December 31, 2017: Feast of the Holy Family

God came to Earth to be like us, and placed Himself in the context of family, to show us in that sacred community how we can live out the virtues that make Him present to each other.

We rejoice that God has given us families, and brings us to the fullness of Life through them as we share the love He first shows us through the coming of Christ to our world.

We do this by faith, like Abram had faith that God would fulfill His promises to bring forth for Him a child, the substance of a covenant that served as the basis for the Law that Mary and Joseph obeyed when they offered up Jesus to God, whom Simeon and Anna proclaimed as the One Who would bring salvation to God's people. 

We open ourselves up to the favor of God as we offer ourselves up to God by sharing what He has given us to others, His very presence abiding in us, known through living out the virtues that come from Light, Life, and Love, made known in Christ, Who made them real in living as a human in family life.

December 25, 2017: The Nativity of the Lord/Christmas Day

It's amazing to see the effect of one light in a dark space: the light fills it so brilliantly and fully.

With the fourth candle lit on the Advent wreath at home, I couldn't help but notice how brightly it lit the space in the table around it.

So Christ has entered our world, shining such a great and glorious Light.  He is the Light that delivers us in evil and cleanses us from sin.

At Mass this morning, during Father Bob's homily, I was reminded of how shepherds were considered so despised in ancient Israel, because they were constantly dirty from doing their work.  Yet God chose to send angels to them to announce the great and glorious news of the Birth of His Son on Earth.

So He has sent His Son among all of us who are stained by sin, as a helpless baby Who would grow into a Man who would die to save us from sin.  And by His coming, we can enter into a closer relationship with God.  God is no longer shrouded in Mystery, but a great Light shining into our world, revealed for many ages by the prophets, but now fully by the Son, Who has come to save all.

Truly this Christmas Day is reason for rejoicing and celebrating, as we join with the song of the angels who proclaim Glory to God in the Highest, and peace upon us on Earth, for God's favor rests on us.

December 24, 2017: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Advent is a time for us to remember the promises God has made to us, and how He has gloriously fulfilled them.

When King David desires to build a house for the ark of God, He responds through Nathan the prophet that He will build up David into a house that will last forever, because from this house shall come the Messiah.

God marvelously brought the Savior to us through the working of the Holy Spirit in Mary.  God favored her and chose her to bear the Son of God into the world.  God would take care of everything.  All Mary had to do was consent and open herself up to the will of God.

So in our lives, God works marvelously in us.  Even when we can't fully understand what He's doing, we can rest in the great assurance that He is fulfilling His promises for us as we say "yes" to Him.  He is the One Who, in His great wisdom, revealed Himself to us so powerfully that we might live by faith for Him.

And by consenting to His will for our lives, we give birth to the Son of God in our world.

December 17, 2017: Third Sunday of Advent/Gaudete Sunday

Let us rejoice!  We've made it halfway through Advent and the Nativity of the Lord is getting closer.

But our waiting is not passive, as our God calls us to actively wait in preparing for Him.  We are certain that He will come, and that reality fills us with great joy.  Indeed, because of John's baptisms and proclamation, people thought he might be the One, but he made clear that someone else was on the way, and he would be unworthy before Him.

The One Who comes is anointed by God to bring glad tidings by reversing the fortunes of those experienced misfortunes.  We truly rejoice that He reverses our unfavorable circumstances, joining with Mary's magnifying of the Lord, because God is faithful in accomplishing His work in us, and that's reason for us to ceaselessly express joy and gratitude.  Furthermore, we can be part of the reversal as we meet the needs of others and bring them glad tidings, for as disciples, we are called to that purpose, too.  As we are touched by the joy God brings us, we share that joy with others.

Today marks the birthday of Pope Francis, who turns 81.  We see in Him a great example of deep-seated joy that comes in proclaiming the Gospel, by which all the peoples see the favor of the Lord coming upon them.

I also rejoice in the composition of this post, for it was on the occasion of Gaudete Sunday four years ago that I started this blog of Scriptural reflections, and this post is #250 on the blog.  Thank you for reading the reflections I write on the readings at Mass.

December 12, 2017: Feast of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

What a celebration it is, that God desires to manifest His presence through people of faith.

He started with Mary, the first disciple, Who bore Jesus into the world.  Then, San Juan Diego helped propagate the faith starting from an apparition of Mary to him at Tepeyac.

God is truly at work all the time to make His presence known, and we respond in great joy by proclaiming that faith.

December 10, 2017: Second Sunday of Advent

God is on the way is the message from the voice crying out in the desert, and so it's time to prepare for Him.  He may operate on a different timetable than us, but there's no doubt He's on His way.

The reading from Isaiah gives pictures of hills being made low, valleys rising up, the crooked made straight, and a highway in place for our God to come to us, which speak to how we should make our hearts ready for God, striving to be the holy people God has called us to be, as we prepare to see His glory. 

We take comfort that He is like a Shepherd guiding us to new Life in Him, baptizing us in the Holy Spirit, as St. John the Baptist says, so we can be a holy people.

December 8, 2017: Feast of the Immaculate Conception

We rejoice in this occasion because God has poured His graces upon humanity to reverse the effects of the curse of sin on humanity and turn us toward Him to be holy people He calls us to be.

He started with Mary, the first disciple, and now works in us, that in the midst of a world marred by sin, we can be a fount of grace bringing hope and new Life.

December 3, 2017: First Sunday of Advent

Our hearts long for God, even as we're aware of our shortcomings that separate us from Him.  We know that He is faithful, and so that gives us the hope that He will come to rescue us and restore us, turning us back to Him, so that we may abide in righteousness before Him.

In this hope, we remain alert for His arrival, not only for the celebration of His second coming, and anticipating the celebration of His first coming, but also for Him to enter into our hearts to reign there in righteousness.  May our hope keep us confident and ever ready for Him to appear and work in us, as He is the potter and we are the clay, like Isaiah writes, as we cooperate with His great power that works so marvelously in our lives even now.

November 26, 2017: Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Christ is the King, O friends, rejoice!

In the midst of today's Solemnity, I remember my visit a few years ago to Christ in the Smokies Museum and Gardens in Gatlinburg, TN.  There, people go on a guided tour of scenes from the story of Christ with life-size wax figures.  Before the tour, there's an introductory video, and toward the end, there was one line that really stood out:  Of all the parliaments that have sat, all the armies that have marched, and all the kings who have ruled, none has had the impact that Christ has had.

