Good Friday

Readings for Good Friday - The Lord's Passion

“Do not let hope die! Stake your lives on it. We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son.”

Do not let hope die. These words of St. John Paul II are the trumpet call to our hearts in the midst of Good Friday to remember the truth of the event of the Cross that we have entered into this afternoon.

Love and sweetness itself was mocked and cursed.

He Who hung the earth on the waters is hung on a Tree.

The King of Angels is crowned with piercing thorns.

He Who wrapped the Heavens in clouds is wrapped in the cloak of mockery.

He Who freed Adam from sin is bound in chains.

The Bridegroom of the Church is fixed to the Cross with nails.

To the eyes of the world, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is foolishness, a stumbling block for belief, the unfortunate end of a promising leader. But to those with the eyes of faith: Christ, the power of God and the Wisdom of God. The Wisdom of God! Who among us would consider this wisdom? And yet it is.

The Cross is our only hope because in it we see the truth that Christ is stronger than everything, even death itself. The victory of Jesus on the Cross means that there is absolutely nothing that cannot be conquered by Christ is we let Him in. Nothing. The hardest of hearts are as butter pierced by a warm knife. The darkest of souls becomes radiant with Divine Grace.

St. Leo the Great reminds us of this reality as he writes, “No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the Cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against Him. How much more does it bring to whose who turn to Him in repentance.”

“Do you realize what I have done for you?”

Snakes on a ... Pole?!

Readings for Sunday, September 14: Exaltation of the Cross:
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17

When you walk into the refectory (cafeteria) at St. Joseph Seminary College, where I did my undergrad studies, immediately in front of you would be the tables, to the right was the setup for food and drink and off to the end of the room to the left was a large crucifix. From time to time one of my brother seminarians would go bring one of the others aside for a little ‘Jesus talk.’ This entailed bringing him to the far end of the room away from everyone else and letting him know in front of the crucifix what a horrible sinner he was and how his actions are what caused the Lord Jesus to have to suffer on the cross. It seems rather harsh, but it helps to note that the offense was usually something along the lines of taking the last piece of chicken while others were in line or getting seconds on dessert. I mention that, though, because sometimes in our life of faith we can look upon the crucifix and see it as a great sign of shame – a reminder of how horrible our actions are and how we are the cause of the Lord Jesus’ death on the cross. Such thinking isn’t entirely false and it does have its place in bringing us to realize the weight of sin and its consequences. But as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross today, we look upon the Cross not as a sign of shame or guilt but as one of love and hope.

When I was in my early adolescence I struggled pretty badly with depression. My family always knew that I had my ‘quiet days’ but they didn’t realize just how dark those days were in my mind and heart until one night when I had reached a breaking point. We were about ready to go to Mass and I was sitting on the back porch by myself crying. My mom saw me and asked me what was wrong and the only thing I could say was, “Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?” Her stunned look was the face of a mother realizing that her baby boy was utterly lacking in the gift of hope. She and the rest of my family did many things to try to help me through that very difficult time, but the most important thing that they did was continue to bring me to Mass.

In addition to the Eucharist and community, I began to really wrestle with the mystery of the crucifixion because in my home parish we didn’t have a bunch of images or statues in the front of the church. We had only a large, life-like, beautiful crucifix hung on the wall. Every time we went to Mass I would just sit there and stare at the crucifix and wonder why that had to happen, why it was the only thing in the church, why it was so important to the faith. As I continued to gaze upon that blessed crucifix, I came to realize that all of those questions brought me to one conclusion: without the crucifixion, this world does not make sense. I had tried finding hope to lift me up in music, in nature, in relationships, in hobbies, and a whole host of other things, and yet they all left me empty. The crucified Lord alone brought me some consolation, some hope.

In the world today there are a whole host of people promoting a ‘Gospel of prosperity’ that says ‘If you pray right, if you live right, if you tithe enough, if you do this and that right…you’ll be blessed by God and will have a good life, good health, wealth, and no troubles’. The truth that you and I know is that such a Gospel is a lie because we see that Jesus was absolutely perfect, and look what kind of blessing that got Him here in this life! We can do and say all the right things and live perfectly in accord with the Gospel, but the simple fact is that we will have to suffer in this valley of tears; this isn’t Heaven. Those who follow a Gospel of prosperity have nothing to cling to when things start to fall apart around them other than to question what they have done wrong. We, on the other hand, have the grace of looking to the crucified Lord and to find some consolation that whatever the battle is, the Lord has the last say.

