2nd Week of Advent 2023 - Monday - Advent Charity

 On the feast of Christ the King, just prior to the beginning of Advent, we heard the great parable of the sheep and the goats being separated one from another—judged on the criteria of their charity or lack thereof. Christ will return at the end of time and we will be judged—did we love or not.

But God does not does expect us to do something that He himself has not done. In fact, recall the scripture that God is love. Deus Caritas Est. We are to love because we were made to do so. We were made in the image of the One who is love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a communion of life and love.

In the Isaiah reading today, we hear of God coming to the rescue of the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the mute. He restores them to life out of love. He restores creation making it safe from vicious jackals and tepid marshes out of love. He makes it a place where those he has ransomed out of love can sing in peace and joy. Isaiah foretells that God will come to the aid of his people to save us from sin and death. His motivation is love.

And so in the Gospel, we hear the Lord praising the charity, the love, of the friends of the paralyzed. Aware of their friend’s misery, these friends use their hands and feet to overcome obstacles to bring their friend to the Lord. They go to what many might think to be excessive ends—climbing to the top of a roof—in order to bring their friend close to Jesus, and they do so out of love.

Advent calls us to love—to go to excessive ends to bring relief to the blind, deaf, lame, mute, poor, and paralyzed—to the physically helpless and afflicted. But also, to the spiritually helpless and afflicted—those afflicted with atheism, doubt, discouragement, confusion, error, malaise, and even pride—to bring them close to Jesus if we can. And we do so out of love—love for them and love for God.

And when we are faithful to the call to love, we are transformed by love into love growing in likeness to the one we prepare to celebrate at Christmas, then one who will judge us at the end of our lives for our charity. Salvation and the Christian life means entering into the life of God who is love, allowing our conversations, decisions, work and leisure to be animated by love for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces and for an increase in charity among all the people of God, that cleansed of every vain and selfish desire we may be instruments of the love of God. 

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

2nd Sunday of Advent 2023 - The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

 On this second Sunday of Advent we read the opening lines of Saint Mark’s Gospel, written sometime between the years 60 and 70 AD, just a few years after the deaths of Peter and Paul at the hands of the Roman authorities.  In fact, St. Mark had been a very close companion to the Apostle Peter, traveling with Peter to Rome, where Peter was put to death.  Mark was not an eyewitness to Jesus; rather, Mark learned the details of Jesus’ Ministry from Peter.  

The Opening Lines of ancient texts, such as the Gospels, are often very important, encapsulating the author’s purpose for writing.  And St. Mark, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has penned his words very carefully. Listen again to Saint Mark’s opening line: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ. (Arche tou euaggeliou iesou Christou hiou theou.)

The very first word of Mark’s Gospel is the greek word, arche—the beginning, found also in the opening line of the Gospel of St. John.  In arche ho logos, wrote Saint John, in the beginning was the word.  And that word, arche, harkens back to the very first word of the entire Bible in the book of Genesis– “in the beginning.”  “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth”—the story of creation.  

And Mark uses this word purposely to convey that document contains the story of God doing something new, a new chapter in salvation history, a new beginning, a new creation.

We know we live in a fallen world, a world torn apart by violence and sin and selfishness and perversity, a place where things are not as they should be. St. Mark’s original audience, the roman Christians, knew that quite well. By the year 66 the Christians of Rome were being hunted down, to be imprisoned, tortured, crucified, coated in pitch and set on fire, and thrown to the wild beasts as entertainment.

And St. Mark uses this word, arche, intentionally to show that just as God brought creation into existence, through Jesus, God is bringing about a new order in which the tyrants of the world, the powers of darkness and chaos do not get the last word.  

The second word in the Greek, is the word euaggelion from which we get the word, evangelize.  The Greek word euaggelion means glad tidings or good news, we translate it often, Gospel.  

In Mark’s time, the word euaggelion referred to “news from the imperial government”. “Good news from your government, Caesar has defeated the scythians or Caesar has constructed a new amphitheater”. On the occasion of an imperial victory angeloi—messengers—were sent around the empire announcing the euangelion—the victory message of the emperor.  Angeloi would also be sent to remind everyone of Caesar’s birthday. They would herald “Good news, it is time for us again to celebrate with feasts and festivities the birthday of our great God emperor Augustus Caesar”. 