His impact is a result of His willingness to humble Himself and identify Himself with the lowly of the world, being a Shepherd Who cares for their needs and raise them up, while steering the proud toward greater humility.  He is indeed a King, not all focused on wielding great power, but spreading all over the world a Reign of justice and mercy.  It is at work even now, even as He calls us to join in advancing this Reign, taking on a mindset of solidarity by caring for those who are in need, because that summons forth in us the kind of attitude that makes God's presence known, so that when we meet the needs of the least ones, we do it for God.  (It's like the story of St. Mother Katharine Drexel, who inherited a great amount of money, and used it to finance missions serving African-American and aboriginal Native Americans--and how fitting that her birthday this year coincides with this Feast of Christ the King.)  That is the kind of attitude of the heart that leads us to God, desiring Him above all, desiring for Him to reign in our heart, and to be subjected to Him.

St. Paul reminds us in the 2nd reading that Christ has power because He died, and rose again from the dead, the firstfruits who indicated that we who are in Him will one day rise to New Life, too, with Eternal Life as our reward for living faithfully, loving Him by serving others.  Then, everything will be subjected to Christ, and then He will subject Himself to the Father, so God may be all in all.

November 19, 2017: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Paul urges us to stay awake and be sober as we await the coming of the Lord, because we are children of the Light and of the day.  Father Hurlbert offered an interesting insight in his homily, saying that for us to be awake means that we should be aware of our gifts and talents, using them for the glory of God.

We should live wisely, like the woman described in Proverbs, using the talents God has given us to do good.  We will know abundant blessings as we engage in relationship with God, using our gifts and talents, as a way of putting our faith into action.  For God has set us free to use the talents He has given us for a purpose, as we strive even now for the Kingdom that one day will come in fullness.

November 12, 2017: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

With the end of the liturgical year drawing closer, the focus turns toward the end of time.  And Jesus urges us to live in a way so that we are ready for His return.  We get an idea of how we should live from the 1st reading from Wisdom in how to live wisely.

Living in this wisdom allows us to live with hope for the coming of the Lord, when we will be reunited with all those who have gone before us, and be with God forever.  As we await that day, we yearn for Him even now.  We live our lives transformed by this hope and yearning for Him, keeping focused on doing that which matters, expressing our faith by doing good works, keeping alive the light of faith that helps us stay focused on what matters, just as five of the virgins had extra oil with them for their lamps.  In holding fast to our faith and living it out, we are truly ready for His coming, so that we may welcome Him with great joy and enter fully into the celebration of being with Him.

November 5, 2017: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

The religious leaders of Jesus's day focused so much on outward actions so that they would be noticed, but ultimately they were not good examples of people striving toward God because they didn't follow their strict interpretation of the Law from the heart while burdening people with it.  Malachi called out the priests of his day for leading people away from God by their teachings.  So Jesus told His disciples not to follow their example, only their teachings.

Indeed, God desires for us to hear His Word and open our hearts to let it work in us.  St. Paul, in the spirit of Jesus, worked hard to proclaim the Gospel, even sharing his very self, among the people of Thessaloniki, and even marveled at how the Word of God worked in the community.  Truly St. Paul cared for the community, just like a mother.  His example of service was to be admired.  And so will ours as we let God's Word transform our hearts, and be brought alive by how we live it outwardly.

November 2, 2017: All Souls' Day

Father Hurlbert at Ascension Parish offered some notable insights about this occasion commemorating All the Faithful Departed.

In talking about it at Mass the weekend before, he referred to it as one of the "solstices" of the Church year, connecting it with Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.  On All Souls' Day, we celebrate the Resurrection that our beloved dead experience in Christ.

On All Souls' Day, we are reminded of the hope we have because of Christ, that our beloved dead still live, in some mysterious way, in the broad communion of saints.  Our love for them continues, even as we await the time when we join with them in God's presence.  So we not only honor the memory of the faithful departed on this occasion, but we celebrate that death has brought them to the newness of Life.

November 1, 2017: All Saints' Day

On this occasion, we celebrate the life and example set by many holy women and men, which includes a number of canonized saints the Church has specially recognized.

We also recognized the call to holiness God places on our lives, and celebrate that His desire for us to be made pure and holy.  The life and example of the saints inspire us to live in ways pleasing to God, conduct that aims us toward Heaven, for we know that in God our destiny is His Glory.  Even while on our way, we are becoming saints, for that is our call.

October 29, 2017: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Hurlbert used a great metaphor in his homily at Mass this weekend, saying that love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of the same coin.  And this coin is transparent so that when we look through the coin that is the love of God, we see our neighbor.

That is why Jesus offers two commands in response to the question about what the greatest commandment is, because our love for God is reflected in how we love our neighbor, just as love for God gives a right foundation for our acts of charity toward others.  God made that a central part of the Law He gave to His people, commanding them to do good those in need, that it may be a reflection of having a relationship with a Righteous God.  It shows how God has marvelously worked in our lives to rescue us, so that we turn from idols to worship Him, embracing the word He gives us about loving others.  Indeed, God's love is a great gift, and may it be our joy to share it, as much as sharing His love is our identity as God's people.

October 22, 2017: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings speak about God Almighty Who rules alone, and to Whom we owe our allegiance.

His power even extends over Gentiles like Cyrus, whom God uses to accomplish His purposes.  That is why Jesus brushes aside the malicious questioning of the Pharisees to say that as Caesar should get what is his, God should get what is His, which is everything that He grants us.

Indeed, He chose us and called us to His by the Gospel, which brings us to faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, that we grasp on to Him as He grasps us.  And He calls us to give Him what He is due: lives that are wholeheartedly devoted to glorifying, loving, and serving Him, as an acknowledgment that He is Almighty.

After hearing the proclamation of these readings 12 years ago, I made a commitment to live out my faith as I was sealed in the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, because I was chosen to be a person abiding in the Truth God reveals in the Gospel through "power and the Holy Spirit, and with much conviction".

October 15, 2017: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has invited us to His banquet, where there is an abundance of not only food, but His Goodness, and His presence that takes away all sin and death, bringing us fully into the Life of God.

We embrace the invitation to join in the great Feast, entering into it fully, not getting sidetracked by other things.  We experience it even now, participating day by day as we live the values of of the Gospel that Jesus Christ presented to us, and by which we are saved.

