St. Leo the Great: "Who was he? What made him so great?"

When the Catholic mission of St. Leo the Great was established by the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1968, Bishop Nold most likely chose the patron saint Pope Leo I because Centerville was the county seat of Leon County.  The Spanish word “león” is derived from the Latin declension of the name “Leo” as well as the Latin word for “lion.”  However, the connection is unclear of the 5^th century pope to Martín De León (of Texas history) or to the yellow wolf (“león”) of this region.

Leo was born in Tuscany in the early 400s.  He was elected pope in 440 after serving as a deacon in the Roman Church under Pope Celestine I.  Leo’s chief aim, as Successor of St. Peter, was to work for the unity of the Universal Church.  The two heresies called Pelagianism and Manichaeism threatened to tear the Church apart.  Pelagianism taught that Original Sin did not taint human nature and that the human will could choose the good without God’s grace.  Manichaeism, a Gnostic movement that had infiltrated Christianity, held that the human body and material creation was essentially evil (created by the evil god, satan) and that only spiritual creation was good (created by the good God).  These heresies risked diminishing the doctrine of the Incarnation and the need for a divine Savior.

In order to lead Christians to the truth and to protect them from error, Leo wrote (what is called) the “Tome”, which explained the two natures of Jesus Christ: human and divine.  Leo’s language was adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which taught that Jesus Christ, as one divine Person, is both true God and true man.  As true man, he has a human body and a rational soul, consubstantial with us in all things but sin, and Son of the Virgin Mary.  As true God, He is eternally consubstantial with God the Father and eternally begotten by the Father.  Leo was also protector of Rome from barbarian invasions.  In 452, he managed to stop Attila and the Huns from attacking Rome.  Attila allegedly saw a giant man (perhaps St. Peter or St. Paul) in priestly robes holding a sword behind Leo threatening punishment, and so Attila withdrew his forces.  In 455, Leo was able to dissuade the Vandals from murder and arson when they sacked Rome.

St. Leo the Great entered into eternal life on November 10, 461.  He is the patron saint against snakes and naughty children (good news for Centerville teachers!).  He and only one other pope, St. Gregory I, have merited to be called “great” in the history of the Church (with possibly the addition of John Paul II in our lifetime).  His life, teaching, and patronage reminds us that even here in Leon County, we are called to proclaim Jesus Christ as true God and true man, the only Savior of the world.  With Christ’s grace and the intercession of St. Leo, we not only protect ourselves against serpents and little rascals, but against the enemies to our salvation — allurements of the world, the flesh and the devil.  We are all called to holiness and courage in our faith, and when we are discouraged or attacked, we do not give up, but we remember St. Leo’s advice from his Christmas Day sermon:  “Christian, Remember your dignity.”

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" A Question of Faith

Sunday's readings can be found here.

When we were young and full of imagination, we all used to dream of what we wanted to be when we grew up.  We would say things like, “When I grow up, I want to be a policeman” or “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.”  Regardless of whether or not our dreams were fulfilled, the question still remains for us in terms of our Catholic faith — no matter what our age!  What do we want to be when we grow up?  The answer should be: a saint.

The feast of All Saints is a reminder to us that it is, indeed, possible to be a saint.  We do not mean this in a sanctimonious kind of way; we mean it in the most authentic way possible.  As we reflect on the Church Triumphant in heaven, we, who are the Church Militant on earth, look at their lives while they lived on earth and try to imitate their examples.  Some non-Catholics downplay the role of Catholic saints and may say, “Well, you can follow the life of a saint, but I follow the life of Jesus Christ.”  We also and above all follow the life of Jesus Christ.  But we look to the saints who lived their lives in Jesus Christ on earth to be examples to us of how we should live.  The saints show us concrete ways of living out the Beatitudes in our various states of life.  They show us examples of heroic virtue and holiness.  