This is what we see in our first reading from the Book of Numbers. The people complain about the food that God Himself provides for them and sin against the Lord. As a result, seraph serpents are sent among them that bite them and inflict suffering and death. This harkens back to another familiar story, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and merited for themselves suffering (a woman brings forth children in pain and a man reaps the fruit of the earth by the sweat of his brow) and the promise of death to come. But remember that in Genesis, there was also a promise made by God that one day a man would come along and crush the head of the serpent, the devil. In Numbers, too, there is a promise of victory, but it is veiled behind what seems to be a magic trick: look at this snake on a stick! Placing one of the seraph serpents on a stake and holding it up for others to see wasn’t just a neat trick Moses worked; it was a sign of victory. How often have we heard of days past (and sadly, still occasionally in our own day) when the victors in a battle would behead their opponents and place their head on a stake for others to see that ‘We are stronger than this one.’ Indeed, the serpent held up for the Israelites to see was a reminder from God that if they reject the Lord they will suffer, but if they follow after His way they will be victorious because God is stronger than those things that cause suffering and death. He was making a bold claim and those who believed were saved for another day of life.

When the Lord Jesus was lifted up on the Cross for all to see, it was a new sign of victory. This time is was not simply a serpent placed on the wood, but it was the Lord God Himself, showing the victory that was indeed His. He showed us that there is absolutely nothing in this life – not even death itself – that is stronger than He and that if we simply unite ourselves to Him we will be saved not for this life, but for the next. This is why we exalt and rejoice in the Holy Cross; because it is a perpetual reminder that despite whatever I might feel or experience in a particular moment, God is bigger. This is why we sign ourselves with the Cross at the beginning and end of every prayer, why we wear crosses on our neck, place them front and center in our churches, hang them in our homes, classrooms, hospitals, and everywhere else that we Catholics find ourselves. The Cross is our glory. It is the means of our salvation. It is the sign of God’s love. And it is the greatest symbol of hope that broken humanity can cling to. When we find ourselves struggling with the weight of the world, when darkness fills our hearts, when suffering comes in one of its many forms, we can turn to the Cross and find our hope because we know that God has gone before us and walked the way of suffering Himself and lives today to assure us that it will end and glory will come. Glory will come.

I want to conclude with a hymn to the Cross as we all kneel before this blessed sign of hope:

O Cross of Christ, immortal tree

On which our Savior died,

The world is shelter by your arms

That bore the Crucified.

From bitter death and barren word

The tree of life is made;

Its branches bear unfailing fruit

And leaves that never fade.

O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved

While ages run their course;

Foundation of the universe,

Creation’s binding force.

Gove glory to the risen Christ

And to his Cross give praise,

The sign of God’s unfathomed love,

The hope of all our days.

(Hymn for Lauds in Liturgy of the Hours, text by Benedictines of Stanbrook Abbey)

Come Sit With Me

Readings for April 18/ Good Friday:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday. I’ll always remember that random fact because it was also the day that one of my favorite bands’ new album was to be released. I didn’t have time to get it before school that morning so I decided to go right after getting home from school. When I got home my mom was watching the news update on the attacks and she said, “Brent, come sit down and watch this with me.” I told her I would but first I had to run to the store to buy a CD. She said a bit more forcefully, “Brent, come sit down.” “Mom, I’m just gonna run to the store I’ll be back in like 15 minutes,” I replied and walked out the door. I knew the story of what was happening, but I didn’t grasp the full implications of it.

Today Mother Church says to each of us ‘Come sit down and watch this with me’ as we hear again the story of the Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus. The story we come to hear is far more significant than that of September 11 because it has consequences for every person throughout all time and even into eternity. Many fail to take the time to stop and listen, but if we do come and sit with our mother we are able to deepen our understanding of those events that took place 2000 years ago and yet take place again today. We learn our story – the story of the Cross.

The story of the Cross is a story of apparent contradictions. This shouldn’t surprise us since the whole life of Jesus is characterized by such. A God who takes on human flesh, a king born in a stable, one possessing riches unending is born poor and homeless, the Almighty God is helpless in the arms of His mother. Those are just a few of the images that come to mind, but if we look at the Passion of the Lord these images increase in frequency and intensity. The faithful Bridegroom of the Church is betrayed with a kiss. He who frees us from slavery to sin and death is bound in chains. The King of all creation is crowned with thorns. The Word of God stands silent before His accusers. The Innocent Lamb is made sin for us and sacrificed. He whose hands healed the blind is blindfolded and slapped in the face. He who wrapped the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple cloak of mockery. He who made man from the dust is pressed into that dust under the weight of the Cross. He who is adorned with every virtue is stripped of everything He owns. He who hung the earth and the skies in their order is hung upon a tree. He who came to heal our wounded hearts allows His to be pierced. He who is the Giver of Eternal Life gives up His Spirit and submits to death.

