A message to the President

It is also a message to all Senators and members of Congress.

It is a message to Justices, judges, Cabinet Secretaries, and all high-level officials.

It is a message to heads of state and government and to legislators everywhere.

It is a message to all public servants who exercise authority over others.

It is a message to every one of us who has some role in government or who are exalted in any way: in society, in business, in the Church, or in a family.

It is a message from God in today’s first reading (Wisdom 6:1-11): a message to all of us.

Hear, O kings, and understand;
learn, you magistrates of the earth’s expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!

Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works
and scrutinize your counsels.

Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom,
you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.

For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power
a rigorous scrutiny impends.

To you, therefore, O princes,
are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom
and that you may not sin.

For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed
shall be found holy,
and those learned in them
will have ready a response.

Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.

Thanks to those who serve

Today, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, commemorates the end of the First World War. It is a day of remembrance of and appreciation for the sacrifices of all veterans who fought for peace and freedom.

We remember in prayer those who have died in military service.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.
Amen.

I would like to extend my personal appreciation to all those who have served and most especially to all those who now serve.

May God watch over you

with his unconquerable mercy.
May the Lord bring true peace and freedom

to the places where you serve

and to the people you protect.

(from a previous post)

Army brat makes good

Martin was what is affectionately known as a "military brat."

His dad was an army officer and the family moved around a lot, depending upon where his father was assigned.

It was no surprise that when he was old enough, Martin joined the army too.

Martin's unit was eventually deployed far from his family. During that deployment, Martin became interested in the Church.

One day, he found a half-naked beggar shivering beside the road. Martin tore his weather gear in half and gave it to the man.

After Martin was honorably discharged, he embraced a life of prayerful solitude. He developed a reputation for holiness and a community of monks gathered around him.

When the bishop of a nearby city died, Martin was asked to replace him (they had to beg him to accept).

Martin proved to be a very effective shepherd: ministering to the needs of the people, aiding Churches in other areas, and yet retaining the ascetic lifestyle of a monk - living in a small cell just outside of town.

Martin died an old man after a long life of service to God and his people and was buried on this very day in the year 397.

His reputation continued to spread even after his death and Saint Martin of Tours would be one of France’s most venerated men of God.

(from a previous post)

Useless servant and hero

“I was just doing my job.”

That is what heroes often say: especially firefighters, police officers, and soldiers who risk their lives to save others.

True, it is their job, but even fulfilling one’s job seems unusual in this world of instant gratification and self-centeredness, let alone risking death or injury.

Likewise, as the Lord tells us in today’s Gospel (Luke 17:7-10), we are totally insignificant in the shadow of Almighty God and obeying His Commandments, while necessary, is nothing to boast of.

Yet, against the backdrop of this world of selfishness, even being an obedient useless servant can be heroic.

Attila confronts Leo and friends

This 17th century bas relief marble altarpiece by Alessandro Algardi in St. Peter's Basilica portrays Pope St. Leo the Great repelling Attila the Hun from his attack on Rome in 452. Attila raises his arm in fear as the Apostles Peter and Paul appear with swords in the sky.

(from a previous post)

The "go to" guy

He wasn't from the big city, he was relatively young, and he was only a deacon, but Leo was the bishop's "go-to" guy.

Leo could do it all: helping with thorny theological problems, administering church matters, and even traveling to aid churches in strife-torn lands.

Leo was on one of those trips when the bishop died. It was no surprise that Leo was chosen to be the new bishop.

Leo faced a number of challenges, inside and outside the Church. Yet he always remembered his primary duty was pastor.

He improved the organization of the Church and continued to help churches in strife-torn lands.

At one point, strife seemed about to spread to Leo's own city.

At the center of the strife was an exceptionally violent man: the epitome of barbarism. The government went to Leo to help.

Leo went out and talked to the man face-to-face. The man who was terrorizing the civilized world turned away and spared Leo's city.

Leo's sermons were so magnificent, they became widely published.

When he was unable to attend an ecumenical council, he sent a letter that clearly set out the truth of the Christian faith. When the letter was read, the bishops at the council stood up and exclaimed, "Peter has spoken through Leo!"

