December 27, 2015: Feast of the Holy Family

Families are defined certainly by the people in them.  We have our close, blood-relation families, and also the Church, which is a family of people God has chosen to be His children.  In these close-knit communities, in the midst of our struggles, we strive to make God present to each other in the love we show to one another.  It's like Pope Francis spoke of so beautifully at the Concluding Mass of the World Meeting of Families:  We experience God and His love in those small acts of kindness.  We live in His love knowing He first loved us into His family, making us His children not by flesh and blood, but through His Spirit.

In coming to our world, Jesus Christ made Himself to be born into a family.  And by living in a family, He gives all of us an example of how to be family, namely in the love we show for one another, and, ultimately, for God, as Jesus demonstrated when He stayed behind in Jerusalem at the Temple, where His Father dwelled.  We dedicate ourselves, like Hannah dedicated Samuel, and Jesus dedicated Himself, to be in His presence forever.  And we share that presence with one another, living righteously, and living love, which carries us through to Eternal Life.

December 25, 2015: Nativity of the Lord--Christmas Day

Throughout Advent, as through the centuries before Christ's birth, the people of God heard prophecies foretelling the coming of the Lord, as the beginning of Hebrews states. It continues to say that now God has made His greatest revelation to us, in the appearance of His Son.

Jesus Christ reveals to us the glory of the Father, as He, very God, comes to dwell among us.  His coming reconciles us to God, as we are made righteous again in our relationship with God by the birth of God into our hearts.  This Manifestation of God is truly reason for rejoicing, as God has given us His greatest gift.

December 20, 2015: 4th Sunday of Advent

We have a God who works mightily to accomplish His purposes, doing so in humble circumstances.  For starters, He chose Mary to be mother of His Son, Great Shepherd of His people, who was born in Bethlehem.  And when Mary and Elizabeth, both women in humble means, meet each other, God makes His power mightily present, as John leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth at the presence of Mary, and her son, Jesus Christ.

It is in this Mighty Power that Christ was born, died, and rose again, and that in sharing in His dying and rising, we too experience the Resurrection and Eternal Life.  How fitting to be reminded in the prayers at Mass that this great mystery of the Incarnation that we celebrate in the Christmas Season points to the Resurrection and our Eternal Life with Him.

I noticed this is in a striking way this weekend:  I stayed after Mass to help clean up communion dishes, and as I was about to leave, I noticed almost all the lights were turned off in the church, so that it was nearly pitch dark.  I looked out toward the Advent wreath suspended above the pews, its four candles shining brightly in the darkness.  That is the power of Christ in our world, ever shining no matter how much darkness there is.  We have hope in Resurrection and Eternal Life because God came in mighty power to our world.

December 13, 2015: 3rd Sunday of Advent/Gaudete Sunday

On this Gaudete Sunday, at the midpoint of this Advent Season, we pause and rejoice.  We rejoice because God is truly with us.  So we are no longer afraid, but offer up our prayers, thanksgivings, and petitions to the God who fills us with His peace as only He can.  It is He who loves us, and rejoices over us greatly.  And we praise Him in kind that He is God our Savior, who is ever near to us.  Being so near compels us to live out the joy of this relationship, as we extend mercy to others, to show them that God is truly near, coming into our world, into our hearts.  In such spirit, John the Baptist compelled the people to alter their ways who asked him what they should do, and so we are challenged.

The most recent time these readings were proclaimed was the Sunday after the tragic shooting at Newtown, CT.  In the midst of that heartbreak, the liturgy proclaimed these readings to us, reminding us that our reason for joy is not fixed by what happens to us, but on the reality of who God is.  That is truly reason for joy.

I furthermore rejoice because I mark now 2 full years of writing these reflections, which I started for the occasion of Gaudete Sunday 2013.

December 8, 2015: Feast of the Immaculate Conception

We are truly filled with joy, just like Mary, because God chose her to play a special part in His plan to save His people.

By her obedience to the word of the Lord, Mary was part of the process that reversed the effects of the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

It was a new age dawning when Mary said "Yes", as the mercy of God issued forth from the fruit of her womb.  It is mercy that we ponder anew in this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

December 6, 2015: 2nd Sunday of Advent

While Gaudete Sunday, the halfway point of Advent, carrying the theme of joy, is a week away, I can't help but notice how joy permeates this weekend's readings.

God is making His presence known in our world.  The reality that He comes and wants to be in a relationship with us is truly reason for great joy, something that stirs in us a deep longing for Him.  We can be filled with the joy that filled St. Paul as he marveled at the work God was doing in the Philippians' Church.

It is joy that comes to us in circumstances of sorrow and gloom, as the Israelites experienced when they were coming back from exile to a desolated Jerusalem.  The prophet Baruch urged them to throw off their "robe of mourning and misery", instead rejoicing that God was coming to be present with them in a special way, bringing a glorious new sense of life to all the Earth, even in their own lives.