This is a stumbling block to the Jews, St. Paul tells us, and foolishness to the Gentiles. But to we who believe and are being saved, Christ: The Power of God and the Wisdom of God!

The Cross permits us to make sense of this life and understand our own story. The apparent contradictions above are signs that things are not always as they seem. The devil likes to make us think otherwise. He always calls to mind the half-truths in the story of our life. Think back on the trial account of Jesus. We heard all sorts of testimony against Jesus, false and true, but where were the positive accounts of the things done by the Lord? Who recounted the feeding of the 5000, the healing of countless blind, mute, lame, and dead? Where was that part story? When only half of the story is told, terrible things happen. Likewise with ourselves.

Are your sins not great ones, only venial?

Come to the Cross and behold the price for even the smallest sin.

Are your sins great ones?

Come to the Cross and see that there is nothing that God will not forgive.

Have you wounded others by your sins?

Come to the Cross and see what that sin does to others.

Have you been wounded by others sins?

Come and be healed by the wounds of Jesus.

Is your faith strong?

Come to the Cross and see how quickly it can become weak without Him.

Is your faith weak?

Come to the Cross and see how quickly He can make it strong.

Do you gossiped about others, uttered harsh words or made false judgments?

Come to the Cross and see the power of words.

Have you been gossiped about, spoken to harshly or judged?

Come to the Cross and see the One whose judgment alone matters.

Do you feel loved by others?

Come to the Cross and see the extent that we are called to show love.

Do you feel unloved?

Come to the Cross and see the extent of God’s love for you.

In just a moment we will have the Veneration of the Cross, when we will have the chance to come forward, genuflect or bow before a splinter of the True Cross that Jesus died on, and allow the Lord to help you hear the rest of the story. We all know most of the story of the Lord and of ourselves. But let us pause in this moment to really take the time to rest with our mother and see if there is more yet to be said. Come to the Cross of Jesus. Come and meet the Lord once more. Come, let us adore.

Where am I?

Pope Francis during the Passion Sunday celebration

Readings for Sunday, April 13/ Palm Sunday:
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14-27:66

When Jesus came to Golgatha,

They hanged Him on a tree,

They drove great nails through hands and feet,

And made a Calvary.

They crowned Him with a crown of thorns,

Red were His wounds and deep,

For those were crude and cruel days,

And human flesh was cheap.

When Jesus came to Birmingham

They simply passed Him by,

They never hurt a hair of Him,

They only let Him die;

For men have grown more tender,

And they would not give Him pain,

They only just passed down the street,

And left Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, 'Forgive them,

For they know not what they do!

And still it rained the winter rain

That drenched Him through and through;

The crowd went home and left the streets

Without a soul to see,

And Jesus crouched against a wall

And cried for Calvary.

This poem entitled ‘Indifference’ was written by G.A. Studdert-Kennedy  in the early 20^th Century as an indictment on a culture that had lost its passion and a people whose heart had grown cold. The same could well be said of our society today. We are one in which things are ‘better’ now than ever before and we would never do something as bad as crucify someone. We’re more civilized than that.

Blessed John Paul II often spoke in his reflections and homilies that the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. Listen again. The opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. Jesus Himself says in the Gospels that we should be either hot or cold, for if we are lukewarm we will be spat out, rejected. In the Passion narrative we just prayed together, we heard a whole variety of voices. We heard the voice of Love Himself in the person of Jesus. We hear echoes of His love in the quiet presence of the Blessed Mother, St. Mary Magdalene, the others with them at the Cross, Simon of Cyrene and the like. We also heard those voices of hatred. The blistery words of Judas, the voices of the high priests, Sanhedrin, and elders, as well as the bloodthirsty crowd crying out for the death of the Christ. “Crucify Him! Let his blood be upon us and our children!” They were not content with scourging, beatings, or mockeries. Death on the Cross, and that alone, would quench their thirst. But then there is also another group here in the midst of the story that we often over look – the silent majority.

