May2, 2021
5^th Sunday of Easter – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

In the second half of the 20^th century, especially in the 1960’s and 1970’s there was a big emphasis on the need for self-esteem.  The state of California even had some educational programs to increase the self-esteem of students.  While low self-esteem can cause problems for a person, too much self-esteem is not good, either.  Spiritual writers call excessive self-esteem pride.  In one experiment in California students took an exam.  The first half of the exam was graded, and the results were given to the students and to their mothers.  There were two groups of students:  a group of students that had American mothers, and a group of students that had Chinese mothers.  The students with American mothers were praised by their mothers, even if they did not do well on the exam.  The students with Chinese mothers were told by their mothers to do better on the second part of the exam.  These students did 33% better on the second part of the exam, which was more than double the improvement of students with American mothers.  Pride can prevent us from doing as well as we can.  Or, in terms of the Gospel reading today, pride can prevent us from producing good fruit.  At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples and us that he is the vine and we are the branches.  We are instructed to produce good fruit, but to do this some things are needed.  (1) We have to abide in Jesus, (2) we need to be pruned, and (3) we need to persevere in doing good deeds, even if we don’t feel like doing so.

First of all, we are told that we need to remain in Jesus, that is, we need to turn to Jesus for the help that we need.  Jesus says that just as a branch on a vine cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so we must remain in Jesus to produce good fruit.  Without him we can do nothing.  If we try to do good on our own strength, we will fall short.  As Americans, we are often taught to be self-reliant and to do things on our own.  But spiritually, this can be dangerous.  It is a form of pride.  We need to have a close relationship with Jesus to be fruitful.  The reception of the Sacraments, especially, the Eucharist, and a strong prayer life can help us to grow in holiness and to do things that will benefit others.  Pride can limit our growth. 

Secondly, we need to be pruned to produce more fruit.  I don’t know much about growing grapes, but apparently grape vines need to be pruned so that they can produce good grapes.  Pruning involves not only cutting off unproductive vines but also trimming productive branches so that they can become even more productive.  Pruning is also needed in our spiritual lives.  Some of the pruning we can do on our own, such as practicing self-denial in regard to food and drink and also by cutting back on some activities, such as watching TV or spending time on the Internet.  I saw an article in the Catholic newspaper for the Fargo Diocese that mentioned that a religion teacher in Rugby persuaded juniors and seniors in the parish religion program to go without their cell phones for a week to see what difference it made.  Several students said that doing this helped them to spend more time with their family and other people.  As disciples of Christ, we are asked to set aside things that can interfere with our spiritual growth.  When monks come to a monastery, they leave many things behind to focus on God and on their faith.  Sometimes, the circumstances of life help us to be pruned.  The Fargo Diocesan paper also mentioned that a young man who was a college student had a rather serious car accident last fall.  He was fortunate to survive, but he had to spend several weeks in the hospital.   Eventually, he got out of the hospital and gave a personal testimony at his parish church.  He mentioned that before his accident, he went to Mass on Sunday, but that was about it as far as his spiritual life was concerned, although he came from a large Catholic family.  He went on to say that now he prays several times a day and does not take life for granted anymore.  Our own circumstances in life, such as illness, personal struggles, or the demands of our job or family life can help to prune us so that we can be more productive.

Lastly, we need to persevere in doing good deeds to be productive.  Our second reading today from the First Letter of John tells us, “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”  There is a danger that we judge our spiritual life by our feelings.  If we get a positive feeling when we pray, we probably will continue to pray.  But often there may not be much emotional benefit from praying, and we may become discouraged.  To produce good fruit, we have to be guided by the will of God, even if it goes against our feelings.  A saint that we honored recently was St. Catharine of Siena who lived in the 14^th century.  At the age of 18, she dedicated herself to God and became a Third Order Dominican, which allowed her to remain at home and associate with other women who were also Third Order Dominicans.  Saint Catherine developed a very close relationship with Christ, but at age 21, she discerned a call to spread her faith to others, even by preaching.  She resisted this call at first, but she realized that it was the will of God, and she began to be more active in reaching out to other people.  She even wrote letters to popes and other prominent people and was a spiritual director for several people.  Saint Gregory the Great in his work On Pastoral Care said. “It is therefore prudent not to look at the good one has done, but at what one has neglected to do.”  Even if we have performed good deeds in the past, there is still much that needs to be done.

