December 23 2022 - O Emmanuel, Desire of the Nations & Savior

 Just two days prior to Christmas, we read from the prophet Malachi. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament Prophets. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before him, Malachi foretold how a Savior would come to redeem us and usher in the kingdom of God’s peace.

He also spoke of the events that would occur just prior to the arrival of the Messiah. There would be a forerunner to prepare his way, a messenger to point out to God’s people that the Messiah is coming soon. And in the Gospel, we read about the birth of the forerunner, John, who would preach from the banks of the Jordan, calling Israel to repent, to prepare their hearts for the imminent arrival of the Savior.

The final O Antiphon today sings of the Messiah as Emmanuel, the awaited Savior of the nations. All the nations of the earth look for him and long for him. Christians in every nation on the planet prepare today for the celebration of the Saviors birth. But also, the antiphon is saying that even those who do not believe in Christ, still long for him. They are looking for him in all the wrong places, worshiping false idols, engaging in immoral actions which are unfulfilling substitutes for right worship. If only they would look to Him, they would find their hearts desires.

And so Christians, like John the Baptist, have this mission, this duty to announce to the nations that the One whom they long for, is Jesus Christ. Our own Christmas celebrations are part of that. The love with which we celebrate, the joy with which we celebrate, the peace in which we gather together, the charity which our celebrations inspire, all these things witness to Christ. 

May we pour our hearts into celebrating Emmanuel—God with Us—the desire of the nations and Savior thereof, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - 

Please respond to each of these petitions, “Come Lord Jesus”

May Christ, the Wisdom which comes from the mouth of God, guide us in knowledge and love.

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

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

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

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

May Christ, King of the Nations, reconcile all divisions caused by sin.

May Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, bring comfort to all those who mourn.

Almighty ever-living God, who brings 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.

 

December 21 2022 - O Rising Sun, splendor of eternal light

 

On this darkest day of the year, the first day of winter, the church in her wisdom gives us this reading from the song of songs proclaiming, “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth”.  We are able to say this as we are called to live by faith, not by sight.  

The world may be at its coldest and darkest and most barren, but God’s Word enables us to detect another reality: of supernatural warmth, light, and fruitfulness due to the nearness of God. 

The sun is rising. The church sings: “O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni”. O rising sun, splendor of eternal light and sun of justice, come and illumine those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

The O Antiphon is a direct reference to Micah chapter 7 verse 8: “Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.” It is also a reference of course to Psalm 23, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for God is at my side.” 

Again, Christ is the fulfillment of these old testament verses. He is the light, which enlightens everyone, light for the whole human race, who dwells in the darkness of the ignorance of God. And he is the light that is with us always, even in the face of evil and death. The birth of Christ signals that man is not abandoned to suffering and mortality; there is something more, there is something beyond finitude. His birth is the beginning of a new creation, in which God says once again, let there be light. The light of the Christian faith enables us always to begin anew—to live in newness, in which we are continually recreated by God.

What a powerful message the Church joyfully proclaims at a time when many people begin to feel the extremes of seasonal depression, stressed finances, family turmoil, injustice, and sickness. Knowledge of Christ brings consolation, patience, peace, strength, endurance, and even physical health, for even science shows the physical benefit of being filled with hope and faith and joy.

John the Baptist, in the darkness of his mother’s womb, leaps for joy at the nearness of the Christ child. May we, who sit in the darkness of the world do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - -  

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

That those in the darkness of error and faithlessness may be enlightened by the light of Christ through the witness of the Church

For the protection of the unborn, and the overturning of all laws lacking respect for the dignity of human life.

That those struggling with winter depression or addiction may find light and peace and joy in Christ.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and strengthen all who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

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

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

 

4th Sunday of Advent 2022 - A virgin shall conceive

 
We’ve come to the final Sunday of Advent. All four candles of the Advent wreath are lit; we are on the threshold of Christmas. We have been preparing our hearts through prayer, good works, music, decorations. Signs. Signs that God is close. Christmas is near.

In our first reading, King Ahaz was given a sign. A sign that God was near.

For King Ahaz was facing a dilemma: a dreadful one. On one hand, His enemies in northern Israel were attempting to coerce him to join them in a coalition—a collation against the Assyrian superpower. The assyrians were sweeping through the region, conquering everyone with whom they came in contact. And so King the Arameans and the King of Northern Israel thought they’d band together and get Ahaz to join them.

On the other hand, Ahaz has a bit of political cunning. He knows, there’s no way this coalition is going to stand against the Assyrian superpower. So he he’s being tempted to bow down and worship the gods of the Assyrians. 

What is he to do? He’s facing this Giant—Assyria. Reminding us of his great great great grandfather David, who also faced a Giant—named Goliath. Well, the God sends his prophet, Isaiah, to the king. And Isaiah tells Ahaz to have faith in God, like David facing Goliath. God is your protector. And Isaiah, knowing that, Ahaz’s faith is sort of weak at moment says, you want to know God is with you, ask for a sign, any sign, as high as the heavens and deep as the netherworld, a sign that will show you that God is with you. And Ahaz, in a moment of false piety, says, oh no, I couldn’t possibly do that. 

And Isaiah says, fine, God will give you this sign, a sign that you couldn’t come up with on your own:  “The virgin will conceive and bear a son and she shall call him Emmanuel.

It is impossible to say exactly what the fulfillment of this prophecy meant to King Ahaz. Who was the virgin in his day whose child was to signal that God was with him and his people? We do not know who she was. And sadly, chose not to believe. 

Ahaz trusted not in the power of God, but in the power of man. He entered into a protection treaty with Assyria, which on the one hand guaranteed him security and saved his country from destruction, but on the other hand demanded a price: the worship of the protecting power’s national gods. Idolatry. And after Ahaz had concluded the treaty with Assyria, despite Isaiah’s warnings, an altar was built for the worship of the Assyrian gods in the very Temple of Jerusalem. This violated the covenant with God. And it wouldn’t be long before Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon a few decades later. 

The Church gives us this powerful passage—a virgin will conceive and bear a son. We like Ahaz are being urged by God to trust him. Will you heed the warnings of the prophets and turn away from sin. Will you heed the invitation of the prophet to trust in God and his promises? Will you stand firm in the face of worldly pressures or bow to earthly gods? 

Sadly we see swaths of people abandoning faith, when faith is needed now more than ever. We are seeing the political consequences of faithlessness play out in our very day. Pagan idols bring us neither protection nor joy. 

Ahaz chose not to believe. So God gave all of humanity the same choice as Ahaz. That the virgin of Ahaz’s day was neither named nor identified points to the fact that the promise reached far beyond the historical moment of King Ahaz. It was a promise that reached far beyond that hour, and continued to shine for Israel as a star of hope pointing to an unknown future.

But that star comes into view again centuries later, when the veil is finally lifted, and the virgin’s identity and the identity of her son are made known. The Virgin who conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit and gives birth to the Son of God—Emmanuel, as we heard in the Gospel today. 

