The Warning of the Fig Tree: Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (1 Peter 4:7-13; Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13; Mark 11:11-26)

Throughout Scripture, the fig tree has always been an important symbol of grace throughout Salvation History in the Old Covenant.  The significance of the fig tree goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve used the leaves of the fig tree to cover their nakedness and shame after the fall.

Specific to our reading today, the events in Bethany and in Jerusalem are intertwined.  Another important piece of the context is that this is occurring during Holy Week, the end of three years of ministry that is to culminate in the passion, death, and resurrection of our Blessed Lord.  The end of His mission to undo the shame of the fall, to give us the opportunity to repent of our sins and return to Him, and offer us a genuine spiritual life centered on communion with Him.

Jesus cursing the fig tree is meant to give the Apostles the context around what happens in the Temple area of Jerusalem.  I think we can be reasonably confident of this in that there are no questions asked by the Apostles, but rather a simple statement that the “disciples heard it”.

While it isn’t captured here, perhaps Jesus reminded the Apostles of the Parable of the Fig Tree He told at another time.  “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. [So] cut it down.”

Jeremiah, Hosea, and other prophets frequently used the fig tree as a symbol of Israel under the Old Covenant.  It represents the sacramental life that is intended to bear fruit when lived out in faith, hope, and love.  

However, the spiritual state of the children of Abraham had eroded to the point where it was no longer producing fruit.  The sacramental life of the Old Covenant was not being lived out in faith, hope, and love.  They had become ritually scrupulous and corrupted by power.  They had all the external appearances of the Old Covenant; the rituals, traditions, scripture, etc.  At the same time, the practice of the people was hollow.  The Jewish rites no longer produced the fruits of repentance and faith.

The gardener had come to cut it down and replace it with the seed of the Church, the seed of the New Covenant.  

We know the prophecy of Jesus “May no one ever eat of your fruit again” was fulfilled.  There has not been a Jewish sacrifice since the destruction of the Temple in the year 70.  No Passover sacrifice, no Old Covenant, no fruit.  That is the harsh reality.

In the first reading, our first Pope reminds us that “The end of all things is at hand.”  None of us are promised tomorrow.  But, we are promised eternity for those who are serious and sober-minded about living out the sacramental life Jesus instituted in the Catholic Church with faith, hope, and love.

We have been given a great gift in the New Covenant.  God continues to extend His grace and Divine Mercy to us.  He grants us time to cultivate a life in Christ entering into true union with Him through the Eucharist and the sacraments. 

Just as those in the Temple area did not realize judgement had arrived, we do not know when we will face our hour of judgment.  We must always be diligent about living out the sacramental life of the Church, striving to always bear fruit through prayer, the Sacraments, and virtuous living.

Remember always, the Lord comes to judge the earth.

Thanks be to God!

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?: Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Acts 25:13b-21; Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab; John 21:15-19)

What do you want to be when you grow up?  That was a question I was asked frequently when I was your age.  I’m sure you have been asked the question several times as well.

I took an opportunity to look up what some common responses kids have to this question.  Maybe by a show of hands, let's see which ones some of you may be considering as an answer to that question.

• Doctor/Nurse
• Teacher
• Chef
• Musician
• Priest/Nun

It is good to have an idea of what you want to be when you grow up, and at the same time, ask God what He wants for you.  It is good to ask God how He is calling you to love Him and follow Him.   Sometimes, however, your plans may change as you get older. That’s what happened to the saint we celebrate today, Saint Rita of Cascia!

Saint Rita wanted to be a nun from the time she was a little girl. But her parents had other plans. Saint Rita was their only child and they wanted to have grandchildren! The idea of her being a nun was not an option. 

This made Saint Rita sad and she prayed about it and asked guidance from a priest. After much prayer, Saint Rita chose to obey her parents, believing that God wanted her to sacrifice her desire to be a nun and to marry as her parents wanted.

Saint Rita lived during a time when marriages were arranged by parents. At the age of twelve, she was married.  Who here is twelve or older?  

The man Saint Rita married was very unkind. When he got angry, he often would say mean things to Rita. With God’s help, Rita stayed kind and loving towards her husband; over time, her husband became a loving, caring, God-fearing man. They even had two sons together.

Then the unthinkable happened. She lost her husband in a violent crime! It was common during those times for the family to take revenge by hurting those that hurt them. In this case, Rita’s sons, along with their uncle and his family, wanted to hurt the other family for the loss of her husband. So, they began plotting to carry out the revenge they desired.

Saint Rita begged them not to, but they would not listen. So then she prayed to God.  She prayed they would choose peace over hate.  

Further, she knew that committing murder was a mortal sin. A mortal sin is a deadly sin, one that separates us from God. If her sons committed this horrible sin and died without turning back to God (without truly repenting and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation), then they could go to hell—and Saint Rita certainly did not want that to happen to her family!

