Homily: Holy Family 2015 - Imitating their shining example

The Solemnity of Holy Family gives us the opportunity to reflect on what makes a family Holy.  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, they age they were considered adults in the Jewish Community.  And he made a choice to seek out His 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.

I’ve known several priests whose parents kicked them out of the house for entering seminary. Recall the story of St. Francis of Assisi.  His father wished him to take over the family business.  Francis’ father publicly 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, but that their children know and follow Christ.

Especially during the holidays, we know how family can sometimes try our faith.  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.  Confronting a family member engaging in immoral practices isn’t easy. 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. 

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. Families do well to sit down and talk about 

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.

Homily: Christmas 2015 - Charlie Brown Christmas Lessons

 

Last week A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on national prime time television for the 50^th year in a row. In a world where the latest greatest technology is outdated in a matter of months, and social media trends come and go in a matter of days, 50 years of anything becomes quite meaningful.

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, let me quickly summarize the plot.  “Fluffy white snowflakes tumbled from the sky onto a group of joyful children as they sang and laughed, skating on the frozen pond in town. Everyone was happy and full of holiday cheer. That is, everyone except for Charlie Brown.” Charlie Brown confides in his good friend Linus his dismay with the over-commercialization of Christmas and his inability to grasp what Christmas is all about.

In order to discover the true meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown decides to direct a Christmas play.  Charlie Brown gathers the children of the neighborhood for this Christmas play, but everyone seems to be more interested in dancing and modern music than discovering the real meaning of Christmas.  His friend Lucy suggests that what everyone needs is a big glitzy aluminum Christmas tree to get everyone in the proper Christmas spirit. 

We he arrives at the Christmas tree market, he zeroes in on this tiny sapling.  Upon returning to the Christmas play rehearsal, the kids laugh at the tiny tree, in a sense, laughing at Charlie Brown’s attempt to discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Charlie Brown, characteristically loses his temper and yells, “Everything I do turns into a disaster. Isn’t there anyone who understands what Christmas is all about?”

A most unlikely voice of steps in to quell Charlie Brown's exasperation: Linus, who sucks his thumb and clings to his security blanket, steps into the spotlight and proclaims:

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men."

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

50 years ago, the network executives, told Charles Shultz, the creator of Charlie Brown, that the biblical passage from the Christmas Special was too overtly religious, and should be omitted.  But Charles Shultz, insisted, Linus’ Christmas proclamation must be kept in.  “If we don’t proclaim it, who will?” Shultz demanded.

Now fast forward 50 years.  Last week, in a rural Johnson County Kentucky, A Charlie Brown Christmas was performed by a public elementary school.  However, the school superintendent issued a memo directing area schools to avoid endorsing any particular religion in their holiday performances this year. Charlie Brown Christmas could be performed, but the key passage, the passage Charles Shultz saw as the most important passage in the play, Linus’ Christmas Gospel Proclamation, had to be omitted. Though many parents protested, the administration held their ground: no references to Christ this Christmas. 

So the night of the performance, last Thursday night, what happened? The school kids put on their performance, and when it came time for Linus’ big speech, audience began to proclaim in unison: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Christ the Lord.”

For many, commercialism has indeed replaced Christianity as the religion of our land.  Even many Christians are embarrassed about our celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ. But I think your presence here tonight, whether you are a weekly Mass goer, just come once a year, just wandered in off the street, or visiting grandma, we, like Charlie Brown, have a deep desire to discover and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We know, deep down, that Christmas is not just about peppermint lattes, new ipads, sentimental secular songs, or even aluminum Christmas trees.

If we do not keep Christ in Christmas, who will? In our increasingly secular society, We must resist all the forces which seek to remove Christ, all those temptations to pray less, worship less, and give less.

There is another important detail from Charlie Brown Christmas which goes unnoticed even by people who have seen the show a dozen times.  In that climactic scene when Linus shares "what Christmas is all about," he begins his speech clutching his security blanket tightly.  But when he recites the angel’s words, “Fear Not!” he drops the blanket.

The message is clear: the birth of Jesus Christ frees us from our fears. The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable or unwilling to break ourselves. The birth of Jesus allows us to drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.

What is your security blanket? What does God want to help you let go of this Christmas? If Christmas is about refocusing on Christ, renewing your relationship with Christ, reorienting your life to Christ, what do you need to let go of, in order to cling to Him?

Once a Christian was asked by an atheist, “what do you gain by praying to God?” The Christian replied, “what do I gain? Nothing…but let me tell you what I lose…anger, greed, depression, insecurity, and the fear of death.” Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining, but finding the ability to let go of the attitudes which keep us from peace and joy.  What does God want to help you let go of this Christmas?

Linus was able to let go of his security blanket a second time during the Christmas special.  Returning home from the play, Charlie Brown wished to decorate that meager little sapling of a Christmas tree, but when he placed a Christmas ornament upon the tree, the tiny tree, unable to support the ornament, bent in half. “I’ve killed it, everything I touch gets ruined” Charlie Brown exclaims.  But Linus, bends down, wraps his security blanket around the tree and says, “Maybe it just needs a little love.”

Linus teaches another deep Christmas lesson.  When we let go of our insecurity, then we are able to love more deeply.  We let go, in order to love. 

Let Go, and love Christ this Christmas.  Commit to clinging to Him today, and every day. Let him free you from your addictions, your worldly anxieties, your sins and your selfishness.  Commit to him through daily prayer, weekly mass, regular reading of Scripture, and charity and goodwill toward your fellow man, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Dec 22 2015 - "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord..."

We look at these two great women, Hannah the mother of Samuel, Mary the mother of Jesus, two days before the celebration Christmas.  We see that what unites them is praise and gratitude at God’s great blessings: Hannah after decades of barrenness conceives a son, Samuel. And her immediate reaction is to go to the temple of God and offer Samuel back to God’s service.  There was no selfishness in her offering: simply total gratitude and total recognition of God’s blessing, and the desire to adequately seek to praise and thank God for that God.

Mary, only a few days after the conception of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, upon visiting her cousin Elizabeth, bursts forth into a song of God’s praise in her beautiful “Magnificat” which echoes Hannah’s own song of praise. 

