Tempered through Fasting: Friday after Ash Wednesday (Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19; Matthew 9:14-15)

Last year, my homily for the Friday after Ash Wednesday set the table for the Christian discipline of Fasting.  We said:

The practice of fasting and abstinence teaches our senses to ignore the cultural programming of instant gratification by focusing instead on our need for God.

Further, the practice of fasting and abstinence gives us a spiritual defense against the seven capital sins; particularly gluttony.  In those times we are tempted to fall to a capital sin, the practice of fasting and/or abstinence can give us an alternative focus to avoid the temptation.

I thought it appropriate today to double click on the idea of tempering our temptation through fasting.

As we see in the example of Jesus in the desert, fasting can strengthen the will as one does not live on bread alone.  Through that strengthening of the will, we begin to see a dissipation of disordered passions.  By voluntarily denying ourselves of the carnal pleasures of the world, we train our mind and psyche to resist the perceived demands of instant gratification.

Let’s break that down a bit more:

Fasting tempers temptation by strengthening the will.  By training the mind to say no to the little things like that daily soda, that afternoon snack, or that hamburger on Fridays, we gain in the virtue of temperance.  It's like doing pushups of virtue in that we gain the strength necessary to say "no" to more significant temptations, like the capital sins.

Fasting tempers temptation by mortifying the passions.  In this aspect, we echo Saint Paul as we “put to death” our disordered passions.  Through the death of our disordered passions, our self-mastery over our senses is restored.  We can more consistently respond to things with love as opposed to reacting from the depths of our fear and other disordered passions.

Fasting tempers temptation by weakening the flesh.  If you recall, the Carnevale season was intended to be a season of preparation to say "farewell to the flesh".  Carnevale, after all, means "farewell to the flesh".  

Now is the time to put that preparation into action.  Our motto becomes that of Jesus in the desert in that we only rely on “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” as opposed to the pleasures and temptations of the world around us.  

We hear the word of God through the Mass and the Sacraments, and we surrender our weakened bodies to the Paschal Mystery.  Through the Paschal Mystery, our weakened bodies are paradoxically strengthened.  Through the Eucharist, we participate in the victory of Christ in the desert.

Fasting tempers temptation by sharpening discernment.  We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with idols.  These idols create unnecessary and excessive noise that serves to distract us from hearing the word of God and distracts us from seeing the tactics of the evil one.  

Fasting can help eliminate this noise in our life, which in turn, will enable us to hear the Holy Spirit more clearly.  With more focus on the Holy Spirit, we can better discern the will of God in our life.  And, with a strengthened will, we will have the fortitude to live it out.

We can see how fasting on a regular basis helps to temper our temptations and aids us in our spiritual lives.  As we have said in the past, the practice of fasting and abstinence is a gift Jesus has given to His disciples in order to foster a deeper relationship with God and to seek Him more earnestly with a humble and contrite heart.

A heart contrite and humbled through fasting, O God, you will not spurn.

Thanks be to God!

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The Cloak of the Prophet: Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19; Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15; Mark 7:31-37)

After my homily a couple of weeks ago comparing the relationship of David and Saul to the relationship of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches, someone asked me about the significance of David taking a piece of Saul’s mantle.  This tearing of the mantle represents the division in the Kingdom of God.

We see this theme again in our reading today.  The cloak of Ahijah, which represented the Kingdom of God, separated into the 12 tribes of Israel.  Jeroboam takes 10 of the tribes into rebellion against the house of David, the other 2 remaining faithful.

Again, there are a lot of parallels in our first reading to Church history.  This time the parallels are between Jeroboam and Martin Luther.

Both men recognized the abuses that were occurring and wanted to do something about it.  Some of these abuses were well intentioned such as financing the building of Solomon’s temple in the Old Testament and financing the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Church history.  Still, abuses existed, none-the-less.

Before they became rebels, both Jeroboam and Martin Luther were highly regarded.  King Solomon made Jeroboam responsible for the workers within the Tribe of Joseph.  Martin Luther was named provincial vicar within the Augustinian order.

Neither men initially intended to rebel, and the story of both men is far more complicated than I can do justice today…perhaps I’ll get into that in future homilies.  Ultimately, both men were pleading for fairness, but when the pleas were denied, both men crossed the line denouncing authority entirely.  Pride vs humily…how many times does that contrast come up in salvation history?

However, there are some important points we can be call out.  Both men were threatened with their lives.  King Solomon threatened to execute Jeroboam upon learning about the potential rebellion.  Similarly, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gave permission for anyone to kill Martin Luther in the Edict of Worms.

Despite the bounties placed on their heads, both rebellions started without military response.  Unfortunately, both rebellions would lead to wars later.

Recall the 10 fragments from Ahijah’s cloak.  The 10 northern tribes rejected the house of David and followed Jeroboam into a modified religion.  The 2 southern tribes stayed faithful and continued the authentic worship prescribed by God.  Similarly, for all intents and purposes, northern Europe followed Martin Luther into a modified religion.  Southern Europe stayed faithful and continued the authentic worship prescribed by God in the Eucharist.

As part of the modified religion, Jeroboam presented two golden calves as the true gods of Israel and led many to sin as they frequented the calves.  Meanwhile, Martin Luther introduced two new religious doctrines: Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide.  Through their religious inventions, both men separated their followers from the true faith.

Both men broke from the priestly line.  Jeroboam made "priests" in his new religion, but none of them were from the tribe of Levi as prescribed in the book of Deuteronomy.  Martin Luther did not have a way to validly ordinate priests through a duly consecrated bishop.  Therefore, apostolic succession was broken and there are no holy orders in Protestantism.

