God Reminds Us to Be Patient

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 2, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Fr. John Paul Shea 

As we reflect on the readings for this 27th Sunday in Ordinary time we are once again given the opportunity to meditate on the importance of faith.

In today’s first reading we hear from the prophet Habakkuk. The particular concern for Habakkuk in this reading was the rise of Babylon. Babylon had emerged at that time as a great regional power and was threatening Judah, and the prophet doesn’t get why God isn’t doing anything.

Habakkuk cries out to God saying, “How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene… Destruction and violence are before me.”

If we listen to these lines, it sounds similar to what many of us can relate to in our time today. We watch the nightly news and our stomachs become sick. We hear constantly of such things as terrorism, murder, killing in our streets, and financial problems… All these sorts of things can weigh heavily on our souls. And, like Habakkuk, we find ourselves saying, “How long O’ Lord?” How long will these things go on? 

However, we are reminded from today’s reading that God’s plan takes time for its fulfillment and that we therefore need to have faith as we await God’s plan and His will to unfold. 

As the prophet Habakkuk cries out to the Lord in today’s first reading, God reminds him to be patient. God says to Habakkuk that His plan still has its time, and will not disappoint; it will surely come, it will not be late.

My brothers and sisters, today’s readings call us to reflect on the importance of faith. Faith is an act of trusting in God. To have faith means that we are open to what God will do in His time and His way for the greater good of our lives and the world around us. To have faith means that we realize that we are not in control of our lives and what takes place around us and that we therefore need to rely on God.

In today’s Gospel we hear the disciples ask Our Lord to increase their faith. Our Lord responds by reminding the disciples of the

power of faith. He says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Yet, our Lord does not stop there. Our Lord goes on to teach His disciples and us that we need to have an attitude of humility if we want to live in faith. Our Lord speaks about a servant and his master. Our Lord says, “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’?” 

Our Lord says, “So should it be with [us].” Our Lord says, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

My brothers and sisters, the real issue in the scene of today’s Gospel is not that the

disciples need more faith. The real issue is that they need to exercise the faith they have by recognizing that faith is a gift from God!

Therefore, if we too, want to grow in our faith then we too must have the attitude of a servant. If we want to grow in our faith than we must humble ourselves before God acknowledging that He alone is our master and that we are nothing without Him! 

When we do things on our own without God then we become faithless, proud, and disobedient. This is how it has been since the fall of mankind, and it is what we see around us today as we wait for our Lord Jesus to come again in glory. 

Our society today follows not the revelation of truths given to us by Our Lord. Our society today instead teaches us the lie that we are the master of our lives and that there are no external truths.

Even many Catholics today are conforming their hearts not to the revelation of our faith but instead toward the ways of the world. Instead of acknowledging that we are Our Lord’s unprofitable servants, and instead of striving to do all we are obliged to do in light of the faith handed down to us, many in our Church today instead act as if we are the masters of our faith and that our faith should conform to our will. 

A few weeks ago, for example, one of the vice presidential candidates for the upcoming election who claims to be a devoted Catholic stated publically that he believes that our Church will change its views on same sex marriage. This sort of thinking does not come from divine faith. The Church can’t change its teachings on marriage and sexuality because marriage and sexuality was given to us by God according to His design for His plan of life.

My brothers and sisters, the bottom line is that our faith does not come from human origin. Faith is not about trying to please the culture or about seeking to get the Church to revolve its teachings around the human person. No, faith is when a person accepts God’s revelation and strives to live according to God’s revealed truths. If we want to be strong in our faith than we must strive to serve God by following His plan of life as His unprofitable servants, recognizing that everything we have and are is a gift from God! For, when we surrender our lives to God and His revealed truths, than no difficulties, hardships, or influences of the world will

break apart the rock of salvation that has been planted in our hearts through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!

As we come to receive our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist this evening, let us set our hearts on the gift of faith. No matter what may be going on in our lives today, no matter the difficulties in our world and society, no matter who becomes president in the upcoming election, God is in control, and His grace will prevail! For, the world with its sin and hardships will pass away, but our faith in our Lord Jesus and His Truth will live forever. Amen!

