What is this Prison?: Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time (Romans 7:18-25a; Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94; Luke 12:54-59)

Our Gospel reading gives us one of the more precise allusions of purgatory that we can find in Scripture.  The way I have heard it explained is through a simple question.  Before I go into the question, perhaps a bit more context is warranted.

If you go back and read the rest of the discourse occurring throughout Luke, chapter 12, we see a pattern of warnings; such as, we must be prepared for when the Son of Man comes and that our life will be demanded of us.

There is a very eschatological tone and context to our reading today.  Eschatology is the finality of the human end: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.  It is through that tone and context that we must discern the meaning of this prison Jesus speaks of in our reading.

It is pretty evident to me that the judge is Jesus on the judgement seat, who we must all face at the end of our mortal life…the time of our particular judgement.  

There is much speculation out there about the opponent and the constable.  I won’t go there today, but rather focus on the question I mentioned earlier.

What is this prison Jesus refers to?  It cannot be heaven.  It cannot be hell.  After all, there is no payment (or suffering) in heaven and there is no release from hell.  The only real answer to the question is that it refers to the reality we know of as purgatory.

There are many lies and misconceptions spread about purgatory, particularly in non-Catholic circles, but even by some well-intentioned Catholics.  Ultimately the Church has never said purgatory is a place.  The Church has simply said it is the “final purification of the elect”.  This final purification occurs during the transition from our mortal life into eternity.

Some of you have heard me talk about how my brothers and I played a lot of baseball growing up, which meant a lot of broken windows.  Our parents generally forgave us right away, but the forgiveness did not somehow fix the broken window.  Something else had to happen.  

Take a moment to consider what would happen if I sinned in such a way that caused you personal harm.  Jesus may forgive me for my sin, but His forgiveness does not resolve the hurt and the pain you would likely continue to feel as a result of my sin.  Justice demands atonement.

Remember Saint Paul said in his letter to the Romans that we all fall short of the glory of God.  At the same time, Jesus says in the Gospels that we will be glorified like the angels in heaven.  In order for both these statements to be true, something must happen between the point of death and the point that we are in heaven.

Jesus must purify us during that transition into eternity.  We die short of the glory of God, in transition we are purified of anything not of God, then, there we are, in a glorified state in heaven.

We must remember that the only way any one of us will get into heaven is to be fully conformed to Christ, or as it says in Revelation, “nothing unclean will ever enter it”.  

Think of the person that was found at the banquet without a wedding garment in the Gospel of Matthew.  The King found him and removed him from the party.

When we die, we are like that person.  We are dirty from working in the vineyard…our clothes are a ragged mess.  We have attachments to the world and the flesh, we have guilt and remorse, and we owe justice for the broken windows in our lives.  

After we die, Jesus bathes us in the fires of His Divine Mercy, and gives us wedding garments so we can enter into the heavenly banquet of the Lamb’s Supper.  Through the purgative fires of Divine Mercy, attachments are broken, guilt and remorse healed, and justice and atonement fulfilled.  That is purgatory.

That is an important perspective to remember as we pray for those that have gone before us in faith as they transition into eternity.  

Jesus said to Saint Faustina, “Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

This is exactly what we do for our deceased loved ones in every Mass we offer for them. We are heeding the request of Jesus Christ Himself in the most excellent way possible by offering His Body, His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity for the repose of their souls.  

As we prepare to enter into the special time of the year to pray for the repose of the souls in purgatory in a more formal way, I invite you to join us for the Mass of Remembrance on November 8th, and also to gain a plenary indulgence for a holy soul in purgatory by visiting a cemetery during the first week of November.

Through the Mass and the sacramental life, we get to participate in the work of Jesus Christ to repair the broken windows in the lives of our deceased loved ones, helping them pay the last penny and enter into the beatific vision…the fulfillment of all His statutes.

Thanks be to God!

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Will He Find Faith on Earth?: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time / World Mission Sunday (Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8)

When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?  That is pertinent question for us to reflect on this World Mission Sunday

It is a question the Apostles certainly took seriously, including our very own Saint Thomas.

When we think of the Acts of the Apostles, of course we think of the missionary acts of Paul.  Paul was the first apostle to evangelize into Europe.  In Rome, Peter and Paul established the Roman Catholic Church and planted the seeds of the beautiful Latin Liturgical Rite that we are privileged to be part of today.

