Category Archives: Weekdays

Friends in the Lord, today we see this leper who comes to Jesus seeking to be healed. In ancient times, if a person had leprosy, they lived a sad life. They were ostracized from society so that no one else would get the disease. Quarantined, if you will.

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During the Middle Ages, leprosy was also a grave problem. In the early 13th century, it was estimated that there were some 19,000 lepers in Europe. But unlike in pagan times, Christian institutions sprang up to help lepers; these institutions were actually run more like monasteries; lepers were encouraged to live there for their own health as well as a quarantine.

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People then thought that those suffering from leprosy were going through Purgatory on earth, and so they were deemed to be holier than ordinary people because of their suffering. The Order of Saint Lazarus was an order of monks that began as a leper hospital outside Jerusalem. In fact, the first members were all lepers. A historian of the 12th century tells of a monk named Ralf who was so moved by the plight of lepers, that he prayed that he himself would catch leprosy, which he did.

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In those days, a leper would carry a bell to warn people, and this also attracted attention so that people might give alms to help him. In churches, there was a slot in the wall called a ‘leper squint’ by which the leper could peer through to participate in Mass.

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Leprosy is not in our modern society much, yet it remains true that when a person contracts a serious disease, they often feel alone and isolated; friends don’t come around so much, people feel too awkward to visit.

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In light of this, we see today a revealing picture of Jesus Christ. The leper who came to see him, broke the law, for he had no right to approach Jesus. But Christ does not drive him away. He meets the man in his very human need with compassion, and he healed him: ‘Be thou made clean’ and he was. Our Savior gives us an example: when someone is sick, or shunned, or unwanted, or for some reason is ostracized from the circle of humanity, we should be the first to show compassion and understanding.

Friends in the Lord, consider a man who did something illegal, trying to solve his financial problems, but he makes a bad mistake, and gets involved with a criminal group. So he’s – an accomplice, with this criminal network, and they tell him, that if he doesn’t continue to cooperate – well, there just might be “consequences.” If he goes to the police, he will be surely convicted of the death penalty. So he’s stuck. Those thugs hold it over his head, he lives in the fear of death.

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Well, this is life without the redemption of Christ. By our sins, we have colluded with the devil, and he holds our guilt over our head every day. We have a crime on our record, and the penalty waiting for us is death.

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Deep inside of each person is the fear – the dread – of death. It is the root of the uneasiness of mankind. The root of every worry: someday I will die.

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But what has Jesus done. He has taken our part. He has joined with us, to be one of the guilty. Just like us, his sentence is death. Christ dies a most brutal death, and as with every human being before him, when he dies the devil laughs. But this time its different: this Brother of ours, who takes our part, he rises and conquers death.

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So here now is this man we spoke of, who has gotten himself aligned with a criminal network – he is us. Let’s say he leaves these criminals, turns himself in, and accepts that he will receive the death penalty. Sitting there in his prison cell, he is waiting his death.

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But then a visitor comes. It is Jesus, and he asks this man: ‘Have you ever thought about how you could survive death?’ ‘Lord, in order to conquer death, a person would – would have to have your resurrected Body in them. But then Jesus reaches into a gold pyx, and holds up a white Host; ‘this is my Body’, he says. ‘I give you the antidote to death and the secret of the Resurrection.

The early Church called the Holy Eucharist the ‘Antidote to death.’

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Friends, the Book of Hebrews today says that Jesus came, that he might destroy the one who has power over death and thereby, free us from the fear of death. The fear of death is the root of the angst in humanity; Jesus came to free us from the fear of death. He has given us the antidote.

Friends in Christ, today, after the long beautiful Christmas season we return to Ordinary time.

We see today how Our Lord calls his first disciples; “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Those disciples were eager to follow Christ, but they had to learn how to do it, how to keep going and not lose their focus or get off track. They did get off track a lot, but eventually they figured it out and became saints.

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Now Mother Church has figured out, through the centuries – by the experiences of holy men and women – that in order to live the Christian life well, we need to have what we can call a Daily Plan of Life. What does this mean?

