Words of life

Sermon: “2nd Sunday of Lent”
By Father Philip Raczka, PhD

Massachusetts, March 8, 2020

On Sundays during Lent we are reading the Epistle to the Hebrews. This Epistle is concerned with showing us that Jesus Christ is both human and divine. In particular, St. Paul wants to show us Christ’s divine nature, because everyone at that time knew Jesus was a human being, since so many people had seen Him, or met people who had seen Him. So the problem was not that Jesus lives, or is human, but to know His true divine identity. We need to know that Jesus is God with us.

The Epistle is also very much concerned with the death of Jesus on the Cross, and its meaning. In regards to the death of Christ, and its meaning, the author has three important points to make.
• First, the death of Christ on the cross leads to the forgiveness of our sins.
• Second, the death of Christ on the cross opens to human beings the gates of heaven. We were excluded from heaven by the sin of Adam, but now we can go to heaven. We symbolize this at the Hajmeh, when the priest knocks on the doors of the church, and then everyone follows him into the church, and the doors to the altar are open.
• Third, Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, offering His death to the Father on our behalf. Christ intercedes for us because He died on the cross for us, and is also a human being. Jesus also presents our prayers to the Father, therefore our prayers go directly to our Heavenly Father.

Another important point of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that Jesus, who is God, spoke directly to us, and offered us the way to live and attain salvation. If we ignore Him, we will be punished because He is not an angel or messenger, but God Himself. The Old Testament was delivered through angels and prophets, who were God’s messengers, and there was a punishment for all infractions against it. How much more, will we be punished for ignoring the voice of Christ in the New Testament? Because the Gospel is the words and actions of Christ, is why when it is read in church, we use incense and lit candles, and we come and stand up front near it, for when the Gospel is read, it is Jesus Himself who is speaking to us.

In today’s Gospel, we learn that Christ performed the miraculous cure because the people had faith. This is something that we see in all of the miracle stories of Christ. Jesus requires faith, because He does not force anything on us, even though it is good for us, and for our salvation. We have to want the miracle or blessing. Also, Jesus wants us to do our part. He does more than us because He performs the miracle. Jesus wants us to have faith; that is His requirement. We do less than what He does, but He still insists that we do our part, as small as it is.

The Gospel story revolves around the idea of the forgiveness of sins. Jesus forgave the man his sins before He cured him. The forgiveness of sins is more important than the miraculous cure, for forgiveness will let us into Heaven. The bodily cure will serve us temporarily on earth, but it is not eternal like Heaven. Jesus cures the man to prove that He has the power to forgive sins. The lesser event, the physical miracle, is the proof of the greater event, the forgiveness of sins. The miracle also serves to increase the faith of the onlookers. Jesus requires faith from us, and in turn, the miracle builds faith up. This is frequently the reason why Jesus performs miracles in the Gospel. We end up with a circle. Jesus requires faith to perform a miracle, then He performs the miraculous cure, then the miracle helps to make the faith of the people stronger.

The people of the Gospel story had to have faith in Christ, but they did not know who He is. The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us who Jesus is: He is God, who became a human being and walked on earth. More than the people of the Gospel story, we should have faith in Jesus Christ. We know who He is. We have the miracle stories of the Gospels, and countless other miracles that happened throughout history until our own time. We have countless prayers that Christ has answered throughout history to our own time. As the Epistle to the Hebrews says, we should hold fast to our faith, and never give it up.