At the end of the passage we see the most clear link of what we are about to celebrate: “He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.” The “promise of mercy” was growing in the womb of Mary. Jesus is not only the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, but all the promises made through the prophets.  Encountering the fulfillment of God’s promises, Mary could not help burst forth in a song of thanksgiving. 

Mary shows us, once again, the fundamental attitude of the Christian, to praise and thank God, for all his blessings, and for who he is.

In the O Antiphon this morning was sung, “O Rex Gentium”—O King of Nations…Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay."  In that beautiful antiphon, the Church recalls mankind’s humble beginnings and our need for a savior. Almost as a direct response to that prayer, Mary proclaims how in Christ, the lowly, the humbled, are lifted up, and that the savior, the promise of mercy has come.

On this darkest day of the year, the winter solstice, may we learn from Mary and Hannah how to burst forth in new song, to sing the praises of Him who comes to save us: to help us, when Christmas comes, to burst forth in a song of praise and thanksgiving for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Dec 21 2015 - Hark, my lover--here he comes

Throughout the church year, we do not read very often from the Song of Songs, yet this book has been the favorite of many great Saints.  The Song of Songs has been called “the Great Love Story between God and the Soul”, yet, it is the only book of the Bible that never once mentions the name of God.  But when you read it, with the eyes of faith, you find God everywhere, in the symbolism of this book’s poetry, and song-like dialogues. 

Song of Songs is a series of love poems about a Bride and her Groom.  The traditional Jewish interpretation identifies the Groom as the God and the Bride as the people of Israel.  Early Christian interpreters understood the Groom as Jesus and the Bride as the Church.  Especially in light of Saint Paul who refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ several times.  In just a few short verses, we realize that the Bride and Groom in the Song of Songs are passionately in love.  If you wish to more deeply encounter the love God has for you, meditate with the eyes of faith, on the Song of Songs!

The Song of Songs is very appropriate for Advent.  For as two lovers joyfully anticipate being in each other’s presence, they call out to each other, they speak their desire for each other, so the Church joyfully and passionately awaits Christ. 

Hark! my lover–here he comes

springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills.

In the Gospel, the lover himself traveled over the hill country of judea, in the womb of the Virgin Mother.

He rises over the mountains, much like the rays of the morning sun. Which is why, in the O Antiphon for today, the Church calls out to Christ, “O Oriens” O Rising Sun, O Radiant Dawn, come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. On the eve of the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, the Church announces Christ as light. 

I hope your advent preparations have helped you encounter this God who loves you.  I hope you have encountered Him as light that pierces through the darkness of your life.  Each of us have struggles, anxieties, darkness.  The relationship with Christ may not eliminate the darkness from your life, but in Christ we encounter the light shining in the darkness, a love which accompanies amidst all of our worldly trials. This light is so powerful, that even in the midst of darkness, we are able to cry out with St. Paul, “death, where is thy sting?” Darkness may be present, but it has no power over the Christian who walks in the light.

Rejoice, the Lord, our Lover is coming to meet us. Let us open our arms and hearts to Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent 2015 - 4 Advent Lessons from the Visitation

Now, on the threshold of Christmas, all four candles of the Advent wreath are lit. We’ve looked to several important biblical figures this Advent.  On the first Sunday of Advent, we listened to Christ himself, urging us to remain vigilant for his coming. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsing with anxiety, and worldliness, and drunkenness,” he said.  The last two weeks we have considered the person and message of St. John the Baptist. In order to prepare for Christ’s coming he urged us to repent, to make straight our paths, to open our minds and hearts to the change and the transformation God wants for us—to realign our priorities with those of the Most High.

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we look to the example of the Blessed Mother.  We do this, not just because Mary has an unforgettable role in the birth and life of Jesus, but because we hold Mary as the model of how to prepare for the birth of Christ. She in many ways is the personification of Advent waiting and Advent preparation. Her whole life, from the moment of her immaculate conception, was in preparation of the coming of the Messiah.

So, on this fourth Advent Sunday 2015, we retrace the footsteps Mary took on that first Advent, entering in to Mary’s response of faith that her response might become our response, so that our joy this Christmas, might resemble her joy that first Christmas.

So, I propose four Advent lessons today, for this fourth Sunday of Advent, taken from our Gospel, as we continue to prepare our hearts and minds and souls for the great feast of Christ’s birth.

First, upon hearing that her elderly cousin had conceived in her old age, how did Mary respond? Mary left “in haste” to help. Even though Mary just had a life changing experience, God was intervening in her life in an unprecedented way, Mary left the comfort of her home in Nazareth, in haste.  She detected a need, and she acted without fearful hesitation.

There’s lesson number one: when we detect a need, we are to act in haste.  Whether it’s a change we need to make in our own life, or if we hear how a neighbor needs our help, we are to act in haste.  We don’t put off for tomorrow, what should be done today. 

Someone once said, the devil’s favorite day is “tomorrow” because he tells us, “you can always change, tomorrow. You can always quit drinking tomorrow. You can always visit your lonely neighbor tomorrow.” And what happens? When we say we are going to change, tomorrow, the change rarely comes. The fire of inspiration starts to die away.  Procrastination rarely serves God. So Advent lesson number one: if something needs to change in our life, we need to make that change, in haste.

Secondly, think of what the journey from Nazareth to Judea meant for Mary.  Elizabeth and Zechariah weren’t just a drive across town.  They lived in the hill country of Judea—about 60 miles from Nazareth—through bandit infested hill country.  A difficult journey for anyone, especially for a teenage mother traveling by herself.

But anxiety did not hinder the blessed Mother from making the charitable visitation. Mary was concerned that Elizabeth’s pregnancy would be difficult for she was advanced in years.  So, prompted by love and charity, she put Elizabeth’s needs ahead of her own.

Again, Mary had her own problems: she was with child, she was betrothed to Joseph but carrying a child that was not his.  She could have stayed home and figured about how she was going to explain her pregnancy to her parents, let alone her fiancé. How was she going to provide for her child if Joseph divorced her, as was his right?  She could have stayed at home feeling sorry for herself.  At least Elizabeth had a husband, and a home. 