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We might think it means to write down a plan of the things we have to do today – and that actually is a good idea. But the Plan of Life we speak of, consists of the pious actions and activities that we wish to habitually do, which will help us keep the Lord in mind all day, and thereby do everything for God’s glory.

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Our Plan of Life could include:

First, upon rising, we kneel down and make a Morning Offering. This is a prayer in which we offer everything we do for God’s glory, asking for the Lord’s help, and I would say, telling Jesus that we love him with our whole heart, speaking a word to Our Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit.

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We pray before each meal: Bless us O Lord.

We might say the Angelus at noon.

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So we are punctuating our day with prayer.

And before we go to bed, we kneel down and make a brief examination of conscience, an Act of Contrition. And a ‘good night to Mary’, before sleep.

This frames out our day.

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But added to this, we would like some time to meditate, or what we would call mental prayer – to just ‘think’, and speak to the Lord.

We also try to fit in the Rosary – it only takes 20 minutes.

10 minutes of spiritual reading, from a good Catholic book.

5 minutes from the Holy Scriptures.

And if we can, stop by the Church or chapel to make a Visit to Jesus, even if just to say, ‘I believe, I love you.’

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Now through the day, we try to make little ‘Aspirations:’ ‘Jesus I love you. ‘Help me O Holy Spirit. ‘Mary, help me to know your love. ‘My Guardian angel, guide me.

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All of these acts of piety help us to live daily, Our Christian Life; and if you ask the saints, they will tell you that it really works to keep you on the path to heaven.

Friends in Christ, an ancient tradition of the Church says, that 3 events in the life of Christ occurred on the same day of the year. It is believed that the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Wedding miracle at Cana all happened on the same day of the year. Not the same year, but the same day. For those who pray the liturgy of the hours, or have read the ancient fathers, you know that this is so.

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Why are these three events linked in this way? Well, let’s review them briefly. At the Epiphany, the Lord is presented to the world, and the wise men bring their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. At the Baptism of the Lord, Christ is baptized at the Jordan river by John. And at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine, there is a wedding.

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Well, there is a theme running through these three feasts. First we think back to a Jewish wedding in those days. In those days, at the time of the engagement, gifts are exchanged. A dowry. Notice that at the Epiphany, the 3 wise men, representing humanity – the Church – bring gifts to Jesus. A dowry is presented to the Divine Bridegroom.

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We might also recall, that before an ancient Jewish wedding, there is a washing in water, the Mikvah, the sacred ceremonial bath – and so we have the baptism of the Lord. In fact Christian baptism is a fulfillment of that ancient Mikvah.

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Noticing these nuptial, marriage themes, we see that Jesus first miracle will be at a wedding. At the wedding at Cana, we find Jesus and the Church – that is, Mary and the disciples represent the Church.

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In light of this, we recall that the long tradition of the prophets framed the relationship between God and his people as a nuptial relationship. God’s people were described as his Bride, he would come for them, and the coming of Christ into the world at that first Christmas really was God coming for his Bride, the Church. This reality is therefore hidden in the mysteries of Epiphany, The Baptism, and the Wedding at Cana.

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At the time of Our Lord, the Best Man was an important figure in a marriage. The Best Man was the one who got the two together, sort of a matchmaker, who prepared the way. Today, John the Baptist is called the Best Man. He says: ‘You can testify that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete.

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As we conclude the Christmas season tomorrow, we continue to rejoice, because the Bridegroom has come.

Friends in Christ, yesterday in the first reading, St. John told us ‘if anyone says, “I love God but hates his brother, he is a LIAR; today, he says, if we do not accept what God has said about his Son, we make him a LIAR.

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The Holy scriptures speak loudly and clearly about the sin of lying, yet it is one of the most common sins confessed. Studies show that the average person lies several times a day. Some will say, ‘Oh, it was only a white lie.’ A lie is a deception and an affront to God.

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For children, it is normal to go through a phase of telling untruths; they may tell stories that are only the product of their imagination. A child should not be punished severely for this but rather taught the right thing.

At a later age, a child may tell stories in order to put his parents to a test. This has to be dealt with appropriately. But the first real lie a child tells is because of fear, usually to escape punishment.

