Category Archives: Latin Mass

10th Sunday after Pentecost

Beloved in Jesus Christ, this past spring, in a small town in Ohio, moments before the high school graduation, the senior class secretly made a decision that would make national headlines. For over 70 years, their public school had a tradition at graduation of singing the Our Father. Catholics and Protestants alike, and any others who wished to join in, sang the Lord’s prayer at their graduation.

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But this year, the school district banned the song to appease a group of ‘perpetually-offended atheists,’ it might be better to call them ‘bullies,’ none of whom even live in town. The decision devastated the community. So that day, as the students were lining up, some of them began talking about how wrong it was that their beloved tradition had been outlawed. ‘Pretty much everyone was in agreement,” said senior Bobby Hill. The class thought it was wrong.

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Bobby’s father was sitting in the auditorium when he received a text message from his son: the students were going to take a stand for God. After the valedictorian welcomed the crowd, the seniors rose to their feet and began committing an act of disobedience. They had been told they could no longer ‘sing’ the Our Father, and so instead, they recited it…. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…’ The people cheered. They cheered for God, and for freedom to pray.

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Friends in Christ,’ Today in the Gospel, our Lord shows us two examples of prayer. The phony prayer of the Pharisee, and the humble sincere prayer of the Publican. Prayer is not just some ‘add-on’ to our life; if vitamins and minerals are essential to the health of the body, prayer is essential to the health of the soul.

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One time Christ’s disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Now all though there are many ways to pray, Jesus taught them the Our Father. They said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. And he said unto them, ‘This is how you should pray, Our Father, who art in heaven….’ And he taught the Lord’s prayer. On two different occasions he did this: the one recorded by St. Luke is briefer, the one recorded by St. Matthew is exactly the Our Father as we say it today.

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This prayer is the only prayer given to us directly by God. Jesus Christ himself gave this prayer to us. Now I am certain that everyone here says this prayer even more than once a day. It can be said in our morning prayers or night prayers. As I was preparing this homily, I wondered how many times I pray it each day and I counted about 30; for sure it is and must be an important part of our daily life.

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Growing up, our family always prayed, along with the meal blessing, the Our Father. (We also prayed the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, and a prayer for Missionaries, and for our deceased relatives.) If you pray a rosary, you are saying the Our Father six times. St. Ambrose says, ‘Say the Our Father at least 3 times a day that you may be worthy to be children of your Father in heaven.’ But regardless, a day should never pass in our life, in which this prayer is not on our lips and our children’s lips.

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This prayer has worked wonders: it brings immediate peace to a troubled soul, drives out demons, repels temptation, and has worked miracles. A woman was completely mute, unable to speak at all. But one day at Mass, as the Our Father was begun, she was miraculously cured. The Lord’s Prayer shows us that we are children of God. No other religion on earth calls their creator ‘Father,’ but we do. ‘Pater Noster, qui es en coelis….’

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Some people add to the end of the Our Father, ‘For thine is the kingdom and power and glory… A person asked me once, ‘why don’t you Catholics add that part?’ I said, because it’s not in the bible! We use the Our Father just as it was taught to us by Christ in the gospel of St. Matthew. That extra phrase is called a ‘Doxology,’ a short prayer of praise. In the early Church, especially in the east, such Doxologies were often added to things in prayers.

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Well, the bible before the 15th century was copied entirely by hand – very arduous – and it seems that a monk or someone wrote an aspiration – a doxology – in the margin of his book. The next copiest must have thought that it belonged in the text and put it in.  Of the Greek manuscripts we have of the bible, some of them have this Doxology added to the Our Father. When Protestants translated their bible during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, this translation was used and brought into the King James Bible.  They used the Textus Receptus text, which has this error.  Scripture scholars all agree now, that this doxology is not part of the Our Father given to us by Christ and is therefore not found in modern bibles. So we can just say, ‘we don’t use it because it’s not in the bible. It’s a nice prayer of praise, but it wasn’t given to us by Christ.