We don’t understand the magnitude of the city of Jerusalem. Jewish Historians recount that during the week of Passover, well over 500,000 Passover lambs were slain in the Temple and as the Gospel hinted at, each lamb required to men to prepare it for the meal. That means that over 1 million men had travelled to Jerusalem, many of them bringing other family or friends along with them, and that number being in addition to the community already dwelling there. This means that like 2 million or more people were around the city when the Lord entered in the triumphal procession and was later crucified. Where were their voices in the story? They were not hot or cold, but lukewarm. They weren’t angry enough to hate Jesus, nor were they strong enough to love Him. So they simply passed Him by, unaware that their salvation was right before them.

Homeless Jesus Statue by Timothy Schmalz

The Passion narrative is a lengthy one and there is much there to ponder. It’s not meant to be something we read once a year and are done with it. We should come back to it regularly, but especially in this Holy Week of preparation for the Sacred Triduum and Easter. So that’s what I invite you to do. Take up this Gospel passage each day this week and read through it as you ask yourself the question: Where am I in here? Where is my voice? Am I full of love for the Lord? Am I full of hatred for some reason? Has my heart grown cold such that Jesus doesn’t really have an impact upon my life? Where am I in here? Where is my voice?

O Good Jesus, let your Precious Blood truly be upon us, not to condemn us, but to heal us and save us.

HWP: Month of the Passion of Christ

As you may have read here or elsewhere before, there is a tradition in the Church of meditating on some aspect of the faith each month of the year to grow in imitation of that upon which we meditate. This month of February is the month in which Mother Church honors the Passion of Christ. Though Lent is still some weeks off, it is always fitting for us to prepare our hearts for that which the Lord seeks to work within us during that season of grace. And so we bring today two pious prayers or exclamations meditating upon Our Lord's Holy Passion: one directed toward Christ and the other toward His Mother.

To Christ 

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You;

Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

(from the Traditional Stations of the Cross)

To Mary

Holy Mother, pierce me through;

In my heart each wound renew

Of my Savior crucified.

 (from the Stabat Mater)

Cling to the Throne

Readings for Sunday, November 24/ Christ the King Sunday:
2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalm 122:1-5
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43

 

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!

This ancient hymn of the Church recalls the kingship of Christ Jesus. Though the hymn is from centuries back, it was only in 1929 that Pope Pius XI instituted this universal solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. He did so in response to the upheaval taking place in governments around the world in the early twentieth century. Nearly world-wide at that time there were examples of national leaders coming to power and making their will and desires the law of the land. They did what they wanted, often desiring a sort of earthly paradise, and because it was not desired by the people they governed, it was most often done with fear and force. The feast of Christ the king shows forth the truth that despite whatever power rulers have in this life, there is but one true ruler over all creation and He comes to rule in a way unlike any the world had seen either before or since. Rather than seeking His own will He came among us to accomplish the Father’s will. Instead of the earthly paradise, He pointed the eyes of all toward the paradise that awaits the righteous. And the power He exercised was seen not in fear and force but love and service. This otherworldly king comes and proclaims His riches not in fine clothing and palaces. Paradoxically, He proclaims His kingship from the most absurd throne the world has ever known: the cross. The sign over His head, the Gospel tells us, said simply ‘The King of the Jews.’ Even now on nearly every crucifix I have seen the proclamation still remains in that little sign: I.N.R.I., Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.

The Gospel story recounts to us the reaction of the crowds who gazed upon this King on His throne. The rulers there mocked Him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” The soldiers spoke similarly: “If you are king of the Jews, save yourself.” And that foolish criminal on the cross beside Him even mocked Him as he questions Him, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.”

Each of these people had their expectations of the King and what He should do. They all thought in their heads, ‘if He is indeed a King He clearly doesn’t know how to rule very well!’ And sometimes we can think the same. ‘Save yourself and us!’ they cry. But with those words they say so much else in their hearts: ‘Lord, take away the pain of this life! Take away the illness and disease! Take away sorrow and death! Take away suffering, injustices, and the difficulty of fighting sin! Make things better! Make us happy now!’

To those cries Jesus did what He knew He must: He remained fixed to the cross with the nails and by love for the Father’s will and for the people He was redeeming. With that action Jesus shows us that we are not in control. God is. We don’t make the rules. God does. We cannot see the big picture. God can.

