As you are likely aware, the Church celebrates the feast days of saints throughout the year.  Many Catholics look forward to these different feast days for various reasons.  For example, in places like Poland, the feast day connected to your name is a very big deal, even bigger than your own birthday in some cases!  It is also common to celebrate the feast day of the saint that was chosen for one’s Confirmation.  We also celebrate saints for whom we have a special devotion.

Every so often, the liturgical celebration of these feast days is skipped when there is a higher-ranking feast.  Today is one such example.  In a normal year, on October 4 we would be celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  But since Sundays generally take precedence over most feast days for saints, St. Francis has to take a back seat in most places, though Franciscan communities would celebrate today as a Solemnity, which would take precedence over the Sunday.  Hopefully this explanation is not too complicated, and maybe you even learned a new fact!

I bring up St. Francis because he has long been one of my favorite saints.  In fact, I had briefly entertained the possibility of discerning a vocation to religious life as a Franciscan before I entered the seminary for the diocese.  While I realize that it is normally Father Rankin’s job to reflect on the saints in our Cathedral Weekly, I could not miss the opportunity to say something about this great saint.

There is a phrase connected with St. Francis that has come up in my prayer over the past couple of months.  The phrase is the words that Our Lord gave to St. Francis toward the beginning of his vocation.  In the run-down church of San Damiano, he heard these words: “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.”  Other translations use the word “rebuild”, but I think I prefer repair, for the Church, founded by Christ, can not be rebuilt, strictly speaking.  The divine aspect of the Church is holy and not in need of anything.  The human aspect, however, is always in need of repair.  The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church articulates this well:

While Christ, holy, innocent and undefiled (Heb. 7:26) knew nothing of sin, (2 Cor. 5:21) but came to expiate only the sins of the people, (Cf. Heb. 2:17) the Church, embracing in its bosom sinners, at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follows the way of penance and renewal. (Lumen Gentium, §8)

There is no doubt that the Church in our present times needs repair.  And the first place we need to look to begin that process of repair is in our own hearts, acknowledging that we are in constant need of purification and renewal.  When we have committed ourselves to that task, we will be making as great of a contribution to the renewal of the Church as pointing out everything other than ourselves that needs renewal in the Church.  That is not to say that we remain silent or that we do not do anything to work for the needed repair in the Church.  That is badly needed, but so is our renewal.

Our theme for this month is “God is the source of all life and What is a sacrament?”  The sacraments are the greatest resources that we have in this important work of repairing the Church.  The sacraments help us to be more firmly rooted in God’s grace so that we can more closely imitate Christ and His holiness.  We are also called to be missionary disciples who lead others to the sacraments in order to experience that renewal in their lives.  The more the faithful center their lives in the sacraments, the more we will allow God to truly work in and through His Church.  When this happens, we will experience a remarkable repair and renewal in the Church, so that she will shine with ever greater brightness and purity in a world that desperately needs the hopeful message of the Gospel entrusted to the Church.

Father Alford     

As we spend this year reflecting on the seven sacraments and their role in our faith, it may be helpful to look into why we have sacraments at all. One reason we have the seven sacraments in our church is because God is the source of all life. God created the entire universe out of nothing, and the dimensions of our universe are truly mind-blowing! However, the pinnacle of God’s creation is not massive stars and galaxies, but life here on earth. Specifically, men and women are the pinnacle of God’s creation because we are made in his image and likeness and share in the life of the Holy Trinity. This life that God shares with us is called grace. And this is the reason sacraments exist! The seven sacraments are the primary way that God desires to share his life with us when we live on earth. (Of course, God can and does give grace outside of the seven sacraments.) This sharing in divine life begins at baptism when Original Sin is washed away and the fire of God’s love is lit in the soul of the newly baptized baby. This is symbolized by the baptismal candle being lit from the Easter candle. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life” (1996-1997). Grace is both the help that God gives us and a sharing in the divine life of God. The sacraments are an effective visible sign of an invisible grace which God has given us to become more united with him and to share more fully in his love. 

