homilies
on the liturgy of the Sundays and feasts

by charles m. mangan

Humility is truth
22nd Sunday of the Year — September 2

“C” Readings: Sir. 3:17-18. 20. 28-29 • Hebr. 12:18-19. 22-24 • Luke 14:1. 7-14

Title: Humility and Pride
Purpose: (1) to explain pride as the first of the capital sins; (2) to show humility as the fundamental Christian virtue.

n Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, never did anything without a good reason. He told the parable found in today’s Gospel for a good reason: to impress upon those arrogantly seeking human honors that sincere humility is indispensable.

Our Redeemer knew well that honor and prestige were important to the Pharisees and others during his time. We must admit that even in our day, honor and prestige are sought after by many with gusto.

What do we make of Jesus’ parable? Simply put, he knows our out-of-control tendencies to want to be highly esteemed and respected. And Christ realizes the remedy for this pride: humility. To humble oneself is the mark of a dependence on the Lord which leads to a future reward — the best of all possible prizes: everlasting happiness with the Most Blessed Trinity in Heaven. They who exalt themselves will experience a kind of “forced” humbling, while they who humble themselves will one day enjoy a magnificent “lifting up.” Jesus forthrightly declared: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pride has been called the first of the seven capital sins. Why? Because it gives a distinct shape and quality to the others. Every sin imaginable is an exercise in pride. Pride is really the refusal to recognize God’s dominion over us. Where pride exists, humility is lacking. Pride blinds us to the necessary acknowledgment of God and his superior ways.

Often, one speaks of pride in a different sense. “I am proud of my four daughters. . . I am proud of my classmates. . . I am proud of the baseball team.” This attitude bespeaks of gratitude and thankfulness; it is not marred with the sin of pride unless it deliberately excludes God’s role in the good things that have happened.

Am I guilty of the sin of pride? A telltale sign is when I think that I — and not the Almighty — am responsible for some blessing that I possess.

God doesn’t leave us in our sin. He invites us to conquer with his grace the spiritual ill of pride. He provides us with the appropriate medication to heal the wounds deep in our souls caused by pride. Humility is just what the Great Doctor — Jesus himself — orders for the fierce fight against pride.

Humility is the virtue by which one recognizes and accepts his utter dependence on the Lord. Immediately, one notes that humility counteracts pride. Humility is to pride what virtue is to sin — the direct opposite. I can’t both be humble and proud at the same time. One is sure to win out over the other.

Humility is rightly hailed as “the fundamental Christian virtue.” It orders my relationship with God, with others and even with myself. Here is what we mean.

As a humble person, I realize, as the Third Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass clearly affirms, that it is Christ “from whom all good things come.” Humility enables me to admit that God is the Master of my existence. True, I can act as if I am master and lord of my life and destiny. But such a mindset is deceiving and eventually poisonous to my chance to go to Heaven. Any good that I have is from the merciful Creator’s hand. While I must cooperate with God and contribute to my own spiritual and temporal welfare, in the final analysis I am wholly dependent on the Lord.

Humility must undergird our rapport with our neighbors. I recall that I need others for my own self-development into the person to which I have been summoned by God. Furthermore, I have a grave responsibility to help others in their growth as children of the Lord. I need others; they need me. Humility bids us to confess this fact because God has made us interrelated in the human community. I can’t cast aside others as irrelevant. Neither can I be dispensed with in the same fashion.

Humility must be present in my relationship with myself. If I am infested with pride and give no thought to the necessity of becoming more prayerful, more honest with my spouse, more loving with my children, more committed to Jesus and his Church, then my capacity to change for the better is seriously impaired. Humility with myself means that I admit my innumerable weaknesses, limitations and sins. It also signifies that I will do nothing to jeopardize my cherished vocation as a son or daughter of the Most High who has created me for unending joy with him in Paradise.

