Oct 31 - 30th Week in OT - Thursday

+ Jesus laments today the fact that the majority of Jerusalem is not taking seriously the message that he has brought to them of salvation and redemption that is centered in him. Historically, their lives had not been so successful under Roman leadership, and their religious leaders proved to be ineffectual in leading them to right conclusions. And so, Jesus wants so much to gather together the true children of his Father, like a hen does a brood under her wings – but they would not.

We must note in this gospel passage that the reference to the Pharisees here warning Jesus to leave the area because Herod wants to kill him, is the only positive reference to them in the New Testament. Jesus’ response was to tell them and Herod that he must do what he must do, not be deterred, and according to his own timeframe: Herod has no real power over him at all.

We read in the first reading today from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans that we have an opportunity each and every day, in fact each and every hour of the day and moment by moment, to be gathered into the heart of Christ. He yearns to have us safely there, so that he can protect, nourish and strengthen us. And so nothing then should be able to separate us from that indomitable loving relationship: not death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor any creature at all.

May we rejoice in the reality of spiritual dynamics, and God’s initiative to gather us unto himself, both now and forever!

Save me, O Lord, in your mercy!

Oct 28 - Sts Simon and Jude

+ We celebrate the feast of two apostles today: Simon and Jude. Simon was called the Cananean, and the Zealot because of his zeal for the Jewish law, but was neither from Cana nor a member of the Zealot Party. Like all the apostles he was a convert, being trained by St. Peter, the Apostle. He evangelized at least in Egypt and Mesopotamia, if not other places. He was a martyr for the faith but there are differences of opinion as to where that actually took place.

Jude was son of Cleophas, a cousin of Mary who stood with her at the foot of the Cross of Christ, and who anointed Christ’s body after his death. He is the brother of St. James the Lesser. Being a cousin of Jesus, Jude was reported to have looked a lot like him. He may have been a fisherman before he was called to be an apostle. Jude wrote the canonical Epistle named for him. He preached in Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia with St Simon. He was a healer and an exorcist. He could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee and the statues to crumble. His patronage of lost or impossible causes traditionally derives from confusion by many early Christians between Jude and the traitor Judas Iscariot; not understanding the difference between the names, they never prayed for Jude’s help, and devotion to him became something of a “lost cause.”

It is important for us to remember that the very existence of our faith and our religion today stands firmly on the faith and faithfulness of the twelve chosen by Jesus and their unfailing commitment to remain close friends of his, doing what he asked them to do, evangelically, especially in the face of certain death.

We too are called to live our lives and give our lives as intimate friends of Christ – for the spiritual and even physical welfare of others. Strengthened by this Eucharistic meal – as were Simon and Jude – may we be willing to bring the gospel message to everyone we meet today, one way or another!

We praise you, O God,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord.

The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.

oct 28

Oct 20 - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ Today we focus our thought on our relationship with people: family, friends, co-workers, fellow students and the like; and also God, our Creator, Maker and Friend – and also a Person, very much so a Person, in fact Three of them in One God! An essential element in these relationships is constancy – a “stick-to-it-iveness” that assures the other person that we will try our very best to always be there for them, to hold up our end of the relationship. We need to “stay in touch” with God, with others in order for us not to “lose touch” – not to “forget” what each relationship really means.

An example on the heavenly plane comes from the first reading today: Moses showed his constancy (in “staying in touch with God,” prayerfully) in supporting the people of Israel by holding up his hands in prayer for them in their battle against a foe. We need to lift up our hands in prayer “constantly” on behalf of others who need our prayers – whether we even know them or not – to help them battle whatever foes they are battling. Prayer is vital to the successful outcome of any project whatsoever. It really makes a huge difference in the lives of those for whom we pray. May our prayer remain sincere, constant and loving – and we will have done a large part in transforming the world.

In the gospel passage we see another application, an earthly application of the same concept of constancy in prayer and support (but it can also have heavenly ramifications): the story of the corrupt judge who makes a just ruling as a result of the persistence (constancy) of the plaintiff.  This tells us that we can even influence by our powerful prayers and conscientious actions those who have the power to change the lives of others for the better, even though they have no direct personal stake in the matter and they themselves may be corrupt. God can use even the most suspicious of characters for his own glory and the benefit of others – at the persistence and insistence of prayer.

May we “stay in touch with God,” the source of all blessing, remaining prayerfully faithful to what we have learned from him and believed regarding justice, fairness, constancy and love; and may the living and effective word of God discern the reflections of our hearts and lead us to right thought, right words and right action on behalf of our brothers and sisters with whom we must “stay in touch” as well, and may we all be then led to eternal life!

Oct 17 - St Ignatius of Antioch

+ St Ignatius of Antioch was born in the year 50 in Syria. He was a convert from paganism to Christianity. He was believed to be a disciple of St. John the Apostle. His apostolic letters to the various churches in the ancient Christian world serve as a major source regarding the life, faith, and structure of the early Church in Asia Minor and Rome.

He was the first writer to use the term “Catholic Church” as a collective designation for Christians, among the first to attest to the “monoepiscopacy” or the governance of a diocese by one bishop. He became the bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Peter the Apostle. He served during the persecution of Domatian. But during the persecution of Trajan he was ordered to be taken to Rome to be killed by wild animals. On his way there, which took months, he wrote letters to the churches stressing the divinity and humanity of Jesus, his bodily death and resurrection, the central importance of the Eucharist and the bishop for church unity, and the special reverence owed to the church of Rome as the one founded by Peter and Paul. Ignatius died in 107 and his relics are in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

St. Ignatius considered himself as wheat that must be ground in order to make something useful – corresponding with Jesus imperative in the gospel passage. It is when the disciple of Christ – in imitation of his master – falls to the earth and dies, that something beautiful, useful and salvific can result. For Jesus it meant resurrection to a newness of life, the fullness and completion of human life, and likewise for his faithful followers – including St. Ignatius of Antioch.