In our Mass today, let us give thanks that Jesus has won salvation for us and that he has called us to be his disciples.  May we remember that he is the vine and we are the branches, and that without him we can do nothing.  We pray that we can have a close relationship with Christ and bear good fruit.  We ask the Lord to prune us so that we produce even more good fruit.  We ask also for the grace to persevere in doing good deeds so that we continue to be bear good fruit, even when our feelings may oppose us.  We pray that with the Lord’s help we will be fruitful disciples and someday be welcomed into Christ’s kingdom forever.
 

April 25, 2021
4^th Sunday of Easter - Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

It may be hard to believe, but Saturday, April 24 was graduation day at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.  It actually was a double graduation, as there were ceremonies both for the graduates of 2020 and 2021, as it was not possible to have graduation ceremonies last year due to the COVID-19 virus situation.  About twenty years ago, the University of Mary adopted the theme of “America’s Leadership University.”  This seem strange at first glance, as the University of Mary has few graduates who would be leaders in the secular world.  However, the University of Mary was referring to “Servant Leadership,” which takes Jesus as the model to follow.  On the 4^th Sunday of Easter each year, we have the theme of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  The Gospel passage today, from the middle of the Good Shepherd discourse in Chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel, gives us some idea of what makes Jesus the Good Shepherd, and it also gives us some idea of what we, his followers, are to do in our own lives.  Some of the reasons that Jesus is the Good Shepherd are (1) he is willing to lay down his life for his sheep; (2) he knows his sheep, and they know him; and (3) he is concerned for the sheep that do not belong to his flock.

So, first of all, Jesus is concerned about his flock, and he is willing to lay down his life for them.  He is not like a hired man, who works for pay and who runs away when there is danger.  Shepherds were quite common in ancient Israel.  King David started out as a shepherd.  Yet, being a shepherd could be dangerous in that the flock could be attacked by thieves or wild animals.  A shepherd had to risk his life to protect his flock, and he could be killed while defending his sheep.  In the Old Testament, shepherds were a role model for political and religious leaders, who were expected to care for the people they served.  Unfortunately, in ancient Israel, as in other countries, the leaders often sought their own interest rather than the good of the people.  In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 34, the shepherds, that is, the leaders of the people, were criticized, and the Lord promises to lead the people himself and to appoint a shepherd to rule over them.  At the time of Jesus, the political and religious leaders did not seem to be concerned for the good of the people.   Jesus declared himself to be the one God has sent, and he proves this by willing to suffer and die for the good of the people.

Secondly, Jesus claims that he knows his sheep, and they know him.  Shepherds in ancient Israel had a name for each member of the flock, and the individual sheep could recognize the voice of the shepherd, especially when the shepherd called them by name.  The sheep would follow after their shepherd, but not after the voice of a stranger.  Jesus came to be the savior of the human race, as our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reminds us.  Jesus desires to enter into a personal relationship with us.  One unusual candidate for beatification is a man named Jacques Fesch, who lived in France in the 20^th century.  Jacques Fesch attempted a robbery in Paris in 1954, but he failed in the attempted robbery.  While running away he shot and killed a policeman.  Jacques Fesch was sentenced to die, but the appeal process took some time.  When Jacques Fesch killed the policeman, he declared himself to be an atheist.  But as he stayed in his prison cell and began to read books, he began to rediscover God.  He became convinced that God did exist, and he began to develop a personal relationship with Christ.  He even helped those close to him to become active in the Catholic faith.  Jacques Fesch was executed in 1957, but in 1987 the archbishop of Paris began a diocesan inquiry into his life and holiness.  The cause for Fesch’s beatification was formally opened in 1993.  Jesus desires a personal relationship with us, and he is willing to forgive our past sins and to help live a holy life.  Jesus calls us to become children of God, as the second reading today from the First letter of John tells us. The Sacraments and spiritual exercises can help us in this process.

Lastly, Jesus shows concern for those who do not belong to his fold.  He says that he must lead them also, and thus there will be one flock, one shepherd.  The early Church started in Jerusalem, and the apostles and other members were Jewish people.  But eventually, the Church began to include Gentile or non-Jewish people, and the Church began to spread around the world.  This month is the 500^th anniversary of the first Mass and Baptism in the Philippine Islands.  The Philippines now have about 108 million people and over 80 % of the people are members if the Catholic Church.  Millions of Catholic people from the Philippines have moved to other countries and have continued to be active in their faith there.  We who are members of the Church are called to share our faith with others by word and action.  We are also called to show concern for people who do not share our faith and who may belong to other religions.  Pope Francis wrote a recent encyclical called Fratelli Tutti, which roughly translated means “Brothers and Sisters, All.”  It is a phrase taken from Saint Francis of Assisi.  Pope Francis tells us that we should have a sense of solidarity with all people in world, no matter who they are.  There are many people in the world today who may need assistance in some way.  We are asked to help them, if it is possible.