There is a whole other story here that I do not have time to go into, but at the end of that story Saint Rita became free to become a nun like she always wanted. 

Even though she was known as a very holy woman, she was denied entrance to the Augustinian convent. It was believed that since her husband’s family and the other family were still upset with each other it would not be safe for the other nuns if she entered the convent. 

Saint Rita had already made it clear to everyone that she had forgiven the murderer of her husband. This was not enough, the convent said. She needed to bring peace between the two families first.

It took a lot of courage and patience to work with both families and get them to become friends. But, through God’s help, she succeeded and was allowed to enter the Augustinian convent.

Saint Rita loved her life as a nun and lived a very holy life there. She spent much time in prayer and always did God’s will. Jesus appeared before Saint Rita many times. 

Saint Rita reminds us that no matter what life throws at us and no matter how much our plans may change, God loves us.  No matter how difficult things may seem or how bad things appear, God can bring good out of it.  He gives us opportunities to love Him in return and put Him first in our lives, He gives us opportunities to love our neighbors, and He gives us opportunities to follow Him and to grow in holiness.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven to shower grace on those who love him and follow him.

Thanks be to God!

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Across Five Aprils: Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter (Acts 18:9-18; Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; John 16:20-23)

The book Across Five Aprils is about a boy named Jethro who lives on a farm in Jasper County, Illinois during the Civil War. 

Jethro works hard every day. As he works on the farm, he learns to  live a life of virtue. Even when things around him are scary or confusing, he stays calm and keeps going.

It is easy for me to resonate with this story because I also grew up on a farm in Jasper County, Illinois. The story of Jethro brings back vivid images of places I have been and grew up around, as well as strong memories of the farm life—the daily cycle of chores, the seasonal patterns of planting and harvesting, and an appreciation for the joy that can be found in simple things.

My personal connection aside, Jethro’s story is not great just because of the big events happening in the world around him. His story is great because he does ordinary things with compassion, with mercy, and with love.

Today, the Church celebrates another farmer. Today is an optional memorial for Saint Isidore!

Saint Isidore was a farmer who loved God very much. He worked hard in the fields every day, and he talked to God while he worked. Like Jethro, he found meaning in his daily work.

Every morning, Saint Isidore went to Mass before he started working in the field. Some people complained that he came to work late. But Isidore said that God had to come first in his life.

One morning, the owner of the farm went to check on Isidore. Of course, isidore was not there because he was at Mass.  However, what the owner saw astonished him.  The owner of the farm saw angels doing Isidore’s work in the field! 

Another the owner stopped by the field, he saw Isidore hard at work as expected.  But, Isidore was not alone.   The owner saw angels working right next to Isidore.

Saint Isidore was also very kind and generous. He shared the grain he harvested with animals and other people. Even when he gave a lot of the grain he harvested away, he always had enough to give the owner of the farm more than the amount of grain he owed.  In fact, Saint Isidore was always able to give the owner of the farm more grain than the other workers of the field.

Both Jethro and Saint Isidore teach us something important: you do not have to be famous or have a lot of things to be great. You are great by putting God first and by doing small ordinary things with love.

Here are three ways you can be like Saint Isidore:

As I siad, put God first. Pray every day. Before you do any work, particularly if it is work you do not want to do, say a quick prayer and ask God to help you.

Next, always do your best. Even if something feels boring, hard, seems like something beneath you, try your hardest and do it with care.  Do it for God.

Finally, be kind and share. Help be active in the ministries of the parish, prepare a meal for someone in need, or at least simply say something nice to someone.

A big part of Jethro’s story takes place on the “road to Newton”.  Newton is the largest town in Jasper County.

Today, this road is a narrow gravel road that I have been on several times….a narrow gravel road that was bypassed by the highway system and is essentially ignored by the world.  From a certain perspective, we can say Jethro takes the narrow path to Newton.

Saint Isidore also followed a narrow path.  The narrow path of the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.  It is a narrow path that is also ignored by the world, but it is the narrow path that leads us to a life close to God and to our ultimate happiness.  This narrow path includes the Mass and the Sacraments.  This narrow path may not always look exciting, but it is the narrow path that is walked by saints as well as angels.  It is the narrow path that teaches us to live a life where God is King of all the earth.

Thanks be to God!

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Political Pope: Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter (Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57:8-9, 10 and 12; John 15:12-17)

As I reflected on our Gospel reading today, I could not help but reflect on the current state of our world; and in particular, the state of our country.

Everyday, it seems we are bombarded with noise from polarized sides that contradict love in almost every way.

One side continues to push the extremes of human secularism, sexual and gender liberalism, various forms of fanaticism, and many other “isms” that stand in stark contrast to love of neighbor.