Here’s lesson number two: Mary teaches us to look beyond our own problems and worries to the needs of others. If I’m overly concerned about myself, I might miss out on those opportunities God gives me to help others. Mary had a number of reasons to justify staying home, but true charity pierces through the excuses.  Mary’s journey teaches us that charity isn’t always easy, nor does charity stop just because I have my own problems. So lesson number two: stop making excuses not to engage in charity.

Next, as Mary traveled those 60 miles from Nazareth to the Judean hill country, she was only newly pregnant.  Jesus would still only have been the tiniest of human embryos, 2 cells, 4 cells, 16 cells--well before a tiny infant would develop feet to kick within her womb. Not having the physical signs of pregnancy, Mary knew of her pregnancy only through faith. And no doubt, as she traveled, she meditated upon the words of the Archangel, and how all the prophecies of the Old Testament were converging in her. 

As we travel through Advent, we like Mary traveling to Elizabeth are meant to be meditating on the promises of Holy Scripture. Every day of Advent we should be meditating on the Scriptures, particularly the prophets.  For it was through the prophets that God communicated his promise of a savior.  So, if we can’t get to daily Mass to hear the words of the prophets, we should be doing some sort of personal daily meditation in order to deepen our understanding and appreciation of Jesus’ saving birth. St. John Chrysostom said, “the Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should merely enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.” 

So there is our third lesson: as she traveled, Mary meditated upon the Scriptures that she had engraved into her heart. And so as we travel through Advent, ensure that you are meditating on some scripture every day.

Finally, upon reaching her destination, we see how Mary brought incredible joy to her cousin. Having left in haste, having put the needs of another before her own, having meditated on the word of God, Mary must have been bursting with joy over the good news that the long awaited for Messiah, the Savior, was to be born. 

The lesson?  We are meant to follow Mary’s example of spreading Good News joyfully. We are to be excited about Jesus and excited about our faith.  The cause of our joy this Christmas are not the gifts that Santa brings, but the gift that God has already given in Jesus Christ.  He is the cause of our joy.

“Joy,” Mother Theresa said, “is the net by which you catch souls.” There are souls out there, neighbors, family members, people who have left the Church, that can only be brought to God by witnessing our joy.

“A joyful heart, Mother Theresa explained, “is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love for God and for neighbor.” So our final advent lesson today: Mary shows us that during Advent we are meant to prepare our hearts in such a way that we discover new joy through our faith.  Daily prayer, daily self-sacrificing charity, daily meditation: these things cause our hearts to catch fire with love and joy.

I think of that wonderful Christmas song, “Joy to the World, the Lord has come…Let every heart prepare him room.”  Why are we not as joyful as we should be, why are we not bursting with joy in the Lord, why are we as not as effective evangelists as we should be…we all too often have not prepared our hearts and made room in our hearts as fully as we should for the Lord. 

So, in these final Advent days, may Mary continue to teach us how to prepare our hearts for the Lord, that following her example of faith, we may share her joy this Christmas, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Dec 18 2015 - "You are to name him Jesus"

Yesterday began what is often called “Deep Advent” or “Late Advent”.  Where the first two weeks of Advent focus on the Second Coming of Christ at the End of Time, the second half of Advent focuses on his first coming at his birth and his abiding with us. 

So, as we mark the days until Christmas, we read today the wonderful story of the Angel Gabriel’s visit to St. Joseph.  One of the interesting things about this story is that the savior’s name had already been chosen by God, he was to be called Jesus.

My sister had a baby just before Thanksgiving. And in the months leading up to the baby’s birth, our family was suggesting names that the baby might be named.  I think my mom thought the baby should be named Sophia, my dad thought the baby should be named Joan, after his mother.  I thought the baby should be named after the great Saint Athanasius, you could bet that there wouldn’t be anyone else in her class named Athanasius.  My sister and her husband decided on the beautiful name Harper Elise. 

In the Gospel story, notice, that Mary didn’t get to pick her baby’s name.  The baby’s name had already been chosen by God.  And God chose a name that had a special meaning.  The baby’s name was to be Jesus.  The name ‘Jesus’ is derived from the Old Testament name “Joshua” which means, “God is salvation”.  What a perfect name for Mary’s Son.  God was being born in order to save us.

Now, first-century Jews were expecting God to save them from their political enemies.  Rome was occupying their land, controlling their religious life, cruelly torturing and murdering Jews who spoke out against Rome. 

But the angel tells Joseph, that Jesus wasn’t going to save Israel from their earthly enemies.  Jesus was going to save Israel and all mankind from their sins.  For sin was a greater enemy than Rome ever was.  Sin brought about not just the loss of their homeland, not just overbearing political leaders; sin brought about a loss of heaven, and a loss of mankind identity as children of God.

Another name was mentioned in the Gospel story.  Mary’s son was to be named Jesus, just like the virgin in Isaiah’s prophecy was to name her child, “Emmanuel” which means, “God is with us.” Jesus was not just another child among others.  Jesus’ birth was special. Jesus’ birth meant that God himself would be among us. The same God who brought creation into existence would be born to Mary.

In the Gospel acclamation, I sang, another title for Jesus. Since, I sang in latin, it may have been tough to hear. I sang “O Adonai”.  The name Adonai was a title for God in the Old Testament, God who spoke from the burning bush, who gave the law on Mt. Sinai to Moses.  Jesus is Adonai made flesh, who speaks to us through the Church and gives us the new law of loving one another with Christ like love.

These names and titles help us to truly prepare for Christmas because amidst all the busyness, they help us to focus on who Jesus is, and what really matters.  That to us is born a savior who came to free us from being separated from God, from all those destructive habits.

Over the Christmas break, continue to be mindful of your Christian identity by being mindful of Jesus’ identity: he is Emmanuel, he is Adonai, he is Jesus, who comes to free us from the darkness of our sins, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Dec 17 2015 - What do you want for Christmas?

“What do you want for Christmas?”

It’s a simple question, even a common and familiar one this time of year.  “What do you want for Christmas?”