We live the invitation God has extended to us by living out our faith, bringing others to join the Feast.  In this Feast, we know that God truly fills us as we abide in His presence now, as we will abide in His presence forever.

It is a Feast that I embraced in a whole new way 12 years ago when I made a profession of faith at my Confirmation before the community of faith.  And I rejoice in extending the invitation by passing on the faith, most especially in Religious Education, as I guide along a new generation in encountering God and growing in relationship with Him.

October 8, 2017: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The extended metaphor of a vineyard in the first reading and Gospel reading paints a great picture for how God cares for us so graciously.  So it's no surprise the owner is disappointed when such tender loving care doesn't produce good fruit, just as God is disappointed when we don't respond with faithfulness to His care.

God bestows upon us His righteousness, compelling us to bear fruit for His glory.  The Jews were unfaithful in bearing fruit because they were stuck in their own ways.  And so God opened up the vineyard to others, the Gentiles, who abided in His righteous ways and have born fruit for His glory--like the tax collectors and prostitutes who responded to the message calling for repentance, as Jesus mentioned in last weekend's Gospel.

Let us seek to produce good fruit as we focus on those things of highest quality, like St. Paul lists in the reading in Phillippians, thinking about honorable, just, lovely, and excellent things, that we offer ourselves up for His Glory.  Then we shall overcome the anxieties of this life, truly knowing the peace of God that is beyond our comprehension, but which keeps us secure in relationship with Him.

October 1, 2017: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God is calling us to follow the way that leads to Life:  By turning away from sin and turning towards righteousness, we experience Life.  Being saved and forgiven of sin compels us to repent of evil ways and live life in a way that glorifies God.  This is the way the tax collectors and prostitutes were following, and they were entering the Kingdom of God because they were open to the ways of Life, unlike the Jewish religious authorities who were stuck in their own ways.

Following God's way means we focus not so much on ourselves, but on God Who came to us in Jesus, emptying Himself, that we may be saved and that He may receive the Glory as we give of ourselves wholly in service to others, a way of life that moves us beyond self-righteouesness.

September 24, 2017: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As Isaiah speaks so eloquently in the first reading, God's ways are so above our ways, in how He lavishes us with His graces and mercy day by day.  It's like in the parable Jesus tells, in which the landowner gives so generously to all who he hires to work in the vineyard.

When it comes to God's grace, we can't put a monetary amount on it, for God freely grants it.  So let's not focus too much on what seems fair and unfair.  Let's instead turn our gaze upward, seeking after this great God of ours, so that He may be magnified in us in life or death, like St. Paul writes as conduct ourselves reverently before Him, seeking His Truth and living it fully all through our lives.  And let us rejoice in the ways that God grants His grace to each of us specially.

September 17, 2017: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We continue in the theme of righteous and holy living toward others, found in last weekend's liturgy as well as this weekend's as we turn our attention to forgiveness.  God forgave us the immense debt of our sin, because we had no way otherwise to possibly pay it.  God, Who is Just and immensely kind, bestowed His powerful mercy on us and forgave us our sins.

Once we have received the mercy, we are called to follow God's pattern and live a life in which we constantly forgive and extend mercy to others, just as the reading from Sirach discusses through exhortations to forgive.  We cannot simply count on receiving mercy, but we must also demonstrate how mercy has transformed us, and how we live to honor the God Who forgives us, by forgiving others.  We no longer live just ourselves, but we live for God, Who is, as St. Paul writes, Lord of all, the living and the dead, Whose merciful presence compels us to live that mercy.  We don't limit forgiveness to a specific number of times like St. Peter seems to suggest by his question at the start of the Gospel reading, but extend it abundantly as our God does to us.

September 10, 2017: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

God wants us to look out for one another, to forgive one another and be reconciled and at peace, echoing the call of God to one another that draws people away from what leads to death and on the path that leads to life.  It is all an expression of love that is the ultimate fulfillment of all the commands of the Law, so that we can be in right relationship with one another as an expression of being in right relationship with God.

God came to us in Jesus Christ so that we could be brought back into right relationship with Him after we strayed.  He draws us together in a community that now lives forgiveness together, as Father Bob talked about so insightfully in his homily.  And as we come together to act this way in His Name, we make God's presence known, just as Jesus said He would be present with us.

September 3, 2017: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As the disciples faced the reality of Who Jesus is in last weekend's Gospel, so now they must face the reality that as His disciples, they must follow Him in taking up the Cross.

Jeremiah came to know full well that the work of proclaiming God's message often brought him great misery, to the point that he no longer wanted to speak, much as Peter wanted to deny the reality that Christ would have to suffer and die.  But God's presence within us acts with such force and compels us to do the work, to take up the Cross.

Even if we try to pull back, something within us earnestly seeks God, because we know that in Him alone do we find a relationship that truly makes us whole and satisfied.  So we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, committing our whole selves to embracing the new reality we have now in Christ, as new beings, so that even our suffering is part of God's great plan to redeem the world and bring us to Himself.

August 27, 2017: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

How marvelous it is that God chooses us to be part of the working of His great plan of salvation in all the Earth.  He seeks after the lowly and humble, like Peter to serve His purposes.  In the Gospel reading from Matthew, when Jesus asked His Apostles Who He is, Peter declared Him to be "the "Christ, the Son of the Living God."  In his homily this morning, Father Hurlbert indicated that Peter's response would be considered blasphemy, to refer to a human as God.  But Jesus commends Peter, noting how God has worked in him to inspire him to give that response.

And having given Him such inspiration, Jesus declares that the Church will be built on the rock that He declares Simon Peter to be, and the Church will triumph over all evil, because of the presence of God within it.  While those words about the gates of Hell not prevailing against the Church make it seem like Hell won't triumph over the Church, I once heard an interpretation suggest that the Church will actually smash through the gates of Hell victoriously vanquishing it.  

Jesus grants Peter a measure of authority, symbolized by the key, like is also given to Eliakim to be the servant in the palace.  We continue to see this authority lived out today through the Pope, the successor of Peter, who as the leader of the Church, continues to unify us as the body of Christ, because of the power of the Holy Spirit working in Him to proclaim the teachings of the Church.

