Parishioners at St. Ignatius of Antioch on Cleveland’s West Side were surprised to see Bishop Edward Malesic process in with their pastor, Father Kevin Estabrook, to celebrate Mass on Nov. 8.
Father Estabrook welcomed the bishop, who quipped, “I see you have a small country parish,” as he looked around the large church.
Bishop Malesic congratulated the parish on the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the church, which occurred on Nov. 9, 1930.
“I am happy to be here with you today,” he said. “Looking over the history of your parish, you have shown a great strength of faith, you have weathered many storms, some of them more recently. But the Lord calms every storm and he blesses us in ways that sometimes surprise us. Today he is once again blessing us with the Eucharist. He is coming to us today and we are blessed beyond compare to be in the presence of God himself,” the bishop said.
He thanked Father Estabrook for his hospitality and parishioners, noting that their patron saint – St. Ignatius of Antioch – “inspires us to love God first, above all things, and then our neighbor as ourselves.”
Bishop Malesic noted that the leaves have changed colors, soon the temperature will dip for good, we are spending the month of November praying for the dead and reminding ourselves of our own mortality, and we are reading from the last chapters of Matthew’s Gospel, which detail the final days of Jesus’ life on earth, with the grand finale of his resurrection.
“We are praying for the same grand finale for ourselves,” he said, referring to the second reading. As we get older and life begins to fade, “we pray for the day when we will all be caught up together in the clouds to be with the Lord forever. Life renewed – like a long-delayed wedding that eventually takes place, even if it happens only after midnight,” Bishop Malesic said.
This is the future that Jesus urged us to be prepared for, he said, noting we need to get ready.
“So, do we have enough oil in our furnaces to make it through the winter? Do we have enough gas in our cars in case we get stuck in a blizzard? Is our phone charged for the day ahead? Or will the important call be dropped because of an empty battery? But, more important – in fact, vitally more important – do we have enough faith in our hearts and love in our lives to meet the Lord Jesus when he comes again?” he asked.
Bishop Malesic said we must get ready for the big event: the banquet of the kingdom, the wedding feast of the Lamb.
We might be confused about the meaning of the parable in which 10 virgins waited for the Lord but only five could celebrate with him.
“Presumably, the 10 bridesmaids were waiting with the bride at her father’s house. They were waiting for the groom to come so that the wedding could commence. But for an unknown reason, the groom was delayed,” the bishop said. “I think of how many weddings I have had that never started on time. And the guests patiently wait as the organist tries to play consoling music in the background.”
In the Gospel, the wedding was delayed until midnight. “The longest I’ve ever had a wedding delayed was only an hour, but it seemed like an eternity,” he said.
The women in the Gospel’s wedding party waited for so long that they fell asleep. But they awoke when they heard the bridegroom was on his way – finally. That’s also when they realized they would run out of oil for their lamps before the groom arrived, so they wouldn’t be able to go out and welcome him as the custom required. The five wise bridesmaids had enough fuel for their lamps. “These are the ones, who if they were alive today, would have always been charging their iPhones,” Bishop Malesic said.
“Well, when the five foolish bridesmaids realized that they would not have enough fuel for their torches to go and meet the groom, they asked to borrow some fuel. But some things can’t be borrowed; some things we need to do for ourselves,” he said.
Although he’s watched numerous exercise videos, Bishop Malesic said he’s never gotten fit by watching others exercise. “And when it comes to religion, watching people of faith doesn’t suffice for having faith. Watching people do good for God doesn’t suffice for doing good ourselves. Religion is not a spectator sport,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I can’t borrow some of your good works and add it to my own personal list. And I can’t borrow the faith that another person has and call it my own. A person’s faith might rub off on me, but then I must allow the seed of that faith to grow within me, otherwise it really does me no good.”
That’s what’s at the heart of the day’s Gospel, the bishop said, explaining that we must be prepared because the tie is coming when the Lord will ask “not whether I – Ed Malesic – had faith. He isn’t going to ask how many charitable works the Church did, but how many charitable works I did within the Church. That is when the wise will be separated from the foolish.”
He said in the Gospel, the unprepared bridesmaids went in search of faith and charity at the last minute, but it was too late. “It is like me trying to lose 30 pounds by exercising overnight. Some things just can’t be done that way. It’s often very difficult to make up for lost time, so we shouldn’t waste our time in this life,” Bishop Malesic said.
During November, as the end of the year approaches, he said we should reflect about the approaching end of our lives. But those with faith look forward to the celebration of the wedding feast. And those who lack enough oil of faith and good works to keep them burning brightly until the Lord’s return should not wait until the last minute.
“Yes, I believe in deathbed conversions, but sometimes the time just runs out in a heartbeat. It’s better to be prepared than not,” he added.
The bishop also shared a story about driving on a cold, rainy night and realizing the gas tank on his car was nearly empty. “Mile after mile I found no place to refill my tank. Running only on fumes, I finally found a gas station. I came close to being stranded. But I vowed never to let that happen again. I don’t want to take the chance of being stranded outside on a cold, rainy night ever again. I now relate that story to my spiritual life,” he added.
“Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works … make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out … renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of his love and bring you into his banquet room, where your lamp an never be extinguished,” Bishop Malesic said, quoting St. Augustine.
After Mass, the bishop greeted parishioners outside – socially distanced and masked. He also posed for a few photos with Father Estabrook’s family and some friends from the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, his previous assignment, who were in town visiting relatives.