Dedication of the Lateran Basilica @ Ss. Francis and Clare Parish Birch Run

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It’s not a saint, it’s not an event in the life of Jesus or Mary or one of the saints. So what’s the big deal?

Seventeen-hundred-and one years ago, the Emperor Constantine gave the property, which had once been owned by the Laterani family, to the Church for public worship.

For the first 300 years of its existence, the Church operated in secretly in Rome, and suffered persecutions off and on. And so, this makes the Lateran Basilica is the oldest public church building in Rome and the oldest Basilica in the Western world.

Point of trivia: The Lateran Basilica is the Pope’s Cathedral. St. Peter’s is not a Cathedral — but it is a Basilica. And it’s just more centrally located.

And so, today we celebrate the dedication of Cathedral of Cathedrals 17 centuries ago — as an indication of our continuity as Catholics with the 12 Apostles and proceeding through two-thousand years with the current reigning pontiff — Pope Leo.

Our readings address “What is a temple,” or maybe in more modern language: “What is a place of worship?”

The first reading from Ezekiel gives the image of God’s temple in heaven and a trickle of water flowing from the temple into the Dead Sea — where the seeming small amount of water gives life to the toxic waters.

For us as Christians, this trickle of water can be seen as Baptism. But even more so, it is God’s grace in all of the Sacraments — cleansing us of the toxins of worldliness and sanctifying us into the living Body of Christ.

St. Paul takes this even further. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We receive the first fruits of the Spirit in Baptism, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation.

And all of this grace is focused in a special way in the Sacraments of Service — Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders.

Today also marks the end of Vocations Awareness Week. And, last weekend — as the start of that week — I spoke of the Saints and deceased priests and family members who were helpful in my own discernment of my priestly vocation.

A key aspect of any priestly vocation is “sacrifice.” While hearing about playboy priests, or priests who felt God’s call in a prison cell or in the midst of a sinful life are “entertaining stories,” or perhaps “interesting anomalies,” . . . Giving up a life of crime or a life of sinfulness is not much of a Sacrifice. 

I would propose that all Christians are called to do this. 

According to Merriam Webster, a sacrifice is “the act of giving up or losing something of value for the sake of something else” and in the case of a religious vocation, it is giving up a career, marriage, children, and sometimes family for the sake of God and service to Jesus Christ and His Church.

A religious vocation is not about running away from something. It is about running into the all consuming love of God, and doing everything for the love of God.

God should never be second-place. Every Baptized Christian is called to put God first, and everything else second. And this is a constant effort we all share in order to grow in holiness and virtue.

And so, what does a priest do? There’s the joke about a kid who said he wanted to be a priest because he would only have to work for one hour on Sunday.

Oh how I wish . . . 

In the 21st century, a priest runs a small business. Oftentimes without many resources. It requires business sense, and an understanding of what needs doing.

My official title here at Ss. Francis and Clare is Administrator and President of the Parish Corporation. 

That “job” can often get in the way of doing “priestly” things.

A priest is vowed to obedience and celibacy. In the eyes of every bishop, the most important thing is obedience. And in the eyes of every married couple celibacy is an unimagined curiosity.

But a priest is also vowed to pray. And not just a couple of Hail Mary’s here and there. 

There is a four-volume book of prayers called The Liturgy of the Hours or The Divine Office. It is an arrangement of Psalms, Acclamation, Antiphons, and Readings. Priests pray this daily. It can be “cranked out” in about an hour, or it can be drawn out across the day. But the vow to pray is central to priesthood. Without prayer, the river that protects our temple from the toxins of the world dries up. 

And, of course, the Great Prayer of all Prayers — the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Priests are encouraged to offer Mass daily. Some do; some don’t. I would propose that the offering of this Holy Sacrifice tunes a priest into Christ’s Sacrifice — provided that the Mass is offered worthily and well.

And then the Rosary, and hopefully a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Finally, a priest is vowed to Faithfully Hand on the Sacred Mysteries. This means the Sacraments of the Church. And I would add the word: Generously. 

Our little parish here has Mass and Confessions 6 days a week. This is, unfortunately, an exception to the rule in many places. 

Finally, in the Gospel we hear of Jesus’s zeal in the phrase: Zeal for your house will consume me.