If we wish to be true followers of Christ, true Christians, the place we must find ourselves always is at the foot of the cross. Life is hard. We do experience suffering and pain. We do experience death and loneliness. We do experience illness, disease, injustice and the pain of sin. That is why we call this life the ‘vale of tears’. We all want to be perfectly happy and content in this life, but that is exactly why Jesus doesn’t give us everything we want in this life: because this life is not heaven. It’s not meant to be perfect. BUT, there is a place that awaits the faithful that is perfect, that is free from all pain and sorrow and discord. And to get there we need only remain with our King. In the Gospel passage we heard so many mockeries spoken but remember that silently there at the foot of the cross were the Blessed Mother, the Beloved Disciple John, and others quietly present with the Lord. What they were seeing and experiencing was painful beyond understanding, and yet they gazed upon Him trying to make sense of the mystery. That is our place: alongside the Blessed Mother, John and the others clinging to the cross of Christ knowing that just as Jesus died and was raised up to glory three days later, we too, if we stay with Jesus through the sufferings we endure in this life, will partake in the heavenly banquet. If we are faithful to Him in this life, He will be faithful to us in the next. So let us draw near to our King. By His grace and example let us take courage that whatever happens in this life, we have a King who is greater than anything we must face. He has won for us the victory. So we pray – maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Come, King of the Universe! Come, live, reign in our hearts.

The Problem of Suffering

Readings for Sunday, June 9/ 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time:
1 Kings 17:17-24
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Galatians 1:11-19
Luke 7:11-17

As we come to this 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear these two striking stories of people being raised from the dead, each of them being the only son of a widow. In these two stories we are shown the reality of a God who is good and active in our lives. In the Gospel reading we can especially see this as Jesus himself is said to have pity upon the woman who having already lost her husband has now lost her only son. He showed compassion. And for all of us the story is the same: our God loves us, is compassionate, desires our good, and is active in every moment down to the seemingly most insignificant details. As I was reflecting on this reality something kept coming up in my heart: if indeed we have a God who loves us and is compassionate and involved in our lives, which is true, then why is there still suffering? Why is it that in the past few months I’ve done a number of funerals for men who left behind children much younger than I am now? Why is it that as a hospital chaplain I had to sit with a man as he watched his 7-year-old son die? Why is it that some people experience not one major illness or setback but many all at once? And if not some major tragedy like that, then still there are countless other sufferings and trials that come. We all know it and we all have to deal with this question in our own hearts how the loving God can permit such things to happen.

The difficulty in understanding this is only intensified by the approach to suffering of some of our fellow Christians. So many preach a gospel of prosperity, that if we do what Jesus wants and the Bible says then everything is going to work out for us. We will be prosperous in our finances, have good health, no problems, and everything will be wonderful. And if everything isn’t wonderful? Obviously we’re not living right! This is the message that we hear from the lips of the woman in our first reading today. Upon seeing her son dead, she turns to Elijah to blame him. This was because the prophet was a person of incredible power in ancient Israel; they truly represented God. If a prophet blessed you, it was a sign of God’s blessing. And likewise a curse was God cursing you. So when she points out that he came and showed her guilt, she implicitly says that he saw her guilt and cursed her by killing her son. We see this mindset also in the gospel story of the man born blind. The disciples see him and immediately asked Jesus “Who sinned? This man or his parents?” In other words, ‘he is suffering, so he obviously did something to deserve it.’ And if that is not enough, we also have the conviction of some that if we have enough faith Jesus can heal anything. The power of Jesus to heal anything is absolutely true and we must have faith in that. But one cannot make the step, as some do, to think that if healing doesn’t take place then we lack faith because ‘if we had faith he would be healed.’ Not being healed doesn’t mean we lack faith. And enduring suffering doesn’t always mean that we’ve done something wrong.

The reality is something much more mysterious – that in the mind of God suffering is permitted for some greater purpose that we cannot yet know. We can get glimpses of it, certainly, but not the full picture. For instance, God sometimes permits suffering so as to change the one who suffers, to make them more Christlike. We can think of St. Paul with his ‘thorn in the flesh’ that kept him humble. But I bet each of us has a personal story of our own where some suffering in the past changed the way we lived and responded to things in the future. It had a purpose in the mind of God. And just as it can have a purpose for ourselves, it can also have a purpose for others. I have seen it time and again in my own life that things that have happened to me in the past later on happened to someone close to me and I was able to speak to them of my experience and give a word of hope and consolation that what they were enduring at the time would not always be the case. Again, we cannot know for certain why God permits sufferings great and small in our lives, but the reality is that He does and He does for a reason. It is not for us to understand fully here on earth, but rather to do our best to stay close to Him in the midst of those sufferings.