It is possible to fall away from baptismal grace through serious sin, which is called a mortal sin. It is called “mortal” because it kills the life of grace within our souls. The Church teaches that if somebody dies in the state of unrepented mortal sin, their eternal life will be spent apart from God. This may seem harsh, but it is really a free choice of each individual to accept the free gift of God’s grace or reject it and live in sin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores the life of grace if we do fall into serious sin after baptism. The other sacraments all work to increase the life of grace within us. 

In the past century, there has been a great amount of study into genetics and how all life on earth is connected biologically through DNA. Specifically, our bodies are made of the same building blocks as other animals. However, I think we can say that we are more closely related to angels than we are to other primates. Human beings and angels are the two groups of beings that share in God’s divine life. In eternal life in heaven, we will look more like the angels than we do like other animals! On September 29, we celebrated the feast day of three archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. On October 2, we celebrated the memorial of the holy guardian angels. We honor the angels that God created because they play such an important role in the history of our salvation and even in the current practice of our faith. May God increase our desire to share in his sanctifying grace – his own life within us! 

Feast Day: October 4^th

St. Francis would be pleased; October 4^th is always his Feast, but this year it is trumped by a Solemnity, namely Sunday.  Every week our Sunday celebration of Mass displaces every other feast because Christ’s resurrection is the most important day of history, way more important than a day associated with even the greatest of saints.  Men and women are only saints because, at the end of their lives, they were united with Christ in His death, and thus, His resurrection.

We probably have already heard the story: Franceso grows up rich, popular, and charismatic, but gave all of that up, because one amazing day, his life having fallen apart, Christ stepped into that emptiness and said “Francis, rebuild my church.”  Out the window went the dreams of being famous or victorious; his life was now God’s to direct.  Francis gave everything away, even his earthly father, and began to rebuild that little church where the Crucified One spoke to him.  Many thought him a crazy beggar as he lived in his little hut and nursed lepers, but a few were crazy enough to join him, and a year or two later (it’s now 1209) they walked to Rome to see if Pope Innocent III would approve their rule.  It was not a long-winded document, actually it was only one line: “To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps.” 

But that is precisely what Francis and his followers were radically about.  The order was approved, women joined too, becoming the Poor Clares, and Francis began wandering the countryside, preaching the Gospel wherever people would listen (and when they wouldn’t, he would just speak it to the birds and fish).  He would try to go to Morocco, but would only get to Spain; He wanted to preach throughout France, but was told to stay in Italy; and in 1219, though he was able to meet with the Sultan of Egypt during the 5^th crusade, many would consider it another failure since the crusade continued and the Sultan didn’t convert.  

I think they’re wrong.

Maybe the Muslim camp did not receive the Gospel, but the Franciscans did become custodians of the most beloved sites in the Holy Land for the 800 years since.  And, we need to be clear, Francis was not looking for success, he was just looking to keep speaking about Jesus Christ.  And so, though worldly standards would be horrified that we are already at the end of his life, even (and especially) in death he was still accomplishing that mission!  In 1224, as he lost his eyesight, he gained the wounds of Christ (just like Padre Pio he had the stigmata!)  And, as his health dwindled, he asked to be carried from town to town, unable to preach, unable to stand, but still a beacon of poverty, humility, and charity, and that is all that God ever asks of anyone.

As I said, I suspect St. Francis is happy with his feast being trumped this year because as he died on that evening of October 3rd, 1226, he asked to be moved to the floor and instructed his followers to not build him an impressive tomb (they conceded the first wish, but not the second…)  More insightful, his last prayer was from Psalm 142: “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  It was a fitting conclusion to his life, which for all those years had been a model of total trust in the Lord.

