The new liturgical year starts us off looking ahead to the coming of Christ, a time when God's presence will be in the world in a special way.
We don't know when this time will come, which is why Jesus Christ tells His disciples to be alert so as to be ready for Him.
St. Paul speaks with similar urgency in the 2nd reading from Romans 13, because "our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed". That's why he urges his readers, and us, to turn away from worldly ways and deeds toward ways that are honoring to God, as we abide in His love, which is the fulfillment of His great work of salvation begun in Jesus Christ.
Living in love is the way we advance God's reign on Earth. That is how we changes weapons into plowshares and farming equipment, as Isaiah writes. Not only does this prophecy speak of the end of war, but the process of bringing an end to all malice in our own hearts. It is what happens as God exalts His holy mountain, and all peoples on Earth stream toward Him to receive His instruction, so as to walk in His light, and abide in His ways.
So we remain alert in waiting for His coming, and rejoice even now in His presence among us, as we abide in His love.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Sunday, November 20, 2016
November 20, 2016: 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Christ is the King!
As is our tradition upon the conclusion of the liturgical year, we acclaim Christ as our King, but for reasons very different than what is usually considered for acclaiming a king.
As is our tradition upon the conclusion of the liturgical year, we acclaim Christ as our King, but for reasons very different than what is usually considered for acclaiming a king.
Jesus Christ is our King not because He wielded great power like earthly rulers, but because He willingly died for us sinners and rose again to new life so that we could be brought back into right relationship with God. He showed great mercy to us when we were separated from Him by sin, as is demonstrated so strongly in the Gospel reading when people insulted and mistreated Him. In the midst of such agony, He forgave a criminal who repents and pleads with Him. What a great example of mercy we encounter at the end of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Now, by right of His death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ is exalted and rules forever and ever, He Who first created everything, and continues to sustain it, expressed so well in the lyrical passage from Colossians. In the spirit of David, on whose throne He sits, He shepherds us through all the uncertainties of this life by the power of the grace He gives us because of His Paschal Mystery. He is a true leader Who continues to show His love for His people. He spreads His reign far and wide, a Kingdom defined love, justice, and mercy, by which we receive forgiveness of sins, and then are called extend that mercy to others, advancing that Kingdom.
Christ truly is our King! Let us rejoice!
Christ truly is our King! Let us rejoice!
Monday, November 14, 2016
November 13, 2016: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
With the end of the liturgical year well in sight, we continue our eschatalogical focus in the readings.
At the End of Time, God will come to judge the Earth with the fullness of justice that is part of His very character. The reading from Malachi depicts His justice like a great hot force: For those who abide in the ways of evil, His coming will bring a terrible blow of destruction. But for those who abide in the way of righteousness, God's arrival will bring full healing as we are restored along with the whole world to true perfection.
Jesus helps His disciples focus on the End of Time, when there will be great destruction and terrible events on the Earth, Even the great troubles we experience now are signs that, in general, the end of the world is coming, even though it is not yet imminent. But Jesus promises that we His people, by faith, will be safe through all these troubles.
That should compel us to stand firm in faith, and keep active in doing deeds of righteousness that show God is present on Earth through us. That is the true transformative power of faith, as demonstrated so marvelously in the life of St. Augustine, born November 13, 354, who turned from lawless ways to righteous living in total commitment to God.
At the End of Time, God will come to judge the Earth with the fullness of justice that is part of His very character. The reading from Malachi depicts His justice like a great hot force: For those who abide in the ways of evil, His coming will bring a terrible blow of destruction. But for those who abide in the way of righteousness, God's arrival will bring full healing as we are restored along with the whole world to true perfection.
Jesus helps His disciples focus on the End of Time, when there will be great destruction and terrible events on the Earth, Even the great troubles we experience now are signs that, in general, the end of the world is coming, even though it is not yet imminent. But Jesus promises that we His people, by faith, will be safe through all these troubles.
