Guided by Two Hands

 

Seeing how God and Mary guided John Paul II

05/13/2026

John 16:12-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Every morning around 5:45 I greet the high school students who attend Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown before they depart for school. We say the Our Father in Latin. A few weeks ago I was talking to a senior and her mother as they waited to leave and we discussed Pope Leo XIV and how young he was to be elected pope at age 69.

I made the comment, “But John Paul II was only 58 when he became pope and that’s so young!” And the senior literally laughed out loud – “Ha!” – at my assertion that 58 was “young.” To an 18-year-old who’s fit as a fiddle, being 58 must seem as old as the hills. But it was very providential that the Polish pontiff was so young because his excellent health helped him to survive an assassination attempt three years later on May 13, 1981.

Some of you might remember the sunny afternoon that Pope John Paul II was wheeling around St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile, smiling and greeting pilgrims when Mehemet Ali Agca shot the Holy Father four times. John Paul, of course, because of his deep devotion to Mary, gave the Blessed Mother the credit for saving his life.

May 13 is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima and John Paul insisted Mary’s hand had moved the bullet away from his vital organs. Who is Our Lady of Fatima? Our Lady of Fatima is one of the virtually innumerable titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared from May 13 to October 13, 1917 to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal. Mary’s titles often arise from the location where she appears, in this case Fatima, Portugal.

By the way, Mary must be a polyglot, someone who speaks a lot of languages, because she invariably appears to illiterate children or peasants and addresses them in their native tongue. When she appeared before Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, she spoke to them in perfect Portuguese. If Mary appears to you, she will have a soft southern drawl, “Ya’ll come back, hear?”

Now a more subtle connection between Our Lady of Fatima and John Paul revolves around the third secret of Fatima. Mary revealed 3 secrets to Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, and the third one – which the Vatican publicized in 2000 – referred to a bishop dressed in white (the pope) who traveling through a ruined city (ancient Rome) would be killed by soldiers (Mehemet Ali Agca).

But John Paul interpreted that secret to be an advance warning to help him survive the assassination attempt. In other words, John Paul did not believe May 13 was a coincidence but rather a providence: God’s hand guiding history, especially the pope’s own personal history. We might say that as Mary’s motherly hand guided the bullet away from John Paul’s vital organs, God’s fatherly hand had been guiding John Paul’s whole life so that he met that bullet on Mary’s feast day.

Tony Robbins, a popular motivational speaker, holds an annual seminar called “Date with Destiny” to help people improve their lives. John Paul believed May 13 was his “date with destiny” where Mary’s hand and God’s hand worked powerfully together to save his life and to strengthen his faith. The assassination attempt did not discourage the pope; it made his more determined than ever.

My friends, we all have a date with destiny. Oh, I don’t mean you should attend a Tony Robbins motivational tent revival, but to discern carefully how God the Father’s hand through his providence and Mother Mary’s hand through her prayers guide our own lives. People of faith cannot countenance living by luck, or believe in karma, or knocking on wood so something bad does not happen, or avoid talking about a NBA player’s perfect free throw stat as he steps up to take one, or how baseball player wear the same underwear while they are on a winning streak. That is all superstitious bunk.

Rather, we must adopt the attitude of little children, like Jacinto, Francisco, and Lucia, who are docile to the guidance of a father’s and mother’s hand in their life. That is why the standard Catholic prayer is always: one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. Why? Because we submit ourselves, especially our wills, to the providence of the Father, and to the prayerful protection of our Mother, so we can glorify the Holy Trinity in all we do. Then we will live a truly worthy Christian life.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

From Bud to Blossom

 

Appreciating the new springtime of Christianity

05/12/2026

John 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

Have you noticed the growing number of new Catholics lately? We had so many people coming into the Church this past Easter we could not line them all up shoulder-to-shoulder in our sanctuary. Obviously, we need to tear down the walls and build a bigger church! Just kidding.

And this is not a local phenomenon isolated to I.C. but spread across the world. Even in European countries like France and Germany that had been hemorrhaging Catholics are seeing record baptisms. So we cannot pat ourselves on the back and take undue credit for it.

Several people have asked me what I think about this new wave of Catholic converts which is slowly swelling into a tsunami. The simple answer is that we are witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is always the Spirit of God who inspires anything good we do, and certainly the Spirit is touching the hearts of modern men and women to take a second look at the Catholic faith, and get onboard the barque of St. Peter.

