February 23, 2025: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

David had the opportunity to end the threat that King Saul personally posed to him.  Yet David wouldn't take matters into his own hands, but took a much different approach of letting God mete out justice and instead holding himself to being merciful.

This story points ahead to what Christ calls us to do as His disciples.  We are called to reflect God's mercy in our interactions, remembering the highest example of mercy when God poured out His love for us when Christ was upon the Cross.

Now in light of the Paschal Mystery, we are transformed to be living beings, like St. Paul writes, to be beings who, like Christ, give life.  We respond to evil in the world with God's goodness that He pours into our hearts.

February 22, 2025: Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Christ asked His apostles Who people though He was, and then pointed the question directly at them.

St. Peter responded with a declaration of faith, that Christ is Son of the Living God.

Christ acclaimed St. Peter for expressing what God the Father revealed to Him, and furthermore stated that the Church would be built on the rock of him, who made such a profession.

We, the Church, continue to ground ourselves on that rock of faith, professing what God the Father reveals to us, which the Church has stewarded through the centuries, with the successors of the apostles, the Pope and the other bishops, guiding as shepherds.

By faithfully upholding this Truth of Who Christ is, we advance the Kingdom on Earth as we reveal in our lives the Living God.

February 16, 2025: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When God entered the world in Jesus Christ, He reversed the typical ways of the world.

Jesus offers 4 beautitudes and 4 woes in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel according to St. Luke, saying those of us who are poor are blessed, and woe to those of us who are rich.

Pondering the idea of poverty versus riches, if don't recognize our need for God, we will ultimately wither by not drawing upon Him.

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah uses a great illustration of a tree watering itself from abundant streams, an illustration also in Psalm 1.

We are blessed when we don't seek to live in our own strength, but constantly draw upon God, Who is the limitless source of life..

Indeed, we stake ourselves in God because He is alive among us because of the Resurrection of Christ.  Without it, we have no life and no faith.

Like waters that constantly keep us fresh, we can count on the Resurrection to bring us alive with waters ever living.

February 9, 2025: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I've come to Temple, TX, on vacation this weekend, and in the first reading, we hear how Isaiah is in the Temple.

Isaiah, St. Paul, and St. Peter encounter God's presence in powerful ways.

They become aware of how much less they are than God, and respond to His presence, aware of their unworthiness.

Yet God raises them and fills them so they can fulfill His mission to His people, to proclaim His message.

Indeed, God's grace is powerful, because it flows forth from the Paschal Mystery, as St. Paul states so eloquently in the second reading.

By it, we are filled with His grace to live the life of mission He gives us.  We go out into the depths, as Jesus sends Simon, to ultimately build the Kingdom by fishing for people.

Truly we live to proclaim that God is alive because He is at work in us.

February 2, 2025: Candlemas/Feast of the Presentation of hte Lord

When Christ was born, a Great Light shone in the world, as we so richly celebrated on the Feast of the Lord's Nativity on Christmas Day.

Through the eyes of faith, Simeon and Anna recognized Christ for Who He is when Mary and Joseph brought Him to the Temple, as we celebrate on this glorious Feast Day that is 40 days after Christmas.

Simeon and Anna praised God for revealing His salvation.

It was the promise of God fulfilled for His people, and also a great blessing to all the world.  God would send His messenger to the Temple to purify His people of unrighteousness so we could be Holy before Him.

This messenger was our Savior Jesus Christ Who purified us of sin by becoming One with us, taking on Flesh.

We indeed rejoice that Christ shines as our Great Light in the darkness.  No longer do we fear the dark power of sin, because we have a Light with us that is far greater.

We join with Simeon in embracing Christ Who continues to abide with us, and we carry His Light that continues to shine so brightly.

This Feast speaks to me so profoundly because even though the glorious celebration of Christ's birth Christmas Day was 40 days ago, we can continue to celebrate the glorious power of the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Truly, the Light shines and will continue shining because it is the power of God ever constantly made present in our world.