MUSINGS

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

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      “The spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.”

      When I read the story of Samuel’s anointing of David, I find myself imagining what must have been going through Samuel’s mind. God had spoken to him and told him that he would find the next ruler of Israel among the sons of Jesse, but God did not initially reveal to him which one. When Samuel arrived at Jesse’s house, he must have been relieved to see Eliab, who, in his opinion, looked regal enough.

      But he heard the voice of God telling him this was not the one. As Jesse presented each of his sons to Samuel, I’m sure Samuel was becoming more uncomfortable as God showed him that each of these was not the one he was to anoint.

      When Jesse had finished with the seven sons he had who were present in the house, I’m sure Samuel was anxious. Is this it? In desperation, he asks, “Are these all the sons you have?”

      God shows He is faithful. As David makes his appearance, a young lad who has been out in the fields and probably has no idea what is going on at his house, Samuel immediately hears the voice of God, telling him, “This is the one.” I’m sure it is with a great deal of relief that he brings out the oil and anoints the young man. Then we are told the most amazing thing happens: “from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.”

      What a choice of verb! The spirit rushed! Didn’t just settle on him, but rushed on him, probably overwhelming him with the sense of His presence. How David must have reacted! I imagine David had a strong prayer life, spending his days in the field, praying and making music to the Lord, but this moment significantly changed him and deepened his faith—his relationship with the Lord.

      In the psalm, we hear words spoken by a man who has a deep faith, who understands how much God loves him. “Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.” Then, “even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil.” Finally, “only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life.”

      Here was a man who experienced what we hear in the later readings. “Now you are light in the Lord,” says St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

      In the Gospel, the theme of walking in the light continues. The man born blind is given his sight, and not only does he physically see, but he also begins to see with eyes of faith. He challenges the leaders of the synagogue: “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.” They have chosen darkness over light. They do not desire to see the truth. If they do, they will have to re-evaluate everything in their own lives and that is not something they want to do.

      Jesus knows this man is ready to hear more truth, so He seeks him out and reveals Himself fully to him as the Messiah. For the Pharisees that overhear his conversation, He has a stern rebuke: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”

      How often do we find ourselves not wanting to see the truth because it is inconvenient or we think it will be too hard to change our lives; that we are comfortable where we are? If God opens our eyes to the truth, I pray that we can humbly accept it and thus receive all that God has to offer us.

      Like Samuel, we must trust God, even when we are in darkness, knowing that He will reveal the light to us in His time. Like David, we must prepare out hearts so that we can move into God’s plan for our lives when the Spirit should rush on us, and like the man born blind, we must fall at the feet of Jesus and worship Him for the gift of spiritual sight that He has given us.

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Third Sunday of Lent

Readings: Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42

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      “Give me a drink.” So starts the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

      The woman is at first surprised that a stranger should speak to her, especially because she could see that He was a Jew and they did not associate with the Samaritans. As they converse, her early remarks are snide, almost making fun of him: “you do not even have a bucket…where then can you get this…water.”

      Jesus patiently begins to explain to her what He means; how she can experience the salvation He offers her. He even reveals to her things about her past that maybe nobody knows but her. Still, she has animosity toward him. “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say…”

      Finally, her heart is softened enough that, when she says she knows “that the Messiah is coming,” Jesus declares openly what we do not often hear Him say in the Scriptures: “I am He.”

      I wonder sometimes why Jesus had to reveal something about her past to help open her eyes to Who He really was. Was it just to prove that He, as the Messiah, knew things that most people did not know? Or was there something more going on here?

      I read something that Pope Benedict XVI wrote that implies that he believed the woman had been searching for something for a long time, something to fill what our pastor said in his sermon was “the God-shaped hole” in her life. Already having had six partners, she was “looking for love in all the wrong places,” as the old saying goes.

      How many of us search for something to fill that void in our own lives? We try to fill it with wealth, or possessions, or food, or sex, or prestige, or power, but nothing satisfies. Those things that we rely on to solve our problems, like any addiction, will only make us want to have more once we have gotten a taste for them, but they will not fill that hole.