In our Mass today we are reminded that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calls us to follow him and to share his life in a personal way.  Let us be thankful that Jesus came to save us and laid down his life on our behalf.  Let us pray that we will be faithful disciples of Jesus and be able to share our faith and concern for others by our words and example.

 

April 18, 2021
3^rd Sunday of Easter – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

Although we did have some moisture this past week, we are in the midst of a drought, which could be serious if it continues.  I saw a story recently about a Midwestern town some years ago that was experiencing a severe drought.  A local pastor decided to lead a prayer service asking God for rain.  He invited all the local people to come, and he asked them to bring some symbol of faith with them.  So, many people came, and they brought prayer books, Bibles, crosses, statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other symbols of faith.  Finally, a small girl came to the front with her symbol of faith.  She opened up a brightly colored umbrella.  She had faith that God would provide rain.  Today we are called to have faith and to bring some symbol of our faith.  As disciples of Jesus, we are called to believe that he rose from the dead.  We are also called to believe that we will receive forgiveness of our sins through our faith.  Lastly, we are to believe that we are sent forth to share our faith with others, to lead them to faith in Christ.

Our Gospel reading for this Sunday gives us the Gospel of Luke’s account of the appearance of Jesus to his disciples on the first Easter Sunday.  Saint Luke’s account is similar to that of the Gospel of John, which we heard last Sunday.  Saint Luke does not mention the apostle Thomas, but he does have Jesus appearing at an evening meal.  When Jesus appears to the disciples, they are frightened, and they thought that they were seeing a ghost, that is, the spirit of a departed human being.  But Jesus convinces them that he is real and that he is standing before him.  He showed them his hands and his side, and ate a piece of baked fish.  The resurrection of Jesus was something new and different in human history.  While it looked like Jesus had failed in his mission because of his suffering and death on a cross, he had actually accomplished a great victory over death and over Satan and the forces of evil.  Jesus in his risen body shows forth his divinity, and he is now Lord and King of the universe.  He is now able to help us in an even greater way that he did during his public ministry.  He shares in life with us, especially through baptism and the other sacraments.  So, our symbol of faith is to recognize Jesus as the promised Christ or Messiah and as the Son of God, who has the power to share his risen life with us both in the world and in the world to come after we die. 

But believing in Jesus and his resurrection should lead to the forgiveness of our sins.  Jesus opened the minds of his disciples to understand the Old Testament Scriptures and what they said about him.  There are Old Testament passages in the law of Moses and in the prophets that confirm that it was necessary that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all people.  So, we are called to repentance, to confess our sins, and to seek the forgiveness that Christ can bring.  When Peter preached to the people in Jerusalem in the early days of the Church, he called the people to repentance.  They had acted in ignorance when they consented to the death of Jesus, but now they are to be converted so that their sins may be wiped away.  Through baptism and our faith in Jesus we are able to receive forgiveness of sins and are able to live in a new and better way.  If we should sin after our baptism, it is possible for us to be forgiven.  Our second reading today from the first Letter of Saint John tells us that if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.  Our symbol of faith is to confess our sins and seek forgiveness from Jesus.  We have the Sacrament of Confession and other Sacraments to strengthen our faith.

We are also called to share our faith through word and action.  The mission of the Church is to bring Christ to all nations.  A famous ship in the first part of the 20^th century was the Titanic.  As you probably know, the Titanic hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean as it was going from England to the United States.   Many people died as a result.  There was a Catholic priest aboard from England by the name of Father Thomas Byles.  He was the oldest son of a Protestant minister, but he converted to the Catholic faith while he was a university student and became a Catholic priest.  Father Thomas was headed to New York City to officiate at the wedding of his brother.
Father Thomas was awake when the ship hit an iceberg in the middle of the night, and he began to pray with people and to help people get to life boats.  There was not room for everyone to get on a life boat, but he was offered a ride.  However, he declined to go on a life boat, but he continued to pray with people.  Some survivors recall seeing Father Thomas praying the rosary on the deck of the ship, with Catholics, Protestants, and Jews kneeling around him as the ship began to sink.  Father Thomas is a candidate for beatification, as he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to minister to others.  Our own sacrifices and efforts to share our faith can be our symbol of faith.

So, today we once again give thanks for the resurrection of Jesus and for his great victory over death and Satan.  We also give thanks that we are able to receive forgiveness of sins through faith in him and through the Sacrament of baptism and other Sacraments.  We pray that we can be faithful disciples of Jesus and share our faith with others through our words and actions. We pray that someday Jesus will welcome us into his heavenly kingdom.
 