And here you have to love Saint Mark. Because St. Mark has the audacity and courage to announce from the belly of the beast, from the heart of Rome, the capital of the mighty empire, that the true euaggelion is not the birthday of Ceasar, the true euaggelion has nothing to do with an imperial victory—the true good news is the ushering in of a new kingdom, a new order, greater than that of Caesar, the victory of God through God’s anointed one.

Then St. Mark really drives the point home—and declares that it is not Caesar who is the anointed one of God, the Christ. Nor was Ceasar the hiou theou, the Son of God—as was printed on the Roman Coins. Rather, the Christ and Son of God, is Jesus of Nazareth. 

Then Mark continues recalling the prophecy of Isaiah which we read in our first reading today from Isaiah chapter 40. And this passage too, was chosen very carefully. In the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, the prophet had explained that the terrible calamity that had befallen the Jewish People was because of their unfaithfulness to God.  Because of their sins, because they did not uphold the ways of the Lord, because they did not teach their children to be faithful, they had become vulnerable to their enemies and had been captured and carried away into exile by the Babylonians. 

But the 40th Chapter of Isaiah, which we heard today, contains some very good news, indeed. The prophet describes how even though Israel had been unfaithful, God was going to do something great. So get ready, prepare the way of the Lord. God is going to bring the exiles home.

And St. Mark declares that Jesus Christ has fulfilled that ancient prophecy—and not just for the Jewish people, but for all people—all people exiled from God because of sin have salvation through Christ. 

Jesus is the consolation for which Israel longed; and all those who are lost in sin, all those who are captive to the powers of the world, can find deliverance in Jesus Christ.  This message is such good news that Isaiah says, “Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice…here is your God.”

There are people out there who don’t know, or don’t believe, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They are discouraged by the evil in the world, they have allowed evil into their own lives. But Advent involves preparing for an end of evil and sin, but believing in Jesus Christ, the promised one “conducting ourselves in holiness and devotion” as St. Peter says in the 2nd reading. But also, like Peter, like St. Mark, like Isaiah, like John the Baptist, Advent involves making the invitation to believe in the promises of God and the good news. 

There are countless people today who feel like those captive exiles and persecuted roman Christians; they feel helpless and imprisoned, subject to the selfishness of tyrants, discouraged by the evils in the world, caught in chains of addiction, fear, and grief, and meaninglessness, and cycles of sin. And Advent calls us to “cry out at the top of your voice…here is your God”—Jesus Christ the Son of God can come into your life and transform your life and bring you peace and joy and salvation. 

God has done something new in history, and you are invited to see it and believe it and follow it through a new way of life through faith—faith that involves worship, and repentance, and living for others, cultivating holiness and the fruits of the Holy Spirit and devotion to something that the world cannot contain or silence. Advent is the call to all people to prepare for God through discipleship of Jesus Christ.

This Advent, what does it mean to share the Gospel? How might you share your reasons for believing in God with the faithless? How might you rekindle hope to the discouraged? How might you point to Christ in a culture which tells us that money and politics and science and entertainment and nostalgia are the keys to happiness? Who is that person lonely or depressed that you can comfort in Christ’s name? How is God calling you to be a herald of the Good News, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

December 8 2023 - Immaculate Conception - Behold your mother!

 On the Cross, on Calvary, on Good Friday, Jesus gave a commandment to his followers. With his final breaths, he said, “Behold your mother”. Behold your mother. Even in his agony, he was thinking of his mother Mary. And he commanded that we do the same. One of the dimensions of the Christian life, part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, is to behold Mary, to behold her. After all, Jesus told us to do so.

We behold Mary in a number of ways. We depict her in art. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and our mother in faith, has been depicted in art, in paintings, statues, stained glass windows, murals and mosaics, more than any person in human history. Just in this church alone, you can spend a good chunk time, counting the many depictions of the blessed mother. She’s even on a number of our candlesticks. 

We behold our mother, also by considering her faith—her countless virtues. We meditate upon how she responded to God with such humility and trust at her annunciation. We meditate upon how she went in haste out of charity to her cousin Elizabeth who had become pregnant in her old age. We meditate upon how Mary rejoiced at the birth of Christ in the poor stable of Bethlehem—how she faithfully brought Jesus to the temple and pondered the words of Simeon who foretold how her heart would be pierced by swords of sorrow. We meditate upon her strength, as she stood at the cross of Christ, her only son, consoling Him as only a mother’s presence can. 