All this is why he is the perfect man to open our discussion this month of the sacraments.  A sacrament, the Catechism says, is “an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit.”  We only refer to the 7 sacraments as sacraments specifically, but in a larger sense, every place we glimpse God is a sacrament of sorts.  St. Francis was that above everything else, a glimmer of God!  He was canonized after only 2 years, and a giant basilica was built in his honor after another 2 because everyoneknew him to be an alter Christus, another Christ.  Francis had his Lord’s wounds, His suffered his Savior’s rejection, He endured Jesus’ poverty, and He shone forth the grace of God in his life.  That’s our call too.  

St. Francis, pray for us, that we might become signs and sacraments of God’s love in the world!   

– Fr. Dominic Rankin has preached the Gospel ever since he was ordained a deacon, like St. Francis, 3 years and 6 days ago.  He prays that his preaching might be as bold as the humble hermit of Assisi.

When I meet with couples preparing for marriage, I usually ask them about their prayer life together.  Most couples find this question difficult to answer, apart from responding that they might go to Mass together or that they pray a prayer before meals.  I remember one couple in particular who, after struggling to respond, asked me for some advice on how they might approach the practice of praying together as a couple.  I was delighted at the question, and it made me think of the request from the disciples of Jesus: “Lord, each us to pray.” (Luke 11:1).  It was that request that led to His teaching them the Lord’s Prayer (though a slightly different form than we are used to, which comes from Matthew’s Gospel).  So I would like to offer a few simple ideas on how to pray together – as a couple, as a family, or in some other group.

My first suggestion is to let the Lord begin the conversation.  By this I mean turning to the Scriptures.  Reading a passage out loud together is already praying!  Even if that is the only thing you do, you have begun.  You could take it a step further and spend some time sharing some thoughts about what struck you by the passage.  Not sure where to start with in the Bible?  Consider turning to one of the Gospels, or using the readings for the day or the upcoming Sunday.

My next suggestion is to pray the Rosary together.  Even if a full five decades seems too much, start with at least one decade.  Have one person say the first part of the Hail Mary, and the other person can complete it.  Consider rotating who leads each decade.  To step it up, maybe invite those who are praying together to voice some intentions to bring to the prayer.  When I taught a combined 7^th / 8^th grade PSR class last year, I often started class this way and it was a wonderful beginning to the evening and I could tell that the students got something out of praying together, and they usually had no problems voicing an intention for which they wanted the class to pray.

My final suggestion gets a little more advanced.  Try praying with your own words.  Now, I know that sounds intimidating.  But let me share a simple formula that can help you to pray like a pro.  Remember these four words: “You, who, do, through”  They are easy to remember because they rhyme.  These four words are the basic structure to many of the prayers we hear at Mass.  Here’s what I mean:

• You – begin by addressing the prayer to God the Father in some manner (Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Good and gracious Lord, etc…)
• Who – say something about God, such as something He has done, or something about who He is (who are all good and loving, who never fail to come to our aid, etc…)
• Do – ask the Lord for something (watch over our family this night, bring healing to our loved ones who suffer, help us during these difficult times)
• Through – conclude by offering your prayer through Christ (through Christ our Lord, through your Son, Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever, etc…)

Why not give this formula a shot and you will be surprised at how you too can pray with confidence with your own words.  And never forget that when you pray, it does not all depend on you.  The Lord will do His part, as St. Paul reminds us: “the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” (Rom 8:26)

Father Alford    

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Anytime we ask a child this question, we could get a variety of responses, ranging from ridiculous to serious. Little boys often want to be firefighters, astronauts, cowboys, and train conductors, while little girls have aspirations of being doctors, veterinarians, or teachers. A different way of asking this question is asking a high school senior, “What will you major in when you go to college?” 

The aspirations we have for the future of our young people are and should be a common conversation we have in our schools and in our families. Parents play a key role in shaping their children’s hopes and dreams for the future. It is very common to see children following in the footsteps of their parents through helping with the family business or pursuing the career that is a family tradition, such as becoming a nurse, teacher, or lawyer. This is why parents play a key role in fostering vocations to consecrated religious life and the priesthood. In Lumen Gentium, the Church’s document from Vatican II on the Church, this key role of parents is expressed beautifully: “The family is, so to speak, the domestic church. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to the children; they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with special care the vocation to the sacred state” (§11). 