So how do we stay close to the Lord? How is it that we are supposed to respond when suffering comes our way? The first step is simply to acknowledge the pain. If we hide it away and act like everything is fine when in fact that world is falling down around us, it only hurts us all the more. But if we acknowledge the pain and bring it before God, it gives Him the opportunity to come into our lives and work with it. Sometimes that will mean taking the pain away and if that is the case, then praise God! But sometimes it is not the case, and we are invited to continue our journey with the pain present to us. In those cases, we must still praise God and then ask for His grace to carry the cross. This is one reason that I particularly enjoy reading Psalm 13 and 22 in times of trouble. Both of them go through the full emotions of one in pain. “Why have you forsaken me?”, “How long with you hide your face from me?”, “How long shall my enemy reign over me?”, “They gather around me and mock me.” It voices the reality of what is going on in our hearts. And yet at the end of each of them it turns to a praise of God who despite everything is clearly still at work somewhere in the midst of it all. That’s the place we’re called to get to: trusting that He is indeed at work despite what we can see, feel, or experience in the moment. To help with that I find it helpful for all of us to reflect often upon the crucifixion of Our Lord.

The passion of Christ is by far the most unjust act in all of human history. The one who had committed no sin, who deserved our worship, was mocked, beaten, spat up, crucified, and left there til His death. Imagine all of that through the eyes of Mary, who had known since the Annunciation from Gabriel that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior. Imagine the thoughts of her mind as she beheld her God and her beloved son enduring the most humiliating death possible. The test of faith in that moment was like none other. What seemed to be the most hopeless of times, as we now, was not the end. Christ conquered death, raised up from the dead, and opened heaven for us to enjoy God for all eternity. What seemed to all to be absolute unjust suffering was transformed by God to be the salvation of humanity. And in a similar way God sometimes seeks to work in our lives, permitting some pain or trial knowing that He has something greater in store. He is always there for us and always doing something, we are never alone. C.S. Lewis adds to this reality of God’s presence in our pain. In his book The Problem of Pain he says, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” He shouts in our pain because He knows that in the midst of it we must try to focus on Him. That’s why any time we experience some pain what do we do? We go to Church, go to the chapel, pick up our rosary, read the Bible, or seek out some inspirational connection that will bring us into union with God. We’ve been hardwired that way, to draw near to God in our suffering so that we can do our best to trust in Him and there find consolation and the courage to bear our cross.

We are never alone. Our God is always with us, always there to care for us, working even in the smallest ways to bring about something good for us and for others. He loves us infinitely. And yet, in His mysterious ways He permits us to endure sufferings here in this life. The consolation above all of this is that if we persist in carrying the cross we can be assured of the eternal life won for us, where there is no pain or suffering but only the joy of beholding God’s face and rejoicing in the heavenly feast for eternity. 

Standing at the Foot of a Cross

Below is a little talk that I was asked to give at the Baton Rouge 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil. The 40 Day campaign prays to end abortion and heal the wounds it causes in individuals, families and our culture. It begins today (September 26) and continues until November 4 - please consider joining in it with your prayers but also with your presence, if possible, at the abortion clinic near you. For the Baton Rouge and Louisiana area, more information is on the official website HERE.

Standing at the Foot of the Cross: Prayer at the Abortion Facility

Throughout my formation for priestly ministry one thing we frequently heard was that with all of our training and preparation, the often most influential part of our ministry would not be the part that we would speak with our lips but rather the part that we would speak by our lives. While the right word or prayer can sometimes be a powerful thing in ministering to others, quite often it is simply our silent presence that impresses itself most deeply upon a person’s heart and memory.

When 2000 years ago Our Lord climbed upon that Sacred Cross on Calvary to win for us salvation, He did not do so alone. With Him, the scriptures tell us, were His mother Mary, the Apostle John and several others who remained at His side until the end. In the silence of their hearts they bore the pain of seeing the Son of God pierced and dying; and yet they remained with Him, trusting all the while that the Father’s goodness would prevail. And indeed it did so in a most glorious way.

Now in our own day Our Lord is inviting us to follow in His footsteps and those of Mary, John and the others on the way to a new Calvary and a new Cross. All throughout the year, but especially in this 40 day period of intense prayer, we are called to be the Mary and John to a whole host of women who are in the midst of their own personal Calvary, quietly accompanying them with our prayers and presence in the midst of their sufferings, trusting all the while that God’s goodness can triumph still.