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A child in our school once said, ‘Father, I always tell the truth unless I’m going to get in trouble!’ Well – We laugh, but this is how adults act as well. We lie to avoid undesirable consequences. We lie so that our boss does not catch us, or so that we don’t look bad in front of peers.

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It is a scandal to see in the news how easily a lie falls from the lips of even important people: professors, journalists, and senators.

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Our foremost rule is, which the world does not accept at all, is: ‘You may not do evil as a means of achieving good.’ We may not do a bad thing like tell a lie, in order to obtain a good thing such as avoiding embarrassment. The ends don’t justify the means.

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It is certainly permissible to avoid speaking about something, or make an evasive answer if it can help someone – but not a lie.

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People with low self-esteem are more prone to lying; in fear, they wish to protect their self-image.

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Pride also produces lies; the person wishes to show off, and exaggerate accomplishments to impress others.

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The more intelligent person lies with delicate subtlety; he shrewdly mixes exaggerations with truth and this is more devilish.

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The jocose lie is a lie told in order to be funny. Often these are not lies at all, because they do not really deceive. But they can easily result in sins of mockery or cruelty.

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Liars are not taken seriously or respected; but if we are honest, our words will be received with respect.

Friends in Christ, since the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and the wandering state of humanity ever since –

through the centuries, mankind awaited the Messiah who would come.

Today’s gospel presents us with the stirring scene in the synagogue in Nazareth.

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To the people, it was an ordinary day, when Jesus stood up to read. But breaking through the ordinariness, the words they heard were striking. Jesus reads the prophecy about the coming Savior, and then he says: ‘Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing it.’ The people were stunned. Effectively, he has just claimed to be the Messiah.

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Why did the Messiah come? He read it from the scroll:

‘To bring Good News to the poor.

to proclaim liberty to captives

and to let the oppressed go free.’

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He has come to set sinners free from their bondage, from their guilt, from their depression and despair and hopelessness – to bring Good News – ‘you are forgiven, you are free, and you will even conquer death in the resurrection.’

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This is the tender compassion that God has for sinners![i] This is what makes Jesus say that he is a shepherd, seeking the lost sheep. This is what makes him say, that he stands at the door of our heart, and knocks; although driven away from the soul by sin, the Lord does not abandon us, but places himself outside the door of the heart and knocks, awaiting admittance.

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But Christ has a clear motive in forgiving, especially very bad sinners, because once freed from their despair and bondage, they are ever-grateful, and fall in love with God more than could otherwise ever have happened.

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The moment she repented he forgave Mary Magdalene, and changed her into a saint. St. Paul, who was murdering Christians, when forgiven, he poured out his life for Christ. Mary of Egypt, a prostitute, upon meeting the mercy of God, served the Lord with all her heart. Margaret of Cortona who spent many years in sin – his mercy changed her.

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St. Margaret of Cortona one day said, ‘Lord, how is it that you lavish so many graces on me? Have you forgotten the sins I have committed? And God answered: ‘Margaret, do you not know what I told you? When a person repents of their faults and follows me, I no longer remember any sins.’

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Our past sins do not prevent us from becoming saints. Jesus came to bring Good News to we poor sinners, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year of favor of the Lord.

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[i] See also ‘Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus, p. 67-71

Friends in the Lord, today we read this magnificent beginning of the gospel of St. John. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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‘In the beginning was the Word.’ Here we see that the Son of God is called the ‘Word,’ capital W. He is the Word, as if spoken by the Father. This teaches us that the Son is Divine, co-equal with the Father, consubstantial with the Father as we say in the Creed.

And then we read: ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ The Eternal Son of God has taken on our human nature, he has united himself to humanity. St. Paul says, ‘Though he was by nature God, he emptied himself, taking the nature of a slave.’ Its because of this marvelous mystery, that Mother Church urges us to say the Angelus each day, preferably at Noon. The Angelus reminds us of this mystery, that God became Man, and that he is living with us, in us.