And we, too, are given a measure of authority because God works in us so marvelously, putting His very presence in us, so that we can manifest His presence to all the world, so long as we keep ourselves fixed on the declaration of who Jesus really is, because everything is "from Him and through Him and for Him" as St. Paul writes so eloquently.  Indeed, Father Hurlbert further mentioned that Christianity is unique as a religion because there is so much focus on the identity of who Jesus Christ is, much as the conversation in the Gospel reading in Matthew focuses not on Jesus's teachings or works, but His identity.  For once we're fixed and firm in acknowledging Who Jesus is, we are able to make Him known as we live out our relationship with Him.

August 20, 2017: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

What counts for us all is that God has had mercy on all people, and that we have determined faith to seek after Him above all else, no matter what.  He desires all people to come to Him, for all nations to praise Him and acknowledge Him as God.  That is the faith He draws out of the Canaanite woman, who knows that only in Jesus can she find the healing she seeks for her daughter, uttering a great comeback line following up on Jesus's statement about not giving food for children to the dogs--in fact, her words are one of my favorite lines in the Gospel.

Having faith, we trust that God truly will deliver on His promises, doing so for all people.  That's why we should keep persistent faith in our God, Who came to us in Jesus Christ, Who is the Lord Who shows mercy to all.  Let us have faith that our belief in God will heal us and deliver us in the midst of evil in the world by the power of His mercy, which He shows to all.  And let us do what is right as we join together and embrace all people as He does.

August 15, 2017: Assumption of Mary

For me, this Feast hearkens back to the Resurrection, taking it a step further as it applies to our future.

We rejoice that Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven because she, as the first disciple, experienced what we hope we will one day, too: being present, in both body and soul, in the Glory of God.

Father Hurlbert put it insightfully in his homily as he focused on the importance of the body, which matters in God's great work of redemption, because our bodies will be raised and joined with our souls--and at that time, we will magnify God Who effects so glorious a salvation through Christ, Who came in a physical body to Earth.  So we live in hope, showing love and care for another, especially for physical needs, and magnifying God through it.

August 13, 2017: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Often God is made manifest in turbulent displays of nature, like Elijah witnesses in the 1st reading: violent wind, earthquake, and fire.  Yet Elijah ends up encountering God in a soft sound.

In the midst of sailing rough waters, the disciples encounter God in Jesus, Who comes to them walking on the water.  After thinking he is a ghost, and hearing Jesus assert Himself for Who He is, Peter asks Jesus to beckon him out into the water, and when Jesus does, Peter experienced the miracle of walking on water like Jesus.

There's a lot that rages around us in life, which calls upon us to place our trust in God--and trust was a major theme Father Hurlbert spoke of so well in his homily on his first weekend back from shoulder replacement surgery, which required his giving a lot of trust to others.  It can be hard to let go of control, but we can find great assurance trusting in God, which is how we build a real, vibrant relationship with Him.  We can count on God because He came to us in Jesus Christ, born of the people of Israel, so that He is the glory of the Hebrews as Paul writes.  We can rejoice that God is with us, even in simple, humble ways.  And as we trust in Him, we truly come alive, because even as we experienced heartaches at times, we also encounter great joy in knowing His love.

August 6, 2017: Transfiguration of the Lord

The readings on this great Feast day show us glorious visions of God Almighty in full splendor, granting Glory to Jesus Christ.  We see it in the mighty cosmic vision in Daniel.

And we certainly see a dazzling picture of Christ in the reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew.  But God doesn't stop with Jesus's appearance changing into something totally awesome.  God furthermore confirms that His Glory in His Son through an announcement naming Him as His Son, and calling the three Apostles--and us--to listen to Him.  Indeed, He is the One to whom Moses and all the prophets point as the fulfillment of the Law and prophets, so that now He is the One we should listen to and follow.

The vision is one that truly pervades us: We give glory to Christ as we open ourselves to being transfigured to be like Him, so that in our interactions with this world, we reveal His presence to others, so that they join in glorifying Him.

We rejoice that God has given us so great a vision of His glory, which helps us realize that His glory is all around us, and has come to us in a special way in Jesus Christ--just like we celebrate on Nativity on the Lord and other feasts.  So we have great assurance of the glorious reality which we shall one day enter even as it is present to us now.

July 30, 2017: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The greatest treasure we can encounter is having a relationship with God, which brings a foretaste of Eternity now even as we await its fullness.  Indeed, we are part of the great plan of God, for He chose us before time: He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified us, as St. Paul writes.

In the example of King Solomon, let us not seek after temporal riches of this world, but seek the wisdom of God that we may have a heart that discerns how faith is the treasure of greatest value, and embrace it with all we have and all we are.  Let us abide by the very words of God that bring us Life now and always.

July 23, 2017: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We struggle in this world because of the presence of evil, which touches our hearts and is all around, much as Satan sowed weeds in the midst of the wheat.  Yet we have the great assurance that God is working in our favor, making His goodness known to us, even giving us the chance to repent of our sins and live righteously for Him.  So we continue the struggle, as the Holy Spirit within us intercedes for us with great groaning as we seek for our faith in us lowly ones to become mighty because our God is Mighty, and comes to our aid.  He furthermore encourages us to show kindness in the midst of a broken world, becoming a great influence, as we shine for our God, awaiting the fullness of His Kingdom one day, when evil will be vanquished, and righteousness shall reign.

July 16, 2017: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God's Word marvelously comes down to Earth to mightily accomplish His will, just as the rain comes to water the Earth and produce an abundance of crops.

Indeed, God's Word produces abundantly, as it is sown in our hearts.  When we cooperate with the Holy Spirit's working in us, we truly become part of the abundant harvest that results, as we open ourselves to God's workings in us, having hearts fertile for such a bounty.  The results even lead to our planting seeds that the abundant harvest may continue--Father Hurlbert shared a great insight in his homily on this weekend's readings, saying that it's not just about laborers going out to harvest, but laborers also going out to plant seeds.

We plant as a response to the work God does in us, and then remain faithful to Him as we watch Him do His work with those seeds.  He brings them alive, in the Life that will one day lead to the fullness of redemption and Eternal Life, which we, His people, together with all Creation, earnestly strive toward and patiently await.

July 9, 2017: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God came to our world humbly and bearing the great gift of salvation for us.  And His reign of peace extends vastly as we come to trust in Him.  As His disciples, we are called to be child-like and embrace a sense of simplicity in our lives so that we focus on living for Him, so that we can embrace the great mysteries of God that He reveals to the humble and meek those who are in relationship with Him.  Because we are saved, we praise Him as we live in the assurance of attaining Heavenly Rest one day.  And we experience it even now as we follow His ways, dying to sin, and rising to New Life in the Spirit, Who is His presence ever with us.