And even though Jesus is not actually named Emmanuel, Jesus “IS Emmanuel, as the entire history of the Gospel demonstrates. He is true man and at the same time God, God’s true Son, with us.”

“The virginal conception of Jesus is a divine work that surpasses all human understanding and possibility.” This is precisely what Ahaz resisted. He was not open to mystery, he was not open to faith, or the divine work that surpasses understanding and possibility.

God invites all of humanity to trust in the sign. The sign of signs. Will you trust? Two weeks ago, I reflected on how If you were to pick up the bible, and turn to nearly any page of the holy book, God is inviting humanity to trust Him. Sometimes the bible gives us models of trust, and then sometimes we see the consequences of what happens when we don’t trust God.

Adam and Eve are told to trust God. He would feed them, he would take care of them. Don’t eat of the forbidden tree, just trust me. And we know how that worked out. 

Abraham, is called our father in faith, He trusted God to leave his homeland and follow the path that God was showing to Him. Proverbs says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Isaiah speaks of his own trust in God when he says in chapter 28: “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Jeremiah, the grumpier prophet says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

The Lord Jesus in the Gospels teach us to trust when he says: “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Over and over, the injunction to trust God, to trust in his promises, and over and over in Scripture illustrations of the blessings that come in trusting in God, the tragic consequences when we don’t. 

King Ahaz failed to trust in God. And that had tragic consequences for the nation which he ruled. Even though Isaiah pointed out signs that God was with him, he chose not to trust. And, it’s easy to condemn Ahaz, but this is a sin of which we’re all guilty. 

Catechism 397 explains the first sin and every sin, as a failure to trust God. It says, “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.”

And so Advent is needed. We need Advent to help us renew our trust in the promises of God and to resist the inroads the enemy has made in our lives and to repent of our failures to trust.

But then consider, that the sign of the Virgin conceiving and giving birth becomes the very model of trust for us. The Virgin is the perfect example of the "obedience of faith" mentioned by Paul in the second reading.

Lumen Gentium says, “the Blessed Virgin stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him.” Failure to trust was the origin of sin, but the exercise of trust became the origin of salvation. 

“To celebrate Advent means: to become Marian, said Pope Benedict XVI, “to enter into that communion with Mary’s ‘Yes,’ which, ever anew, is room for God’s birth, for the ‘fullness of time,’” In the final Advent days ahead, renew your trust that the Savior is indeed born of the virgin, point out his saving birth for all to see, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

3rd Week of Advent 2022 - Friday - A burning and shining lamp

 Tomorrow, December 17, begins what is often called “Late Advent” or “Deep Advent”; the Scripture readings and orations begin to take on slightly different tones and themes. Where the first part of Advent proclaims joyfully that the Christ is coming, this last part of Advent begins to focus on who is coming, the identity of the Christ child. 

The O Antiphons of “Late Advent”, for example, each ascribe Old Testament names and titles to the one who is born on Christmas Day. Jesus is the fulfillment of all of those Old Testament prophesies: He is the Rod of Jesse, He is the Key of David, He is the Rising Star from the East, He is Adonai in the Flesh, He is Emmanuel—God With Us. These ancient prayers of the Church show how the Old Testament pointed forward to Jesus; how God prepared the human race for His own coming in the flesh.

In the same vein, John the Baptist is a lot like those O Antiphons. He dresses and acts and speaks like a prophet from the Old Testament speaking about the one who is to come. He helps Israel transition from the shadows of prophecy to the reality of God-in-the-flesh.

Because John witnessed to the truth of his identity, Jesus called John in the Gospel today “a burning and shining lamp”. Could he say the same about us? We are to be lamps, spotlights, the point others to Jesus.

Isaiah gives us wonderful instructions in the first reading for becoming burning lamps for Christ: “observe what is right, do what is just”. 

Observing what is right, doing what is just, performing good deeds, engaging in acts of mercy, these works are not for the purpose of gaining honor for ourselves, but to point to the one who has set us on our way. 

The Lord Jesus himself urges us that our choices can point others to God. He says, “Thus let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and they should glorify your Father in the heavens.”

As the light of the sun is seen less and less during these late December days, let us shine forth with the light of the Son of God by praying a little harder, giving a little more, striving to walk in the ways of righteousness and justice for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

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

That Advent repentance and good works may prepare us rightly for Christmas joy.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  

That all those who wander in the darkness of error, far from the Gospel of Christ, may be led through the preaching and example of the Christian people to the fullness of the light of faith. 

That Christ may heal every disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and bring peace to the suffering.

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 brings 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.

December 13 2022 - St. Lucy, virgin & Martyr - Let there be Light!

 Light. Light features prominently in our faith. The first thing God created was light. God’s first words in the Bible are “Let there be light”. 

Psalm 119 describes God’s word as a light for our feet and a lamp unto our path.

Isaiah foretells of a time when the people walking in darkness will see a great light; when upon those living in the land of the shadow of death, light shall dawn.

Psalm 27 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear”? 

Light. Light enables us to see. It helps us to avoid the dangers which would lead to our demise.  “All things become visible when they are exposed by the light” St. Paul says. We are to walk by the light of God which enables us to avoid deadly sin and make our way to the unapproachable light of heaven. 

Light enables us to detect what is Good, what is True, and what is beautiful. By God’s light, we can see what is good and what is bad for us. By God’s light we can see what is true and what is erroneous. And By God’s light we can detect the many facets of his beautiful creation. Light enables us to behold the beauty of created things, for God has poured his beauty into Creation, and gives us light to appreciate. Ecclesiastes says, “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.”

Light is also utilized by the Church in her liturgy. Candles are light on the altar for the celebration of holy Mass, so that we can see the mysteries we are celebrating. The paschal fire and the paschal candle are lit at easter time to symbolize the new creation of Christ’s resurrection. And light is used during Advent, our Advent Candles are lit on Advent Sundays to help us prepare well for the celebration of Christ—the light who comes into the world at Christmas. In the Gospel of John begins talking about Light, that John the Baptist himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light: that the true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

Today we celebrate St. Lucy. Her name, Lucy, Lucia, comes from the latin word “Lux” which means, light of course. Her life was filled with the light of Christ. In the saints, the Lord’s teaching that his followers are to be the light of the world, is fulfilled. The Lord’s light shined in the life and soul of St. Lucy. 

Even when she was struck blind as part of her tortures for following Christ in a time of persecution: Lucy was still able to see. The light of Christ truly enabled her to walk by the light of faith, not simply by sight of the physical eyes.

We all need the help of the saints in order to be like those wise virgins in the Gospel who keep the light of their lamps ready for the Lord's return.

There is a beautiful and simple prayer called the St. Lucy prayer that goes like this: 

Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket, but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see. We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but we are still called to let the light of our Christianity illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our relationships, our conversation -- every corner of our day…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

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

That Advent repentance and devotion may prepare us rightly for Christmas joy.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  

For the conversion of those who reject Jesus and His Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, and those who have fallen away from the Church. 

