Mon 13th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Am 2:6-10,13-16

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 50:16-23

Gospel: Mt 8:18-22

"For Greater Glory" made its debut a few weeks ago and does a good job to sum up what struggles the Church in Mexico had to endure for freedom of religion. This movie picks up following the signing of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico where religious freedom came under persecution. The movie opens to depict the carnage that took place for the Catholic faithful where Churches were set on fire, priests were murdered, and the Catholic faithful had to endure much harassment and the possibility of death. Through the Catholic Church staying strong under these circumstances great changes were able to come for the people of Mexico.

Today's Gospel from Saint Matthew informs us that deciding to become a follower of Christ will not be easy. We can see from the history of the Church how hard it has been to be a follower of Christ. From the start of the Church people would be put to death because they believed in Christianity and desired to follow it fully. "For Greater Glory" shows that even less then 100 years ago being a follower of Christ came at great costs because your life was on the line. We here today live in a different world, but it is still difficult to be a follower of Christ and in some parts of the world people are still put to death due to the faith that they profess.

Today we continue Fortnight for Freedom where we pray for continued religious freedom for our country. Being a Catholic Christian in this day in age may be tough because so many people do not want to listen to the truth that is found in the Church, but we must continue to endure in expressing it to all people. Expressing this truth may be difficult at times, but we must continue to endure as the faithful who have gone before us have given us the example to do. May we continue to pray for our nation and take advantage of the power of prayer as we continue to followers of Christ.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Today Pope Benedict XVI announced that Fulton Sheen has been named venerable. This opens the door for a possible beatification of this American bishop. This news also comes on the same day as the Supreme Courts ruling concerning Obama Care. Fulton Sheen would make a great saint for this country especially for his concern for religious freedom. May Fulton Sheen interced for our nation especially as Forenight for Freedom continues on.

I have included a segment from Vererable Fulton J. Sheen's talk titled "The Freedom of Authority" which was given in 1932. I believe this text deals perfectly with the Church's concern for freedom. To read the whole text click here.

It is false to say that we can be absolutely free from law and authority, for freedom from law and authority is an illusion. The real problem is not whether we will accept law and authority, but rather, which law and authority we will accept. Even though this is a free country, I find that if I do not obey the authority of my government, then I shall have to accept the authority of a warden; if I do not accept the authority of the pure-food commission, then I shall have to accept the authority of the undertaker; if I do not accept the authority of the traffic lights, I shall have to accept the authority of the jailer. In religious matters, if I do not accept the authority of the Church, then I must accept the authority of public opinion. Public opinion is the common stalk of thought and sentiment created by human society, and in the realm of religion outside the Church it is practically always a compromise.

Modern religion affirms just as much spiritual and moral truth as in a given condition will keep society together – just so much and no more. It affirms not the whole law of God, but extracts from it, and only those extracts which seem to be the most useful for social purposes, and of which society itself will approve. For example, at the present time it dilates on the Sermon on the Mount, but says absolutely nothing about the Last judgment. It quotes, “Behold the lilies of the field,” but never the text, “What exchange shall a man give for his soul?” Again, modern religion has approved on aspect of the Divine Law concerning murder, and disapproved another, concerning divorce. The reason it does this is because public opinion believes murder to be destructive of society, but does not believe that divorce can be equally destructive of it in the long run. Religion thus compromises, or strikes and average between what is good and what is bad. It approves Christ only inasmuch as Christ approves it. It accepts His teachings and His authority only inasmuch as its maxims and its opinions approve those teachings.

Hence, the problem confronting the religious man of today is not whether he will obey of disobey law and authority; but which of the two he will obey, namely, the authority of public opinion, or the authority of Christ and tradition. And all thinking men, as a celebrated English essayist has put it, want a religion which is right, not when the world is right, but is right when the world is wrong, and by this he meant authority of the Church which holds to the teachings of Christ, even thought public opinion should cry out for the liberation of Barabbas, for the Church is built solidly upon the conviction that right is right if nobody’s right, and wrong is wrong if everybody’s wrong.