And we also behold our mother by considering the special graces given to her by God. And today we consider one of those graces, one of those special favors and privileges that God chose to bestow on Mary. Because when Jesus tells us to behold your mother, Catholics take that command seriously.

And today, beholding her, we look, not to the end of her earthly life, not to a moment during the ministry of Jesus or even his childhood or infancy when she birthed him and nursed him. We look to a moment even before Mary was an infant herself, born of her parents Joachim and Anne. We behold our mother--looking to the very first moment of Mary’s existence as a human person, her conception in the womb of her mother. 

And beholding her at the first moment of her existence, we find God doing something he had never  done before, and never will do again. He made her immaculate. 

Now each of us, every human person is beautifully and wonderfully made by God. But God did something very special for her. By virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, God preserved Mary from the stain of original sin. That’s what it means to be immaculate—to have been made without stain. 

Could God do this? Of course. He is God. Nothing is impossible for God. God is all-powerful. To say God couldn’t do that is to claim assert that he is not almighty. But he is. He could make her immaculate if he so chose. And he did. And Christians have believed that He did since the beginning of the Church.

And God made Mary this way, because he wanted to—he saw it fitting—to make Mary immaculate—to prepare a worthy Mother for her Son. So that the Word might take his sinless flesh from the sinless flesh of his immaculate mother.

So we praise God today for his marvelous work by beholding our mother. Love her. Get to know her. Imitate her virtues. Turn to her in prayer. Behold her today and all days. Don’t let a day go by without beholding her in some way. For Jesus commanded it so. He gave her to us to be our mother also, a mother filled with special graces to help us be the people God made us to be—to use the graces he has bestowed on us in God’s service, for the building up of the church, for the mission of the Gospel, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we await with longing the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, dear brethren, let us with renewed devotion beseech his mercy, that, as he came into the world to bring the good news to the poor and heal the contrite of heart, so in our own time, also, he may bring salvation to all in need.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of the Church, Our Holy Father, all bishops, clergy and religious may be sustained in their labors, and that the entire people of God may be disposed to the great graces of Our Lady’s intercession.

For these United States of America on this our patronal feast, that our nation may be united by God’s Spirit, guarded from terror, observant of God’s Holy Laws, and vigilant against threats to our freedom, peace, and well-being. May the Wisdom of God guide our government leaders and legislators, our families, businesses, civil institutions, and all our domestic affairs. 

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust and pernicious laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  Let us pray to the Lord. Lord Hear our Prayer.

That Immaculate Mary, help of Christians, may obtain strength for the weary, rest for the overburdened, healing for the sick, love for the lonely, hope for the despairing, freedom for the addicted, wisdom for the foolish, and faith for the faithless.

For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for Julie Strunk, for whom this mass is offered.

For all those prayers written in our prayer intention book and those prayers we now voice in the silence of our hearts…[pause for few moments].  

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

December 6 2023 - St. Nicholas - An Exemplary Advent Saint

Today we honor a saint whose feast always falls early on in Advent, the great bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas. Nicholas is a wonderful Advent saint for us to celebrate, for Nicholas exemplifies some of the important Advent virtues—virtues that we are to cultivate and practice throughout Advent.

Firstly, Nicholas was known for his generosity. There is the well-known story of how Nicholas threw bags of gold through the open window of an impoverished family. Here are certainly the origins of our modern day notion of Santa Claus with his bags of gifts. But Nicholas didn’t have magical elves to fabricate gifts or money out of thin air. Nicholas gave of his own earthly treasure, to ease the sufferings of others. He was attentive of the needs of the poor, he showed concern for strangers, he gave of his own livelihood, and he did so, anonymously, without the expectation of being thanked or praised. We too are to practice Nicholas-like generosity during Advent.

Secondly, Nicholas was known for his dedication to truth, his sound doctrine. As a bishop, Nicholas was present at the Council of Nicaea, when the Church was gathered to address the growing error of Arius, who claimed that Christ was not fully God, neither coeternal nor consubstantial with the Father. 