Through the intercession of St. Lucy, we pray for all those who suffer blindness and eye disorders, and for safety from accidental loss of vision, and for all of the sick and suffering.

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 brings 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.

December 12 2022 - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Crushing the head of the serpent

 On December 9, 1531 Our Lady appeared to the simple peasant, Juan Diego, and sent him to tell the bishop that heaven desired a church to be built on the hill of Tepeyac. 

Like Moses at the burning bush, Juan Diego asked our Lady, and who shall I say you are who are sending me? 

And she responded in his native language of Nahuatl. She called herself "Tlecuatlecupe," (Ta-LAY-Cau-tul-CUP-pe) which means "the one who crushes the head of the serpent"

Remember, that at that time in Mexico the Catholic Church was very small. The first missionaries to Mexico only arrived in 1519. The bishop to whom Juan Diego was sent, was the first bishop of Mexico. The native religion was still very much in full force. In 1487, when Juan Diego was just 13 years old, he would have witnessed a most horrific event: the Aztec ruler at the time, dedicated a new temple pyramid to the chief gods of the Aztec pantheon, which involved the human sacrifice of over 80,000 men over a period of four days and four nights. 

Human life was not valued. Pagan Gods, such as the winged-serpent God—Quetzalcoatl—were worshipped through unimaginably bloody human sacrifice. And so, for our Lady to introduce herself as “the one who crushes the head of the serpent” had a number of meanings. Firstly, it was a reference to Scripture—for Genesis foretells how the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. Revelation, too, depicts the woman with child pitted against the ancient serpent returned. But her introduction was also prophetic in that the religion of human sacrifice which worshipped the serpent God would soon be crushed.

What was in 1531 an almost entirely pagan culture almost entirely converted to Christ.  According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Aztecs became Catholic in a very short time.  And even though Catholicism flourished in Mexico for about 400 years, we know that the old serpent is always conspiring to regain his lost territory.

The last 100 years have seen terrible persecution of the Church: state sponsored persecution, the murder of holy priests, outlawing of monasteries, seizing of Church property, atheism, and also the neopagan worship of santa Muerte, a female deity of death. 

Wherever holy faith is abandoned, the powers of evil and death will soon return, but Our Lady is unfailing protection and strength to all who devoutly implore her assistance.

The Feast of Guadalupe is an important Advent feast, to remind us that we prepare during Advent to celebrate the birth of Christ the Savior, victor over the powers the ancient serpent—of sin and death. And so throughout Advent we do well to invoke Our Lady in our prayers for conversion--the conversion of our culture, especially for those who, because of their errors and false beliefs spread and participate in evil intentionally or unintentionally, and our own conversion—that the powers of evil and death may have absolutely no place in our hearts.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the Right to Life Movement, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - -  

We bring our prayers to God through Mary.

That Our Lady may protect the Church from all evil, and aid us in the mission of the Gospel.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death. 

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation. 

For all refugees forced to flee from their homes, that God may bring peace to them and their country of origin.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven. 

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

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 9 2022 - St. Juan Diego - God chooses the meek

 The story of St. Juan Diego is one of the well-known stories of the saints. The simple peasant Juan Diego was on his way to Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when he began to hear beautiful strains of music on the hill of Tepeyac in now Mexico City, and Our Lady herself appeared to him.

Our Lady told Juan Diego go to the Bishop and relate her message for a church to be built at the site where they were now standing. At first, Juan Diego insisted that he couldn’t do it: he was not one of the great or important persons, he was too insignificant to take such a message from the Mother of God to the bishop. 

The Virgin answered Juan Diego’s protests of unworthiness, saying, “Yes, you are the least of my children”, and that is precisely why you are being chosen. 

In choosing the lowly Juan Diego, Our Lady followed the heavenly tradition: numerous times in scripture God chooses the lowly, the barren, the tongue-tied, and the meek, to do his work. God sends the powerless to confront the powerful. As St. Paul wrote, “God uses the meek to confound the proud.”

In the work of God to which all of us are called, we are often tempted to put ourselves down; to think we are not good enough or holy enough to take up a particular way of service. “I’m too poor, too busy,  too uneducated, too old”. But in choosing Juan Diego, the least of her children, Mary shows that it is our excuses that are not good enough; if the poor uneducated Juan Diego can bear a message for God, so can we. 

At the time of Juan Diego, the Aztec culture was in full swing; 10s of thousands of human sacrifices were offered on the steps of the Aztec pyramids in honor of their pagan gods. Juan Diego, “the least” of Our Lady’s children, became an instrument of life, when he trusted her. 

An important Advent Lesson: to prepare our souls for the coming of Christ, we must never allow fear or excuses to keep us from the charity to which we are called. Rather, may we learn to trust God, that when we discern God’s Will, the inspiration of the holy spirit, or the gentle or not-so-gentle nudges from heaven, we follow them. And that will make a lot of difference to a lot of people, including ourselves…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

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

That Our Lady with her saints may protect the Church from all evil and bring about our conversion from sin.

For the grace to recognize the many ways God calls us to charitable service and the spread of the Gospel, and for the grace to accept God’s call.

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

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust 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.  

For the sick, the suffering, the addicted, the imprisoned, the grieving and the dying. 

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.

December 8 2022 - Immaculate Conception of Mary - Praise God for his mighty work!

Today I’m going to teach you a little bit of Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament. I’m not in expert in Hebrew, but I know a little.

The Hebrew word is geburah (gheb-OO-raw). The hebrew word Geburah is found all throughout the old testament. It’s the word used for the mighty works of God. God has done mighty things, amazing things, things that are beyond human power. God created the universe out of nothing—the stars and the planets are the mighty works of God. And the great celestial beings—the angels—they are the mighty works of God. And even humans—creatures of free will and intellect and also made up of the same material stuff as the stars and planets—mighty works. God’s efforts to save humanity from sin—delivering the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, God sending prophets to deliver mighty messages of repentance—these are mighty works of God--Geburah.

Psalm 150, the last of the Psalms says—Praise God for his mighty works—Praise God for his geburah. Praise God on instruments, praise God with singing, praise God with tambourines and dancing and cymbals and stringed instruments like lutes and guitars and violins and piped instruments like flutes and organs, praise God with blasts of the horn for his mighty works, his geburah. God’s word instructs us to praise God, to sing God’s praises, to announce and declare to all the nations how great God is for his geburah. And as Christians—we recognize that the Church fulfills the Psalm in what God has done through his Son—for our salvation—his mighty work of saving our souls.

Now I’m going to teach you another Hebrew word, very similar to the first word. The first word was geburah—God’s mighty works, right? The second word is gebirah (gheb-EE-raw), gebirah.