That should compel us to stand firm in faith, and keep active in doing deeds of righteousness that show God is present on Earth through us. That is the true transformative power of faith, as demonstrated so marvelously in the life of St. Augustine, born November 13, 354, who turned from lawless ways to righteous living in total commitment to God.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
November 6, 2016: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Appropriately following up from All Souls' Day last week, when we commemorated all the faithful departed, we are reminded of the reality of the Resurrection, born from an empty tomb on a Sunday morning so long ago.
It gives birth to the great hope that as surely as Christ rose from the dead, we, too, will rise from death to experience life anew. It is a hope that sustains us to bear all difficulties of this world, urging us to strive upward toward Heaven, as testified by the brothers who were tortured with their mother in the story from 2 Maccabees. We need not be afraid, even of death, because our faith teaches us that we will enter a whole new reality when we are raised to new Life, following Him Who is the firstfruits of the dead. That's the point Jesus seeks to underscore with the Sadduccees, who can't embrace the glorious reality of the Resurrection in light of the God Who is Living. We're in an existence that's beyond what we experience now in this life. We can't fully understand what it will be, but we have real hope that by faith it will one day be ours. And so we continue in that hope to live doing good and showing true love that reveals God's presence.
And as the Psalmist says, what joy we shall experience in the Resurrection to behold His glory in Life Eternal. What a glorious truth to behold as the end of the liturgical year nears, and the liturgy turns us toward the End of Time and the glorious reality of being raised to behold God face-to-face in all His fullness.
It gives birth to the great hope that as surely as Christ rose from the dead, we, too, will rise from death to experience life anew. It is a hope that sustains us to bear all difficulties of this world, urging us to strive upward toward Heaven, as testified by the brothers who were tortured with their mother in the story from 2 Maccabees. We need not be afraid, even of death, because our faith teaches us that we will enter a whole new reality when we are raised to new Life, following Him Who is the firstfruits of the dead. That's the point Jesus seeks to underscore with the Sadduccees, who can't embrace the glorious reality of the Resurrection in light of the God Who is Living. We're in an existence that's beyond what we experience now in this life. We can't fully understand what it will be, but we have real hope that by faith it will one day be ours. And so we continue in that hope to live doing good and showing true love that reveals God's presence.
And as the Psalmist says, what joy we shall experience in the Resurrection to behold His glory in Life Eternal. What a glorious truth to behold as the end of the liturgical year nears, and the liturgy turns us toward the End of Time and the glorious reality of being raised to behold God face-to-face in all His fullness.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
November 2, 2016: All Souls' Day
I attended a special Mass at Ascension on this evening to remember all those who have passed on from this life.
I couldn't help but notice a theme in the readings: Though in this life, we encounter the sorrow of death, we have the comforting assurance of Life Eternal, because Jesus Christ lives forever and ever. Acknowledging Him by faith, we know Him as the One Who raises us up to be with Him forever.
I couldn't help but notice a theme in the readings: Though in this life, we encounter the sorrow of death, we have the comforting assurance of Life Eternal, because Jesus Christ lives forever and ever. Acknowledging Him by faith, we know Him as the One Who raises us up to be with Him forever.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
November 1, 2016: All Saints' Day
This religious holiday has become one of my favorites, because it provides us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the lives of the saints who have set an example for us in living holy lives that lead us to God in this life, and in the life to come. Their stories are so varied and amazing, all sending us the same message about striving to grow in relationship with God. It's incredible to think that they're rooting for us as they intercede for us before the throne of God.
And that leads to the other reason for celebration this day: We can aspire, by living holy lives in our earthly pilgrimage, to be saints ourselves, here and now, as much as we will be one day in Heavenly Glory with God. Through baptism, God makes us His children, placing His identity upon us, and calls us to a life of Holiness that reflects His character. We make an impact on our world now as people who are purified, even as we look ahead to the great reward of praising God in His very presence.
And that leads to the other reason for celebration this day: We can aspire, by living holy lives in our earthly pilgrimage, to be saints ourselves, here and now, as much as we will be one day in Heavenly Glory with God. Through baptism, God makes us His children, placing His identity upon us, and calls us to a life of Holiness that reflects His character. We make an impact on our world now as people who are purified, even as we look ahead to the great reward of praising God in His very presence.
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