July 2, 2017: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

That is the final sentence of the Declaration of Independence, and I see a connection between it and the message strung throughout the readings of this Sunday.

Jesus has set us free from sin and brought us to new Life in which we live for Him, living in His ways of righteousness.  He calls us to commit ourselves to obediently abiding in Him in that new way of life, to make Him the priority of all our relationships and all our actions.  Like Father Hurlbert said so insightfully in his homily at Ascension Parish, we do deeds of righteousness not as an option or as something nice to do, but as something essential to growing in holiness in relationship with Him that leads us to the fullness of His presence in Heaven.  By this growth, we make His presence known, and spread His blessings as others come to acknowledge Him, seeing Him present in us.

June 25, 2017: 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jesus sent forth His Apostles to proclaim openly and boldly the messages He gave them in secret, which is the mission we as His people have in our present day.  Because of sin and evil in the world, we are bound to face persecution in fulfilling this mission.  Yet we can take courage because He is with us.  He has conquered sin that entered the world through death because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve.  So while they may kill the body, they cannot harm our souls, because they are kept safe in Him, caring us even more so than for birds, because of Christ's graces flowing so abundantly onto us.

This weekend, the Sunday 11 AM Mass at Ascension Parish was the final Mass at which Deacon Lendell Richardson assisted, as he is moving onto an assignment at a new parish.  He has always given great homilies, and this one was no exception:  Drawing so richly from the readings, he spoke about the fears he's faced in the various experiences of his own life, and how in the midst of those fears, he has found reason to praise God, and entrust Himself to Him Who has lavished His care on us so richly.  It was stirring to hear those words spoken in such a heartfelt, real way from someone entering a time of transition, reminding us of how God calls all of us to entrust ourselves to Him, knowing we can count on the God Who has saved us.  A translation of Jesus's words in the Gospel passage renders, "Stop being afraid".  Indeed, in the midst of so much fear, we can stop being afraid, and cry out to Him in trust.

June 18, 2017: Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Just as the bells that ring at the words of Institution during the Eucharistic prayer often at many places where Mass is celebrated summon our attention to something special happening, so this Feast is an annual opportunity to remember that something special is happening when we gather at Mass.

Jesus, the Bread come down from Heaven, comes to us to feed us in our state of need, which compels us to acknowledge God's Word as the one true source of sustenance in this life.  He brings us all, His people, together as One Body as we partake of the One Bread that is Him, as together we share in Him.  And He gives us Life as we partake of His Body and Blood.  Thus we live forever, and are filled with His Divine Life as we are sent forth into the world to meet the needs of those we encounter.

June 11, 2017: Most Holy Trinity Sunday

While it's oft said that the Trinity is a hard to understand doctrine of our faith, we are aware of the presence of Godhead Who is three Persons of One Substance abiding with each other in harmony, and reflect that harmony in our own relationships.

We acknowledge God as Almighty, yet He is so near to us.  The relationship of the Trinity poured forth into bringing into existence all of Creation, so that God pervades everything.  In His mercy God makes Himself known to us, and draws us into a relationship with Him.  He pours forth His love on us in the presence of the Son Jesus Christ, Who came to Earth to make God real to us.  He brings us to Eternal Life, even now as He believe and abide in Him.  And He abides with us through Holy Spirit.

So we praise Him as the Trinity works in us to display peace and harmony with one another, and the very glory of God, Who is ever present.

June 4, 2017: Pentecost Sunday

We celebrate the great feast commemorating when the Holy Spirit descended upon the gathered disciples of Jesus and fulfilled the promises of Jesus Christ and His New Covenant by bringing into being the Church.  We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is the bond that binds us together as the one Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit is the very breath of God that brings the Life of the Risen Jesus into us.  With this Life in us, we are made alive and are sent forth to proclaim the Gospel that announces His Good News.  We are no longer divided by barriers that arise from our sinful world, like happened at Babel, as the Holy Spirit makes us one, connecting us with one another and God.  So we show the world that God is real, as we use our Holy Spirit-given gifts to proclaim the marvelous works of God Almighty, as His Spirit fills us.

May 28, 2017: Feast of the Ascension of the Lord Sunday

We have great hope in Christ because He died, rose again to New Life, and now is in Heaven, where He reigns at the right hand of God--all through the working of God's mighty power.  We have hope because of His promise that in joining with Him in dying and rising, we will one day join Him in Heaven in His Glory as God the Father works that mighty power in us.

Indeed, God is working His Mighty Power in us even now, as we live out the mission Christ gave to His Church upon His departure, to make disciples of all people, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Since He ascended to Heaven, He no longer has a physical earthly body, but promises to be with us forever, because He grants us the Holy Spirit as His abiding presence within us.

Indeed, we are given a great mission by which we continue to know the presence of God, and continue to make Him known, as we live in the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon us.

May 21, 2017: Sixth Sunday of Easter

God is doing a great work in saving us, especially by sending the power of the Holy Spirit into us.  This is the Advocate Jesus promised would come to be with His disciples, continuing His abiding presence with them always.  It gives us reassurance that no matter what troubles we face, we are grounded in the Truth of God.  It is this Truth we share when we face hostility, and this Truth that the Holy Spirit works in us so that we are brought alive and make His presence known, as He show our Love for the Father by living out His Love for others.  Indeed, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Life of Jesus lives in us, so that we truly live.

May 14, 2017: Fifth Sunday of Easter

The Last Supper discourse of Jesus Christ is an extraordinarily rich passage of Scripture.  In a selection that is today's Gospel reading, Jesus tells His Apostles that they will participate in doing His works, and do even greater works than Him because He is going to the Father.

We see the great works being done in Acts.  In today's first reading, the Church chooses seven reputable men to minister to the needs of Hellenist widows.  They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do their part in the work of Church's ministry to the needs of people.

We, indeed, can do great works when we follow in the Way that is Christ, Who is the Truth, and is Life, empowering us through the Holy Spirit to do His works in our lives as we entrust ourselves to Him, to let Him work in us, because He, the Living Stone, Who was once rejected by people, is now the foundation of our faith.  He rescued us from sin, and brought us into glorious Light that we may praise Him.  We become living stones ourselves, who make God manifest to the world, as He accomplishes great works in and through us, greater than when Jesus was on Earth, because He is now with the Father and lives in us by His Spirit.