And the Gebirah—is the word for a woman—a special woman in God’s kingdom. The Gebirah is the King’s mother. The king’s mother. And the King’s mother in the kingdom of David was the most powerful, influential woman in the kingdom. She was the king’s first advisor. To her the common folk brought their requests for the king’s help. She was loved by the people of Israel. It was from her that the king received his jewish lineage; his connection back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Interestingly, in Hebrew, in the Hebrew bible, when Hebrew is written down, it didn’t contain vowels. So the word gebirah and geburah, when written down in Hebrew, are identical.

So Psalm 150 could say “praise God for his mighty works”, or “praise God for the King’s mother.”

As Christians, Jesus is our King. And who is the King’s mother? Mary. That’s right, Mary.

Today, the Church praises God for his mighty work, Mary, the King’s mother. And we praise God for the way that he made Mary—we praise God for the way he made Mary.

Today the Church around the world gathers to celebrate the way God made Mary. He made her, from the moment of her conception—the moment she was a tiny tiny tiny human being in the womb of her mother—she was immaculate. The was without the stain of sin. Her body and soul were immaculate. The purest, the fairest, the most beautiful soul God ever made.

God could do that, right? After all, he’s God: he made the universe, he could make soul any way he wanted. And it would certainly be fitting, for him to make the mother of the king of kings as perfect as he possibly could. And the church celebrates today that God could do it; it was fitting for him to do it- and he did do it.

And so God’s mighty work geburah is the gebirah the king’s mother. And today we sing, maybe he can even dance some time today, feast, eat good food, to celebrate, to praise God for his mighty work, the immaculate virgin mary, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 7 2022 - St. Ambrose, doctor of the Church - To us Christ is everything

 

The title of “Doctor of the Church” is bestowed on certain saints for their skillful defense of the Faith. While they are known as Doctors, the name has no connection with medical science. Rather, in this context the term “doctor” refers to a learned man who is also a great teacher. A Doctor of the Church is therefore one who has plumbed the depths of theological mysteries and is recognized as a great teacher of the Faith for all Catholic generations. Holy Mother Church imparts great authority to the writings and teachings of these Doctors, and they serve as a kind of benchmark of orthodoxy.

In the sanctuary of St. Peter’s Basilica is the magnificent bronze sculpture of the throne of St. Peter. And at the base of the throne are statues of the four original doctors of the Church: St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Ambrose, whom we celebrate today. The four saints were given the title “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Boniface XIII on September 20, 1295.

St. Ambrose was of the Roman nobility, trained in the classics, a poet, and a noted orator. In the year 370, while Ambrose was the Roman governor of Milan, the bishop died, and a heated argument erupted over who would be the next bishop.  Ambrose tried to resolve this dispute, and his oratory struck such a chord with the people that someone shouted out, “Ambrose for bishop”. Ironically, the great orator was speechless, for he had no intention of being a priest or bishop. He wasn’t even baptized, for he was only 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, he was baptized, and was consecrated a bishop, a week later.  He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church.  

Bishop Ambrose was well-educated in the classics, but he was almost entirely ignorant of the Scriptures. So the new Bishop briskly began to study them…talk about learning on the job! From the works of Origen, he learned to know and to comment on the Bible and to preach and defend the faith. 

We know how Ambrose’s preaching captivated the young St. Augustine, when Augustine was still dabbling in the heretical cults. Augustine heard the preaching of Bishop Ambrose, whose clear and zealous apostolic preaching caused Augustine to renounce his heresies and seek conversion. So Ambrose is a doctor of doctors.

Ambrose proclaimed the need to give your entire selves to Jesus Christ. “Omnia Christus est nobis!” Full of love for Jesus, Saint Ambrose proclaimed, “To us Christ is everything! If you have a wound to heal, he is the doctor; if you are parched by fever, he is the spring; if you are 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.

- - - - - -  

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

That the teaching and preaching of the Pope and all bishops and clergy will be founded firmly upon the full truth of the Word of God. 

That all those who wander in error, far from the Gospel of Christ, may be led through the preaching and example of the Christian people to the fullness of faith. 

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  

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 Week of Advent 2022 - Tuesday (Dec 6) - St. Nicholas: Consoler and Defender of Truth

 

The book of the Prophet Isaiah is divided into two parts. In the first 39 chapters of the book, Isaiah offers a series of warnings to Israel. Those chapters are not devoid of many powerful promises of the age of the Messiah to come, but the thrust of those 39 chapters contain a message of warning: the devastation which will ensue without repentance on a national scale. So those first 39 chapters are often called “The Book of Woes” because Isaiah describes the woes that will befall Jerusalem, and the Temple, if they fail to repent.

Today’s reading begins the second part of Isaiah. Fast forward a generation. Did Jerusalem repent? Sadly no. And the destruction came, just as Isaiah foretold. Jerusalem was sacked, the temple was destroyed, the Babylonians deported thousands and thousands of Jews into exile, families were ripped apart, the nation was ravaged.  

But, amidst the destruction and suffering and sadness and captivity, Isaiah delivers a message of heavenly consolation: that God will come to the rescue of his people, as we heard today, sins will be forgiven, land will be restored, and God’s glory will be revealed through his people. So this last half of the book of Isaiah is often called the Book of Consolation because it speaks of comfort that will come to Israel through God’s intervention.

These passages have been interpreted by the Church fathers as an anticipation of the consolation that Christ will bring. The fifth century theologian Theodoret of Cyrus wrote, “The true consolation, balm and release from all human ills is the Incarnation of Christ.” God did come to the rescue of his people, and not simply the nation of Israel, but of all humanity; God has forgiven sins, and again, not just of Israel, but all of us, through Christ; 

And that prophecy of God’s glory being made known through his people, is especially fulfilled in his saints. The saints who have repented, how have allowed the life of God and goodness of Christ to dwell in them and transform them from the inside-out are great beacons of glory.

Today the Church celebrates one of the great saints of the early 4th century: the bishop St. Nicholas of Myra. There are tales of this Bishop St. Nicholas’ heroic charity toward the poor, and miracles, even raising the dead. He was an instrument of God’s comfort and consolation. 

Bishop St. Nicholas was also an instrument of justice--a defender of the Christian faith. When the ugly error of Arianism began to spread throughout the Church, Nicholas fulfilled the apostolic duty of opposing that error. For theological error & heresy are great injustices against Truth, wounding the unity of the Church which is to glorify God. 

What a wonderful Saint for us to honor during Advent who inspires us to turn away from worldly error and selfishness—to turn toward charity, truth, generosity that we, and the entire Church may live always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

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 Week of Advent 2022 (EF) - Ferial Day - John the Baptist: the Precursor Domini

Each year on the second and the third Sunday of Advent, the lectionaries of both the extraordinary and ordinary form of the Roman Rite always focus on the figure of the precursor Domini, the forerunner of the Lord, St. John the Baptist.

John’s work was to prepare the way for the Messiah—pointing to the Messiah even while still in the womb. John did so again at the Jordan river when he proclaimed  “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” 

In today’s Gospel, John send disciples who were still clinging to him when he was imprisoned to go to Jesus. 

