Through Prayer

Jesus loves to heal. Jesus wants to heal. Jesus will heal. In those days when he walked this earth, the Lord made the blind see, the Lord made the lame to walk, the Lord made the deaf to hear, and the Lord made lepers clean. Even that greatest of maladies – death – was healed and even destroyed by the Lord’s command. Jesus healed then and he heals now. He wishes to heal you and I. But more than healing broken bodies, the Lord Jesus desires to heal broken relationships, broken hearts and broken souls. Spiritual healing is the Lord’s most powerful medicine. And with Lent upon us once again, the Lord’s treasury of mercy lies open before us.

Yes, the Lord wishes to touch and heal us this Lent, and we should run to receive his bountiful balm. But amazingly, despite our own brokenness and selfishness and sin, Jesus also wants to use us as instruments of healing for others. Remember the men who broke the roof and lowered down to Jesus their paralyzed friend? The Lord recognized their faith, affirmed that faith, and then healed both the body and soul of the paralyzed man. We can be those men today.

May I suggest that this Lent, even as we beg mercy for our own wretchedness and sin, that we make a renewed and concerted effort to carry others to Jesus as well? Who in our own families is paralyzed by fear or crippled by sin? Let’s pick them up and take them to Jesus. Who among our friends and associates is so burdened by guilt or weighed down by shame that they are unable alone to approach the throne of mercy? You and I must lift them up and present them to Jesus. Who amidst our culture of celebrity and misguided fame is clearly far from God and blind to their darkness? In love, you and I can take their hand and show them the goodness of Jesus.

We do all of this by prayer, fasting and sacrifice. When the Apostles once failed in their efforts to drive out a demon from a young man, the Lord reminded them, “This kind can only come out through prayer (Mk 9:29).” So pray we must, fervently and in concert with our Lenten fasts and mortifications. And as souls continue to be swept up by the waves of secularism, selfishness and sordid living which are surging through our culture, the Lord must truly be seeking those who would join him in reparation and brotherly love. Will you and I join with the Lord this Lent, accompanying him even into the Garden and onto the Cross? To heal others, it is worth the cost.

Have a blessed Lent and be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Ridiculed and Despised

In his famous and exceedingly challenging, Litany of Humility, Rafael Cardinal Merry Del Val (1865-1930) has us pray . . . “From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus; from the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.” Given the cultural climate of our day, those are words we do well to pray often. For when people of faith stand up in defense of their deepest beliefs – abortion is always evil, religious liberty is worth preserving, the Church has a voice in the public square – ridicule, hatred and worse are often close behind. To be a Christian today, a real Christian, a live-what-I-believe Christian, is to be a person who brings down ridicule and hatred upon themselves. But then again, it’s been that way since a handful of Galilean apostles first preached the name of Jesus.

The government’s attempt to mandate that Catholic institutions pay for contraception, abortion causing drugs and sterilizations is the latest effort aimed at the Christian conscience. With the bishops courageously leading the way, many Catholics, fellow Christians of other stripes, Jewish brothers and sisters, and even people of no particular faith, are standing strong and saying no. This is heartening. But what is disheartening, is that polls and anecdotal evidence continue to show that many Catholics actually do not believe that abortion is gravely evil, do not accept the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood, or fail to understand the dangers of increased secularization. Undoubtedly, in many cases, these folks truly do not know that they are off the path and into the weeds. But in other cases, and probably from time to time in my life and in yours, we fail to swim against the cultural tide for fear of ridicule and for fear of being despised. No one, of course, enjoys being the object of another’s disdain. Very few find it comfortable to be outside of the mainstream thinking. But as Catholics, we have to be outside of the mainstream when the mainstream is a place of ungodly refuse.

194 years ago today, on February 13, 1818, a priest by the name of Paul Liu Hanzuo was executed by strangulation. His government had decided that Christianity was not an acceptable way of living. Throughout history, and until our present day, men and women, religious and laity, young and old, have laid down their life rather than renounce the truths of the Catholic faith. Are we at that point in the United States? Thankfully, no. But can I envision such a day? Sadly, yes. And this is all the more reason why the Church needs us to overcome our fears, overcome our timidity, overcome our hesitations, and be 100% all in, willing to give everything for Christ, Catholics. No more picking and choosing, no more hemming and hawing, no more dancing around the edges of authentic Christian commitment, Christ needs us to plant a flag and stand strong in his name. Always in love, yes; always as peacemakers, yes; but with the real conviction that when Christ promised to lead the Church into all truth – he meant it!