At first you might answer that you would like a particular object: a book, a sweater, a video game.  You might look a little deeper and hope for a certain problem to be resolved: you might hope for your family’s money problems to be eased, or reconciliation between family members who are arguing too much, or maybe physical healing for yourself or someone you love.  These Christmas wishes are much more precious.

Going deeper, we might hope for the unspoken desires of our hearts the ones that are hard to put into words: I want to know that I am loved, I desire a fullness of life that I haven’t known my whole life.  Here in the great depths of the human heart lie the deep desire for the One who loves us beyond all telling, the desire to know that we are loved by God. There in the deepest part of the heart of every single human person, is a desire for God, whether they recognize that or not.

So when someone asks what do you want for Christmas, we Christians, should say with all seriousness, we want Jesus.  We want Jesus in our hearts, we want Jesus in the hearts of all people.  Many people think that the material gifts will make them happy; but only with Jesus is true joy.  Many people want reconciliation and healing in their family; but the only true healing and peace comes when families have Jesus at the center of their lives.  Each one of us wants to know that we are loved by God; and Jesus can show us that, if we take the time to pray every day, to know him better, to serve him better, and to love him with our whole heart.

During the last days of Advent, the Church sings the O Antiphons during the Gospel acclamation and during Evening Prayer. Today, I chanted: “O Sapientia…O Wisdom coming forth from the mouth of God, which orders all things mightily.” Perhaps for Christmas, we hope to get our lives in order, to get our priorities straight, to value what really ought to be valued…Each of the O Antiphons express humanities desire for Jesus. Jesus is the Wisdom who rightly orders our life to God.

We heard that beautiful proclamation of the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel; Jesus’ family tree.  We see how according to God’s plan, through all those generations, from Abraham, through Jesse and King David, through the time of the Babylonian exile, God planned to bring Jesus into the world through Mary. If God can order generations upon generations of men to bring about the savior, he can order our lives, to bring Jesus into the world through us. God wants to provide for that great desire in people’s hearts for Jesus, through us; but if Jesus is not in our hearts, then we cannot give, what we do not have.

So during Advent, we continue to make room in our hearts for Christ to dwell, and that we may be open to serving God by bringing Christ to others, for His glory, for the building up of his kingdom, and the salvation of souls.

Homily: Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent - Actions speak louder than words

The prophet Zepheniah spoke woe to the rebellious, polluted, tyrannical city. The Advent season is meant to transform that city, and transform that cities inhabitants.  And in the Gospel today, we see just what that transformation is meant to look like. 

In the parable of the two sons, we see a very common attitude characterized: those who say “Yes, Lord” with their lips, but, in fact, don’t do what the Lord asks of them.  Advent is meant to transform our lip-service into…actual service.  Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus claims that his followers aren’t merely those who cry out to him, “Lord, Lord”; his followers are the ones who “do the will of his heavenly Father.” Jesus' Gospel parable makes it clear that obedient service, not lip-service, is what pleases God.

Half-way through Advent now, we’ve called for the Lord to enter into our life in a radical way many times now: “Come, Come Emmanuel”, “Come, Lord Jesus Come”, “Maranatha”.  But these prayers will remain mere lip-service, unless they lead to obedient service to God.

There were many in Jesus’ day who appeared to be saying “no” to God with their actions, the tax-collectors and prostitutes, but upon hearing the call to repentance preached by John the Baptist and by Jesus himself, turned their life over to God. And there were many who claimed to be saying “yes” to God, namely the Temple hierarchy, who when hearing the call to change, they rejected both John and Jesus.

In what part of my life is Jesus challenging me to change? to be more respectful or more generous with my neighbor, to be more generous to God with my time in order to enter into the life-changing prayer God wants for me? To give up certain vices or attitudes which take away my joy? To give up the need of thinking I know better, or that I always have to get my way all the time?

Come Lord Jesus, transform our rebellious, polluted, tyrannical hearts into hearts obedient, pure, and full of peace and charity for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Dec 14 2014 - St. John of the Cross - Dark Night of the Soul

As we draw closer to the great celebration of Christmas, and as the days of the year grow darker, we honor St. John of the Cross, especially known for his writing about the journey to God through the darkness.

There are times in every spiritual journey where it seems the brightness of God’s closeness sustains us and strengthens us—when it is easy to pray, delight to pray. But there are also times of inevitable dryness, where the God seems far away, distant, even absent. 

In St. John of the Cross’ most famous work, his mystical poem, “The Dark Night of the Soul”, he describes the Christian soul going through a period of extreme dryness in prayer.  But such dryness isn’t proof that God is absent, rather, God allows the period of dryness, in order for the soul to persevere, to grow in faith, and to be free from false images and false gods.

In those last few centuries before the birth of Christ, Israel was going through a particular “dark night of the soul”; many thought that God had abandoned his people, and asked, “where was the messiah whom God had promised?” There longing and waiting lasted centuries. Biblical figures like St. John the Baptist, Simeon & Anna, Zechariah & Elizabeth, the three wise men, the poor shepherds, and of course, Mary & Joseph, show us that there was a faithful remnant who did not despair, but maintained hope in a savior.

So too on every spiritual journey, when God seems distant, when the hardships grow great, we see the brokenness of the world, and so many people falling away from the Church, instead of losing hope, we must recommit ourselves to trusting in him, that God allows us to go through the spiritual trial, in order that our faith, hope, and love may be grow.

In the Gospel today, the religious authorities did not recognize Jesus’ identity.  They could not accept the fact that God could come in the form of a poor itinerant preacher.  Another lesson from John of the Cross is that God often comes in ways that we have not known him in the past.  God allows the dark night, that we can know the joy of experiencing him in a new and unexpected way.

Yes, there are dry times when we must simply persevere in prayer, but we must also be open to new experiences of God, of deepening or expanding our prayer life, of being open to discovering God in service. Advent involves openness to both experiences: persevering in the tried-and-true spiritual practices, and also openness to new ways, reaching out in new ways to the poor, to those in need.

Because the dark night can lead to an ever deeper experience of God, John of the Cross wrote, “O night, that was more loving than the rising sun, o night, which joined the lover, to the beloved one”.