May we strain for the prize of everlasting glory and resurrected life with God – who so eagerly wants to share them with us. We must live the life prescribed by Jesus – come what may – and it will be so for us!

Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life.

Oct 15 - St Teresa of Avila

+ Teresa of Avila was born in March of 1515, daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Dona Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints and playing a “hermit” in the garden. Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home, Teresa was cured after prayer to St. Joseph. Her mother died when she was 12, and she prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement. Her father opposed her entry to religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite house at 17, taking the name Teresa of Jesus. Seeing her conviction to her call, her father and family finally consented. Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was aggravated by the inadequate medical help she received; she never fully recovered her health.

At this time Teresa began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits, including St. Francis Borgia, who pronounced her visions to be holy and true. She considered her original house too lax in its rule, and so she founded a reformed convent (discalced: shoeless) of St. John of Avila. Teresa founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities. She was a mystical writer writing The Way of Perfection and Meditations on the Song of Songs. She met and became friends with St. John of the Cross; they encouraged each other along the way of spiritual perfection.

Teresa died October 4, 1582, of natural causes, in the arms of her secretary and close friend Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew. Her body is incorrupt and her relics preserved at Alba. Her heart shows signs of Transverberation (piercing) and is displayed too. She was canonized in 1622 along with St. Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Philip Neri, and was one of the first women to be named Doctor of the Church, by Pope Paul VI in 1970. She is patron of the sick, and those who are ridiculed for their piety.

Teresa knew intensely the reality of how the spiritual life of the individual is directly and irrevocably intertwined with that of Jesus as the branches of the vine are vitally related to the root! For Teresa of Avila life was Christ, and, for love of him, a life of aiding others in their spiritual growth and journeys was her true vocation; and this she did in spite of physical conditions that plagued her with illness. It was the hope of glory, illumined by the flame of faith, planted in her heart at her own baptism, and then renewed at her religious profession, that encouraged Teresa along the way, and she counted on the prayers to God that only the Holy Spirit himself could emit as groans in the heart of the Father to make her efforts successful.

May we revel in our intimate relationship with God today, count on the Spirit’s prayer on our behalf, and then, nourishing the gift of faith already bestowed on us, by this Eucharistic meal, prove our love for God by the way we deal with others as he would!

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Oct 6 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ We have had a long series of homilies all the way back into August, based on humility, taking the lowest place, renouncing possessions, detaching ourselves from possessions, and last week with the story of Lazarus and the rich man, taking the risk of having our riches interfere with our entrance into heaven  when we die.

And so, when we hear today, that the response that Jesus literally wants - after we have worked hard for him all day, doing what he asks us to do, and then coming home from work and being expected to cook his supper too (the extra measure) – what we are supposed to say is: “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do!”

This sounds kind of irksome to people (mostly Americans) who think things are “owed to them.” Or did we miss the whole point of the homily series? The only real thing that is owed at all is to love one another, as Christ loved us - to the point of death on the cross. This redemption was pure grace, it was certainly not “owed,” and it involved Jesus going way beyond the extra measure – the extra mile – for us. It is we who owe everything – everything! We are just plain and ordinary servants, doing our duty when we do what he says! And that is not a bad thing to be!

In the first reading from the Prophet Habakkuk the prophet cries out: how long O Lord? We are crying out to you and you don’t seem to listen, you don’t seem to be willing to intervene, as he looks at the people of Israel in such misery in captivity? But the Lord speaks through the prophet saying: but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

If our faith, even if it is tinier than that of a mustard seed, is real, then we shall live and we shall have reason to have hope, and we shall rise from our humble position, our lack of possessions and our depleted riches and we shall be able to see our brothers and sisters with their true need – and we shall be able to help them in ways that are beyond us as individuals – we shall be able to translate owing thanksgiving and love to God, into thanks given and extended by help given to our brothers and sisters in need - in the sight of God.

May our life of living faith, lead to endless days of self-sacrificial giving to our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ – after all we do “owe it to them” – and very much so!

If today you hear his voice, in our readings, in this homily, harden not your hearts.

                             

Oct 2 - Holy Guardian Angels

+ The term “guardian angel” refers to the belief that each person has at least one angel who is available to shepherd their soul through life and help bring them to God.

Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and man’s interaction with them, goes back to the earliest times. Three days ago we celebrated the feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, three of the seven Archangels who had and have major roles in the history of salvation; today we focus on personal or guardian angels who have long been accepted by the church. In the gospel passage Jesus himself tells us that children have angels in heaven who always see his Father’s face.

The feast of the Guardian Angels gained popularity in the Church in the middle ages and was given a high rank by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.

In our own day and age, with the academic study now of verifiable and reliable reports of NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) – angels in all their magnificence, glory and functionality are most clearly seen and reported, especially guardian angels – 1 or more – assigned each person to keep them on the right track, so they grow and develop to their full stature and potential spiritually, mentally and physically.

It is entirely fitting for each and every Catholic to acknowledge, pray to and depend upon the inspirational help of his or her hand-picked, personally assigned, spiritual assistant – his guardian angel – we would be foolish not to!

One such prayer for us is or should be familiar to us all: it should be one of the earliest remembrances in life that a child has:

Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
to whom His love commits thee here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.

The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.