I Cry Out to You Lord. But You Do Not Answer. Why, Lord, why?

 Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct. 2, 2016
St. John the Apostle Awasi Catholic Church, Kisumu Archdiocese, Kenya

In 600 BC, the Babylonians were the

Fr. Joe Mungai

dominant power in the Middle East with their capital very near modern day Bagdad. The prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1:2-3;2:2-4) who speaks to us in today's first reading, lived during the difficult period that began with the Babylonian army's first assault against the Holy Land in 604 BC, its capture of Jerusalem and its enslavement and exportation of many people to Babylon in 597 BC and the eventual total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple ten years after that. 

Habakkuk asks God for relief. God assures him it will come if the people just put their

trust in God. God even gave detailed instructions to the king through the prophet Jeremiah on how they could avoid disaster, but the king did just the opposite. As a consequence they suffered greatly under the Babylonians.

Don't despair seems to fit today's theme. You can certainly hear despair in today's first reading as Habakkuk prays: "How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen!" He is having quite a struggle with God. He goes on for several more verses telling God about all the things that are happening to the Jewish people. Not only were the Babylonians defeating every nation from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, but God's own people in Judea and Jerusalem had turned from their worship of God to idolatry, child sacrifice and disregard for the poor and disadvantaged. Habakkuk exclaims: "I cry out to you, Violence! But you do not intervene. "Why, Lord, why?"

God's answer always is "Trust, have faith, be patient." God's salvation will come when God thinks its the right time. God will not disappoint. Writing it down especially on tables of stone or clay, would symbolize permanence. Those struggling with faith need this reassurance for "The just one, because of his faith shall live." St Paul quotes this line twice in his letters and it applies to faith in Christ. (Rom 1:17 and Gal 3:11). Despair won't help anyone, only faith.

It took many years until "in the fullness of time" (Gal 4:4), God Himself appeared as the savior not just for the Jewish people but for all people. He began his saving work when he came to live among us, but he has not finished. So we continue to need faith until God's kingdom of eternal peace has been fully established. The apostles did have a sense that what Jesus was asking of them would require a lot of faith. In today's gospel we hear them asking Jesus to increase their faith. (Luke 17:5-10)

The little lesson at the end of the gospel where we are told to do what we are expected to do is a little lesson in humility. It is also a lesson in faith insofar as the only way we can increase our faith is to live it (taking time to pray, read Scripture and as we are doing now, coming to Mass).

If we do not live it, it will be like muscles we don't use and they will atrophy. I see it happen to people so many times. Another thing we can do is what we hear in today's second reading (2 Timothy 1:6-8.13-14): "Take as your practice the sound words that you heard from me."  

Words are so important, especially the things we tell ourselves. A whole area of counseling has developed around this idea of how what we tell ourselves affects our mood. It's called cognitive therapy. What we tell ourselves also affects our faith. If we always tell ourselves negative things such as "God doesn't hear my prayers; God isn't here when I come to Church," we are going to believe those things. 

We should tell ourselves what we hear from the Scriptures: "God does love me; Christ died for me; Christ hears me when I pray, even when he says 'no,' Christ truly comes to me in the Eucharist," etc. Telling ourselves those things, especially when we don't feel it, or when the devil whispers doubts in our ears, helps strengthen our faith. 

Jesus tells us with faith as small as a mustard seed we can do amazing things. Amen.

The Cardinal and the Little Flower: 20th Anniversary of the International Theological Institute

by Susan Fox

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 18: 1-4)

Trumau, Austria -- In 1961, I was a young girl sitting on the floor in the family room in Placentia, California, 

St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Carmel

engrossed in reading the life of St. Theresa of Lisieux contained in my Catholic children’s Treasure Chest magazine.

Little Therese was playing on her swing at the age of four, and ignored her father’s request for a hug. So he went back into the house. This pierced her heart so deeply she jumped off the swing and ran to greet her beloved father. So began the Little Way of holiness of the future doctor of the Catholic Church, Therese of Lisieux.  

I was about eight years old, and at that age, she became my big sister. I had no other sibling, so she held a very important place in my heart. 