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Since the earliest days of the faith, the Lord’s Prayer was prayed right before receiving Holy Communion, it has always been connected with Holy Communion.[i] In fact, in the true Greek, in which the Our Father was written, it doesn’t say give us our ‘daily bread,’ but rather, ‘give us this supernatural bread.’ The bread that we are asking for in the Our Father, is the Bread of Life from the altar. So it is appropiate that many people come to weekday Mass as well, to receive daily, this ‘supernatural bread of angels.’

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And it is interesting, that in the gospel of St. Luke, where he teaches the Lord’s Prayer, right after that, he tells the story about the man knocking and demanding to receive some bread. It is not a coincidence.

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In the early Church, no one ever spoke publically about the Mass, nor ever spoke the Our Father out loud. This was called the ‘discipline of the secret.’ These were Secrets of our Faith, and no one was to know them except those who were members. These are the Sacred words, and although today we allow non-Catholics to know of them, the Our Father is still the secret words of love that we pray to our Father in heaven.

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May the Blessed Virgin help us in the coming days, especially to pray often, this sacred prayer taught to us by Jesus.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Bernadette]

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[i] Jungman, Vol. II, p. 285.

9th Week after Pentecost

Beloved in Jesus Christ, St. Augustine, who lived back in the 4^th century, is one of the great saints of the Church. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas are the two pillars of theology and influence in the Church. But St. Augustine was not much of a saint when he was young, he got into mega-trouble! He experimented with different religions, his life was on a sinful path, really the path to hell. But his mother never stopped praying for him, and eventually, he began to feel a pain in his heart, that he was not following Jesus Christ. He prayed, he tried to learn more about the faith, but he was continually torn inside, still attached to the lust and sin of his lifestyle.

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Then one day he was sitting in a garden with this tortured heart of his; he wanted to follow Jesus, but he didn’t feel he had the strength to give up his sin. He tells us about that day: ‘I prayed and wept: O Lord, how long will you be angry with me for all my sins.’ Suddenly I noticed a voice of a child in the neighboring house, saying and repeating: ‘Take up and read. Take up and read.’ I began to think of what kind of a game this might be by which they said this, but I felt that it was meant for me, to hear this as a command from God to open the Holy Bible that was there, and to read the first thing I should find.

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‘I remembered how St. Anthony, how having heard the Gospel, he changed his whole life – eagerly I picked up the Sacred Book and opened, and I read that on which my eyes first fell: ‘Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.’ No further would I need to read, for instantly a light of serenity came into my heart and all my doubts vanished. I showed the passage to my friend Alypius, and he too decided to join me in a new way of life. Then we went to tell my mother.

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Friends in Christ, St. Augustine, St. Anthony, and so many other people have had their life changed by reading the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Bible reveals to us the Word of God. Through the Sacred pages, Christ himself speaks. Of course the Holy Gospels are Jesus’ direct words – but in fact, every word of the Holy Bible is Him speaking to us, even if within some of the mysterious and strange stories of the Old Testament.

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The Sacred authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have communicated God’s Word to us. Fr. Lawrence Hennesey says, ‘Let the Holy Scriptures wash over you each and every day. If you go to bed and remember you have not read, turn on the light, read a few lines, and then go to sleep.’ St. Jerome says: ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,’ and every single master of the spiritual life, saints through the ages, urge us to read the Bible daily.

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I’ve head people say, ‘Oh, the Catholic Church tries to prevent you from reading the bible.’ This is NONSENSE. I have a Catholic bible in my room from 1948, and on the first introductory page it urges Catholics to read the bible and grants a special indulgence for doing so.[i] One can receive a Plenary Indulgence by reading the Bible 30 minutes.

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Today in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians, he is describing the events of the Old Testament – the tests that Israel underwent in the desert, in which some were faithful, and others not. He says, ‘These things happened to them in figure, but they were written for our correction.’ In Romans he will say: ‘everything that was written was written to teach us.’ And to Timothy he writes: All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, and to instruct. Every word in the bible is to assist us and guide us.

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Recall that scene in the gospel about Martha and Mary; Martha is so pre-occupied, super-busy – meanwhile, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to him speak. Christ says, that is better. Avoiding prayer due to busyness doesn’t cut it with Jesus Christ.

