In 324 AD, St. Helena, was sent by her son, Emperor Constantine, to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the place where Jesus died, the Holy Sepulcher, and the cross upon which he was crucified. Tradition has it that the three crosses were buried and hidden after Jesus and the two thieves were taken off their crosses. There are different stories about how she found the crosses, but it is believed she did find them in 326.

To find out which of the three crosses was the one Jesus was crucified upon, people in need of healing, including possibly, someone who had just died were brought to touch the three crosses. Only in touching one cross each time, were they healed, and so Helena believed that was the cross of Jesus. Helena had the cross brought back to her son.

The feast day that we celebrate today is the Exultation of the Holy Cross and it is in remembrance of when the Holy Cross was rescued from the Persians in the seventh century.

The cross and crucifixion was an instrument of state sanctioned terrorism to keep people in line. The Romans were ready, willing, and able to make an example of anyone who stood up against them. The brutal practice of crucifixion was one such practice to strike terror into the hearts of anyone else who might have the idea of opposing them.

And yet, we as Catholics, hang this instrument of torture with the dead body of Jesus in our churches, in our homes, and many around their necks. What was a sign of terror has become for us a sign of victory!

“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness;and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

The crucifix is our sacramental sign of hope. Death, is one of the tools used by tyrants and dictators to keep people in line because they know instinctually we want to preserve our lives, and so fear death. Yet death does not have the final say. Jesus, who though quite capable of saving himself, chose not to. He willingly gave his life for all of us. What is even more amazing is he specifically gave his life for you and me. Jesus died personally for us, conquered death, rose again and ascended into heaven so that we might find fulfillment and joy in this life, not so that we could merely survive, but so we can thrive free of anxiety and fear in this life and continue into eternal life in the next.

As we grow in our faith and relationship with Jesus, we come face to face with our fears when we are ready and willing to do so, even death. For me, watching JoAnn’s death is the closest thing I have experienced to watching a crucifixion and greatest fear – losing someone I love. She lost so much weight and by her final weeks was so emaciated. Like Mary and John watching Jesus suffering and dying on the cross, there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Yet, there was a peace in knowing that this was not the end of JoAnn’s life. Jesus had the final say, not death. He led her home to the eternal embrace of our loving God and Father. This peace that surpassed all my understanding was a grace that God granted me so that I could be there for JoAnn as well as Jack and Christy, every step of the way. I could fall apart later and mourn, grieve, and heal over these past four years. The crucifix has been a help for me because it has been a reminder of how much Jesus offers us a love so amazing, so uniquely and personally that he would die for JoAnn, for me, and for you.

The crucifix is a reminder that we need not fear death nor anything else because Jesus has our back. Continue to trust in Jesus and know, no matter what arises going forward, and when times of doubt, anxiety, or fear attempts to creep in, you can look upon your crucifix, even hold it in your hand (you have one?) and know Jesus is with you, loves you so much he has given his life for you and that there is nothing, nothing, nothing you and he by your side cannot accomplish.

Photo: Crucifix in the main chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 14, 2023

The first reading from today offers an interesting perspective. Paul is not presenting that we receive Jesus’ teaching, philosophy, or theology. He is saying that the Church in Colossea has “received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7).

They have received Jesus, and are to walk in him, be rooted in him and built upon him. This is what distinguishes Christianity from other faith traditions. We are called to enter into a relationship with a person, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God who became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity! This man who we are invited to place our trust in is Jesus!

As Catholics, we encounter Jesus intimately in the sacraments. When we were baptized, our old self died with him, we were born again in him and are now a part of his Body. We were empowered by the Holy Spirit at Confirmation and are nourished each time we receive his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  Reconciliation restores our connection when it has been wounded or broken when Jesus forgives us from our sins through the concrete words of absolution offered to us by a priest.

Jesus is also present to us in our everyday activities. The key is to open our hearts and minds and invite him into all aspects of our lives and we will become more aware of his walking with us. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we spend time with him in prayer and worship, invite him into our challenges and struggles, our celebrations, as well as our mundane activities, the more rooted in him we will become.

St. Paul is inviting us to build our relationship with Jesus and as we do so, he will become so much more present to us, like breathing itself. Making the time to reflect and thank him, “abounding in thanksgiving” when he provides his help and support, his guidance, and his strength also builds our awareness of how much he is present in our lives.