Little did I know that my devotion to big sister Therese would blossom into my attending graduate school now in Trumau, Austria, later in life. Here today, on Oct. 1, 2016,  the Little Flower of Carmel became my mother.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical International Theological Institute (ITI) by Pope Saint John Paul II. 

We celebrated this great event with numerous priests and bishops of both the Roman and Byzantine Rites and Cardinal Christoph

Cardinal Schönborn at ITI today

Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and Grand Chancellor of the ITI. 

He gave the homily at Mass today celebrating the Great Feast of St. Theresa of Lisieux, and the anniversary of our school.

He said when Pope John Paul II asked for a pontifical institute in Austria, the Congregation for the Catholic Education picked the date the school would be started, and it was Oct. 1. “The Little Flower is the founding date of the ITI,” he said. “We saw it as a sign to be under her protection. She was our first Patron.”

So Theresa’s “Way of the Child” became the way of ITI, Cardinal Schönborn explained, “The Little Way is to be like a child in the arms of the Father.” He also explained it the way St. Theresa herself did. By doing little acts with great love, you enter an elevator (the

Cardinal Schönborn speaking about St. Therese at Mass  on Oct. 1, 2016

Father’s arms) and He brings you up. She developed this method of holiness because she felt she could not — by herself — become a saint. And Therese passionately longed for holiness. 

“St. Theresa wants to be a child, but she also wants to be a mother,” The Cardinal said. “And ITI is full of children. You are in good company.”

He then told the story of St. Theresa’s first child  Henri Pranzini, serial killer whose brutal murder of two women and a little girl shocked the people of France in 1887.

One woman “was found on the floor of her chamber dead, her throat cut and her body terribly mutilated. Lying near the door leading from the chamber to the drawing room was the dead body of Annette, whose throat had also been cut, and in her bed in another apartment was little Marie . . . her head almost severed from her body by the murderer’s knife. It was obvious that Annette had gone to the rescue . . . and had been struck down by the assassin, and that the little girl had been murdered to put out of the way the only other witness of the terrible crime.”

Therese Martin — then 14 years old — read the account in a newspaper. “Everything led to the belief that he would die impenitent. I wanted at all costs to keep him from falling

into hell, and to succeed I employed all means imaginable, feeling that of myself I could do nothing. I offered to God all the infinite merits of Our Lord,” she wrote in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul.

As the time of his execution approached, Pranzini remained unrepentant. Little Therese increased her prayers. He was brought before the guillotine on Aug. 31. He refused

confession, but at the last minute  before he was to put his head in the guillotine, he took hold of the crucifix and kissed the Wounds of Christ three times!

Therese understood this to mean that Pranzini was saved from hell, and she called him her “premier enfant” — my first child. “I want to spread the Blood of Jesus over the whole world, so Divine Love may touch all souls,” the Vienna Cardinal said quoting St. Theresa.

Then he told the students and those gathered to celebrate the ITI anniversary, “So don’t be afraid to be under the protection of the Little Flower. You are in good company with Pranzini.” His remark was met with gentle laughter. Regarding ITI, the cardinal said, “He (Jesus) is really leading it.” 

Since ITI was founded, 269 students from 30 countries have graduated. Our students study primary sources written by great masters of the Western tradition. The library is so full of great books that my husband, Lawrence, wants to spend his vacations reading there. 

The international character of the school allows students to experience the genuine beauty of the Universal Church with both Eastern and Western traditions. 

We have a rich community of priests from both the Latin and Byzantine Rite, seminarians, religious, married families, and lay single.

ITI offers all a solid theological education, ending in a Master of Sacred Theology, Licentiate in Sacred Theology (allows you to teach in seminary), Doctorate in Sacred Theology and Master of Studies in Marriage and Family. We also have a one-year course for people graduating from high school, known as the Studium Generale. This offers me no end of delight because I love these young people and their enthusiasm. 

Cardinal Schönborn, The Grand Chancellor,  and St. Therese, patroness of ITI, with friends 

Susan Fox is working on a master's degree in Marriage and Family at the International Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria. 

Interested in studying at the International Theological Institute? You can apply here.