Let us pray for our Church and let us pray for our beloved country. Our leaders, both ecclesial and governmental, need our prayers. And may we support each other in living strong, dedicated, unwavering, sacrificial and beautiful Christian lives. From the fear of being ridiculed or despised, deliver us, Jesus.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Momentary Joy

Because I am a Christian man, I cannot say what I truly feel about the recent prognostication made by an unnamed groundhog regarding the purported length of the winter season. I mean, come on man . . . er . . . rodent, really? Have you actually looked around? There’s no snow, no ice, no freeze, no wind, we have budding trees and  crawling caterpillars and unhibernating bears, and you’re doing the six more weeks of winter routine? Just sayin’, but maybe it’s time we bring in an opossum or an eagle or a warthog to do the February 2^{nd thing. Geesh!}

I went down to Presque Isle State Park the other day for a run along the water. Unlike early February days during most winter seasons, there were no ice fishermen huddled on the frozen bay above there holes. There couldn’t be, there’s not sufficient ice. And as I ran in my shorts and without gloves (yes, mom, I wore a hat), I really felt a sense of appreciation for being able to enjoy such a run at a time of year when running in shorts on dry asphalt is not normally possible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, it’s not spring yet and we still have some nasty, cold, snowy weather ahead, but that’s my point exactly. Instead of wasting the present moment of warm temperatures and sunny skies huddled in fear before the specter of a future blizzard, let’s enjoy the beautiful day at hand. It’s way to easy to get caught up in worry about what’s to come. Some people (you know who you are) hear that it is snowing in some remote village in Siberia and immediately postulate that it’s heading our way so break out the shovels and rock salt. And unfortunately, we don’t just act this way in terms of the weather, we do it in other areas of our lives as well. Which of us hasn’t squandered the serenity of a perfectly wonderful, God-gifted day worrying about what disaster might befall us in the morrow?

Each moment, be it filled with good or ill, is also filled with grace. God is with us in moments of extreme joy and God is also with us in moments of extreme anguish. We are never alone. But what a shame if we squander the times of plenty because we are worrying about future times of paucity. Remember our Lord’s words? “Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life (Luke 12:25)?” Maybe you are in the midst of some really tough times, right now. Those times certainly make it more difficult to enjoy the present moment, even when in faith we know that God is with us. That makes it all the more important to enjoy those days that are filled with more sunshine than rain. Don’t look beyond the horizon, wondering when the storm clouds will form. Look up into the blue sky and allow the sun to shine upon your face. Jesus reminds us, “There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).” May you and I enjoy that kingdom right now.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Encounter and Transformation

If you attended Mass today, you remember hearing Mark’s account of the Gerasene man afflicted by numerous demons, in particular, a demon named Legion. At the request of the demons themselves,  Christ drives them out of the man and into a herd of pigs feeding nearby. According to the Gospel, “The unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they drowned.” Wow! 40,000 pounds of possessed pork charging headlong into the sea in order to commit communal suicide. That’s a lot to take in on a Monday morning (especially on an empty stomach).

But beyond the striking image of the doomed pigs, consider the previously possessed, but now freed, man. Before his meeting with Christ, the man is described as naked, chained, dwelling among the dead and consumed with anguish. But by the time the account concludes, our friend is “sitting there clothed and in his right mind.” He even begs Jesus to let him travel with the disciples. Clearly, his encounter with Christ has completely transformed him. And if we allow it do so, our encounters with Christ will similarly transform us.

On February 2, we will celebrate the beautiful feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Commemorated is that day when Mary and Joseph enter the temple with the infant Jesus in their arms. Simeon, an old and devout man, has waited many years for God to manifest his salvation. Moved by the Spirit, he takes Jesus into his aged hands, holds him up for all to see, and praises God for his marvelous works. Simeon knows that this baby is the redemption of all mankind. His encounter with Christ brings a joy beyond imagining.

This feast of the Presentation was originally known by its Greek title, the “Hypapante,” meaning, meeting or encountering. And as it was for both the man from Gerasene and for the elderly Simeon, each time you or I have a “hypapante” – an encounter with Christ – amazing things can and do happen. Please do not imagine that these encounters are rare occurrences, either, for Christ moves to meet us often throughout the day. Each Mass, each moment of prayer, each sacrament, each conversation with our neighbor, each act of love is an encounter with Christ. If only our eyes remain open to see his presence.

