Pray for a Miracle

A few years ago, Carmen Aquino, a dear friend and parishioner, told me about one of her relatives who was martyred in the midst of the revolution that plagued Mexico during the early 20th century. My friend, Carmen, died in 2023 at the age of 92 and the relative she spoke of was a 25-year-old woman named Maria de San Jose Parra Flores (Josefa Parra) who died a martyr’s death on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1917. I'm pretty sure Josefa was Carmen's great aunt, but I might be wrong about the specific relationship. (Aging memory problems...)

Josefa, a Servant of God, died with a companion, a 21-year-old woman, Colette Meléndez Torres, when their purity was threatened by a band of rebels intent on rape. The rebels had attacked their town, Degollado, and were burning it to the ground. The two young women escaped by running into a burning building, but they ultimately succumbed to the flames.

A year or so before she died, Carmen asked me to pray for the beatification of these young martyrs, something I promised to do. But like so many promises, it was neglected and eventually forgotten…until in the midst of prayer a few weeks ago I heard Carmen’s sweet voice reminding me of my promise. The Holy Spirit is like that: He reminds us of our weaknesses and our unfulfilled promises, calling us to help with His work in the world.

So…I thought it would be wonderful if the people of our parish could aid in the cause of beatification of these two 20th-century martyrs. With this in mind, I decided to share this mission Carmen had given me with others who might want to join me in prayer. We have many people in our parish who need miracles in their lives, so perhaps each of us can all identify a family member, or a friend, or a neighbor who needs a true, life-giving, healing miracle. Then let them know you are praying for a miracle in their lives and tell them about the beatification cause of these young women. Miracles happen, dear friends. They happen all the time, so let us pray for miracles through the intercession of these two remarkable women.  I've added a photo of each: Josefa (left) and Coleta (right).

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I've also provided a link to a write-up I patched together describing Josefa and Coleta and their martyrdom. Click here to download a PDF version. The document also includes links to information on the Internet about these two courageous and holy women. I hope to provide more information soon.

And here's a prayer for Beatification given to me by Carmen:

Immaculate Mary, Mother of the Church and Model in the Family of God, intercede for us in our efforts to remain pure and chaste in a world that craves immediate pleasures and gratifications. Since Josefa Parra and Coleta Meléndez braved a fiery death rather than surrender to lustful men, we pray that the process for their beatification, introduced by the Church in recognition of that supreme sacrifice may be happily fulfilled. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

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Homily: Thursday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Ps 56; Mk 3:7-12

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Today we are blessed to celebrate the lives of two 3^rd-century martyrs. St. Fabian was a layman, who was elected as Bishop of Rome. (To my knowledge, he is unrelated to the 1950s teen idol of the same name.) But, in the event any of you are planning such a career change, realize Canon Law no longer permits this. Interestingly, though, Fabian’s body now rests in the Basilica of St. Sebastian, whom we also celebrate today.

Sebastian is probably best known for having been pierced by multiple arrows. Surprisingly, he managed to survive this, only to be clubbed to death later. There’s a certain irony in the fact that he is the patron saint of archers.

St. Sebastian

It's good for us today to remember the courage of these martyrs, who are such wonderful examples of lives well lived, of lives offered up for God’s glory.

Back in my other life, a life not always so well lived – a life before the diaconate and before The Villages – because of my work, I would often be asked to speak at corporate management meetings, or at industry conventions, usually on subjects related to management or customer focus.

I’ll admit, it was nice to receive a warm response, even the occasional standing ovation, and realize what I had to say struck a chord with the audience. But to keep me humble, someone would often come up to me afterwards, very upset about something I had said.

I was perhaps a bit like Saul in today's passage from 1^st Samuel, a man who sought accolades and resented anything negative…and I'd often argue with those who disagreed with me.

It took me quite a while to realize I could never please everyone. It also took me a while to understand that those who came to me upset simply wanted someone to listen to them.

Instead of just dismissing them, I began to listen. And in that listening, and in the questioning that usually followed, I learned that sometimes these “great thoughts of mine” might not always lead to success when put into practice.

Yes, I learned that some of what I believed about the subjects on which many thought I was an expert needed to be adjusted a bit. It was humbling, but in the listening, I think I became better at what I did.

I thought of this other life of mine as I read today’s Gospel passage. And how the crowds must have moved Jesus. And how very different He is from us, how different from me. Unlike me, Jesus is not concerned about Himself. His focus is entirely on those who have come to Him.