If there is any question of the demand for authentic humility, the Book of Sirach resoundingly answered it: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”

The Psalmist was not kidding when he chanted: “God, in Your goodness, You have made a home for the poor.” The Lord welcomes the lowly, the humble, the poor and the downcast. Those who seek Jesus in humility will not be disappointed. We, through humility, draw close “to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant.”

Each evening during Vespers, the Church sings Mary’s Canticle of Thanksgiving, the Magnificat. If we could only imitate Our Lady’s beautiful humility, we would be more like her Son. The young Virgin exclaimed: “The Almighty has done great things for me; Holy is his Name.” This is humility — to recognize our identity in the perfect sight of God. Mary rejoiced even when she suffered at the foot of the Cross because she knew that God loved her and would help her always.

Cultivating the virtue of humility may appear to be a tall order in our pride-saturated world. But with God’s strength and our effort, we will become humble children of our Creator who loves us and wants us to be with him forever.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1784, 1866, 2514, 2546, 2631, 2713, 2728.

Sunday observance
23rd Sunday of the Year — September 9

“C” Readings: Wis. 9:13-18 • Phil. 9-10. 12-17 • Luke 14:25-33

Title: Observing Sunday as the Lord’s Day
Purpose: (1) to explain the concept of Sabbath rest and renewal; (2) to show why Christians observe Sunday as their Sabbath; (3) to describe the Sunday observance of a Catholic Christian.

Jesus wasn’t afraid to deliver the “difficult word,” as is evident in today’s Gospel. Our Lord offered three distinct statements, each containing a challenge.

First, he forthrightly stated: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Second, as if the first could use further reinforcement, he directly declared: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Finally, Christ exclaimed: “In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

To use a modern expression, the Master wasn’t playing games! He succinctly expressed the demands of being his true follower. No forceful rebuttal or fanciful argument against Our Lord’s words was possible then or is now during the Third Christian Millennium. Jesus, “the way, and the truth and the life,” had spoken then and speaks now — compassionately, yes, but also clearly and unhesitatingly.

Such requirements aren’t always easy to fulfill, given our weak human nature and the often anti-Christian environment we may find ourselves in. What we need is God’s abundant grace in order to listen and respond resolutely to his life-giving invitation to forsake the fleeting pleasures and honors of the world and instead to cling to the Messiah and his Holy Gospel.

Without the Wisdom of the Lord, we won’t know what we should do. The Book of Wisdom captures the importance of the Gift of Wisdom: “Or whoever knew your counsel, except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?”

We must face squarely this unchanging reality: when we try to live devoid of the Almighty’s assistance, we fail — and miserably! But, as the Psalmist asserted, when we “number our days aright” by doing as the Lord wishes, we gain “wisdom of heart.”

The Church offers us many irreplaceable treasures that introduce us to this Wisdom and fortify us for the unceasing battle to live as wise and holy children of our loving Creator. One such cherished gift is the Third Commandment, granted by God on Mount Sinai to Moses and by extension, to all the Jewish people and to us who are spiritual descendants of the Chosen People, thanks to our connection with Jesus. We read about the Ten Commandments in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Exodus. The Third Commandment is: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath.”

One of the Precepts of the Catholic Church is to attend Mass each Sunday and Holyday of Obligation and to refrain from servile labor. Therefore, the Church makes explicit for us the way in which we are to comply with the Third Commandment.

For Christians, Sunday is our Sabbath Day. Sunday was raised to a new level by the Resurrection of the Son of God on Easter Sunday and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.

Catholics are to recognize and really to commemorate each and every Sunday as the Day of the Lord in two ways: by attending Mass; by resting from unnecessary servile labor. We readily observe that the serious obligation of both Sunday worship and rest lead to the acknowledgment that Sundays, especially because of what Jesus and the Holy Spirit did for our redemption and sanctification, possess a certain quality — a special gleam — that the other six days don’t have.