But consider Thomas.  In his missionary zeal, Saint Thomas traveled further away from Jerusalem than any other Apostle.  I recently read that Thomas traveled nearly 4,000 miles the other direction, ending up in Father Tomy’s backyard in southern India.  

Thomas established what would become the Syro Catholic Churches of the Syriac Liturgical Rite.  It too is a beautiful liturgy, culturally distinct from our own, with its own rich history.  I’ll try to come back for the Feast of Saint Thomas sometime in order to talk more about the adventures of Thomas and the Syro Catholic Churches that claim his Apostolic pedigree.  

It is this missionary zeal demonstrated by Thomas that we are to not only celebrate today on World Mission Sunday, but we are also invited to find inspiration in as we discern how we are being called by God to participate in true missionary discipleship.  To discern how we participate in the great commission given to us by our Blessed Lord.  To discern what can we do to help ensure there is a good answer to the question, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

Let’s face it, the answer to that question is an increasingly hard “no”.  Particularly since the protestant reformation, there has been a continually widening gap between what society wants to believe compared to the actual Truth.  Sadly, that gap continues to widen with each subsequent generation.  As each generation grows further from the Truth, an increasing number of people get to the point where they can no longer recognize the Truth, even when it is plainly in front of them.  I know each of you know what I am talking about, I’m sure you see it everyday, just as I do.

Fortunately, for you and for me, we have the Catholic Church, the pillar and foundation of Truth as exclaimed by Saint Paul in 1Timothy 3:15.  If we diligently follow the teachings of the Catholic Church and diligently live the Sacramental life Jesus established in the Catholic Church, then we are securely anchored to the Truth…the Truth that the rest of society is desperately in need of.

Thomas was given this Truth, and he carried it out into the world around him.  Our role as missionary disciples is not all that different.  First, we listen to the Church to hear the verbal Truth  (just as Jesus said to in Matthew 18:17).   Second, we receive the Truth sacramentally through the Eucharist.  We allow the Truth to truly transform us.  Then we share that Truth with others.   Over time, we bring others to the Church and to the Eucharist that they may receive the same divine transformation of Love.

Fortunately, we are not asked to travel nearly 4,000 miles to accomplish this as Thomas did. But, it does mean we may need to at times step outside of our comfort zone.  But rest assured, Thomas was successful because he had the Truth of the Catholic faith and he was fortified by the Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ.  You have the same faith and you have the same Sacraments.

What are some practical things you can do to become a missionary disciple?

First, I encourage you to join me in supporting world missions.  Whether you make your donation through the parish, or directly to the mission organizations, this money goes straight to missions at work around the world.  These missionaries are like Saint Thomas in that they have traveled around the world, spreading the Gospel into new places.  By financially supporting the missions you can be a missionary disciple vicariously through their efforts to help ensure there is indeed faith on earth when the Son of Man returns.

That said, our faith is intended to be an active faith, not simply a passive faith.

Start with the basics.  Nurture and develop your faith life in order to allow the missionary fires to be enkindled within you.  If you have not been on a DeColores retreat, I encourage you to do so.  In full disclosure, I have not been on one, but from what I understand, they are similar to the ACTS retreats we have in Saint Louis.  Therefore, I am very confident in saying the DeColores retreat can be a very powerful encounter with Jesus Christ through the sacramental life.  A true booster shot of Truth that can enkindle the missionary fires of your life, just as the missionary fires were enkindled in the life of Saint Thomas.

Once you are set aflame, you can spread that Flame of Love to others.  Of course, that starts first and foremost with prayer.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal who He wants you to evangelize to.  Pray a novena for that person and pray for that person during Mass.  When Father holds up the Eucharist during consecration, pray, “My Lord and my God, please grant the grace of conversion for so and so.”

Then meet that person where they are.  Ultimately the work of conversion is not our own, it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  And, conversions rarely happen in a single conversation, it happens over time.  So, we simply need to meet the person where they are, foster an authentic friendship with them, build trust, and as the trust develops give them opportunities to hear the Truth while leading them into an authentic encounter with Love.

When we give them opportunities to hear the Truth, we do not have to lecture or do any of the things that might often come to mind when we think of evangelization.  We can simply invite friends over for dinner and to watch a movie on Formed.  EWTN on Demand also has some great content, including a series called the “Lamb’s Supper” and another series called the “Fourth Cup”.  I share both of these with others all the time.