But John’s work wasn’t merely to point out Jesus. The Lord himself stresses in the Gospel how John was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy, the voice of One crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John called sinners to prepare their hearts to be able to recognize the Messiah for themselves when he came, to be able to welcome Him as Lord, as Savior, as the joy of our hearts, and to follow him, to decrease that he may increase in us. 

John’s was a call to conversion, something each of us are to take to heart every Advent. Perhaps that is conversion from sin that has taken root in our hearts over the past year. Perhaps that is a conversion from superficial discipleship—keeping the Lord at a distance, instead of welcoming him into every dimension of life. Perhaps the conversion we need is be more intentional in acts of charity, in prayer, in ordering our time to keep God at the center of our day, to better control our tongues in our conversations with acquaintances or strangers or political enemies. 

For some Catholics these days, the call to repentance and conversion is treated as “bad news”, met with scowls and hard hearts. They take offense at the very word on the lips of both John the Baptist and the Savior—repent, convert. But blessed are those who take no offense at him, for repentance and conversion are always precursors to grace and fruitfulness and authentic joy.

Back in the jubilee of 2000, the future Pope Benedict XVI spoke to a group of Catechists about John the Baptist and the call to conversion. He said, “The fundamental content of the Old Testament is summarized in the message by John the Baptist: metanoete – Convert! There is no access to Jesus without the Baptist; there is no possibility of reaching Jesus without answering the call of the precursor. Rather, Jesus took up the message of John in the synthesis of His own preaching: [repent and believe]. The Greek word for converting means: to rethink; to question one’s own and common way of living; to allow God to enter into the criteria of one’s life; to judge not merely according to the current opinions. So to convert means not to live as all the others live, not to do what all do, not to feel justified in dubious, ambiguous, evil actions just because others do the same. It means to begin to see one’s life through the eyes of God, and so to look for the good, even if uncomfortable, not aiming at the judgment of the majority, of men, but at the justice of God. In other words, [to convert means] to look for a new style of life, a new life.”

Blessed are those who take no offense at him. Blessed even more are those who believe in him, love him, prepare the way for him, cling to him, follow him, and spread the good news about Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - 

EF READINGS:

 A reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans

Brethren, For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.” And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” And again Isaiah says: “The root of Jesse shall come, raised up to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

At that time, when John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.

 

2nd Week of Advent 2022 - Monday - What does love look like?

 In the fourth century, Saint Augustine wrote, “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.” 

In the Gospel, Christian love is beautifully illustrated in the companions of the paralyzed man. Aware of their friend’s misery, they use their hands and feet to overcome obstacles to bring their hurting friend to the Lord. The charity of the friends becomes an opportunity for new life for the paralyzed man. 

To grow in Advent charity, our eyes, ears, hands, and feet are to be placed in greater service of God, greater service of those in need. 

Pope Benedict XVI wrote his first encyclical on Love. Love, which is not a sentiment, not an emotion, but an action which seeks the healing and the wholeness of others. 

My favorite line from any papal encyclical in the past 20 years, and probably the only line from a papal document I can quote from memory comes is this: “Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim.”

Whose dark world will you make brighter today? Whose paralysis will you bring to the Lord? How will you be a true loving friend today, by bringing someone to Jesus in your words and deeds? Who needs the use of your hands, feet, eyes, and ears in order to begin a new life with Christ as Lord?

This Advent day is an opportune moment to thank God for all those who through their efforts, their friendship have brought us to Jesus. And also to consider how we like the friends of the paralytic, to go out of our way, to exert real effort, perhaps even to break social convention, to do something others might consider crazy, in order to help others come to Jesus

May our love increase, and may the light of Christ’s love be evident in us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - -  

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 - Holy Waiting

 Waiting. We’re not very good at that anymore. Maybe we never were. In this age of instant-gratification, we get frustrated if we have to wait for any length of time. Waiting in traffic, waiting in the doctor’s office, waiting in line at the grocery check-out. Waiting feels like time wasted. And who can afford to waste time these days? We have too much to do. Every second counts.

Christmas is such a joyous time—the joyous songs, the presents, the food. But Mother Church, intuiting that we need to learn how to wait, we are given the season of Advent, as a sort of buffer to the gratification of Christmas. To teach us to wait. Which is why we don’t sing Christmas hymns in Church like Joy to the World and silent night during Advent, even though you hear them at coffee shops and department stores. We don’t put out the nativity scene here in Church yet. Because it’s not time, we are still waiting. We light the Advent candles as a sign of keeping vigil—remaining mindful of the one we are waiting for.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke one Advent about the importance of waiting, he said: 

“Our whole personal, familial and social existence passes through this dimension of waiting. Waiting is something that is present in a 1,000 situations, from the smallest and most banal to the most important, which draw us in completely and in the deepest way. Among these, we think of a husband and wife waiting for a child; of waiting for a relative or friend who is coming from far away to visit us; we think of a young person waiting to know his grade on a major exam or the outcome of a job interview; in romantic relationships, of waiting to meet the beloved person, of waiting for a letter, or of receiving forgiveness... One could say that man is alive so long as he waits.”

Scripture is filled with stories of waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited through decades of infertility for the birth of Isaac. Moses and the Israelites waited 40 years before reaching the promised land. Jacob waited seven years for Rachel, only to be tricked into marrying her sister, and had to wait seven more before he could marry his beloved. From Malachi — the last book of the Old Testament — to the writing of the New Testament was a span of 400 years called the silent period. So, the people of God waited 400 years to hear from God. Even the Lord Jesus waited—he waited 30 years to begin his public ministry. From the moment of Original Sin, humanity waited for a savior. 

Continuing his reflection, Pope Benedict said,” Every one of us especially in this season [of Advent] in which we prepare for Christmas, can ask himself: What am I waiting for? For what, in this moment of my life, does my heart long for? And this same question can be posed at the level of the family, of the community, of the nation. What are we waiting for, together?”

It’s a great question. What am I waiting for? For those of you who just thought, “I’m waiting for this homily to be over”…you are getting coal for Christmas. 

Waiting, it’s even a part of our liturgy. Long readings, long eucharistic prayers. Long communion lines. Periods of Silence. They are good for us. If we are in a hurry to fulfill our religious obligations…have we begun them with the right spirit? I’m not saying we should rejoice when Mass goes an extra five minutes…but I hope you WOULD be upset if we simply rushed through Mass just to “get it over with”.

Holy Waiting, can teach us many things: I’d like to propose five lessons from waiting:

One. Waiting reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own plans, convinced that everything we do is absolutely, crucially important. Being forced to wait is humbling—it gives us the opportunity to remember that other people have plans and priorities as well. Waiting is good for ego. Waiting reminds us that God is in control. When we are tempted to give up hope, or turn to God and say, God, who are you to make me wait, who are you to make demands on me, we remember the words God spoke to Job: Where were you when I made the cosmos? Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? So waiting helps us to remember who is in charge of the universe. Waiting is humbling.

