January 1 2019 - Mary, Mother of God - "You are my mother now!"

In 1929, just 17 days short of his 9th birthday, the young Karol Wojtyla — the future Pope Saint John Paul II — entered his family home during the afternoon. His parents were very pious, and young Karol was accustomed to see his father — a strong soldier in the Polish army — praying on his knees on their parlor’s hardwood floor. That day, when the young Karol saw his father praying, he saw his dad’s knees bathing in a pool of tears.

“What’s wrong, Papa” the young future Pope asked his father. “Karol, your mother has died!” was his father’s answer. His mother had Emilia died in childbirth.

The eight year old ran out of his home to the local parish Church, which was actually right across the street from the Wojtyla apartment home. He entered the Church and ran up the aisle of the Church to a kneeler in front of a statue of Mary.  Tearfully, he said to her: “Blessed Lady, I don’t know why God took my mother home at the time he did. But I do know one thing: YOU are my mother now!”

“You are my mother now!” Today we celebrate the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. At the beginning of the civil year, when we ponder what time will bring in the upcoming year, the Church reminds us very strongly of what happened at the fullness of time. “When the fullness of time had come,” we hear in today’s second reading, “God sent his Son, born of a woman.”

“You are my mother now!” Those words would first have been said by Jesus.  This is an incredible mystery, that the second person of the Blessed Trinity, who take human flesh, and call one of his creatures, “his mother”. Mary bore God in her womb, and is thus rightly called “Theotokos” the God-bearer.  We profess this truth every time we pray the Hail Mary:  “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners”

“You are my mother now!” Those words were spoken by Saint John the Apostle.  For from the Cross, Jesus said to his beloved disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home”. 

“You are my mother now!” These words are spoken now by every disciple. For Jesus gave Mary as mother in the order of grace to the whole Church. We know that Mary had an important role in the life of the early Church, the disciples gathered around her in prayer in the upper room at Pentecost. And Mary is the mother of the family Jesus established through his passion, death, and resurrection.  Jesus wants his disciples to have his Mother as our own so that she could raise us to be like her Son.  Through Baptism, we say along with Saint John and along with Jesus himself, “You are my mother now!”

Jesus says to each of us, “Behold your mother!” He wants and hopes that each of us will do what his first beloved disciple wisely did, and take Mary into our home, into our lives.

Pope Saint John Paul’s devotion to the Blessed Mother deeply impacted his life, his priesthood, and his papacy.  When he was made bishop of Krakow, he took as his episcopal motto the words: Totus Tuus ego sum, which is latin for “I am completely yours.”  The motto “Totus tuus” was taken from a prayer by Saint Louis Marie de Montfordt: "Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria." "I am completely yours, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart"

In giving one’s self to Mary you can trust that she will always lead you to Jesus.  In our sinfulness, Mary leads us to Christ’s mercy.  In our sorrows and sufferings, Mary leads us to the sweet comfort of her son.  In our joys, Mary leads us to magnify God.  When we turn to Mary in prayer, she leads us deeper into the mystery of God.  She helps us to overcome our vices and our selfishness.

Our mother comes in haste to our aid when we call upon her.  And she will always help us to be free from all that keeps us from loving her son as we should—to make haste in serving God’s kingdom. 
We celebrate this Feast of the Motherhood of Mary at the beginning of the Church year, not because the Church wants to make New Year’s morning more difficult for us, but because this title of Mary as Mother is of the utmost importance. The heart of Jesus was filled with love for His Mother, and our hearts must become like His. Love for Mother Mary does not detract from our Love of God, but magnifies it. Authentic love of Mother Mary deepens our gratitude for the for the role she played in Jesus’ life, for the role she continues to play in our salvation.

So deepen your love for her by Praying her Rosary. Bring flowers to her statues. Build shrines to her in your homes and workplaces. Teach your children songs in her honor. Imitate her virtue. Take as your personal motto for 2019, Totus Tuus, give yourself and all that is yours to her completely. You will not regret it. Invoke the sweet name of Mary, our mother often, fly to her protection, implore her help, and seek her intercession for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 31 2018 - Christ and Anti-Christs

December 31 is a retrospective day for many people.  A day to look back on the experiences of the year: to recall God’s blessings and interventions in our lives and to give thanks and to look forward that next year be better than the last. 

Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “It is our duty, as well as a need of our hearts, to praise and thank the Eternal One who accompanies us through time, never abandoning us, and who always watches over humanity with the fidelity of his merciful love.”

How has the Lord accompanied us through 2018, a difficult year for many people? Three hundred sixty-five days this year Jesus has offered himself to us—in his teaching, in his Sacraments, most especially in the Eucharist.  365 days he has offered to forgive our sins, and invited us to make a new beginning in the life of grace—turning to him for strength in times of temptation, turning to him for guidance in times of confusion. In the darkest moments of 2018, he was there. Did we turn to him? Did we turn to the Christ, or did we turn to the voices and empty promises, of those St. John calls in our first reading, the anti-christs.

“Many anti-christs have appeared” John writes. Each of us faced anti-christs in 2018, whether we know it or not. These were the voices that sought to deceive us, to follow them and depart from the way of Jesus. They tried to convince us to give up faith, give up hope, and give up charity and to despair of God's mercy for sinners. By their example, perhaps, they sought to sway us to hate our neighbor, ignore the commandments, deepen division in our family, and snub the poor. They’ve sewed seeds of error, caused scandal and weakened the communion of the church. They’ve led Christians to leave the Church and non-believers to look elsewhere for salvation. There were anti-christs in John’s day, there were anti-christs in 2018 and there will be anti-christs in 2019. God forgive us if we were anti-christs to anyone, and God preserve from being anti-Christs to anyone.

As we prepare to end one year and enter another, we look back, to reflect upon and give thanks for the blessings of the year, we gird ourselves to continue the spiritual battle ahead, and we look forward with hope and trust that the Lord Christ is stronger than all the anti-Christs, His “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Today is not a day for disappointment over how little we have achieved, but a day for thanks over what God has achieved, and joyful anticipation of what He desires to achieve through us, with us, and in us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the conversion of all those who have turned their hearts from Christ, for those who have fallen into serious sin, for a strengthening of all of the faithful in virtue. And That God may bring the faithless to believe in His Son and increase the faith of those struggling to believe.

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For the safety of all those celebrating the New Year this evening, safety from physical harm and preservation from sin.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Holy family 2018 - 3 Holy Family Lessons

The Solemnity of Holy Family gives us the opportunity to reflect on God’s plan for the family.  We could spend time today considering advice about making your family psychologically healthier, more functional, happier, etc.  In fact, our first reading from the book of Sirach gives a fair amount of advice on this topic: “he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother; take care of your father when he is old even if his mind fails, be considerate of him.” Sirach is filled with such good practical bits of advice, and all of us would do very well to sit down with this wonderful book and consider how its advice could be applied to the concrete details of our life. 

St. Paul, too, in the second reading, gives some wonderful advice: Put on, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another.” Again, good advice for families, especially that last part.  Sometimes family members are the hardest to love; we come face to face with each other’s faults and vices; but when we fail to forgive one another and be patient with one another, our families fall apart.

These readings offer, sound advice; if you are a Christian or not, a member of Christ’s faithful or a person of no faith, you would be hard-up to disagree with any of that advice. 

But today, on this Holy Family Sunday, we need to go a little deeper than psychological advice. We need to consider what it means for the family to be holy, to be a place where family members can grow in sanctity.  So let’s look to the Gospel to the members of the Holy Family to learn how our families may become holy like theirs.

First, it’s easy to forget, that the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, was a real family. We have all seen paintings and holy cards that depict them in a super-pious, unrealistic way. But they were real human beings, just like us, and they lived in the real world, the fallen world, just like us. The fact that Mary and Jesus were unaffected by original sin and that Joseph was a saint doesn't change the reality of their family life and their struggles.

In today's Gospel, we hear how Mary and Joseph were filled with “great anxiety”—they were worried sick—over the loss of Jesus.   We have all experienced “great anxiety” in relation to our families and relationships.  So being holy doesn’t mean we don’t have anxiety, challenges, struggles, or trials. 