In periods of darkness, dryness, when abounding are the reasons to lose hope, let us recommit our trust in God, that our faith, hope, and love may be strengthened, that we may be made worthy of the kingdom of heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Advent 2015 - Rejoice in the Lord Always

One of the central biblical figures associated with the season of Advent is, of course, John the Baptist.  Last sunday we heard how John was down at the Jordan River helping people prepare for the arrival of the Messiah. In order to prepare he called sinners to a baptism of repentance.  Prepare for the coming of the Lord by repenting of your sins, changing your ways, amending your life. 

John’s call to repentance echoes through the Advent season. On Thursday evening this week, our parish will have an opportunity for repentance: our annual Advent Reconciliation Service.  Several visiting priests will be here, in addition to myself and Father Klasinski, to offer an opportunity for you to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas, by making a good confession.  So, let me do my best St. John the Baptist impression now by proclaiming, “Prepare the way of the Lord” by coming to confession this week, especially, if it’s been more than a few months since your last confession. 

One of the benefits of making a good confession is being filled with joy knowing that I am forgiven by God. Joy is the central theme of this Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete in Domino semper” Rejoice in the Lord always, St. Paul told us in the second reading.  But we cannot rejoice in the Lord always unless we are in right relationship with him. 

One of the reasons we go through life without experiencing the joy God wants for us is because of sin.  Sin might bring temporary gratification…gluttony, lust, pride, wrath, greed…these things often feel good “at the time”, but in the end we know that instead of giving us life, they take it from us.  So come to confession this week, allow the Lord to remove some of those obstacles to joy. You never regret going to confession, but you’ll always regret not going.

In the Gospel today we heard that there was a lot of excitement about John; People had heard that John was preaching, calling people to repentance, he was wearing the clothes of a prophet, he was down at the Jordan River, right at the spot where Joshua had brought the Israelites into the promised land after 40 years wandering in the desert.  People began to think that John was the promised Messiah.  After all, he was quoting a lot from the prophet Isaiah, who prophecied how God would send a Messiah, a deliverer, to restore Israel, to deliver her from her enemies. 

With all this excitement, people came to him asking him if he was the Christ. And how did John respond? “I am not He” John says, “I’m not even worthy to untie the straps of His sandals”.  John teaches us here something of extreme importance for preparing for Christ, for being in right relationship with God—he teaches us a fundamental attitude for being Christian.  John teaches us, “I am not the Christ” and none of us are, either.

John was such a powerful because he knew who he was, and he knew who he wasn’t.  He knew that he was not the Christ, he was not God.  He had his life in order and his priorities straight, he knew the most important thing in life is being in right relationship with God, and step one, is believing that there is a God and knowing that “I am not He.”  

The realization that “I am not God” is profound.  It’s the starting point for Christianity.  I am not God, I am not the savior, but I need God, and I need a savior, so I’m going to do everything I can to come into right relationship with God and nurture that relationship.  That’s what John the Baptist did, that’s what each of us are called to: to admit, “I am not the Christ” and “I need a savior—I need someone to save me from my sins.”

For, If I don’t need a savior, Christmas, the birth of Jesus isn’t a world changing event, it’s just another birth among billions.  I think one of the major temptations of life is to forget that we are sinners profoundly in need of a savior. And by not recognizing Jesus as savior we miss out on a profound dimension of our faith, the dimension that brings us joy in being redeemed sinners.

Another reason why we often do not experience the joy God wants for us, is because we keep Him on the fringes. We treat prayer, we treat service, we treat Mass, as merely obligations to get out of the way, so I can get back to living MY LIFE, the way, I want to live it.  If that is our attitude, we will never find joy.  Christianity is not merely a set of obligations so that God will let us go to heaven.  Rather, prayer, especially Holy Mass, and service are the means by which we can discover joy in this life.

St. Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. He speaks of joy as the mark of the Christian over 20 times in his letters. If we don’t joyfully encounter the Lord in the primary areas of prayer, Mass, reading scripture, and service, it will be impossible to rejoice in Him in those other areas of life.

Our Christian pilgrimage isn’t meant to be one of sour, sorrowful, begrudging fulfillment of empty obligations. Sorrowful drudgery and sour faces are not to be the mark of the Christian.  When we look to the saints, our examples of what it means to be a Christian, they are not these bored, 

depressed, people, but people who have become fully alive, who are animated with joy, because of the radical nature of their belief and love of Christ and the practice of his teachings. Jesus said, “I have come that you may abundant life.” Life that is over flowing with peace and joy and charity.

And as John the Baptist shows us, this abundant life and joy cannot be obtained if you think and act that you are God, or if you keep God at the fringes.  The Baptist expresses this teaching elsewhere in scripture when he says, “I must decrease, while Christ must increase.” Jesus Christ must become the “center of your universe and history” as Pope John Paul II wrote.

Arrived now at the half-way point of Advent, we do well to ask ourselves, what does it mean, in the concrete details of my life, in my relationships, with my habits and sins, what does it mean for me to decrease and Christ to increase.  What needs to change so that I can experience the joy God wants for me? What will I have to so “no” to, so that I can say “yes” to God. 

Holy Spirit, come, and help us to prepare well for Christmas, by submitting our lives, ever more fully to the dominion of Christ, by turning away from sin, and being faithful to the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.    

Homily: Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent - Playing games with God

There is a famous book on human psychology, published back in the 1960s called Games People Play.  The book isn’t talking about board games like monopoly or trivial pursuit, or children’s games like hop-scotch or kick the can.  The book explains the often selfish and manipulative "games" adults play with each other in their interpersonal relationships. Think of a boss who throws tantrums in order to get his employees to do his bidding, or a beautiful woman using her voluptuousness to get what she wants.

We even play games with ourselves: the little lies we tell ourselves in order to justify certain behavior.  “I’m so stressed, I deserve to eat an entire carton of cookie dough ice cream. Or, I had such a hard day, I deserve to have six whiskies.” Or think of the way we point out people’s flaws so we can justify not associating with them, or helping them. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus talks about playing games with God.  He describes the behavior of his generation, as a bunch of children playing games in the street instead of taking the word of God seriously. Instead of heading the preaching of John the Baptist, they claim he is possessed by a demon. Instead of heading the preaching of Jesus, they claim he is a drunkard and a glutton. They create and believe a lie about Jesus, so they don’t have to change their behavior.