November 29, 2015: 1st Sunday of Advent

Advent is a time for us to behold the mystery of Christ, Who came, is present now, and is coming again.

As Jeremiah writes, He is coming again to establish justice and righteousness.

As Jesus says, He is coming again in terrifying fashion to judge.  He urges His disciples, and us, to be ready for that day, so that we can stand ready to receive Him, living righteously and not so focused on the cares of the world.  We do so by living in love toward one another, in good conduct shown to us by Christ, making Him present now.

November 22, 2015: Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Sunday

Jesus, indeed, is a King, as He tells Pilate in response to his questioning.  But it's very clear Jesus is a different kind of king.  His Kingship is not about wielding earthly power and authority.  Rather, it is based on fulfilling God's purpose, testifying to the Truth, and dying to save His people, that they might listen to the voice of Truth.

When we so listen, we realize that Jesus is a mightier King than any earthly king ever could be.  He comes with such power and force, holding the whole universe in His hands, having been granted such power and authority because He obediently fulfilled God's purpose.  And for those of us in His Kingdom, it's all about following His example of obedience.

November 15, 2015: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our focus is shifting eschatologically toward the end of Time as we approach the end of the liturgical year, as evident in the readings.

Jesus tells His disciples to be aware of the signs that the Reign of God is coming to its fulfillment.  Christ will return, and all souls will be judged--imagery also used in the reading from Daniel.

For some of us, we'll experience the horrors of the second death.  Others of us will be lifted from the graves to abide with God forever in a perfect, pure relationship with Him, who has offered the sacrifice that has freed us from sin and forgiven us fully, that we may attain the great inheritance of salvation.

November 8, 2015: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

God seeks to help those in need, like the widows in the First Reading and Gospel story.  And He works powerfully in their situations, summoning forth a wealth of faith.

He calls us to help them, so that we can be present to the power of faith that arises in these situations.  It is a faith that places trust in God no matter what, because God has sent Jesus to be our faithful High Priest to sacrifice Himself once for all to save us fully--we who were once sinners in great destitution.  And so we offer Him a sacrifice of willingness to live Life in His way, and show others His power to provide for us, most especially by the gift of salvation.

November 1, 2015: All Saints' Day

This occasion is one of my favorites, a great day when we celebrate the saints:  They include the holy men and women who walked by faith before us and now are in the presence of God and His glory.  They also include us, God's Chosen People striving unto Him, encouraged by the example of the saints who have gone before us.  And what amazing stories they have for us.

We strive in the way as we abide by what Jesus taught us, seeking to humbly depend on God, so that we are delivered from evil and shine in purity before Him in this life.  And living in these righteous ways gives us hope of one day shining in His glorious presence together with all of His Chosen People, whom He has delivered.

October 25, 2015: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are indeed so filled with joy as God's people.  God, in Jesus, has come down to Earth, to be part of our very humanity.  And, being fully human, while fully God, He rescues us from the troubles of this world: sin, darkness, illness, ailments, and death, restoring us to life, found in relationship with Him.  He is the Great High Priest anointed by God to offer the sacrifice that frees us.

We cry out to Him as the One who alone saves us, recognizing we are saved by faith in God who is able to deliver us from all ills as He establishes His Kingdom.  And He gives purpose to our lives as we follow in His way.

October 18, 2015: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Unlike what the Apostles and many others thought, Jesus, the anointed Messiah, came not to reign as a mighty King, lording authority over others, but as a suffering servant.  He came as a human, to suffer and die, for our sake, that we would be forgiven of our sin.  That is how He achieves true greatness.  Now He intercedes for us gloriously, having once faced the same weaknesses we do, pleading for us before the Father, that we may be free from sin, and follow in His way, that we might find greatness in serving.

During my freshman year of college, I chose the passage that is this Sunday's Gospel reading as the narrative climax of the Mark Gospel in an essay I wrote, because serving, even through suffering, is the reason Jesus came, and is now exalted.

October 11, 2015: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When a rich young man asks Jesus about what he must do to inherit Eternal Life, Jesus invokes the commands of the Law.  Further along in the conversation, Jesus indicates that it's not enough to abide by the Law in a cut-and-dry way:  We must let the Law, the very words of God, shape our attitude and the way we live.

Like in the First Reading from Wisdom, God's Word, often portrayed in a similar way to Wisdom, is something we must seek after as a precious possession above all.  And God's Word is a powerful force, piercing into us, searching our hearts, exposing what is there, especially anything that might be contrary to a life that pleases God.

October 4, 2015: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God specially crafted our human relationships.  He created Adam and Eve as humans to be the crown of His creation, and to be in a special relationship with each other and Him.

