10/20/2011 – Homily for Thursday of 29th week of ordinary time - St Paul of the Cross – Psalm 1:1-4, 6

In Psalm 1 that we hear today, we are told that those who place their hopes in the Lord are truly blessed.  The psalmist talks about the wicked who walk the path of the sinner, contrasting them to the men and women of God who delight in the law of the Lord, who meditate on his word both day and night.  It is so easy to start down the wrong path in life.  I meet many guys in the prison who make a very bad decision in their lives, or who start going down the wrong path in life and have a difficult time turning back.

As we hear this message in our psalm today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the order of Passionists.  Paul of the Cross was born in the Republic of Genoa in the late 17^th century.  He declared that it is good & holy for us as the faithful to consider the passion of our Lord & to meditate upon it, for it is by this sacred path that we reach union with God.  This brought to my mind the penitential season of Advent that we are going to enter into at the end of November, how we are to turn away from sin, and in the process unite our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ. 

         Each saint we have in our Church brings a particular gift, insight, or spirituality to the faithful that enriches our universal Church & assists us with our own spiritual insights.  As Paul of the Cross calls us to meditate on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we better see the ways that Christ is present in our lives, both in those trials & tribulations we endure, & in those wondrous & joyful moments of our lives as well.