We see Jesus followed and surrounded by huge crowds, so large that the disciples worried the crowds would crush Him. When I spoke to an audience, it was to a gathering of like-minded people, and I usually knew what they wanted to hear. They weren’t hard to please. But Jesus was surrounded by huge crowds of such different minded people.

Oh, the Pharisees and Scribes were always there, despising Him, listening in, hoping to trap Him.

The Twelve were there, too, probably acting a bit officious, and basking a little in His reflected glory.

Many came to Him hoping for cures. They came themselves or they brought those who suffered, those who wanted only to touch Him. And so, He heals them.

But these crowds weren’t just Jews. No, Mark says they came from Tyre and Sidon, and from beyond the Jordan…that’s Gentile country. Yes, the Word had gotten around, hadn’t it? The Word. Even among the Gentiles. They, too, just sought healing, longed to hear a Word that might bring some hope into their confused and often desperate lives.

But someone else was there too. Some who came were possessed by evil spirits.

They fell down before Jesus and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” [Mk 3:11] Jesus ordered them to keep silent. He knew their cry wasn’t a confession of faith; rather it was an attempt to turn aside the threatening power of Jesus by using His exact name.

Jesus also knew the crowds weren’t ready to receive this revelation of the Messianic Secret. Their understanding was still superficial. They came for their own needs, not for discipleship. They came to receive, but not yet to give. But notice, Jesus never turned them away. They had needs only He could satisfy, and His mercy and His compassion brought physical and spiritual healing into their lives.

His warning to the spirits, though, came from the very nature of His mission. God became man so that man might share in divine life, an incredible thing in itself. But scandal and folly result from the means by which He accomplishes His mission: the glory of the Cross. To reveal His mission before its time would drive away many whom He wished to save.

His purpose, then, through His self-revelation, is to save folks like me – folks like you – from our self-delusions of grandeur.

Brothers and sisters, we can’t save ourselves, for salvation comes only from love – from God’s love and from our willingness to love God and each other.

It comes from carrying our own cross in union with the crucified Christ.

Homily: Monday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Kgs 21:1-16; Ps 5; Mt 5:38-42
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Many years ago, while browsing in a used bookstore in Sydney, Australia, I noticed a most unusual map hanging on the wall. It was a map of an alien world, a world of oceans and continents, nations and seas, mountains and deserts, but very different from our world.

I took me a moment to realize what it depicted and when I laughed aloud, the proprietor said, "Not bad, Yank. You figured it out pretty quick."

You see, it was a map of our world, but it had been printed upside-down, with the South Pole at the top and the North Pole at the bottom. Complicating things was the fact that Australia was centered on the map, with Asia and Europe off to the lower right, North America to the lower left.

Our World Turned Upside-Down

The proprietor said most Americans and Europeans got upset when they figured it out, saying, "It's wrong," or "It's not accurate," or other stupid things. Actually, about the only thing you can say is that it's unconventional, because it's certainly no less accurate than any other world map. It's just upside down...well, from our point of view.

Today's Gospel reading is a lot like that map.

For countless centuries the ancients believed in what we might call the Law of Vengeance. It was really a pretty simple concept: if a person or a tribe committed a crime against me or my tribe, we would take vengeance on them and destroy them. Murder, tribal warfare, and constant strife followed, on both a small and a grand scale - not unlike the ethnic cleansing in our own world. It really didn't work very well.

Then, among God's chosen people, there came a new law: the Law of Retaliation -- a significant advance, ethically, socially and legally. It mandated that no punishment should exceed the crime. It satisfied the honor of tribes, clans and families and avoided endless feuds. And this was pretty much how people thought at the time of the Gospel...until Jesus turned the world upside down, just like that Australian map.

"Offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well" [Mt 5:39].

This went counter to thousands of years of ingrained tribal and national culture.

Jesus came into the world to conquer evil, but taught an astounding strategy: defeat evil by surrendering to it! Triumph over evil by allowing it to triumph over you. Imagine what the people thought as they listened to Jesus.

Isn't this cowardly? Shall we let evil rule the world by giving it carte blanche? Doesn't this make us its accomplices?

No. And Jesus followed his teaching with several examples, showing us that it takes far more courage and selflessness to be a disciple than to fight violence with violence, evil with evil.

