Happy Laetare Sunday! And happy Spring, too! The first day of spring is only one day away. Yep, Monday of this week marks the arrival of the Vernal Equinox, the official start of the spring season in North America. Did you know that vernal translates to “new” and “fresh,” and equinox is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night)? How appropriate it is that our readings today reflect a transition to newness of life.

Both the second reading as well as the Gospel give us lessons in contrasts: we hear of night transitioning to day, darkness giving way to light, blindness being transformed to sightedness, doubt losing its battle to belief and death surrendering to life.

I think our second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians is especially enlightening:

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

So, with this Divine gift of light what are we called to do? I believe the words of the following familiar song offer some clues:

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, O let it shine.

Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine.
Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine.
Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, O let it shine.

As we move into the home stretch of Lent, let’s take a moment to consider how our lives reflect this “little light of mine.” As Christ moves us from darkness to light, is our light visible to those we meet? Do we live as God’s children of light?

May God grant you His peace, His grace, His light and His most holy consolations!

Deacon Steve

When you get down to it, much of life is about choices. Granted, many of the choices our free will faces are little ones. But there are some profound choices that have potential eternal consequences. From the Book of Sirach, we hear God’s wisdom on the importance of choices: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; He has set before you fire and water – to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” With that being said, part of the problem we as fallen human creatures face is the truth that many of the situations we need to decide upon come disguised as being “good.”

In today’s first reading we join Adam and Eve in the Garden where we witness their fall from God’s good graces – all this because of choices they made. Our first parents weren’t tempted to disobey God directly, but instead they were offered a very good thing – a wonderful fruit from a beautiful tree, a fruit that Scripture says was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and a source of Godly wisdom. And so, it came to be that by Adam and Eve’s chosen efforts to acquire this distorted good that sin entered our world.

The same is true for us. Evil many times comes to us seemingly as a good. But in our fallen human condition the “good” often becomes distorted. The choices we make to do what is wrong usually occur because we have convinced ourselves that we’re choosing something that, in and of itself, is a positive thing. What evil does is take a good thing present in our life and twists it so that instead of being blessed by it, in fact, it does us harm. Thus, when we give control to something that is by its nature good, when we make it a necessity, this “good” then can turn and rule us instead of blessing us.

Take social media for example as a “good” gone amuck. In and of itself, connecting with others around the world via the internet is a good. But we can choose to fall into an addiction to the postings of others on Facebook, Instagram or dozens of other social media outlets. The choices we make about this good lead either to blessings or curses.

So, how about a challenge as we begin Lent? Reflect on the choices we make. Do we control them, or do we allow them to rule us? Work to have the good things in life find their proper place and priority so that we can be free from any potential evil enslavement and instead focus our energies on the ultimate good – Jesus Christ.

May God be your heart, your mind, your soul, and your life!

Deacon Steve

In the beginning of chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Biblical scholars note that much of the Jewish law comes from the book of Leviticus which we hear in today’s first reading. The book of Leviticus can be summed up as God’s call to holiness. Holiness is possible for the Israelites because God is holy. It was the Jewish priests, the Levites, and the religious customs they prescribed that made Israel different. Israel was set apart as God’s chosen people, and therefore from the rest of the world. As baptized Christians, we are also called to live differently. Do we conform our hearts to God’s law or are we content to mirror the world around us?

Now, at the end of chapter 5 in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said...” Jesus is direct with His disciples. He knew His disciples understood the teaching from the book of Leviticus, and that they would perk up to what follows. “But I say to you…,” and then comes the challenging part when Jesus forbids proportionate retaliation found in the Old Testament law. To be a follower of Jesus now meant you should not be content with the usual standards of conduct. Jesus transformed their way of living. ”Tit for tat” was no longer the measure by which to measure.

We are tempted to think that because we are civil and kind to our neighbor, brothers, and sisters etc., that we are holy. Let’s take it a step further. How many of us have had “enemies” along our journey? We may not have lashed out physically, but we have retaliated with words or actions that fall short of Christ’s call to love our enemies. Love is willing the good of the other because God first loves us. To reflect God’s love is to reject the desire to seek revenge. The call to holiness means turning toward our neighbor with pure love.