For example, what does it mean to be a holy priest?  I look to the example of St. John Vianney, Don Bosco, St. Josemaría Escrivá.  What does it mean to be a holy wife, a holy mother?  Look to the example of the Blessed Virgin, St. Monica, St. Gianna Beretta Molla.  What does it mean to be a holy husband, a holy father?  Look to the example of St. Joseph, St. Thomas More and others.  These saints not only encourage us to holiness by their examples, but we have to trust that they pray for us in heaven as part of the Communion of Saints — that they are interceding for us before God the Father, through God the Son, and in God the Holy Spirit.  They want us to have what they had in this life: intimate relationship with the Holy Trinity that was radiated in charity for neighbor.

Even if we have done things in our life that are not Christ-like (that are not saintly) and even though we fail to live up to the upward calling in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14), we do not despair or give up.  We only look to such saints as Magdalene, Augustine, Francis, Ignatius of Loyola and others to show us that it is not too late to allow Christ to turn our lives around.  We can always make a good confession and begin again anew.  And with God’s help and grace, we can still be what we were always called to be — a saint!

A Personal Relationship Must Endure

A little over 15 years ago, I was received into the Catholic Church when I was in the 8th grade.  Before then, I had attended Baptist and other churches in the Tyler area.  My experience of Evangelical Christianity that I most appreciate is the constant emphasis of the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Of course, we as Catholics believe this too and always have believed this (even though our language about prayer life is different).  I think sometimes we shy away from using this kind of language about our faith – our relationship with Christ – because we have scruples of sounding too “Protestant.”  However, the substance of our faith – the motivation of our prayer – is that we believe God is not static (like an uninterested blob in outer space) but that He is essentially personal and relates to us in a personal way.

So, if our relationship with God is personal, what do we make of the “Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge” from last Sunday’s gospel (Luke 18:1-8)?  At first read, this parable seems a bit unkind.  As is often the case in the gospels, our Lord uses extremes to show us how God relates to us personally and how we should respond.  A widow in the ancient world was often powerless and vulnerable.  She represents us who are weak and dependent on God for everything.  Christ, in His intimate knowledge of human nature and in perfect humility, applies the unjust judge to God; He knows that in all times and in all places, people often blame God for the miseries of this life.  Nevertheless, the unjust judge [God] finally listens to the widow [us] and grants her [our] desire.  So, what does this curious parable tell us about a personal relationship with Christ?

We all know that we need to pray and that we need to pray more.  But the reality is that prayer is hard.  Sometimes we feel great about assisting the Mass, going to Eucharistic Holy Hours, praying our rosary — and sometimes the last thing we want to do (or can do) is pray.  We are too busy.  We do not always get what we ask for.  We do not always feel good.  Nevertheless, if we truly consider prayer a part of our relationship with the Lord, we know we need to do it anyway.  Just as constant dialogue is important to a healthy marriage or to a good friendship, so constant dialogue is essential to our most vital relationship — our relationship with God.

Someone might say, “Well, God knows what we need before we ask, so why bother?”  True, but we still need to ask.  Why?  Because prayer helps us clarify our desires, our petitions, our needs.  And sometimes, the answer we get is “No”, so constant prayer helps us to accept when God’s will is not our will.  From what has been gathered from her letters, Blessed [Mother] Teresa of Calcutta experienced almost no consolation from her prayer for almost 50 years, yet she persevered.  Her perseverance in prayer is what kept her focused on her mission and ultimately what made her a saint.  And if we persevere in prayer, God has the power to make us a saint too.  We only have to want it.

Not Just for Old Nuns!

In 1571, Pope St. Pius V used this weapon to defeat the Turks in the victory of Lepanto.  In the twentieth century, the popes used this weapon to defeat Hitler, and before the turn of the century, this weapon brought down the Berlin Wall.  This weapon is not the firearm or the canon or even the nuclear bomb.  This weapon is the most holy rosary!

However, many people have in their minds an image of praying the rosary that looks something like this: a pious little old woman, kneeling down, rattling off prayers before a crucifix, while beads of the rosary slip through her fingers.  While there are certainly examples of this in the ambiance of our faith, we have to get out of our minds that the holy rosary is something only for old nuns — or even a form of prayer that is not practical for modern people.  Maybe even we have tried the rosary and “not gotten anything out of it.”

