Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to His people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father,
we worship You, we give You thanks,
we praise You for Your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ,
only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
You take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For You alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy …
Category: Parish News & Events
What It Means To Be A Centurion
The Catholic grade school I attended had a bit of an unusual nickname: the Centurion. As a young child, I didn’t understand the significance of such a nickname. (It didn’t get much easier when I would have to spell out centurion as a cheerleader on the sidelines of a basketball game, but that’s beside the point…) Rather, I found myself wishing that we had a cooler nickname, something fierce and strong like the Lions or the Wildcats. But the Centurions? Eh.
It wasn’t until I grew older and wiser, until I dove deeper into my faith, that I realized I was proud to have been a Centurion, in a sense. Or, better put, I was proud to have attended a school with the nickname “Centurion.” That sounds a bit odd, right? Let me explain.
A centurion was someone serving in the Roman army in ancient times – and not just someone, but a high-ranking someone. They were responsible for commanding 100 men and also for enforcing discipline while receiving higher pay than the other soldiers.
Now, last time I checked, I am not living in ancient Rome nor am I responsible for commanding soldiers. However, I would consider myself proud to have displayed the faith of the centurions in the Gospel. I want to be a centurion in that sense.
In today’s Gospel, a centurion’s faith led to a great miracle. Another display of a centurion’s great faith came at the foot of the cross in the Gospel according to Matthew, when he said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
I don’t want to focus on the faith so much, though it is an important component of both of these Gospel passages. Rather, I want to focus on the words spoken to Jesus on behalf of the centurion, when it is said, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.”
This is a man who knows who he is and who the Lord is. This is a man who sees who he is before the Lord. How I wish we could all see ourselves for who we are before the Lord! There is a slight problem, though, with the centurion seeing himself as unworthy of the Lord’s presence despite so desperately wanting his prayer to be answered. Jesus’ victory won for us on the cross makes us worthy, makes the centurion worthy. We are worthy to come to Him for all of our needs, great and small. Thankfully, Jesus sees past the self-declared lowly centurion and heals his slave.
Let us, first and foremost, take courage and display the faith of the centurion but may we also see who we are before the Lord and never be afraid to go to Him with our needs.
Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.
Feature Image Credit: Ross Cohen, https://unsplash.com/photos/JC-eGxsy7Yw
St. John Chrysostom: Saint of the Day for Monday, September 13, 2021
St. John, named Chrysostom (golden-mouthed) on account of his eloquence, came into the world of Christian parents, about the year 344, in the city of Antioch. His mother, at the age of 20, was a model of virtue. He studied rhetoric under Libanius, a pagan, the most famous orator of the age. In 374, he began to lead the life of an anchorite in the mountains near Antioch, but in 386 the poor state of his health forced him to return to Antioch, where he was ordained a priest. In 398, he …
A Prayer for the Gift of Wisdom: Prayer of the Day for Monday, September 13, 2021
Great is the wisdom of the Lord!
God Almighty, Your Wisdom includes
An understanding of what is fair,
What is logical, what is true,
What is right and what is lasting.
It mirrors Your pure intellect!
I entreat You to grant me such Wisdom,
That my labours may reflect Your insight.
Your Wisdom expands in Your creations,
Displaying complexity and multiplicity.
Your Wisdom is an eternity ahead of man.
May Your wisdom flourish forever!
Convicted
“If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
I have often considered this question since I first heard it many years ago. Some of the “evidence” that we are Christians might be the charitable work we do, such as helping to feed the poor. This kind of service elicits approval from others and is therefore comparatively easy to carry out. But living our Catholic faith should also challenge us significantly at times. We may even be perceived as trouble-makers…just like Jesus was.
Jesus is the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah in today’s First Reading. He was persecuted and misunderstood for what he said and did. He suffered because he was obedient to the Father, and if we want to follow Christ, we will suffer due to our obedience as well.
The first Christians were certainly persecuted for following Christ. The early followers of Christ talked about Jesus, preached about Jesus, and performed miracles in his name. They lived differently. There was plenty of “evidence against them,” and they sometimes suffered greatly for it. All but one of the apostles, for example, died a martyr’s death.
So how do we know what God is calling us to? How radical should we be as we seek to follow Christ? What if something we say or do draws blank stares, or offends someone, or worse?