May 7, 2017: Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday

Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He is invested in us, His sheep, putting all of His efforts into caring for them and protecting them, knowing how much they need Him.

As the reading from 1 Peter states, our Shepherd even goes so far as to die for us, that we may live.  And not just live, going through the motions, but having an abundant, rich Life, filled with His Holy Spirit, abiding in His way.  That is the way of Life Peter calls his audience to, who have just witnesses the power of the Spirit descend.

And following in the leadings of the Holy Spirit, we embrace a way of life that brings challenges to us because of those who oppose our faith.  But we have assurance in following a way that leads to Eternal Life, and makes God's glory known now as we endure and let His power shine through us as His transformed people, as we each play our specially unique parts in His plan of redemption, like was said so well at St. Peter's Church in the Loop at Mass this weekend.  

It makes me think about what I've experienced giving of myself as a Religious Education teacher in the year that just ended, as I've sought to shepherd my students into the ways of Eternal Life.

We have assurance because God, when we went astray, died to bring us back into right relationship with Him, so that we may have abundant life unto Eternity.

April 30, 2017: Third Sunday of Easter

Throughout this Easter Season, we extend the Paschal celebration of Christ, Who died, and rose again to new Life.  We celebrate that the sacrifice of the perfect Paschal Lamb has made us whole again, and brought us to God by faith, for His glory.  We no longer need to fear the grave, because our souls, like Christ, will not see decay, but will enter into newness of Life in the glory of God, as surely as God raised Jesus Christ.

And we experience this glory now as Christ makes Himself present in the sacraments, just as at Emmaus, the disciples recognized Him when He broke the bread.  Father Hurlbert insightfully shared in his homily this weekend that even though Christ disappeared the instance the disciples recognized Him, He was still with them.  Indeed, even though we don't physically see Him, we know His powerful presence as we encounter Him in the sacraments and throughout our world and our experiences, as He is now so close to us.  He is in our hearts, stirring them to faith, that we may with great joy proclaim that His real presence among us.

April 23, 2017: Second Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday

The Risen Christ comes to us, breaking through barriers that are up because of sin and sorrow in this world, and breathes new life into us.  We continue to encounter His living presence as we gather together as a community in His name, experiencing His mercy, and then going forth to show mercy as a sign of our joyful transformation to a world desperately in need of it.  No matter what we face in this world, we go forth in the assurance of His peace that He breathes upon us.  As we go forth living by faith, we rejoice that God works in our midst, even working out our salvation, which gives us abundant hope.  So although we may not see Him directly, we have the assurance that He is truly present and alive among us.  Truly we can say, "Jesus, King of Mercy, I trust in You."

April 16, 2017: Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

We encounter the best news of all on this day, that Jesus Christ has truly Risen from the dead.

While no one actually saw His Resurrection, the evidence left behind clearly showed it happened, as it caused the beloved disciple to believe once he saw.  And the stone that sealed the tomb was rolled away, in spectacular fashion as described in Matthew.  For some, this .

And this best news of all transforms us.  As Father Bob made clear in his homily at Mass, Christ wasn't merely resuscitated--He rose from the dead and entered into a totally transformed existence, living in the fullness of Risen Life.  As His people, we join with Him in death and Resurrection, so that we, too, are transformed to live in the fullness of this new life.  We fix our gaze upward, like St. Paul writes in Colossians, seeking after His glory.  And we leave behind the old ways of malice and embrace ways of living that are consistent with this New Life, as St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians.

As part of living this New Life, we proclaim this best news of all.  While some may regard it as some kind of fairy tale, or even "fake news"/"alternative facts", as Father Hurlbert stated so wittingly in his homily, we as the people of the Risen Lord, show that the Resurrection is real by proclaiming it through the way we live, glorifying God Who has so marvelously saved us through His merciful love, that we may live to glorify Him all our days.

April 15, 2017: Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

God has done a marvelous work throughout all history.  First He created us specially.  Then, when we fell away because of sin, He took great strides to rescue us, and make us holy, righteous, and pure in His sight, that in dying to ourselves and all that is unrighteous, we may rise to the fullness of new Life in Christ.  And we have hope that we will reign with Him who lives forever and ever.

April 14, 2017: Cross Friday

We remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ this day in His trials, crucifixion, and death.  We honor Him for dying for us that we may be freed from sin.  He took upon the punishment for us that we would be made right before God when sin corrupted us.  He stood firm and resolute in all that He faced, entrusting Himself to the Father, Whose will He accomplished through the Cross, that we would be saved.

Following in the way of Christ, we embrace His Cross, joining in His sufferings and death, in the hope of joining in His rising, for we know death is not the end of the story.

April 13, 2017: Maundy Thursday

We remember on this day the New Covenant that Christ instituted at the Last Supper, a meal celebrating Passover, of the Old Covenant, when the people of God were freed from slavery.  There at that table, He granted the priesthood to His Apostles, and the Eucharist to His Church, by which we are joined to Christ in His death and Resurrection, and are set free from sin.  In this New Covenant, He grants us a new command, to love one another.  As John writes, Christ, in the fullness of the glory of God the Father, stooped down to wash feet, as a sign of the love He shows us in giving of Himself, and the love we are now to show one another in this new way of life.

April 9, 2017: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Jesus is acclaimed as King in drastically different ways in the readings.

As He enters Jerusalem, the crowds cheer for Him, caught up in the excitement of the coming Messiah, who they envision as a conquering King.

Days later, when Jesus hangs from the Cross, a sign above Him says He is the King of the Jews.  He was tried, convicted, and executed for being a King totally unlike what the Jewish people and their leaders sought.  While facing great abuse ending in His death, He entrusted Himself to God, emptying Himself and dying for the people He came to save.

Now, God has exalted Him to the Highest place so that all people may acknowledge Him as King, giving themselves as He did for us, that in empyting ourselves, and dying to ourselves, we may join in the hope of rising to new life with Him.  May our words and deeds proclaim Him as the King, Who rules rightly by the sacrifice of Himself.

April 2, 2017: Fifth Sunday of Lent

As we get closer to the great celebration of the Resurrection, we are reminded that God is already in our midst, bringing new life where there is but death--especially as we consider on this day the 100-year anniversary of the US entry into the terrible conflict of World War I.