Jeroboam’s new religion rejected many of the Old Testament scriptures as authoritative and often changed the wording in their books in an attempt to legitimize their religion.  Martin Luther did similar.  In his new religion, he rejected seven books of the Old Testament (and threatened to reject several New Testament books).   Further, he added the word “alone” to his translation of Romans 3:28 in an attempt to legitimize Sola Fide.

Understanding this history gives us better perspective of the place the Catholic Church has in Salvation History and how the non-Catholic ecclesial communities around us fit into it.

Let us thank God today that we have remained faithful to His household, which is of course the Catholic Church (as Saint Paul says in his letter to Saint Timothy).  Let us pray that the mantle of our High King (the cloak of our High Prophet) will become whole again in that our separated brothers and sisters will come home.  Home, where through the Eucharist, we can hear the Lord say, “I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.”

Thanks be to God!

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Postmodern Prophet: Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (1 Kings 11:4-13; Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40; Mark 7:24-30)

In our first reading today, we see Solomon in the role of both prophet and king.  Solomon was to be the king of the Davidic Kingdom of God….the king after the heart of God.  

We also see him as a prophet today.  He received the prophecy that the kingdom will be lost due to his failure as a king.  A failure due to the fact that he was not faithful to the Lord since he turned his heart to idols.

Similarly, by virtue of our baptism, we are kings and prophets in the Messianic Kingdom of God.  We also live in a world full of idols.  These idols can easily tempt us to unfaithfulness if we are not diligent at all times.

In his monthly challenge, Archbishop Lori reminds us, “In our prophetic role, we are called to speak God’s truth even when it is unpopular in the eyes of the world.”

Toward the end of his reign, Solomon failed to do this and the Kingdom suffered as a result.  We must ask ourselves:  How are we doing in our prophetic role within the Messianic Kingdom of God?  

Archbishop Lori helps us reflect on this as he asks the following: “Do you shy away from speaking the truth because you fear opposition or repercussions? Does your silence on issues of faith or morals sometimes give others the false impression of agreement? How do you make sure you are being respectful and charitable to others when speaking the truth?”

He goes on to challenge each of us to “learn more about the Church’s teachings on one or two contemporary issues that you are concerned about, so that you can better defend the truth when an opportunity arises. Look to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and booklets from the Order’s Catholic Information Service as resources.”

If you have not done the podcast “Catechism in a Year” with Father Mike Schmitz, I highly recommend it.  Or, if you have completed it, go through it again.

Another thought is to make sure you don’t just receive your news from contemporary news sources (even Fox news, for that matter).  Instead, learn to interpret the news through the lens of the Church and learn to apply it to the world around you.

Being a true prophet in our postmodern, post-Christian, world is an act of true heroism, but at the same time we realize from our Gospel reading that the “dogs under the table” are hungry for the Truth.  

We all know people that are slaves to human secularism, the culture of death, and the host of idols that constantly bombard us.  Often these people have been lied to, manipulated, and victimized.  You may be the only opportunity for that person in your life to come to realize and understand the Truth.  Can you be the voice of Truth to them…the Truth that will set them free?

As priests, prophets, and kings in the Messianic Kingdom of God: remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Thanks be to God!

Martyr of Justice: Memorial of Saint Paul Miki, Priest and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs (Galatians 2:19-20; Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6; Matthew 28:16-20)

When we hear of Nagasaki, Japan, our first thought may go to the detonation of the second atomic bomb during World War II.

But, today, we remember another incident at Nagasaki that happened three and half centuries earlier involving our saint of the day, Saint Paul Miki.

Saint Paul Miki was born into a wealthy family about the same time Christianity was introduced to Japan.  He was baptized at the age of five and raised Catholic.

He joined the Jesuit order at the age of 22 and became well known for preaching and for conveying deep theological concepts.

However, he never became a priest.  At the age of 33, just two months before his scheduled ordination, he was arrested.  He and 25 others experienced their own Way of the Cross.  

They experienced a death march of hundreds of miles through ice and snow from Kyoto to Nagasaki.  Then they were crucified and pierced with a spear.  Saint Paul Miki would have been Japan’s very first priest.

Among his final words, Saint Paul Miki said, “Having arrived at this moment of my existence, I believe that no one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I declare to you that since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism.”

His life shows us that true martyrdom is not found in the finality of death itself, but rather testimony to Jesus Christ.  Martyrdom is about profound transformation and witness as opposed to simply dying for a cause.  It is justice that creates the martyr, not suffering.  The sanctification of the land through the blood of the martyrs is simply the fruit of that justice.

Saint Paul Miki embodied the endurance of persecution and torture.  In the process, he encouraged others, he proclaimed his faith, he invited his persecutors to embrace Christianity, and he expressed profound love.  His deep connection with Christ was on full display until he drew his last breath.  

Only through transforming union with Jesus Christ can someone express true joy in persecution, peace in times of trouble, and love for those who harm them.  

As Saint Maximillian Kolbe, who would later build a mission in Nagasaki, said, “Let us not forget that Jesus not only suffered, but also rose in glory; so, too, we go to the glory of the Resurrection by way of suffering and the Cross”.

That is the power of the paschal mystery…the paschal mystery we celebrate and participate in every time we come to Mass.  The very same transformation Saint Paul Miki underwent and that enabled him to become a martyr for Christ, is the same transformation we are invited to through the Mass and the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.

Today, through the Mass, we go to the resurrection by the way of the suffering and the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Allow the Blood of the Lamb to transform you today.  Allow the Blood of the Lamb to fill you with holy justice and a zeal to witness through missionary discipleship.  For we too are called to declare that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians.

Remember always that those who sow in tears, shall reap rejoicing.

Thanks be to God!

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