When pressed about the question of divorce, Jesus returns to the beginning, to Creation, stating that God meant for humans to be joined as one in marriage, a special relationship.

God Himself even came close to us by becoming a human.

And God delights in letting those who are obedient to Him experience the beauty of relationships, because they are a means by which we glorify Him, as we live His love toward others.

September 27, 2015: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God pours out His spirit on all His people, so they may participate in doing His work.

When Joshua and then Jesus's disciples see the Spirit poured out on others who appeared to be outsiders, and try to stop them, they are rebuked, and told to refocus their perspective:  It's not about who specifically is called, and under what circumstances, but about God, who pours out His spirit so that each person may do what God specially desires for him/her.  We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we have received, especially those that come through His spirit, so we may proclaim God, even as we care for those in need.

This is the vision of how we come together as a people in God's name, which Pope Francis spoke of in his homily at the concluding Mass for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.  God wants each of us to use the gifts He gives us by His Spirit to come together as one.

September 20, 2015: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus stands before us as the One who suffered and died, that we might have salvation and life.

We are now called to live life in His way, not following our own desires and passions, but in true humility, entrust ourselves to the God who saves us, that day by day He will continue to uphold us.  Furthermore, we are called to spend our lives in service to others, abiding in the wisdom that brings peace and goodwill to all.

September 13, 2015: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus comes as the Messiah, and His mission is to suffer and die, that we might have Life in Him.

In response, it is not enough for us to just have faith and name Him as Messiah.  We must show our faith through actions:  We must be willing to take up the Cross and follow after Him, knowing the way of suffering leads to Eternal Life.  We must be willing along the way to work in meeting the needs of people, as St. James writes in the 2nd reading, to show our faith is real.  This is how we are to truly live and, as the Psalmist says, walk before God.

It is good to ponder our commitment to taking up the Cross with these readings today, as tomorrow, September 14, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, by which Christ is King and we have Life.

September 6, 2015: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah speaks of the wonders God does in the Earth, bringing speech to the mute, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and water gushing forth in dry, parched places--a sign of God restoring the Earth.

We see Jesus doing just that in the Gospel reading, healing a deaf man with a speech impediment, not for healing's sake only, but to show God's power to transform our world for the better, that all acknowledge His Reign.

This transformation occurs when we open ourselves to God's power to work in us, and through us.  It happens when we look to the poor, in whom God has chosen to work the power of His reign, lifting up the lowly that they may acclaim Him.

August 30, 2015: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

God gave the Law to His people of Israel through Moses.  While it laid out regulations for how the people are to live, its ultimate purpose is in what the Psalm, James, and Jesus in the Gospel reading speak of:  It's about living rightly before God.

We let the Word of God transform our hearts so we are righteous inwardly, and outwardly, too, as we live out the Word and do as the Law commands: most importantly, to care for those in need.

August 23, 2015: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Over the past few weeks in the Gospel readings, Jesus has declared Himself the means of Life Eternal, as the Bread of Life.  These statements pose a choice for His disciples, whether or not they will abide in His way.  Some leave, but the Twelve are committed, knowing Jesus is of God, and has the only way to have any meaning in Life.

In the first reading, Joshua presents a choice to the people of Israel, whom they will serve.  Recognizing what God has done for them, they choose "Yes", too, just as Joshua has firmly stated his commitment.

We are given that choice time after time to commit ourselves to being obedient and suborinate to Christ who has sacrificed Himself to sanctify His Church.

This call to commit myself to God was posed to me when I heard these readings proclaimed 6 years ago this day, at the first Mass I attended as a college student at St. Teresa's, when I was at the threshold of a new stage in life.  So today, God calls me to renew this commitment through these readings.

And so God calls Archbishop Cupich to commit himself as His servant with the investiture of the pallium upon him this day.

In committing to serve God, may we together encounter the great joy of the Spirit.

August 16, 2015: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God gives us new Life by giving us His very self.  Jesus calls us to partake of Him, for He is truly food and drink that leads to Life Everlasting.  The readings speak of the wisdom of God, which is like a bountiful banquet that summons us to forsake foolish ways and live differently:  Jesus is the Wisdom of God, who offers a bountiful banquet.  By partaking of Him, we receive a share in His Life, which directs us in living righteously in this earthly life as we journey toward Eternal Life with Him.

August 9, 2015: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus declares Himself to be the Bread from Heaven, giving Life to the world.  Only by partaking of Him, the Bread, can we live forever, because He is the sacrificial offering by which we are cleansed in God's sight, like St. Paul writes in the 2nd reading.  So cleansed, our call is to live righteously before Him all our days, strengthened by the food that is He as we journey toward Eternal Life.

August 2, 2015: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Scripture readings speak of the Bread that God gives us from Heaven.  As miraculous as the manna was that God provided day by day for the Israelites during their desert journeying, it ultimately speaks to the great reality that God provides for us:  He created us in love, and continues to sustain us day in and day out.