Each student at ITI is only charged 6,000 Euros a year in tuition, but the actual cost of the education is 20,000 Euros.
Donate here

Or contact: Dipl. Ing. Alexander Pachta-Reyhofen, Director of Development (Europe), International Theological Institute, Email: a.pachtareyhofen@iti.ac.at

Woe to the Complacent Lying on Beds of Ivory!

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 25, 2016

St. John the Apostle Awasi Catholic Church, Kisumu Archdiocese, Kenya

"Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall! They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph! Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with. (Amos 6:1a, 4-7)

Today again we listen to the prophet Amos. His words are directed to the Judeans, those living in the southern kingdom of Israel. He addressed them as "the complacent in Zion." (Zion is another name for Jerusalem).

Perhaps this warning came after the Assyrians destroyed the Northern kingdom of Israel which in today's reading is called "Joseph." Joseph is the name of the patriarch who was sold into slavery by his brothers, ending up next to Pharaoh in power in Egypt.

Many of his descendants had settled in the northern portion of Israel, which the Assyrians destroyed. The complacent in Jerusalem were living pampered, comfortable lives paying no attention to the devastation of the north and not concerned that their own country was headed towards the same fate because of their social and moral depravity. Amos' words proved true.

A lot of people say "money is the root of all evil," thinking they are quoting the Bible. But what the Bible actually says in 1Tim 6:10 is that "the love of money is the root of all evil."

Jesus never condemned the wealthy for having wealth. He condemned them for letting

Fr. Joe Mungai visiting the United States

wealth cause them to forget about God who had blessed them so generously.

It is like the farmer we heard about several weeks ago. He had such a great harvest that he had to tear down his barns to build bigger ones and he gave no thought to the afterlife.

Jesus condemned the wealthy for letting their wealth lead them into dishonesty like the unjust steward we heard about last week.

This week Jesus condemns the wealthy because they let money turn them into complacent self-centered persons like the man in today's gospel, (Luke 16:19-31), who commits the sin of indifference. 

Lying at his door every day was the poor man, Lazarus, covered in sores, who would have gladly eaten the scraps from the rich man's table. 

Today's parable would have been quite a shock for the Pharisees who heard it. For in those days, many people thought a wealthy man was a good person, whom God favoured. If a person was poor, sick or infirm, they were assumed to be sinners, whom God was punishing. 

But things didn't work out that way for the rich man, who ignored Lazarus and ended up in a place of torment when he died. 

This is the kingdom that Jesus preached. Those who wish to be part of this kingdom must love God and neighbor.  Love is not a warm fuzzy feeling, but a willingness to make sacrifices for others. 

Jesus did ask some to give everything away, but not all. He told everyone to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

What should the rich man have done? Jesus doesn't give us a specific answer. Perhaps he wants us to ask ourselves what we might have done if we were in his place. 

He does hint at the answer later in the parable. The rich man wanted Lazarus to visit his brothers and warn them about how they should be living. Jesus said they have Moses and the prophets, that is, they have the Scriptures to guide them. If they don't pay attention to the Scriptures, they probably won't be impressed by someone who rises from the dead. 

In reading the Holy Scriptures, we are constantly reminded of God's love for the poor. We are invited to share with the needy and learn how to live generously so that others may live. 

Money is a good servant when properly used, but becomes a tyrant when it controls our lives. To hear the voice of God in Holy

Is money your boss? 

Scripture, we must take time to study, pray and live it.

In Jesus' days, people never knew what was going on elsewhere in the world. Now with the internet we know the instant earthquakes, tsunami, drought, and other catastrophes happen and leave countless people dead and  homeless. 

Knowing all this can make us feel guilty. But we can't help everyone. I try to help people in need according to my time and resources, according to their need and according to the responsibility I may have toward them. 

Charity does begin at home, but it does not stay there. If we all tried to do what we can,  we would be more peaceful within ourselves and beginning with our own communities the whole world would be transformed with love.  