But Nicholas had sought the truth and knew his duty to proclaim the truth. On the floor of the Council of Nicaea, in front of all of his brother bishops, even knowing that some of them had been persuaded by the errors of Arius, Nicholas defended the true faith that Jesus Christ, is the Word Made Flesh, and true savior of the world.

During Advent, we too are to seek the truth and proclaim the truth. We pray that people without faith, through our example, will come to seek the truth of the one born in Bethlehem, who He truly is. For, Advent and Christmas for so many people have become Christ-less. Advent is filled with everything but Christ. The world is impoverished, spiritually, due to its faithlessness and error. 

And so during Advent, the Church, by her prayer, and worship, and good works, and study of the scriptures, helps the world rediscover the reason for the season, to reclaim the riches of preparing for Christ to enter more deeply into our lives. But like Nicholas, we must be people of sound doctrine, committed to the truth of Christ—true God and true man, savior, and Lord. 

The prayers of the Mass today refer to St. Nicholas as a powerful helper.  In the Opening Prayer we prayed that “by the help of St. Nicholas keep us safe from all danger.”  His example, his virtues, and his heavenly intercession help to protect us from the dangers of selfishness, self-absorption, and error. By his help may we be filled, like him, with the generosity, love, compassionate concern for others, sound doctrine and truth of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

1st Week of Advent 2023 - Tuesday - The Peace we long for

 During the season of Advent we recall the promises of God—promises God has communicated to humanity through his prophets—promises to fulfill our deepest needs and longings—the promise of peace, salvation, and eternal life. Particularly, we read extensively through the eloquent writings of the prophet Isaiah. 

In today’s passage from Isaiah, we hear promises of peace that will be established through the anointed one—the savior. 

And this peace is profound and supernatural—something only God could accomplish: Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the baby goat; The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. 

Again, this is a peace only God can accomplish. No amount of animal training or human ingenuity can make it completely safe for a baby to play in a cobra’s den. A wolf, if he gets hungry enough, will eventually devour the lamb. 

However, God promises that his anointed one—his Christ—will establish something new—not only protection for the weak, vulnerable, and innocent lambs, baby goats, and human infants from the fierce, deadly powers, but a newfound peace. 

What a promise! The world is filled—our lives are filled with so much strife, jealousy, violence, fear, destruction, family and national division—strife crushes us. There is so much suffering we don’t even think about it, we can’t—the innocent children who suffer in our own neighborhood, let alone around the world—it is so immense, that we feel helpless to do anything about it. 

Advent focuses our attention on the one who can. The one who is able to accomplish the things that are impossible for man—the things that are hidden even from the wise and the learned. The one who can bring peace because He is both God and man. 

And God’s promises are made known to us, that we may believe in them, and pursue them, to align ourselves with them, and the one who alone can fulfill them. 

The secular humanists and materialists will insist that man can obtain peace for himself—just the right set of political and socio-economic policies, the right scientific breakthrough and new technology and we can create utopia for ourselves. But human attempts will always fail to achieve what we most deeply long for—God Himself. And that’s the promise of Advent: God comes to us, so prepare your hearts to receive Him, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

1st Week of Advent 2023 - Monday - Advent Journey of Faith

 On this first weekday of Advent, our scripture readings teaching us that Advent is a journey of faith to God.

In the reading from Isaiah we hear how nations will stream toward the Lord’s house established on a high mountain. During Advent, all people, of all places, of all time are invited to make their way to the one True God, shedding their false beliefs and immoral ways in order to walk in the light of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty. 

This journey of faith is a joyful journey, as our psalm proclaimed: “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”. The journey toward the house of God is a joyful one because we are journeying to meet the One who is our hearts deepest longing. Shedding error to live in God’s truth brings joy, shedding immorality in order to live in God’s goodness brings joy. Shedding violence—allowing our swords to be turned into plowshares—in order to live in God’s peace brings joy. 

Advent can be filled with joy when we turn away from the things that deprive of us joy and fail to satisfy our longing for the infinite. For real joy is experienced when we turn away from darkness and turn more resolutely to seek the face of God. 

In the Gospel, the centurion recognizes that Jesus Christ is God—the God who can bring healing to his household—to his servant who is paralyzed and suffering dreadfully. Faith in Jesus Christ brings healing, wholeness, deliverance, freedom from all the different types of paralysis that afflict us.