This is not an easy teaching to live out, but Jesus wouldn’t share it with us if He didn’t think we could do it. Love your enemies? Seems difficult. Doable? Yes. Mother Teresa put it this way: love gives until it hurts.

In Christ,
Steven Dyer

Dear Friends in Christ,

Recently, I’ve heard several people tell me that the Church is only lately opposed to abortion. They tell me that one hundred years ago this was not the position of our Church. That is simply not true. Perhaps after the tragic 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade we were more vocal about our consistent belief in the goodness of unborn life. After all, that fateful decision led to the destruction of over 63 million innocent human lives. Still, there has never been a time when the Church held that the intentional destruction of innocent, unborn life was acceptable.

We base this in the teaching of Jesus who would not reject any child and who asked us to love one another as God loves us. We read of it in the Acts of the Apostles where the faithful community took care of one another, especially the poor, and presumably helping those women who found themselves with difficult pregnancies too. And this teaching is made very clear in a document known as the Didache (also known as The Lord’s Teaching through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations), written about the year 70 A.D., that gave direction to the life and faith of the early Church. It said very succinctly: “You shall not procure an abortion, nor destroy a newborn child.”

Yes, the Church is consistent throughout its long history that the destruction of life, whether in or outside of the womb, is not in accord with reason or with faith. With regard to reason, science is clear when a genetically distinct human life begins – at conception. With regard to faith, our Church teaches that human life from its very beginning is given to us by God and it is our responsibility to protect and nurture every life.

So, now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the Supreme Court, the decisions we make as individuals and as a community will be brought closer to home, to the level of each state. Forces are already gathering in Ohio to take away the unalienable right to life from our children, even after a heartbeat is detected in them. Many well-intentioned persons will use the attractive rhetoric of “reproductive freedom” and call abortion, “reproductive health care.” Let’s not be fooled by this language. Freedom is given to us so that we can exercise our obligations to do good, not evil. And health care is meant to nurture life, not take it.

Yet, in all things, we must lead by Christian example. We must remain peaceable in our discussions, even and especially with those who oppose us. We must be charitable with those who disagree with us. We must respect the lives of all, even those who are misguided in their opinions. But the fact of life’s beginnings and the unchanged truths of our faith must always be our guides.

Moreover, we must accompany women who find themselves in untimely and difficult pregnancies to make the choice for life. Many women who have chosen abortion have reported that they felt they had no other option; they felt alone and had no support. We must be active in the lives of these women, accompanying them and offering the care and support they and their children need. This has also been the consistent practice of our Church – when people are in need, we take action. That is why I have directed our Catholic Charities to work more closely with those places like Zelie’s Home and Hannah House, Womankind and a myriad of other Pregnancy Resource Centers whose primary objective is to support moms in need both before they give birth and afterward. Life must be protected after birth too! We are a Pro-Life Church, which is a greater responsibility than only being opposed to abortion. That is why we also seek to eliminate racism in all its ugly forms, uphold the dignity of those who are at the end of life, and take care of the poorest of the poor, among many other acts of justice and charity.

Let us support moms in need and even walk with them. Let us be compassionate to those moms who have suffered the tragic effects of abortion by ending the unborn lives of their children. We have resources to help these individuals deal with the trauma of their past decisions though programs such as Project Rachel, Rachel’s Vineyard and Bethesda House of Mercy. Let us continue our work in defense of life. Our future children are counting on us. And let us hold to the long-standing and consistent practice of the Church, that we do unto others – born and unborn – as we would have done unto us. This is the Golden Rule that will be the measure of our devotion and the test of our commitment to making our world a better place for all.

This week, as we recall the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for Life at our Cathedral, joining with the prayers of so many other faithful throughout our diocese for the protection of life, born and unborn. We ask the Lord to hear and answer our prayers. May God bless you and those you love. Amen.