Of course, no one does that today…

What a challenging word the Gospel is for us today.  To examine the games we play with God and with one another.  What lies do I tell myself in order not to pray as much as I should? What lies do I tell myself in order to indulge in sinful behavior? What lies do I tell myself in order not to serve as much as I should? What lies do I tell myself in order not to reach out to the estranged and the lonely?

The quiet solemnity of Advent provides a perfect opportunity for serious self-examination.  And upon discovering the selfish games we play, we seek the Lord’s mercy in the Sacrament of Confession, and make a firm promise to change.

May the Holy Spirit lead us to the change of heart, the change of attitude, the change of behavior God wants for us this Advent, that conforming our lives to Christ, we may bear his truth and love to all the word, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Thursday of the 2nd Week of Advent - Preparing for proclaiming

This Sunday, on Gaudete Sunday, we will hear the preaching of John the Baptist. John will be down at the Jordan River, calling people to repentance, in order to help them prepare for the coming of the Messiah. In the Gospel Sunday, John will speak about Jesus.

In the Gospel today, Jesus speaks about John. Jesus speaks about John as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  What makes John greater than Isaiah, Elisha, Elijah, and Jeremiah? He’s greater than these men because God chose John to prepare the way for the immediate coming of the Messiah.  The other prophets spoke about the distant future, but John had the great vocation of helping people immediately prepare for the Messiah.

Jesus then says, however great John’s role as a prophet, the least in the kingdom is greater than he.  Who are these prophets of the kingdom, who are these heralds who are greater than John the Baptist? You & Me!  John the Baptist did not have the great honor that each of us has. John did not have the greater honor to shout from the rooftops, “The Messiah has come, he has died, he has risen.”

John prepared Israel for the Messiah who was to come. We prepare the world, all nations of all time for the Messiah, who has come.  John announced salvation is coming. We announce salvation is here; salvation is available through the Sacraments of the Church. John spoke about the coming of the kingdom; we get to actively build the kingdom. John spoke about a time when the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit. We are the ones who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, to go out in that spirit to preach and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to announce to the world that Jesus Christ is with us always until the end of time.

Now we normally think of Advent as a time of preparation. We prepare through penance, quiet prayer, reflection, acts of charity. But prepare for what? We are preparing for proclamation.  We prepare during Advent, so at Christmas we can proclaim Christ is born a Savior, God is with Us always.

We are already at the half-way point of Advent.  Only two weeks until Christmas Eve.  So, we do well to take inventory, to reflect, how have our Advent preparations been going? How are my spiritual practices different now than during Ordinary Time? Have I made time for that extra prayer and reflection? Have I gone to confession yet? Have I engaged in extra acts of charity yet? Have I reached out to the lonely, the needy, the estranged family member?

If we are supposedly greater prophets than John the Baptist, as our Lord said in the Gospel today, are we acting like it? If not, what needs to change?May the Holy Spirit, with whom we’ve been baptized, continue to draw us deeper into the life of God, that we may go out and draw others to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: December 8 2015 - Immaculate Conception - Chosen for holiness

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”

The angel Gabriel first greeted the daughter of Joachim and Anne in the house at Nazareth with those words: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”.  And those words have been translated into nearly every spoken language on earth, and recited by Christians for two thousands years. St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the angelic salutation is well known” “Ave Maria, Gratia plena, dominus tecum.”  After hearing this greeting, St. Luke tells us that Mary “pondered what sort of greeting this might be” so today, let’s ponder the meaning of the Angel’s greeting.

And to do that, let’s look at Saint Luke’s original greek.  In Saint Luke’s original greek, the angel says to Mary,
“Chaire kecharitomene, o kurios meta sou”

The first word in the greek, Chaire, is sometimes translated to latin word, “ave” as in Ave Maria, or “Salve” as in Salve Regina, Hail, Holy Queen.  Chaire can mean, hello, hail, a friendly greeting.  When you’d see your friend walking toward you down the street, you’d say, “Chaire” Hail, Friend.

The word was also used by the prophets in the Old Testament as an announcement of Joy.  Chaire, Hail, God is about to do something wonderful.  So the word “Chaire”, in the Old Testament, is sometimes translated as rejoice.  In announcing to Israel that from her would come a savior, the prophet Zechariah said, “Chaire” rejoice daughter sion.

So every time we repeat that word, “Hail” Mary, we are greeting her as a friend, and we are greeting her with a greeting of joy.  Every time we recite the Hail Mary, we share in Mary’s joy.

The second greek word is very important for today’s feast—kecharitomene—“full of grace.”  This is a very interesting word because in greek it is in the perfect passive tense, meaning, something has been done to Mary in the past.  What has been done to her? She has been made “full of grace”.  When was she made full of grace, and by who? She was made full of grace at the first moment of her existence, in the womb of her mother Anne.  And she was made full of grace by God.

So the first words the angel Gabriel speaks to Mary form the basis of our belief in Mary’s Immaculate Conception—that from the moment of her conception, Mary was made immaculate by God.  The word Immaculate comes from the latin meaning without stain.  What stain was Mary without? The stain of sin.

That word kecharitomene is interesting for another reason.  In the greek, the perfect passive participle refers to not only something that happens in the past, but also something that continues in the present.  Mary was made full of grace, and she continues to be full of grace.

So every time we pray the hail Mary, we our professing our belief that Mary continues to be free from any sin, and full of God’s love and God’s grace.  Because Mary is full of God’s love, she looks down upon us from her place in heaven.  I know it is hard to believe, but she loves us even more than our parents and grandparents love us, because she loves us with a heart perfectly free from any sin.  A heart of boundless charity, an ocean of love. So we can always turn to Mary for help in following the way of Christ.

Today’s feast celebrates that God had a plan for Mary from the moment of her conception.  Yet, in the epistle, St. Paul reminds us that we too have been chosen from the foundations of the world to be holy and without blemish.  God chooses each of us to be holy.

Mary’s Immaculate Conception reminds us, what each of us are called to be, through baptism.  Every human being is destined for holiness, because every human life is precious to God, every conception is important. But it is up to us to cooperate with his plan.