The thought of going to pray at an abortion facility can be an intimidating one. When I first began to pray at abortion facilities several years back, I often worried about what to say, what to do, and all sorts of other things. I quickly began to realize, though, that the most important thing was simply to trust in God and show up, knowing that He had the details covered. None of us on this side of Heaven can know how God’s plan is going to unfold, so it is not for us to worry about it. Rather, we are called to simply come before the Lord, place ourselves at His disposal, and offer prayers to Him on behalf of those in need. And when that happens, then we begin to hear the beautiful stories like that shared by Mrs. Elaine; stories of healing, stories of transformation, stories of minds and hearts being changed.

My brothers and sisters, we need to be out there praying. The world around us needs us out there. The parents and children need us. The abortionists and their employees need us. And God needs us. For as St. Paul reminds us in his Letter to the Romans: “How are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!’” And we indeed have good news to preach – good news that there is a better way, there is help, there is healing and there is a God whose love conquers even the most difficult of trials. Armed with this good news, let us place ourselves in God’s hands as we cry out with the words of the prophet Isaiah: Here I am, Lord. Send me.

Life and Persecution

Readings for Sunday, October 2:

Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm 80:9, 12-16, 19-20

Philippians 4:6-9

Matthew 21:33-43

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

As we hear these words, the culture that surrounds us would certainly agree – we Christians ought to think about these things. But if do these things, if we do what is true, do what is honorable, do what is just or pure, we will not be supported. We will be persecuted.

As we celebrate Respect Life Sunday today, we of course draw attention to the need to pray and work for a greater respect for human life in our city, state, country, and world. We need to pray for an end to abortion, euthanasia, contraceptive use, and the death penalty. But we also need to pray for greater respect for life in general – for the poor, the sick, immigrants and those suffering from discrimination, prejudice, abuse or neglect. And the organization that is doing the most to help all of those people is the Catholic Church.

Worldwide we run:

5,400 hospitals

16,000 homes for disabled or chronically ill

22,000 orphanages and child care centers

65,000 Counseling and Rehabilitation centers

200,000 Schools caring for over 55 million children

All of that in addition to the over 9 million AIDS patients and hundreds of millions of homeless, starving, sick, and suffering persons that are cared for in various other outreach ministries throughout the world.

It’s incredible to think of the positive impact the Church has on the world today. And yet, she is persecuted by our culture and media, and in some places her people even suffering physical violence. And yet this is part of our calling as Christians, as Catholics. Jesus Christ, Truth, Justice and Purity itself, came among us and was nailed on a cross. How are we, servants of the King, to expect better treatment that the King of kings Himself?

This chasuble that I wear today stands as a reminder of that reality that as Catholics we will be persecuted. On the front we see two lines, not for design sake but to form a pillar in the center - a reminder of the pillar on which Our Blessed Lord was scourged. And on the back, a cross to remind us that each of us is called to shoulder our crosses, especially those forced on us by the world around us. 

Reality is that our culture is fighting against the Church because some in our society want the freedom to do whatever they want, to make their own rules, and the Church is standing in their way reminding them that such freedom leads to perdition. True freedom is following in the way of the God who created us and sustains us. And so they persecute us. Right now in our country, efforts are being made by some government leaders to force Catholic Hospitals, School and other Institutions to pay for abortions, contraceptives, sterilizations, and a whole host of items which the Church has perpetually understood as moral evils. To give in is to abandon truth. To stand our ground is to risk being shut down entirely.

I don’t mean to be political. I mean to be realistic. And reality is that the world around us is fighting to have us stay quiet or close up shop. But as St. Paul reminded the Philippians, he so reminds us today - God is with us. He is with us throughout this struggle and, especially throughout this ‘Respect Life Month,’ we are called to pray and trust in His ways. We pray for an end to the taking of innocent life through abortion, euthanasia, and other acts of violence. We pray for a greater respect for all human life and the dignity of every person. We pray for the conversion of those who fight against the Church and those who stand for truth and justice. And finally, we pray for ourselves, that we might have the grace to see in each person we encounter not someone different than us but a fellow brother or sister in the Lord. 

O Crux Ave, Spes Unica! (Hail to the Cross, Our Only Hope)

Giotto's Crucifixion scene in Assisi

Readings for Sunday, August 28: 

Jeremiah 20:7-9

Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9

Romans 12:1-2

Matthew 16:21-27

I love being Catholic. From the two-thousand years of history, the sacraments, and an incredibly rich theology, to the devotional life, social outreach and communal life, there is so much to love about our faith. But one of the things that I love most about being Catholic is the Crucifix. That visible reminder that Jesus died for me and that I am called to die to myself for others. The crucifix is the sign of what we ought to strive for ever day as Christians.

