As we continue to consider the Ten Commandments, the road map given to us by God to help us to get to Heaven, Jesus teaches that these commandments can be understood as two expressions of love – for God and our neighbor.  In Matthew’s Gospel, He teaches the following:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.
(Mt 22:37-40)

The first three commandments are directed toward the love of God and the following seven commandments are directed toward the love of neighbor.  I would like to focus on the Fourth Commandment in particular this week.  In beginning to address this commandment, the Catechism says the following:

The fourth commandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority. (CCC 2197)

The Catechism explains how observance of this commandment extends beyond honoring and respecting our physical parents, but touches on the many and various types of relationships that exist in society and how they should be lived out according to our faith.  One such relationship is that of “citizens to their country, and to those who administer or govern it.” (CCC 2199) In that regard, the Church reminds us of the obligation that exists on both sides.  On the part of the government, care must always be taken so that no laws are established which are “contrary to the dignity of persons and the natural law.” (CCC 2235) Assuming that is the case, then citizens have the obligation to obey and collaborate with the government in securing the common good.  However, the Catechism also makes it clear that as citizens, our “loyal collaboration includes the right, and at times the duty, to voice [our] just criticisms of that which seems harmful to the dignity of persons and to the good of the community.”  (CCC 2238) Furthermore, the Catechism teaches us that “the citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospels.” (CCC 2242)

There is a lot to ponder here, and it is well worth our prayerful consideration of this important teaching.  On the one hand, our general posture should be one of submission to authority, not always assuming that it is contrary to the common good.  But we must not be naïve either, for there are indeed many laws which do threaten the fundamental rights of the human person, which then require our response, not simply to oppose those in authority as an end in itself, but to work for securing the common good and the respect of humanity.

This coming Saturday marks the 49^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade which cleared the way to easier access to abortion in our country.  The Catholic Church continues to remind us of our right and duty to decry this violation against human dignity of our most vulnerable, the children in the womb.  Our efforts to address this sad situation is more than just changing laws, which is necessary.  More fundamentally, it is about changing hearts so that our love of neighbor is shown in concrete ways to those who struggle with a pregnancy for which they do not feel prepared.  When these women can experience a society that shows genuine love for them, they will have the courage to choose the great gift of life that has been given to them by God.  In comparison, changing laws is much easier than changing the hearts in a society that has, in many ways, grown cold toward one another.  Either way, much is asked of us as Catholics to ensure that our love of neighbor is something we actually live, not just simply profess.

Father Alford    

Parents are often shocked to hear their kids say their first “cuss word.” While it may be funny to hear a child give voice to a word that they do not know the meaning of, it is also a cause of embarrassment and shame for their parents at the same time. This is because the parents know exactly who taught them how and when to say this word! It is an important lesson in using our words only for building others up and praising God.

The Second Commandment reads, “You shall not use the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.” By extension, this commandment means that we should also not use vulgar or suggestive speech. At certain points in our lives, I am sure we have all struggled to keep purity of speech. Young people often tend toward making lewd or suggestive jokes with their friends, and it can be hard to not fall into peer pressure to join in on what is thought to be fun. Some workplaces, especially with workers who do manual labor, are so full of foul language that it just becomes a regular part of one’s vocabulary. And many people have the habit of saying, “O my God” for no good reason.

As Christians, our speech is very important. Even if we do not say bad words in front of our kids or friends, God still hears our speech and our own ears hear our speech. It can be easy to write off using cuss words as not being a big deal, and in some cases, this may be true. However, we should not underestimate the power of the words we say. Imagine if “O my God” were replaced with a racial slur. The people around you would be shocked and ask you why you said that. If you said you didn’t really mean it, so it is no big deal, the people around you would say that it is still a big deal. Jesus talked about how our speech expresses the depths of our hearts when he said, “Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile” (Matthew 15:17-18). What comes out of our mouth first comes from our heart (and our brain).

One of my favorite scripture passages on this topic is found in the letter of St. James. James is one of the most practical books in the bible, and if you think your faith needs to be more practical, turn to this book. He writes at length about the power of speech in chapter 3: “If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretentions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna” (James 3:2-6). Our tongue is like a bridle in a horse’s mouth or a rudder on a ship. We can usually tell by someone’s speech if they are happy or sad, angry or content, Christian or not. May we all use our speech to build others up and give honor to our God. If we struggle with profanity or saying God’s name in vain, the Hail Mary can be a good remedy. The best way to overcome a struggle is with a counterattack. The Hail Mary is centered on the name of Jesus. When you find yourself struggling with speech, say a few Hail Mary’s and focus on giving honor to the name of Jesus.