When Sunday worship and rest are present in one’s life, a renewal happens within one’s soul. The grace of the Mass and the relaxation for the body and even the mind when it is overly fatigued help bring about “re-creation” that each person urgently needs in his life. The soul is refreshed by the Holy Eucharist, while the body is revitalized by rest from labor, which includes some physical exercise for those who are able.

The Lord Himself wants us to heed cheerfully the Sunday obligation to attend Mass and to refrain from unnecessary work. He realizes that we will obtain many splendid and unexpected favors when we obey his laws. But Jesus also knows that when we disobey his precepts, we deprive ourselves of the grace that would have come to us.

For example, if I miss Sunday Mass because I am sick, I do not offend God because I was unable to attend Mass. Yet, if I knowingly and willingly miss Sunday Mass or Mass on a Holyday of Obligation, not only do I commit a mortal sin because of missing that Sunday Mass but I also miss out on all the grace that would have been mine if I had attended Mass. It is useful to recall that if I deliberately miss Sunday Mass or Mass on a Holyday of Obligation, I must not receive Holy Communion until I first go to Confession.

It is lamentable that now Sunday is a day like all the rest in our Western society. Scores of businesses remain open for the purpose of making more income. Shopping malls and grocery stores even in tiny communities are stuffed with consumers. Having to make an emergency purchase is one thing. But to use Sunday as a “catch-all,” thereby ignoring its sacred characteristic, is quite another.

Why not strive to “re-image” Sunday as a day “consecrated to the Lord?” If individuals and families lived as though Sunday had importance and significance, our society would change for the better. An authentic peace and concern for all persons would permeate our culture because we would have drawn closer to God through Sunday worship and rest. We can’t help but be transformed when we obey God and open our hearts to his grace.

Among other gems from the hand of God, Sunday worship and rest enable us to live for Christ alone and to renounce all that is harmful to our relationship with him. Our acceptance of his grace means that we are his faithful disciples and friends. No greater honor exists.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1166-1167, 2170, 2174-2188.

Hope in God
24th Sunday of the Year — September 16

“C” Readings: Exod. 32:7-11. 13-14 • 1 Tim. 1:12-17 • Luke 15:1-32

Title: The Virtue of Hope
Purpose: (1) to describe and define this virtue; (2) to show its importance in the face of the world news and personal frustrations.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is surely one of the most well known in all of Sacred Scripture. We can imagine Jesus telling this moving account to his listeners. How amazed they must have been not only at the unforgettable content of the story but also at the unparalleled mastery of the humble Storyteller.

Saint Luke provides two other parables delivered by Christ to those tax collectors and sinners who had gathered around the Son of Mary: the Parable of the Lost Sheep; the Parable of the Lost Coin. These three Parables teach us many things about God’s abundant mercy and the incredible joy that is experienced in Heaven when even one sinner turns back to the compassionate Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Master reminded us: “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”

Another vital lesson from today’s Gospel is that of hope. As long as one still lives here on earth, it isn’t too late to return to God. We are to be hopeful, for we know that the Almighty willingly welcomes those who have strayed and who sincerely seek his forgiveness — regardless of how “stiff-necked” they have been. No sin is too much for God to pardon when the sinner is sorry. The Responsorial Psalm captured well this inspiring reality in the famous Psalm 51: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.” And Saint Paul, in his First Letter to Saint Timothy, asserted: “This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

The supernatural virtue of hope is crucial in our lives as Catholics. This virtue enables us to have confident assurance in God and his promises. Perhaps some of us remember an excellent prayer — the Act of Hope — that summarizes the virtue of hope: “O my God, relying on Thine infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.” A short prayer, but very powerful; it can be easily memorized and recited often.

The hopeful person confides in God on the basis of the Lord’s utter kindness and his authority. God “can neither deceive nor be deceived.” He will never break his promise. Therefore, it is enough for me to have hope that I will be forgiven of my numerous sins, possess his grace and one day inherit Heaven because God himself has given me his pledge.