As we come to the Eucharist today, remember where our blessings come from and offer thanks to God. We ask God to help us in the days ahead when we might be in need. Amen

Fr. Joe Mungai was first mentioned on this blog in I Was Thirsty and You Gave Me to Drink

Why It's Still Planet Earth! Catholic Education in Austria

by Susan Fox

“Kumbaya my lord, Kumbaya
Kumbaya my lord, Kumbaya
Kumbaya my lord, Kumbaya
O Lord Kumbaya”   

Listen HERE while you read

Why it’s still planet earth!

The moon looks exactly the same! There are real people and they are willing to try to speak English.

I have learned to say “God’s Greeting” in German. “Grouss Gott!” It’s the only thing I can say in German except “Machts nichts!” It doesn’t matter.

My husband counsels me to use that latter phrase sparingly

Susan and Lawrence Fox on the way to Seattle to
take a plane to Austria Aug. 15, 2016.

in the right context.

Lawrence — the husband in question — and I have landed at the International Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria, for our first semester of graduate study in theology. The school was founded by Pope Saint John Paul II to help prepare Catholics for the New Evangelization. The world is asleep! We will shake them awake.

This blog has been very quiet over the summer as we sold our house in Denver, Colorado, disposed of all our belongings and like Abraham and Sarah set out for a land that is not our own, hopefully according to God’s call.

I left my easy chair in Denver as I explained on Mardi Gras 2014 “LENT AGAIN: Fast from Your Easy Chair. Put on Christ!”

I landed in Paradise. Around our apartment there grows rosemary, chives, sage, thyme, strawberries, tiny kiwis, plums and pears — all free and available to the enterprising student who likes to cook (like me). And I didn’t have to plant them! After creating vegetable gardens in most of my recent homes, I really appreciate that someone else does the work and all I have to do is harvest. 

Sometimes I don’t even have to harvest, for one of the students knocked on my door the other day and handed me a giant jar of plum jam made from the plums in our communal garden. Another gave me hedgerow berry jam she made in the UK. Can life be any sweeter?

When I go to the drug store and the clerk says something in German that I don’t understand, I say, “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” Two days ago I asked the question and two women in line behind me passionately volunteered to translate for me. I was overwhelmed with their generosity.

At Mass on Sunday, we celebrated the harvest at the Trumau parish church. They handed out delicious grapes after Mass. At Mass, there was the most beautiful 32-person choir I have ever heard. Lawrence and I were stunned when their opening song was Kumbaya in English, a standard spiritual sung around the campfires of America since the 1950s, during which time both Lawrence and I were born. (I won’t tell you who was born first.)

We have lovely liturgies daily in English (the Byzantine Rite), Latin (the Roman Rite) and German (also Roman Rite).

Father Lukasz gives his first blessing as a priest
in the new Byzantine Chapel at ITI.

Today a young priest said his first Mass for us and we received his blessing.

On Oct 1, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn will dedicate our new Byzantine Chapel and the Archdiocese of Vienna has promised to give us first class relics of both St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Chrysostom!

I have fallen in love with the Akathist Hymn of the Byzantine Rite, which is a sung litany to Mary. It is the loveliest song I’ve ever heard. We have it every Wednesday night with confession.

Along with the easy chair, I gave up the big French peasant sink, the garbage disposal, screens on our windows and two separate private offices. But, hey, who wants to be turned

In lieu of garbage disposals, Austrians make their own
compost, a process that fascinates the author

into a pillar of salt? (Lot’s wife looked back as her family escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah, and so she became a pillar of salt.) Or who wants to be like the Children of Israel in the Book of Exodus grousing because they can’t have meat and onions like they ate when they were slaves in Egypt? They ate well while their newborn sons were murdered by the Egyptian Pharoah. Put your hand to the plow and don’t look back — that’s my motto.

What I gave up in the United States is very small in exchange for so much happiness. 

I am making a ton of new friends, young and old. We have served dinner in our apartment to Catholic youth from Singapore, Germany, Holland and Australia. We have socialised with countless others from Ireland, Syria, China, California, Lithuania, Slovakia, Austria, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. Every one spoke of their homes where Catholics are poorly catechised and ignorant of their faith. The whole world is awash in spiritual apathy! Our new young friends all confided they wanted to learn their faith well so they could share it in their native countries, and elsewhere in the world.