Secondly, waiting teaches us perseverance. Sometimes, in our prayer lives, when we pray and pray and pray for a particular intention, and we don’t see our petition granted, the temptation is to give up on our prayer, to give up on God. St. Monica, remember prayed 40 years for the conversion of her son…she patiently but actively waited for her heart’s desire.  Sometimes waiting is the penance needed to obtain the particular grace, or simply the way God wishes to strengthen us in virtue—in perseverance. 

Thirdly, Waiting reminds us that life is a gift. God didn’t have to make us. Every day, every hour we have in this life is a gift. Forced to sit at a stop light for several precious minutes, I have a choice. I can choose to grumble and gripe about the loss of my precious time, or I can remember that those very minutes were a gift God gave me so that I might have the opportunity to live for his glory. Sure, this wasn’t how I’d planned to use them. But that doesn’t change the gift of life—of time.

Fourthly, waiting reminds us that the present matters. Sometimes waiting frustrates us because we’re too future-oriented, focused on what comes next. We hurry through Mass, we hurry through a meal, we hurry through our prayers, in order to get to the next thing. But when we hurry through our tasks, we fail to savor the present. God is in the present and waiting helps us to encounter him in the present.

Something I’ve been doing for years is that I like to go through the Old Testament psalms and pray them very slowly, meditating on the meaning of each word—the Lord…is…my….shepherd: savoring what God is saying through the sacred text. We don’t read Sacred Scripture just to get to the end of the story. We know how it ends. With victory! God’s victory, God’s glory.  Reading through the 31,000 verses of the bible is not as important as taking the meaning of those verses to heart. In order to understand the scriptures sometimes we need to wait, to chew on them slowly.

Finally, waiting reminds us to live recollectedly. Waiting can be uncomfortable because it forces us to think about what really matters in our lives. It causes us to confront our doubts and questions. And some of us live so un-reflectively that waiting, questioning, doubting, is uncomfortable—terrifying to some. Waiting causes us to confront the fact that we only have a finite amount of time on this earth. And maybe, just maybe, I haven’t been using the time wisely—I’ve been wasting time—pursuing things that really don’t matter.  

In the Gospel for this second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist is sent by God to announce that the period of Israel’s waiting has almost come to an end. The deliverer, the Savior’s arrival is near at hand, so repent in order to prepare for his coming. Waiting provides us with time to think about what needs to be reformed, in order for our lives to be handed over all the more to God. 

Pope Benedict concluded his reflection on waiting, by pointing to the example of the Blessed Mother. Mary was a women who waited patiently and with grace. And when she did God accomplished something in her life even she didn’t expect. She gives us the final lesson on waiting. When we wait on God with open minds and hearts, he fills us with grace and self-knowledge and peace and joy that we never expected. 

Let us learn from her, the woman of Advent, to live with a new spirit of a profound expectation that only the coming of God can fulfill, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

First Friday Holy Hour - December 2022 - The privilege of discipleship

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus speaks about the privilege of discipleship, the privilege of being a Christian, rather than being born prior to his coming. He says, “blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The prophets longed to see what we get to see, and hear what we get to see. The prophet delivered promises to God’s people, but were not in their lifetimes able to witness the fulfillment of those promises.

In the reading from Isaiah today, the prophet lists a number of such promises: the deaf shall hear, the eyes of the blind shall see, The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

We are the deaf who are now able to hear the Word of God Himself. Whenever the Sacraments are celebrated, that is Jesus Himself saying this is my body, this is my blood, I baptize you, I confirm you, I absolve you, I anoint you. 

We are the blind who are now able to see God, kneeling now, before his very flesh and blood made present, made visible to us. 

We are the lowly, the ones who have responded to the Lord’s invitation to humble ourselves, to trust in God who is beyond human power and understanding. And we are now able to experience a joy that the prophets could never imagine, the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity within the human soul through the grace.

And we are the poor who are able to rejoice like no other people, able to rejoice in the victory of God over the powers of sin and death. 

What an awe-filled mystery that we are able to participate in—to come here on a normal weeknight, to keep the name of God holy, as much of the world passes us by, the revere God in an increasingly irreverent world, to be in awe, in the midst of a board, overly stimulated generation.

May this holy hour deepen our faith, our hope, and our love, as we await the celebrate of Christ’s first Advent at Christmas, and the hastening of his final Advent at history’s end, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

1st Week of Advent 2022 - Friday - Afflict the comfortable, comfort the afflicted

 I got a call from a local newspaper once. A brother priest, who is also a dear friend, had been named pastor of one of our diocesan parishes. The local neighborhood newspaper was doing a story on the new pastor, and so they called up some of the priests who knew him. I was asked some basic questions: how I knew him and so on, and then was asked why I thought Father would be a good pastor. And I said Father is a lot like the prophet Isaiah, and even Jesus himself, he believes in comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable.

Isaiah is read throughout Advent, and this is an important principle to keep in mind. Isaiah afflicts the comfortable—a lot. He seeks to awaken Israel out of her complacency, her faithlessness, her sin, her alliance with pagan nations and worshipping of their pagan gods and following their perverse and pagan ways. The first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah are called the Book of Woes, in which Isaiah warns Israel, challenges Israel, about their falling away from God’s covenant. In the book of Woes, Isaiah foretells the devastation that will befall Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, if God’s people fail to repent repent. He afflicts the comfortable.

The last half of the book of Isaiah is called the Book of Consolation. In those last 25 chapters, Isaiah comforts the afflicted. He offers a message of consolation to those Jews who had been taken off into Babylonian Captivity. Yes, there was a nation-wide failure to repent, and destruction had come. But even then, Isaiah consoles, communicating that God had not turned his back on his people, even though they had turned their backs on Him.

In today’s passage, Isaiah has just delivered a word of warning to those he describes as spiritually drunk. Through unfaithfulness, God’s people had become so stupefied to God’s word, they were blind and deaf to God. 

But immediately after his word of affliction to the comfortable, Isaiah offers a word of hope, speaking of the day of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah says On that day the deaf shall hear; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah offers his prophetic message of comfort and affliction to a nation, but we can also consider his message to us. Every individual needs to be stirred up a bit, each of us has become complacent, a bit. And we also find ourselves afflicted with suffering that we did cause. And in our affliction, God is present to us, offering us hope and strength and the promise that those who follow the Messiah, who allow Jesus the Savior to heal their blindness, as he does in the Gospel today, will be ultimately delivered from earthly suffering His new heaven and new earth. 

In our Advent pilgrimage, may we take the message of the prophets to heart, to till the soil of our hardened hearts and the salve of God’s healing and comfort to our wounded hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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.

November 30 2022 - St. Andrew, Apostle & Martyr - Advent Courage

 On this first weekday of Advent, we honor the first called Apostle of Jesus. The Byzantine Church honors the Apostle Saint Andrew with the title: Protokletos, which means, “the first called” because he was the first of the Apostles to be called and to follow Jesus.