The benevolent Lord has promised me these sacred treasures of forgiveness, grace and everlasting life in Paradise. But if I am serious about attaining these gifts, I must cooperate with him. If I refuse to follow Christ Jesus, I forfeit his pardon, his strength and the glory of unending happiness in the Kingdom of God.

The virtue of hope sustains us especially when confronted with personal and communal sorrow. At times, despondency and even outright despair have set in where there is a lack of hope. The death of a loved one, the tearing apart of a close relationship, the illness of a child, the loss of a job, the recurring physical sickness, the lack of faith evident in family members, the inability to end abortion, the seeming prosperity of the wicked, the terror of famines and wars whether at home or abroad, the ups and downs of politics, the countless social upheavals, . . . all these can challenge one’s hope in God. “Will he really see me through my trial? Does he sufficiently love me to carry me during this tribulation? Will I ever get over this suffering?” These can be troubling questions that plague many — if not most — persons.

We would be constantly overwhelmed if we didn’t believe that God somehow allows certain things to occur that he knows will be for our lasting good. To acknowledge that he is still in charge when situations don’t go as planned is necessary if we are going to possess any inner peace.

And this is a magnificent fruit of hope: internal peace. Peace won’t abide within one’s soul if hope is absent. But peace is present when one trusts that God will keep his word.

Blessed Padre Pio of Pieltricina, the Franciscan friar who bore the wounds of Jesus on his hands and feet, used to offer freely this simple but useful advice: “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” Padre Pio recognized that inner peace reigns in the souls of those who frequently communicate with God in prayer, place their trust in him and cast aside those lingering doubts and preoccupations.

Saint Paul, who was one of the greatest saints of all time, admitted that there was a day when he did not follow Christ. Sadly, he was devoid of hope. “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.” Finally, this man, who is today remembered as “the Apostle to the Gentiles,” permitted the grace of God to seize him and change him. Yet, he didn’t become haughty. He considered himself to be “the foremost” of sinners.

Look at what happened! Paul became a hope-filled person. He explained: “. . . I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost (sinner), Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.” Some holy cards depict Saint Paul with an anchor, which is a Christian symbol for the supernatural virtue of hope. He developed from a despairing sinner into a hope-filled man of God.

Hope is indispensable for our lives. We ask God to give it to us in abundance.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1813, 1817-1821, 1843, 2090.

Where can we find the truth?
25th Sunday of the Year — September 23

“C” Readings: Amos 8:4-7 • 1 Tim. 2:1-8 • Luke 16:1-13

Tit1e: Conscience Formation and the Magisterium
Purpose: to explain (1) where a Catholic goes to get official Catholic teaching in faith and morals; (2) the extraordinary and ordinary magisterium, and (3) the development of a mature Catholic conscience.

Saint Paul, in his First Letter to Timothy, shared with us his fervent wish: “First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” Paul desired that we might possess calm and peace throughout our lives. His prayer is simple: that we come to know Christ Jesus and experience his joy and tranquillity here on earth and one day in Heaven. Saint Paul told us that God himself wants this, too. “This is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.”

How blest we are as Catholics to have the “Teaching Authority” of the Church to help us know just what the truth is! The Church’s Teaching Authority is often called the Magisterium. The Magisterium is composed of the Pope and the Catholic Bishops in union with him. From the Magisterium, we expect to hear explained several things a) the Sacred Scriptures, which have been termed “God’s written revealed words” b) the Apostolic Tradition, which is referred to as “God’s unwritten revealed words” c) the demands of the Natural Law, which is the Law that everyone can come to know — regardless of race, religion or depth of belief in God.

It is the role of the Magisterium to present the Church’s teaching on faith and morals. We may say that the Magisterium assists each of us in answering two pressing questions. The first: “What do I believe as a Catholic?” The second: “As a Catholic, how ought I to behave?”