Faith in Christ is both the way by which we reach the destination of the journey of faith and the destination of the journey itself. Advent helps us to deepen that conviction and also opens us to the healing and wholeness that can only come by deepening our faith in Him. 

May all people of all nations come to a deepening of faith in Christ Jesus this Advent, and come to rejoice in the peace of Our Father’s house for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.

That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.

That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.

That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.

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

Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.

1st Sunday of Advent 2023 - Advent Work

 Happy Advent Everyone.

The most important things in life require some preparation.  When parents discover they are expecting a new child, they prepare a room for the child and a crib; the room is decorated, clothes are purchased. When a couple becomes engaged for marriage, they prepare, they plan. They meet with the priest for marriage preparation, they attend a pre-cana day, the reception is planned, the wedding garments are acquired, a home is made ready. 

Similarly, when a young man realizes his call to the priesthood, his seminary formation involves nine years of theological training, experience in different ministerial settings like visiting the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, visiting the imprisoned, learning how to craft a homily, teach in the classroom, and celebrate the sacraments.

We prepare for big tests, big presentations, we prepare emotionally to share difficult news, we prepare our wills for the end of our lives. 

What we do here in Church—our religious worship and our religious formation—prepares us—for living the Gospel in the world, and also, it prepares us for eternity. 

The liturgical season of Advent is an entire season of preparation—a season of preparation for Christmas and also for the Lord’s final advent at the end of time, or to meet our judge and king at the end of our earthly lives, whatever comes first. 

There is an old joke about preparing for the Lord’s coming: “The Pope is working in his office in Rome, and a cardinal rushes in.  "Holy Father! Holy Father! Christ has come back to Earth and he is riding up to the Vatican on a donkey. Whatever shall we do?" The Pope thinks for a moment and says: "Look busy."

Part of our Advent preparations is not just to “look busy” of course, but to “get busy”. 

In the first reading we hear Isaiah praying for Israel, that on the day of the Lord’s coming God might find his people “doing what is right”. “Would that you might meet us doing right” We are rightly prepared for the Lord’s coming when we are busy doing what is right and just and good and true and holy. 

The Gospel too contained a parable about preparedness. A rich man “leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work”. God has given all of us work to do—primarily in building up the kingdom of God. We are to be on our guard so that when he returns, he doesn’t find us, “sleeping on the job.”

Now we know how Advent can be a time of great busy-ness—especially in preparation for Christmas—decorating, shopping, the planning of parties and gatherings, the baking of Christmas cookies—decking the halls with boughs of holly—trimming the hearth and setting the table—and whatnot.

Our task is not just to look busy, or simply to be busy about earthly matters. Rather we are to get busy “doing what is right”—what is righteous—what is holy—what is necessary for our spiritual life, for our eternal souls. 

The most important thing we are to do—the most important work—is repentance of sin. If we have unconfessed mortal sins, we are not prepared to meet God. This is the time of year to pick up a good examination of conscience. If you have any unconfessed mortal sins, go to confession as soon as possible. Also, if it’s been more than a year since your last confession, clean the house of your soul to prepare for the coming of Christ. 

Our second Advent work about which we are to be busy about is prayer. Prayer, meditation on the scriptures, quiet contemplation is the work, is the preparation we are tasked with during Advent. Schedule extra time every day for extra prayer. You might even need to set a daily reminder in your calendar. Begin each day with prayer: Lord help me to be diligent in prayer today—watchful for your coming.” The importance of prayer cannot be stressed enough. Without prayer, our hearts are not focused on Christ, who is the reason for the season. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours in addition to coming to weekday Mass, is a wonderful way to remain in tune with the Church’s liturgical prayer. 

Our Third Advent job is of course, charity—works of charity are to abound during Advent. We are to show care for the less fortunate, the downtrodden, the poor and afflicted—to practice generosity. Consider doing something this Advent that’s more generous than you’ve ever done before. How could you change someone’s life for the better, if you tried?

We will never being busy with the work God has for us—of being as generous as we can with our time, talent, and treasure. What will we likely regret? Sleeping on the job. Being so busy with earthly things and worldly distractions that we neglect our souls and the people we could have helped if we were less focused on ourselves. 

Advent is here. Let’s get to work. For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.