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We ourselves often fail to make time to listen to God; we can use busyness to escape facing the Lord or ourselves. Although it is true that we must live up to the duties and responsibilities of each day, it is most important that we give God some time, that we listen to him. This is in our prayers, in our rosary, in some quiet, but it must also be in hearing his Word in the Holy Scriptures. If we read and ponder and pray, we will find Jesus there, waiting for us. We will find him there as did St. Augustine, and so many others. Our Lord wants time with us; he wants to speak to us, he wants us to listen to his Word.

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St. Theresa says, the world needs souls that are on fire for Christ, who pray, who sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his Word. Now in reading the Bible, we can notice there are 4 senses of scripture: First is the literal sense, which is the plain meaning of the sentences, understood according to the place and the customs of the day. Second, is the allegorical sense, which teaches by symbol; for example, the Passover lamb which was sacrificed, and freed the people from slavery; it is a symbol of Christ, the Lamb who was sacrificed to free us from sin. Thirdly, the moral sense. Scripture teaches us how to live. For example, the parable of the foolish virgins with their lamps teaches us not to put off our conversion to Christ, or it will be too late for us. Finally, the fourth sense of scripture is the anagogical sense, in which our minds are fixed on our true goal, which is heaven. For example, the journey of Israel through the desert represents our journey through this life to the Promised Land which is heaven.

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So – four sense of scripture: The literal sense speaks of events; allegory reveals faith; the moral sense teaches how to act; the anagogical sense points to heaven. When reading the bible, we may focus on the literal meaning or on the spiritual meaning, but there are no rules; we may be moved to love God, to fear our sins, to be thankful – or praise Him – did I say, ‘to praise Him!’ There are no rules; as St. Augustine heard, just take and read.

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St. Francis says, when meditating on some passage, imitate the bees: they work on a flower until they have extracted all the nectar, only then do they move on to another. Therefore, rest in a passage of Scripture until it brings no more sweetness, and then read more.

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And the Blessed Virgin – Mary is in the bible too. Her last recorded words were: ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ ‘So Lord, what are you telling me? We can’t know, unless we take and read.

Mary, pray for us, that no matter how busy we are, there will always be a little time each day for the Word of God.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Augustine]

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[i] Catechism #133 The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful….to the frequent reading of the divine Scriptures

6th Sunday after Pentecost

Beloved in Jesus Christ, after having escaped from Egypt through the Red Sea, the ancient Israelites made the treacherous journey through the desert for 40 years.  And through those whole 40 years of traveling, their clothes and their shoes never wore out. This is told us, in the Book of Deuteronomy (8:4).

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Their clothes never wore out! And not only that, but in the desert, they drank water that gushed from a dry rock, they ate miraculous quail, and manna appeared daily as bread for them to eat. Divine Providence cared for them, as long as they trusted the plan of God.

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Some of them however, were worried that God might not keep providing the manna every day; so just in case, they stored up extra manna, even though God had told them not to do it. In fact, they found that the manna they saved for the next day was always full of maggots. God was not pleased with their lack of trust in his Providence.

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Divine Providence is the care that God exercises over the universe. The Catechism says, ‘The universe was created “in a state of journeying” toward an ultimate perfection to which God has destined it.’ CCC 302 The plan by which God guides his creation toward this perfection is called ‘Divine Providence.’ Thomas Aquinas will say, ‘Everything has a place in God’s Providence, and this in no mere general way, but in particular, in individual, down to the last and least detail.’ (Summa of Summa)

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But so often, we do not trust Divine Providence. We live a constricted and fearful life, hoarding up for ourselves everything and anything, just in case – just in case God forgets us. Father Jacques Philippe says, ‘A lack of trust of what God can do in our life, and what we can do with his help, leads to a shrinkage of the heart.’  

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Now while it is true that we must focus on doing the details of our work, living up to our responsibilities, we must ever-maintain the glorious and big picture of God’s loving Providence, that we are acting within a grand scheme of a Good Master-Father.