Let us never forget that Jesus knows the heart of man. He knows our militant idealism against evil is too often just a mask for self-righteousness. to satisfy our craving to win.

"An eye for an eye" [Ex 21:24] was a necessary step in the world's ongoing education to accountability, but it can't be the last word. If I pluck out your eye because you have plucked out mine, eventually we'll have a blind society.

No, Jesus tells us, surprise your adversary with compassion, with love, with forgiveness - with true justice according to the Heart of Jesus.

Put evildoers at the risk of being converted. Change human society by introducing the principle that motivated Jesus: self-giving at all costs.

After my enemy has slapped both my cheeks, he'll have no more to slap. Perhaps he'll be ashamed.

If I give him both my shirt and my coat, perhaps he'll learn to have pity on my nakedness.

Perhaps my open hands and silent mouth will, like an eloquent teacher, win a brother in the Lord.

Perhaps...perhaps...perhaps.

But wrapped up in that perhaps is our willingness to abandon ourselves to God, to trust in Him completely. It's the same trust manifested by 2,000 years of Christian martyrs.

2,000 Years of Martyrs

In our first reading Jezebel used evil for selfish ends, taking the life of the innocent Naboth. But as she and Ahab ultimately discovered, God's will always overcomes evil -- not our will, but God's will, and in God's time, not in ours.

This is the risk we take as disciples of Christ: that my apparent weakness will be seen as an invitation to even greater violence against me.

Yes, this is the risk -- but far less than the risk Our Lord took when He came into our midst.

The risk He took when He handed Himself over to us, to be stripped naked, whipped and mocked.

The risk He took when He opened His arms on the Cross.

How are we to act? Not according to the Law of Vengeance, or the Law of Retaliation, but according to the Law of Christ. We are called to act as He taught, as He acted.

He allowed His blood to be shed, blood that transformed the heart of the man who held the lance. Jesus turned a Roman soldier's world upside down when that Centurion looked up at the cross, and saw Almighty God mocked, beaten and crucified.

And that's what we, as Christians, are called to do.

Can we let God turn the world upside down, and can we let Him do so through us, with love and forgiveness?

Ancient News

If you're among the handful of regular readers of this blog -- my loyal and holy remnant -- you will know that I often write about certain archaeological discoveries that give us a glimpse into the distant past. It's really a life-long fascination with the work of archaeologists, one that began when, at the age of ten, I found a flint arrowhead amidst the gravel in our driveway in suburban New York. I still have that point, and I count it among my treasured possessions. But this early fascination with things archaeological was no more than an interest and I never considered becoming an archaeologist. I have absolutely no desire to dig in the dirt to uncover the lives of our ancient ancestors. Over the years, though, I've become acquainted with several professional archaeologists who enjoy doing just that. They have not only taught me many wonderful things but also whetted my appetite to learn more. This growing interest paralleled my interest in Sacred Scripture, especially since so much of what we know about the ancient world of the Bible has come to us through the work of archaeologists. More importantly, though, their work continues to confirm much of what the Bible tells us.

I haven't posted anything archaeological in quite some time, but in recent weeks the field has made the front pages on several occasions. And so I suppose it's time to share my thoughts on these and other news stories. Here are a few for your enjoyment, enlightenment or surprise:

UNESCO's Bias. Just in case you're not yet convinced that the United Nations is the most useless of all international organizations, here's some news that should change your mind. UNESCO -- the UN's so-called "Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization" -- has condemned Israel because it has conducted archaeological investigations at the Temple Mount and other locations in Jerusalem. UNESCO apparently believes Jerusalem is sacred only to Islam, something they insist all those pesky, imperialist Jews must also recognize. This, of course, ignores the fact that Jerusalem is the far more ancient center of the Jewish people. UNESCO also refers to Israel as the "occupying power" and condemns it for conducting any excavations in the old city of Jerusalem. UNESCO, it would seem, is staffed by Jew-haters who parrot the Islamist line that Israel is a rogue state that must be eliminated. Nothing more need be said.

Jerusalem Exists! As long as we're talking about Jerusalem, it has risen up once again and embarrassed some who consider themselves Scriptural scholars. Yes, believe it or not, many of these experts have long downplayed the biblical record that focuses on the importance of Jerusalem. Some have actually assumed that Jerusalem and Israel were never all that important because there is no contemporary record that mentions Jerusalem. No longer! Sci-News, a site that covers the latest scientific discoveries, describes the discovery of a papyrus fragment in which Jerusalem is mentioned prominently. This extra-Biblical reference to Jerusalem dates to the 7th century B.C., the time of the first temple.