And the Holy Spirit can avail himself of extremely effective evangelists today like Bishop Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Scott Hahn, Edward Sri, Marcus Grodi, and even actors in Hollywood like Mark Walhberg and Jonathan Roumi. The Holy Spirit has lots of tools in his tool belt today.

But then I also add a cautionary tale. These new converts to Catholicism should take care not to become Catholic because everyone is doing it, or because suddenly it’s cool to be Catholic. Why not? Because soon it will not be cool to be Catholic and people will not praise your decision but persecute you for it.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said the Church always finds her home at the foot of the Cross, with Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, who represent the consecrated virgins (Mary), the priesthood (John), and repentant sinners (Mary Magdalene). In other words, this current season of fame and fortune will not last, and therefore, we must be ready to carry the cross. And then we will see how really wants to be Catholic.

We continue to read from the Acts of the Apostles in our first readings after Easter and fittingly so. But did you catch how the primitive Church, like the present Church, experienced an extraordinary growth in Christian converts? The apostles were, no doubt, intrepid preachers and teachers of the faith. Nonetheless, it’s incorrect to give them all the credit for these early conversions. Why?

Well, because people seem to line up to become Catholic almost with no effort on their part. For example, the jailer in Philippi desires to be Christian and all Paul and Silas did was sing and praise God all night. That is, it’s clear the Holy Spirit is working powerfully on the inside while the apostles do their part on the outside. But it’s the inside work in the heart that matters most.

So, what is the lesson for us today 2,026 years after the resurrection? Well, I think there are two lessons. First, welcome the new converts with open arms and don’t question the sincerity of their new-found faith. Just like Paul and Silas joyfully welcomed the jailor so we should welcome the newbies with open arms and warm hugs.

But second we should also not sugar-coat Catholicism. To be sure we believe true happiness, holiness, peace, and joy are found within these four walls, but the Catholic creed is for the courageous, not the faint of heart. In the end, there is no surer road to the resurrection than the way of the Cross. “If you would my disciple be, pick up your cross and follow me.”

Back in 1990 Pope St. John Paul II wrote an encyclical letter called “Redemptoris Missio” (The Mission of the Redeemer), where he wrote optimistically: “As the third millennium draws near, God is preparing a great springtime of Christianity, and we can already see its first signs.”

The pope-saint wrote those prophetic words 36 years ago when he could only glimpse that springtime’s first signs. His words were full of hope, because the springtime was only budding back then. From our vantage point today, as we behold this great garden of new converts, we see that springtime has burst into full bloom.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Authority v Autonomy

 

Seeking peace and unity by compromising our autonomy

05/07/2026

John 15:9-11 Jesus said to his dis
ciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

In my home state of Kerala in India, the Church has been embroiled in a great liturgical controversy that can be called authority versus autonomy. The controversy consists of two conflicting sides. On the side of authority stand the Indian bishops (and even the pope), while on the side of autonomy are ranged the Indian priests (and many lay people). At the crux of the conflict is the position of the priest at Mass. Should the priest face the people during Mass, or should he face the altar with his back to the people? You know how everyone loves it whenever we change something at the Mass.

Why is this such a big deal? Since 1965 (after Vatican II) the priest has faced the people in the Indian Church (like we do here at I.C.). But the Indian bishops met in a council in 2021 and decided it would be better if the priest turned and faced the altar (instead of the people) during the second half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And all heck broke loose. The priests and people protested in front of the cathedral, they burned posters of the cardinal in effigy, street brawls broke out, and for several months the cathedral was closed and protected by the local police.

Now, I should note that the Indian bishops have the legitimate authority to enact liturgical changes. That is how we believe the Holy Spirit has guided the Church for 2,000 years and will continue to do so. But the priests and people did not approve of the change and wanted to act autonomously and independently. Whose side would you be on: the authority of the prelates and pope, or the side of the autonomy of the priests and people? In any case, they reached a compromise where all the Masses in the cathedral would be celebrated with the priest facing the people, and with only one Mass where the priest faced the altar. Who do you think won?

In the gospel today, Jesus teaches that often – if not always – autonomy must give way to authority. Jesus sacrifices his own personal autonomy to act in obedience to the Father’s paternal authority. He says: “I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” The hallmark, therefore, of Jesus life is perfect obedience to his Father’s will. And in the first reading from Acts 15, the apostles (first bishops and Peter the pope, that is, authority) decree that Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised in order to become Christians. But notice we also read: “After much debate had taken place,” that is, much disagreement and discord.

