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One of the many joys of my priesthood has been celebrating the Sacrament of Penance – listening to Confessions and imparting absolution in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). As a young seminarian preparing for the priesthood, however, I often felt a little apprehension anticipating my role in this sacrament. I couldn’t imagine how I could hear so much about sin and darkness, doom and gloom, and then be able to function with a clear mind and heart without being affected by this shadow side of humanity, especially on the occasions when I left the confessional to immediately begin offering a public Holy Mass.

A woman once wrote me a letter describing the priestly kindness and fatherly care that I demonstrated toward her more than 10 years before when I was serving as her parish priest. She and her fiancé had approached me with a “holy” request – to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. The woman was in her early 40’s and her boyfriend was in his 20’s when they came seeking marriage preparation. That was not the problem. The problem was that the young man had just gotten out of prison for armed robbery and kept busy spending the hard earned funds of his fiancée while refusing to seek gainful employment for himself. All of these things, coupled with the shabby way this man publicly treated his fiancée, made it clear to me as God’s priest that, in conscience, I could not officiate at their wedding or provide my blessing for them to get married. They left my office that day, screaming and shouting obscenities at me.

The theme for World Mission Sunday 2023, “Hearts on fire, feet on the move,” given to us by Pope Francis, is inspired by the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus in St. Luke’s Gospel (24:13-35). Although they are initially confused and discouraged, their encounter with the Risen Christ makes their “hearts burn within them” as they listen to Jesus explain all the Sacred Scriptures and reveal Himself to them “in the breaking of the bread.” Suddenly, “their eyes were opened” and, their hearts were consumed with a holy enthusiasm to proclaim that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead — as they made their way to Jerusalem.

What people often miss when reading or reflecting on the Priestly Prayer of Christ in Saint John’s Gospel (17:1-26) is the fact that it contains, unlike the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ longest recorded prayer. Highlighted by scholars as one of the most profound theological and spiritual documents in the entire New Testament, Jesus prays this prayer after He finishes His final instructions to the disciples and before He is betrayed, arrested, and crucified.

The Catechism explains: “The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle,” a battle “against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn us away from prayer, away from union with God” (CCC 2725).

Have you ever wondered who was ultimately responsible for setting you on the path of your Catholic faith? I don’t mean just your parents or even your grandparents. I am referring to that mysterious family member who first acquired the faith and passed it on. How many generations would you have to go back in order to find that first special person? How many people (with your DNA) lived sacrificial, holy lives so that you would be the person you are today with the beautiful faith in Jesus Christ that you have?

Prayer is the way we communicate with God. The way of prayer for Christ’s followers is to imitate Him by praying as He did to God Our Father in Heaven. In Matthew’s Gospel, we are counseled by Jesus: “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name” (Mt 6:9).

We have all heard it said that prayer does not work, especially prayers addressed to God requesting his help or intercession. Such prayers, according to some, are “a total waste of time.”

Growing up in Canada, the first and closest affiliation I had with the United States was the old Air Force Base, Fort Pepperrell, that the Americans left behind following World War II. The base was a stone’s throw from our family home. Another reminder of the United States was the weekly rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” played before the NHL hockey game. My dad often lamented that the American national anthem did not make any reference to God. He felt strongly that “God Bless America” would have been a more appropriate acknowledgment of the God-given rights cherished by American patriots. I agreed with my dad back then. However, I later came to discover that the fourth verse of the “Star Spangled Banner does make reference to God with the words: “And this be our motto – ‘In God is our trust’.”

Former prisoner of war and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Doug Hegdahl reports that fellow U.S. captives in the Vietnam War would authenticate a new prisoner's U.S. identity by using “Shave and a Haircut” as a shibboleth, tapping the first five notes against a cell wall and waiting for the appropriate “two note” response.

The Catechism asks: “What is prayer?” The great Doctor of the Church, Saint John Damascene (675-749), defines prayer as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (ccc 2559). Another Doctor of the Church, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), defines prayer as “a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy” (ccc 2558).

Many of you may recall, as I do, the catechetical lessons of childhood. When my mom taught me the Ten Commandments, her explanation was simple: “These are God’s laws,” she explained. “By following them, we are preparing ourselves to be with God forever in Heaven.” I would ask her: “What do we do in Heaven?” My mom would explain: “Oh it is beautiful…We kneel before God and worship Him for all eternity.” My response: “Forever? That sounds boring.” My mom would try to explain that God would make sure it would not be boring for us. I would mostly leave her lap unconvinced about “how” God would make it less boring, but quite convinced that following God’s Commandments would enable us to gain Heaven.

When was the last time you spoke ill of another? Perhaps in frustration? Perhaps in anger? Perhaps due to jealousy? Maybe even envy? Those of us who have experienced a moment like that have broken the Eighth Commandment.

Justice and solidarity among nations” and “love for the poor” are themes close to my heart. How are these topics related to the Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal”? When unjust relations exist between nations or when circumstances create a situation causing people to live on the brink of destitution, we need to consider how we might lend a helping hand.

This article examines the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19), which forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbors and wronging them in any way with respect to their goods” (ccc 2401). Does this include seemingly unimportant things like firewood or paper clips or copy paper or crabapples?

For better, for worse, or richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health… until death.” This vow has been declared tens of millions of times over the centuries as a pledge of love between a man and a woman embarking upon their new life as “two becoming one flesh (see Gensis 2:24 and Matthew 19: 5-6). Saint Paul explains further that Christan couples have “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27 ) who is the model of all chastity. As such, whether married or unmarried, “all th baptized are called to chastity” (cc 2348 ). In fact, “at the moment of his baptism the Christian is pledged to lead an affective life in chastity” (cc 2348 ).

The word “chastity” suggests the notion of someone being “as pure as the driven snow.” What exactly does this mean? The Catechism makes it crystal clear: “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of a person in his or her bodily and spiritual being…The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift” (ccc 2337).

My protestant grandmother used to say that “life is like probation.” By this, she meant that through life we undergo the test of whether or not we are worthy to be united with God for all eternity. The sin of our first parents assured this imbalance in our desires and tendency toward disobeying God in order to seek our own selfish passions. The most serious of these sins is lust (also defined as a deadly sin). God provides the Sixth Commandment to help us, which states: “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18). The Catechism explains: “The tradition of the Church has understood the Sixth Commandment as encompassing the whole of human sexuality” (ccc 2336).

Article 154 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 2258-2269 The Fifth Commandment teaches: “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17).

Article 153 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 2221-2246 Our discussion of the Fourth Commandment to “honor your father and your mother...” (Exodus 20:12 & Deuteronomy 5:16) continues with a review of its relationship to the duties of parents, and then the duties of civil authorities and citizens, as well as, the political community and the Church.