In this regard, two phrases routinely used are helpful: the “Extraordinary Magisterium” and the “Ordinary Magisterium.” The Extraordinary Magisterium describes a special infallible pronouncement of the Pope. An example of this was when Venerable Pius XII in 1950 declared the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary body and soul into Heaven to be a dogma of the Faith. The gift of infallibility ensures that this dogma is correct. Another example of the exercise of the Extraordinary Magisterium was in 1870 when the Bishops at the First Vatican Council solemnly declared as a dogma the teaching of the infallibility of the Pope when he speaks “from the Chair” in matters of faith and morals.

A case in point of the exercise of the Ordinary Magisterium, which is the collaboration of the Pope together with the Bishops in union with him in teaching the Faith, is the longstanding and constant teaching of the Magisterium that each and every instance of the marital act between husband and wife must be open to the possibility of the transmission of human life. This doctrine is enshrined in the 1968 Encyclical of Venerable Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae.

Here we recall a very important and often misused word: conscience. The human conscience is actually a judgment of one’s reason whereby he recognizes the morality (or immorality) of an action. An upright conscience is based on the cherished principle: do good and avoid evil.

A “mature Catholic conscience” willingly accepts the teaching of the Church. But how does one form this mature Catholic conscience?

That helpful source that should be alongside The Holy Bible in every Catholic home, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, gives us some excellent counsel on how to achieve this mature Catholic conscience.

A mature Catholic conscience is informed and enlightened; however, it already has been — on that account — educated and shaped well. An educated Catholic conscience just doesn’t happen. It takes many years of formation. That is why Catholic parents, Catholic schools, Catholic priests, deacons and consecrated religious, and Catholic parish religious education programs have such a serious responsibility to make sure that they are passing along the fullness of the Catholic Faith and not a caricature of it.

Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Natural Law are necessary in the forming of the Catholic conscience. This trio is to be learned and appreciated if the conscience stands any chance at all in being shaped according to the mind of Christ. Prayerful and frequent meditation on The Holy Bible and the Church’s teachings are a must in the development of conscience.

In heeding the Church’s teaching, we make a choice that has everlasting consequences. We decide to obey God rather than man, the Church with her wisdom rather than the “world” and its hollow and passing opinions.

Christ Jesus said it best in today’s Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.”

Let our choice be strong: to obey the Messiah and his Beloved Spouse the Church! We will never regret selecting Jesus as our Friend and Companion on the challenging pilgrimage to Paradise. And to have Mary as our Mother and the Holy Catholic Church as our Teacher is to benefit immeasurably from this great assistance.

Saint Paul would be pleased — and must be now in the endless Kingdom of the Lord — to learn that we, his listeners, prefer the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit to the empty and transitory logic of the world. As a faithful Jew, Paul would have known Psalm 113 by heart. We heard this section of it during the Responsorial Psalm: “High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory. Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?”

Yes, “the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high” loved us enough to reveal the Truth. The Magisterium of the Church keeps us anchored to that Truth so that, when God wills, we will join Jesus — “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” — his Mother and all the Angels and Saints in the Kingdom that lasts forever.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 95, 888-892, 1776-1802, 2032-2036.

Generous giving
26th Sunday of the Year — September 30

“C” Readings: Amos 6:1. 4-7 • 1 Tim. 6:11-16 • Luke 16:19-31
Title: Church Support
Purpose: (1) to explain the problem of Church support, for the pastor and also for the parishioner; (2) to encourage an adult attitude towards Church support on the part of all Catholics.

Poor Lazarus. There he lay, day in and day out at the rich man’s door. No one bothered to feed Lazarus or attend to his horrendous sores. When he died, he obtained his rightful prize of comfort, but the rich man condemned himself to an eternity of unspeakable torture.

Jesus told the Pharisees this story. It’s a hard heart that isn’t moved when considering Christ’s words that Lazarus “would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.”