Here’s the first lesson we can learn from the Holy family—HOW they endured their anxiety.  Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety over the losing Jesus, but they did not lose faith or curse God.  Notice how Mary and Joseph don’t stand around blaming each other for losing Jesus.  They endured the anxiety together, and they went to look for the Christ, together. 

Husbands and wives, families, the lesson is clear isn’t it: in times of anxiety, fear, anger, uncertainty, sadness, frustration, helplessness, stick together and don’t lose faith.

In a way, God used their anxiety over losing Jesus for three days in Jerusalem in order to prepare them for a bigger trial.  About 20 years after this incident, Mary would have to undergo a greater trial of faith, she would have to witness her Son undergoing his Passion and Death. 
So again, A mark of holiness is the ability to undergo suffering with faith.  God allows sufferings to cross our paths, not because he likes torturing us, but because he wants to purify us, to help us grow in wisdom, to strengthen us for greater trials to come, to draw us closer and closer to his own suffering heart. A priest friend of mine often says, “everything prepares us for something else.” The suffering of yesterday and the suffering of today prepares us for the greater inevitable suffering of tomorrow. 
A second lesson. Notice, how Jesus responded to Mary.  He doesn't apologize for having gone off on his own without telling them. Instead, he simply says that they should have known that they could find him in the Temple, which he calls "his Father's house."
Jesus was not guilty of breaking the Fourth Commandment to honor your father and mother by going to His Father’s House.  Jesus was twelve-years-old, the age of adulthood in the Jewish Community.  And he made a choice to seek out His Heavenly Father’s House to attend to his heavenly Father’s business.
The second mark of holiness Jesus shows us is that our primary responsibility in life, our primary mission, is to find and follow God's call. Nothing, not even the strong, deep ties of family affection and loyalty, should interfere with doing God’s will. We sometimes experience a tug-of-war for our loyalty—God or family, God or country, God or place of employment.  Our primary loyalty is to God.

Prioritizing faith over worldly concerns is rarely easy. During the holidays, we know how easy it is to become overly concerned with the secular dimensions of Christmas, and the struggle of keeping Christ at the center of our celebrations. And throughout the year, there is the struggle of putting faith first. Sometimes the kids or one’s spouse aren’t always enthusiastic about coming to Mass or praying together throughout the week.  Sometimes one’s spouse might pressure you to disobey Church teaching concerning the use of artificial contraception.  But remaining faithful to our Heavenly Father is of the greatest importance.  In a sense, we are each members of two families, aren’t we? Born as children to biological families and born in baptism as children of God.  I know this is hard, but our greatest loyalty is to God. 

I’ve known several priests whose parents kicked them out of the house for entering seminary. Recall the story of St. Francis of Assis.  His father wished him to take over the family business.  Francis’ father publically disowned his son for turning away from the family business in order to follow God’s call. Sometimes children face tremendous pressure from parents wanting their children to be successful in the eyes of the world instead of the eyes of God.  But, Christian parents have as their vocation not just ensuring their children become psychologically well-adjusted, athletically competitive, or financially successful, but that their children know and follow Jesus Christ.

Finally, after discovering Jesus in the temple, St. Luke tells us that Mary “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She examined the events of her life, the trials of her family, her experience of anxiety, her fervent searching for Christ, and pondered them in her heart.

Here a third mark of holiness: Meditating on God’s will, examining our life in the light of Scripture and the teachings of the Church.  Even the pagan philosopher Socrates knew that the unexamined life is not worth living.  We like Mary are to examine how God is working in our life.

Every day, we do well, to set aside time for this sort of prayerful reflection.  Without this sort of reflection and meditation we will never achieve the emotional or spiritual growth God wants for us. Without prayerful reflection we miss the life lessons God wants for us, and we fail to appreciate and give thanks for the blessings of God and seek forgiveness for our failings. You might consider in the new year to begin a spiritual journal, in which you reflect on your life in light of the Scriptures or the life of the saints. A family does well too, to discuss scripture throughout the week.