Though he was Jewish, his name Andrew, comes not from a Hebrew word, but a Greek word: andreios, meaning “brave” or the virtue of a warrior.  The Apostle Andrew like a Warrior bravely followed Christ, bravely spread Christ’s Gospel, and bravely witnessed to Christ in martyrdom.  

Tradition says that he preached the gospel in Greece and in the year 60 was crucified on an X shaped cross.  He hung on the cross for two days before he died, and it is said that he continued to preach the Gospel while hanging from the cross.  

What lessons particularly for Advent, can we learn from this courageous martyred apostle? Courage. Courage is not typically associated with Advent. We usually think of Advent hope, Advent peace, Advent joy, and Advent Love. But Courage is needed if we hope to grow in these virtues—to do what is needed in order to grow in virtue. As C. S. Lewis wisely noted, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

Courage is needed to turn away from worldly distraction in order to practice the prayer, penance, poverty, quiet, charity, contemplation, and meditation characteristic of the season of Advent. Without those things we will never grow in the supernatural virtues of hope, peace, joy, and love. It takes courage, doesn’t it, to say no to our addictions, our attachments, and our habits. It takes courage to not return to those familiar things, even though they aren’t good for us.

St. Andrew required Courage to turn away from good things, in order to turn toward something better. He required Courage to turn away from fishing, from his profession, which provided him and his family certain worldly security, in order to follow Christ in his special vocation as apostle. 

And he was the first. The protokletos. It takes a lot of Courage in order to be the first to do something. The second person has the benefit of the example and witness of the first. But the first requires a tremendous leap of faith.

There are likely even good things in our life, that we need the courage to turn away from, in order to follow Jesus more deeply. It’s not just addictions that we need the courage to break. But fasting from luxurious foods and restaurants perhaps, some of our creature comforts that aren’t necessarily bad. Perhaps, just ordering our days in a more structured manner, so we can be more attentive to prayer and study and good works. Again, it takes an Andrew amount of Courage to begin some new charitable endeavor that no one else is doing.

This brave martyr embraced Christ, embraced living for Him over everything else, and lived to bring others to Jesus, witnessing to Christ unto death. We do well to consider, how our lives should change in order to follow Andrew’s example this Advent, of going out to meet the Lord and embracing him when he arrives for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

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

That through the courageous witness of the Christian Church, Our Lord will bring hope to the hopeless and joy to the joyless.

That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.

That Christ may heal every disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and bring peace to the suffering.

For the deceased of our parish, family and friends, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God, as we await the advent of Christ your son, so that, when he comes and knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in  his praise. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

1st Week of Advent 2022 - Tuesday - Rotting Stump or Fruitful Branch

 

Throughout Advent, we read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Since Isaiah is such a long book, 66 chapters, the longest of the prophetic books, we really only get to read bits and pieces at Mass. 

Yesterday, we read a passage from chapter 4 of Isaiah. Isaiah foretells how Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness to God will have some pretty devastating consequences. God’s people, Isaiah explains turned to sorcery & divination like their pagan neighbors (2:6b), so they were embroiled in the occult and pagan religions; they made alliances and covenants with pagans (2:6c); they lusted after financial gain and filled their lives with material things to secure their future instead of trusting in God (2:7), and there would be consequences for these things. 

Violating their covenant with God would bring societal chaos and destabilization. The Jews would would seek out leaders to help stabilize society, but the godless would prove themselves unqualified, mislead the people and set up conditions for anarchy, making the nation vulnerable to their enemies.  the Assyrians—Jerusalem would be sacked and destroyed. 

Isaiah chapters 9 and 10 which proceed today’s reading, speak of not only the devastation of Jerusalem, but of a time when the house of David would be in shambles. And remember, God had made a promise to David, that his descendants would flourish, and from his line would come the king of kings, and Isaiah said, there will be a time when the Davidic line would appear more like a rotting stump than a flourishing royal tree. 

But then, in today’s reading, we read of a glimmer of hope. Isaiah prophesied that God would not forget his people, and that from that rotting stump, would arise a new shoot, a new branch, from which the Messiah would come—a Savior. And unlike those useless corrupt leaders and kings—"The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.”

I don’t know about you, but at times it seems like the political upheaval and societal chaos described by Isaiah hits a little close to home. But Advent calls the faithful, to focus not on the rotting stump, but on the new shoot—to align yourself with Him, to ensure you are grafted upon Him, that you are placing your trust and hopes not in earthly princes or political machinations or material security or occult practices like the unfaithful to whom Isaiah prophecied, but in the wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and holy Fear of the Savior, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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 2022 - Monday - The New is hidden in the Old

Saint Augustine once observed that the "New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” Yesterday, I preached on how God made promises in the Old Testament that are fulfilled by the Lord Jesus and His Church. The New lay hidden in the Old—the promise in the Old is fulfilled in the New. And so, throughout the Old testament there are glimpses of what is yet to be fulfilled, Who is yet to come. 

Again yesterday, I shared how immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, there is this foreshadowing of Savior—the seed of the woman at enmity with the serpent. The Savior is foreshadowed in every book of the Old Testament—he is the seed of the woman in Genesis. He is the Passover Lamb in Exodus. In Leviticus He is… “The Priest, the Altar & the Sacrifice”.  In Joshua, He is…“The Captain of Our Salvation”.  In Judges He is…“Our Judge and Lawgiver”. In Ruth He is…“Our Kinsman-Redeemer“.  In I & II Samuel He is…“Our Trusted Prophet” In Kings & Chronicles He is…“Our Reigning King” In Ezra He is… “The Rebuilder of the Broken-Down Walls of Human Life”.  And so on.

Did you catch the reference to the Savior in today’s reading from Isaiah? “On that day, the branch of the LORD will be luster and glory.” The Savior is “the branch”—the branch. This passage of Isaiah describes how from this new branch coming forth from the house of Judah will bring new life to Israel. And this is certainly a foreshadowing of how the Lord who traces his lineage back to David and Judah, the Son of Jacob, will bring new life through his death and resurrection—new life, new fruit to a tree, an organism that had begun to wither. The New lies hidden in the old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.

For what do we hear in our New Testament reading today? The Lord curing—bringing new life—to a paralyzed man, but not just any man, the servant of a Roman Centurion. This servant was a real man who suffered dreadfully, to whom the Lord brought healing, and comfort, and new life. He is also a symbol of all of the Jewish people under the servitude of Rome at the time of Our Lord. The Lord offered them new life, if they would but believe. 

During Advent, we deepen seek a deepening of our own faith, a renewal of faith, so that Jesus the Branch may bear new life giving fruit in our lives—that his goodness, the goodness of the one who makes all things new, may be revealed in us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

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 2022 - Promises of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

 

Happy Advent Everyone. 

If you were to pick up the bible, and turn to nearly any page of the holy book, you would be able to discover either God making a promise or God fulfilling a promise. 

God makes his first promise to mankind immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. God makes a promise that the evil unleashed through sin would be undone by the offspring of the Woman—a promise of a savior dating back to the very moment when mankind was in need of one.  

