Author Archives: Father L
St. Catherine of Sienna
Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Catherine of Sienna. Catherine was born in 1347, the youngest of 25 children. She was very smart and also very beautiful. As a child even then, she loved penance: when 5 years old, she would climb the stairs on her knees saying a ‘Hail Mary’ on each step.
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One day when she was 6, she was walking along with her brother, when suddenly, looking at the sky, she saw Jesus surrounded by light, he was smiling; he blessed her, then vanished. From then on, Catherine’s soul was on fire for God.
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When still quite young she made a vow to live only for the Lord and never marry. She denied herself many comforts in order to offer these to God. She ate mostly boiled vegetables and slept on the ground.
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Because Catherine was so beautiful and charming, her parents began to make plans for her to marry a respectable man. But she said that she wished to live only for God and be a Sister, but they would not hear of it; her mother said she was too pretty to be a sister! So Catherine prayed that she would be sick and ugly. Eventually however, her parents agreed, and when she was 18 she became a 3rd order Dominican sister.
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Jesus once appeared to her and offered her two crowns: one of gold, the other of thorns. Choose, he said. She took the crown of thorns and pushed it onto her head.
One day when the Sisters were feeing the poor, there was not enough bread for everyone; Catherine however, just kept handing it out and it multiplied to feed all.
Now in those days, the Popes had been living in France, not Rome, because Rome was dangerous. But everyone knew that the Pope should be in Rome; so Catherine wrote numerous letters to the Pope, telling him to return to Rome. She herself, finally went to France and told him, he must return to Rome. The French Bishops tried to tell the Holy Father that Catherine was not so smart and should not be heard. They called her before them and asked her all kinds of difficult theological questions, which she answered perfectly each time. Even though she never studied, the Holy Spirit gave her the Gift of Knowledge to answer. Catherine was so highly respected in those days, that the Pope DID listen to her and returned to Rome.
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She was given the miraculous stigmata, the wounds of Jesus on hands and feet, and she often ate nothing except the Holy Eucharist; There was a period of 85 days straight, when only Holy Communion sustained her. She died at the age of 33, a magnificent light for the Church, in her short life.
St. Gianna Molla
Friends in Christ, yesterday we saw the canonization of two great saints; today on the liturgical calendar there no less than 3 saints! We consider then today, a fairly recent saint, St. Gianna Molla.
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Gianna was a wife and mother, and – she was a medical doctor. Gianna was a doctor who cared especially for the poor and those in need. She had a profound reverence for the gift of life, and she even urged priests to preach and teach about the respect for innocent life in the womb, and on the important duty of people to care for the elderly. As a single person, she was very active in Catholic Action, and used her role as a physician to do much good. Gianna had a profound respect for the vocation of married life; regarding a person’s vocation, she once wrote: ‘we should enter onto the path that God wills for us, not by forcing the door, but when God wills and as God wills.’
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In 1955, she was married to Pietro Molla, who worked as an engineer. In a love letter she wrote to her future husband: ‘My dear Pietro, our wedding is just a few days away; soon we will be working with God in his creation, so to give Him children, who will love Him and serve Him.’ Gianna was so loved as a doctor and a Catholic woman, that the people applauded as she walked down the aisle at her wedding.
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Gianna and Pietro’s love for each other grew in marriage as they had children. Three lovely children came along which gave them great joy; but early in her pregnancy of their 4th child, it was discovered that Gianna had a developed a tumor on the wall of her uterus. The doctors recommended abortion or hysterectomy,[i] but Gianna, a doctor who knew well what she was asking, had them remove the tumor as best they could, but preserve the baby.
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She made her wishes quite clear: ‘If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child – I insist on it.’ Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on April 28 she died while repeating over and over: “Jesus, I love you;’ this 39 year-old mother died, but her baby lived.
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Upon her death, a devotion to her soon developed, because many knew of her heroic, Christian life. Graces came, miracles came. She was beatified during the year of the family, and was canonized a saint in 2004. She is the patron saint of doctors, mothers, and unborn children.
[i] The Catholic Church teaches that she could have had a hysterectomy by the moral principle of double-effect, but Gianna chose the highest virtue: risking her life to save her child.