On this Holy Family Sunday let us commit to making our families holy by assisting each other in discerning and following God’s will for our lives, in bearing our anxieties, trials, and sufferings with faith, and encouraging each other in engaging in those life-giving practices of mind and soul for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 28 2018 - Holy Innocents - The choice to receive or reject

On Christmas morning, we read from the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel: how the Eternal Word took on the flesh of humanity to enlighten and save the world. John wrote how there were those who received the incarnate Word with faith and Love and there were those who rejected Him.

Those who accepted the Christ Child at Christmas were of course, His blessed Mother, who received the Lord into her loving arms, St. Joseph, who received the Christ Child as a foster son—who vowed to guard, protect, rear, and teach the boy as if he was his own; the shepherds received the Christ Child in adoration, and the magi received the child with wonder and awe and worship.

Today, we heard of how King Herod did not receive the child with love and faith. In fact, he plotted to have the child murdered. And when his original plot failed, Herod ordered the massacre of all the young boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, in an attempt to eradicate the Christ.

Through the Gospels, each of the evangelists describe the many ways that Jesus was either received in faith or rejected and hated. All those encountering Him had to make a choice to receive or to reject.
The day after Christmas, we celebrated the Feast of Stephen, the first martyr, who made the choice to receive the Lord and to remain faithful unto death for Him. Yesterday, was the feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, who, as well, received the Lord with faith and love, and although he was not martyred, he suffered greatly, and served the Lord as a faithful apostle. The Church honors the Holy Innocents massacred by Herod as martyrs, who received the Lord in a baptism by blood—they died for Christ, and God received them into his Kingdom.

In every age there will be Herod’s who reject the Christ, who will not stop at any extreme to safeguard their own personal kingdoms. Many even who attended Mass this Christmas, who heard the Gospel preached, will reject the call to conversion, to receive the Lord with Love and Faith and Worship. Many will not allow themselves to detach from their worldly ways to receive the Lord.

But there are Herod’s and hard-hearts that can be reached, that can be softened to receive the Christ Child through the witness, prayers, and sacrifices of the Church. So we pray for them, and for ourselves, that we may receive the Lord ever more deeply, lovingly, and faithfully, and reject everything that does not come from or lead us to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice and honesty, and for the reversal of any law which permits or leads to the destruction of innocent human life, and that God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

December 26 2018 - St. Stephen, martyr - Christmas Gold and Christmas Crimson

Yesterday, we were solemnly celebrating Christ’s Birth.  Today we commemorate the birth into Heaven of the first martyr of the Church, the Deacon Stephen.  In the atmosphere of Christmas joy, this reference to martyrdom might seems out of place.  Just yesterday after all we were wearing Christmas Gold, and now gold is traded for Christmas Crimson, the color of the blood. Yet, the juxtaposition of glorious birth and gruesome martyrdom is not totally unintelligible. The Christmas story contained it’s fair share of suffering. The long journey of the Holy Family in the final stage of Mary’s pregnancy, their being turned away from the inn, the birth of Jesus in the uncomfortable, dirty stable. Even, the Cross and Christ’s own death is foreshadowed by the wood of the manger. And orders for the slaughter of the Holy Innocents have already been issued by King Herod.

So, the commemoration of the Church’s first martyr is not so strange, the day after Christmas. Christmas and the feast of St. Stephen are certainly linked.  “Yesterday, the Lord was born on earth, in order that Stephen might be born in heaven.” Christ was born to be our Savior, and that salvation is won on the cross.

As we contemplate the divine Child in Mary’s arms, we know his destiny. He will grow to be the man who says in the Gospel today, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved”. St. Stephen was hated because of Christ. We heard in the first reading how he infuriated the Jewish leaders, just as Jesus had, because he preached that salvation is found through Jesus Christ, “and Him Crucified.”