Leo died on this very day in the year 461, having proved to be a very worthy successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome: a great teacher of Christian truth and pastor of souls, who successfully faced down heretics and even Attila the Hun.

Later centuries would refer to him as Pope St. Leo the Great.

(from a previous post)

"Anglicanorum coetibus"

Anglicanorum coetibus - the Apostolic Constitution regarding Anglican converts is now online

Churches and Money

It was not the first brouhaha about places of worship and financial shenanigans and it would certainly not be the last.

In today’s Gospel (John 2:13-22), our Lord forcibly ejects moneychangers and other commercial operations out of the Temple.

Many people often criticize the financial operations of churches and many of these people invoke this famous incident from the Gospel.

For many, these disagreements about churches and money are really struggles for power.

Some even look upon Churches and religious institutions like any business in the marketplace.

Our Lord’s focus, however, was much different: his focus was prayer, not power, and he was very much opposed to confusing the house of God with a marketplace.

Yes, like a business or a family, Churches and religious institutions need resources in order to maintain themselves and to advance their God-given mission. Moreover, these resources need to be obtained and utilized prudently and with a certain accountability.

But we dare not let ourselves slip down the slippery slope of treating the Church like a marketplace or only like a business.

Whether we are the official stewards of the Church’s resources or simply concerned parishioners, our primary focus must be on the mission Christ gave the Church: to proclaim the Gospel and to make his loving and sanctifying presence felt.

(adapted from a previous post)

Confiscated by the government

Plautius was a conspirator against the infamous Emperor Nero.

The conspiracy would fail. Plautius would be executed and all of his family’s property would be confiscated by the government.

The name of Plautius is remembered by few today, but the confiscation of his family’s property would keep the family name in the memory of hundreds of millions even to this day.

Less than three centuries after Plautius’ death, his family’s estate would be donated by the government to the newly legalized Christian church and its buildings converted into the cathedral church of the city of Rome.

The cathedral would be dedicated to the memory of Saint John the Baptist, but the people of Rome still remembered the family of Plautius, the family that had made that place their home so many years before: the Laterani family.

Today the Church worldwide celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope - and therefore the Head and Mother of all Churches.

(adapted from an earlier post)

Poverty

Today’s readings present us with two women in the most dire poverty with two very different approaches.

The woman in the first reading (1 Kings 17:10-16) is trapped in despair and sees only death in her future.

The woman in the Gospel (Mark 12:38-44) knows her situation, but remains faithful and generous.

In the case of the first woman, the prophet Elijah invites her to an act of generosity that ultimately saves her life and the life of her child.

Rich or poor, we always need to be prudent, especially when we have responsibility for family members, but we also need to be generous and faithful , no matter what.

Dishonest wealth

This expression that we hear in today’s Gospel (Luke 16:9-15) resonates strongly with the news of the past year or so, as the world in the recent recession has suffered from the aftereffects of the financial overreaching of many: from executives who are paid more than the value they provide, to financial wizards hawking diabolical concoctions, to simple people seduced by the siren song of unethical mortgage companies.

But what our Lord says about “dishonest wealth” in today’s Gospel may sound different from what many might expect.

Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails,
you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

And then later…

If, therefore,
you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?

These exhortations, as translated in the U.S. Lectionary, might raise some questions in the minds of some: Why should we have anything at all to do with “dishonest wealth”? Why would our Lord tell us to use it and to be trustworthy with it? Isn’t it a bit of an oxymoron to be “trustworthy” with “dishonest wealth”?

The term translated here as “dishonest wealth” has traditionally been translated as “unrighteous mammon”.

The bottom line (so to speak) is that this term refers to riches tied to this world ("mammon"): riches that are not even truly real (hence, "dishonest"), for true riches are eternal and come from God.

If we are focused on money for its own sake or for the pleasures it can obtain for us, then we have turned away from God as our source and goal. As our Lord says later in this passage:

You cannot serve God and mammon.