He created the world, and is recreating it again because sin made it fall into lifelessness.  Indeed, God is doing much more than merely resuscitating:  He frees us from the chains of sin and death, breathing the fullness of abundant, vibrant life into us.  As His breath truly brought alive the dry bones with flesh in the valley in the reading from Ezekiel, so the breath of His Holy Spirit truly allows us to live as God does, which brings new life to all the earth.

So we no longer are subjected to the power of death, because God has brought us fully alive.  We live in hope that even though we will die, we will live unto Eternal Life through the power of God.  That is a hope that transforms us and bring us alive now, as we seek to bring life to other people, showing them the goodness of God through our hope- and life-filled deeds.

March 26, 2017: Fourth Sunday of Lent/Laetare Sunday

We rejoice on this Sunday marking the midpoint of Lent that God has chosen us to be in a relationship with Him, as He shepherds us into the ways of Eternal Life.  He calls us out of the darkness of sin, and into His marvelous Light, enlightening us that we may see Him wherever He is found, and see all as He sees.  He sees into our hearts, and sends His spirit upon us that we may arise to embrace the call He places upon us.

We embrace the Light, and are sent to boldly proclaim our God, because in His light, we embrace new life, turning from our own ideas to what God offers for us as we see all in His glorious Light.  Since we are no longer in darkness, we embrace the new ways of living that are befitting God's Light and reflect His glory, abiding in His covenant forever.

March 19, 2017: Third Sunday of Lent

God alone satisfies us because of His vast Love for us:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, that we could be restored to right relationship with God.  As St. Paul writes in Romans, God's love has been poured into our hearts.  It is like Living Water that is ever fresh and springing up within us.  It urges us on to seek Him by faith and leads us to Eternal Life, satisfying our thirst for fulfillment in life by bringing us into relationship with God.

Having such a great abundance in a never-ending supply of water, we can rest assured in what will truly satisfy us.  We no longer seek after earthly things that provide only fleeting satisfaction, and harden ourselves towards what God offers.  We entrust ourselves to God, worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth, transformed to be focused heavenward.  We partake of the food that Jesus speaks of, bringing new people into this way of life, just as a harvest of a soul occurred in the conversation between Jesus and the woman who came to well.  It is great news we have to share, that we find true satisfaction unto Eternity: the very Life-giving presence of Christ that ever flows in us and through us.

March 12, 2017: Second Sunday of Lent

God, by His coming to this world in Jesus Christ, has brought transformation.  He starts by transforming us that He may transform the world through us.

As we are called to conversion during this season of Lent, so Abram was called to go out from his home to a new place God would show Him.  Abram trusted himself to God, Who granted Him a vision that he would be made great in all the Earth, the father of a vast people through whom God would bless the world.

Jesus led three of His closest disciples up a mountain, where He gave them a glimpse of His Heavenly Glory that He would attain following His Resurrection.  It was a glimpse that would strengthen them as they faced difficulties ahead, especially at the Crucifixion of Jesus.

It gives us strength to endure the journey as we follow the way of Christ through the Cross to the Glory of New Life, giving us the courage to turn from our own ways to abiding in the way of God, keeping close to Him.  He unites us with Himself while doing a marvelous work in all the world, by transforming us to follow His ways, seeing as He sees.

March 5, 2017: First Sunday of Lent

How fitting to start the next 100 posts on this blog by dedicating this post, #201, to reflecting on the readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent.

Throughout this season, the readings speak about how God has set out to rescue us through His plan of salvation.  The rescue started all the way back in Genesis when the first humans Adam and Eve turn against God's command in heeding the deceptive words of the serpent, falling prey to his temptation.  Through their disobedience, sin entered the world, and we experienced death by being cut off from God, and a life-giving relationship with Him.  We have been marred by sin ever since.

But then came the Man from God, Jesus Christ.  He, like Adam and Eve, faced the temptations of Satan, and turned toward God and His Word to achieve the victory. Through Him, we now have the means to turn away from sin and towards God.  That is the power of His love, that He would save us, acquitting us of sin, and bringing us back into right relationship with Him.  It is in this relationship that we acknowledge Him as the God Who loves us and provides for us abundantly, we Who are made in His image.

March 1, 2017: Ash Wednesday

Once again begins our great journey through dying and rising of the Paschal Mystery and beyond.

In the Gospel, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ speaks of the three important spiritual disciplines of Lent, but emphasizes what really matters is the condition of our heart, that it is poised to seek after God and grow more deeply in relationship with Him, just like in the 1st reading, in which the prophet Joel speaks of rending our hearts, and not clothing.

By engaging in these practices, we have the opportunity to show God that we are deeply sorry for sin and desire to be restored to a right relationship with Him, which comes to us by faith.

Father Hurlbert put it well in his homily at Mass at Ascension Parish this evening that now is the time for us to declare our total, 100% commitment to God.  And on a day when we recall our human mortality through ashes, it's a good time to think about how we want to be remember upon our death in this life.  This Lenten journey is our opportunity to consider how we may grow more deeply in relationship with God so it is that which shines forth most prominently at our death.

Indeed, as Father Hurlbert said, we are ambassadors for Christ, as St. Paul writes in the 2nd reading, representing Him to the world, because of our credentials, which is the Cross of Jesus.

It's time to get to work making ourselves right with God that His Kingdom may come on Earth--as St. Paul declares, now is the acceptable time, and now is the day of salvation.

February 26, 2017: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In a very short reading, God tenderly expresses His love for His people.  Even though it seems He has abandoned them, as the Israelites in exile felt, His love is so powerful, even more than the amazing love a mother has for her children.

That's why we can rest in God, entrusting ourselves to Him, as Jesus exhorted His followers to do.  God cares for the resplendent flowers of the field, and the magnificent birds of the air, and so will He care for us the people He created and loves.  He calls us to entrust ourselves to Him, seeking after His righteousness, stewarding well this great gift of faith, that we be found faithful at the final judgment, when God will reveal all in our hearts and our motives.

We entrust ourselves to God so that we may be trustworthy stewards of His gift of faith, and receive His praise for being steadfast and faithful.

February 19, 2017: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Law, God commanded His people to show love for their fellow people, and to put limitations on punishment, so as to fit the crime, and no more.  Jesus expands the scope of those commandments to declare that we should love all people, even those who wrong us, a reflection of God's character, Who loves all, and does good to the just and unjust.  Indeed, His kindness and mercy are boundless to all people.