The rich man was wealthy, but evidently he was far from being generous. Imagine the overwhelming good he could have performed with his abundant money. He could have had Lazarus fed, bathed, clothed and nursed to health. Instead, the rich man was content with his selfish ways, even if that meant turning a blind eye to Lazarus and, no doubt, others like him.

Although generosity is an inspiring and attractive quality, we may too often find ourselves inhibited in its practice. This is so for several reasons.

First, our human nature is not always receptive to our going out of our way — sometimes to the point of our own inconvenience — in being of service to our neighbor. Second, we wonder what others might think of us if we are regarded as “generous” or “charitable.” We might hear it said: “Why is she doing that . . . to get attention? Who does he think he is . . . better than the rest of us?” These attitudes may be directed at us like nasty darts if we “break ranks” and strive to be generous. Third, there is something deep inside of us — probably a persistent fear — that prevents us from doing something that might bring us hurt. If I am generous with my time, financial resources or personal talents, perhaps the recipient won’t be grateful. On the other hand, maybe she will be embarrassed. Or perhaps she will expect it from me again in the near future when I won’t be able to comply.

The Almighty won’t hesitate to bless our generosity. The old saying, “God can’t be outdone in generosity,” is proved time and time again. He has rewarded us in the past and won’t fail to do so in the future.

One of the Precepts of the Church is concerned with our being generous to the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares: “The fifth precept (‘You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church’) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.”

This precept is often abbreviated as “Church support.” We are to support financially the Church, especially our own parish, as best we can with what we have at our disposal. The Church Universal benefits from our generosity. Think about the June Collection for the Holy Father or “Peter’s Pence” as it is referred to, as well as the October Collection on World Mission Sunday for the Missions, which is called the “Propagation of the Faith Appeal.” We have other collections for the Church in the United States. And each Bishop customarily has his own appeal to raise funds for his diocese.

Our own parish enjoys many projects and good works. There is either a school or a religious education program that requires funding. Some parishes have shelters for the homeless and/or soup kitchens for those who share the plight of Lazarus. The demands are many; the resources seem few.

The pastor works hard to keep the parish financially afloat. He does what he can, but must rely on Divine Providence and the contributions of his people. For many parishioners, their budgets are already as tight as a taut bowstring. They want to be generous, but feel the inevitable crunch.

Pastors admit that they have to be continually on the lookout for possibilities of saving money by cutting expenses. This is good stewardship. Families and individuals, also, do the same.

With coordination between pastor and people, most parishes will probably remain financially solvent. The pastor is to understand his flock’s limitations, while the latter seek to comprehend their shepherd’s laudable ambitions for the parish.

What is the “adult attitude” towards Church support? To give to the extent possible so that God may be praised and souls saved. Giving to the Church is not only of value to the coffers but also to the soul of the giver. The Good Shepherd doesn’t forget those who care for Lazarus! And, let’s not forget that both priest and parishioners are to ponder ways to increase their own generosity: priests, in their self-emptying for Christ’s brothers and sisters; people, in searching for novel avenues that lead to expanded generosity.
The strong implication in today’s First Reading is that some during the days of Amos were self-indulgent and possibly not very generous to the needy. God, Who “sustains” the fatherless and the widows but “thwarts” the way of the wicked, pronounced a forceful commentary on their lives: “now they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.”

In pursuing, as Saint Paul exhorted in his message to Saint Timothy, “righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness,” we can’t help but increase in generosity. To draw closer to Jesus, the Source of generosity, is in turn to become more giving and less self-centered.

The humble Lazarus did not want for his recompense. Neither will we, if we are grace-filled and generous, giving to the needy and the Church in the name of the Risen Christ.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041, 2043.

Reverend Charles M. Mangan has been pastor of two rural parishes and vice-chancellor in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D. He was ordained in 1989. Currently he is studying in Rome and this year began working for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life. His last series of homilies in HPR appeared in January 2000.