May our loving God and Father enfold you with his loving embrace so that you know he has you in his care and will protect you. May the Holy Spirit fall afresh upon you and fill your mind, your heart, and your soul, with his peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding. May his presence gently dissolve any weight, stress, and/or strain that your bodies and minds have been experiencing. And may you receive Jesus’ outstretched hand, that he may lead you this day. Continue to lean on him as you need to, and he will renew your strength.

Trust in Jesus, his Father, and the Holy Spirit!

Photo: St. Mark Catholic Church, Venice Beach, CA.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, September 12, 2023

“Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.”

This is where God invites us to be: at rest and experiencing his peace, even with so many diversions and distractions that tempt us to feel otherwise. He doesn’t pull us kicking and screaming but instead leads us gently as we are willing. Each of us have experienced glimpses of the foundation of his love that is to be our rock, our firm foundation, and our stronghold against any attack. The question becomes are we aware of his presence and his accompanying us?

When we do find ourselves not experiencing God’s rest, it is not a call for shame on our parts either, just a reminder that we need to take some breaths, call to mind a word or phrase like, “Jesus, I Trust in you.” Or adding today’s words to our daily rhythm of prayer: “Jesus, you are my rest, my salvation, my stronghold.”

Stopping to breathe and rest also allows us to identify what may be causing us to feel anxious, disturbed, or unsettled in the first place, where before it unsettled us more unconsciously. Identifying the cause, helps us to resist the temptation to react and instead slowly settle into and renounce what is most likely the dart of a lie.

Saying an Our Father, breathing and resting are important first steps for any practice of prayer, whether going to Mass, the Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, reading, meditating, and contemplating the Bible, and even making decisions can be prayerful!

As we consciously slow down, we will begin to let go and feel the peace of God inviting us to go still deeper, to listen and to receive his own word uniquely offered for each of us, and then to abide in his love and rest there. Here is the wonderful part, it is possible to continue to experience his peace and rest in our daily activities.

It is from this foundation of abiding in God’s love that he is inviting us to dwell in today especially as we remember those who died on 9/11. As we pray for those who lost their lives and their families, we can take comfort in the fact that death does not have the final answer, Jesus does, he who conquered death and the grave. May we all open our minds and hearts and rest in his peace, assured that God is our rock foundation no matter what we face today!

Photo: View of Lake Michigan while on retreat this summer. Spending time in God’s creation can help us to experience God’s peace!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 11, 2023

One of the keys to understanding the law of God, the Bible, prayer, worship, and our lives and relationships is shared by Paul in his letter to the Romans when he says: “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). John echoes this in his first letter: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 14:16).

God’s laws, spiritual disciplines, and practices are like training wheels to help us navigate our fallen world, to help us navigate our own fallen natures, and how best to interact with the fallen natures of others. Each, when practiced regularly, leads us to the ultimate goal of our lives which is to receive the love of God, so we may better love ourselves, and each other. Our spiritual practices help to open ourselves up to the love God wants so much to share with us.

When we breathe, rest, receive, and abide in God’s love, we are making a conscious choice to do so, and God can then abide with us which is where he wants to be! It is from this deep and intimate communion that our lives are meant to be lived. We come to this place of resting and abiding with God when we follow the counsel from today’s psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

God is ready, able, and willing to not only guide us, but he is already doing so! We choose to harden not our hearts by putting into practice God’s invitations to attend and be more attentive at Mass, pray the Rosary more attentively, receive God’s guidance through these reflections, pray with the Bible, and just as importantly, following God’s lead for you to channel our emotions and resist the temptations that arise. Sharing our frustrations with God is also valid prayer, as long as we continue to also trust him and resist the temptations of the enemy to stop praying and continue to open your heart and mind to God’s direction even when the weight of our challenges and trials get heavy.

As we resist the temptation to harden and instead soften our hearts to God’s guidance, he can then do so much in our lives and we begin to experience his love, his peace, and special graces. In opening our minds and hearts to him, we will then be moved to share his love with others.

One way of doing so is being aware of the needs of those close to us and offering to pray together as Jesus recommended in today’s gospel from Matthew 18:19-20: “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

This is not a magic incantation, the waving of a magic wand, or a three-point plan of success. Our praying goes back to the beginning of what we are called to do in this life which is to be loved and to love. We are to walk with, support, encourage, and empower one another and we do this best when, through our prayers, we invite God to be the center of our lives. In this way, the often most damaging lie of the enemy is toothless, that we are alone in our struggles.