      Our pastor also quoted St. Augustine in his sermon, from his famous Confessions: “Our heart is restless, until it rests in Thee.” Only God can fill that vacuum in our lives. We can try to satisfy our thirst with other things, but we will always fail until we face the fact that only Jesus can fill that void.

      Too often, we harden our hearts as is described in the psalm about the Israelites in the desert. In the first reading, we hear that they grumbled and complained about Moses so much so that he was afraid they would stone him! They were focused only on a temporal resolution to their need. In the temptation in the desert that we heard in the Gospel two weeks ago, Jesus reminds us that “one does live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

      We need the Word of God in our lives, and this week, Jesus wants to take us deeper. He wants us to experience the life-giving waters of the Spirit. He offers them freely to us as He did to that Samaritan woman so long ago.

      In the reading from Romans, it says, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

      If we can recognize that the thirsts we have in this life can only be quenched by God, we can turn to Him and ask Him to pour out His Holy Spirit on us now. St. Paul tells us in Romans that the Spirit is now available to us because Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners.”

      Do not fear to approach God and ask Him to pour out His Spirit on you. Know that, even though you are a sinner, Jesus “thirsts” to give you the life-giving waters of the Spirit. These same waters wash away your sins and make you new. Ask Him for these waters today.

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Second Sunday of Lent

Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9

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      “And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.”

      The familiar story of the transfiguration is our Gospel reading for this Second Sunday of Lent. When I listened to the words of the readings today, a few little things stood out to me, but the one thing that struck me the most came from the priest’s sermon. Christmas was not too long ago and we remember how Jesus came to live as a man like us, but His purpose wasn’t just to show us how to live well as humans. His transfiguration today gives us a hint to the deeper meaning of why He came. His desire is to transfigure us, to transform us to be like Him so that we would experience His divine life in our own lives today.

      In the day-to-day of life, I think we forget—I know I forget—that it’s not all about us. God has called us to a life of good works, but in doing those good works, we tend to forget that everything is not dependent on us. No, everything is dependent on God, and it is His desire that we would experience His glory even now in this life so that we would be able to walk through these things in our life in the light of His glory.

      In the reading from Timothy, it says, “He saved us and called us to a holy life…according to His own design.” So, we must “bear [our] share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

      As Abram was called to a new life in the reading from Genesis, so are we called to a new life in Christ. To leave behind all that we know and embark on a journey to a new land, a land that He has called us to.

      How do we see that in our daily lives? In the Collect, we pray, “nourish us inwardly by your word, that, with spiritual sight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory.” Again, in the closing prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours this morning, we pray, “Open our hearts to the voice of your Word and free us from the original darkness that shadows our vision. Restore our sight that we may look upon your Son who calls us to repentance and a change of heart.”

      Today is a day for us to be transfigured, to be transformed from who we were into who the Son desires us to be. To walk from darkness into His marvelous light, the light shining forth from His face that will make us new creations in Him.

      That will begin for us a journey that may take us to places we never thought we would go, but if we go in the light of Christ, in His strength, we will not falter or fail. It is a daily thing; we must allow Christ to transform us each day, to make us new each morning, so that we would continue to gaze on His glory and not be turned away from it by lesser things, and so, lose our way.

      Let Him transfigure you today so that you may become more like Him just as He became one like us. Fix your eyes upon Him, as it says in the psalm, so that He may deliver you and preserve your life. “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”

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First Sunday of Lent

Readings: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

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      “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

      I understand it is tradition to start the first week of Lent with the reading from the Gospels about Christ’s temptation in the desert. As a man, Jesus was tempted with the things that all men are tempted with: desire to satisfy the cravings of the flesh, desire for attention and notoriety, and finally, desire for power. Here, he sets the pattern for us to follow, to show us that first of all, these things will not lead to our happiness, and secondly, that the devil can be defeated and we can triumph in each of these areas of our life.