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In the Gospel today, Jesus multiplies the few loaves and fishes to feed the multitude. Thousands of people from 7 loaves. Who would have ever thought that God could do so much, with our so little? Yet so often we question God: Lord, this won’t work. Why is this happening, this thing here – you made a mistake.

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Now we mustn’t attribute evil to God; all the pain, and evil, and sin, and suffering ultimately are rooted in that evil Fool who lives in hell. But God uses secondary causes to accomplish his plan. He knows every single thing, and will always be able to draw good out of whatever the Fool throws at us. God’s Providence cannot be stopped.

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If we are out on a lake riding in a motorboat, we look back at the wake behind us; we see the turbulent water, but our eye is also raised to the beautiful expanse of where we’ve been: of the vast distance we have traversed, the new perspective of the shore, the distant hills and forests. In our life, we are often bogged down by the restricted concerns of today, yet when we glance at where we’ve been; yes, we see the turbulence, but we also see the beauty of Divine Providence which has seen us safely through it all.

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In 1608, an English ship came to the New World at Plymouth. The Indians innocently met them, but were brutally captured and taken to Spain and sold into slavery. Where was God? Where is his Providence?

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Well, one of those Indians, whose name was Squanto, was purchased by a group of Catholic friars and set free. He made his way to England where he worked and learned English. Although he never dreamed it could be possible, he was one day offered a trip back to the New World. Ten years after he had been captured, Squanto returned to his homeland.

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But when he arrived, in grief, he realized that his entire tribe had perished from disease. He realized that had he not been kidnapped, he would also be dead. For years, he lived alone in the woods. In 1620, a ship called the Mayflower arrived, bringing pilgrims. Their journey had been difficult, and in the frigid conditions of that winter, half of them died. They no doubt wondered, ‘where is God? They seriously considered returning because they really did not know how to live in this New Land.

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But one day, an Indian walked out of the woods to greet them; and – he spoke perfect English. He knew everything about surviving in New England, and he could speak to them; he taught them how to plant corn and squash and methods for fishing. The Pilgrims adopted him as one of their own. He changed everything, making it possible for them to survive. To the people, Squanto was the answer to their prayers, an outrageous miracle that had walked out of the woods to help them.

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Friends, we question God’s Providence so many times; but is the King of the World really lacking in wisdom or goodness,[i] so that we must be fearful about our future? No. This universe will one day be dissolved. But what consequence in Gods sight is this machine of the world? Without effort He can make a thousand others. The events which we spend too much time worrying over, politics, revolutions, the succession of empires through history, – in God’s sight they are child’s play. Everything is here to save souls.

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Fr. James Mallon asks: ‘Is our vision too small? Is our vision big enough for God? Do we believe that God is doing and wants to do great things with our life, which seems perhaps, so hum-drum today?

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‘And He asked them: how many loaves do you have?’

Who said to him: ‘Seven.’

‘But what can be done Lord, with only 7 loaves? ‘Trust me’

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Fr. Joseph Schryvers says, God’s Providence, His sanctifying of souls, knows no limits. It makes light of difficulties, turns obstacles aside, forces its enemies to serve as instruments.

Before the patience of a holy soul, violence exhausts itself, deceit is entangled in its own net; what is intended to be its ruin, becomes the soul’s salvation. But St. Paul has already said it: for those who love God all things work together unto good.

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And when we look at the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her life was turned upside down: birth in a stable, arduous trips, no rest, her Son mocked, crucified – but Mary knew God’s Providence. In the Holy Scriptures she exclaims: ‘He that is mighty, has done great things for me.’ Why did Mary not explain what are the great things God has done for her?[ii] Why did she not explain to us God’s Providence? She did not explain it, because it is inexplicable.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of Little Audrey Santo]

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[i] The Gift of Oneself, Joseph Schryvers, pp. 14-19

[ii] Glories of Mary, p. 367

St. Joseph the Worker

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which in the Tridentine Calendar actually overrides the 5^th Sunday of Easter. This 1^st of May is also called ‘May-Day’.