The Mercy of Christ
Sunday after Easter
Beloved in Jesus Christ, today has been designated by the Church: Divine Mercy Sunday, a special day of grace in which Mother Church grants a Plenary Indulgence. It is appropriate then, on this Sunday after Easter, that we are directed to the Lord’s Mercy – his patience with us, his love and readiness to help us begin again.
I believe in the resurrection of the dead
Friends in the risen Christ, in the first reading today, the people are amazed at the miracle done by St. Peter, in curing the lame man. He asks, why are you amazed? And then he explains to them who is Jesus Christ. Finally he says to the crowd: ‘You put to death, the Author of Life.’
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– The Author of Life –
This is an astonishing thing – Jesus is God, the Creator of all – yet he became Man, joined himself to the human race; he suffered death. We say in the Creed each Sunday: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; he is eternally begotten. He is God from God, Light from Light. Just as a candle flame comes from another candle, a flame just like the original, no less in its light. Jesus is ‘God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.’ He is not made, but is of the same substance as the Father – Divinity. The same substance, ‘Consubstantial.’
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Yet, Jesus united his Divinity to our humanity; he suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again. This is the marvelous Easter event: God has walked our walk, lived our life, and even more wondrous, he died our death. But he took into that grave not only one body, but his entire Person, the Mystical Body, the Church. and we have been raised with him he has opened the path to heaven for us. Jesus says, ‘this resurrection of the body will happen to you too. Be part of the resurrection of the just; follow me.’
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I was with a lady today who is completely blind. As we spoke, I told her about the beautiful flowers in the Church for Easter, and that just to smell them, is to think of heaven. ‘In the resurrection, I said, you’ll have your sight back. – ‘Yes, she said. And how beautiful it will be.’
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We say each Sunday: I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. This is the Faith. And it makes life worth living.
St. Peter and the pearly Gates
Friends in Christ, it is not uncommon to hear stories about ‘when you meet St. Peter at the pearly gates of heaven.’ Where does this idea of Peter at the Pearly Gates come from? Well, it is from the Book of Revelation.
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In Relvelation, heaven is described as a heavenly city. The streets are made of gold, and the foundation of the city is made of precious gems. Then it says: each gate of the city is made out of an enormous pearl. So there you have it: the gates of heaven are made out of pearls!
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So who has the key to get into these gates of heaven? If we recall, Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, ‘You are Peter and on this rock I build my church, and I give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’ We have this image of Peter with the keys to the Pearly Gates.
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The first reading today brings to mind a similar symbol. A crippled man is lying at the beautiful gate of the temple, he is begging. Now the temple is a symbol for heaven. And this man begging outside, he is a symbol for us sinners desiring entry into heaven. ‘Seeing Peter and John at the gate, he asked for alms. Peter, gazing upon him said, silver and gold I have not; but what I have, I give thee: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk!; And taking him by the hand he raised him up, and immediately he began to walk, and went with them through the beautiful gates, leaping and praising God. He went into heaven.
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This man is us: lost sinners begging for help. Peter represents the Church, who brings the saving power of Christ to us. Freed from our sins, we leap with joy because now the gates of heaven are open to us. This image may be an old one, but it is still a vivid image of heaven which is helpful to us.
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Just yesterday I was talking with the children in school about the temple. The Holiest part represented heaven, and it had a special curtain blocking the way in. But when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. What does that represent, I asked them? ‘Oh, that’s easy said one boy, it means that the gates of heaven are now open.’ And that’s exactly right.
Escape from Death
Friends in Christ, when I was young, I enjoyed reading about the Great Houdini, maybe you’ve heard of him. He was an escape artist, and he would put himself into incredibly difficult situations from which few people could escape; One of the most famous stunts that he performed 3 different times was called ‘Buried Alive.’ He was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. As minutes passed, the nervous crowed would hold their breath, wondering if he would get out of it in time. On one occasion, as he dug his way up to the surface he nearly didn’t make it. When his hand finally broke through the ground he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. He wrote in his diary that that escape was “very dangerous.” Why did he do these things? Because of the excitement and overwhelming surprise people felt when he succeeded.