When I share these things, it may not always end in conversion, but it almost always gives them spiritual food for thought.  I trust the Holy Spirit can take it from there.  The Lord who made heaven and earth can certainly soften the most hardened heart and bring them to conversion.

We must remember, evangelization does not have to be a big scary thing.  It can just be part of what we do in normal friendships.

As Pope Saint John Paul II would say, “Be not afraid!”  Only the Catholic Church is the pillar and foundation of Truth, at least according to Scripture.  As long as you are living consistently within the teaching of the Catholic Church and sharing values and content that aligns with that Truth, you can never be wrong.  How amazingly powerful is that thought?  When you authentically speak the Catholic Faith, you can never be wrong.

That does not mean they are going to automatically believe you.  Just remember, when they reject you, who are they really rejecting?  That’s right, they are rejecting Him.  That too is a powerful thought.  Because if we are being honest, most of us fear rejection. And, that is probably the biggest thing that holds us back from being true missionary disciples.  Right?  In this moment, we thank you Jesus for taking on this rejection and for allowing us to participate in your rejection.

The original question remains:  When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?  The answer largely depends on us.  Thank you for financially supporting world missions.  Thank you for taking your faith seriously and allowing yourself to be enkindled by the Flame of Love.  And thank you for spreading the Flame of Love to others through authentic relationships.

Always remember that our help as missionary disciples is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Thanks be to God!

The Faith of Ignatius: Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Philippians 3:17-4:1; Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; John 12:24-26)

Saint Ignatius of Antioch is one of the most prolific of the early Church Fathers.  We don’t know exactly when he was born, but we think it may have been as early as the year AD 35, shortly after the crucifixion of our Lord.  

We do know that he was a disciple of the Apostle John.  As a direct witness to the Apostolic teachings, he is a most credible source into the evidence that the early Church was indeed the Catholic Church that we are privileged to be part of today.

Here is a sampling of the very Catholic principles Ignatius wrote about:

The Church was established by God to be a visible institution, solely for the salvation of souls.  He went further to say those who separated themselves from the Church, cut themselves off from God.

The hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Jesus Christ.  In his letter to the Magnesians, he said, “Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest.”

He confirmed the Divine authority of the episcopacy.  In his letter to the Smyrnaeans, he said, “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid.”

Ignatius is credited with using the word Eucharist to reference the Blessed Sacrament for the first time as well as the first use of the phrase Catholic Church to refer to all Christians.  He referred to the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality”.

Ignatius stressed the unity of the Church, the holiness of the Church, the catholicity of the Church, the Apostolic secession of the Church, and the infallibility of the Church.  Essentially what we now call the marks of the true Church.

Even though Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, one of the original primacies of the Church, he vehemently defended the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.  In his letter to the Romans, he said, “...to the church also which holds the presidency, in the location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and, because you hold the presidency in love, named after Christ and named after the Father.”

Ignatius also specifically rejects several doctrines commonly accepted in protestant communities, such as private judgement in matters of religion.

We believe Ignatius was martyred around the year 105 in Rome.  He was fed to the lions in the Flavian Amptitheater, which we more commonly refer to as the Colosseum, in front of tens of thousands of spectators.  His relics are currently in the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome.

By the grace of God, through Saint Ignatius, we have a strong witness to the roots of the early Catholic Church and the importance of ecclesiology, the roles of the bishops and the clergy, and most importantly the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and the sacramental life.  His life bears witness to all the promises Jesus Christ has made through His Holy Catholic Church.  

With faith like that of Ignatius, the true faith of the Catholic Church, the Lord will deliver us from all our fears.

Thanks be to God.

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Divine Bath: Memorial Mass (1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; Psalm119:57+72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130; Matthew 22:1-14)

A couple days ago, I received a call from a young lady.  She is an 11th grade student at Providence Academy, which is a nondenominational college prep program in the Saint Louis area.

She wanted to know more about a theological precept known as “compensation theodicy”, which is essentially an attempt to explain and resolve the problem with evil.  

I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with her knowledge of Saint Augustine and concepts of the subject she wanted to talk about.

Please keep her in your prayers and she continues her spiritual journey so that she may have an intimate encounter with the ultimate Truth and come home to the Catholic Church.

One of her questions was about purgatory.  As soon as she said, “a place where”;  I interjected, “I’ll just stop you right there.”