Thur 11th Week of OT Homily

1st Reading: Sir 48:1-14

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 97:1-7

Gospel: Mt 6:7-15

Elijah was able to do wonderful things because of his trust inside of the Lord. His trust in God through prayer made Elijah into an unmovable object. No matter what he would have to endure in his ministry he would always draw upon the strength of the Lord. Elijah was able to bring the dead back to life only because he trusted in his relationship with God. There is nothing that Elijah could not do because of his great trust that he continually placed in the Lord. When we pray the "Our Father" we should place this same unmoving trust inside of the Lord that allowed Elijah to do such wondrous deeds.

The words of the "Our Father" we all know by heart. We pray this prayer each time that we gather together for the Mass, say the Rosary, or pray in the silence of our own homes. The "Our Father" is the perfect prayer that was given to us by Jesus Christ. This prayer contains prayers of intercession, asks for forgiveness of our sins, and for our ability to forgive those who have sinned against us. Each time that we pray this prayer we should not be rattling off words, but should be placing our minds and hearts fully into the prayer. When we allow ourselves to enter fully into this prayer we will become unmovable objects in the faith like Elijah.

Today we are kicking off an endeavor of prayer known as "Forenight for Freedom" throughout this diocese and in the United States. This parish will begin today with a Holy Hour from 3pm-4pm, so that we can gather as a parish community and pray for continued religious freedom within this country. Time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is the perfect way for us to begin this event. It is perfect because prayer is the way that we can conquer all things and must draw our strength. I invite each of you to join us for this occasion of prayer, so that we can rejoice in the Lord who is just.

Letter from Bishop Stika

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Four months ago I shared with you the deep concern that I and all my brother bishops have regarding the unprecedented attack upon our most cherished freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—our religious liberty. Unfortunately, our concerns have only grown more acute and worrisome. This is a threat that transcends every religious affiliation and affects every person of conscience, such that no Catholic or Catholic institution will be unaffected.

If your source of information regarding this threat has only been the secular media, you could be led to believe that the bishops’ concerns are unwarranted, exaggerated, or even politically motivated—or made to believe that this is really only about a “crusade” against birth control. But I can assure you that it is none of these. Why then this bias in reporting?

History demonstrates that whenever there is an erosion of religious freedom and rights of conscience, there is a corresponding rise of anti-Catholicism, and this is the pattern we see today. “Catholic bashing,” said to be “a national past-time,” has risen to new levels of indecency, with even full page advertisements smearing the Church and her teachings and calling upon Catholics to “quit” in protest, featured in major newspapers. And yet, it is only the Catholic Church that is attacked in such ways.

This is why Catholics across the nation, led by their bishops, will be observing a “Fortnight for Freedom” from June 21to July 4, 2012. This 14 day period is meant to help every Catholic to become better informed, not only about religious freedom, but about our Catholic faith. It is a time for us to consider what it truly means to be a Catholic and to stand up against these attacks upon our freedom to exercise our faith.

Our freedoms are something to be grateful for. We are Americans and we are Catholic, and our allegiances though distinct, need not be contradictory. So when our government forces us to choose between two citizenships, we must stand up for the one that is of Heaven. We will give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but we cannot give to Caesar what belongs only to God—our conscience.

Let me be very clear. There is no government creed that can supersede the Creed we profess in every Mass. Nor is there any self-appointed government spokesperson, even should they profess to be Catholic, who can impose boundaries and restrict our preaching and living the Gospel and expressing it in our works of mercy. But only to the bishops in union with the Pope is it given by divine right to not only teach the truth of the Gospel, but to safeguard and protect it against all that is contrary.

So I have asked all our pastors to observe this “Fortnight for Freedom” in their parishes, to conduct Holy Hours of prayer, to preach on religious liberty, and to utilize the educational materials available from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, at www.fortnight4freedom.org.

And so I ask all of you to join in solidarity with me, and with all our priests, deacons and religious, to pray for our country, our government leaders, and for the protection of our religious freedoms. I also ask for your prayers, and for you to especially pray for all the bishops and priests in our country, that we will not be lacking in courage or resolve to defend the Gospel. Please be assured of my continued prayers for all of you. May God bless you.

Sincerely in Christ,

+ Richard F. Stika

Bishop of Knoxville