In other words, from the beginning of the history of the Church stretching all the way down to 2025 in the Church in India, the controversy of authority versus autonomy has shaken the community of disciples and threatened to fracture its fragile unity. Tragically, we have not always successfully maintained that peace and unity, like when the Orthodox and Catholic Churches split in 1054. And of course, authority versus autonomy was precisely why the Protestant churches departed from the Catholic fold. Now, let me ask you again: which side won? No side.

Of course, the tug-of-war between authority and autonomy does not play out only in the first century and in far-off foreign countries, but touches us very close to home. After all, why else did we Americans fight the Civil War and kill our fellow citizens if the heated debate was not over states rights (autonomy) versus the national interest of union (authority)? And doesn’t every parent feel the same tension of the Indian bishops when they set rules and expectations for their families and homes and are met with rebellious and recalcitrant teenagers? Mom and dad’s authority butts heads with their children’s growing desire for autonomy.

At this Mass of the 5th week of Easter, as we await the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, may that eternal Spirit of love between the Father and the Son, between whom there is only harmony of authority and autonomy and no discord, teach us how to live and love each other in our own communities of church, country, and family. Why? Because only if we learn how to balance just authority with legitimate autonomy here on earth will we feel welcome and at home in heaven. Jesus said: “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

A Cult at the Core

 

Understanding the deepest religious roots of culture

05/05/2026

John 14:27-31a Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

Today on Cinco de Mayo – literally in Spanish May 5th – many Americans celebrate in some fashion the Mexican culture, but very few Americans understand its real roots. For starters, most of us mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexican Independence Day, thinking its equivalent to the American July 4th.

But Mexico’s independence is celebrated on September 16. By the way, that is why our parish celebrates the Hispanic cultural festival in mid-September. Sadly, most of our Anglo parishioners don’t know the roots of that September celebration either. Who cares? It’s just an excuse to throw a party!

Let me give you a quick history lesson about today’s real roots. On May 5, 1862 the Mexican army, with only 4,500 soldiers (many of whom were common farmers with pitchforks), defeated the larger and more professionally trained soldiers of 6,000 French troops in Puebla, Mexico.

The invading French hoped to conquer the Mexican nation and establish a pro-French monarchy to rule it. The Cinco de Mayo battle was not the final conflict between Mexico and France, but the unexpected victory gave the Mexicans hope they could eventually overthrow the occupiers, which they did 5 years later in 1867.

But I believe even deeper roots of what occurred on Cinco de Mayo go back over 300 years earlier to 1531. On December 9 of that year Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego and converted an entire nation to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. In other words, at the heart of every “culture” is a “cult” as you can even tell from the etymology: cult forms the principal part of the word culture.

The deepest roots, therefore of the Mexican people’s identity – later manifested in military exploits like on Cinco de Mayo – plunges into their shared religious experiences. Before any true culture can declare its independence from other nations, it must declare its dependence on God.

This suggestion that religious roots are the deepest roots of a culture raises the question of what are the deepest roots of our American culture? Even a C-student of our modern American society can perceive in the “culture wars” raging today a fight to assert the roots and foundation of our culture.

In a sense, all Americans are asking: are our roots religious (and if so, which religion?) or are our roots non-religious with perhaps a vague feeling of God but with no clear idea of who he is? In other words, the roots of the culture wars we witness and wage in modern America is trying to answer the question is there a cult in American culture? What are America’s real roots?

Now, those questions are too big and too speculative for us this morning at 7 a.m. Mass, so let me make it more personal. What are our deepest roots as individuals? Since you are sitting here at Mass, that should be a no-brainer. You roots are religious, namely, in the Catholic religion. But what about your children and grandchildren – what are their deepest roots?

Another way to ask the question is: what is your children and grandchildren’s culture? Does their personal culture have a cult at the core? Do they believe in God, and do they know who he is, and does that knowledge evolve into a lived relationship with him and make any daily difference? That might be a good conversation to have with them: is there a cult in their culture?

Maybe you could have that conversation with them this summer on July 4th while you enjoy hotdogs and hamburgers. Why? Because before any true culture can declare its independence from other nations, it must declare its absolute dependence on God. We can learn a thing or two on Cinco de Mayo about the Mexican culture, and maybe even something about our own American culture.

Praised be Jesus Christ!