While it might not seem impressive, as Father Hurlbert alluded to when he showed an unconsecrated host wafer in his homily, speaking of it as "bread", it is the sign that God satisfies us, both physically and spiritually.

And now this satisfaction is found in Jesus Christ, who feeds us with His very self, the Bread from Heaven giving Life to us.  It is Life that calls us to leave the old ways and embrace the new self we have in Christ, who gives of Himself so that we might have life.  (As an aside, I am reminded of the words a song at the Theology on Tap Finale Mass I attended three years ago, at which these same readings were proclaimed, a Mass celebrated by Cardinal George.)

Sunday, July 26, 2015: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We acknowledge by faith that God provides for us.  He did so by the word of the prophet Elisha, and He did so through Jesus Christ, who fed a large crowd that came to Him, who depended on Him for food when large amounts of food for all of them wasn't readily available.

Jesus Christ continues to feed His people who come to Him by faith, in the Eucharist.  Not only are we fed individually for our spiritual lives in this sacred meal, but we are brought together so closely in one faith in the one God who has drawn us together in His Son and by the power of the Spirit.

July 19, 2015: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

After a long line of shepherds who didn't faithfully fulfill their duty, God sends a Good Shepherd, that His people may dwell securely in the land--note that two verses from the first reading from Jeremiah are displayed at the beginning of the movie The Nativity Story.  This Shepherd is Jesus Christ, whose heart is filled with compassion for the needs of His people, as in the story in the Gospel reading when He sees the crowd of people.  As St. Paul writes in the 2nd reading, He even gives His life that we can be brought into God's peace as His one people.

July 12, 2015: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the midst of His own ministry, Jesus Christ sends out His disciples on a mission, well before the Great Commission.  They go with only a few things, as they are relying on His power, even over demons.  He sends them, just as God called Amos from his agriculturally-oriented work to be a prophet, which he mentions in rebutting Amaziah's repulsion.

We share in this mission of proclaiming repentance that the disciples performed, a turning from our ways to God's ways, because of the marvelous work of salvation God has chosen to work in us, as St. Paul writes of so eloquently in the 2nd reading.

July 5, 2015: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The role of a prophet is to speak the words of God to the people He intends as the recipients.  As people of faith, we are all prophets, called by God to speak His words, even as we keep our hearts open to the words God speaks to us.

The primary focus of our work is not to achieve a positive, enthusiastic response from the people.  We must speak the words of God even when the intended recepients resist, as is to be expected because of the hardness of people's hearts.  Our call is to be obedient, in faith, to the task God gives us, relying on His graces to strengthen us.  So no matter how others respond, God's word speaks, and His power will be manifest even in the struggles we face.

June 28, 2015: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God does not want death for us, as the reading from Wisdom so eloquently states.  He created us to have life.  But sin got in the way, and with it came evil and death.

Jesus Christ came to show that God has the power over death and all ills, reversing their power over us.  So we are no longer afraid.  We must just have faith to believe in the God who comes to rescue us, who gave of His riches, that we might be filled with grace and life anew.

June 21, 2015: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I was out storm chasing four years ago, and after four days of nothing, we encountered a fierce storm.  As we stood parked on a road south of Burlington, CO, Job 38 came to mind, a part of which is the first reading.

As fierce as any storm gets, God is the One who summons them, and so He is in charge, even as Jesus demonstrates when He calms the storm on the lake.  And in the midst of any storm we encounter, even mental or emotional storms of life, God, in Jesus, is with us to comfort us.  But we must heed Jesus's words, and demonstrate faith in Him to be present with us in the storms.  We must reach out and trust Him.

This is the faith that comes because Christ, in His great love for us, rescued us from the storminess caused by sin, and made us a new creation.  We live behind the fear, and venture forth with Him.

June 14, 2015: 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Although we're back in Ordinary Time, we're fully reminded that "Ordinary" does not refer to this time being uneventful and unexciting.

Indeed, a farmer's daily work, as Jesus stipulates in the first parable in the Gospel reading, involves planting seeds, and then tending to them until they bear fruit.  Through a slow, but sure process, the seeds become a bountiful harvest.

God indeed is at work in our world, and in us, His people, to bring about His Kingdom.  We don't really know how it happens, but our faith tell us that it does.  God is truly in charge of accomplishing His purposes, even so far as reversing fortunes and letting good stand in the face of evil.

While we don't control things as God does, we nonethless seek to please Him as we participate in the work of the Kingdom He does within us, whom He has chosen.  And even small efforts can become something immense, like the mustard seed, just as the seed of Christ's Death and Resurrection produces something immense, and Eternal.  Indeed, in light of the Paschal Mystery, we have faith to know God accomplishes His work.