If, however, we are truly conscientious in using the things of this world in ethical ways and for ethical purposes, keeping our focus on God and opening ourselves to be filled with His grace, then we can be welcomed into eternal dwellings by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(adapted from a previous post)

Now that's a way to close a letter!

Now
to Him who can strengthen you,
according to my Gospel
and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation
of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested

through the prophetic writings
and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations
to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God,
through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever.
Amen.

(Romans 16:25-27 - from today's 1st reading)

Prudent and proactive with the things of God

As believers, we recognize the absolute necessity of God's grace.

We also recognize the critical role of God's providence.

What we sometimes fail to recognize is the vital importance of prudence.

That is the moral of the strange parable our Lord gives us in today's Gospel (Luke 16:1-8): a parable that almost seems to endorse unethical behavior.

And the master commended that dishonest steward
for acting prudently.

For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.

Our Lord here is not endorsing dishonesty, skimming, kickbacks, or crooked accounting.

The point of our Lord's parable is that whereas the children of this world are prudent and proactive with the things of this world, we as children of the light need to be prudent and proactive with the things of God.

We need to let the grace of God and his gift of faith be more fully manifested in our lives.

We rely on God's grace and providence, but we also need to pray continually for discernment and to use the intelligence we have received from God, so that God's grace and providence may find prudent and useful instruments in us.

(adapted from a previous post)

Looking down on sinners

There is a line in decades-old movie where an officer in the armed forces of a violently oppressive regime – one that slaughters millions of people and commits all kinds of evil – speaks disapprovingly of bounty hunters, saying, “We don’t need their scum.”

We too can often look down on people, especially people who do sinful things that we find repugnant.

But we are all sinners.

That is not to say that we all might as well as be murderers and hedonists. We need to avoid all kinds of evil, especially matters that are more grave.

But we need to be careful about looking down on or judging the souls of other people, as St. Paul tells us in today’s first reading (Romans 14:7-12):

Why then do you judge your brother or sister?

Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, be merciful to me – a sinner.

Love and hate

In today’s first reading (Romans 13:8-10), Saint Paul says Christ’s followers must love.

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill;
you shall not steal;
you shall not covet,
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), Christ Himself says His followers must hate.

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me
without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.”

A large part of the confusion comes from misunderstandings of what love really is and what our Lord means here by hate.

Love is not a mere emotion. Nor is it to be confused with desire. Love is intending the good of another: the true good – not a selfish good.

The world – especially today – twists the concept of love into a myriad of selfish forms.

We must love truly and the Commandments and the teaching of Christ guide us in true love.

But what our Lord means by “hate” in today’s Gospel is by no means the opposite of what Saint Paul means by love: Christ does not call us to intend evil for others, but rather to prefer Him radically above all things: above self, above father, above mother, and so forth.

We must love – we must intend the true good of others – and we must fulfill our godly responsibilities- especially toward those close to us – but Christ must come above all and before all.

Actually, this makes our love for others even more powerful and effective, for we will not see others as objects for our own good but as ones loved by God and whom we must love with Christ’s pure and true love.

The abbot had a speech impediment

Some people thought he was mentally challenged.

He was hardly ever at the abbey.

He was also just a bit young to be the abbot of a large monastery.

In fact, he was twelve!

Obviously, there were some "issues."

The nasty fact was that young Charles belonged to a very rich and very powerful family that had an inordinate amount of influence in Church affairs.

Sad to say, this kind of thing was the cause of scandal more than once in the history of the Church.

But not in this case, for Charles was more than just a scion of money and power: he was also tremendously brilliant, extraordinarily capable, and deeply pious.

He used all of his gifts to bring about reform throughout the Church, beginning with the monastery "left" to him by one uncle and extending all the way to an ecumenical council that reformed the Church at every level (with the help of yet another uncle, Pope Pius IV).

And he did all this - and much, much more - before dying at the age of 46, on November 3, 1584.

The memory of St. Charles Borromeo, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan (among other jobs), who was known as the "Apostle to the Council of Trent," is celebrated on this day.

(from a previous post)