There are many lies and misconceptions spread about purgatory, particularly in non-Catholic circles, but even by some well-intentioned Catholics.  Ultimately the Church has never said purgatory is a place.  The Church has simply said it is the “final purification of the elect”.  This final purification occurs, as I alluded to earlier today, during the transition into eternity.

I told her about how we played a lot of baseball growing up, which meant a lot of broken windows.  I told her how our parents generally forgave us right away, but the forgiveness did not somehow fix the windows.  Something else had to happen.  

I asked her to consider what would happen if I sinned in a way that caused her personal harm.  Jesus may forgive me for my sin, but His forgiveness does not resolve the hurt and the pain she would feel as a result of my sin.  Justice demands atonement.

Remember Saint Paul said in his letter to the Romans that we all fall short of the glory of God.  At the same time, Jesus says in the Gospels that we will be glorified like the angels in heaven.  In order for both statements to be true, something must happen between the point of death and the point that we are in heaven.

Jesus must purify us during that transition into eternity.  We die short of the glory of God, in transition we are purified of anything not of God, then, there we are, in a glorified state in heaven.

I told this young lady that the only way any one of us will get into heaven is to be fully conformed to Christ, or as it says in Revelation, “nothing unclean will ever enter it”.  

Think of the person that was found at the banquet without a wedding garment.  The King found him and removed him from the party.

When we die, we are like that person.  We are dirty from working in the vineyard…our clothes are a mess.  We have attachments to the world and the flesh, we have guilt and remorse, and we owe justice for the broken windows in our lives.  

After we die, Jesus bathes us in the fires of His Divine Mercy, and gives us wedding garments so we can enter into the heavenly banquet of the Lamb’s Supper.  Through the purgative fires of Divine Mercy, attachments are broken, guilt and remorse healed, and justice and atonement fulfilled.  That is purgatory.

That is an important perspective to remember as we continue to pray for our sister as she transitions into eternity.  

Jesus said to Saint Faustina, “Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

This is exactly what we are doing for our sister in this Mass, and every Mass offered for her and others in our family.  We are heeding the request of Jesus Christ Himself in the most excellent way possible by offering His Body, His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity for the repose of her soul.  

Through the Mass and the sacramental life, we get to participate in the work of Jesus Christ to repair the broken windows in her life, helping her enter into the beatific vision.

Thanks be to God!

This is Not Goodbye: Funeral Liturgy (Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20; John 6:51-58)

I have in my hand, a rosary that, ultimately, was a gift from my maternal grandfather.  I carry this rosary in the pocket of my cassock at all times.  It is with me as I assist at Mass.  It is with me at the very altar of God.  It is with me when heaven touches earth in the divine liturgy.  It is with me as the Holy Spirit transubstantiates simple bread and wine into the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Some of you may look at this and just see a simple set of beads.  But if you are a fan of the “Lord of the Rings”, which was heavily inspired by the sacramental life Jesus Christ instituted in His Holy Catholic Church, then you know a ring can be more than it appears.  Just as David picked up five smooth stones and a sling, a rosary is more than it appears.

With this particular rosary, I carry with me the spiritual heritage of our family.  The strong Catholic faith that was given to us by God, passed down to us by the Apostles, and has beat strongly in the hearts of generations of our family going back to the old country in Bavaria…the very heart of the Holy Roman Empire.

I have no doubt this faith beat strongly in the heart of our sister.  From everything I could see, she lived out the sacramental life in faith.

I have fond memories as a child, seeing her at Mass as she encountered our Lord and Savior in a very real, tangible, and powerful way through the Word and the Eucharist.

Further, I believe she came to understand the sacramental life in a very profound way.  This past summer, I had the opportunity to visit with her for a short bit.  We had a great conversation.  More importantly, I prayed over her and blessed her.  It was an extremely powerful moment of grace where the presence of the Holy Spirit was very evident.  She said it was an experience she would “never, ever forget”.  Somehow, I think we both knew, in that moment, she had been strengthened for the final stretch of her mortal life.

A few days ago, Father Tomy had the opportunity to administer the Anointing of the Sick to help ensure she died fortified in the sacraments Jesus Christ instituted for our salvation.

We are all aware of the suffering she endured.  Anointing of the Sick unites our suffering to the passion and death of Jesus Christ in a very substantial way.  It allows Jesus to sacramentally take on our infirmities and bear our diseases.  This sacrament helps us turn our suffering into a true sacrifice in union with the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  It brings a new depth of meaning to our suffering as we truly participate in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  I believe this grace was a consolation to her in the last days and hours of her mortal life.