Sermon: “Prodigal Son”
By Father Philip Raczka, PhD

Massachusetts, February 9, 2020

The Prodigal Son represents all of us. The Father in the story represents God. God created us. Our bodies come from our parents, but our soul comes from God, and our soul is 50% or more of who we are. So, our life is a gift from God. He also gives each person talents that He expects us to develop. These talents enable us to support ourselves and our families, and they give us a useful place in society. God also gives us spiritual gifts in the Sacraments. These help us to grow closer to God, to help other people grow closer to God, and to build up the Church.
When we become obsessed with pleasures and partying, we do not develop ourselves. We waste what God has given us. A good example are the young people who go to college, and do not do well, and maybe flunk out because of too much partying. Because of seeking pleasure they do not develop their talents. The end result is they do not fully develop their talents, and they are not as useful to society as they might be.
By seeking pleasures and ignoring God our spiritual gifts are not used and developed. Such a person does not grow closer to God because they are ignoring God’s gifts and invitation. They do not help other people grow closer to God either, which especially if they are married and are parents is a very serious matter. Parents are supposed to help their children grow spiritually. If they do not, they are neglecting 50% of their job as a parent. People who ignore their spiritual life and gifts are also not helping the Church to grow. A garden is good and beautiful when each plant is healthy and growing. If many of the plants are dead or not growing, it is a bad garden. The Church can only grow if its members are growing closer to God.
If for any reason, people do not develop their talents, and they do not develop their spiritual gifts, then we can indeed say that they wasted their life. That is truly a sad thing to say. Everyone has missions to accomplish in life from God. If we do not accomplish them, then we have wasted the life that God gave us.

As Christians we are members of God’s Kingdom. Our true home is with God in His Kingdom. Even the word “parish” means a place of exiles. We are exiles in the world because we belong to God. When we sin we are leaving God. We become estranged from the God who created us, loves us, and has special work for us to do. When we are away from God we are not at home. We are exiles in a strange country.
This is what happened to the younger son in today’s Gospel. He took all that he had from his father and left, and he wasted it. He had nothing left, and it was his own fault, not his father’s fault. But the younger son had enough sense to realize that he had sinned. He had enough sense to realize that he should return to his father. He had enough sense to realize that he should ask his father to forgive him.

We too should realize that when we sin we are going away from God, and we are wasting what He gave us. We should also realize that we need to return to God by being sorry for our sins. We should also realize that we can ask God for forgiveness. We do this in prayer, in Confession, and the Anointing of the Sick with olive oil.
When we are sorry for our sins, we should realize that God is like the Father in the Gospel story. He is waiting for us. He is looking for us. The Heavenly Father acted first, because He sent Jesus to find us. We have to turn to God, and move towards Him. At the same time, God has already moved towards us, and met us half-way. His arms are open, and He is ready to hug and kiss us.

When we return to God, He has a special banquet for us. That banquet is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is also the Paschal Lamb that feeds us. He comes to us, and gives us strength and closeness to Himself, the Father and the Holy Spirit. There is no greater or better banquet than Holy Communion. Holy Communion feeds our body and our soul to make both close to God, and to give us everlasting life.

God the Father is our Heavenly Father. He created us and loves us. He wants with all of his heart for us to be close to Him. We run away from Him when we sin. When we return to God, like the Prodigal Son in the Gospel, then God is full of joy.

Sermon: Presentation of Christ
By Father Philip Raczka, PhD

Massachusetts, February 2, 2020

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the 40th day after Christmas, and the First Sunday for the Preparation for Lent. I will talk about the Presentation of Christ because it is on Sunday only once every 7 years, whereas we hear the story of the Publican and Pharisee every year.
In the ancient Middle East, in the time of the Old Testament, the pagans had a horrible custom. If there was a bad war, or a bad disease that was killing thousands of people, or a bad famine and everyone was starving, they thought that the gods were angry with them. And the way that one would stop the gods from being angry was to sacrifice the first born sons of the people to the pagan god. In short, they killed their first born sons. The practice went on for centuries. The people did it out of ignorance, but we know that it was inspired by the devil. The devil hates human beings, and if he can get us to kill each other, he thinks that is great.

God loves human beings and does not want us to kill each other, but to love each other. God was looking for a way to get people to stop this horrible custom of killing the babies. When Abraham’s son Isaac was about 12 years old, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham did not want to do it, but he knew that all the people around him did it. This made him think that the true God wants this done also. Abraham took his son Isaac to Mount Moriah near Jerusalem, and was about to kill him. Then God stopped him, and there was a sheep caught in the bushes nearby, and Abraham sacrificed the lamb in place of his son. This is the beginning of the concept of the Lamb of God, a lamb that dies in place of a person. So Abraham learned that God does not want human sacrifice, and he taught that to his son Isaac.
Later on at the time of Moses, God did something to make sure that the idea of child sacrifice did not creep back into people’s minds. He told Moses to tell the people that on the 40th day after birth of the first son, they were to go to the temple, and offer a lamb or two pigeons to God in place of the son. Thus the animal was substituted for the child, and the child was free. It could never ever be sacrificed to God because God had accepted the animal in its place. In this way God made sure that the people would not fall into the terrible habit of sacrificing the first born son in times of trouble or distress.