You might think, can’t we just have a few days without the cross? And I think the Church answers, no, not really. Even at Easter, when we celebrate Christ’s victory over the cross and tomb, we begin to hear how the apostles willingly undergo suffering and persecution for the sake of the name. The lesson I think is to not let our guard down too much, even at Christmas. The world still hates us because it hates him. The devil will continue to tempt us, even in such a holy season. The flesh will continue to rebel against the spirit, until it is fully surrendered to God.

So, we echo the words of Stephen, the words of the psalm, the words of Christ Crucified, “into your hands Father, I commend my spirit” unto the cross, unto martyrdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

That all Christians who joyfully celebrated Christ’s birth may be strengthened in Christian charity toward all.

That through the intercession of St. Stephen, all ordained deacons, may be strengthened in faith, hope, and love.

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Christmas 2018 - Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

There’s a story about a New York City Police Detective who traveled to Los Angeles one Christmas in the hope of reconciling with his estranged wife. While he was attending her office Christmas party, the office was taken over by terrorists looking to steal $640 million in bonds from the company vault. The terrorists did not anticipate the competence or commitment of Police Detective Lieutenant John McClane, who foils there plans. On Christmas Eve, on a night just like this, John McClane defeated the terrorists, and saved the hostages including his wife, Holly.

Does the plot of this story sound familiar? It’s from the 1988 action film Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. And there has been a debate on the internet these past few years, of whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, a Christmas story or not.

Well what makes a Christmas story? Compare Die Hard, perhaps, to Christmas Classics like “it’s a Wonderful Life” or Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” In A Christmas Carol, the cold, miserly heart of Ebeneezer Scrooge is softened as God intervenes in his life in a surprising way. Through the 3 ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, Scrooge comes to discover the true meaning of Christmas: humility, generosity, empathy for Bob Cratchet and his crippled son Tiny Tim, and a deepened empathy for all mankind.

And In “It’s a Wonderful Life”, George Bailey, depressed and suicidal over his failure to save his community from the machinations of the corrupt local millionaire, comes to rediscover the light of love which makes life worth living, when God intervenes in his life through the Angel Clarence. Through God’s intervention, George Bailey rekindles his commitment to those enduring Christmas values: family, friends, caring for others, seeking the welfare of one’s community.

A Christmas Carol and “It’s a Wonderful Life” are perennial Christmas classics because they echo the original Christmas story so well: God breaking-in to human history 2000 years ago in an unprecedented way, urging us to welcome the Christ-Child to break in to our lives, that we may live a fully human life, reconciled to God and one another. Christmas is the story of God breaking in to the hearts of the Scrooges of our world, to teach them how to love, that will bring about actual human flourishing. And Christmas is the story of God breaking in to the lives of the George Baileys of the world, those who are weighed down by sorrow and injustice and darkness, to teach them that they are loved, to be filled with light once again.

So, is Die Hard a Christmas movie or is it an action movie that takes place on Christmas? Whatever you decide, the question raises a very pertinent truth. There’s a big difference between a true Christmas story, and a story that happens to take place on Christmas. A true Christmas story involves transformation, a handing of one’s life over to something bigger than yourself, allowing God to be your savior.

Now, what about your story? What about the story of your life, which has brought you here tonight, to this beautiful place. Is your life part of the Christmas story of God breaking in to human history in the person of Jesus Christ or does your story just happen to take place on Christmas? For it is entirely possible to have Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas food, Christmas gatherings, without allowing Christ to be in one’s heart.

I can promise you that God doesn’t want to stay on peripheries of your life, he doesn’t just want you to nod in his direction every once in a while. Jesus doesn’t want to be a Christmas decoration, or a relic mentioned in some old Christmas hymn. He wants to live in your heart. He wants the transformation for you, that we see in Ebeneezer Scrooge, in George Bailey, in the dark of night of a Bethlehem stable.

The Christmas gift that God wants for each one of you is the gift of deeper Christian faith: faith that what happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem can happen in your heart if you allow it. He will fill your mind with knowledge of His Truth, he will fill your eyes and ears with the glory of his Humble Beauty, and he will fill your hearts with the experience of His Goodness, if you allow it. He will break into your life, if you allow it.

On Christmas Eve a few years ago, Pope Benedict wrote, “God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendor and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us.” So love Him. Allow yourself to Love Christ more deeply, that you may follow Him more faithfully.