The Jerusalem Papyrus

Discoveries that confirm the Biblical record have been going on for decades. Prior to the 20th century, the only place one encountered the Hittites was in the Bible. Naturally, most scholars, therefore, rejected the very idea that a Hittite empire had ever existed. Their general rule was: If it's in the Bible, it must be wrong.

Then, in 1906, the Hittite capital of Hattusha was discovered in modern-day Turkey. The discovery included a library containing over 10,000 tablets that confirmed the Biblical record and led to further discoveries. Yes, the Hittites were a powerful people with an extensive empire.

Toilet Desecration of Ba'al Temple. Once again, thanks to the work of  archaeologists, the Biblical text is proven correct. In 2 Kings 10 we find the following verses, describing Jehu's destruction of Ba'al temples in the northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century B.C.:

"Afterward they went into the inner shrine of the temple of Baal, and took out the pillars of the temple of Baal. They burned the shrine, tore down the pillar of Baal, tore down the temple of Baal, and turned it into a latrine, as it remains today" [2 Kgs 10:25-27].

Well, guess what? Archaeologists, digging at Lachish, in ancient Israel second in size only to Jerusalem, found a destroyed temple of Ba'al and right there in the middle of the inner temple they found a toilet where no toilet should be. Jehu had "turned it [the temple] into a latrine" because doing so was the ultimate desecration and made the temple unusable forever. Interestingly, the archaeologists, after conducting laboratory tests on the toilet, determined it had never been used. In other words, its placement was strictly symbolic, but would still desecrate the temple forever.

Temple Toilet - the "Jehu's Latrine"

ISIS Destruction of Antiquities. Driven by their fundamentalist Islamic faith, ISIS believes that all symbols of polytheism (and even those of non-Muslim monotheism) must be destroyed. After all, you never know when a bunch of Ba'al worshipers might rise up out of the sands of the Middle East and threaten Islam. They see idolatry as the greatest of sins, and any of its manifestations must be obliterated. History means absolutely nothing to these folks who consider only their version of Islam worth preserving. And so wherever these maniacal fanatics go, they leave infidel corpses and piles of rubble behind them. In the words of ISIS leadership, "These monuments should not be excavated and restored, but viewed with disgust and hatred...The sites were destroyed for disbelieving in Allah and His messengers.”

The Iraqi Army recently managed to push ISIS forces from the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, and what they found was devastating. The city's history goes back over 3,000 years and has long been considered one of the treasures of the ancient world. No longer. Ali al-Bayati, a militia commander who visited the newly liberated site stated that “One hundred per cent has been destroyed.” This, of course, was expected since ISIS conveniently made videos of their destruction of Nimrud. I've included one below:

ISIS has repeated this destruction throughout the Middle east. In the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra ISIS troops went on a rampage of destruction. One temple of the Assyrian god Ba'al was completely flattened. The below photos show the temple pre-ISIS and its destruction.

When they entered Palmyra, the ISIS forces promised to leave the site untouched, but soon after staged a public execution of Khaled al-Assad, the archaeologist who for years had managed the excavations. They then began their systematic destruction of the ancient city.

ISIS continued their destruction wherever their forces went. They destroyed the Mar Elian Monastery in the Syrian town of al-Qayatain. They did the same in the museum in Mosul (see video below), and looted the ancient Roman city of Apamea, selling looted artifacts to fund ISIS military operations. The city of Dura-Europas with its ancient Christian church and synagogue was also systematically looted as was the Bronze-Age city of Mari. 

But the greatest atrocity committed by ISIS has been the equally systematic slaughter of thousands of Christians and others, including Muslims who don't share their demonic vision.

Christians About to be Killed by ISIS

We have been blessed by these martyrs who have kept the Faith in the face of certain death.

ISIS, al-Qaida, the Taliban, and their millions of followers represent Islam at its very worst and call to mind the early days of the 7th and 8th centuries when Muslim armies spread Islam by the sword. Unlike the early spread of Christianity, the spread of Islam was not a peaceful process.

There is much more, but it will have to wait. I am called to other work. 