God did declare the first born child special however, and that the child should do the special work that God had for it. That is interesting, because at that time they always thought of the first born son as doing the special work that his earthly father wanted him to do; such as to take over the farm, or the business, or the kingdom. God placed Himself before the earthly father, and told the parents that the child might have God’s work to do, and that would come first. It did not always happen, in fact it happened rarely, but God did sometimes call the eldest son to be a prophet or other special work.

So, we come now to Christ. He was Mary’s first and only Son. On the 40th day after his birth, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to offer the sacrifice in place of Him. They offered two doves, which was the offering of the poor people. Regular people offered a lamb and a dove together. Mary and Joseph fulfilled what was required of them by the Jewish Law.

This scene points forward to the ministry of Jesus, for He would have to do the work of the Heavenly Father, not that of St. Joseph. He would not carry on the legacy and property and name of St. Joseph. Instead, Jesus had his mission from the Heavenly Father. It also points forward to Jesus being the Lamb of God. Jesus would die on the cross in place of all of us. The lamb died in place of Isaac, and at the time of Moses the Paschal Lamb died in place of the first born Hebrews, and later the offering of the two doves died in place of the first born son. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could escape sin and death, and be reconciled to our heavenly Father. This is what Christ did for us.

I want to mention briefly today that unfortunately we are once again in the age when babies are killed. They are killed in the womb to save money, and to further careers. They are killed because people are poor and afraid. Whatever the reason is, this is not from God. God loves us, and wants us to live, not die. To kill children, whether born, or in the womb is evil and abhorrent to our Heavenly Father. True Christians do not do it. Let us pray that the sin of abortion ends.

The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12)
in the Lectionary of the Church

by Father Philip Raczka, PhD

Massachusetts, January 25, 2020

In the history and practice of the Church there are three main reasons for the observance of the holy season of Great Lent. The first is to prepare for the celebration of Holy Week and Pascha (Easter). This is the original intent of the season. This preparation consists of the purification of the faithful from their sins by prayer, almsgiving, fasting and confession. The faithful undertake this purification in order to meet Christ in the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week and Pascha. In the Melkite and Greek Orthodox Churches most of the Sunday Gospels point forward to the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, while the Epistles, taken from Hebrews, tell us the meaning of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The season lasts for 40 days, just as Christ fasted for 40 days (Matthew 4:2), and Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18). In the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, the Season of Lent begins on the Monday before the First Sunday of Lent. From this Monday to the Friday before Palm Sunday is exactly 40 days. Holy Week is something different for the observation of the suffering and death and resurrection of Christ begins with Holy Week. In the Roman Catholic Church Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday before the First Sunday of Lent, and it ends on Holy Thursday afternoon. The Triduum or 3 Sacred Days (Thursday-Saturday) are the celebration of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. Lent lasts 44 days, and is followed by the Triduum for Roman Catholics.

A second reason for Lent was added in the 4th Century. The bishops at that time decided that the best time of the year to baptize people would be on Holy Saturday (the Saturday of Light), because baptism makes us participants in the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-13). This added a catechetical dimension to Lent, and the reading of the Old Testament, especially Genesis on weekdays, became common during the season, as well as sermons and classes to instruct the candidates for Baptism. Part of the instruction that they received was an explanation of the Sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation) and Eucharist (Holy Communion). The Gospel of Saint John speaks often of these Sacraments, and therefore in Rome, Egypt and other places as well, this Gospel was read during Lent. In the Byzantine Churches (Melkite and Greek Orthodox) the Gospel of Saint John is read from Easter to Pentecost Sunday, because Pentecost Sunday is also a great day for Baptism in the Early Church.