There are several practical things we can do to discern what God is calling us to in the moment, and to find the courage to follow Christ wherever he may lead. Most importantly, we must open ourselves more fully, more continually, to the Holy Spirit and try to respond to his prompting. We must be willing to look like a fool for Christ! Also, when we feel intimidated in these situations, we can use the words of Scripture to strengthen ourselves. Today’s First Reading, for example, unites us with Christ as we pray, “The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced.”
If we come from a place of humility, love, prayer, and a strong sacramental life, God will give us the grace we need to live our faith more boldly and in a way that bears fruit.
Certainly we are called to serve God by coming alongside others in their need, loneliness, or trouble. But we must also be willing to do that which is less socially acceptable. The Suffering Servant is our model.
We welcome Christine Hanus as a new contributing author on our Diocesan team!
Feature Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio, https://www.pexels.com/photo/curious-isolated-young-woman-looking-away-through-metal-bars-of-fence-with-hope-at-entrance-of-modern-building-3808801/
St. Ailbhe: Saint of the Day for Sunday, September 12, 2021
Bishop and preacher, one of the saints whose life has been woven into the myths and legends of Ireland. He was a known disciple of St. Patrick, and is called Albeus in some records. What is known about Ailbhe is that he was a missionary in Ireland, perhaps sponsored by King Aengus of Munster. He was also the first bishop of Emily in Munster, Ireland. Legends and traditions abound about his life. One claims that he was left in the woods as an infant and suckled by a wolf. This legend is prompted …
Family Prayer Time: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, September 12, 2021
Father/Mother: Let us begin with the sign of the Cross.
All: In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
All: Dear Jesus,
we are here to spend a few minutes
with you in prayer.
We want to pray for ourselves,
our friends and neighbours
and for everyone in the world.
We know that you came
to call all of us to know,
love and serve your heavenly Father
so …
Producing Good
In the Gospel reading today, we hear a very fitting line for 9/11: “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil.”
Today, we remember with incredible sadness the events of 20 years ago, where evil took so many lives.
That day, and on every anniversary since, the people of this country have mourned as one. The tangible evidence of evil and hatred took root in our hearts that day, leaving us shaken and unable to forget what happens when evil rules.
But evil doesn’t have to have the last word. Nor does it have to rule us.
There were so many heroes that day—too many to count. But we thank God for them. And we know that we must focus on their actions as examples of what humanity is capable of rather than on the wicked actions of terrorists.
Through tears of grief, many of us found that we could lean on our families, lean on each other, and lean on God. We found that we didn’t want to allow evil to take hold. And we found that we can create good from something horrific.
So we take action to make today a brighter day because of the heroes. We make the world—or our small part of it—kinder so that we honor them and their sacrifice.
And we hope that this day becomes so much more than a remembrance of evil. We hope that it becomes a celebration of the people we lost that day and a celebration of the heroic acts of so many. And we hope that it serves as a reminder that life is short, that life is precious, and that God wants us to shine forth His goodness no matter what happens in life.
This day has become bittersweet in my family, for it is also my dad’s birthday. But since that day in 2001, I get the feeling that he doesn’t like to celebrate. Maybe he thinks: How can I be happy on the day something horrible happened?
I’m sure that is the feeling of anyone who remembers that day and who also shares a birthday today. It’s only natural to think that.
But we cannot allow the hatred of terrorists to outshine the life and love of people in our families. The celebration of someone’s birth is a tremendous blessing. And if we allow evil to take over a day so special, then the terrorists truly are winning.
So as we reflect on this tragic day, let us remember that a store of goodness produces good. Let us be that goodness—to our families, to our coworkers, to strangers, and even to people we don’t like—so that it can spring forth and bless the world around us.
And let us never forget to celebrate the lives of the people we love!
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.
Feature Image Credit: Exe Lobiaza, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/8953-devocion
St. Paphnutius: Saint of the Day for Saturday, September 11, 2021
The holy confessor Paphnutius was an Egyptian who, after having spent several years in the desert under the direction of the great St. Antony, was made bishop in the Upper Thebaid. He was one of those confessors who under the Emperor Maximinus lost the right eye, were hamstrung in one leg, and were afterwards sent to work in the mines. Peace being restored to the Church, Paphnutius returned to his flock, bearing all the rest of his life the glorious marks of his sufferings for the name of his …
Prayer of Praise: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, September 11, 2021
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.