These Catholic youth literally want to save the world! The story of each one is unique, but it comes down to the same bottom line. Evidence of their youthful enthusiasm and sacrifice fills me with joy. The International Theological Institute is a bit of Eden on earth.

Did you know Eden was an actual physical place? The geographic description of the Garden of Eden is in Gen. 2:10-15.

“A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.”

Amazingly the description of the Land God promised to Abraham and his descendants — the Holy Land — is the same place!

“Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.” (1Kings: 4:20-21)

That is what is called the literal sense of Scripture. It describes an historical fact. But what happens to the literal geographic Promised Land when God makes it holy? It becomes a spiritual place where man dwells with God like in Eden. God pitched His tent among men. That is His plan. He wants to live with us.

“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land… and they will be My people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 37:21,23)

The land is holy and God wants all there to put away their idols and live a holy life. So He gives them the 10 Commandments, a place to live (Paradise on earth), and asks them to worship Him alone.

So follows in the Old Testament, the life and death story of a people who fell away from God, had bad things happen, and then repented and returned to Him until finally some rejected and killed God’s own Son. The Temple — their place of dwelling with God — was destroyed in 70 AD.

This is the story of all men without Christ.

This is the story of our world today. The Catholic youth here attest that is taking place in their home lands. I know it is also occurring in the United States. 

It is most apparent in the tragic story of the wars convulsing the Middle East. These conflicts threaten to wipe out all of the Christians in that ancient land.

“Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the land.” (Matt 5:5) If we lived Christ's words in His Sermon on the Mount, humanity would not be facing such tribulation.

The Land was everything for the children of Israel: family, safety, peace with God. For the Christian, who worships God in Spirit and Truth, it is — spiritually — God Himself. 

Other religions expect carnal delights in the next life, but Christians expect to receive the reward of God Himself.

I once had a dream about this third beatitude taught by Jesus Christ.

In the dream, a priest entered and found me and my friends asleep on a giant bed in Mercer Island, Washington, USA. He said, “You are asleep!” I literally was asleep. But he meant I was not watchful, waiting for the coming of the Lord.

He took me outside to the front of the house — a huge mansion. He pointed to a vague area behind the house, which looked like a giant vacant lot. It went on for miles. Ah, the Land!

And he said, “You like dessert. Go to the back of the house (the Land), and I will meet you there and give you dessert.” Then he went back into the house. 

I do love dessert and so I was motivated to achieve this goal. But the Land appeared to be a long way away as it was a very big house.  I looked around and one of my friends was sitting on an adult-sized tricycle. I pushed her off the bike, (I wasn’t meek). I hopped on the vehicle and began peddling my way to the back of the house where the Land lay. Of course, I woke up before I could get there because obviously I wasn’t ready for it. If I were ready, I would not have pushed my sister off the tricycle. That is the action of a child. 

Years later in real life, I must have made some progress on the third beatitude because the same priest walked past my table and gave me half his dessert. People around me were shocked by his action, but I was thrilled.

Now I find myself receiving the Land that was promised to me in the dream. This is the dessert: the people with me here are God’s children, and we are studying the very inner life of God Himself and His Household. Nothing happens accidentally, all is given providentially.

"The Fathers of the Church distinguish between theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia). "Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and "economy" to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #236)

Blessed Karl von Habsburg,
the last emperor of Austria-Hungary,
and his bride Zita,
smile benignly down on me
in the ITI classroom dedicated
to his name

Here in Trumau, we dwell together with God in a stunningly real way. It is part of the charism of the school, which grants three canonical degrees in Sacred Theology, studies the original writings of the great Masters of Theology, in addition to Sacred Scripture, especially the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and offers a rich Catholic community that lives and prays together in close proximity. Students from all over the world and Eastern Europe provide us with a genuine experience of the universal church, which must "breathe with both lungs" East and West (Pope Saint John Paul II).

It is heaven on earth.

And the classes — conducted as lecture and discussion seminars — are Wunderbar!

We Did It!

Lawrence and Susan Fox both graduated on June 8, 2019 magna cum laude! Larry received a Master's in Sacred Theology and Susan  received a Master's in Marriage and Family. We will stay here two more years while Larry finishes his licentiate. Susan will take classes in Scripture and the Early Church Fathers. 