The third reason for Lent, since the 4th Century, has been the reconciliation of penitents to the Church. Penitents are sinners who committed great sins like murder, adultery and apostasy. They were excluded from the Sacraments and Church life for a while, and then reconciled on Holy Thursday. Readings from the Bible, especially from the Gospel of Saint Luke, regarding purification, repentance and forgiveness were added to the lectionaries in some Churches. Stories such as the Publican and Pharisee, and the Prodigal Son were read. In the Byzantine Churches (Melkite and Greek Orthodox) these Gospels are read before Lent begins, and in the Maronite Church they are read during Lent.

Now we turn to the various spiritual interpretations of the Gospel Story of the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. Looking at the event as a wedding feast the Church has drawn the conclusion that by it Christ elevated marriage to be a Sacrament. We see Jesus present at the wedding; the God-Man is present and blesses the occasion. He performs his first miracle, changing the water into wine, and this is done for the benefit of the couple and the celebration. This miracle is a further blessing upon the wedding, and is seen as the elevation of marriage to a Sacrament. Water is good, but wine is better. Jesus changes the good marriage of the Old Testament into the sacramental marriage of the New Testament, which is better. This passage is read at the wedding service in the Byzantine Churches (Melkite and Orthodox), and is one of the options for the Maronite Service.

A second interpretation of the passage relates it to Baptism and Eucharist. Jesus is the Bridegroom of the Church according to Saint Paul (Ephesians 5:21-32).This teaching is also present in the Book of Revelations (Revelations 19:5-10, 21:9-27). The Saints taught us that since Christ is the Groom of the Church, He is also the Groom of each Christian soul through Baptism. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, and other Saints, called the day of the baptism of the believer, the day of their marriage to Christ. In the Gospel story the water in the Jars of Purification is seen to represent the waters of baptism that purify us (Titus 3:5), and the wine represents the Eucharist (Blood of Christ). This scene is connected to the death of Christ on the Cross, when water and wine issued from his pierced side (John 19:31-37). Saint John Chrysostom, and other Saints, said that the side of Christ issued forth the two Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. The Church is built upon these two great Sacraments, therefore the Church came from the side of Christ in the sleep of death, just as Eve came from the side of Adam while he was in a deep sleep (Genesis 2:21-24). The wife of Adam (Eve) came from Adam’s side; the wife of Christ (the Church) also comes from Christ’s side.
In the Gospel Story Jesus supplies the wine and thus becomes the host of the party instead of the groom. This is seen as referring to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy (Mass or Qorbono). At the Liturgy the priest or bishop leads us in our celebration, but then Jesus gives us His Body and Blood to consume. Thus in the end, Jesus becomes the leader of our celebration rather than the priest. The priest starts the celebration representing Christ, but ultimately is replaced by Christ who comes to each person as they receive Holy Communion. This sacramental interpretation of this Gospel story is why this passage is read in the Maronite Church before Lent begins.

A third interpretation that we obtain from this Gospel passage is the role of Mary as an intercessor for Christians. We see that Mary is present at the Wedding with Jesus, just like she is present with Him in Heaven. She then makes a request on behalf of the wedding party, not herself. She also has complete confidence that Jesus will respond to her request, even though He remarked that it is not his time. Jesus does indeed fulfill her request, and performs the miracle. Then we see that Mary accompanies Jesus to Capernaum for several days. To this scene we add the one at the foot of the cross when Jesus gave his mother to Saint John (John 19:25-27), thus making her the Mother of all Christians. So, our spiritual mother, Mary, intercedes for us with her Divine Son Jesus. He in turn grants the requests of his Mother, which are for the benefit of the Christians who pray to her.

The life of the Church is generous, diverse and luxuriant, as is the life of God’s creation. Things can have more than one meaning as we saw with the purposes of Great Lent. Biblical stories can also teach us more than one lesson as we saw with the passage of the Wedding at Cana.