The other side really is not really any better.  Zionism, fundamentalism, dispensationalism, and the like continue to push us into situations that violate the very core of what love is supposed to be.

Both sides allow intrinsic evils to continue to spread practically unchecked.  Calls to let a child live returned with hate and vitriol.  Calls for peace returned with anger and condemnation.  Violence and threats have become the negotiation language of the day for both sides.

Pope Leo recently said “He (God) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”

Regardless of how our media and our politicians spin this statement out of context, there is a very real truth in our Holy Father’s statement that is worth heeding.

The language of God is love…not anger, not hatred, not threats, not violence, not conflict, not vitriol, not condemnation.

Simply put, God is not going to be found in any of the “isms” that currently define the political landscape of our country.  Ideology and extremism, on both sides, is only going to continue to pull us further away from the Christian core we claim this country was built on.

Often, we hear “The Pope should stay in his own lane”, or “The Church should stay out of politics”, or something else to that effect.  However, statements like these only serve to undermine the true authority of the Catholic Church, which is the Kingdom of God.  These statements only serve undermine the position of the “Al Habayit”, the Roman Pontiff, the prime minister of the Kingdom.  These statements only serve to undermine the role Catholics are to have in the political sphere.

Pope Francis said the following:

• “We, Christians, cannot ‘play Pilate’ and wash our hands…We must participate in politics because politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good. And Christian lay people must work in politics.”
• “However, in these days of hyper-partisanship and ‘cancel culture’ we need to be aware that this “is not easy; politics has become too tainted“.
• “Why has it become tainted? Because Christians have not participated in politics with an (authentic) evangelical spirit”.

The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a responsibility to be the voice of Christ in all aspects of life…including, and perhaps especially, politics.  The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a responsibility to form consciences based on moral principles and guidance.  The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a moral obligation to help society see what is truly just through the lens of faith and natural law.

Catholics must then apply the teachings of the Church to the political sphere.  Lay Catholics must translate Church teaching into concrete legislation and policy.  

As it says in the Catechism:  “Catholics are called to act as ‘salt for the earth’ and ‘light for the nations,’ actively transforming the world by promoting the common good, upholding human dignity (from conception to natural death), and engaging in public life. They are to bring Gospel values into social, economic, and political spheres while living out their faith through love.”

Truly living out our faith through love (especially in politics) is how we will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

Thanks be to God!

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The Way: Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Acts 13:26-33; Psalm 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab; John 14:1-6)

Last week, I mentioned we would talk more about Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life today.  I also made a statement that may have come across as rather bold:   The Eucharist is the dividing line of salvation.

We see a sense of this statement reaffirmed in our Gospel reading today:  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

More bold language that comes on the heels of perhaps some of the most shocking statements of all of Salvation History.  I am of course referring to the Bread of Life discourse that you heard throughout last week.

In many ways, it is the Gospel of John (along with the Book of Revelation) that gives us the blueprint for the way Jesus references. The Gospel of John gives us a blueprint for living the Sacramental Life Jesus Christ instituted in the Catholic Church.

As we have said in a recent homily, the Gospel of John is loaded with signs and miracles that are all sacramental in nature.  These are the Sacraments, the Holy Mysteries, as they are referred to in the Eastern Churches, that confer divine grace in our lives.  Ultimately, the Gospel of John reveals the deepest, richest mysteries of our faith!

The Wedding of Cana in Chapter 2 not only foreshadows Holy Matrimony, but strongly eludes to all seven of the Sacraments, particularly through the stone jars used to turn water into wine.

It is in Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John that Jesus stresses the importance of Baptism to Nicodemus.  And, later at Capernaum, as we heard last week in Chapter 6, He stresses the importance of eating the Eucharist, truly the Flesh of the Son of Man.

The promise of the Holy Spirit for the Sacrament of Confirmation is declared by Jesus in Chapter 14, the institution of Holy Orders completed in Chapter 17, and the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Chapter 20.   Even themes related to Anointing of the Sick can be found throughout the Gospel of John.

What does this mean for us more practically?  The Catechism has this to say:

“Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies. The Father always hears the prayer of his Son's Church which, in the epiclesis of each sacrament, expresses her faith in the power of the Spirit. As fire transforms into itself everything it touches, so the Holy Spirit transforms into the divine life whatever is subjected to his power.

The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.  ‘Sacramental grace is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament. The Spirit heals and transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of God. The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the Savior.”

All of this to boldly reaffirm that the Sacramental Life of the Catholic Church, particularly the Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ, is the narrow path of the way.  In every Sacrament, it is ultimately Jesus who acts to sanctify the recipient.

It is through the way, which is the Sacramental Life, that we are made like Him.  The more we are made like Him, the more we participate in His reality…the reality where the Father says, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”

Thanks be to God! 

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