Mothers and fathers do not need to talk about the possibility of a religious or priestly vocation every day at the dinner table. Instead, through their loving witness and interactions with priests and religious, they indicate to their children that these are beautiful vocations and the result of true calls from God. When children grow up in a Catholic family, a consideration of pursuing the priesthood or religious life should be a very natural instinct. Statistically, God calls most of His children to the married vocation, but He still calls a significant minority to give their lives to Him through the witness of celibacy. Because our families tend to be smaller than they were in previous generations, some adult children feel pressure, either explicit or implicit, to get married and have a family. You might be surprised to hear how many seminarians I have spoken to whose parents were disappointed when they learned of their son’s discernment of the priesthood. This is almost always because the seminarian’s parents expected him to have grandkids for them! But parents come to understand and embrace their son’s call over time when they see him joyfully grow in holiness and happiness during his time in the seminary.  

The family is really the first seminary for any man who becomes a priest. In his family, the priest was formed in how to be a loving son and brother, which is why priests receive seminary formation. Priests are first of all beloved sons of God the Father, having been called to share in the Son’s priesthood in a new way. Priests are also sons of the Blessed Mother and sons of Holy Mother Church. If a man grew up as part of a loving family, he is well on his way to being a well-formed man. One of the biggest responsibilities of parents is to help their children discover their vocational call from God, so that one day, we can all be together in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Feast Day: October 2^nd.

Growing up, we had a handful of prayers that we said as a family each day.  We prayed grace before meals, a quick morning offering before starting school each day, the family rosary most evenings, the scriptural readings of the major characters of salvation history during Advent, and we also said that simple prayer each night to our guardian angels: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.

How does one tell the story of the guardian angels?  Well, we gotta start at the very beginning (they say it’s a very good place to start …)  Genesis tells us “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)  It’s a phrase that indicates not just all that territory (if heaven can be construed in terrestrial terms), but everything and everyone in it.  The story of Job tells us that “there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord.” (Job 1:6)  The setting is not on earth, so these are not humans, and as the story unfolds and we find Satan also before God, asking to tempt Job, we realize that we’ve been given a view into the choirs of angels (fallen, and unfallen, at this point).  

The glimpse is widened as we contemplate the rest of the great saga of Scripture.  Before entering the promised land, “When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” (Joshua 5:13-14)  Later, before the time of the Kings of Israel, “the angel of the Lord appeared to him [the Judge, Gideon] and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this befallen us?” (Judges 1:12-13)  Centuries later, as Daniel suffers the Babylonian captivity, he is promised that: “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered.” (Daniel 12:1) 

Notice that every time we catch a glimpse of an angel, the visionary falls on his face in awe before a being of such power and splendor, but notice also that the angels are always both messengers and defenders.  They announce a word from God, and they also announce the victory of God.  They carry swords, trumpets, armor, and herald tremendous strife, but eventual triumph.  St. John sees what this means for the story’s ending:

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb.

(Revelation 12:7-11)

“To light and guard, to rule and guide.”  These spectacular, powerful beings, flame with the very fire of God’s love, and in humility and love, defend us every moment of our lives.  The promise given in the psalms “For he will give his angels charge of you” (Psalm 91:11) is fulfilled as Our Lord reiterates: “in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

Dear parents, if you are worried about your children, renew your trust in these incredible protectors that God has given to them.  Pray to your own guardian angel, and those of your children; teach them to keep them in mind, to call upon their aid, to thank them for their protection, and to let them lead them to God!  We face principalities and powers, as well as the pressures and pains of daily life, but none stand a chance with angels at our side.  

Fr. Dominic Rankin’s guardian angel has watched over him for more than 10,000 days, has increased his worship at Mass more than 7000 times, and has kept him safe (if not comfortable) for more than 5000 miles of running.