20 June 2024 - Thursday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 6:7-15

Today, we hear the words of the Lord’s prayer that Jesus taught us to pray.  So often, it may be difficult to translate the prayers we hold in our heart into world.  We have longings, desires, and prayers filling our hearts, but what words can we use in order to express them?  The Lord’s prayer helps us to pray.  Likewise, if we incorporate the values that these words stand for into the way we live our lives, then these words will help transform us into the followers of Christ that the Lord is calling us to be. 

Today, we commemorate the feast day of St. Alban, England’s first martyr.  Tradition tells us that Alban was a soldier in the Roman army stationed at a city located to the northeast of London, now called St. Alban’s. He gave shelter to a Christian priest who was fleeing from persecution; Alban was converted by him and baptized into the Christian faith. When officers came to Alban’s house, he dressed himself in the garments of the priest and gave himself up. Alban was tortured and martyred in place of the priest, on the hilltop where the Cathedral of St. Alban’s now stands. The traditional date of his martyrdom is uncertain, but probably in the early 3rd or 4th century. 

Not all of us are called to be martyrs, but the Lord calls us of us to live out the values of our faith and to have the words of our prayers transform our lives.  

21 June 2024 - prayers of the faithful - Friday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you call us to appreciate the blessings we receive from God. 

Christ Jesus - you hear the cry of the poor. 

Lord Jesus - you are seated at the right hand of the Father. 

Priest: As we continue our journey during ordinary time, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That our Church leaders will help us better appreciate and recognize Christ’s presence with us in God’s word and in the sacraments. 

2. That our governmental leaders will help us better reach out to the poor and the needy. 

3. That through works of mercy and compassion, we may reach out to the lonely and the afflicted. 

4. For healing for all of us in body, mind and spirit.

5. That we may all grow in wisdom and holiness each day on our journey of faith. 

6. That God’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth through the ministry of the Church. 

7. For the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life.  

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

20 June 2024 - prayers of the faithful - Thursday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you are the Word of God made flesh. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to faith and hope. 

Lord Jesus - you give us strength in the midst of our sufferings.  

Priest: We present our prayers to our heavenly father with humble hearts this evening: 

1. That the actions of all who govern and legislate imitate the Lord who is just in all his ways. 

2. That our Church leaders will help us praise and glorify God through our words, actions, and works of mercy. 

3. For an increase in vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate, consecrated religious life, and lay ministry. 

4. For an end to war, violence, and terrorism, for a conversion of hearts for those who are given to hatred, revenge, and anger. 

4. For the grace to have our ears and eyes be open to the word of God in our lives. 

5. For healing for the sick and the afflicted. 

6. For our children and youth, that the Lord may accompany them through their summer activities and travels. 

7. For the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life.  For the souls in purgatory. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts this evening.  

Priest: Loving Father, in your great mercy, hear our prayers and hold us close to you. Through Christ our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

19 June 2024 - prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you bring healing and wholeness into our lives. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the truth of God. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to follow God’s laws and commandments. 

Priest: With humble and contrite hearts, let us bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. That all Christians may live out the joy of our faith in our words and actions and in our witness to others.  

2. That we may all discover, appreciate and protect the beauty of our natural resources and of God’s creation here on earth. 

3. For our first responders, for the men and women serving in the military, for our veterans, and for our medical professionals. 

4. That God will welcome with his loving embrace those who have died.  For their entry in eternal life. 

5. For those who doubt.  For those searching for meaning in life.  For those struggling with depression, mental illness, and addictions.  For God’s divine assistance in their lives and the resources and help they need on their journey. 

6. For all of our families traveling during the summer vacation. 

7. For those who need healing body, mind, and spirit. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts.

Priest: We present our prayers today through your son Jesus Christ our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

18 June 2024 - prayers of the faithful - Tuesday of the 11th week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you sow the seeds of faith in our lives - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of the Father - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you are our savior and our redeemer - Lord have mercy. 

Priest: The Lord meets us in his goodness and kindness. Let us bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. That our Church leaders will lead us in faith in hope in living out the values of the Eucharist in the world in the midst of our Eucharistic renewal. 