June 7, 2015: Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Jesus established God's New Covenant with us in the spirit of the Covenant Moses established at Mount Sinai.

Moses sprinkled the people with blood, and in His covenant, Christ sprinkles us with His own precious blood to cleanse us from sin.  He indeed offers His very self for our deliverance from sin and redemption.

In the ancient Near East, parties entering into a covenant shared a meal.  This New Covenant is now something we partake of, and we are thus transformed to be as He is, carrying His presence into the world.  We walk before Him all our days, lifting up the cup in thanksgiving to Him who has saved us.

May 31, 2015: Most Holy Trinity Sunday

After the weeks of focusing on the Paschal Mystery through the lens of Lent, the Triduum, and Easter seasons, we have the opportunity to take stock of what it means in our lives on this feast of the Most Holy Trinity.

The Bible never uses the word "Trinity", and in many ways, the Trinity is a mystery.  But just as we can't see the wind but feel its effects, so we know the effects of the Trinity's workings in our lives.

The readings give us opportunity to see how the Trinity has been at work:  God rescued and claimed the Hebrews as His own Chosen people.  The Spirit moves in us to cry out "Abba, Father", as God's children, as St. Paul writes in the 2nd reading from Romans.  And Jesus, in full power, grants His apostles the mission to disciple all nations and baptize them with the Trinitarian formula, promising His presence always.

God, in Trinity, indeed works powerfully to enable us to be His presence on Earth and do His work.

May 24, 2015: Pentecost Sunday

This is the great Founding Feast of the Church, celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, bringing alive in all fullness what Jesus Christ effected by His death and Resurrection.

The Holy Spirit now abides in us, making ever present to us the graces of God, which bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, listed in the reading  from Galatians.  These are the fruits that come forth in the work we do for God, and by which we glorify Him.  Most of all, He gives us His peace and His joy, ours forever.  And He lives forever in us, that He may accomplish these works by remaining ever present with us, as we open ourselves to the marvelous ways His Spirit works in us, to make us like Christ.

May 17, 2015: Ascension of the Lord Sunday

Note: The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord is transferred to this 7th Sunday of Easter here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as it is in many other US dioceses.  It's also the titular feast day of my home parish, Ascension in Oak Park.

This great feast celebrates another aspect of the Paschal Mystery.

Christ, in His glorified, Resurrected human body, goes up to Heaven.  This gives us hope that we one day shall, in our bodies, go to where He has gone.  We the members, shall follow our Exalted Head.

In the mean time, Christ has given us a mission:  proclaim His Gospel and build His Kingdom on Earth.  He works through us through the promised Holy Spirit, another aspect of the Paschal Mystery we commemorate soon.  Even though He left the Earth physically, He continues to be present here, in various signs, especially through our care and compassion.

So Christ spent His Earthly ministry preparing His disciples--including us--to then go forth and disciple others, preparing them for Christ's glorious return, when He welcomes all the faithful into His Kingdom.  We rejoice in the Ascension, the impetus for us to get working.

May 10, 2015: Sixth Sunday of Easter

We hear the simple, yet profound truth in today's readings that "God is Love".

As 1 John further tells us, this Love is a new way of life that we experience because God has first shown us His love in Christ Jesus.  It is a Love that brings us truly alive, even as it did Cornelius and his household when the Holy Spirit came upon them.  Because God loved us, He sent His Son to die for us, that we might have Life Eternal in Him, as part of a close relationship with Him, in which He shares this Love.

We marvel at the wondrous work God does on Earth, living out the Love that is now our Life in Him, as we obey His command to love.

May 3, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Easter

God has brought us alive in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  To continue living this life fully, we must remain in Christ, because we can't do anything on our own, without Him.

We remain in Christ, so He can remain in us, and our Father, the vine grower, can continue working on us so that we bear fruit as His disciples, to His glory.  We bear fruit by living in His love, in obedience to His commands.  And we proclaim Him boldly before all peoples, as did Saul turning into Paul among the apostles in Jerusalem.

April 26, 2015: Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday

Jesus calls Himself the "Good Shepherd" in the Gospel reading from John, signified by His actions.  He deeply cares for the sheep of His flock, even to the point of laying down His life to defend them from harm, unlike the hired hands who flee when trouble arrives.  This represents the love God shows us, by which we are called His children, as John writes in the Epistle reading.

Jesus lays down His life on His own accord, and that action is why Peter declares that he and John healed the man in Acts 3 in the name of Jesus, the only name by which we find salvation.  The Good Shepherd shows Himself to be so, and so we are called to be Good Shepherds for others as we give of ourselves and our lives for others.

April 19, 2015: Third Sunday of Easter

Jesus continues working on His disciples when He appears them again in the Gospel reading from Luke, hours after His Resurrection.  He wants to emphasize His very real presence alive among them, that all of this was in line with the Scriptures, and that they now, as witnesses, are to take this message forth.