Pope Francis on the Martyrs of Yemen: the Missionaries of Charity

In my last post I quoted the Holy Father as he spoke about the four Missionaries of Charity who were murdered in the nursing home they ran in Aden, Yemen. Here's a video of the Pope as he commented on these four martyred nuns during his weekly Angelus address.

More Murdered Christians? Ho-hum...

Every so often I write here about the ongoing and growing persecution of Christians throughout the world, especially in the Islamic world. I don't expect my comments to have much impact because I have only a handful of regular readers who, like me, are far from being global movers and shakers. But knowing the power of prayer, I ask only that you remember our persecuted brothers and sisters and lift them up to God, asking that they be strengthened and protected.

To be a Christian in many countries today guarantees persecution, and to practice one's Christian faith openly too often leads to martyrdom. Isn't it strange that the nominally Christian West has largely ignored what is happening to Christians throughout the world? When Russia spoke out against homosexuals, the media and government elites were apoplectic; yet we hear next to nothing from them about the widespread murder of Christians and the destruction of their communities.

This intentional lapse is the subject of an excellent article by Michael Brendan Dougherty published in The Week. Read it, please. Here's a link to the online article: Christian Persecution: No One Cares.

Homily: Wednesday, 34th Week of Ordinary Time

Readings: Dn 5:1-28; Dn 3; Luke 21.12-19

If the gospel message is good news, then why do so many oppose it with hostility and even violence? Jesus warns us that we’ll be confronted with persecution, evil, false teaching, and temptation. And how does He tell us to respond to all this? With love, with truth, with forgiveness.

Only God’s love can defeat bigotry, hatred, envy, and all that would divide and tear us apart. Only God’s truth can overcome the lies and confusion in the world. And that’s what the Gospel is, God's Word of truth and salvation.

And so Jesus tells his disciples to proclaim the gospel throughout the whole world, even in the midst of opposition and persecution. If they persevere to the end they will gain their lives – they will see God's salvation. Such endurance doesn't come from human effort. It’s a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift strengthened by the hope that we’ll see God face to face and inherit His promises.

In this, as in all things, Jesus is our model: Jesus who endured the cross for our sake and salvation; Jesus who calls us to love, to die to ourselves.

Did you know the Greek root of the word martyr means witness? And true martyrs live and die as witnesses to the Gospel. The Book of Revelation calls Jesus “the faithful witness...who freed us from our sins by his blood."

And Tertullian, a second century lawyer and Early Church Father, converted when he saw Christians singing as they went out to die at the hands of their persecutors. He compared the blood of the martyrs to seed, the seed of new Christians, the seed of the church.

St. Augustine spoke of this too: "The martyrs were bound, jailed, scourged, racked, burned, rent, butchered – and they multiplied!" Christians multiplied because the martyrs witnessed to the truth, to the joy and freedom of the Gospel; and they did so through the testimony of their lives.

And down through the centuries Christian martyrs have continued to give their lives for their faith, and for the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Indeed, today we honor a modern martyr, Blessed Miguel Pro, who was executed in Mexico on November 23, 1927 in the midst of the fierce anti-Catholic persecutions perpetrated under President Plutarco Elias Calles. Blessed Miguel, a Jesuit priest, spread his arms wide in imitation of Christ on the Cross as he stood before the firing squad. His last words just before the shots rang out were "Viva Christo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King).

Blessed Miguel Pro standing before the firing squad on Nov. 23, 1927

The martyrs witness to the truth, the great truth about our loving God: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

“God so loved the world…” He doesn’t love just part of it. No, He loves it all. He loves each of us. It can’t be otherwise because He created each human being in an individual act of love.

We must remember that Jesus died on the cross for Jews and Gentiles, Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, agnostics and atheists. By our witness as Christians others will recognize Christ’s victory on the cross, his power to overcome sin, fear and hatred, even death itself. When the world looks at us it has the right to find in us a reflection of the glory of the Trinity. The world has a right to discover in our faith, hope, and love a testimony to the Holy Spirit’s presence.

The problems that have arisen in Christ’s Church over the centuries, and exist even now, are not caused by the Holy Spirit; they’re caused by the mediocrity of Christians. As G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

What brings others to Jesus Christ and His Church is seeing Christians loving their enemies; seeing us joyful in suffering, patient in adversity, forgiving of injuries, and showing comfort and compassion to the hopeless and the helpless.

This, brothers and sisters, is our calling.