I unfortunately don’t know or have the answer to the how, the time or the hour that God will answer our prayers. All I know is that what is even more important is that God loves each and every one of us, is taking care of, empowering, loving, and helping us to rise above all the lies. We need to continue be faithful in our practices of prayer, harden not our hearts, trust in Jesus and Mary, in each other, continue to pray for one another, and know that God will bring about a greater good!!!

Photo: Praying the Liturgy of the Hours and receiving the love of Jesus last Wednesday in the Rosary Garden, St. Peter Catholic Church, Jupiter, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, September 10, 2023

“Jesus, I Trust in You.” “Be not afraid.” And: “God himself is my help.” Or “God is present as my helper.” Which comes from today’s responsorial psalm (54:6), are more than just words written on a page. They are promises by God for us to receive, breathe in, rest, and abide with him so we may better experience and be transformed by his love and conformed to his will. 

By meditating and contemplating on these words they also become a shield against the darts of the enemy. Whenever the lies of the enemy are hurled at us, we are not to dialogue with them, they are darts! but instead renounce and repel these half-truths, thoughts of desolation, and flights of fancy as we anchor ourselves in the love of God embodied by these words. 

Like the Pharisees in today’s gospel who always seem to be on the prowl looking for a way to trip up Jesus, so the devil is always on the prowl seeking someone to devour. 

That is why we need to resist the enemy and be diligent, alert, watchful, and at prayer. For as soon as the smallest dart of negativity is hurled, we need to choose: to receive and dialogue with it, let it influence us such that we come to believe it, and so fall into desolation, or to immediately renounce it as Jesus does, trust in him, be not afraid of the lies, and ask God for his help.

When we choose Jesus each time, God’s love rises up within us and radiates out from us to dissolve the power of the enemy’s attacks. When we have the humility to ask for God’s help in recognizing our weakness to make this choice, he becomes our strength. 

May we continue to pray for one another that we may remain consistent in receiving, reciting, resting, and abiding in these words that they may become as nourishment consumed to strengthen our spiritual immunity! Thus fortified and strengthened with this breakfast of saints, may your day and weekend be blessed with joy to overflowing!!!

Photo: Rosary walk last evening. Good time to meditate and contemplate God’s word. Good for the body and the soul!

Link to the Mass readings for Saturday, September 9, 2023

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

It is upon verses like these that we can place our hope and trust in the love that God has for us, especially when we are going through challenging times.

It is hard to see the good that God is bringing about while we are enduring them, but he has done so in your life before, he will do so with any present challenges, and will do so again in the future. God loves you and wants the best for you. It is in times like these that our relationship grows and deepens in our intimacy with him as long as we continue to place our hope and trust in God.

Today we celebrate the nativity of Mary, who is a model “for those who love God.” Mary was born as a part of God’s plan to bear the Christ, the Son of the living God. She received the news of this at such an early age, most biblical scholars thinking that she was 13-15 years of age. And even though she did not fully understand what Gabriel was asking of her, she said yes. What she did understand was the challenge that was before her, the gossip, the looks, even the possibility of being stoned to death for conceiving a child out of wedlock.

Yet Mary placed her trust in the one who she dedicated her life to from an early age when tradition teaches that her parents, Joaquin and Anna, brought her to live and serve in the Temple, possibly as a consecrated virgin, until she was about twelve.

Mary even faced these challenges with joy! For after receiving the word from Gabriel and conceiving Jesus in her womb through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, she went in haste to share the news with Elizabeth. Not only did God, through Mary’s faith, trust, and hope in him, bring about a greater good, he redeemed all of humanity and creation in collaboration with Mary!

The Holy Spirit accompanies us as he did and does with Mary. We need to continue to place our trust in him for the issues, temptations, trials, and tribulations we are experiencing, knowing that they are only being allowed by God to bring about a greater good. As any impatience or anxiety attempts to creep in today, breathe deeply and slowly, saying, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Rest and abide in these as well as the words expressing the truth that God is bringing about a greater good for you.

Call on Mary to help you too. She is an incredible and loving Mother who has comforted me in my worst trials and continues to love and guide me now. Continue to trust in Jesus her Son who will take any hit that comes at you. Walk on in the confidence that even in your weakness, our loving God and Father is your strength.