Possibly, today, you are feeling chained by sin, consumed by anguish, or barely alive in faith and hope. Maybe you have waited long and hard for a time of transformation, for a moment of profound change. Do not be afraid. Your next “hypapante,” your next encounter with Christ, may be only minutes away.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Prayer and penance for the preborn

When my brother was still quite young, too young to safely have major surgery, he nonetheless required a tonsillectomy. The procedure did not go as well as hoped and he began to bleed. They were struggling to stop that bleeding. Such was the word that my sister and I received at home. We were worried. I remember doing some lawn work at a neighbor’s (that’s how I made my adolescent fortune, you know), but my thoughts were on the little guy. I prayed and I worried. Eventually, the happy news came that the bleeding had been stopped and he was going to be fine. But those moments of concern for my brother’s life had been quite real and filled with anguish. Life is incredibly precious.

I recall that day, as on this day, the Church once again focuses our attention on other precious young lives – preborn lives –  children who are suffering and dying in the womb. Today is the annual day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. Yes, abortion continues to bring untold violence upon our land. We kill the most innocent of our citizens with the protection of the law and the support of many legislators. So much sadness. So much madness. So much shame.

But hope abounds as well. The youth of this nation – in great numbers – are committed to ending abortion and protecting human life. Many of those young people are in Washington today, praying and marching in the name of preborn children. God bless them all. You and I have the solemn obligation to be united with them in prayer and to support them with our penance. As part of our prayer, let’s remember women who’ve had abortions, for the Church offers them forgiveness, healing and new life. As part of our penance, let’s remember men who have been wounded by abortion and who so often suffer unnoticed and in silence. And with our love, let’s place in the hands of God those Catholics who inexplicably support legalized abortion by their social and political activity; may the veils of unknowing be removed from their minds and their hearts.

Life is incredibly precious. Life is also incredibly fragile. Be it our prayer for a young boy bleeding after surgery or our prayer for a preborn baby facing extinction on the abortionist’s table, the protection of life is a noble and worthy cause. Have mercy on us Lord and forgive us our sins against the dignity of the human person, hear our prayers that our nation may give legal protection to those in the womb, and may you accept our penance today with the love in which it is offered.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

More

That piece of pecan pie on our plate is never quite large enough. The weekends – even the holiday ones – are never quite long enough. The time spent with family and friends is always too short. Summer evenings – even with all their extended sunlight – still grow dark too quickly. And as my fellow coffee-a-holics understand, that last sip of a rich brew leaves us already wishing for more.

Satisfaction is hard to come by, isn’t it? Generally, we desire more success, more adventure, more winning, more accomplishment, more friends, more love and more acclaim. We want the good times to last forever, those “I’m on a roll” days to just keep rolling, and the cookie jar to never run empty. Enough is not enough. We want bigger, better and bolder. We want more. We want it all.

Admittedly, this world does indeed offer some wonderful pleasures and pastimes. From the simple delights of a soft pillow or an open highway, to the more sublime joys of a newborn baby or a “thank you” warmly given, the “good stuff” is out there. Hopefully, we are grateful to share in the earth’s abundance and in the fellowship of those whose names we know. But even in the best, most wonderful, most blissful moments . . . something inside us asks the unsettling question . . . isn’t there more? And there is.

We know the truth. This world, despite its many good things, can never satisfy us. We are made for more. We are made for God. In the end – and even in the beginning – only God can satisfy. That is the truth.

To realize that only God can ultimately satisfy is to save ourselves a lot of unnecessary heartache, discouragement and pain. To long for satisfaction here on earth is to long for the impossible. It can’t happen. We are immortal beings living in a world that will someday pass away. Yes, we should live each moment of our life with everything that is within us, but not with the expectation that we will find fulfillment here and now. Only life without end can satisfy us: and that is God’s promise. Only a love without limit can assuage our deepest desires: and God has made us that offer.

This very day, so many people are depressed, disappointed and disillusioned. They’ve won, they’ve earned, they’ve owned, they’ve accumulated, they’ve achieved and they’ve succeeded . . . and yet they do not know satisfaction. But God stands at the door of their hearts. If they grant him entrance, if they listen receptively to his words, if they accept his love . . . it won’t matter if or what they’ve won, accumulated or achieved. In God, enough is truly enough, and more is an unending proposition.

We know the truth. God is our all in all.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Against Eucharistic Complacency

Listening the other day to a religious sister speak about how easy it is to grow complacent in the presence of the Eucharist, I was convicted. Yes, I offer Mass each day. Yes, I pray my holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. But far too often my thoughts are on work or school or the ballgame or who knows what . . . and not on the Love in whose presence I am privileged to be.