Firstly, the rosary is a practical prayer for modern people.  We all agree that “A family that prays together stays together.”  The holy rosary is a practical prayer that should be prayed by the family (or a couple) everyday.  It only takes about 15-20 minutes when it is prayed vocally.  A family could pray just one or two decades in the beginning and gradually work up to the whole rosary.  It can be done in the family sitting room, the dinner table after supper, or even in the car for long drives.

Secondly, the holy rosary is a scriptural prayer.  Almost all the prayers – the Our Father, Hail Mary – come directly from Sacred Scripture.  Furthermore, once you have practiced praying the rosary (because like anything, to pray it well will take practice!), you will get past the vocal prayers to start to meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life — which are directly from the Holy Bible!  Praying the holy rosary everyday means you are praying with Scripture everyday!

Finally, the holy rosary is a powerful prayer.  The saints of the last millennium all prayed the holy rosary with deep fervor, countless miracles and conversions have happened, and lives have been changed.  Personally, when I started praying a daily rosary when I was a senior in high school, God started to speak to my heart and call me to His holy priesthood.  Some people in my life have had conversions when I prayed the rosary for them.  And praying the rosary everyday has ensured at least some daily scriptural meditation in my hectic life.

This prayer is not for little old ladies, it is not for pansies, and it is certainly not only a prayer of ages past.  This is our weapon against the world, the flesh, and the devil — and when we pray this prayer well and daily, we continue to give the victory to our Lord Jesus Christ through his most Blessed Mother, the ever-virgin Mary.  May the holy names of Jesus and Mary be praised now and forever. Amen.

The Pro-Life Movement is Making a Difference

A couple of weeks ago, two more abortion clinics (abortion mills) closed, which make a total of 44 abortion facilities closed this year.  Locally and historically, the ‘Planned Parenthood’ facilities of Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin are among those closed this year thanks to the work of our pro-life state legislators and Texas Right to Life.  Little by little, our prayers and peaceful activism are making a big difference in the lives of mothers and babies not just in Texas but across the nation.

Nevertheless, we need to be persistent because the battle is far from being over.  It is easy to talk about the need for the legal guarantee to the right to life, but it can be difficult to take a public stand.  That is why I think it is important to muster up some courage and keep the tradition of once a year having a public event in which we pray and show the local community that we as pro-life individuals are ready to make a sacrifice to build a culture of life.

            For the last two years, with the help of others, I have coordinated the Life Chain in Centerville.  I have gone around to different Christian communities in the area and spoken to the Centerville Ministerial Fellowship to get the support of other Christians.  I have also invited parishioners from St. Thomas More in Hilltop Lakes and St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Buffalo to join us to make this an event for all of Leon County.  Both years we have had over 45 people participate in the Life Chain — a peaceful, prayerful witness at the intersection of Highway 7 and Interstate 45.

 Together let us stand up for life and pray that our country will be less of a culture of death and more of a civilization of love.

What is Pope Francis’ Attitude Toward Pro-Life Issues?

Over a week ago, I received a number of calls and e-mails of people confused and upset over the news headlines: “Pope Says Church Should Stop Obsessing Over Gays, Abortion”; “Pope Francis interview: Forget homosexuality and birth control. He’s a flaming liberal”; etc.  I have to admit that even I had a difficult time making sense of the Pope’s comments.  (I really do not know any pro-lifer who thinks that abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception are the only issues.)  Even though I personally think the Holy Father could have been more fair in his assessment of his perceived excessive emphasis on these issues, he is really not saying anything new.  In fact, Carl Anderson (Supreme Knight of KofC) correctly notes that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said the same thing in 2006 — the only difference is that the mass media ignored it.  “Asked why [Benedict] hadn’t spoken about same-sex marriage, abortion, or contraception in a speech, he noted that ‘Catholicism isn’t a collection of prohibitions; it’s a positive option.’”