Happy birthday, Mary, and pray for us!

Photo: Holy hour on the grounds of St. Joseph and Mary retreat center, Mundelein, Illinois.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, September 8, 2023

“From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).

We often find stability in doing, which is a good in and of itself, but also can be a trap if we identity ourselves by the doing instead of God. God loves us as we are before we do anything. We may mistakenly believe that we have to pray this or that prayer, in this or that way, at this or that certain time for God to not only hear our prayer, but love us, which is what we all desire deep down.

Making time to be still and silent with God, opening our hearts and minds to him to receive that which he wishes to share with us, ultimately his love, is a gift that we need to receive daily. Doing so will not only give life to our other practices of prayer but also helps us to slow down and step out of the mindset of always being on the go and doing. Making a conscious decision to stop, breathe deeply and slowly, to then be still, just be, and be loved as we are – feels very good and affirming.

God wants us to experience his peace and his love. He wants us to live in his joy! It is an amazing gift of grace to experience, and we can do so if we invite him into our mental maelstroms each day and allow him to calm the swirling storms of anxiety, stress, and thoughts that threaten to undo us.

This place of resting and abiding in God’s love deepens our other practices of prayer as well whether it be the Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, taking a walk, reading the Bible, going to Mass, praying for and with others. Prayer is also no longer just about ourselves, as we abide in and are transformed by God’s love, we carry those we love and care about with us!

Not only that, but our life, our work, leisure, relationships, can all become a prayer. As we feel peaceful or joyful, we thank God; when a moment of anxiousness or concern pops up, we ask God to help us to determine its source and deal with it based on his guidance or heal from it if the source is a past wound; we can look to a sacramental, a picture of Jesus – I Trust in You!; picture of Mary; statue of a saint, pray for those we hold close to our heart when they come to mind and share our love and the love of God with them in that moment; asking God to be with us in our interactions with our family, friends, colleagues, or classmates; these all become moments of love received and shared when we choose to breath in, receive, rest, and abide in God’s love in all we do.

The gift of a daily time of silence, is the anchor that then helps us to see God in all we do, to experience him in the moment because that is where he is, and to return to him in the present when we have realized that any temptations, distractions, diversions, fears, conflicts, or lies of the enemy have pulled us away, so that we can simply return and begin again with God. Over time our discernment sharpens, we choose to abide in his peace and love more often and are pulled away less!

My prayers are with you as you read these words, “and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” for all your intentions. Also, that you continue to open your heart and mind to the love of Jesus that he offers you, that you may receive, rest, and abide in his love as you take some conscious breaths to receive his gift during what you are doing, throughout the day today, and remember who and whose you are!

“For the more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us.” – St. Mother Teresa.

———

Photo: Holy hour at the Shrine of St. Maximillian Kolby, Libertyville, Illinois.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 7, 2023

“At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place” (Luke 4:42).

Jesus goes off to be by himself to pray with his Father often in Scripture and I am sure many more times than what is recorded. Jesus submitted his humanity to his divinity. He did not grasp at his divinity even though he easily could have.

In his humanity, he needed to spend quiet time in communion with God and so do we.

St. Francis de Sales says that we need to spend at least thirty minutes a day in silence with God and if we are busy sixty! Of course, he recognized that this depends on our station in life. His point though is the same that Jesus is making with his actions. Spending silent time with God each day is a must.

I have known this for years and struggled to maintain a consistent practice of even five to ten minutes a day. I did not struggle praying with my breviary in silence, but just sitting and being still with God, I found challenging because there was always something else that demanded my attention.

Last year, I was introduced to making a daily holy hour. Within the first few weeks, I again jettisoned the practice for two days as I was getting buried in assignments. I realized though after the second day, that if being formed as a priest is going to work, I need to put this time with God first. On the rational level, the lie came in again, you don’t have enough time. I trusted though that if I put God first, he would provide.

Nothing sensational or out of the ordinary happened in those early weeks and months during my holy hours, but God did provide, and I was able to not only complete the assignments but begin to speak up for myself and able to work with my formation team to adjust my schedule.

One of the most important things I learned from the retreat was how subtle and entrenched the enemy is in influencing my mind and keeping me from growing in deeper intimacy with God.