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And so we can speak of the Hypostatic Union. The union in Jesus Christ of two natures, human and divine, in one Person:      Jesus is not a human person plus a divine person, but rather one Divine Person, uniting in himself, heaven and earth.

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Now, knowing this about our Savior, that he is one Person, in two natures, what does this mean for us? Well, Jesus was not just ‘one man who lived long ago.’ It is different than that. It is more. – because there is the ‘Whole Christ.’   The Whole Christ must include his entire Mystical Body. The Church, the Christian people, are called ‘The Mystical Body of Christ.’

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The Lord truly continues to live in us, to dwell in us. We do not live and act, and think and pray, or suffer, alone. Never. For Christ is in and with us, he has joined himself to us. This is the beautiful mystery of Christmas, and it is summed up for us each time we pray the Angelus.

Friends in Christ, we read today of Anna, the Prophetess who was night and day praying in the temple. She was granted, along with Simeon, a great gift: the ability to identify the Redeemer when he came.

St. John today, writes of those living in Christ, who have an ability to know God.

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Essential to this is the supernatural Gift called Understanding. This is one of the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that man has by nature a power to penetrate into the meaning of things. This is the natural power of the mind. But one needs more than natural intellect to understand the purpose for which he exists, and the means of achieving heaven. For this one requires the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit called Understanding.      

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Though Faith is still necessary in this life, the Gift of Understanding allows one to know the mysteries of Faith more surely. Understanding permits the mind with ease, to grasp teachings of the Faith, and have an instinct for Faith.      

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Even those who are not very bright in the natural realm, by the Gift of Understanding, are instructed in those things necessary for salvation. With regard to those things necessary for salvation, the Gift of Understanding never withdraws from a holy person, but in order to prevent pride, it may withdraw sometimes with regard to other things, so that the mind is unable to penetrate all things clearly.

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This Gift is not our doing, it is infused into our soul at Baptism, it comes alive when acted upon, and remains as long as we are in the state of grace. Without the state of grace, no one has this Gift. If lost, it is recovered when mortal sins are confessed and the state of grace is regained.    

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The opposing vice, St. Thomas calls ‘dullness of mind,’ and here a person, in regard to heavenly things, requires many explanations and still has difficulty arriving at the truth of the thing. Dullness of mind denotes a certain weakness of the mind regarding spiritual goods.

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St. John warns us not to love worldly things; the world is full of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. To follow these ways leads to dullness of mind.

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St. Thomas says that the Gift of Understanding corresponds to the 6th Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

By Christ’s coming into the world, the Lord enables us to participate in the Divine Life, and prepare for union with God in the world to come. The Gift of Understanding really helps us on the way there.

Friends in Christ, we stand here at the threshold of Christmas. Without Jesus’ coming on that first Christmas, our human race would be lost. Lost in sin and destined to hell for all eternity. Having chosen the path of sin and separation from the love of God, our first parents were cast forth from paradise. The gate to heaven has been closed and guarded by a cherubim with a flaming sword The Redeemer alone is able to open this door and enter in, to lead us into Paradise, which is heaven.

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Jesus was made Man for one purpose: to suffer and die. From his infancy he began to endure the greatest sorrows that anyone ever suffered. By his divine mind, that infant knew well the malice of every sin, and he also knew the infinite goodness of his Father and how deserving he is to be honored and loved.

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Upon entering the world, this Savior saw arrayed before him the innumerable sins which were to be committed by us: the lies, the hate, the the cruelty – for which he was to suffer and die. All those secret sins of ours, which we would not want our own mother to know – he saw them all, which grieved his Sacred Heart.

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Our Lord once showed to St. Catherine of Sienna the hideousness of a single venial sin; Seeing this before her eyes, she was filled with such dread and sadness, that she fell senseless to the ground.

What then must have been the sorrow of that infant Jesus, when upon his entrance into the world, he saw before him the immense array of all the crimes of our race, for which he was to make satisfaction, so that we might be made holy and enter into Paradise forever.

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O Jesus, how wonderful your coming for us. How much are we now convinced of your love, that you should do this for us. We are your lost sheep, and you come to seek us out. We are ready for your coming. All is prepared.