      I find it interesting that the devil uses Scripture to entice our Lord to deviate from God’s plan for His life. Beware of those who use what seems good to tempt you away from what God has called you to do.

      I also find it comforting to know that, in the end, after defeating Satan’s attempts to divert Him and His mission, Jesus was ministered to by angels. Trust that God will minister comfort to you as you resist the devil in your life.

      St. Paul gives us a hint about why Jesus had to endure the temptations of the enemy. He says, “just as through one transgression, condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all.”

      Jesus is not only setting the pattern for how He wants us to act in the face of temptation, but He is also telling us that because He has done this, He will give us the strength to do it as well.

      When we think of being tested, what usually comes to mind for me are the tests I used to take in school. I had to work hard to prepare for the test, then it was up to me to do the best I could in order to earn the good grade. That is NOT the kind of testing God does with us.

      Maybe we should liken it more to something like taking a heart stress test. Yes, there are ways to prepare for it, but you certainly can’t cram the night before in order to do well on that test. The purpose of the test is to show the current condition of the person and to see areas where there could be changes made to improve their health, and if immediate intervention is needed, the doctor is there to offer his services.

      So, I believe, it is with Jesus. He wants us to prepare for the tests that will come our way by being spiritually “fit.” But when the tests come, it’s not up to us to prove how well we studied or how smart we are that will make the difference. The tests will instead show our spiritual “health” and even whether we might need some immediate divine intervention. We can trust that the divine Physician is there to aid us.

      In the Psalm response, it says, “For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always.” It continues by telling me that I am not the one who has to “fix” this. I throw myself on the mercy of my loving Father and say, “a clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

      Make no mistake about it: as a Christian, we will be tested by the devil. We do need to be prepared, through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and knowledge of the Word, but it is only the power of God that will defeat the devil.

      So, when we are in the midst of temptation, call out to the Lord, knowing that He is ready to answer us in our time of need. As we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Then God will send His angels to minister to us.

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Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

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      “If you choose, you can keep the commandments.” Thus opens the first reading today with this startling revelation. “If you choose…” You can have the power to say “yes” to God and be obedient to His commandments, but it is your choice. And later it says, “whatever he chooses shall be given to him.”

      “Before man are life and death, good and evil…” God is very clear about the choices before us, and Jesus is very clear in the Gospel about what constitutes sin. It’s not just disobeying the letter of the law. Jesus wants us to look deeper and think broader about what it means to follow Him. He wants us to have a mature wisdom, not a wisdom of this age, as St. Paul tells us in the letter to the Corinthians.

      We live in a culture that likes to make excuses for why we can’t follow the Lord wholeheartedly. We rationalize our sin and say we’re good enough if we don’t do the really bad things, like killing someone. Yet Jesus tells us that we are just as liable if we are angry with someone. He cuts us no slack when it comes to sin.

      So, how can we measure up to this One who tells us, “No one does He command to act unjustly, to none does He give the license to sin”? In our own strength, we cannot succeed. We will fail. But, if we call upon Him, He will give us His strength. “I have the strength for everything though Him who empowers me,” says St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians.

      In the Psalm response today, we pray: “open my eyes that I may consider the wonders of your law.” Later in the psalm, it continues, “Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.”

      God is waiting to give us all we need to be able to do as He commands. He does not ask of us the impossible, but He makes it possible by giving us the grace to persevere, if only we will ask for it.

      Again, in the letter to the Corinthians, He tells us, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

      In your prayer today, ask God to give you the mature wisdom that St. Paul talks about. Ask Him to give you the strength to defeat temptation, and so to choose life and good. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tells us that God desires to lavish His grace upon us. Let Him lavish His grace on you now.

      Make no more excuses. Stop rationalizing. Call out to God and ask to be transformed by His power, to be made new, to become His child, to live a life of grace. For “all things are possible for God.”

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

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      “The just man is a light in darkness.”

      We come back this week to the theme of light—specifically Christ being our light in the darkness of our sin. In Isaiah 58, we are told that if we do as God commands, light will rise for us in the darkness; in fact, it will break forth like the dawn, and our wound shall quickly be healed. We are asked to reach out to others as a way of being healed of our own sinful ways. As we experience the light, we share it with others, so that they may also walk in the light, but we also reach out to others when we are in our own darkness and God will cause light to shine for us all.

      When a man acts justly, according to the psalm, light will shine forth for him, and I believe, through him. Again, he receives a promise too: no evil report shall he fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

      St. Paul explains to us the light that a just man brings. It is not human wisdom or persuasive speech. It is the power of God and the wisdom of God, all centered on the mystery of Christ’s death on the cross. We must continue to imitate that dying of Christ in our own lives in order that the power of God—the light of God—might shine forth through us. And our dying is dying to sin.

      We see that same thing explained to us by Jesus in the Gospel: if we die to ourselves and live for Christ, we will become like salt and light. And that light must not be hidden, but be allowed to shine forth in every area of our lives. In those good deeds, which are the light, others will find Christ, and we ourselves will find healing.

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

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      “The Lord keeps faith forever.”

      I am blest and highly favored by God. Those are the words of the sermon I heard this Sunday. No matter the circumstances, I need to recognize that God is with me and will not abandon me. The blessing is not in the circumstances themselves, but in the presence of God in the midst of those circumstances, whether they appear good, or whether they appear difficult.

      “Seek justice, seek humility, perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” I am reminded of another Scripture that tells me to “humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will raise you up.” Humbling myself is acknowledging my sinfulness and giving it over to God and asking Him to forgive me, even though I sometimes have trouble forgiving myself. That is also justice: owning my sinfulness and acknowledging it, knowing that I deserve punishment. But God will shelter me on the day of His anger, when He must judge the world and those who do not repent, or who do not even know that they need to repent. I can rest in His loving arms, knowing that my sin is washed away in His loving mercy.

      “The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed…the Lord sets captives free.” Because God is faithful, he will “forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

      “The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.” Sin leaves me in darkness; it weighs heavy on my spirit. But with God’s forgiveness, I am once more raised up and able to walk in the light that He is.

      “Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful…God chose the foolish of the world…God chose the weak of the world…so that no human being might boast before God.” How often when we have been “successful” at living the Christian life that we pat ourselves on the back and think what a great job we’ve done. But then God allows us to be plunged once more into darkness so that we know that it is not us who makes ourselves holy. It is only Him.

      “It is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom of God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” All that we have is from God and is because of Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the cross. “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”

      There is a beautiful meditation on the beatitudes in my Magnificat devotional for today. Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, who died in 1704, talks about the sole end of man is to be happy. He says eternal happiness is the end set forth in each of the beatitudes, and that each of them is a different means to attain it. It is in heaven where we will finally be truly happy.

      When we begin to understand things from a spiritual perspective, we can more readily understand how we are blessed and highly favored even when we are going through a difficult time. No matter our circumstances, God is preparing us for the kingdom to come. Because we have so many “rough edges” due to our desire to sin, often the circumstances He takes us through are difficult, but the fruit of those experiences should be the refining of our hearts and souls so that we would become more like His son Jesus.

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23

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      “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwell in the land of gloom a light has shone.”

      The darkness we walk in is our sin. When we sin, we do not see clearly like we do when we are in a state of grace. Have you ever been in a darkened room and tried to find your way? You are much less certain and much more cautious so that you won’t bump into something or trip on some obstacle. Things take on a different meaning when they are shrouded in darkness, and our environment becomes a little more frightening as objects appear to be something other than what they actually are. Sin is like that. It darkens the heart and the mind; we do not see reality around us in the same way. Instead, we are uncertain and fearful about moving forward and the things around us frighten us. When sin is washed away by the light of Christ’s forgiveness, it becomes like someone has turned on a bright light in the room. Suddenly things are clearer; we understand our surroundings better; we are more sure of our way forward.

      “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?”

      The one we have feared is the evil one. He has spent our whole life trying to trick us into sin, and we often fall for it. When the light of Christ comes into our hearts, we need not fear him anymore. Christ’s light banishes him from our presence. If we continue to walk in that light, we need not fear his attempts to lure us into sin anymore.

      How do we walk in that light? We stay in the presence of the Lord through things like Eucharistic adoration or frequent communion or meditating on Scripture or praying throughout the day. Our hearts must be open to Christ in any circumstance we are in, so that we would be able to hear His voice and follow His ways. Then we can continue to walk in confidence in His light.

      St. Paul tells us that he was sent “to preach the Gospel, and not with wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.”

      The cross of Christ is our salvation. It is the source of our light. If we do not embrace the cross, we will not see the light. Look at a crucifix; meditate on the image there. It has been said that if you were the only person in the world, that Christ would still have made that sacrifice. He died for you. He died for me. Why? To free us from the deserved punishment for our sins. We do not deserve salvation. We are sinful by nature, and we deserve the wrath of God, but Jesus delivered us from that once for all by His atoning death on the cross. It is because of Him that we are made free.

      We should be of one mind: the mind of Christ. Our unity is in Christ, especially present in the Eucharist. It is as we consume the Body and Blood of Christ that we become the Body of Christ, and we become one.

      We do not deserve such a gift. I pray for the day when people will come forward for communion weeping for their sins that cause them to be so separated from Christ but knowing that as they acknowledge their sinfulness and ask for God’s mercy, that He freely gives it.

      “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” I believe that the word Jesus speaks to us is, “Come.” He says, “Come unto Me all you that are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” We should weep for the fact that God allows us to receive Himself. He holds nothing back. We who are so unworthy are like the prodigal son returning on the road to his Father. We are uncertain of our reception; we hope He will take us back and at least let us feed from the scraps of His table. Instead, He runs to us and throws His arms around us in love. We do not deserve His love, yet He freely gives it. How can we not rejoice in so great a gift?

      “Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’.”

      This is the central message of the Gospel: repent. These are the first words we see Jesus speak as he begins His public ministry. What does it mean to repent? It means to turn away; to make a 180-degree turn; to change the direction of our lives. We can’t repent until we first acknowledge our sins. We must recognize our sinfulness if we are to know God’s forgiveness.

      Our modern culture is very strong on rationalizing our actions and not taking responsibility for what we have done. When we sin, we need to see our sin, know our sin, and then we can ask Jesus for forgiveness of our sin. It is only when we take that step that we can fully experience His forgiveness and mercy.

      He waits for us to ask. He desires with all His heart to give us that forgiveness and mercy. But we find ways to avoid it so that we don’t have to acknowledge what we have done wrong.

      See your sin; admit your sin; then run to Christ with arms stretched wide, looking for His embrace. You will never be the same once you do, and you will never receive Him in the Eucharist the same way again.

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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

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      “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

      So proclaims John the Baptist as he sees Jesus coming toward him in today’s Gospel reading. We, as Catholics, are so familiar with this phrase because we hear it each Sunday at Mass, but I’m sure to the Jews who were listening at the time, this prophetic utterance would only cause them to wonder what John meant. As time went on, and as John clearly shows in his Gospel, they gradually began to understand that this reference would be to Jesus becoming the sacrificial Lamb of the new Passover through His death and resurrection, but at the time they initially heard it, it only made them wonder what he could mean.

      In the homily I heard at Mass, the priest talked about John’s evangelizing, to point out who Jesus was to those around him. He said that we are called to do the same. I admit that idea never occurred to me when reading this Scripture in the past. But when I look at the other Scriptures for today, it becomes clearer. Isaiah proclaims, “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” That Scripture refers to Jesus, but it also refers to us by extension as followers of Christ. And in the Psalm Response, the psalmist proclaims, ‘I announced your justice in the vast assembly.”

      We are called to proclaim the Christ and His Good News. But what is the Good News as John the Baptist proclaimed it? It is that Christ is the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world. Christ sacrificed Himself on Calvary that we might no longer walk in darkness, but that we would live in the light. His atoning death has the power to transform us from being sinners who are lost in darkness into the very children of God! That is the Good News.

      Once we have experienced that Good News in our own life and know that Christ, by His sacrifice, has cleansed us of our sins and desires to transform us into God’s sons and daughters, how can we not want to share that with the world?

      God proclaims in the book of Revelation that “I make all things new.” As we experience this newness of life, we can’t help but share it with others. Today, ponder the Lamb of God. Meditate on an image of the crucifix and see: This is what He did for you. He bore your sins that you might be made new and become His son or daughter. Rejoice in your newness of life. Then share that with others and point to the Lamb of God, who takes away your sins.

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The Baptism of the Lord

Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17

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      “Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Allow it for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’” These are the words we hear Jesus speak in the Gospel today after John protests about baptizing Him. I have to admit, when I first heard them, my response was, “What does that mean?”

      So, I studied the Scriptures a little to find some answers. I found out that the word “righteousness” is used 137 times in the Bible. Several Scriptures in Romans compare the righteousness of God with our righteousness. One of my favorite Scriptures on righteousness is from Second Corinthians: “For our sake He made Him to be sin Who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

      Jesus, the righteous one, came that we might put aside our paltry righteousness and become the very righteousness of God through Him!

      In today’s reading from Isaiah, it says that Jesus “shall bring forth justice to the nations” and establish “justice on the earth.” He will be “a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon those who live in darkness.”

      Peter echoes that in the reading from Acts. Jesus “went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil.”

      Last week, the Epiphany manifested Jesus to the Gentiles. Today, we see another manifestation of the reality of who Jesus is before He begins His public ministry. As He rises from His baptism in the Jordan, “the heavens were opened for Him” and John saw “the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.”

      Jesus has opened the way for us to become the righteousness of God. In Ephesians, Chapter 5, it says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”

      Call out to Jesus and commit your life to Him. Allow the Spirit to live in you today. He will make you the very righteousness of God so that your life will produce every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. What more could you need?

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The Epiphany of the Lord

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

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      “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

      Epiphany means “showing.” Perhaps a more dynamic word might be “revelation.” Jesus reveals Himself to the world today as Lord, King, and Savior through the visit of the magi. If I read the passage correctly, the star appeared at Jesus’ birth, and the wise men came from the East to find the child. The trip took upwards of two years, and when they arrived, “on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Although we often picture the wise men at the side of the manger on Christmas night, the Scriptures tell us it was actually a few years later and the Holy Family had by then moved into a house. Imagine what it must have been like for Mary to see these exotic strangers come to her door after all this time to look for this child whom they declared to her was a king! After the strange happenings at His birth and the amazing things she saw when He was taken to the temple for His presentation, life had finally started to settle down for the little family. Now these strangers appear, bringing curious and costly gifts for her child. How she must have marveled once again as she observed her Son, now just a toddler.

      Do we ourselves get that way with Jesus? Have we settled into a familiarity and comfort with our idea of Christ and His place in our lives? This feast is a reminder to step back and once more marvel at this little Child who came into the world so unobtrusively, yet even the heavens marveled by producing a new star!

      “Darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples, but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory…” A new day has dawned for us. We no longer need to walk in the darkness of sin. Christ, our light, has come to set us free! “For He shall rescue the poor when he cries out; and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.” “Then you shall be radiant at what you see; your heart shall throb and overflow.” For the Lord has come to save you!

      Let today be an epiphany for you. Realize the tremendous love God has for you, that He would come into this world to save you, to give you new life, to change your heart. Your life will never be the same again, and it is all because of that little Child that came into the world 2,000 years ago.

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The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Readings: Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14; Psalm 128; Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

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      “The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.”

      For me, Joseph seems to take center stage again in today’s Gospel. What stands out to me is that it appears the angel came to Joseph in a dream at least three more times! The angel tells him to leave for Egypt, then the angel tells him when it is safe to return, and finally the angel warns him not to go back to Judea, but instead, to settle in Nazareth. Each time, Joseph obeys unquestioningly.

      What a model Joseph must have been for Jesus. Although he was God, Jesus was also very human. There are those who believe that Jesus gradually came to understand who He was. I disagree. I believe He always knew who He was, as the story of His parents finding Him in the temple should prove. But I think it also proves that Jesus was still very human and had to mature His understanding. He was still a child and He thought like a child at that time.

      So, I do not discount the effect His parents had on Him. Although He was God, He learned much of how to live a human life from His parents. Joseph’s incredible obedience to the word of God and Mary’s deep pondering of the word of God must have had a great impact on Jesus as He grew into the man we see in Scripture. What Paul talks about in Colossians: putting on “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another” were probably the hallmarks of family life that Jesus grew up with. Having godly and holy parents like Joseph and Mary gave Jesus the foundation He needed to choose the way He would live out His ministry.

      They say that, for children, lessons are more often caught than taught. In other words, what we do is more often picked up by our children that what we tell them. Are you a good role model for your children? Do you reflect the person of Christ in your life when no one else sees, except maybe your children?

      Mary and Joseph knew they had a special child. I’m sure they often observed Him with wonder and amazement as He grew up. At the same time, they practiced their faith and grew in holiness so that they could be the kinds of models He needed.

      The choices you make could very well affect the future of your children. Grow in holiness not just for your own sake, but also for those for whom you set an example.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

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      “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.”

      When I read the account of Joseph finding out about Mary’s pregnancy, I imagine what it must have been like for him. After asking Mary’s father for permission to marry her, according to Jewish custom, she was already considered to be his wife. They had not yet lived together, but “she was found with child.”

      I believe Mary and her parents tried to explain to Joseph what she had experienced, since I believe she would have told her parents. Who else at that point could she confide in? There is no mention of her visit to Elizabeth in the Gospel of Matthew.

      I’m sure Joseph was torn. He must have loved Mary, which is why he did not expose her to the law. She could have been stoned to death for that offense. He makes up his mind to divorce her quietly to protect her from shame.

      He has gone through the soul searching and has come to a decision that he believes is just and merciful. It is only then that the angel appears to him in a dream and reveals to him that what Mary has claimed is true. Now he must choose between what he believes is right or walk by faith based on what he has heard in a dream.

      There is another tradition that has a slightly different take on this story. Joseph knew Mary’s character and he believed her when she told him about the supernatural origins of her Child. He, not feeling worthy to be in the role of foster father to this Child, decides that he will not become part of this family. The vision in the dream here helps him to have the courage to continue on.

      Either way, wisely, and I’m sure with a great deal of help from the Holy Spirit, he chooses to take Mary as his wife and to claim the child as his own, thus fulfilling prophecy about the savior coming from the line of David.

      Would we do the same? Do we choose based on our best reasoning, maybe even our compassion toward others, or maybe out of fear? While some of these choices can be noble, they are not always God’s plan. Instead, we must choose the “obedience of faith” that Paul talks about that may take us to places we never expected to go and cause us to do things we would never have dreamed of. Yet, if it be God’s will, we could very well change our world and touch the lives of many around us.

       Be open to God’s voice. When you are presented with a dilemma, think it through—reason with your best understanding of what is right—but also take it to prayer and let God show you if there is something greater that you can do. Then, be open to be obedient and follow where God leads you. You can only be blessed for doing so.

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Third Sunday of Advent

Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

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      “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

      Today is called Gaudete Sunday, which means “rejoice.” That is the central message of the readings today, starting with the Entrance Antiphon: rejoice. What are we to rejoice in? A priest recently told us that a woman approached him and asked why we celebrate Advent as the coming of Christ if He already came 2,000 years ago. What is our anticipation today?

      Yes, it’s true that Christ came in the flesh at Christmas 2,000 years ago. Yes, Christ will come at the end of time to judge the world, and yes, Christ will come for each of us some day to take us home.

      Looking at today’s readings, one thing stood out to me in several places. Christ comes NOW for each of us as well. He comes to do just what He proclaims in today’s Gospel: “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.”

      How many of us are blinded by the allurements of the world, lame in our ability—or even desire—to follow in Christ’s footsteps, covered with the leprosy of our sins, deaf to the cries of our neighbors in need, dead in our sin? How poor we truly are in the things that matter for eternity.

      Let the good news be proclaimed. “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened, Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication, with divine recompense, he comes to save you.”

      Rejoice in the fact that, though you may have walked in darkness, Christ your light has come to save you from your sins. “Meet with joy and gladness.” Let “sorrow and mourning…flee.”

      Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. You need no longer remain in your sin. The Lord “comes and saves us.” Let us receive the King of kings and the Lord of lords anew in our hearts this Christmas that we may truly know joy in His kingdom.

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Second Sunday of Advent

Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

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      “He shall judge the poor with justice.”

      Justice is a funny thing. When we are wronged, we want justice. When we do wrong, we want mercy. The Scriptures talk a lot this week about the justice of God, but are we ready to receive His justice?

      In the first reading, it says that the “shoot of Jesse” which we take to mean Christ, “shall come to judge the poor with justice.” In the psalm response, it says that God will endow the king’s son—again we believe this to mean the Christ—with justice. In fact, “justice will flourish in his time.”

      Now we come to the Gospel. John the Baptist does not mince words. He addresses those who were leaders in the church, who performed acts of goodwill for appearance sake rather than doing them from the heart. “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’ he says. In other words, who warned you to try to avoid God’s justice?

      John’s message is clear. God’s justice demands punishment. Christ will come to “clear the threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” We cannot presume that we are the wheat unless we have done what John says: repent, which means to turn away from sin in our lives. We too easily rationalize our sins and let ourselves “off the hook” rather than repenting and turning our lives around. Now is the time to repent; to change the direction of our lives; to live fully for Christ.

      Christ is coming soon. Yes, at Christmastime as a baby, and yes, at the end of time as King of kings and Lord of lords, but none of us knows the day or hour when He will come for us individually. Now is the time to get ready; now is the day of salvation.

      In the Prayer over the Offerings, we pray: “since we have no merits to plead our cause, come, we pray, to our rescue with the protection of your mercy.” With that confidence, we can pray this Advent, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

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First Sunday of Advent

Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48

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      “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

      Thus begins Advent, the head of the church’s liturgical year. The time of year that reminds us of the coming of our Lord—not only His first coming on that Christmas night 2,000 years ago and His second coming at the end of the world, but also, for many of us, His coming personally to take us home.

      Jesus’ words tell us to be ready “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” How do we prepare ourselves? How do we get ready?

      One of the ways the church helps to prepare us is to remind us of Christ’s coming during this season of Advent. Unfortunately, in our culture, we want Christmas to be earlier and earlier each year. The lights are up, trees are decorated, carols are played, and of course, there is the shopping and cards to be sent and Christmas parties to plan. Everything is bright and cheerful and full of hustle and bustle. That is the world at this time of year.

      The Church, on the other hand, tells us that now is the time to quiet our hearts and minds and focus on our longing for Christ. It is reminiscent of the Hebrews and their anticipation over the coming of Messiah the first time, but it also focuses on the anticipation of Christ’s final coming. Now is the time we should enter into the silence more deeply, like the snow covers the landscape, and make sure our hearts are ready to receive the Christ when He should come to us.

      St. Paul tells us, “the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us throw off the works of darkness and…conduct ourselves properly as in the day.”

      Jesus tells us something similar when he talks about the coming of the Son of Man. “In those days…they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” In other words, it’s business as usual.

      Will we be prepared? Or, in these days, are we too busy doing our business as usual—buying our gifts and decorating our homes and attending parties—to realize that we have forgotten to prepare our hearts and souls to receive the King of kings? Will He come at an hour we do not expect and find us not ready to receive Him?

      Sometime during this busy season, take time to stop and quiet yourself and turn to God and ask Him to prepare your heart. That is the most important preparation you can do for Christmas. Don’t delay another minute. Make the time, and then see the fruit in your life of a true joy this coming Christmas.

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