So, on a very regular basis, every Christian ought reflect upon Mary’s example: to reflect on what it means for me, in all of the details of my life, in all of my relationships and responsibilities, with all of my weaknesses, what does it mean for me to radically surrender my life to God, as Mary did from the first moment of her conception? What does it mean for me to be free from selfishness, free from self-centeredness in God’s service, like Immaculate Mary?

In addition to the liturgical celebration, as many of you know, today also begins the great Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.  Great graces are available to each of us this year, for the transformation of our hearts and the transformation of the world.

In the Papal Bull announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis writes why he chose this feast day to open the Year of Mercy. The Pope writes, “The Holy Year will open on 8 December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This liturgical feast day recalls God’s action from the very beginning of the history of mankind. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God did not wish to leave humanity alone in the throes of evil. And so he turned his gaze to Mary, holy and immaculate in love (cf. Eph 1:4), choosing her to be the Mother of man’s Redeemer. When faced with the gravity of sin, God responds with the fullness of mercy. Mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive… May the sweetness of Mary’s countenance watch over us in this Holy Year, so that all of us may rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness.”

By drawing near to Mary in prayer, by contemplating her example, her virtues, her radical surrender, we too came come to discover the joy of God’s tenderness and the awesomeness of his plan.  So if you are depressed, or sad, or feel like your life is missing something, if there is a lack of joy in your life, those are signs that you are meant to draw near to Mary, to seek her help, to follow her example.

May Mary, full of grace, help us respond to God with wholehearted surrender, obedience, and trust, and prepare well for all God has in store for us, for His Glory and the salvation of souls.

Homily: December 7 - St. Ambrose - To us Christ is All

As a member of the Roman nobility, Ambrose was trained in the classics: philosophy, poetry, rhetoric.  Highly intelligent, well trained, Ambrose was made governor of Milan around the age of 32.  Two years later, a heated argument erupted in Milan between the Catholics and the Arian Heretics.  The bishop of Milan had died and the Arians wanted an Arian bishop, the Catholics wanted a bishop faithful to the Apostolic faith. 

Ambrose tried to resolve this dispute, and he began to address the crowd. Well, his speech struck such a chord with the people that someone shouted out, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The orator was speechless, for he had no intention of being a priest or bishop. He wasn’t even baptized; he was still a catechumen preparing for baptism. 

He resisted, claiming that he was unworthy, but the people continued to acclaim, “Ambrose for bishop”.  The people prevailed, mostly because Ambrose wanted to preserve peace.  So on December 7 of that year, Ambrose was baptized, and was consecrated a bishop, a week later.  He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church. 

Until that moment, Ambrose had been the most senior magistrate of the Empire in Northern Italy.  He was culturally well-educated, but pretty much ignorant of the Scriptures. So, the new Bishop briskly began to study the Bible…talk about learning on the job!

From the works of Origen, he learned to know and to comment on the Bible, and introduced in the West the practice of lectio divina.  From lectio divina, the prayerful listening to the word of God, Ambrose would become one of the great preachers and teachers of his time. His preaching and teaching would convert many, including the wayward son of Saint Monica, Saint Augustine.

Ambrose is a wonderful Advent Saint.  From his life, we learn that God has a plan for each of us, which is sometimes different than our own plans.  And when we humbly submit to God’s plans, God brings about greater good than we could ever do on our own.

And we also learn from Ambrose’s practice of lectio divina. During Advent, we are called to prayerfully reflect on the Word of God. Throughout Advent we are presented with the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah.  We do well to sit and reflect and pray with the Scriptures in order to prepare our souls and hearts for the great Christmas mystery.

Full of love for Jesus, Saint Ambrose proclaimed, “Omnia Christus est nobis! TO us Christ is all! If you have a wound to heal, he is the doctor; if you are parched by fever, he is the spring; if youa re oppressed by injustice, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is strength; if you fear death, he is life; if you desire Heaven, he is the way; if you are in the darkness, he is light…Taste and see how good is the Lord: blessed is the man who hopes in him!” Like Ambrose, may Christ be all for us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 2nd Sunday of Advent 2015 - Prepare Ye, the way of the Lord

It was the worst of times….and the worst of times…During the most disastrous time in Israel’s history, the time of the Babylonian exile, lived the author of today’s first reading: the prophet Baruch.  The armies of the Babylonians had swept through Judea, killing many, laying siege to Jerusalem and destroying the city, burning the temple to the ground, and carrying-off the elite of the nation into slavery.

Think of how horrific this must have been.  The chosen people, living in the heart of the kingdom, David’s city, and watching the temple built by Solomon be destroyed.  The Temple was supposed to be the spiritual center where one day all people of the world would come to worship in harmony.  Jerusalem is sacked, the nation destroyed, the temple burnt to the ground, priests and civic leaders carried away.  Think of something like the United States being conquered, Washington DC being destroyed, the capital and the white house burnt, our government leaders taken into slavery AND our churches demolished and priests and bishops arrested and taken away.  That is the background for the first reading today.  It seemed to the Israelites as if God had abandoned his people.

And what was the prophet Baruch’s message? Standing in the rubble of Jerusalem, the prophet says, “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; and look to the east.”  Why the east?  Babylon was in the east! That’s where their countrymen had been carried off to!

But Baruch says, don’t mourn. It looks dark right now.  But you will see God setting the captives free, establishing justice, restoring the glory of Israel. And all nations of the world will stream to Jerusalem to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the darkest time, God had a message of hope, for his people.

And that theme of hope recurs over and over in the Old Testament: that in life’s darkest moments, when things look bleakest, we must trust that God has not abandoned us, that he will ultimately fulfill his promises to deliver us from evil.

Just about 50 years after Baruch’s prophecies, in the year 538 BC, the Babylonians fell to the Persians, and the Persian King Cyrus freed the exiles, and allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

Now fast forward, five hundred years. It was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas.