Feast Day: January 20^th

Last week we saw St. Hilary exemplify for us the work of mercy to instruct the ignorant.  This week, we turn our attention to a much more popular saint, St. Sebastian.  Famously a member of the praetorian guard, he continued in that office even under the Emperor Diocletian, caring for and encouraging imprisoned Christians during that tyrant’s persecution, as well as working physical (restoring speech) and spiritual miracles (converting many to the faith) along the way.  He was eventually discovered as a Christian and ordered to be killed by being shot full of arrows.  Of course, dramatically, he didn’t quite die, and was nursed back to health by the saintly Irene, before returning to Diocletian remonstrating him for his cruelty and preaching to him the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Diocletian was not moved by his words and had him martyred fully this time, ordering him to be beaten to death. 

As a youthful martyr, an “athlete for Christ”, Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes, runners, archers, and sports – a distinction that has made him a popular patron, and friend, for countless young people in the centuries since – but he is also a patron for plague victims.  Originally, this came from the likeness between the welts which were the primary symptom of the black plague and Sebastian’s pierced and bruised body, but then, a thousand years after St. Ambrose’s sermons on this saint first got his story out, Guillaume Dugay, a composer in Milan, Sebastian’s hometown, composed a beautiful hymn begging the saint’s intercession as the black death raged through the city.  Take a moment to pray the words that follow, and please make the time to listen to this piece sung:

O Saint Sebastian,
always, evening and morning,
at all hours and minutes,
while I am of sound mind
protect and preserve me,
and, O martyr, untie me from the cords
of harmful weakness
called the epidemic.

From this kind of plague
defend and guard me,
along with all my friends.
We confess ourselves sinners
to God and to Holy Mary
and to you, O faithful martyr.

You, citizen of Milan,
you can make cease
this pestilence, if you so wish,
and from God accomplish this,
for among many it is known
that you have from Him this benefit.

Zoe the mute you healed
and restored healthful
to Nicostratus her husband,
and you did this miraculously.
In their suffering you consoled
the martyrs and promised
to them eternal life
and all that’s owed to martyrs.

O martyr Sebastian,
you with us always, remain with us!
And through your merits
we, who are in this life —

Guard, heal, and rule us,
and from the plague protect us,
presenting us to the Trinity
and the holy virgin mother.

And may we so finish life,
that we have mercy
and the company of martyrs
and the vision of holy God.

O how he shined with wondrous grace,
Sebastian, famous martyr,
who bearing a soldier’s insignia,
but caring for his brothers’ victory,
comforted their weakening hearts
with words brought from heaven.

– Fr. Dominic once MC’d for a confirmation at which six of the young men chose Sebastian for their confirmation patron.  They thought it was funny.  I thought it was awesome!  What better patron than a man bold enough to be martyred twice for his faith in Jesus Christ?  Who is your confirmation saint?  Have you asked them recently how they could help you to grow in your faith?

This past Monday, the Church celebrated the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, a feast that was restored to the universal Roman liturgical calendar in 2002.  In previous times, the feast was celebrated on January 1 under the title of the Circumcision of the Lord, in accordance with the Scripture passage: “When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given Him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Lk 2:21) Traditionally, the month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, so it is well worth our attnetion.  On this feast day, and throughout this month, Catholics are invited to consider the power of this name and the great reverence we should have every time we use it.  In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul writes:

         Because of this, God greatly exalted Him
         and bestowed on Him the name
         that is above every name,
         that at the name of Jesus
         every knee should bend,
         of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
         and every tongue confess that
         Jesus Christ is Lord,
         to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11)

I find it fitting that this devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus falls during this month when our Family of Faith formation topic is the first four Commandments, with the Second Commandment stating: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (Ex. 20:7)  Because of this Commandment, there can be a tendency to avoid using the name of Jesus at all out of fear of using it irreverently, but the Lord desires for us to have confidence in calling out to Him by name and always keeping His Holy Name in our hearts.  St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote the following beautiful words about the Holy Name:

This name is the cure for all diseases of the soul. Are you troubled? Think but of Jesus, speak but the Name of Jesus, the clouds disperse, and peace descends anew from heaven. Have you fallen into sin, so that you fear death? Invoke the Name of Jesus, and you will soon feel life returning. No obduracy of the soul, no weakness, no coldness of heart can resist this holy Name; there is no heart which will not soften and open in tears at this holy name. Are you surrounded by sorrow and danger? Invoke the Name of Jesus, and your fears will vanish.

During this month of the Holy Name of Jesus, may I invite you to pay particular attention to how you use the name of Jesus?  Of course, avoid ever using it in a disrespectful way, but do not let that prevent you from using it regularly in prayer with great devotion, knowing how powerful of a prayer that one single name is for us.  Perhaps you can call this to mind when you say the name of Jesus in the three Hail Mary’s we as a parish have resolved to say each day (one for the clergy of the Cathedral, one for yourself, and one for all members of the parish).

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us!

Father Alford