I am certain Anointing of the Sick helped her let go of the things of this world in order to focus more on the things of God, which in turn will now help her transition more easily into eternity.

Anointing of the Sick completed her conformity to the death and resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. This sacrament completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life: Baptism seals the sacramental life in us.  Confirmation strengthens us in the sacramental life and aids us in the combat of this mortal life.  This last anointing fortifies us in the sacramental life at the end of our mortal life while preparing us for the final struggles entering eternity.  She carries this grace into eternity.

That brings us then to the funeral Mass, and by extension, this liturgy, where we formally unite her death to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary and we commend her spirit into the loving hands of God, the Father.

We must always remember that the Mass is a direct participation in the great divine liturgy of heaven as it is described in the book of Revelation.  Because she died fortified in the Sacraments, we can have great hope that she is fully participating in the same great liturgy.  And we can have great hope that we are sacramentally present to her through, with, and in the Eucharist; and she is present to us.  

When we go to Mass, we approach Mount Zion as we are sacramentally present to the actual crucifixion of Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago. We are there, with Mary and John, standing at the foot of the cross.

When we go to Mass, we approach the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. We are in the presence of countless angels in festal gathering. We are in the presence of the assembly of the martyrs, the virgins, and all the other saints that have gone before us in humbly living the sacramental life, including our family and friends that died in a state of grace.

These realities remain true even when our human senses fail, and especially when we choose to not believe.

This can be of great comfort to those of us who may feel like we did not have the opportunity to say goodbye.  From a Catholic perspective, there is not a goodbye to say.  A spiritual hug through the Eucharist may not feel the same as a physical hug, but it can be every bit as profound.

Back to the rosary.  Saint Padre Pio said that holding the rosary is like holding Mary’s hand.  The night before she passed away, my father left a rosary on the cabinet next to her bed.  The next morning, she was found holding that rosary in her hand.  How comforting to know that when she approached our Lord and Savior at the judgement seat, Mary, the mother of God, was with her holding her hand.

Through the Mass and the sacramental life, we continue to have our relationship with her…in many ways now more profound than our mere mortal relationship ever could be.  

We can and should continue to pray for her as she completes her transition into eternity.  And, she can and will pray for us that we will continue to diligently live the sacramental life of the Catholic Church so we too can one day fully join in the great divine liturgy of heaven.

Across the nearly 2,000 years, the lives of the saints repeatedly and consistently attest to the truth of the sacraments and the truth of the Catholic faith.  We can have great hope that she is now experiencing the fruits of that faith, the beatific vision, along with all our ancestors that have gone before us in the sacramental life.  

The end of our mortal life on earth (which is in the womb of the Catholic Church), is not the end; but rather, is our birth into eternity.  To paraphrase Saint Paul, death cannot separate us.  Therefore, this is not goodbye!

Thanks be to God!

Humility of Maximilian: Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Malachi 3:13-20b; Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6; Luke 11:5-13)

This month’s challenge provided by Archbishop Lori, is a follow-up to the challenge in August.  In August we talked about Saint Maximilian Kolbe and the model his life provides for us in terms of surrendering our pride and growing in the virtue of humility.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe lived a life in opposition to the way of the world that calls the proud blessed and sees the evildoer prosper in material gain.  If we are being honest, too often we fall to the temptation to follow the ways of the world.

Yet, we should always strive to be more like Saint Maximilian Kolbe.  We should consistently and constantly pray with humility for God to have mercy on our sins.

The Catechism says that humility is the foundation of prayer, which means humility is a prerequisite to having a relationship with God and receiving His love and mercy.

True humility is not thinking of yourself as less than, but rather thinking of yourself less.  

Growing in humility means recognizing your strengths and realizing those strengths are gifts from God, and giving Him thanks for those gifts.  

Growing in humility also means recognizing your weaknesses.  Weaknesses do not mean we are less deserving than anyone else who may not have those weaknesses.  Rather, weaknesses are simply occasions to rely more on God.  Afterall, without the grace of God, we are nothing and can do nothing.

Ultimately, we are all sinners in need of Divine Mercy.  We must always renounce the spirit of pride when we recognize it in our lives and instead be confident in God’s love and providence.

Archbishop Lori asks the following questions:  Have there been times in your life when you pridefully compared yourself to others? Do you perform a regular and careful examination of conscience so as to remain humbly aware of your sinfulness? What other steps can you take to become more humble and less attached to sin and the material things of the world?