Sermon: “Theophany”
By Father Philip Raczka, PhD

Massachusetts, January 5, 2020

The Great Feast of the Baptism of Christ, (Eid al Ghattas), is looked upon as the beginning of the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation (Seer al ‘Ammadee wal Mayroon), just like Holy Thursday (Khamees al Asraar) is the beginning of the Sacrament of Holy Communion (Urbani). This is why it is such a great day for us, for by Baptism we receive salvation from Jesus Christ. We remember and celebrate the Baptism of Christ, for by it He established the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation (Mayroon) for us. Let us examine the Gospel reading to see what Baptism means.

In the Gospel of the Baptism of Christ, we see Christ in the water being baptized by John the Baptism (Youhanna Mumoudaan). Above Christ we see the Holy Spirit (Rouh al Qudous) in the form of a dove, and we hear the voice of God the Father calling Jesus “the Beloved Son.” Thus we see the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the most Holy Trinity. When we are baptized we use the formula given by Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, which says: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, and by baptism they come to live in us. God is with us, and in us. He is not far away. This is one of the great blessings of baptism, the dwelling of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our hearts.

In the Gospel story the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. Jesus is one with the Holy Spirit in His divine nature. His human nature received the descent of the Holy Spirit at His baptism. The word “Christ” means “Messiah” or the “Anointed One.” Jesus was anointed in his human nature by the Holy Spirit. That is why we call Him the Christ. Jesus received the Holy Spirit in His human nature so that He could give the Holy Spirit to us. When we are chrismated at our Baptism, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to believe in Christ, to pray, and to do what is right. He also guides us to fulfill the will of God in our life, and accomplish the work that God wants us to do. The Holy Spirit gives us divine gifts of grace and virtue that we may help to spread the Kingdom of Christ in the world. Receiving the Holy Spirit separates Christian Baptism from that of John the Baptist. John the Baptist clearly said that it was Jesus who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, not John the Baptist. Receiving the Holy Spirit is another great blessing of Baptism and Chrismation.

In the Gospel reading, we heard the Heavenly Father call Jesus the “Beloved Son.” Jesus is the Son of God by nature. He shares the same nature as the Father and Holy Spirit. In baptism, we become the adopted children of God. This is mentioned many times in the New Testament, especially by Saint Paul. Because we are the adopted children of the Father, we can say “Our Father” when we pray. The Lord’s Prayer (Abaana) is the family prayer of Christians. This divine adoption is one of the great blessings of Baptism.
Because we are all the adopted children of God, we are brothers and sisters together. That is why we should love one another, respect one another, and help one another. The Church is the home of a large family headed by God, it is not a place for fighting or discord.

We are the adopted children of God. That means also, that God wants to be close to us. He is not far away. God says in the OT, I have not left you, you have run away from Me by your sins. Return to Me, and I will return to you. We are meant to be close to God. That is why we pray and receive Holy Communion, and all of the other Sacraments, so that we can be close to God. If we do not make time for prayer, and participating in the Divine Liturgy, then we are children separated from our Heavenly Father.
When we donate in the collection, we are showing our thanksgiving to our Father. We are thanking Him for all of His blessings. We are not paying dues for a club. And if we do not donate, or donate only a token amount, we are saying we are not grateful to God, or worse, we are saying that God did not bless us. The word “Anaphora” means offering, we are offering to God the Bread and Wine, and all of our other gifts. The word “Sacrifice” (Qorbaan in Arabic, or Qorbono in Syriani) means a gift given to God. If we do not give, then we are not completely participating in the Liturgy. Because we give to God, He responds by giving to us the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. The Gift that we receive from God is much greater than the one that we give to Him. That is how God is: He wants us to do our part, and His part is much greater than ours, but He demands that we do our part.
Christ established the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation by being baptized in the Jordan River. We receive many blessings and benefits from these Sacraments. The few that I discussed today are:
• God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – lives in our hearts.
• We receive the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we can believe, and live our lives according to the will of God.
• We become the adopted children of God. We become God’s family.
Glory be to Jesus Christ who has given us such great blessings.

Homily of Father Philip Raczka
The Divine Liturgy for our brothers departed in the Hope of the Resurrection.
Our Lady of the Annunciation - Massachussets.

