FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
February 7, 2010

I – Here I am! Send me.
R –In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
II – So we preach and so you believe.
A - Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.
G –They left everything and followed Jesus.

+ Today we consider the “simple radicalness” involved in true discipleship to Jesus. Jesus invites us to be an “all-or-nothing” kind of person where it matters most – our eternal salvation! And if you really stop to think about it what else deserves more intense consideration than where we will spend forever? And we will spend forever somewhere! Peter realized – when confronted with the majestic, powerful and gentle person of Jesus – that he, Simon of Bethsaida, just did not measure up! I can hear him say: “How can I possibly even consider spending forever with Jesus, who is so awe-inspiring and powerful, yet caring and compassionate! I am a sinful man!”

But Jesus told him to stand up, dust himself off and to get ready, for soon he would be catching not fish, but men. Jesus would take care of the “sinful” part – with Peter’s cooperation. And then he would be inviting Peter to spend a lifetime here and hereafter with himself as Lord, Messiah, Redeemer and Friend. Simon Peter could not have imagined that morning when he woke up that he would be an all or nothing follower of an itinerant rabbi that afternoon. But he was – and he was glad about it!

The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading today foretold, at least partly, Simon Peter’s willingness to become an uncompromising disciple of Jesus. The reading tells of a vision that Isaiah saw where he was in the lofty throne of God – where he heard everyone crying out: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts”. He himself saw his own unworthiness in comparison and said: “Woe is me, I am doomed! I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!” How can I possibly do him justice with my words. Then an angel took a burning coal with tongs and touched his mouth with it and said: “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,” Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”” Here I am,” I said; send me!”

I wonder what Isaiah thought when he heard those words coming from his own mouth? I wonder what went through Simon’s mind when he left boat and business and went to follow Jesus forever?

Actually, perhaps it was the same that went through the mind of St. Paul when he was chosen by the same Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles – born out of normal course: becoming an apostle not by being handpicked by Jesus to follow him around for three years for a special type of “seminary” training but by means of a special attention getting event – including a persuasive blinding display of light. Paul already had a different kind of education – and Jesus chose him for his tenacity and his enthusiasm and his stick-to-itiveness – and his love for his Jewish roots. Isaiah handed on what he got from God; Peter handed on what he learned from Jesus; Paul handed on what he received from the other apostles and the early members of the Church: that Jesus is the Messiah, and that he died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and on the third day he was raised, in accordance with the scriptures. Then he appeared to the apostles and to many who hand on the story one person to another. So the preaching occurs and so believing can be a response!

When we hear of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus preached to us – what is our “for real” belief quotient? Is it slight, moderate, heavy, extreme? For good or bad, where we will spend forever depends on our response! May we like Isaiah, Peter, Paul and so many others – receive the word of God that is preached, let it take root deep in our hearts, let it say exactly what it has in mind to say (rather than what we might want to hear), and let it have an effect in our lives that will give God glory and will upbuild the lives of others around us, upbuild the Kingdom – then we can be assured of being in the right place at the right time – when forever begins!

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord!

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
January 31, 2010

I – A prophet to the nations I appointed you.
R – I will sing of your salvation.
II – So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
A – The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives.
G –Like Elijah and Elisha, Jesus was not sent only to the Jews.

+ Last week we heard Jesus’ very first homily in the same setting that our gospel passage for today is situated. After reading from the Prophet Isaiah, in his home synagogue, Jesus rolled up the scroll and sat down and said: “TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING!” That was it! That was his first homily. I remarked last week that one of Jesus’ intentions in this nine word homily was to give direction to all preachers to get to the point, quickly, and then sit down! I promised to take this hint more seriously this week. Let’s see how I do!

After this short homily of Jesus, all looked intently at him and then began to talk highly of him. They were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. But then they immediately missed the whole point of the homily! They missed it completely! They condescendingly and patronizingly said “Oh, isn’t this the son of Joseph?” Thereby meaning “Isn’t this Mary and Joe’s boy, who grew up down the street? He turned out to be such a nice man, he speaks quite well!”

They missed the point that HE WAS THE LONG-AWAITED MESSIAH! HE WAS THE ANOINTED ONE OF GOD! HE WAS GOD’S SON AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD – their Savior! THEY DID NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO BEGIN TO BELIEVE IN HIM!

Jesus though, read their thoughts and said, “So, you would like me to do signs and wonders here among you, like I did in Capernaum on my way here – perform a few miracles!” NO PROPHET IS ACCEPTED IN HIS OWN NATIVE PLACE! Even if I did a hundred miracles here you would not believe in me. YOU HAVE NO FAITH! and FAITH IS A REQUIREMENT NOT ONLY FOR MIRACLES BUT FOR THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF SALVATION!

They rose up then and drove him out of the town to a cliff on the top of a hill. They intended to throw him over headlong. But he passed though the midst of them and went away, no doubt shaking his head and saying aloud to himself: “Father, this is not going to be easy, saving your people; especially the ones who want to disqualify themselves from being saved! What can we do for them?

And so, the second point for me to learn as a homilist here today is: after I keep the homily short, make sure it challenges (at least a few) and hope they don’t want to throw me off a cliff after Mass.

Just as Jeremiah was called in the first reading to be an unpopular spokesman for God but being promised the powerful aid of God himself to defend him against any assailants, so Jesus was clearly an unpopular spokesman for God his Father and he also had the powerful aid of this Father and the Holy Spirit to help him when he needed it. I believe that I can count on the same protection and guidance.

What it was that Jesus was speaking was none other than TRUTH, not the truth, or a truth, but just plain Truth: Jesus spoke TRUTH about everything, because he was around when everything was made (as Word of God) and so he knows thoroughly and absolutely how everything works and is supposed to work together – especially matters of dealing with God and other people. Those unwilling to hear Truth will be unwilling to hear Jesus, or anyone speaking what Jesus would have them speak –and a variety of reactions and responses could be forthcoming, some even involving cliffs, both real and symbolic.

Jesus spoke TRUTH, but he was also Truth in the Flesh; he was also LOVE, and thus Love in the Flesh: so when one is open to Love, one is open to Truth, one is open to Jesus. Our second reading today tells us that the powers of faith and hope are very important, but the power of love is most important: the kind of love that is risk-taking, self-sacrificing and totally other-oriented.

May we be open in the next weeks as the first stage of Ordinary Time winds down and Lent begins, to hear what the Spirit of God has to say to us individually and as a group when we come here on Sundays. Hopefully you will hear something that you do not know, something that you may have forgotten, something that you might initially “disagree” with. None of us are the same as we were last year at this time – and so God’s Word and explanations will affect us differently this year. But if we are open to change and growth, then maybe with the grace of God we will change and grow and become more the image that God has in mind for us to become: an amazing image of a holy, caring and joyful, saintly person!

God bless you!

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
January 24, 2010

I – They read from the book of the Law and they understood what was read.
R – Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
II – You are Christ’s body and individually parts of it.
A – The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives.
G –Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled.

+ In today’s gospel passage we have Jesus’ very first homily – and it only contained nine words! After reading a specifically chosen passage in the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord – rolling up the scroll, and handing it back to the attendant, he sat down and said: “TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING!” That was it! That was Jesus’ first homily! And it was probably the most powerful homily ever delivered by anyone at any time.

This homily was announcing not only to those gathered, but also to the whole world: I AM THE ANOINTED SERVANT OF THE LORD! I AM THE LONG-AWAITED MESSIAH! I AM YOUR SAVIOR! It is I who will bring amazing glad tidings of happiness to the poor. It is I who will proclaim loudly liberty to those held captive by sin. It is I who will provide recovery of sight to the spiritually blind. It is I who will let the intellectually, emotionally and psychologically oppressed go free. It is I who will announce the jubilee year of amnesty and grace. I AM GOD’S SON! – I CAN DO THIS! I AM HERE FOR YOU – DO YOU BELIEVE IT?

Everyone there stared at him intently – and looked around at one another – and they were astonished at what they heard. This does not mean that they believed any of it, but there were dumbfounded at the way in which he spoke!
Another lesson that can be drawn here is that a good homily is often the short homily! My New Year’s Homiletic Resolution is to get more quickly to the point and then sit down. I will begin this NEXT WEEK!

And so the first point of my homily today is: JESUS IS THE ONE! He is not only the one for his own people, but he is the one for all people.

The second point refers to the period before Jesus came when all the people of God had to know they belonged to God was the law that was given at Mt Sinai to Moses and all of the prescriptions that were derived from it. The heart of the matter here is that the people were willing to be in a relationship with God based on an external set of rules: this, though not ideal, was at least something for them to hold on to. And we can see from the first reading today that they took the reading of the law very seriously. But it was Nehemiah and Ezra who told the men, women children old enough to understand that when they heard the law of God read they should not be sad and weep (mostly thinking about how they disobeyed it continually), but rather on that day they were to rejoice – for the day was holy – and they were to go and have rich feast – because from then on “rejoicing in the Lord must be their strength!” This scene has everything to do with Jesus as well. He is not only the law of God in the flesh – but he is also the new and simplified law of God: which is simply LOVE. When we love God and love others as we love ourselves – as we have been loved by God in the dramatic way in which we have been – then we experience what being redeemed and saved is all about.

The third point of today’s homily is this: Jesus set up a way for us to live out the new law, his command of love, in a very personal way. He had the wonderful idea of actually making us spiritually a very real part of his very real spiritual self. This happens initially at our baptism. We become among other things an integral and necessary part of the very Mystical Body of Christ: a holy and spiritual but very experiential and tangible sort of Body – that manifests itself as the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ, because we are the Body of Christ. And unless we celebrate that fact and live that fact that we are truly the Body of Christ, then the Communion, the Body of Christ made present in bread, does not really mean anything at all.

Each member of the Body of Christ is necessary to it; the Church depends on our active commitment to our Baptismal and Confirmation duties and responsibilities. Our second reading today tells us that just as the body has many members, they are all of equal value because they form the one body, and the body would be incomplete and less than it could be without it. Each of us has a gift or two to share with everyone else – out of love for God and one another. May we help Jesus in his mission as Messiah, Liberator, Healer and Constant Friend to All by being his Body, by being willing to be used by him in any way he wants when we leave here today.

Yes, this day is holy to the Lord! The reading of the scriptures ought not make us weep and be sad because we do not live up to what it says. It ought to instead inspire us to take the hand of Jesus and walk through our days doing great things for him and his Father with the help of their Spirit.

The Lord sent YOU to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives! And the end of this Mass GO in peace to love and serve God as you love as serve any brother or sister in need!

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
January 17, 2010

I – The Bridegroom rejoices in his bride.
R – Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
II – One and the same Spirit distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
A – God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
G –Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee.

+ We have heard often of the scene in today’s gospel passage: Jesus attending the wedding feast at Cana. But if we really stop to think about it, some of the implications in this account are quite astounding: first of all this is Jesus’ first big dinner party since his Baptism and the inauguration of his public ministry (which we celebrated last week). And here at this feast, at least three important things happen:

1. First of all, by his very presence and interest in what was going on here, Jesus takes marriage, the sacred bond between husband and wife that was instituted by his Father in the very beginning, and raises it to the dignity of a sacrament: assuring his very presence to those contracting Christian marriages when later he would found his Church
2. Secondly, Jesus obeys his mother who asks him to perform a miracle of providing wine, as the supply had run out, and the bride and groom stood to be embarrassed by this oversight. But what this implied is that his “hour” of “concentrating fully” on our salvation would now be moved back three years to this very moment. Jesus asks his mother if she was sure she wanted him to do this. Mary did not answer Jesus directly, but she did tell the stewards to: do whatever he tells you. These are Mary’s last recorded words in scripture. These words then were meant not only for the wine stewards but also for whoever hears them – we must always do whatever he tells us, when he tells us.
1. And, from that moment everything became different between Mary and Jesus, and between everyone else and Jesus. Jesus is now not only the Anointed One (sent to bring glad tidings to the poor), but also now The Suffering Servant (sent to die for us and for our salvation). Jesus went from being Son of Mary, to Son of Man! 
2. And - just as he now miraculously, and with great ease, changes water into wine - at the Last Supper he would change wine into blood – the same blood that he would shed the next day: for us and our salvation – out of obedience to his Father and out of love for us!
3. Thirdly, the sign of the good wine saved until the end is an obvious reference to his coming at all:  the best and most eloquent of all of the priests, prophets and kings of ancient days was Jesus, to whom they pointed, whose coming they foretold – who was the very Victim and Sacrifice they offered, the very words they prophesied, the very concept of a kingdom that they proclaimed.

And so, Jesus accepted the direct opening of the narrow highway that would lead him to the cross, on that day in Cana of Galilee. He had serious work to do, beginning right then and there; but he was so very happy to do it. To him he was truly like a bridegroom who rejoiced as he prepared to meet his bride for a great wedding feast. The bride is the Church. The bride is us. And one day we shall enter into that great Nuptial Wedding Feast in the Kingdom - which is being prepared for us right now! Jesus has done his part already! We do our part by using the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the second reading today – gifts which have as their goal upbuilding the family of God in all charity: us, the Bride of Christ and the cherished object of the Father’s eye!

God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ – may we respond affirmatively to the invitation and show our gratitude for what Jesus has done for us - beginning on that day in Cana of Galilee, by allowing the Spirit to move us to great works for God and for all, especially for those who are in most need of our help!

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
January 10, 2010

I – Behold my servant with whom I am well pleased.
R – The Lord will bless his people with peace.
II – God anointed him with the Holy Spirit.
A – The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
G –After Jesus was baptized, he saw the Spirit of God coming upon him.

+ It is not a secret in the world of business that “silent partners” exist. In fact most businesses, large and small have such partners. These are usually the ones who actually carry a lot of weight in the company, but do so behind the scenes – in an almost invisible and oft-times forgotten sort of way. The “front people” – the ones that you see physically are obvious and their words and deeds are out there for the world to see – but they would really have little power to do anything without the silent partners.

Did you ever stop to think that God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are actually “in the business of saving our souls,” saving our necks from eternal loss and separation from them. God the Father is the “Idea-Man,” God the Son, Jesus, is the “Front-Man – The Man in the Trenches” and God the Holy Spirit is the “Silent Partner.” All three of them are required to be fully functional, of their own free will, for the “business to be successful,” in order for us to be saved!

It was always God the Father’s plan, idea, to save his wayward children after the Original Sin. Jesus volunteered to be the “front-man, the man in the trenches,” the man sent by God to accomplish our redemption by a brutal death on a cross. The Holy Spirit promised to be with Jesus every step of the way, helping him in everything he ever thought, said and did as Messiah, Redeemer and Friend of Mankind. When things got rough for Jesus, especially towards the end, it was the Holy Spirit who consoled him and reminded him of how much his Father loved him and how pleased he was with what he was doing for his errant brothers and sisters!

Our readings today tell us quite plainly of such a “spiritual business arrangement!” Having just celebrated the Season of the Father’s Gift: Jesus, born in Bethlehem – one day to die in Jerusalem on a mount called Calvary -we now see Jesus coming forth at age thirty ready to “get to work,” ready to “do his Father’s business” as he announced he would be doing when he was found in the Temple when he was 12 years old. And so he came to the Jordan to be baptized by his cousin John, who was his herald: the one chosen by the Father to literally point to him and tell everyone that he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah: the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world! And after Jesus was baptized the “Silent Partner” showed up in a majestic show of brightness and form (the figure of a dove) – also sent by the Father – to tell all of us that Jesus’ Reign and Kingdom would be a spiritual one – and that He would be helping Jesus in everything, in every way! Then the Father himself, the “very loving Idea Man” spoke, in fact thundered regarding Jesus: YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON; WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED!

The Family of God Business was now open and operating: and Jesus set out to be what he was prophesied to be: a light for all the nations; one who would open the eyes of the spiritually blind, release those imprisoned by their own selfishness and sinfulness, and bring out from the dungeon of their own making, those who live in the darkness of intellectual stubbornness and blindness.

As we begin a new year of watching the life and ministry of Jesus unfold, may we remember the three partners in this family business who will make it all happen: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: The Idea Man, The Front Man (The Man in the Trenches), and the Silent Partner! And we must not forget that because of our baptisms we actually are a part of the family business as well – and we get all of the benefits that Jesus and the Spirit have to offer – if we cooperate and do our assigned jobs as salesmen and promoters of this magnificent family business!

Let us be grateful! Let us rejoice! Let us live like we are members of God’s family during this new year of grace, especially using the amazing power of that same Silent Partner who was with Jesus every step of the way, The Holy Spirit, who has been gifted to us so we can truly live Christ-like lives!

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
January 3, 2010

I – The glory of the Lord, shines upon you.
R – Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
II – Now it has been revealed that the Gentiles are coheirs of the promise.
A – We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.
G –We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.

+ It was only fair that Jesus first make contact with his own people, his own family, his own adoring mother and foster-father, and a holy man and a prophetess in the Temple at his presentation, before he would be manifested to the rest of the world. Today, in our gospel passage we have that familiar story of the arrival of the three magi from the east. They of course were sent on a mission by King Herod - a mission of espionage and subterfuge, but it was God himself who redirected their efforts in the end and sent them back to their own country by another way, thus avoiding a return to Herod.

And these magi offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh – to fulfill a prophecy regarding his kingship, his eminence, and his death and burial.

It was to the little town of Bethlehem that they came – the town that was too small to be of much use to anyone at all – but the town which had a mighty prophecy written about it: you are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah, from you shall come a ruler; who is to shepherd my people Israel! And so a star led the magi to Bethlehem and they found Jesus with Mary his Mother in the house. They offered their gifts and thus represented the world’s recognition of Jesus as Lord, Messiah, King, Ruler and Shepherd!

Sadly though, after 21 centuries, not that many, relatively speaking, recognize Jesus as Lord, Messiah, King, Ruler and Shepherd! And even the ones who say they do don’t always speak and act like it!

Jesus came to make all the difference in the world – all the difference to every aspect of life! But he can’t do it without our permission. He respects our freedom and he waits for our willingness and our cooperation! All of the spiritual money is in the bank for us because of his life, death and resurrection, but we must write out the checks by our lives of deliberate acts of love, kindness, friendship and concern.

If Jesus is the Light of the World whose arrival was signaled by the brightness of a brilliant white star in the blackness of night, and we have his light in us by our baptism, then it is up to us to let his Light shine through us to brighten the whole world. This is the message of Epiphany: everyone who comes in contact with us should come away feeling they have encountered Christ the Light of All Nations!

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you, for you shall rescue the poor when they cry out; and the afflicted when they have no one to help them. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save! Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD
January 1, 2010

I – They shall invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.
R – May God bless us in his mercy.
II – God sent his Son, born of a woman.
A – In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
G –The found Mary and Joseph and the infant. When the eight days were completed, he was named, Jesus.

+ A week ago today we celebrated a “feast of Jesus”: his birthday; today we celebrate the “feast of the one who gave birth to him”: his Holy and Immaculate, Virgin Mother: Mary: wife of Joseph of Nazareth of the House of David. It is really an amazing feast honoring the Mother of Jesus, who was also the Mother of God!

Mary is the greatest of the Church’s saints, and “Mother of God” (Theotokos) is the highest of her titles. It is the basis for every other title and dignity accorded to her. Although she was the Mother of God from the moment she conceived Jesus in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, her motherhood of God was not formally recognized by the Church until the first half of the fifth century, in response to a theological controversy that focused not upon her, but upon her Son.

The Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, argued that there are two whole and distinct natures in Christ, one human and one divine, each having its own “personal” manifestation. For him, and others like him, to say that “God has suffered” and “God was nursed at his mother’s breast” were offensive because they seemed to deny the full meaning of the Incarnation. Nestorius wanted to emphasize that the Son of God really took on our humanity, but he went overboard. This meant that it was Jesus (the human person), not the Second Person of the Trinity, who nursed at his mother’s breast and who later suffered on the cross. According to Nestorius, Mary was the mother of the human person Jesus, and not of the Son of God, since a true mother should be of the same essence as what is born of her.

A crisis erupted when in his preaching, Nestorius publicly denied to Mary the title: “Mother of God” calling her instead the mother of Christ (Christotokos).

To make a long story short, Nestorius was condemned at the church Council of Ephesus in 431. This council condemned his views and deposed him as patriarch of Constantinople.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (which we recite at Sunday Mass and on Solemnities) was established at this council at it was made clear that Jesus had two natures: one human (of Jesus Emmanuel) and one divine (of the Word of God that was with God in the beginning), but only one Person. Therefore, Mary could rightly be considered Mother of God.

At the Cross, Jesus extended the Motherhood of God, to the Motherhood of the Church when he gave his own mother, Mary, to the Apostle John (who represented all of us). If he is Son of God and Son of Man, and he is also the Church in its mystical form: then Mary is Mother of the Church and our Mother: for we are members of that Mystical Body of Christ. Perhaps that is why another beautiful title of Mary is “Mystical Rose.”

Just as Mary treasured everything that ever happened concerning Jesus in her heart, so should we; and so should we enjoy the benefits of being true spiritual children of Mary – by thinking about her every day, praying to her, and asking her to intercede to her Son for us. Jesus cannot rightly refuse any requests that his “Queen Mother” asks him! Hail Mary, Pray for us, always!

THE HOLY FAMILY
December 27, 2009

I – Those who fear the Lord honor their parents.
R – Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
II – Family life in the Lord.
A – Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
G –His parents found Jesus sitting in the midst of the teachers.

+ Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we consider “family life in God.” Family life in God is based on a dynamic that is for the most part distasteful to most Americans in this day and age: and that dynamic concept is OBEDIENCE. More than ever the American “dream” is about the “fantasy” of “absolute detachment” and independence from any real lasting accountability for anything or anyone (that does not serve temporary and fleeting flights of self-seeking, self-satisfaction and self-glorification!)

In contrast to this, family life in Nazareth was experienced as a real and true flight into the heart of God the Father: whose purpose and plan it was and is to gather unto himself an amazing family, from the four corners of the earth, united in peace, harmony and virtuous living. He even went so far as to send us in the flesh One who would teach us all about life in this family – that One is Jesus – Savior – Messiah – Prince of Peace!

However, to understand anything at all about Jesus the very first lesson to be learned (taught by he, himself) is OBEDIENCE! It was out of OBEDIENCE that Jesus came to us: sent by the Father who was so very concerned about the fact that all of humanity stood in a self-imposed condition of being condemned by him because of the Original and other personal sins; and because there was an irrevocable chasm between us and him, with no possibility of crossing into eternal life of blessedness. Jesus OBEYED and came to us! He OBEYED and was subject to everything about human life that we are, except sin! He OBEYED his Father’s Will at every moment of his earthly existence. And for us and for our salvation he became OBEDIENT even unto death, death on a Cross; this he did joyfully because both he and his Father were so eager to build a new family of believing people who would benefit from his great act of redemption! But the key for them would have to be the same key as it was for him: OBEDIENCE! Obedience to God and his promise of salvation! Why would we not want to love and trust and OBEY anything that our God tells us to do for our present and eternal welfare?

Family life then, mirrored in the life of the Church, has everything to do with OBEDIENCE: the obedience exercised by the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. If Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church (us) is his Bride – and the way for salvation is for the Church/Bride to “do whatever he tells us” (the way Mary explained “obedience” at the Wedding Feast of Cana where Jesus raised marriage to the dignity of a sacrament), then in the same way wives should love and “obey” their husbands in the Lord; and husbands must love their wives in exactly the same way that Christ loves, cares for and protects his Bride the Church: and the children, the fruit of the union of husband and wife to complete the cycle of family life need to obey their parents, as we see Jesus doing in the gospel passage when he went down to Nazareth and was “obedient” to them.

There is a great benefit in the God-centered and initiated dynamic of OBEDIENCE that can never be experienced unless family members take the risk of trying it out unconditionally. If we remember that God is the source, the power behind and the reward for all OBEDIENCE and that it is really him that we are obeying in the process, then it might be easier to “take the plunge” and try it out! Perhaps this might be a good “Family New Year’s Resolution!” Take to heart the words of these scripture passage that are found in your Bibles at home – OBEY GOD and experience the “joy of OBEDIENCE” in your relationships and then the peace of Christ will dwell in your richly and it will control your hearts and your family life will take on a dimension that maybe it has never had: and you will also better understand what it means to be Church, and members of God’s Great and Loved heavenly family!

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, and who walks in his ways – you shall be blessed and favored forever!     

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
December 25, 2009

I – A son is given us!
R – Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
II – The grace of God has appeared to all.
A – I proclaim to you good news of great joy: today a Savior is born for us, Christ the Lord.
G –Today a Savior has been born for you.

+ The Great Moment has finally arrived: the one we have been eagerly waiting for four weeks! And at this point -- here, now -- it all comes down to the notion of “gift-giving and receiving.” This is the night / and day tomorrow that is really about “gift giving and receiving,” all done out of love: for what we exchange is really LOVE. At this point, the most treasured gifts given will be the ones given as an expression of heart-felt LOVE, and they must all be received with an equal measure of gratitude and LOVE: the Christmas Gifting Gesture: is actually then an exercise in the “communion of LOVE.”

What this means is that the gifts given that were paid for by self-sacrifice and hard-earned work, gifts made by hand, gifts of promised service for a later time (a Holiday IOU for providing aid and assistance to those in need) are the most treasured and most valuable gifts!

Later in this Mass you will receive into your hand, into your mouth, into your heart the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace who made his appearance on this earth in that tiny stable in Bethlehem amidst an adoring crowd of his parents, shepherds and animals bowing and lowing. That was an amazing scene and an amazing moment, and it took place in utter silence that was only broken by a chorus of angels giving glory to God and announcing peace on earth to men of good will! That peace was Jesus himself: he was and is God’s-peace-made-flesh.

After receiving the “little Lord Jesus” in Holy Communion tonight there will a moment of Great Silence – (which is normally observed anyway) but tonight it will be even more special. At that time, when we sit in silence, there will be the opportunity for a very special exchange of gifts: Jesus has something uniquely special for you this year, unlike any other year. You can use this silent moment to spiritually “tune in” to what that is: ask him to reveal it and he will; and then, you can use this wondrous moment to offer him something likewise different from any other Christmas: something especially significant for both you and him, this year, that perhaps only you and he would know about: something that you have made with your life this year.  IT CAN BE A TRULY AWESOME MOMENT! We will take the time: to observe it, cherish it and use it! It will be fantastic!

Oh, and it will be OK during the Mass up to that point to think about what possible gift Jesus will have for you, and the one you will have for him at the Great Silent Moment!

(*)I proclaim to you good news of great joy: today a Savior is born for us, Christ the Lord.   

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 20, 2009

I – From you shall come forth the ruler of Israel.
R – Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
II – Behold, I come to do your will.
A – Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.
G –And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

+ On this final Sunday of Advent we focus on one rather obscure phrase in the first reading today which actually summarizes everything about the Season that we are in and the one that will begin this coming Thursday evening: the phrase is: “he shall be peace!” He shall be peace refers to the shepherd who will stand firm by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; the shepherd King of the House of David, from the town of Bethlehem-Ephrathah (too small to be among the clans of Judah).

He shall be peace! The one who is to come to first dwell in that stable in Bethlehem will be peace-in-the-flesh. To think that peace is simply the absence of chaos, is to miss the whole concept of Christ completely. Peace is actually a human being and his name is Jesus. All else that we relate to peace derives from his person. He is the heavenly peace that he not only sleeps in, but also radiates at every moment of his existence. His is the peace that the world cannot possibly know about, understand or desire in the slightest. His is the peace, nevertheless, that all people thirst and yearn for to the depths of their beings. Yes, what we need in our lives is not just the absence of turmoil, but a personal relationship with the Prince of Peace himself; and the only way we can have that is in quiet, silent, reflection!

The gospel passage today tells us what Mary did immediately after this Prince came to live within her who consented to be his Mother, she felt the need to radiate that peace to others, she was moved to holy action, and she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also now with child (whose name would be John, and he would be the Baptizer). John leapt for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary entered the house. He was the first to recognize the unique presence that his cousin, the Prince of Peace was. A new day was dawning and the One whose obedience would take away all of the bad of the old dispensation is now months away from making his earthly appearance. As our second reading today tells us, it would be in his “will” to do his Father’s will – that would be the cause of our salvation!

May we in these last days before Christmas take time each day to reflect in silence the great mystery of the coming into the world, coming into our lives of the Prince of Peace himself. And remember on Christmas Eve or Day (whenever you will attend Mass to celebrate his birth) that you will consume and eat in Holy Communion this “peace of God” who became a man, who became that piece of bread for you, so that you can be that bread and the peace and that Prince to others, all others, but especially the poor and needy – not only on Christmas Day, but on every other day of the year as well!

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will!  

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 13, 2009

I – The Lord will rejoice over you with gladness.
R – Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you in the great and Holy One of Israel.
II – The Lord is near.
A – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
G –What should we do?

+ The Third Sunday of Advent, which we celebrate today, is GAUDETE SUNDAY, taken from the first word of the Entrance Hymn of the old Latin Mass:”Gaudete!” REJOICE!

There is an obvious cause for rejoicing as we make our way, week by week, through the Advent Season, that now it is half over – and the nearness of the Lord can be felt intensified (even if we know that he has already come so many years ago in the stable at Bethlehem, and is always available to us).

But did you ever stop to look at Advent from the opposite point of view, God’s point of view; the God whose plan it was to reconcile his people by sending them a redeemer and Savior; who carefully and over o so many generations prepared a people and family to receive him; whose astounding love was the cause of it all and the impetus behind each and every meticulous detail. His perspective on this midway day of Advent is superabundant rejoicing that he is getting nearer and nearer to becoming one of his own creations while still remaining fully God. He is very excited about Jesus’ whole mission to us.  The first reading from the Prophet Zephaniah shouts of such excitement: Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully; O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has removed the judgment against you, the King of Israel, the Lord, (will soon be) in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.

When he comes into your midst, your Lord will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, and he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. [Isn’t that incredible – sometimes we think it a burden to sing our praise to God, yet he sings exuberantly of his love of being our Father, and our being his beloved, redeemed, children all of the time! That is amazing!]

And so today: let us rejoice doubly: as we think both of our joy and God’s as we enter into the last two weeks before the celebration of the birthday of the central figure in all of human history: Jesus the Lord, the King, the Prince of Peace: God who became one of us; and let us reflect upon how God rejoices over us always– and then, let us act like deserving recipients of such a tremendous gift! Yes, let us love as we have been loved!

The best way to continue our preparation and to show that we really “get” what is going on in this holy season is to do what John the Baptist suggested in the gospel passage when he told the people coming to him at the Jordan River to repent and prepare for the Lord’s coming: he told them, bottom line, to LOVE, to look out for one another, to share their belongings, to share their food – to think of others first. This is the best way to prepare for the coming of Jesus because we will recognize him as the one from whom these practices originate, for he is LOVE INCARNATE: LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND COMPASSION IN THE FLESH! And then we can see his glory and his light and his truth!

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, for he truly does rejoice in you!

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 6, 2009

I – Jerusalem, God will show your splendor.
R – The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
II – Show yourselves pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
A – Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
G –All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

+ As we celebrate the Second of Advent today we are amazed at the great love and excitement that was found bubbling forth from the heart of God the Father as he conceived the plan to send forth a redeemer to reconcile his wayward children. The Prophet Baruch tells us in the first reading that God was more than enthusiastic about gathering his errant people from east to west so that he could name them his “justice” and the” glory of his worship” forever!

This is quite a vocation that the people of Israel had. And symbolically God ordered that every lofty mountain be made low, and that age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground so that Israel could advance straight and secure in the glory of God and at last see their salvation: the fulfillment of their vocation!

The gospel passage today takes up the same theme: as the time of the arrival of the fulfillment of the prophecies, the Messiah is near, and John the Baptist is chosen by God to fulfill the prophecy of Baruch and literally cry out: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. He is very near! You have waited for him, and now he comes! Fill in the valleys of your stubbornness causing you to hang on to your own sorrows and afflictions, make low the mountains of your pride and selfishness, make straight the winding roads of your restlessness and willful wanderings, make smooth the roughness of your manner and demeanor! Smile! Relax! Rejoice! Your God cares for you! – and he cares for you too, for you are born, by your baptism, from the faith-stock of the Israelites!

One way for you to determine how tuned-in you are to the real Spirit of the Holidays is, as St. Paul told the Philippians, (having first decided to take care of any detrimental matters mentioned above) to measure your readiness by how truly loving you are: how willing you are to share the riches God gives you to share: how willing you are to go over and above what you might feel comfortable saying and doing to upbuild and help others: how willing you are to be prophets(spokesmen for God), in order to bring others to Jesus!

If each good thought, word and deed were a piece of straw: would you (in the course of the next three weeks) be able to acquire and save enough of them, and place them in the manger of your heart to be ready to receive the little Lord Jesus, away in that manger, on Christmas Eve?

Prepare the way of the Lord: make him a manger full of your good words spoken, and good deeds done, because you love him, you understand what his birthday means, and you understand that the love that flows at this time of the year begins with God but is now dependent upon you in order for the world to understand what Christmas is all about!

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
November 29, 2009

I – I will raise up for David a just shoot.
R – To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
II – May the Lord strengthen your hearts at the coming of our Lord Jesus.
A – Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.
G –Your redemption is at hand.

Today, as we mark the First Sunday of Advent 2010, we begin another church calendar “Year of Grace” in which the truly astounding mystery of “the breaking into human history of the Son of God himself” will once again – during the next 12 months - be presented for our intellectual consideration, our prayerful reflection, our worshipful response and our motivation for doing more good works out of love for God, who made it all possible.

The first reading today speaks of the fulfillment of a promise that God made with the house of Israel and Judah, to raise up for David a just shoot: one who would do only what is right and good in the land. In fact, there would be so much security in the land, that with the coming of this shoot, grown to full stature, Jerusalem itself will be called: “The Lord our justice!”

The injustice that existed there beforehand was as old as our first parents, who broke faith with God, mistrusted him, disobeyed him and set up their own system of justice that never did measure up to God’s. But God’s is the one that will count in the end.

In this original injustice, since God was offended, only one who was God could make up for the offense, but he would also have to be one like us to make the reparation effective for all of us. That perfect combination of a God – Man was Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. We prepare now for four weeks for the celebration of his birthday: when the awesome majesty and splendor and power and love of God was found contained in a tiny little baby boy in a manger in Bethlehem. Only one who was so large in heart and power, could become so humble and small, for us and our salvation!

But not only do the Advent readings speak of Christ’s “first coming” as a babe in Bethlehem, they begin by speaking of his “Second Coming” – as an exclamation point for the great feast of Christ as King of the Universe that we celebrated last Sunday, to culminate the past Liturgical Year. Jesus is indeed King – and one day he will come to be our judge just as he promised he would. And he promises that it will be a truly frightening day for those who are caught off guard, for those who were not vigilant, for those who thought it might apply to everyone else except them. Not so! It applies to everyone!  He is coming! And he will judge everyone! And he suggests that the best posture to have as we wait is to stand up straight, with head held high – with voices raised in praise and glory and thanks to his Father - as well as showing real proof of our love for God and our belief in him by being of loving service to others until the last trumpet!

For those who refuse to give him what is his due, he will turn them away from him – forever! But it need not be that way: all it takes is a willingness to ask the Lord for his merciful help and love, and for the gift of salvation!

And it shall be done for you!

The Lord is our HOPE and our SALVATION! He was born to be our HOPE, he would love to accompany us through our lives as our hope, and on the last day he would like very much to convert our hope into the BLESSED ASSURANCE OF A NEVERENDING EXPERIENCE OF HAPPINESS IN THE HEART OF GOD! O come Emmanuel and ransom your needy people!