The Eucharist is filled with infinite riches, poured out in abundance for you and for me. There is no cost, no catch and no complications. Jesus is there at Mass, there upon the altar, there present in the tabernacle, awaiting our adoration. Who could calculate the value of those moments spent at Christ’s altar? Who could ever determine how many souls are brought to salvation through Eucharistic worship and prayer? Who could possibly comprehend the wonder of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the preciousness of Christ’s blood shed freely for sinners?

May you and I never again become complacent in the presence of such a mystery.

*When we drive by a Catholic church on the way to practice or the mall, it is good to ponder that Christ dwells within that structure. He really does! Making the Sign of the Cross or uttering a brief prayer might help us to overcome complacency.

*As we enter the parish for Sunday Mass, rather than sliding thoughtlessly into the pew, let’s genuflect before the tabernacle with real devotion and love. Jesus is there, may we never take him for granted.

*If you are enrolled at one of our Catholic high schools or otherwise have the opportunity to attend daily Mass, do so! Each Mass brings us face-to-face and heart-to-heart with the Lord of our Salvation. Certainly, there is no room for complacency before such a wonderful, Eucharistic gift.

*If you cannot get to daily Mass, make a “spiritual communion.” Basically, a spiritual communion is just a request of Christ to enter into your heart and there set up his throne.

*And whatever it takes to get there, whatever sacrifice of time or effort need be made, go before the Lord in the silence and love of Eucharistic Adoration. Discover, before the tabernacle, a God who loves with reckless abandon and who pardons with unfathomable mercy. He awaits with longing our visit.

I encourage you, even if you struggle to understand or believe in Christ’s Real Presence, to go before him anyway. Challenge him to make you believe. If necessary, beg God for that gift. And for you and I who are blessed to believe, we should not become discouraged or disappointed if often our hearts cannot “feel” Christ’s presence in the tabernacle or on the altar. That’s okay. I’m convinced that God does some of his best work when we are without consolation, but continue to persevere in prayer.

In our world and in our lives, we cannot afford Eucharistic complacency. The gift of Christ in the Mass and in the Blessed Sacrament is too great, too precious, too necessary. Help us, Jesus, to believe, to love, to adore.

Be assured of my prayers.

Fr. Steve

New Evangelization

It’s the season for new:

New year, new semester, new classes, new kid, new attitude, new beginning, new girlfriend or boyfriend, new puppy, new missal, new bishop, new baby, new moon, New Balance and New Jersey.

Pope Benedict would agree. He is mightily concerned with something called the New Evangelization. When we discuss evangelization in general, we’re talking about spreading the Gospel of God’s love, mercy and salvation. The “New” Evangelization, specifically, is an effort to bring back to the fold those baptized individuals who have for one reason or another ceased the practice of the faith. You and I are responsible for this New Evangelization, for helping our family and friends to know again the joy of being in Christ. “Evangelization is not something optional,” Pope Benedict reminds us, “but the very vocation of the people of God, a duty that corresponds to it by the command of the Lord Jesus himself.”

The trouble with engaging the new is that we tend to enjoy or become entangled in the old:

Old habits, old sins, old ways of doing things, old resentments, old prejudices, old grievances, old wounds, old haunts, old flames, old socks, Old Navy and Old Spice.

As always, Jesus Christ is the key to moving forward. Read thoughtfully these words from the Book of Revelation:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold God’s dwelling place is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and their shall be no more death or mourning, waling or pain, for the old order has passed away. The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new (Rev 21: 1-5).”

Most certainly, before you or I can bring the “newness” of Christ to others, we must accept the gift of his new life in ourselves. Again, Pope Benedict: “The essence of Christianity . . . is an ever-new encounter with . . . the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us.”

As this New Year begins, maybe we are making resolutions: to study harder, to get in shape or to be more kind. Wonderful! But most importantly, may you and I resolve to encounter Christ daily and to share his love with others. As the scriptures above indicate, Jesus alone makes “all things new” and Jesus alone destroys sadness and even death. The world – beginning with our family and friends – needs to hear that message. The world – beginning with our family and friends – needs to encounter anew the life and love of Jesus. Nothing is more vital than a serious, joyful, daily encounter with Christ. May each day of this New Year be filled with his presence.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Another Year

Back in the day, when my basketball team had played a particularly poor game, coach got us all together at center court during the next practice. Suffice it to say, he was not a happy man. He began to go around freely assessing each player’s shortcomings in terms such as the following. “You,” he said to one, “are not boxing out.” To the next boy: “You are shooting horribly.” And to another: “You keep turning the ball over.” And on and on it went, with coach pointing out our basketball deficiencies with increasing frustration. Finally, he got to me. “And you,” he cried with obvious consternation, “you . . . you . . . you’re worse than you were last year!!” Ouch. I felt like booking a seat on the next train to Uzbekistan.