Archbishop Lori challenges us to pray five decades of the rosary every day, asking God for greater humility and mercy.  With each decade renounce the spirit of pride and with each decade announce the truth that the humility of Christ is your humility through the sacramental life.   With each Hail Mary, feel the pride releasing from your body and feel the grace of humility coming in to fill the void.

For truly, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who humbly ask him?  Blessed are they who only hope in the Lord?

Thanks be to God!

Rejoicing in the Sacramental Life: Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Baruch 1:15-22; Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9; Luke 10:13-16)

Our Gospel reading today occurs in the middle of the mission of the 72 disciples.  Depending on which set of readings Father Schroeder decides to use for the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi,  you may hear the conclusion of the mission where the disciples returned rejoicing at the great things God had done for them and through them throughout the mission.

As some of you know, I, along with a group of parishioners, just returned from a Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi.  They too were rejoicing at all the great things God had done for them and through them throughout the pilgrimage.  

Our readings today also focus on the importance of obedience in light of these great things done by God….the rewards that await those that are diligently obedient to Christ through His Holy Catholic Church, as well as the consequences to those that would rather live life on their terms as opposed to humbly submitting in obedience to the Church.

A gentleman recently told me, we “just have different ways” of following Jesus and we need to “see Jesus in our own ways”.  But, we know, that is a problem, isn’t it?  

In all the pages of the Gospel, I do not recall Jesus saying there are multiple ways.  In fact, He said He is “the way”, which is the sacramental life of the Catholic Church that Jesus instituted for our salvation.  The sacramental life in which Jesus said we have to “do this” to have eternal life.

In addition to the Jubilee theme of the pilgrimage, we were very intentional to create space for sacramental renewal.  Each day was intended to be a true encounter with Jesus Christ through the sacramental life (through “the way” Jesus gave us); particularly through the sacraments as we renewed our vows for Baptism, Holy Matrimony, and even Confirmation.  We challenged ourselves to forgive ourselves and others as we received Reconciliation and the Jubilee indulgences, and we strengthened our communion through the Eucharist.

On the pilgrimage, we also talked about the “buts” in our lives.  All of us have attachments to people, places and things that limit our ability to follow and to grow in the sacramental life.  Purging these elements of a false identity, just as Jesus said at the beginning of the mission of the 72 when He said “to carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals”.  This level of detachment is often necessary to eventually find out who we truly are in Christ and who we truly are in the sacramental life.

That is part of the invitation of our readings, to discern what the "buts" are in our lives? To discern what the things are in our material lives that prevent us from growing closer to Jesus Christ through the sacramental life?  To discern what the things are in our material lives that prevent us from rejoicing over how God works in our lives.  To discern what the things are in our material lives that lead us to follow “our way” as opposed to “the way”.

As a result of opening ourselves more to the sacramental life, we witnessed incredible things during the pilgrimage.  The pilgrimage was nothing short of life changing for many (their words, not mine).  One pilgrim experienced something that I can only conclude was an episode of true spiritual ecstasy, in the vein of a Saint Teresa of Avila or a Saint John of the Cross.  At least one other pilgrim experienced a miraculous healing.  Many in the group experienced significant spiritual awakenings:  Marian awakenings at places like the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.  Eucharistic awakenings at the Duomo of Orvieto, which houses the relic of the 13th century Eucharistic miracle that inspired the Feast of Corpus Cristi.  And, Franciscan awakenings at Assisi.  Throughout the trip, most everyone expressed a significant increase in spiritual freedom, peace, joy, and hope.

The good news is that these are things that each of us can experience without going on a trip a third of the way around the world.  We can learn to simply and diligently live the sacramental life Jesus Christ gave us in the Catholic Church with the correct intention and disposition.  We can simply be obedient to “the way” of life Jesus gave us in His Catholic Church.

For the gentleman I mentioned earlier, he chooses to follow “his way”, and he thinks I follow “my way”.  But we realize from the words of Jesus Himself that there is not a “his way” and there is not a “my way”, nor is there a “your way”.  There is only “the way”.

There is only “the way” Jesus gave us in His Church.  That is “the way” that I strive to follow.  I pray that others following their “own way” will soon see “the way” Jesus gave us so they too can experience the same grace of sacramental renewal that many of our pilgrims experienced the past few days.

