Ordinary Time 31

“Follow the saints, because those who follow them will become saints.”

- Pope Clement I

How To Be A Saint

A third grader got it right.
“A saint is someone that
the light shines through.”

She was looking at a stained glass window,
the one St. Francis inhabits.
Every morning the light comes
and Francis lets the light pass through.

Saints are bearers of the light
and love
and life.

Just ask any third grader.

- Robert Morneau
"A New Heart: Eleven Qualities of Holiness"

Today is Priesthood Sunday. My heart’s desire is to be a holy priest. While in the seminary studying to be a priest my favorite three subjects were 1) Sacred Scripture - study of God’s Word; 2) Hagiography - study of the saints; 3) Homiletics — study of oratorical speaking. All of my elective courses in the seminary drew me to taking further Scripture classes, studying more of the lives of the saints, and fine-tuning the art of preaching.

The Church honors on Monday, November 1, All Saints' Day (note this year it is not a Holy Day of Obligation though Mass will be at 8:30 AM). On Tuesday, November 2, we celebrate All Souls’ Day, commemorating and praying for our beloved dead. (There will be a Memorial Mass at 7:00 PM only that evening.) The Church encourages our participation in the celebration of these observances.

Outside one of the lecture halls at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary is a plaque quoting Daniel 12:3, “Those who teach others in the ways of God will shine like the stars for all eternity.” Msgr. James Mulligan, who was a long-time professor for three decades at the Mount, would often say that single verse from Scripture gave him the daily inspiration to teach us to strive to be saints. The goal of the Christian life is to be holy — more pleasing in the sight of God and more graceful in the sight of one’s neighbor. I’m sure all of our lives have been blessed by certain people whose presence made us feel God’s grace alive — parents, spouses, teachers, mentors, friends, colleagues, neighbors, or fellow parishioners. A couple from our parish came to have their car blessed this past Wednesday before moving to Florida, and with tears and sadness they mentioned how much they will miss St. Joseph Parish — the place and its people. One must find his/her salvation in the time, place and people in which we live. Sometimes the best conditions for discipleship lie simply in embracing and accepting sufferings, challenges and obstacles as opportunities of new growth.

Today on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time we read of the encounter of Jesus and Zacchaeus, the story of the "little man" who climbed a tall sycamore tree to go out on a limb in order to get Jesus’ attention. Perhaps we can visualize Jesus walking along a dusty road through Jericho (the City of Palms) attracting a large crowd as he goes. There must have been a great excitement about his presence. Jesus had the reputation for being a miracle worker. Zacchaeus was a short man, a despised and hated tax collector. His curiosity led him up a tree in order to have a better vantage point. Jesus gazed upward and saw the sight of little Zacchaeus swinging from a branch and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." St. Augustine said, “Zacchaeus had given so much importance to seeing Jesus pass by that he earned the pleasure of Jesus’ company at home.” Jesus read his heart and had mercy for him. Zacchaeus is a figure who teaches us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Jesus has compassion on everyone and invites us to a new life in seeking out and saving the lost. St. Ambrose wrote, “Of all people to choose from, he singled out the chief of the tax collectors. Who can lose hope for themselves when even such a man attained salvation?” God’s mercy and forgiveness is always within reach if we seek it. Repentance is always an on-going process and a life-long decision to seek God. It is when we turn away from sin and evil and seek to grow in holiness that we are lifted up.

The story of Zacchaeus inspires us to deeper conversion by acknowledging our weakness and sinfulness to encounter the Lord’s forgiveness. For when we reject sin and invite the Lord into our homes — our heart and our soul — we, too, experience His great love. As we walk the path of salvation we are ever mindful that we can wander to "ungodly paths." Jesus summons Zacchaeus and each of us to holiness and salvation. Zacchaeus in Hebrew means “clean, pure or innocent." Once Jesus comes in, we are made clean, pure and innocent. Do we go "out on a limb" for those who are "lost?" Do we feel guilty and unworthy of God’s holy presence? Do we allow the murmurings and criticisms and complaints of others to distract us from our goal of seeking Jesus? Do we turn to the saints to ask their intercession to help us on our journey? Do we look to Jesus in prayer to bless the "little ones?" Does God’s mercy and compassion fill our hearts?