Now, with the years having passed, I can tell that story with laughter. And as you and I come to the end of yet another calendar year, maybe coach’s point is one we should consider. When it comes to our friendship with God and our Christian discipleship, are you and I “better” than we were last year? There is no standing still in the Christian life. Either we are growing in holiness or we are not. Either we are becoming more like Christ or we are becoming less like Christ. If we honestly assess ourselves and find it to be the latter, changes have to be made. There is no time for delay.

But do not be afraid. “A people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,” the prophet Isaiah tells us. Christ’s  birth in Bethlehem is the promise of his being born anew in you and I. Wherever we’ve been, whatever we done, be it good or evil, Christ’s coming in the flesh is both our salvation and our healing. Each Christmas, and yes, each day, is a fresh opportunity to be born again in Christ Jesus. Each Christmas, and truly each moment, holds the promise of new life and new beginnings. “We bring you tidings of great joy,” said the angels to the shepherds, “A Savior is born this day for you.” My Christmas gift and yours is God himself, humble and lying in a manger.

God took on our human nature and thus he shares intimately in our joys and sorrows. Especially when those sorrows are great, Jesus is near. I was talking to a close friend recently, a friend who in this past year has mourned the death of too many people he loved, his father and infant granddaughter included. Truly, his year has been a rough one. And yet, he can profess with humble conviction, that God was present in the midst of his suffering. He is correct, and that is faith.

As we celebrate Christmas and move into another year, may we thank God with all sincerity, for all that has been, even the sorrows and struggles. Emmanuel, God-with-us, was always near, for his love would have it no other way.

I wish you Christmas blessings and thank you for sharing a few moments with me each week in this Youthtalk blog. I am blessed by God’s presence, yes, but by your presence as well. Be assured of my continue prayers and may the New Year be filled with both joy and peace.

A Savior is born for us: Rejoice!

Fr. Steve

Advent Roses

Each year, roughly 20 million pilgrims visit Mexico City to pray at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Wow – 20 million! In contrast, only about 3 million Muslims travel each year to Mecca. What do those men, women and young people go to see at our Lady’s shrine? Certainly the tilma of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin is a star attraction. The tilma – or cloak – is a roughly woven garment of cactus fibers that Juan Diego was wearing when Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to him on several occasions in 1531. Juan visited the bishop of Mexico as Mary requested, but the bishop did not believe that this uneducated peasant had actually conversed with the Mother of God. As a sign of proof, Our Lady directed Juan Diego to gather out-of-season Castella roses and take them to the bishop. When he did – carrying them in his tilma – the tilma was miraculously imprinted with an exquisite image of Our Lady herself as a young, pregnant, Mexican girl. Scientists have never been able to discover a natural explanation for the image’s presence. Its colors remain as vivid today as they were in 1531. And optical imaging has revealed on the tilma astronomically correct constellations of stars, reflected images of Juan Diego in the Virgin’s eyes, and a representation of the Quincunx flower over the place where the heart of Mary’s unborn child would be. The Quincunx, in Aztec symbolism, denotes the Lord of the Universe.

So yes, both as a relic and as an object of fascination, the tilma attracts pilgrims to Mexico City. But is it not more our Lady, carrying in her womb the Salvation of all people, who is the real star of the Guadalupe pilgrimage?

Coming as it does each year during the very heart of Advent, today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe brings us face to face with the hope this season brings. Christ is born of Mary on Christmas day not just for the unnamed and unseen people of all times and all places, but he is born specifically for me and for you, who live today and who call a particular place our home. We may be sinners, we may be steeped in trials and struggles, but as Isaiah the prophet foretold: “O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in carnelians, and your foundations in sapphires . . . I will renew with you the everlasting covenant . . . as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”

So now, here, in the heart of Advent, may we listen again and find comfort in the words of Our Lady to the burdened and distressed, Juan Diego. For those words still echo throughout the Americas and beyond. And if our hearts are open to the hope of Christ’s coming, his Mother’s words will echo within us as well.

“Listen and understand, my humblest son. There is nothing to frighten and distress you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and let nothing upset you. Is it not I, your Mother, who is here? Are you not under my protection? Are you not, fortunately, in my care?”

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve