February 2 2024 - Feast of the Presentation - Jesus Christ is the one whom you seek

Throughout the Advent season, the Church considered many of the prophecies found in the Old Testament concerning the birth and role of the Messiah.

Isaiah prophecied how “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel” he is God with us. 

Isaiah also prophecied how the Messiah would be “called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This prophecy emphasizes how the Messiah would be a kind and wise ruler and bringer of peace. 

Micah prophecied about how Bethlehem would be the Messiah’s birthplace—Bethlehem, Hebrew for the house of bread, hinting at how the Christ would give himself in the Eucharist—the bread of life.

Through the prophet Haggai, God said, “I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.” The Messiah would be acknowledged by all the nations of the earth and show that the power of God is greater than any nation or earthly government.

Now, forty days after the celebration of Christmas, the birth of the Messiah, Christ the Lord, the liturgy presents us with another prophecy from the prophet Malachi. 

Malachi prophecied, “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek”. I like the word, “suddenly” there. For it speak of the humility in which Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple. The God of the universe born a humble babe in the poor Bethlehem stable is brought into the Jerusalem Temple without fanfare or royal procession. He is simply carried in love in the arms of his loving mother, next to her obedient heart. For it was out of obedience to the Mosaic Law that the Divine Savior was brought to the Temple. It would be in an atmosphere of obedience that he would be raised.

And Malachi also describes him as one “whom you seek”. Malachi prophecied during a time of moral and spiritual decline among the Jews. There were faithful Jews who awaited the coming of the Lord. But also, in a way, Malachi, writing in a time of idolatry and spiritual decline, is saying that deep down, all sinners seek God. They are seeking happiness in all the wrong places. They are seeking happiness in sin, and this is why they  always come up empty and dissatisfied. 

Today, as part of the liturgy, the Church blesses candles, candles which are a symbol of the light of Christ—they are signal flares to the world, that all those who are looking for happiness can find happiness here, in Christ. 

We bless candles, to remind us, that our vocation is to be like those candles, signals to the world, that salvation is found in Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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On this special day of prayer for the consecrated religious, we pray that those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience may live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits. And in gratitude for the consecrated religious who have served this parish and our diocese, for an increase in vocations to the consecrated life. 

During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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 Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Bonum Diffusivum Sui

 

There is an medieval latin aphorism:  bonum diffusivum sui, goodness spreads out from itself. A saint for example, spreads the goodness of God. The light of Christ, like that which we celebrated at Candlemas, yesterday, isn’t to be hidden under a bushel basket, right, but spreads, as it is lived devoutly and generously. 

This truth can be seen even in the life of the Holy Trinity. God is perfect, perfect goodness, perfect joy, and yet, he chooses to bring creation into being, and share that goodness, and life and joy with his creatures, particularly mankind made in his image.

We are happiest and most fulfilled in life when we are engaging in acts of goodness because that’s what we’re made for, not for selfish self-centeredness, but selfless self-giving, even self-sacrifice.

It is true that bonum diffusivum sui, but, in our first reading today, we also find that goodness’s opposite also spreads. “See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled.” In other words, the bad apple can spoil the bunch. Selfishness, sin, the deprivation of grace, can also spread and defile and spoil the bunch.

We have to be very careful when we are in the presence of a gossip, for example, that we aren’t drawn into their habit of gossiping. We have to be very careful when we are in the presence of drunkards and gluttons, that we don’t begin to mimic their behavior. 

Of course, we are all sinners, and have the potential to set bad example for each other, from time to time. And yes, we need to be out in the world of sinners spreading the Gospel and doing our best to set good example for each other and non-believers. But we also have to be very careful that we don’t begin to assume to errors and sinful lifestyles of the world.

Discipline, is needed. “Do not disdain the discipline of the Lord”, we hear today. Endure your trials as “discipline”; discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

In two weeks, we’ll be beginning once again the great season of Lent, a time of discipline. We do well to identify those parts of our lives that do need to be brought under the Lord’s dominion once again, for God’s Word promises the peaceful fruit of righteousness, to those who endure their trials. 

The disciplined soul, therefore, becomes a tree for others, a fountain, a spring for the refreshment of others, and instrument which draws others to the grace of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For a deeper openness to God’s will, readiness for service, attentiveness to those in need, endurance to do the will of God, and peace in our world and our hearts.  Let us pray to the Lord.

During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

For the discipline necessary to resist temptation and to build virtue. 

For those who struggle because of addiction, discouragement, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind:  that the new wine of God’s grace through Christ will bring them consolation and peace.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for the souls in purgatory and for…N. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

February 2 2020 - Feast of the Presentation - Light of Encounter

The Jerusalem Temple, as you know, had profound significance for the Jewish people. Of all the places in the world, in the cosmos, the one True God, Creator of the universe, chose to make his dwelling on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem on planet earth. A temple was built for Him to be a place of dwelling and encounter. A place where God’s glory would shine forth, signifying God’s presence with Israel and Israel’s mission to glorify God by their lives.

The Temple was the place where divinity and humanity could meet and encounter each other. In my bulletin column this week, I explain how this feast of the presentation, in the eastern churches, is called the Feast of the Encounter, for here in the Temple, Simeon encounters God—God made flesh—Jesus Christ true God and true man.

The temple was also the place where sacrifice was offered. Mary and Joseph go to the temple in the Gospel today to offer Sacrifice. Sacrifice was offered as a way of turning one’s life to God. Faith and love, entrusting ones life to God, were made concrete through Sacrifice.

In the case of sin, sacrifice was a plea for reconciliation. Sacrificed was offered as showing you were serious about turning away from sin and back to God, and recognizing that God and God alone has the power to forgive sins. Reconciliation is one of my favorite words in our faith dictionary. From the latin reconciliation, It contains  the word cilia—recon-CILIA-tion…cilia are eyelashes. Reconciliation means to turn back from sin eyelashes meet God again. Reconciliation makes encounter possible.

In the time of the prophets, the sins of the nation had compromised the religious life of Israel and the ability to encounter God in the Temple. Things got so bad in Israel, the people had fallen so out of right relationship with God due to sin, that the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God’s glory departing from the temple. Sin was so great, faith and love were so lacking, the light of God was extinguished in the Temple.

This certainly makes us think of what happens to the human soul who falls into mortal sin. The act of sin creates a condition in which grace has no place to dwell. Light is extinguished. And the only way grace is restored, rekindled, and re-illumined in the soul is through the humble confession of sin in the sacrament of reconciliation.

The faithful remnant of Israel longed for God’s glory to return to the Temple. We hear this sentiment in the later prophets of the Old Testament. Our first reading this weekend, from the prophet Malachi, describes the promise of glory’s return: “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek” He will bring purification and refinement and right worship and perfect sacrifice to Israel.  Where Ezekiel described God’s departure from the Temple, Malachi foretells God’s return.

Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph and Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, bring him to the temple to be presented to his heavenly Father.

We can then begin to appreciate the sentiment of Simeon who filled with the Holy Spirit recognizes His Lord. Master, he says, now your servant can go in peace, I can die peacefully, knowing you have returned as the prophets foretold.

Simeon goes on to echo another prophet, Isaiah, who foretold how the Savior the savior of Israel would also be a light for the whole world. Master, my own eyes have now seen your salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. Simeon recognized that the promised era of light and glory has now begun, an era in which all the nations of the world, would turn to the God of Israel to be saved by Him. The light of God’s glory would never be extinguished again. His light would emanate from this child that he now held in his arms, and his light would enlighten the whole world.

Hence our blessing of candles today. Candles for Christians are symbolic of the light of Christ which now shines in the world through the Church to which all people and nations of the earth are now summoned. Candles are lit particularly during our liturgical rites, especially at Mass, because when we are gathered together, rich and poor, members of every nation, we shine most brightly with the light of God.

The sanctuary candle reminds us that Christ can truly be discovered and worshiped in this temple, he is truly present here, as he was in that Jerusalem temple so many centuries ago.

I think too how our parish, for so many years, nearly a 100 has been a beacon of the Christ light for our neighborhood. Our beautiful tower, here at St. Ignatius of Antioch, the tallest in the diocese, is like a giant candle, or lighthouse, guiding the wayward home, guiding pilgrims to this place of encounter. It’s a symbol that God can be found here. Sinners can be reconciled here. Souls can become enlightened here. The spiritually hungry can be fed here. The sorrowful can be consoled here. The lost and confused can be given direction here.

We do well to ask ourselves as individuals and as a parish, what can we do to better and more faithfully shine with the light of Christ. In our worship. In our service and charitable outreach, in our attitudes and actions. What can I do to better lead people to this place of encounter, what can I do to better lead people to Christ? For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Tuesday - 1st Week of Advent 2017 - A glimmer of hope

The four candles on the Advent wreath certainly help us count down the weeks until Christmas. The wreath though is more than a primitive calendar, each of the candles represent different themes of the Advent season.

The first candle represents hope: hope in God, hope in his promises, hope for his justice, hope for salvation that only he can bring.

The second candle represents love: the reign of love that the savior comes to establish, the love which should characterize the Christian people’s attitude toward one another, the love we are to extend to the poor and down trodden.

The third candle, the rose colored candle represents joy: the joy that is born at Christmas, the joy of the birth of the savior, the joy of a restored relationship with God, the joy which is a foretaste of the joy of the eternal joy of heaven.

The fourth candle, which will only burn for a few hours this year, due to the proximity of the 4th Sunday and Christmas Eve, represents peace: the peace of that most holy night, the peace of reconciliation and forgiveness and mercy.

Now only a single candle is lit. Sometimes in life all you have is a single candle, a glimmer of hope. For the people of Isaiah’s time, living in the devastation of a ruined divided kingdom, all they had was a promise of hope, spoken through lips of God’s prophet. A promise that despite the terrible destruction—separation from the families, the forces of evil pressing in on every side—God would bring about a reign of justice so great that even wolves and lambs, babies and cobras will be at peace.

Out of what appears to be a dead, hopeless situation, the Lord can cause new life to sprout and rise up. Your stump might be a broken family devastated beyond reconciliation, a ruined marriage without the possibility of reuniting, or a drug-addicted child, whose mind and life cannot be rebuilt.

The single candle reminds us that it is good to have hope that God can bring new life to hopeless situations. For where we see a lifeless wasteland, God sees the potential for abundant life. Where we see devestation, God sees the seeds of new life. Let your hearts dare to hope, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

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

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

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

For Pope Francis prayer intention for the month of December, “That the elderly, sustained by families and Christian communities, may apply their wisdom and experience to spreading the faith and forming the new generations.”

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 tha 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 2017 - Preparing well for Christ's coming

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

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

Even our young ones know about preparing for important events. Our second graders celebrated their First Confession two weeks ago. Before the big day, they learned about sin and about the mercy Jesus extends to us in the Sacrament of Confession; they learned their act of contrition, and the need to do penance for their sins.

Over the next few months, they will prepare for their First Holy Communion by learning about how Jesus gave to His Church the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, teaching that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal life and will be raised on the last day.

We prepare for new jobs, a new driver’s license, new babies, new vocations. Jesus in the Gospel teaches very clearly that we are to prepare for his second coming. For his glorious return and for the end of our earthly lives we prepare for eternity by confessing our sins and conforming our minds and hearts to his. And for that hour “you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming.” You even get the impression from his words, that many will be unprepared, and this is very foolish.

For the most important things we undertake preparation. And I’d venture to say that the more important the event, the longer and more serious the preparation. So, it makes sense that the two most important feasts of the Church year, Christmas and Easter, are each preceded by entire liturgical seasons of preparation. The season of Lent, with its penances, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, helps us to prepare for Easter, the celebration of Our Lord’s Victory over Sin and Death.

And now we begin the great season of Advent, which helps us to prepare for the feast of the saving birth of Our Lord at Christmas. Even the Scripture readings on this 1st Sunday of Advent help us to take seriously the need to prepare well for Christmas: “"Be watchful! Be alert!... May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.”

Being found sleeping, like the unwise Virgins in the Gospel a few weeks ago, is certainly one of the dangers of this time of year: to get so caught up in the commercialization, the food, the decorations, the secular, that we are inattentive to the greater spiritual and religious dimension—the reason for the season, as they say.

So, in order to keep Christ in Christmas, we need to be serious about our Advent preparations. And so what are some of the tried and true practices of preparing well, spiritually, during Advent?

Well, the liturgy of Advent certainly gives us some hints. The major liturgical symbol of Advent is, of course, the Advent wreath. Each family does well to have an Advent wreath in the home, perhaps as the centerpiece of the dinner table, or perhaps on a small altar in the family room.

The family Advent wreath can help the family remain spiritually focused during Advent. The circular wreath reminds us of God’s eternal love who sends his only Son to be our redeemer. The evergreen of the wreath reminds us of the everlasting life we receive only through the birth of our Savior. The light of the candles represent the light of Christ, who entered this world to scatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness. The progression of lighting candles shows our increasing readiness to meet Our Lord.

So don’t be afraid to light the candles of the wreath: I suggest lighting them at dinner time, along with a special advent prayer or reading of Scripture along with your grace before meals. If the family is so busy that you don’t have time for family dinner together, which is lamentable, perhaps take ten minutes before bedtime to say some prayers at the Advent wreath together.

The candle is also a wonderful symbol for Christian prayer. As the candle burns, it burns in silence, yet its flame is powerful, giving off heat and warmth; even the smallest flame burns and purifies. The candle reminds us the power and importance of increased prayer during this season.
Individually, I recommend prayerfully reading the scripture from daily Mass every day. Prayerfully read through and meditate on these readings; ask God what lessons they contain for living the Christian faith well and preparing well for Christmas. The daily Scripture readings are listed in the bulletin and can also be found on the US Bishops website.

Also, consider attending daily Mass, if but one additional time per week, or even one additional time per month! You will discover great peace and strength which flows from attending Mass daily.
The second lesson from our Advent liturgy is that we are now shrouded and vested in purple. Purple is the color a priest wears when he hears confession. Purple is the color of penance.

So, if it’s been more than a few months, plan on making a good Sacramental Confession either on Saturday or at our parish’s Advent Penance service this season. Parents, give your children the great gift of seeing you go to confession. The memory of seeing my mother go into the confessional ahead of me is burned indelibly in my mind. Also, if there is a family member who hasn’t been to confession in a while, invite them to come with you. It could be as simple as “Hey, I’m going up to the Church for confession, do you want to come?”

Before going to confession make a proper examination of conscience. There is even an app for that. Or feel free to write down your sins and bring the list into the confessional if that will aid you.
Penitential purple also reminds us to detach from earthly things in order to focus on heavenly ones. Perhaps this season you can clean out a chest or closet of clothes or toys and donate them to charity. If there is a neighbor you haven’t talked to in several months or someone new to the neighborhood, give them a tin of cookies, not because they are Catholic but because you are.

Prepare to celebrate Christmas by putting your faith first this Advent. By striving to live in the presence of Christ, with the mind and heart of Christ this Advent, you will prepare room for him to dwell in you this Christmas, for the glory of God and salvation.