2. That our governmental leaders respond to the needs of the people with honesty and integrity.  We continue to pray for the city of Jackson, for all those who are responding to the water crisis, and for the improvement of the roads in the Jackson metro area.  

3. We pray for the farmers and laborers who supply us with food.  We pray that we all may be good stewards of the resources of the earth. We pray for all who have planted gardens this summer. 

4. For the unemployed and for those looking for work.  For all those who are having difficulty providing for their families. 

5. For our families, our children, and our youth, that the Lord keep them safe in their summer activities.  For all families who are traveling this summer.  

6. For our deceased family members and loved ones, for their entry into eternal life.  For the souls in purgatory. 

7. For healing for the sick and the afflicted. We pray for those who are suffering from addictions, mental illness, depression, or abuse.  

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: With faith and hope, we present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

19 June 2024 - homily for Wednesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - 2 Kings 2: 1 and 6-14

Elijah is considered the greatest prophet in the history of Israel.  He is the one for whom an empty seat is left during the Passover meal. Today, we hear about the moment before Elijah is going to be taken up to heaven by the Lord, when the mantle of prophet is passed to Elisha. Elijah offers to do what Elisha wants before he is taken up by the Lord. Elisha’s response is remarkable: to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha desires to serve the Lord as a prophet just as Elijah did; he wants to be legitimately recognized as the prophet and to have Elijah’s spirit follow him. In the end, God blessed Elisha in this way; Elisha is able to part the Jordan River just as Moses and Elijah were able to do.

I am edified by the tenacity and fervent faith that Elijah and Elisha display in wanting to serve the Lord as prophets, knowing the difficulty and danger that they will endure in service to the Lord. If we could all feel such fervor in whatever way we serve the Lord in our own lives. Many in society look for the easy way out, or a life filled with pleasure and material success. Let us open our hearts to the ways we can serve the Lord with humility and selflessness.  

Today, June 19, is the anniversary of the death of Lord John Acton.  He died in 1902.  He was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he wrote in a letter to an Anglican bishop in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He was the editor of the monthly Catholic newspaper The Rambler, taking over from John Henry Newman, who would later become a cardinal. Even though he opposed the doctrine of papal infallibility that came out of First Vatican Council, traveling to Rome to lobby against it, he remained a devout Catholic in good standing his entire life.  It is interesting to see the different ways the Catholic faithful live out their faith.  

18 June 2024 - homily for Tuesday of the 11th week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 5:43-48

Today’s Gospel does not contain a comforting message. Harboring anger and resentment against our neighbor, loved one or family member can do a lot of damage to our lives and the lives of others.  We’ve heard of the feuding Hatfield and McCoy families from around the West Virginia – Kentucky border. That feud originated around the time of the Civil War and lasted for decades between those two families, with many deaths being a part of that feud. The History Channel aired a mini-series about that feud some years ago that reached a record audience for that channel. That feud appeals to our imagination and reminds us of the violence from revenge and vengeance that take place in the world today. We all probably have known friends and family members whose lives are consumed with anger, so much so that it affects their whole outlook on life. I once heard a lady say that when she gets up in the morning, she looks into the mirror and wishes nothing but bad luck and sheer misery for her former husband. It was shocking to hear the anger and hatred in her voice.

In the face of all of this, Jesus tells us to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. Sounds like an impossible command for us. However, I once heard Monsignor Patrick Farrell tell parishioners that Jesus calls us to strive to perfection. We will not meet the goal of that perfection, but the fact that we are trying our best and aiming for that perfection is what God sees. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the early Church Fathers, wrote to the Church at Rome that he wishes to please God, not man, in his life of faith.  If we try to follow God’s laws, if we strive toward heavenly perfection, then we will love our neighbors as ourselves, then we will do what is right in the eyes of God. Holy Scripture often is not warm and cuddly. Our Gospel today challenges us to look at our conduct, to look at what our goals are in life, which can be a very uncomfortable task. As followers of Jesus, God is calling us to a higher standard. Are we willing to strive for that heavenly perfection?