Last weekend we heard Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus “ You are the Christ, the Son of God!” The Lord’s response is one of affirmation, that He is indeed the Christ, and that Peter is the one upon whom His Church shall be built. There is a beautiful parallel here. We have often heard that the Church is the Body of Christ and this is absolutely true. We continue the work He Himself began 2000 years ago. And the beauty is that last week as Jesus’ own identity as the Christ is revealed, so too the identity of His Body, the Church, is revealed as a means to salvation also. To sum it up – if it happens to Christ, it happens to the Church.

This weekend we this theme of revelation continued. Immediately following last week’s account of Peter’s profession we hear Matthew telling us that the Lord revealed that He must suffer, be killed and be raised up again. He told them that suffering was absolutely necessary for Himself. And as Christ, so the Church. Thus Jesus continues, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” MUST deny himself. It’s not a suggestion. It’s not a strong encouragement. It’s a requirement. We MUST deny ourselves and pick up our cross to follow the Lord.

Every one of us has a cross to bear. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that all of us have a number of crosses to bear. Some small, some greater. It may be physical or mental limitation, emotional or spiritual suffering, the burden of caring for others or some cross which we’ve taken up ourselves. But the reality is that all of us have a cross and it is by carrying that cross in the path Christ walked before us that we are assured of our salvation.

One of the things that I love about being Catholic is that I know I’m not alone, but that millions or billions of saints have tread the path before and we can turn to them to learn how to bear our cross and to find encouragement in them. I’m certain that whatever cross we might be called to bear and any trial we are asked to endure, there is someone who has done it before and that person, now a saint in heaven, is praying for us as we strive to follow the command of the Lord.

One of my favorite saints is St. Philomena, a virgin martyr from around the 3^rd century. At 13 years of age, she had consecrated her virginity to Christ forever. The Roman emperor, however, wanted to take her as his wife. When she refused, she was whipped severely. They also shot arrows at her and tried to drown her in the Tiber River. And in the midst of all of this, she patiently bore the cross of persecution out of love for Christ and His Church. She ultimately won the crown of martyrdom because she bore her cross with courage.

Usually on the 28^th of August the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Augustine. Though not a martyr, he too endured great trials and suffering. A licentious youth, he sought fulfillment in fleshly pleasures and led a life compelled by lust. In the process of his conversion and afterward, he had to endure the perpetual temptations to return to that former way of life. He bore the cross of temptations and attachment to sin. And because he carried that cross well, he has stood as a model of conversion for millions through the Church’s history.

Closer to our own day we have the great witness of Blessed John Paul II. As Pope, he lived a vibrant life and certainly brought a youthfulness to the papacy that hadn’t been seen in many years. But one of the greatest gifts he gave to the Church was his witness of suffering. In his final years, and especially in his final days, he endured great physical trials and suffering. And yet, he boldly marched forward as a sign to the whole world that we ought not run from trials but embrace them as a means to growth in holiness and joy.

And while he’s not a saint of the Church, I believe him to be a living saint, Pope Benedict XVI provides us another type of witness. As a Cardinal, he has worked for many years in service to the Church and was at the age of retirement. He longed to simply find a place of solitude so he could write books he had been hoping to write for years and to live a quiet existence. And yet the Holy Spirit made it such that he was asked to set aside all of his hopes, dreams, and desires and lead the Church as Pope. The cross was offered to him; and heeding the words of Our Lord, he denied Himself and he took up that cross.

I was watching the closing Mass for the World Youth Day in Madrid Spain and it was a very touching thing to see. Two million youth there at the Mass and in the midst, Pope Benedict, clearly aging and becoming weaker from the burdens he bears. And while he certainly doesn’t have the voice of an angel, to hear him chant the prayers and pray the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass was awesome. I couldn’t stop watching because I was so drawn to this man who was visibly bearing the cross in the sight of the entire world, for love of Christ and His Church.

From these holy men and women of ages past and those who are in our midst today, even in the pews around us, we can find great strength and encouragement in heeding that call ourselves. Be they small crosses or large ones, we are not alone. We can turn to others for encouragement, ask the saints in Heaven to pray for us, and see in their lives a concrete witness of how to bear the cross well. But most of all, turn to Our Lord because as promised, His grace is sufficient for us to do all that He asks. We need only ask for it and our prayer will be granted.