The reality is this: the more we can lean into, submit to, and be obedient to the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, the more God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  

For the glory of His name the Lord delivers us, heals us, and saves us through the sacramental life of His Holy Catholic Church.

Thanks be to God!

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Receive the Flame of Love: Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Haggai 1:1-8; Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b; Luke 9:7-9)

It is fitting that Elijah is called out in our Gospel reading today. You see Elijah is one of two prophets that did not experience death (as you may recall Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot). These two prophets are to return to the Earth during the end times to confront the anti-Christ. But, that is a homily for another day.

Elijah, however, is an important prefigurement for our topic today. The fire that consumed Elijah's sacrifice on Mount Carmel is seen as a prefigurement of the "Flame of Love" at Pentecost. Pentecost reminds us to open ourselves to embrace God's Spirit, through the desire for a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit.

This Flame of Love that came to rest on each of the early Christians at Pentecost, is the same Flame of Love that is meant to rest on each of us at our Confirmation. The Flame of Love that enables us to boldly proclaim the mighty acts of God and to be His agents in renewing the face of the earth.

This message is still unfolding today. Now we are not obligated to believe private revelation, but on March 24, 1963, Jesus said to Elizabeth Kindelmann, “Through the Flame of Love…faith will take root in souls, and the face of the earth will be renewed, because nothing like it has happened ever since the Word became Flesh (the Word was made flesh when the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin Mary in her personal Pentecost, if you will). 

The renewal of the earth, although flooded with sufferings, will come about by the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin.”

Brothers and sisters, we are called to be an active part of this renewal of the world for the glory of God through the fires of Pentecost the Flame of Love. In fact, listen to the words of Saint Louis de Montfort: “The Holy Spirit, finding His spouse (Mary) present again in souls, will come down into them with great power. He will fill them with His gifts, especially wisdom, by which they will produce great wonders of grace…loving and glorifying Jesus.

These great souls filled with grace and zeal will be chosen to oppose the enemies of God who are raging on all sides.

They will be ministers of the Lord who, like a flaming fire, will enkindle everywhere the fires of divine love. They will become, in Mary's powerful hands, like sharp arrows, with which she will transfix her enemies.”

Then, as if speaking to the Lord, he said, “When will it happen, this fiery deluge of pure love with which you are to set the whole world ablaze and which is to come, so gently yet so forcefully, that all nations…will be caught up in its flames and be converted? When you breathe your Spirit into them, they are restored and the face of the earth renewed.”

Brothers and sisters, all of us received this breath of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, although (if you were like me) we may not have had the correct intention nor disposition at the time for the graces of Confirmation to be activated in our lives.

Still, the question for all of us becomes, how do we stoke the Flame of Love within us and continue to become the beautiful soul described by Saint Louis de Montfort?

Baptism in the Spirit is a transformational experience of the love of God the Father poured out into one’s heart by the Holy Spirit, received through a surrender to Jesus Christ. 

It brings alive sacramental Baptism and Confirmation, deepens communion with God, enkindles evangelistic fervor, and activates charisms.

Or as Saint Paul said in his second letter to Timothy, “I remind you to stir into a flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and selfcontrol."

The Lord takes delight in His people through the Flame of Love and the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.

Thanks be to God!

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Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I desire to belong to You from now on. I want to be freed from the dominion of darkness and the rule of Satan. I want to enter into Your Kingdom and be part of Your people. I will turn away from all wrongdoing, and I will avoid everything that leads me to wrongdoing. I offer my life to You, and promise to obey You as my Lord. I ask You to baptize me in the Holy Spirit and give me all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”  Amen.

The Way of the Sacramental Life: Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Galatians 2:19-20; Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Matthew 16:24-27)

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Padre Pio. He was an Italian Franciscan friar who died in 1968....within the lifetime of many on this bus. 

He was known for many miracles: spiritual ecstasies, reading of souls, bearing the wounds of the stigmata, bilocation, prophetic insights, healings, and many, many others. 

These miracles were only possible because he fully denied himself, took up his cross, and followed Jesus. He fully surrendered his entire life and will to God. He lived the sacramental life without reservation.

Many of you have experienced spiritual awakenings this week. Marian awakenings at Mary Major. Eucharistic awakenings at Orvieto. Franciscan awakenings at Assisi.

These are great, but these are just the tiny appetizers for what Jesus truly offers through the feast of the sacramental life.

Earlier in my spiritual journey, I had a wonderful Eucharistic awakening.