April 11, 2021
2^nd Sunday of Easter – Abbot Daniel Maloney, OSB

 I was asked to present the University of Mary philosophy award at the University of Mary Award Ceremony on Thursday, April 8.  The philosophy award is named after me, so I thought that I had better go and present it.  The person who won the award this year is a young man from West Africa.  He has been in this country for seven years.  I asked him afterwards what his future plans were, and he replied that he planned to be a seminarian for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The thought came to my mind that missionaries have been sent from Europe and North America to places like Africa and Asia, especially in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and now missionaries from Africa and Asia and other parts of the world are coming here.  We have priests from Nigeria and India here in the Bismarck Diocese.  Today, on the 2nd Sunday of Easter, we hear about Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection and his sending them to continue his mission.  Jesus said on the first Easter Sunday, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  A recent document from the Vatican says that there are now 1.3 billion Catholics in the world today, as well as hundreds of millions of Christians from other denominations.  The readings for the Mass today stress that for the mission of the Church to succeed, at least three things are needed: (1) faith in Christ, (2) a share in the divine life of the Trinity, and (3) divine help to accomplish the mission.

One theme that is stressed today is that of the importance of faith.  While faith in general refers to believing what God has revealed because God has revealed it, faith in the resurrection of Jesus and faith in Jesus as the Son of God are stressed today.  The apostle Thomas is held up as an example, in both a positive and negative way.  Jesus appeared to ten of the apostles on the evening of that first Easter day.  Thomas was not present.  When the other apostles said, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas did not believe them.  He said that he had to see the wounds of Jesus himself before he would be convinced.  A week later, Jesus appeared to the disciples again.  This time Thomas was with them.  Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”  Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.”  Thomas gives us an example of faith in that he not only now believes that Jesus is risen, but he calls Jesus his Lord and God.  Jesus says that while Thomas believes because he had seen Jesus, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  Our faith is based on the testimony of the apostles and other witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus.  The Gospel of John goes on to say that the signs described in this Gospel are written “That you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.”  A strong belief in the resurrection of Jesus and a strong belief that Jesus is the promised Messiah or Christ and also the Son of God are needed if we are to go out and proclaim the Gospel message. 

Belief in Jesus can also lead to sharing in his life.  For several years now, this second Sunday of Easter has been called Divine Mercy Sunday.  The theme of Divine Mercy was stressed in the writings of the Polish religious sister who is now known as Saint Faustina.  Saint Faustina had a vision in with two rays come from the side of Jesus, one red and the other white.  There is a picture of that vision in the abbot’s office.  The two rays seem to be based on the passage in the Gospel of John where a lance in put into the side of Jesus after he had died and blood and water come forth.  Through Baptism we share in the life of the blessed Trinity and become children of God.  We share in the victory over sin and death that Jesus won for us.  The Eucharist and other Sacraments give us an even greater share in that life.  Belief in Jesus can lead to living a holy life.  We can share our faith by both word and example.  I saw a story recently on the internet about an Italian man named Ugo Festa who had a powerful religious conversion in 1990.  At the time Ugo was 39 years old and was crippled due to multiple sclerosis and other physical problems.  For much of his life he had little or no faith, but a trip to the shrine at Lourdes had helped him to receive the gift of faith but no healing.  In his trip to Rome in 1990 he met Mother Theresa and a group dedicated to divine mercy.  He was invited to attend a religious retreat that would stress the theme of divine mercy in Trent, Italy.  Pope John Paul II encouraged Ugo to attend this retreat and seek the intercession of Sister Faustina.  When Ugo got to the retreat center, he saw the painting of divine mercy and heard an inner voice that said, “Stand up and walk.”  He was able to stand up and walk, and he was cured of all his physical ailments.  He became a lay missionary for 15 years, ministering to poor people.  He was killed by gunshots, but he had predicted that this probably would happen.   The life that Jesus offers can help us in both a spiritual and a physical way.

Lastly, for the Church’s mission to succeed, we need special help from God.  The first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles deals with the life of the early Church in Jerusalem.  The power of God helped the early Christians to bear witness to Jesus.  The apostles and other believers had everything in common, and thus they were able to share their possessions as well as their faith.  The grace of God has helped missionaries and other Christians throughout the centuries to spread the Gospel message in such a way that there are Christian believers in just about every part of the world.  We also need special help from God to live our faith in the world of today. 

In our Mass today, we give thanks that Jesus, the Son of God, came to be our Savior and that he suffered, died, and rose again to bring about our salvation.  We ask Jesus once again to show us mercy and to give us the grace needed to be faithful disciples and to someday experience the fullness of life in heaven.