To quiet these influences and voices, and grow in our relationship with God we need to spend time with him in various ways of prayer and spiritual reading yes, but spending time with him in silence to listen to his word or his silence makes an incredible difference. Not surprising then how much the enemy fought me in developing this practice. As Mary taught me, when we show up, God happens.

The invitation is to begin small, schedule a time, even 5-10 minutes that works for you to be still and silent with God. As you become consistent and if your schedule allows, build up to a half-hour or hour.

Be still with God, breathe, rest, receive and abide in his love for you. Imagine his hand on top of your hand assuring you that he is with you and will guide you through the day and each challenge you face. Breathe and rest in his love for you and experience his peace. Doing so each day really makes a difference and helps to quiet the strength and voices of the enemy that comes knocking at the door!

Don’t let him in. Be patient and still. In time, you will hear God speak silently in your heart, and you will experience a greater sense of his peace and love.

Photo: Holy hour by the lake during retreat at St. Joseph and Mary Retreat Center, Mundelein, Illinois.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September, 6, 2023

We need to be careful about how we think, speak, and act toward others. The enemy tempts us consistently in negative ways regarding how we think about ourselves as well as how we think about each other. We do not ever really know what someone else is thinking or going through. We also don’t know their background, what they have experienced in their lives. We do not know their heart and minds or what unresolved issues they are operating under or working through. We may not even know our own, which the enemy will be very happy to keep exploiting at our expense.

Each of us have four basic temperaments: choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic that we operate under. Last semester we met as a whole group and each of us seminarians raised our hands to reveal our temperament. Some seminarians raised their hand for one particular type. Each of them I had felt a very subtle but instinctual resistance to keep my distance from. Of course, they were on the opposite extreme of my temperament.

That was a great lightbulb moment for me, it made sense. I made an extra effort with one of the guys to get to know him better. That tweak of perspective helped me to no longer buy into the lies the enemy was attempting to sell me on.

All this is a lead up to what Paul encourages us in our first reading today. It is important for all of us to, “encourage one another and build one another up.” This is especially true with our thoughts regarding how we think about ourselves and others. As we are more discerning with our thoughts, then our words and actions will follow.

When we are feeling challenged or there is some persistent negativity arising, we can do as Jesus did in the Gospel today when he rebuked the demon to come out of the man. We can say in Jesus’ name, “Be quiet! And come out!” to any thought or negative influence we are experiencing. By our baptism we are children of God and are given the authority to claim in Jesus’ name. Important for us to do so!

Let us pray for each other and “encourage one another and build one another up”!

Photo: CN strong!

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Death, one of the top three fears people face, the other two being public speaking and moving. Most of us fear death our own and/or the loss of our loved ones. We would all like to live a long life. My hope for each of you is that you are not only able to live a long life, but a healthy, faith-filled, and meaningful one!

From my experience one of the best ways to get there is to be free from our fears. What we pay attention to, we attract. This is true whether we pay attention to that which is negative or positive. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians can be a good jump start to help us let go of any fears we may have regarding death.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep… Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words” (see I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Each of us has different particulars regarding our fears of death, but one place to begin to look at is that death is not an end. Death does not have the final answer, as Paul shows us, Jesus does. Jesus conquered death and rose again. Those of us who die with Christ will rise with him!

The intimacy we all seek whether we are aware of it or not is to enter into deeper communion with God. As we develop a life of prayer, we will experience moments of deeper intimacy with Jesus, experience his peace, joy, and love. These experiences are wonderful! Yet even in those moments of closeness in this life, they do not last. They are fleeting, and although we can experience his love again and again, it is nothing compared to the intimacy we will experience with him in the next life.

No matter how long this life of ours lasts, it is just a blink of the eye compared to the eternity we will spend with him.

Thinking about death is not morbid. In doing so, we will realize that our life is fragile, and we really do have little control. This is not a Debbie-downer of a statement. By experiencing other’s and facing the reality of our own death, we begin to have a better appreciation for the life we have now. We become more aware that this life is temporary, that what we are doing here is preparing for the next, we can resist taking each moment for granted, and we can prioritize our time better.

May this be one of the many topics regarding our journeys that we can talk more about and revisit for many years to come. And each time you think about, and discuss death with those closest to you, may you experience more peace so that when the time does come, you will be ready with a heart and mind open for your next step in growing in a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus and all those who have gone before us who are waiting with open arms to welcome us home.

Photo: Love continues after death!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 4, 2023