Friends we ourselves will one day be 6 feet under, but our own resurrection will not be dangerous or require any effort, like that of Houdini. Here in the Octave of Easter, we are pondering the Lord’s resurrection, which makes possible our own. Jesus will raise us from the dead effortlessly, because for God, all is easy.
Sometimes when I am at the graveside for a deceased person, and the casket is being lowered into the ground, and everyone is crying, I have sometimes thought that God is slowly preparing for the greatest day of the world – better than anything Houdini ever did.
People die of all kinds of things, sometimes terrible things; sickness, so much sadness and grief. Many feel that they will never see their loved ones again – in some ways, its like all the worried and fearful people watching the Houdini stunts. But when he emerges safe and sound, everyone cheers and gasps in joy, and they forget all of the worry. The more difficult and fearsome the predicament, the more joyful the surprise is felt when he emerges alive…..
Well, this is something like what God is preparing for us; We question the Lord often: ‘Why Lord? Why this suffering, why death, why this and why that….? But Jesus had told his disciples,’ You are sorrowful now, but you will see me again, and on that day you will rejoice.’ (John 16:22)
I think that the day of our resurrection, will be a day of unparalleled surprise, and joy; and it will take an eternity to thank God for everything.
Let’s Rise Together
Easter Sunday
Beloved in Jesus Christ, yesterday, Holy Saturday, there was a great silence on the earth.[i] All kept silence, because the King was asleep; God had fallen asleep in the flesh;
but today the hearts of the Christian people rejoice, because Christ has Risen! It is EAster. He has conquered the Devil who enslaves us, he has conquered sin which destroys us, he has conquered death – …. which worries us.
He has gone to search for our first parents, to open the gates of heaven to Adam and Eve and the so-many others waiting since the beginning of the world. An ancient writer says, Jesus goes to Adam and Eve, he approaches carrying his cross, the weapon of victory. At first they are afraid, but Christ takes them by the hand and raises them up saying: ‘Rise, O Adam, let us leave this place, Awaken sleeper, rise from the dead.’
Friends, Easter is the greatest day of the year. This good God, who has lowered himself to be one of us – who has taken on our flesh – who lived our life, who suffered as we do, and died – he has defeated now the greatest fear of mankind: death. This was the reason that, upon hearing that Jesus had actually done it – conquered death – when Peter and John heard, they ran as fast as they could to the tomb. John went into the tomb with Peter, and it says ‘he saw and believed.’
So many people wrongly believe that our eternal destiny is to be some kind of floating soul, up there, somewhere – not true: this is a heresy, a lie. That is a temporary state. The Lord’s plan for us is the wonderful resurrection; Christ did not rise from the dead in order to show off or something. It wasn’t even just to prove his Divinity; it was to lead the way for us, to show us our future, to give us the pure hope of the beautiful world to come.
The Resurrection of Christ means our own resurrection in two ways: freed from sin, and freed from death. In each case, we become a New Creation. Freed from sin in this life – he offers it, all we have to do is say yes to the forgiveness that has been won for us. Freed from death – this we live by hope in this world, and reality in the next world.
St. Melito tells Christ’s attitude toward us: ‘I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. rise from the dead, I am the life of the dead, for you are in me and I in you; together we form one person, and we cannot be separated.’ The promise of our own resurrection in the world to come is really what makes life worth living.
Some time back, a friend asked me where I wish to be buried when I die. I hadn’t really thought about a grave. But I could croak anytime, so… figuring I should attend to this, I emailed my siblings, and asked if there are any extra plots available where our parents are buried. My sister sent me a message right back: ‘There are plenty of plots there with Mom and Dad, she said, please plan on using one of them, it would be nice for us to rise together at the resurrection!
You know, I felt a great happiness to see that message of hers. Her strong faith in the resurrection and the world ahead made me very happy. And she put a smiley face after ‘resurrection!’ ‘It would be nice for us to rise together at the resurrection.’
It would be nice for all of us – to rise together. May the prayers of the Blessed Virgin bring us the joy and hope of the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Entrusted to the prayers of Mother Cabrini
[i] adapted from the Roman Breviary, Holy Saturday, Melito of Sardis