To Abraham, our father in faith, God made several promises: God promised to make Abraham’s descendants as countless as the stars, that all the nations of the world would come to be blessed through Abraham and his descendants, that God’s people would come to possess land—the promised land—forever, and that the enemies of God would be cast down through the seed of Abraham. Promises that would come to be fulfilled in Christ and his holy Church to which countless members are a blessing to the world. 

After wandering through the desert for 40 years, God promised that all those who search for Him would be able to find him—a promise fulfilled in your life and mine, and all those with the name of Christian who have found God through Christ. 

God promised, indeed, that His love would never fail—that no sin is so great that we would lose His love. Here is the promise that sin could be forgiven and the wounds within humanity would be healed. 

In the Psalms and prophets and the accumulated wisdom literature of ancient Israel, repeated over and over is the promise that those who allow the Word of God and the wisdom of God to light their way, the will know joy, delight, guidance, comfort and peace.

In the first reading, the first scripture of this first Sunday of the first week of Advent, we hear a powerful promise made the Isaiah the prophet. In fact, one might say, that is the job of the prophet—to dictate God’s promises to the people who need to hear them. 

And the promise Isaiah speaks to us is a promise of peace—of a whole world of saints—all the nations of the world, together worshipping the same God, the true God, in great joy in a world without war: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again

Next Sunday, we’ll hear how this promise of peace will be so all-encompassing that it will even extend to the animals. The wolf will be the guest of the lamb, the calf and the lion will roam the earth side-by-side, instead of one being food for the other. Here is a promise of  the experience of God’s peace, and harmony, and joy.

Does that sound like our world today? Well, far from it. But that is because Isaiah’s vision is a promise of what will yet come to pass. It is a vision of a promise yet fulfilled. A promise that will be fulfilled when Christ comes again, his final Advent. 

But we believe he will come again, on good authority, his own. “I will come back again and take you to myself” he said at the Last Supper. That promise of the Lord’s return will come to pass, just as his first coming, promised by Isaiah when he foretold that the virgin would give birth to a son, the Lord’s first Advent came to pass.

The Lord tells us to prepare ourselves for his return in the Gospel today: we do not know the day nor the hour of the Lord’s return. Readiness for the Lord’s return. The whole Christian life, in a sense, the whole purpose of our faith, is about cultivating readiness—being awakened to the truth about reality—and conforming our lives to that Truth. Nothing could be more important than that; it is a matter, as the Lord explains, of being taken with him into the eternal city of heaven, or being left behind, outside heaven’s gates, excluded from God’s presence, for ever.

St. Paul on this first advent Sunday, guides us on how to prepare for the Lord’s return by casting off , what he calls “the works of darkness”—ridding our lives of lust, drunkenness, rivalry, and jealousy. “Make no provision for the flesh” Paul tells us. We must seek to turn away from our fallen, sinful tendencies and selfish desires and make “no provision” for them…meaning, we aren’t giving them room in our lives to grow, we are remaining vigilant against putting ourselves in the near occasion of sin, we avert our eyes from what leads to sin. When temptation arises, we don’t feed the fire by giving in, but turning to the Lord for help and putting on the armor of light—truth, prayer, faith.

During Advent, we prepare for Christmas and we prepare for the Lord’s final return, by putting on Christ—imitating his virtues—his own love for the poor, his own devotion to the will of the Father, the truth he teaches, the commands he makes, the prayer he practices and teaches, his enmity toward sin and selfishness. 

Throughout this holy season, the beautiful promises of God are reiterated to us anew. The four candles of the Advent wreath stand for four promises: the first candle represents the promise of increased hope, that in a world filled with such chaos, you will have more hope, if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply. The second candle represents the promise of peace—that in a world filled with so much hostility, and frantic, frenetic activity and exhaustion, you will have more peace—spiritual peace; if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply.; the third candle represents God’s promise of increased joy—that in a world with so much sadness and suffering—you will experience greater joy, if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply. And the fourth candle represents greater love—in world where there is loneliness, where God often seems distant, where we fall into sin that makes us feel quite unlovable—you will experience greater love,  if you prepare your heart for Jesus to enter it more deeply.

I promise, the Church promises, that if you seek these things—hope, peace, joy, and love, this Advent,  you will find them, knock and the door will be opened. I promise. For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

34th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Wednesday - The war between Lamb and Beast

Throughout the visions contained in the book of Revelation, it becomes clear that history involves a battle: a war of good versus evil. In chapter 12 of Revelation, we hear of the dragon—"the dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.” And the dragon wages war against the women and her offspring. Think of Mary and her children, the Church. 

In chapter 13, Revelation introduces two beasts, demonic lieutenants of Satan. And the beasts worship the dragon because it gives them power. And the beasts blaspheme against God. And they too, wage war against the holy ones of God. 

But then in Chapter 14, we meet not a hellish dragon, or a demonic beast, but the innocent Lamb and the holy ones who follow Him wherever he goes. 

Today’s passage describes a vision of the Lamb who has waged war and is victorious over the beast and its followers. And surrounding the Lamb are, the Lambs followers, who share in his victory. These are the martyrs and the holy people who remained faithful to the Lamb unto death throughout the great battle—the great struggle—the great war that is this earthly life. 

And the followers of the Lamb sing a victory song to celebrate God’s triumph over his adversaries that is about to unfold as God brings history to an end. 

The battle is real. Our sinful condition means that our earthly life involves choosing sides—will we give in to sin, to the influence of the dragon whose evil permeates the whole world—will we join the beasts of hell in their vicious attacks on goodness, truth, and beauty? Or will we join the Lamb who delivers us from sin, who clothes his followers in righteousness?

The Catechism speaks of this battle saying the dramatic situation of “the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one” makes man’s life a battle: The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.”

The battle is real, my friends. And the battle to do right—the battle for holiness—the battle to win souls—costs us something, as it cost the Lamb—we will be hated by all—handed over by parents and friends, as the Lord tells us in the Gospel today. But sacrifice for God—for the Lamb—is rewarded with an eternal share in his victory. 

Revelation says, “The devil is in a great fury, for he knows his time on earth is short”. And evil in the world is not a sign that evil wins, but that it is making it’s last, furious grasp for souls. May we work and pray assiduously for the deliverance of those who remain in Satan’s grasp through error and sin, pleading for their deliverance through the blood of the Lamb—Christ the Lord—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

Lord, sanctify your bishops and priests, and grant them courage to preach the Gospel in its fullness.

Make the lives of parents examples of faith to inspire their children to seek first your heavenly kingdom. 

Bring all those who have fallen away back to the sacraments, help them to repent of their sins and desire the life that can only come from you.

That the Wisdom of Christ may preside over our thanksgiving gatherings tomorrow, for safety for all travelers, and protection from food-born illnesses. 

Bring comfort to the sick and suffering, charity and care to the destitute and down-trodden, be present through your church to the miserable. 

Welcome into your kingdom all the faithful departed, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, all clergy and religious, and X for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.