That's what happens by the time we get to what occurs in the first reading from Acts.  They proclaim this message, declaring it is in line with what God foretold in the Scriptures.

We continue carrying this message, in obedience to Him who perfects His love in us who do His work.

April 12, 2015: 2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday

Even after news of the Resurrection broke, the disciples were still plagued by fear.  So Jesus visited them, with His very living, real presence, to instill in them His peace.

This is the presence and the peace that draws us to God, and by which we go forth to bear witness, as living testimonies, to the way God has transformed our lives for Him.  Truly we are no longer afraid, but go forth boldly, proclaiming forth the news of Jesus Alive.

On that Sunday night after the Resurrection, God made Himself present to the Apostles in the Risen Jesus, because He had more to do to work on them.  And in that time of what Father Tom at St. Martin de Porres Parish referred to in his homily as a "power failure", huddled in fear, the Apostles banded together, for they were to be the Church that would be a as a living testimony of the Resurrection to all the world.

We today are encouraged to believe because of the power of their testimony that has been handed on to us, so that we even we don't see, we believe, and are blessed, as Jesus said.

(Sorry for the delay.  I was thinking over this, and then it got caught in draft limbo.)

April 5, 2015: Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection

We are given a new lease on life, because Christ is Risen from the dead.  Death no longer has power over those of us who give our lives to Him, as we bear witness to His Resurrection by living life anew.

In the Resurrection accounts in all four Gospels, the people who first encounter evidence of the Resurrection are filled with a variety of emotions, like trembling, fear, doubt, and uncertainty.  Yet the marvel of this event, unlike anything that had ever happened, is that it transforms those who encounter it, in whatever state they are in.  Indeed, we are so transformed that the change is evident in the new way we live our lives, as we make evident our encounter with the Resurrection.

April 4, 2015: Great Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

How wondrous is this night as we remember the story of how God saved His people, working great marvels, from creating the Earth to delivering the Hebrews from the Egyptian army.  Throughout history, people have looked unto God, and He has revealed Himself gloriously.  And so we acclaim Him as we welcome new people into His Church, and renew ourselves in Life in Him, the Life that comes from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

April 3, 2015: Good Friday of the Cross

Christ shared in our sufferings, the very real sufferings we experience as humans.  It was God's plan that He suffer and die for our transgressions, and then be exalted.

So now, our sufferings have purpose, as we entrust ourselves, like Christ did, to our Father, who brings us to redemption, and through death to new Life.

April 2, 2015: Maundy Thursday

At the meal observed in the tradition of Passover, Jesus Christ instituted a new covenant, with the new command to love one another as He has loved us.  He shows us this love in the example of washing His disciples' feet, and in giving of His very body and blood.

Just as the Jews had kept the Passover to remember how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, so we Christians keep this new Passover feast to remember what Christ has done for us in establishing a New Covenant, which frees us from sin, and gives us new life, all because of His love.

March 29, 2015: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Jesus came and died for us, to save us from sin.  We remember this pivotal moment in salvation history by this yearly liturgy, recalling His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the account of His Passion.

It was all part of God's plan that Jesus come as the Suffering Servant, and then, for so suffering and dying, be exalted as our Savior.  We follow in His way to the Place He has prepared for us.

March 25, 2015: The Feast of the Annunciation

On this evening of March 25, the Respect Life Committee at my home parish held a beautiful Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation.  During the Mass, there was a blessing of all women and girls.

Deacon Joe put it well in the homily when he said that this is an occasion for us to remember that we all have a purpose to fulfill for God in our lives, in this world.  He is ready to take care of everything.  All we have to do is follow the example of Mary in her fiat, saying that His will be done.

It's amazing to think how the world changed when Mary said yes.  And how much more can God change the world through us when we say yes to Him.

March 22, 2015: Fifth Sunday of Lent

I know it might sound a little strange to say this, but I find two parts of today's Gospel reading to be humorous.

When Philip and Andrew approach Jesus and say that some Greeks want to see Him, Jesus doesn't give them a straight answer, but commences a long discourse.  When God speaks later, people puzzle over whether it's thunder or an angel.

Humor aside, Jesus deliberately avoids a straight answer to the request, using it as an opportunity to speak about His purpose on Earth.  Even though He is troubled by the prospect, He knows He must die because it is the Father's will, that He be glorified by bringing us new life.  As the reading from Hebrews says, Christ was obedient to God, and then, once perfect, made salvation available for all who obey Him.

We live this new life in the new covenant God has established in Jesus, in which, as Jeremiah writes, God lives in us, putting His Law on our hearts, and we know Him who has saved us.

March 15, 2015: Fourth Sunday of Lent/Laetare Sunday

Last Thursday, March 12, was the midpoint of Lent.  And so on this Sunday, we pause and lighten up from the penitential focus of this season and rejoice a little more.

And we have much reason to rejoice, because God is so merciful to us sinners.  Even when we went astray and suffered the consequences, God sought to restore us, showering upon us His mercy, as He did for His people Israel, restoring them to the Promised Land after 70 years of exile as punishment for their wickedness.

The Gospel reading from John, together with the 2nd reading, clearly articulates the core of the Gospel message:  God loved us so greatly, and sent His son to be lifted up and die for us, so we could have life.  We have a great God, who shows us His love so powerfully.  And we respond by doing the good works that He enables us to do in Him, through the free gift of His grace.  Grace is not something earn, but we respond to it in living to do good works in Him.

March 8, 2015: Third Sunday of Lent

God commands the people of Israel how to live in right relationship with Him, laying out the most prominent commands in the first reading that are collectively referred to as "the Ten Commandments".  These are His Words that give us life.

Jesus, in righteous anger, clears the Temple because the commercial activity prevents people from truly worshiping God, and having a relationship with Him.  Lent is a time that calls us to clear out from our lives what prevents us from having a right relationship with God, and to recommit ourselves to His commands, which are not burdens, but are meant to free us to live fully as He wants for us, freedom we live under that was won for us by the Cross of Christ, the ultimate power in our lives.

March 1, 2015: Second Sunday of Lent

Lent's ultimate prupose is to prepare us for the coming great celebration of the Triduum, in which we commemorate the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We get a glimpse of that glory to come in the Gospel reading, Mark's account of the Transfiguration.  As for the disciples, this glimpse helps us so that we can continue journeying with Christ in dying and rising.  We go knowing our God is for us.  And He wanted to help us so greatly He gave His Son for us, prefigured by Abraham's willingness to face the agony of sacrificing his only son, through whom God said He would bring about His promises.  Because Abraham was faithful, God blessed Him, and said His descendants would a blessing to the world--which is all of us who live out our calling to be faithful to God by serving others in His name.

February 22, 2015: First Sunday of Lent

The origins of Lent go back to the early days of the Church when catechumens preparing for baptism would enter a more focused retreat period for 40 days before Easter when they were baptized.  That definitely sets the context for the readings today, which focus on how God established a Covenant with Noah, which was intended to be universal, for all people, and provided the means of salvation for all.

We experience the effects of that salvific Covenant in baptism, when we call upon God to be merciful to us, and cleanse us inwardly to live righteously before Him.

And we are strengthened by the graces He bestows on us in baptism to live for Him in the struggles between good and evil in our lives, just as Jesus relied on the strength of the Spirit which led Him in the desert for 40 days.  It is this Holy Spirit that helps us live righteously as God works to bring about His Kingdom through us, which even now is at hand.

February 18, 2015: Ash Wednesday

The liturgy for the first day of Lent makes aware of how we are sinful before a Holy God, and the pressing need to embrace God's free gifts of grace and mercy by which He restores us to right relationship with Him.

Joel uses urgent language in calling for a fast and an assembly, having everyone come, young and old, bride and bridegroom, as they plead for God to be merciful.

St. Paul writes the Corinthians to embrace God's grace because "now is a very acceptable time...now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2 NABRE).  As we see in Joel, God responds when His people turn from sin to Him once again.

Truly Lent is about our efforts in having a right relationship with God, which we foster through practices like prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which, in the Gospel reading, a selection from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, we do from our heart for God alone.

February 15, 2015: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The First Reading from Leviticus brings us face to face with the harsh reality of illness in our world, not only physical, but spiritual, too, as lepers were considered to be under God's curse.

That's what makes Jesus's presence so powerful, because in His coming to our world, He thoroughly heals us of all our ills, even by bringing our soul into a state of salvation.

Now we live doing all for His glory, as St. Paul writes in the 2nd reading, imitating Christ, the One who has saved us through and through.

February 8, 2015: 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the First Reading, Job presents a bleak picture of life, saying it's hopeless and full of restlessness.

In this state of despair, God comes to our world in Jesus to bring us healing.  It is a power that is unmistakable, for as the Gospel reading from Mark records, "The whole town was gathered at the door" (Mark 1:33 NAB), of the house where Peter's mother-in-law lay ill before Jesus cured her, so all their sick could be healed.  His healing powers further demonstrate the power of the Gospel to bring us healing through salvation.

God raises us from despair to a new purpose in life, to preach the Gospel, which St. Paul, as he writes in the 2nd reading, saw as his one purpose.

February 1, 2015: 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Moses tells the people of Israel in the First Reading that God will send them a prophet, who shall speak the very words of God.

From our lens today, we see that this prophet is Christ Himself.  In the Gospel reading, the people are amazed at how Jesus teaches with authority.  He then furthermore backs it up in His encounter with a demon-possessed man.  The demon recognizes Jesus as Divine, and then Jesus commands the demon to depart the man.