[5:00pm Christmas Eve] In the powerful Gospel reading for Christmas Eve Mass, we hear that the one to be born of Mary is called, Emmanuel which means “God is With Us”. I pray that this Christmas each of you comes to a deeper understanding of what that means. What it means that God wants to be with you, and urges you to take the journey of humility, the journey of self-emptying, that you may be filled with His Life. I hope that tonight is the beginning for all of you of a new story, of allowing Jesus Christ, Savior, to transform your lives, to be more like His, humble and obedient.

 [Midnight Mass] In the powerful Gospel reading for Midnight Mass we hear of the angel challenging the shepherds not to be afraid of God’s intervention in their lives. “Do not Be Afraid” to make the one who is wrapped in swaddling clothes as the Lord of Your Life, that his favor may rest upon you always. “Do not be Afraid” to take the journey of humility, the journey of self-emptying, that you may be filled with His Life. “Do not be afraid” to begin a new chapter tonight, a new story of allowing Jesus Christ, Savior, to transform your lives, to be more like His, humble and obedient.

[Mass in the morning] In the powerful Gospel reading for Christmas morning, we read from the beginning, the Prologue of John’s Gospel in which we hear of the Eternal Word taking on flesh, God breaking in to human history to become man. No doubt, Christmas can be a new beginning for each of you, if you allow that Eternal Word to make his dwelling in your heart more deeply, to manifest the power of the Eternal taking on flesh to save us from our sins.

We gather to celebrate the greatest story ever told: the story of the Eternal and All-powerful God’s humble self-emptying to become a child, in order to save us from our sins and our darkness, when we were completely incapable of saving ourselves.

St. Paul of the Cross said, “Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit”. Being a Christian is rooted in loving this Child not just once a year, but every minute of every day: worshiping him, surrendering our life to him. 

May we allow God to transform our lives, to deepen our faith, to illuminate our darkness, that our lives may give evidence of His incarnation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 24 2018 - To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death

Today's Gospel is the Canticle of Zechariah, also called the "Benedictus" because of its opening line in Latin, “Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel”—“Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel”. This song of thanksgiving is prayed every day in the Church's Liturgy of the Hours, as part of the Church’s morning prayer.

The Benedictus is fittingly proclaimed today, on Christmas Eve morning Mass, for is the prayer of the faithful, hopeful soul, Zechariah who  anticipates the rising sun of God just about to break over the horizon of the history of Israel. Zechariah, sees in the birth of his son, John the forerunner, a sign of hope, that the Messiah must be coming soon. And in his Canticle, Zechariah celebrates how the good things God was doing in his family were part of God’s larger plan for Israel and for the salvation of the human race. What is our Canticle? Could we sing a similar song? Do we have the eyes of faith to see how God is working in our families, to save the souls of our family members, to use our family members as his instruments for his plan for human salvation?

Zechariah recognizes that his son John is the “prophet of the Most High” who will “go before the Lord to prepare His way”. But, aren't we all called to do the same, especially in the context of our family gatherings this Christmas: to be prophets pointing to Christ. How does God want to loosen our tongues to proclaim His praises in the context of our families, like he did to Zechariah?

The Lord certainly desires “to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death”, in our world, and in our families. And he wants to do so through us. May we bring the light, the joy, the beauty of his saving birth, into our Christmas gatherings and celebrations today and always, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Rejoicing in the Lord's nearness, we raise up our prayers of petition.
 
May Christ, the Wisdom which comes from the mouth of God, guide us in knowledge and love.

May Christ, leader of the House of Israel, bring protection to all of the oppressed.

May Christ, the Root of Jesse, come to the aid of nations and leaders of nations to walk in the ways of peace.

May Christ, Key of David, free all those captive to sin.

May Christ, the Morning Star, enlighten those who dwell in the shadow of death.

May Christ, King of the Nations, be the desire of the entire human race.

May Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, bring comfort to all those who suffer and who mourn, and for the deceased priests of the diocese of Cleveland, for whom this Mass is offered.