This week I’m happy to have two "little ones" come to my house in the rectory: Alex 4, and Daniel Patrick 7, my nephews, along with my brother Dan from Greensboro, NC, for a special Halloween treat. We will take in the Penguins-Flyers game at the new Consol Energy Center. The little ones noted, “It’s a boys’ weekend in Pittsburgh ... plus Grandma!” As we visit her at the Little Sisters of the Poor, we see a home which is half-way to heaven.

I ask for your prayers as I have an endoscopy test on All Saints’ Day at 11:00 AM.

Ordinary Time 23

"We must go to God in His way; we shall only be saints in the measure wherein we adapt ourselves to the divine plan.”

- Blessed Columba Marmion

On September 5th, 13 years ago, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died. She was widely regarded as a living saint. Her simplicity, sincerity, smallness and smile radiated the globe over with the face of Christ’s light. She was the recipient of countless awards including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. Her congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, encompasses 594 homes in 123 countries today. There are more than 3600 sisters, nearly 380 brothers, 13 priests and countless coworkers all committed to living her spirit throughout the world. On the "fast-track" to beatification, she was named “Blessed” Mother Teresa Calcutta in 2003 and most likely will be canonized within the next few years.

She was born the youngest of 3 children of Albanian parents and her birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She grew up in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith town of Skopje where her father was a successful business man. Her childhood was a happy one. Making her first Holy Communion at the age of five, she was graced with a profound love of souls, a special gift from God that would characterize her entire life. She set sail for India in 1928 and chose the name “Teresa” as her religious name, taken after St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower, who believed that the way to holiness comes through fidelity in small things and spoke of the immense power of suffering to win God’s grace for others. Mother Teresa would often pray, “Jesus, it is for you and for souls.”

In 2007, a new book called "Come Be My Light: the Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta" detailed Mother Teresa’s relentless surrender to God’s will despite doubts, dry spells in prayer and "dark nights of the soul". A mature spiritual person must experience suffering and pain to be brought into clearer light. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta saw life as a prism:

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it!

She also espoused the following ten commandments for viewing life and service to people each new day:

1. People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you will make friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today, will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
6. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
7. People really need help but may attack you if you really help them. Help people anyway.
8. Give the world the best you have, and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world your best anyway.
9. If you choose to live a life of communion with your people, making them the first priority in your life, you will be judged old-fashioned. Live with your people anyway.
10. When you openly proclaim your love for your people, you will be dismissed as hopelessly idealistic. Proclaim your love anyway.

On this 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus clearly spells out the cost of discipleship. At first He may seem too idealistic, too other-worldly, and too harsh for us to take Him too seriously. However, Jesus does not "arm-twist" us to follow Him. He does not cajole, bribe, "brow-beat" or "sugar-coat" the message to be His follower. He tells us from the onset that it will cost us everything!

Jesus is the teacher/leader and we are the pupils, "the learners." He reminds us that we cannot be casual, comfortable and convenient disciples. Jesus reminds us that there is a ‘"hree-fold requirement" of discipleship:

1) ”If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
2) “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
3) “Everyone of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

The path to discipleship demands a 100% total commitment for the long haul. Following Christ may cost us some natural biological relationships and natural friendships as well as some material comforts and pleasures that we all desire. A follower of Jesus must be prepared to carry his/her cross by making a conscious and willing commitment to Him and His Gospel. Jesus is simply saying we must love Him above all else! Jesus is very clear that nothing, absolutely nothing, can stand between us and following Him. Perhaps we think the cost of discipleship is too high or too demanding. However, Jesus knew it would be hard but He promised to help us. God does not ask to do something without giving us the grace to do it!

As we celebrate Labor Day in our country this Monday, September 6, let us ask the Lord to bless the work of our minds, hearts, hands and lives as seek to do His daily will.