Jesus has the authority, by having the power of God, shown both in word and in deeds of bringing healing to those possessed by the forces of evil.

So God is truly looking upon us.  And so we look to God, being open to the words He speaks--even Jesus, the very Word Made Flesh--and keep focused on pleasing Him in these last days as His reign comes.

January 25, 2015: 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

God has come to our world, and as everything changes as a result, we must change ourselves, too.

In the 2nd reading, a passage that at first I thought seemed rather puzzling, St. Paul writes that those engaged in certain activities should act as if they do them no longer.  It's not that St. Paul says the things we're doing are bad per se, but that the end of the world calls us to stop and really think about the way we live our lives, with the goal of changing how we live to be ready for God to be All in All.

The Gospel and First Reading speak to the important change that must take place in our lives in repentance.  Jonah tells the Ninevites that God's wrath is on its way, so they must repent.  Jesus says the Kingdom of God is at hand, in Him, the One who brings fulfillment to the relationship God has had with His people throughout the centuries before.  So we must repent, turning our lives to embrace Him more fully.  This is exactly what the disciples do when Jesus calls them.

This Sunday also marks the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, one who powerfully exemplifies repentance, as he turned from being against Jesus to proclaiming Him boldly.  It marks the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which calls us to turn from our separate ways to embrace our oneness as God's Church.

January 18, 2015: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the first reading, God calls Samuel, though it takes time, and the assistance of Eli the priest, for him to discern God's call.

In the Gospel reading, John the Baptist and Andrew both take note of Jesus, the Messiah, and upon announcing so, new people come to follow Him:  Two of John's disciples turn to follow Jesus, and then Andrew introduces Peter to Jesus.

St. Paul says our bodies belong to God, who has already done a great work in bringing us to Himself.  To the God who had made Himself fully present to us, as the first reading from 1 Samuel says God made His presence known, we offer up our whole beings in service to His call to follow Him, doing His work and delighting to do His will with all we are.

January 11, 2015: Feast of the Lord's Baptism

While the occasion commemorated on this Feast Day doesn't correlate with the Christmas narrative as we tend to regard it, I find it fitting nonetheless that we include this feast at the close of the Christmas Season.  It is another manifestation of God in Christ.

Jesus was baptized, and then the Heavens were opened, with Holy Spirit coming down as a dove to rest on Jesus's head, and God's voice speaking, declaring Jesus as His Son, and His actions as Son pleasing to Him, the Father.

Here Jesus receives identity, and then starts His mission of ministry to the people.

We start our life of faith with baptism, receiving the identity of Jesus, and a share in His same ministry.  Just as Pentecost at the end of Easter sends us forth in His mission, so this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord sends us forth at the end of the Christmas Season in our mission to continue in His ministry.  As Jesus manifested God's presence in the world by His coming, so now we continue making God's presence manifest as we continue in His mission of ministry.  Ultimatley, the Christmas Season comes down to how we continue to make God present.

January 4, 2015: Epiphany Sunday

On Nativity Day, December 25, we celebrated the Manifestation of God in the birth of His Son Jesus Christ.  On this occasion of the Epiphany, we celebrate the Manifestation of God that is now visible before all the people of the world.  The readings speak about how the nations, i.e., people outside of Israel, come to God.

Isaiah speaks of a glorious time in the future when the nations will stream toward the Light in Jerusalem, bearing lavish gifts and praising God.

In the Gospel reading, Magi from the learned class of Persia come seeking the Christ Child, following the Star, putting their knowledge of the Heavenly bodies to use in seeking something Higher.  They rejoice when the star brings them to Christ, and there at His house they praise Him and offer Him gifts.  By their journey, they show that Christ has come for everyone, and they lead the way for all the nations to come and praise God through Jesus Christ.

St. Paul speaks about how the Gentiles, the people outside Israel, are also part of God's plan, and have a share in His promises.  By faith, all people seek God and come to praise Him.  Not only does He glorify Israel by His appearing, but He comes to save all peoples in all times.  No longer must anyone be in darkness, for we all come to encounter Christ personally, and we rejoice at finding Him.

January 1, 2015: Feast of Mary, Holy Mother of God

It's the 8th Day after Jesus was born, and in Jewish custom, the child was named on the 8th day after birth.

Jesus's name was given Him before birth, and it signifies the mission He was given, long before His birth.  Jesus means "Yahweh saves".  Christ comes from the Greek for "Anointed One".  So Jesus Christ is the One anointed to save us.

But Jesus doesn't come down from Heaven in clouds of glory to save us.  He came through His mother Mary, becoming a human, so that He might save us humans as a human.  And He shows us the way to the fullness of salvation through Holiness, the Holiness that shows we bear God's name because He has chosen us to be His children.