Massachusetts, September 17, 2016

We continue to celebrate the Feast of the Dormition and Assumption of the Mother of God for a total of 9 days (August 15-23). During this blessed time, we can reflect on the Holy Mother and her importance for our life. Today, in particular, as members of “Remember Me in Your Kingdom,” we can reflect on the Blessed Mother’s participation in the Resurrection of Christ.

At the time of the Annunciation, the most holy Mary was overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit to become the Mother of the Lord. Christ dwelt in her womb then, and today He lives in our hearts through Baptism. The most holy Mother of Christ was with the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday, and received the fullness of the gifts and presence of the Holy Spirit. Through this, she participated in the first stage of the resurrection of Christ, for like all Christians, her divine Son now lived in her heart. She participated in the life of the Early Church, which meant that she also received the glorified risen Body and Blood of her Son in Holy Communion.
When she left the present earthly life in Jerusalem, her soul was received into heaven. This is shown in the icon of the Feast with Jesus standing over her deathbed, and holding a baby, which represents her soul. This is the second stage of the resurrected life in that the souls of the believers can go to heaven. The angel no longer bars us from entering paradise as after the sin of Adam for Christ has opened the doors for us. As lovers of Jesus Christ and his followers, we may enter into heaven.

After our Lady died, the Apostles buried her in the Garden of Gethsemane. Saint Thomas was not there due to his missionary work in far off Persia and India. He returned to Jerusalem after she was already dead for several days. He asked the other Apostles to take him to her tomb. At that time, tombs in Jerusalem were caves, not holes in the ground. They took him to the cave-tomb and opened it. Instead of finding her body on the stone shelf as expected, they found the body gone, and the tomb was full of flowers. She then appeared to the Apostles and told them that her divine Son and God had taken her body to heaven. Thus, in heaven, Our Lady lives the third and final stage of the resurrection – both her body and soul are reunited, eternal and glorious. She and Jesus share the full-resurrected life that we all will have when Jesus returns to earth at the end of time.

Our Lady was Jesus’ first and best disciple. As Jesus’ one and only mother, as someone especially chosen by the Father to be the mother of Christ, and someone especially consecrated by the Holy Spirit to bear the Lord, Our Lord Jesus has granted her the fullness of the future resurrected life. This is such an encouragement to us. We can look at the icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God and see not only the blessedness of the Virgin Mary, for she left this life to be with her Son, but also our blessedness; for we too will be called, when the time comes, to leave this life and be held in the arms of Jesus Christ in heaven.
To Him be glory forever.

Homily of Father Philip Raczka
The Divine Liturgy for our brothers departed in the Hope of the Resurrection
Our Lady of the Annunciation, West Roxburry, Massachussets.

Wednesday, February 20,2013

First, we must get one thing straight. It is God who works miracles. The Church teaches us that a miracle may happen through the prayers or intercession of a Saint, but God actually works the miracle. So, we should not say I received a miracle from St. Nicholas but, rather, I received a miracle through the intercession of Saint Nicholas.

At the Last Supper, in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus told us to love another. In many other places in the Bible it is clear that we are told to love each other. When we love each other we are concerned about each other. The problem of our friend or relative becomes our problem, in that we want them to have a good life. We do not want them to be sick or have financial difficulties etc. We want them to have a solution to whatever difficulties that they have in life.
Saint Paul tells us many times in the Epistles, to pray for each other. Praying for other people is an act of love. We commit them, and their difficulties, to the love of God, asking God to help them. It shows our concern for other people and that we want them to have a happy life.
If on earth, in a sinful situation, in a very imperfect life, we are called to love each other and pray for each other; how much more should the Saints in heaven be able to love us and pray for us? In heaven they are not tempted to sin and they enjoy closer communion with God. It seems illogical to me to say that the Saints, who are more spiritually advanced than we are, do not love us and are not concerned about us. To say so, would imply that their love has decreased in heaven instead of increased.

Some people think that the Saints would not know what is happening on earth because, to know would make them sad, and there is no sadness in heaven. Here we need to be careful, for sometimes love involves sadness at seeing the misfortune of others. God Himself is saddened by the evil on earth. The joy of heaven does not cancel out the ability to be concerned for others.