Again, another dark time in Israel’s history.  Tiberius Caesar the successor of Caesar Augustus was a ruthless dictator—oppressive, violent, capricious.  Pontinus Pilate, a name we know pretty well was Tiberius’ equally ruthless and violent local representative in Judea.  Governor Pilate was only too willing to crucify Jews by the thousands; he raised the Roman insignia in the Temple, which was blasphemous.  Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother, were fearsome, hateful, ruthless, and collaborators with the Roman Government.

Annas and Caiaphas the Jewish high priests, as leaders of God’s flock were supposed to be men of righteousness, but they used their religious power for political gain, and instead of conducting the worship of the Temple in righteousness according to God’s commandments, they had allowed corruption to sink into Temple life.

So at the beginning of his Gospel here, Luke calls to mind this corrupt and vicious hierarchy which governed political and religious life in the first century.  And after describing the dark circumstances, Saint Luke tells us the word of God came not to these high and mighty men, but a man named John, the son of Zechariah, in the desert.  The word of God came to this nobody, John, in the desert.  Not a mighty ruler, but a man eating locusts in the desert.

And John’s message?  God is about to act again.  To all of you who are oppressed, beaten down, hoping, waiting, tired of the violence, the corruption, and the suffering:

"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

A change is coming, a revolution is on its way.  The destruction of the old oppressive powers is at hand.  God is about to act. So, “Prepare, ye, the way of the Lord.”

How are the people to prepare?  John called them to a baptism of water and repentance.  A baptism of water in the river Jordan, calling to mind the passing through the waters of the Red Sea, when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  And a baptism also of repentance.  The word he uses for repentance is metanoia, the greek word, that meant to change your mind, change your heart, change your attitude, change your behavior, so that it is in keeping with the God’s commandments. But metanoia also meant, renew your hope.

The world of Tiberius Caesar, the oppression of Pilate, the religious malaise of Annas and Caiaphas had stunted their hopes, and the chosen people had fallen into mediocrity.  And John was saying, get your hearts and minds ready, because God is about to act, the in breaking of the kingdom of God in your midst.

John’s message strikes to the heart of each one of our lives, doesn’t it?  The world seeks to form our way of thinking, our mind, our heart.  The world doesn’t even want us using the word Christmas in public let alone allowing our faith to shape our political activity.  The world seeks to raise up children ignorant of God and his commands, ignorant and hostile to the Church and the Catholic faith, and then it acts surprised when those children turn to gunning each other down in the streets.  This age of growing hostility towards Christians throughout the world reminds us unfortunately of the times of the Prophet Baruch and Saint Luke.

This Tuesday, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics, begins a Jubilee Year of Mercy, during which, rich graces are available for the transformation of our hearts and the world.

During the Year of Mercy Christians are to turn ever more to the merciful face of Christ, that we may in turn, show the face of Christ to the world.  By repenting of our sins and receiving mercy in the sacrament of confession, and then going out into the world to engage in the works of mercy, Christians are to show the world that peace with God and peace with your fellow man is possible.
This Advent, and during this year of mercy, God is calling us to the metanoia preached by John the Baptist.  God wants to give each of us a renewed mind, a new set of eyes, a new heart.

In the Papal Bull announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis, urged Christians, “Let us not fall into humiliating indifference or a monotonous routine that prevents us from discovering what is new! Let us ward off destructive cynicism! Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity!”

Almost prophetically, just when our world seems to be in grave need of mercy, when Christians are seeming to lose hope in the transforming power of the Gospel, the Holy Father opens a door of mercy for us.  What a great gift the Pope has given to the Church.

May each of us open wide the door of our hearts to Christ, this Advent, seeking him with renewed hope in daily prayer, in the sacrament of confession, in the faces of those in need of our help, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Friday of the 1st Week of Advent 2015 - O Come, thou Wisdom

In that wonderful Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, the second verse begins asking God for Wisdom: O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

Wisdom is often symbolized by a lamp, shining in the darkness. For Wisdom helps us to see the right path. Wisdom helps us put our lives in the proper order.  Wisdom helps us to see things from God’s perspective, to value things as God does. We would call someone foolish who doesn’t go to church, who ignores the commandments, who lives only for pleasure, riches, fame, or power.  Ecclesiastes says, “The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness.”  Why is the fool in darkness? He lacks wisdom, his priorities are not in order. He values earthly treasure over his eternal life.  The wise man, on the other hand, has his priorities straight, his paths straight; the wise man judges rightly the things of earth in relation to his eternal end.

Advent is certainly a time of growing in the Lord’s wisdom. The great prophet of Advent, Isaiah, said there would be a time when “out of the gloom and darkness, the blind would see.” This is that time.  During Advent, those blinded by the darkness of error, foolishness, faithlessness, and sinfulness, are called to turn to the Lord for wisdom and light.

And what happens when the blind to the Lord for light? Saint Matthew tells us in the Gospel, that those recognizing their blindness, who call out to the Lord for pity, do receive sight.  Jesus, touches the eyes of the blind who present themselves to Him, and he gives them sight.

Our problem isn’t a shortage of blindness, we have plenty of that, don’t we: plenty of error, foolishness, faithlessness, and sinfulness, in abundance.  Our problem is that we fail to recognize this and present ourselves to the Lord.

Spiritual blindness is truly an epidemic—its symptoms are the erosion of the moral fabric of families and cultures, violent outbreaks, the neglect of the poor among us. It almost seems that in human history, humanity has never lacked wisdom so greatly! We are in need of Wisdom, we are in need of healing, we are in need of purity, more than ever.

How are we to grow in Wisdom this Advent?  Spend your time putting your life in order, considering what in the end really matters…Proverbs says, “tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.” Saint James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” During Advent, we wisely, make time for reflecting on the priorities of our life in light of Scripture and the teachings of the Saints.

And how are we to receive healing and purity this Advent? After reflecting on the priorities of our life, we go to confession. We confess those times when we foolishly turned away from the path of the Lord.  And like the blind men who cry out for pity in the Gospel today, when we cry out for the Lord’s pity in the sacrament of confession, healing, mercy, and forgiveness, are freely given.

This Advent, may we be purified of all that keeps us from seeing God.  May we be healed of our spiritual blindnesses, may the light of God’s wisdom eradicate the darkness of our foolishness, that we may bear the light of Christ to all those we meet, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.