I had been reading the Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn to learn more about the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. When Holy Thursday came around, I took the opportunity to attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. 

When the priest held the Eucharist up at the end of the prayers of consecration and said, “This is the Lord…”, I experienced the Real Presence of Jesus in a way that I had never experienced Him before. I knew with my entire mind, heart, and soul that I was looking at God – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. What had been an extremely feeble faith, was instantly transformed into a Divine knowledge that the Lamb’s Supper is a reality. I was given a Divine knowledge that the sacramental life is reality.

In the subsequent months, I came to understand that I had a lot of "buts" in my life. I could go to Mass, but my friends want to do this instead. I could go to confession, but I need to do this around the house instead. I could talk about the Catholic faith, but my family wouldn't understand.   

What are the "buts" in your life that prevent you from living out the full Christian experience? What are the "buts" in your life that prevent you from indulging in the feast of the sacramental life?

When I was beginning to struggle with the "buts" in my life, my spiritual director gave me an assignment to reflect on my image of God. 

In doing so, a memory from about four years old came to mind (a memory I had not thought about in decades) and I related this memory to my director at the beginning of our next session:

We had just moved into a new house. I had fallen asleep early in the evening and woke up to the sight of an image in the window that appeared to be two white orbs. It may have been a figment of my four-year-old imagination, it may have been a carry-over from a dream, or it could have been some weird reflection of the moon in unfamiliar surroundings. Regardless, my scream brought my mother running into the room wondering what was going on. I told her “I saw the eyes of God”.

I thought I was just sharing a silly story with my spiritual director at the beginning of our meeting, and we certainly did get a good chuckle out of it. 

Halfway through that session, he casually mentioned a friend of his had just published a book of his friend’s finger-paintings with reflective poems his friend had written. 

When the end of the session came, he decided to use one of the poems from his friend’s book as our closing prayer. He randomly opened the book to a page that contained a finger-painting of an image containing two white orbs. These two white orbs looked very similar to what I had described from my four-year-old memory at the beginning of the session. Both of us had chills running down our spines. It was then that I began to better understand the sacramental life. 

Later, when I was praying about the "buts" in my life, I found a program that had been broadcasted on Covenant Network where someone (a youth minister at a parish) was discussing his addiction to pornography. I downloaded the podcast and started to listen to it as I walked up to Incarnate Word for a meeting one winter evening. 

He told a story about a time he was talking to a lady at his parish that he did not know. Quite out of the blue, the lady told him, “God has a message for you.” God’s message was, “You have to give up pornography if you want to have true intimacy with Me.” 

At that exact moment, I looked down and noticed a couple of paint splotches on a manhole. In the pale moonlight, the splotches appeared very similar to my four-year-old vision and the finger-painting. 

My MP3 player immediately died at that exact moment. I was immediately overwhelmed with feelings of fear, love, peace, and so many other emotions at the same time....really quite an indescribable experience.

At that point, I finally saw that the "buts" in my life were like the porn addiction for the gentleman in the podcast. The "buts" in my life were preventing me from have a true personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The "buts" in my life were preventing me from fully entering into the sacramental life.

Unfortunately, conversion can be a very difficult affair. We have to be willing to lose our material life in order to gain our sacramental life. We are often asked to sever ties with old friends and some of the comforts of our past life. I literally had to drop almost everything in my life. Almost everything that I had built a sense of identity around, had to be purged from my life: friends, hobbies, etc. Really, only Virginia and my job with Edward Jones survived the purge....though both were certainly impacted.  

I had to stop drinking alcohol, I had to stop following sports and politics, I had to limit secular news. I had to stop caring what other people thought about my faith life....including family.

I even, eventually, got rid of my Jeep Rubicon, cowboy hat and boots. Sacrificing a Jeep is when you know it is serious.  

I am not saying everyone is called to give up all these things.   However, all of us have attachments that limit our ability to grow in the sacramental life.  Purging these elements of a false identity is often necessary to eventually find out who you truly are in Christ.

So, again, what are the "buts" in your life? What are the things in your material life that prevent you from growing closer to Christ in the sacramental life?

Matthew asks a very important question in today’s Gospel, "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole (material) world and forfeit his (sacramental) life?"

Yet, that's exactly the bet we take when we choose the "buts" in our life...when we choose something worldly over something Catholic.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD, and walk in the way of the sacramental life!

Thanks be to God!