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For centuries, it was a day that celebrated the joy of Spring, the planting of the fields, a day of festivals. After the 1800’s, it also became associated with worker protests and strikes, and by the 20th century, Communists had turned this day into one for showcasing Communism: their armies and weapons and power – a demonstration of the supremacy of their workers. Communists proclaimed that a worker paradise could be achieved through their ideology, which promised a new man and a new society – a society without the need for God or a Savior.

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In a direct challenge to this false view of man, the Catholic Church instituted the feast on this day, of St. Joseph the Worker. Pope Pius XII, in 1955, instituted this Feast in order to expose the lies of Communism, and proclaim that the only truth which can liberate men and women is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Contrary to Marxism, the Church teaches that there is a dignity to human work, not because of the primacy of the State, but precisely because of the dignity of every human worker.

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In the gospel today, it says that Jesus was the son of the ‘carpenter.’ St. Joseph was this carpenter who worked hard for a living; it is certain that his work was done well, because it was done alongside the Son of God. In reality, God is with each of us in our daily work, whether it is difficult, hands-on work like St. Joseph’s, or mental or desk-work.

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Father Plus, in his book ‘How to Pray Always,’[i] tells us that if we wish to pray all day, we must do our work with maximum professional skill, and offer it to God. Even the most mundane task: ironing a shirt, sweeping the shop – these can be made into beautiful gems offered to the Lord, if we only will introduce a supernatural intention; this is surely the way that St. Joseph quietly worked.

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Charles Peguy writes that in his childhood of olden times, he remembered seeing people re-caning chairs as carefully as their forefathers used to cut stones for the Cathedral. There was a painstaking love of perfection for detail he says, a desire for a task well done.

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The Holy Father has lamented the throw-away society that we live in. Have we all not seen very well-crafted furniture from olden times, or that appliance that just keeps on going? Growing up, we had a toaster that just kept on going really my whole life, designed probably in the 50’s. New ones? no way. You throw them out after 5 years.

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The idea of quality craftsmanship is fading away, we often do work, design things, just to get the job out of the way, just to make some cash; St. Joseph for sure never lived like that. We ourselves should do everything with care and precision and professionalism, whether it is designing a microchip or cleaning the windows, all for God’s glory.

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St. Josemaria once wrote: don’t let your professional success or even failure — make you forget what the true aim of your work is: the glory of God! (The Forge, 704)

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There can be a tendency for us to look past our work, at greener pastures, looking for the next thing, the next option. If our duties are boring, we yearn for an exciting career; if we are weighed down by responsibility and stress, we yearn for a simple job. A man who was very well educated and in a lucrative field once said to me: ‘I saw this guy working in a shoe repair shop; his work was simple, uncomplicated; and at 5 o’clock he could just go home.’ He said, ‘I often wish for such a job.’

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We can all yearn for a different kind of work, but God does not ask us to do something different, he asks us to do our work differentLY. Work done well can be a cause for evangelizing others. They notice your work-ethic, they note the quality and they enjoy working with you, then underneath it all, they find a Christian. And they might want to know more.

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Father Plus says, we must all admit that sometimes we slack off and “go on strike”, we don’t put our heart into the quality of our work. But the saints did not behave in this way. Whatever had to be done, they did it to the best of their ability.

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St. Joseph, pray for us, that we will find richness and value in doing our work very well, because we are doing it for the glory of God.

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[i] How to Pray Always, p. 77, 85.

Good Shepherd Sunday, Latin Mass

Friends in Christ, years back in my other parish, I visited an older lady who was nearing the end of life; as we spoke, some unsettling questions came up; I had reassured her that Jesus was with her in her discomfort, that she is not alone, Christ himself lives in her, with her. Her response: where is that in the bible, that Jesus is within me? I quoted her Galatians, chapter 2.

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Then she was asking how a priest can forgive our sins in confession, when that’s not in the bible.  This was a Catholic!  I explained to her where that also is in the Holy Scriptures, and as she seemed somewhat reassured, she confided, that her caregiver is an ex-Catholic, part of another denomination, and is always trying to pick apart her faith. She said, ‘Father, my previous caregiver was also this way!’ I said, that’s crazy, to have to deal with that when you are not feeling well.