Your brother in Christ,

Bishop Edward C. Malesic
(Letter dated 1/20/23)

In today’s Gospel our Lord makes clear to His disciples, that’s you and me, that they are the “…salt of the earth…” and the “…light of the world…” We know from a worldly perspective what salt and light are. But how are we to understand these truths that Jesus speaks of in a Divine light?

Jesus’ words to us are best understood if we realize first and foremost that our Lord Himself is the salt of the earth and the light of the world and that in His physical absence, He sends His disciples to spread His message of life to all creation. We become divine salt and heavenly light to the extent we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It’s Jesus’ presence in us that makes us able to flavor the earth and be beacons of light to our sometimes, dark world.

Jesus is the salt of the earth because without God, life is bland and without pizzazz, just like peanuts or popcorn without salt. Without God, hope is quickly lost. Without God, life becomes monotonous and meaningless: it loses its vigor, energy, and excitement. Jesus is the salt of the earth because He gives meaning to our lives and reveals to us who we truly are—precious beings made in the image and likeness of God. He also reveals to us our destiny—happiness in eternal life with Him. Jesus takes what otherwise would be a bland, strictly worldly existence, and raises it to the level of Divine.

Jesus is the light of the world because without God life is dark and seemingly frightening and dangerous, like a strange city at night without power. Jesus gives us direction—He’s the light that guides our feet throughout our life journey. Jesus is the light that longs to shine in the darkest corners of our hearts to heal our wounds and forgive our sins. With Him guiding us, there is no need to be afraid. Jesus Himself tells us, “…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Jesus came to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; He urges each one of us to join Him in His mission. In a measure, our everyday lives reflect Christ through our witness to the Gospel, we become salt and light. We become sources of hope, joy and healing in our families, communities, and workplaces. Amazingly we become instruments of God Himself helping to extend His Kingdom here on earth.

May God grant you His peace, His grace, His light and His most holy consolations!

Deacon Steve

“Measure twice, cut once.”  “A penny saved is a penny earned.”  “Better late than never.”  We use statements like this all the time in our everyday lives to convey simple truths.  In Matthew’s Gospel today, Jesus teaches the crowd using concise descriptions about earthly attitudes offering his listeners eternal rewards. 

We refer to chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel as the Sermon on the Mount, and the eight short principled statements within it as the Beatitudes.  At first glance, the Beatitudes may seem unreachable for the average Christian.  Yet, in the words of St. John Paul II, the Beatitudes are “a self-portrait of Christ and … are invitations to discipleship and communion.”  Thinking of them as an invitation puts them in a different light, at least for me. 

What is the Lord inviting us to?  Each of the Beatitudes begins with the Greek word, makarios, which is often translated, “blessed” or “happy.”  Jesus is inviting us to deeper spiritual realities that may pass us by if we are too narrowly focused on ourselves.  He asserts in each of the eight statements that how we act toward others in moral and just terms will affect our own happiness in the end.  Not the other way around.

Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest minds of the Church and whose feast day we celebrate this weekend (January 28), believed the Beatitudes were the virtues that ultimately led to human flourishing or happiness. The project of re-shaping our character to that of Christ’s creates a joy in our hearts independent of the whims that do or do not come our way. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola said in his Spiritual Exercises that flourishing in our relationships with God and others is a matter of holy indifference.  Meaning that we surrender our will to God’s because He is ultimately the One who alone can fulfill our longings and desires.  If we experience things that are undesirable, God will allow us to be transformed by those as well.  That does not make suffering easier, it makes it possible without being defeated.

Americans especially tend to be blind to long-term spiritual rewards because of our short-sightedness.  We are a culture that celebrates instant gratification.  When we learn how to praise God in all circumstances, we will find joy.  This was the secret of the saints.  Rejoicing in all things and staying focused on the things that unite us to God and others while setting aside the things that do not.  In striving to live the Beatitudes, may we become the disciples He invites us to be.

In Christ,

Steven Dyer