Lawrence Fox prays at the Grotto of the Sorrowful
Mother in Portland, Oregon, Aug. 15, 2016 on
our journey to Austria. We left Denver, Colorado in late July,
and flew out of Seattle, Washington, Aug 23. Note the picture in the
background of Our Lady and St. Joseph's flight
into Egypt to escape Herod.

Interested in studying at the International Theological Institute? You can apply here.
Each student at ITI is only charged 6,000 Euros a year in tuition, but the actual cost of the education is 20,000 Euros.
Donate here

Or contact: Dipl. Ing. Alexander Pachta-Reyhofen, Director of Development (Europe), International Theological Institute, Email: a.pachtareyhofen@iti.ac.at

The Cross and The Rosary

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 19, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

In today’s Gospel passage (Luke 9:18-24), Our Lord Jesus teaches us about true discipleship. 

In today’s Gospel Our Lord Jesus Christ asks His disciples who people are saying He is. And His disciples reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’"

Yet, as Our Lord hears the answers of what other’s think about His identity, He does not stop there. Jesus wants to know who His disciples think He is. “But who do you say that I am?” And, Peter answers,“You, are the Christ of God.”

My brothers and sisters, Our Lord is asking us the same question. “Who do you say that I am?”

Now, if we sincerely acknowledge that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, then we must also acknowledge what Our Lord says next in today’s Gospel.

He taught them that He must suffer and die,  be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and rise on the third day. He adds, if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must take up his cross daily and follow Me. 

This is true discipleship. If we if we want to live a Christian life, than we have to make a choice. If we want to follow Him, we must reject whatever is in our lives or the world that is not of Christ.

There are many examples of what this means. One example I will relate in light of the times in which we live today is a person who experiences same sex attraction. Like all Catholics, such a person is equally called to live chastely. To pick up his or her cross is to strive to lively chastely and to reject the gay identity  that our society would force us to embrace. 

Fr John Paul Shea 

My brothers and sisters, the overall message of today’s Gospel is  to live as Christians we must reject whatever leads us away from eternal salvation. 

Maybe we have to deny our pride. Or, maybe we have to deny acting out on our anger. Maybe we have to deny turning on the computer because we know it will lead us into temptation. Or maybe we have to deny an unhealthy relationship with another person. Whatever the case, today’s Gospel teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not something that is automatically given. No! The Kingdom of Heaven is something we must choose to receive by making changes in our lives today.

To deny ourselves and pick up our cross is not easy because we live in a culture that sees  the cross of Christ as foolishness. Our culture teaches us the easy way. We don’t have to take the responsibility that comes with marriage. Just live together. Our culture tells us that we don’t have to worry about

pregnancy. Use contraception. Should that fail, we can abort. Our culture teaches us there is no sacrifice in marriage. Just get a divorce.

Yet, as Christians we are called to deny the ways of the world opposed to our Christian faith! We are called to remain faithful to Our Lord and take up our crosses each day so to be numbered among His chosen ones. As long as we remain faithful to Our Lord we will share in his victory. But if we deny our Lord He will deny us.

We see so much wrong in our society and world today. We heard of the recent shootings in Orlando. We hear of shootings in our schools, and we wonder how such tragedies can take place in our country. Evils abound in our world today because our world has turned away from God! We witness such evils because we deny the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

The children of today are growing up with no morals. They are growing up with no

discipline. Instead of being taught to pick up their cross and follow Our Lord, the majority of children in our society are being taught to pick up nothing but their cell phone or computer and to follow the world.

Yet, this world we live in today is passing away, and it is taking many souls with it. In fact, we live in a time when many souls risk eternal damnation. Our Blessed Mother taught the children at Fatima to make sacrifices and to pray the Rosary because many souls are going to hell.

My brothers and sisters, today more than ever is the day for each one of us to seek conversion in our lives. If we want to be disciples then we have to make a decision. Let us be true disciples, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. For whoever wishes to save his life in this world will lose his life for eternity. But whoever loses his life in this world for the sake of Our Lord will find the gift of life eternal. Amen.