Fr. Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, highlights Pope Francis’ thought that the Church’s condemnation of abortion (and other anti-life practices) cannot simply stand alone but rather should be understood in the context of our teaching about who God is.  Fr. Pavone says, “This approach radically strengthens the Church’s opposition to abortion, because the Pope is saying not simply that it breaks the Fifth Commandment (‘You shall not kill’), but that more fundamentally it breaks the First Commandment (‘You shall not have other gods besides me’) and that to disrespect life is to abandon God himself.”  Funny enough, the day after the media reported all these outrageous headlines, they ignored Pope Francis’ speech to a group of Catholic gynecologists in which he said that abortion is a manifestation of a “throwaway culture” where the weak and vulnerable are simply discarded.  “Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who even before his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world,” the Pope said.

This Sunday’s gospel on “Lazarus and the Rich Man” (Luke 16:19-31) is a warning against comfortable apathy in the face of extreme poverty and injustice.  The Catholic Church teaches respect for the sacred dignity of life from “conception to natural death.”  This does not just mean “being against abortion, homosexuality and contraception”; it means working towards employment for the jobless, assistance to immigrants, availability of healthcare, and gracious treatment of the elderly.  Certainly, we do what we can to find political solutions and we hope to influence our culture and society to help facilitate these ends, but ultimately we are responsible for our own attitude towards human life.  It starts by how we treat each and every person God puts on our path (Luke 10:33) or places outside our door (Luke 16:20).

The Advantages of Being Catholic in Leon County, Texas

Sometimes we can take for granted the blessings of our Catholic faith living in a quiet, rural part of East-Central Texas.  While Leon County has never been known to be a very Catholic part of our great state, there are surprisingly several options when it comes to the practice of our faith.  There are three Catholic churches in Leon County: St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Buffalo, St. Leo the Great in Centerville, and St. Thomas More in Hilltop Lakes.  (Interestingly enough, these churches’ patron saints are individuals from different walks of life, ethnicities and time periods in the history of the Church.)  These churches respectively serve the northern, central and southern parts of Leon County.

Over the course of a weekend, at least six Masses are being offered in Leon County all at different times to accommodate the faithful.  These Masses are being offered in English and Spanish, and once a month in Latin (Extraordinary Form at St. Kateri).  The 2010 census reports that there are 16,801 residents in Leon County.  According to the Diocese of Tyler statistics, there are almost 500 Catholic families in Leon County.  Hypothetically, if there were three persons per family, then there would be around 1,500 Catholics in Leon County.  Therefore, 8.9% of Leon County would be Catholic, which is probably a bit of a stretch.  Nevertheless, what a blessing to have three Catholic churches to serve such a small number of Catholic residents!  During the week, there are at least seven daily Masses, four Eucharistic Holy Hours, and five hours of confession times being offered.  All three churches have a faith formation program for students and adults as well as some form of sacramental prep.  In the last two years, St. Kateri’s and St. Leo’s were renovated and St. Thomas More in Hilltop Lakes was built.  Therefore, not only do Catholics in this area have places to offer a sacrifice of praise, but they have sacred buildings of inspiring beauty and tranquility in which to do so.  How lovely is thy dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! (Psalm 84:1).

The various Catholic churches in Leon County offer Catholic Charities, Project Gabriel (assistance to women in crisis pregnancies), the annual Life Chain (pro-life witness this year Sunday, October 6, 2:30-4:00pm) and support for the inter-ministerial alliance (collaboration with other Christian denominations in the county).  If you look around the church on Sunday, you will see white, Latino, black, and even Asian people filling the pews — a sign of the universality of the Catholic Church.  All these things make me proud to be a Catholic and a priest in service to Christ’s flock in this part of Texas.  Nevertheless, in my day-to-day activities, I continue to meet Catholics who do not practice their faith regularly or who have been away from the Church.  I encourage them to return to their faith, to strengthen their relationship with Christ through the sacraments and prayer.  It is a reminder that we still have much work to do as Evangelical Catholics in Leon County.  Are we prepared to share this great treasure of our faith?  Sometimes all it takes is an invitation.  People may be surprised to know not only what we offer, but Whom we offer.