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Friends, there are many voices out there trying to confuse good Catholics. For sure, secular voices try to lure us away from God, but there are also subtle voices that try to confuse, under the cloak of so-called-Christianity. The early church knew about this. St. Peter says there were people then, who are, as he says, ‘ignorant and unstable who distort the scriptures to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16) So, it’s not new.

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A young college woman in our parish was praying in the Adoration Chapel recently; she picked up some of the little books people leave around, to read and pray with. She says, ‘As I was reading it said that Jesus’ resurrection was only as a spirit-being, not bodily, and that there is no hell;’ ‘I was like, this seems totally wrong.’ Yes, I said, ‘totally wrong!’ It was a pamphlet put there by Jehovah witnesses. In our Adoration chapel! ‘I asked her, did you —– Yes Father! Into the garbage!

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Today in the gospel, Our Lord calls himself the Good Shepherd. In this passage of St. John’s gospel, the Lord, in teaching how he leads his sheep, he contrasts himself with hirelings and strangers. ‘The sheep hear my voice,’ he says, the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger, they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.’

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Many voices abound, these days. The person who grows up in a good Catholic home can often develop an instinct for following the True voice of Christ and is not easily led away by the voice of strangers. But the voices can be crafty. For myself, having grown up in a Catholic home, when I went away to college, a bit naïve, some friendly students invited me to a gathering for Christians. I said, ‘I’m a Catholic Christian; they assured me, I’d fit right in.’

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Well, there I met a lot of nice people – especially girls – but as the evening progressed and we listened to talks, warning bells started going off in my head. At first, a sense that this just didn’t feel right; then, outright wrong things being said against my faith. Time to go.

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We can’t listen to every voice that comes along, only the voice of the True Shepherd. ‘The sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice, but they will not follow a stranger.’ So, we want to keep the Lord’s true voice speaking to us.

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We’ve mentioned before the importance of spiritual reading each day, in addition to our prayers. But we can’t choose our books by browsing the ‘spirituality’ section at Barnes and Nobles. no way. Mostly problematic. And we have to know for example, that the History Channel makes up some wacky stuff about early Christianity, and then mixes it in with truth to feed us a delicious story.

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As parents, we carefully scrutinize videos and children’s books to be sure that they are faithful to the True Faith. Some materials not produced by Catholics might be useful, but they must be checked over. How many people are no doubt lost in hell because they allowed themselves to be led away by a stranger’s voice, and even lead children and others away from the Truth given to us by Christ. St. Paul warns again and again about deceivers: ‘Let no one deceive you in any way.’ (2 Thess 2:3) And again: Beware of people who are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. (2 Cor 11:13) And again, in Galatians: ‘There are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ….let them be accursed.

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Also, St. Jude says in his epistle: there are those who ‘deride what they do not know; woe to them, for they have gone the way of Cain, and have rushed into the error of Balam; for them the storm of darkness has been reserved forever. Jude 1:10

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The True Shepherd is asking us to follow his voice, not that of strangers. St. Alphonsus says, ‘O loving Shepherd of Thy sheep! Thou hast spent, not all Thy riches, but all Thy Blood for them.[i] This is the kind of Shepherd we have.

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We have not always been good sheep of this loving Savior, at times we are the goats. Abbott William of Paris says, the goats, which are sinners, they are entrusted to Mother Mary, that she might change them into sheep. Mary, pray for us, that we will be sheep of Christ’s pasture, and listen always, to his sweet voice.

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Luke]

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[i] Incarnation, p. 417

Passion Sunday

Beloved in Jesus Christ,

In the Epistle today, St. Paul says that unlike the priests of olden times who entered the sanctuary to offer the blood of goats or calves, Christ has done something new. He has entered not an earthly sanctuary, but the heavenly; and not with the blood of animals which cannot take away sins, but with his own blood.

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Sin is the noxious poison that eats away at human life like a cancer. It is sin, that ruins happiness and joy in this life, and takes away hope in the next. All sin creates wounds to a certain extent, but if we think about certain sins, it’s easy to see the wounds and the damage on full display. 

