy Mass.

Is there any greater time on earth than when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, when our heart is united to His Heart beating for love of us?