Zeal is nothing more than love in action. In religious terms, zeal means advancing the Kingdom of Christ, sanctifying souls, and advancing the greater glory of God.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ — Let us give thanks for the river of grace that flows from this temple. And let us remember that we are all called to be living stones, built up as the temple of God. And as that temple, let us be zealous for God and Christ Jesus — putting our Faith, Hope, and Love into action as we go forth into a world starved for God’s grace, and mercy, and love.

All Souls Day @ Ss. Francis and Clare Parish, Birch Run

Today we celebrate the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. We remember in a special way those parishioners who passed away over the last year. And, as if that’s not enough — this weekend falls at the end of the Solemnity of All Saints, and begins Vocations Awareness Week.

Priests have been asked by the bishop to talk about their vocations journey — which for someone ordained at the ripe old age of 46 — is long and winding road. In next week’s bulletin will be a condensed version of that.

Today, I would like to talk about the saints and the deceased persons who helped me discern my vocation.

First would be my grandmother who asked me before she died: “Why don’t you just hurry up and join the seminary?” I was 17 years old, and was running headfirst into the computer revolution. So, that seed — although planted early — didn’t sprout until nearly 30 years later.

Blessed Father Solanus Casey, who for his time, over 125 years ago, was considered a “late vocation” at the ripe old age of 27. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Detroit, was ordained in 1904, and for those of you who know his story — he was a Wisconsin boy living in Michigan — and miracles followed him wherever he went.

Saint Edmund Campion, was an English priest during the persecutions in England during the reign of Elizabeth the first. He fled to France, but then snuck back into England. Posing as a wealthy jewel merchant, he gained access to homes, where he surreptitiously baptized infants, offered Mass and heard confessions of recusant Catholics. No one suspected that this wealthy playboy gambler was a priest, until he was captured by a royal spy who had infiltrated the underground Catholic community. He spent months in the Tower of London, and was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Saint John Bosco, another “late” vocation — entered the seminary at the ripe old age of 21. He came from a farming family and was no stranger to hard work. His father died when he was 2, and he and his brothers worked the land to provide for their mother and each other. When he finally entered seminary, he was very far behind in his studies of Greek and Latin. But somehow managed to persevere. He went to Turin, which was in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. He felt the need to “think differently” in how he exercised ministry, and ran afoul of the status quo. He was accused of “stealing parishioners” from other priests, his open-air catechism classes were seen as disturbing the peace, and the growing Italian revolutionaries were suspicious of his loyalty to the Pope. He ended up creating a religious order that exists to this day and provides education and support for youth and orphans.

Those were my spiritual muses: a Michigan boy, a persecuted spy, and an out-of-the-box thinker. And gramma.

The deceased priests who influenced me the most were Fr. Edward Obuchowski, Fr. Donald MacLennon, Fr. Larry Pashak, and Fr. Valerian Rykowski. 

Their stories are their own, but needless to say they worked hard, prayed hard, and played hard. By the time I met them, they were compassionate old men — more “grandfathers” than “fathers.” Faithful to a fault to Catholicism and to their ministries. And despite difficulties that may have popped up, they stayed the course and persevered in their vocations. 

You see, no matter your vocation, we all have a “great cloud of witnesses” whether canonized saints or just plain folks, praying for us in eternity — or as I like to think of it: cheering us on as we fight the good fight.

The saints that inspired me faced difficulty with dignity and honor and were faithful in persevering in their vocations. The men and women that inspired me were both practical and spiritual. Pragmatic, yes, but with their eyes fixed on Jesus and their hearts desiring eternity with Him. 

Priesthood is an adventure of sorts. But it’s also not for the faint of heart. In one day you can deal with both birth and death. You can be praised as a saint one minute, and get an email or a voicemail calling you the devil shortly thereafter. It’s often a roller-coaster ride of sorts.

Priests in the 21st century are independent, but crave community and fraternity. There are daily challenges that require practical knowledge, and minute-by-minute urgent needs that require lots of prayer.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ — let us pray for our priests, both living and deceased. Realizing as one TV priest used to say: “No priest, no Mass. No Mass, no Eucharist. No Eucharist, no Church.” 

And let us also pray for our deceased loved ones and all the faithful departed — especially those parishioners who died in the past 12 months.