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Sins like calumny, whispering things about another, destroying their reputation. Or the sin of adultery, a sickening blow to one’s spouse and the children, turning a happy family into bitter tears.

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The ancient Jews and even today some Muslim societies prescribe stoning to death for this sin, because this crime is a horrible blow to family life. We may think that stoning is too harsh of a punishment, but actually, if the adulterer dies without repentance, his punishment will be much worse: Eternal Damnation; the bible is quite clear about this. But all sin wounds the world, our families, and ourselves.

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God however, in his Providence, did not want sin to have the last word. In the new dispensation, Jesus Christ comes to show us that sin – even very serious sin – can be overcome. By his bitter Passion – by God’s suffering on Calvary – he redeems us from sin, making it possible for a repentant sinner to be healed, and making forgiveness possible.

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When I was a young and naïve priest, an older couple asked if I could bless their marriage, since they’d been married for 60 years. I said, ‘Marvelous!, 60 wonderful years.’ But the man stopped me: ‘It was not all wonderful father,’ ‘There was infidelity, I was unfaithful, but I repented;’ and – as he looked at his wife he said – there was forgiveness.’ Holding hands, they tightened their grip, and she said: ‘Our love is stronger now, than ever before.’

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It is the Passion and death of Jesus Christ that makes it possible to conquer evil, that sin will not have the last word. Soon we will be in Holy Week, and we will walk with Christ in his Passion. This is really the reason that Jesus came into the world, to die for us, to save us, to change everything.

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Once upon a time, there was a great king, who had one, only son, so beautiful, so holy, so good, that he was the delight of his father who loved him as much as himself. Now this son of the king cared very much for one of his servants; so much so, that when that servant had committed a crime and was condemned to death for it, the son offered to die in the place of that servant.

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The father was sad, but he agreed, and allowed his son to be condemned to death in order that that servant might be free from the punishment he deserved; and so the son of the king died the miserable death of a criminal, out of love for that servant.

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Now this story is ridiculous and has never happened in the world and never will, but it is told to us in the Gospels; there we read that the Son of God, seeing that man was condemned to death as punishment for his sins, chose to take upon himself human flesh, and thereby, pay by his death, the penalty that we owed. This is the love of Jesus Christ for us; it shows us how much he has sought us out.

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Our Lord is called the good shepherd. One of those sheep goes straying off where it should not be; – that’s us – driven by curiosity and temptation, into sins of all kinds. Yet this dear shepherd leaves the beauty of heaven to search and search, until he finds us. Seeing that the wolf will kill that little lamb; he gives his life in exchange for the lamb, so the lamb may live. The heart of Jesus is so full of love that he never gives up on us.

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So what then must be our response? We must love Him with our whole heart. We must repent of our sins. We must forgive those who have trespassed against us. And above all, we must unite ourselves to Him daily; speaking to this dear Savior every day in our prayers.

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When we rise, we offer the day to God. We pray at meals and before bedtime: that’s 5 times. We should speak to Jesus often during the day, in our work and in our play. Read a little from the Holy Bible or a spiritual book. In this way, we remain united to the God who has died for us.

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St. Zeno says that Jesus Christ wanted to have for his earthly father a carpenter; he wanted this, so that he could learn carpentry, and thereby handle wood and nails. He says: ‘The Son of God took delight in carpentry work, which, by often using wood and nails, was reminded of the cross, by which he would save mankind.’

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Why did Jesus suffer scourging, thorns, mockery, and death for we ungrateful sinners? It was because he loves us. He saw us spoiled with sin, and made for us a bath in his own blood that we might be cleansed and become dear to God. Christ came upon the earth principally that we might know his love, be forgiven, and ourselves forgive. We then, must return that love by living the Gospel and by praying every single day of our life….. and praying to Mary too!

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The Blessed Virgin was at the cross at the moment of our redemption.

The soldiers, taunting Jesus, ‘Come down from that cross!’

But not Mary: ‘O Jesus, stay on the cross, and save us.’

When we get to Holy Week, let’s stay at the cross with Mary, and pray: ‘Lord, help me; help a sinner who wishes to love you.’

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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Nicholas]