God's Spirit dwells in us, making us Temples of His presence to all people as we show them the Love He has shown us, a reflection of His wisdom that is far beyond our understanding, but always present when we reach out to love our neighbors, who are anyone.  We thus obey the command to be holy and perfect in reflecting the very character of our God Who is Holy, set apart, just as He has set us apart to be His people of His very presence.

February 12, 2017: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul speaks about the mysterious wisdom of God that is incompatible with the rulers and powers of the Earth.  Yet God has revealed it to us through His Spirit, and it serves as the means for us to grow in relationship with Him.

This wisdom of God is revealed through God's Law, which is the authority for how we are to conduct ourselves in relationship with Him.  Psalm 119 speaks about the importance of following God's Law.

And Jesus Christ, in the Sermon on the Mount, affirms the importance of the Law, saying that He has not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it.  By His Paschal Mystery of Death and Resurrection, He frees us from sin so that we can live to be just like the Father in Heaven.  Our righteousness surpasses the legalistic mindset of the scribes and Pharisees that is so narrowly focused on following rules.  Instead, we take on a more holistic approach, to live with right attitudes toward one another, so that we act in right ways toward one another, revealing through our living the Love God shows to us, by sharing it with one another.

We are challenged to do more than the bare minimum, putting in the effort to give ourselves fully to abiding by the Law of God in love, that we may experience, as Sirach speaks of, the fullness of life.

February 5, 2017: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As disciples, we are salt, bringing the glorious flavor of Life with God to all the Earth, and we are Light, shining His glorious presence over all the Earth.

We do this by serving those who are in need, deeds that please God and makes His presence known.  By living in justice, we shine the Light of God's presence in a world of darkness and gloom.  And in so doing, we proclaim the power of the Cross of Christ, by which God has brought deliverance to the world.

On a historical note, I recognize that February 6 falls the day after this Sunday.  February 6 is the the Statehood Day of Massachusetts whose capital city Boston was founded by John Winthrop to be a "city on a hill".  He had a powerful, God-inspired vision that this place and its people would set an example of holiness for all the world, just as God's people are called to do.

On a personal note, this weekend, I attended Mass at St. Teresa's in Valparaiso, IN, which was my opportunity to meet the new pastor, Fr. Chris, for the first time.  St. Paul's words in the 2nd reading about coming "in weakness...fear and much trembling" speak to my experience of arriving at Valparaiso University as a freshman nearly 7 1/2 years ago, agonizing over the reality of being away from home.  But the day after I moved in, I experienced God's presence in a powerful new way when I went to Mass for the first time at St. Teresa's.  That day, and all days since, the community of St. Teresa's has boldly proclaimed the message of the Cross through the Christian living they demonstrate in serving the students and others in the community in His Name.  They are ultimately faithful to the Lord by doing that which glorifies Him, which is our call as His people.

January 29, 2017: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God is calling us to a new way of life, with an attitude that embraces a kind of poverty.  It is a form of poverty in which we don't seek to gain everything for ourselves, but rather humbly seek after God.  He is the One Who cares about those who are in a lowly state, and raises them up to be with Him, that they may glorify Him.

The path to rising up to Him is laid out in the Beatitudes, as we embrace that spirit of poverty.  St. Paul writes about how the lowly, those who are considered nothing, are used by God to bring down those who are something, so that He alone is glorified.  And as sinners, that's how we all start out.  But we can take great consolation that God will raise us up by His power, which is beyond human understanding.  It's a glorious reality that is ours as we humbly accept it, giving ourselves to God even as we give ourselves to others.

January 22, 2017: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our recent celebration of the Christmas Season, we recalled how Christ brought Light into the world by manifesting the presence of God through His birth.

In the Gospel reading, we see how Christ is now manifesting God's presence through the Kingdom that is now present on Earth, by proclaiming the Kingdom, healing the sick, and calling people to turn from their ways of life and follow Him into a new way of life.  Through these actions, Christ brings God's Light to the world to those in darkness, as the prophecy foretells in the reading from Isaiah.

And He is drawing people together in Himself, which is why St. Paul exhorts the people to not engage in meaningless quarrels about who they follow, but to seek after the One God through Christ, proclaiming by their unity His presence among us, just like the bold preaching of the Dominicans for the past 800 years.

We enter a new way of Life in Christ as He shines His light on us, so that we may shine His Light forth unto all the world by giving of ourselves to follow His way, which is the way of salvation, in which we experience the ultimate goodness of abiding forever in His presence.

January 15, 2016: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.  Jesus, Who existed before all Creation, was the One endowed with might and power to save us by the Spirit of God.  Now saved, we are called to be holy and sanctified before Him.  And God has named us, His children, to be His servants to accomplish His purposes.  He has especially graced us that we delight in doing His Will, that all people should grow in relationship with God.

January 9, 2017: Feast of the Lord's Baptism

The Christmas Season is all about celebrating new beginnings in our world with the coming of Christ.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord celebrates the event that signaled the beginning of Jesus's ministry.  At this important moment, God revealed Himself, anointing Jesus with the Holy Spirit and calling Him His own beloved Son.  God furthermore announced how pleased He was with Him, for submitting obediently to doing the Father's Will.  Throughout the next couple of years or so of His public ministry, Jesus would continue revealing God's presence in the world, doing the Father's will, by preaching, healing, and calling people to repentance.

This is a great Feast to end the Christmas Season, when we've celebrated the many ways God has come to our world and revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ, His Son.  One line from Father Hurlbert's Epiphany homily stands out to me: "To get to know God, get to know Jesus.  To get to know Jesus, get to know those Who He's most concerned about."

We are called to be in relationship with God, getting to know Him by getting to know the Son He gives us, and getting to know the Son through those in Whom He is present, especially the lowly and those who would not seem to have any kind of place in God's people.  We share in the revelation of God to all the world through baptism, as, like Jesus, we are anointed by the Holy Spirit, and named children of God, and sent forth to do His work of healing and calling others to the new way of Life in Him, to which He gathers all people, who are His by living His Truth.

Sunday, January 8, 2017: Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

The world cannot be the same now that Christ has come, born as a baby, and abides with us forever as the Word Made Flesh.  He shines Light into our world, and compels us to seek Him, guided by that Light, just as the Magi did.

The major point of the Christmas message is that because Christ came to our world, He now appears anywhere and everywhere.  Christ can appear even in places we would not expect, and perhaps overlook.  He came to shine Light in all the world, so that all the nations would come to worship Him.  This is our glory as God's people.

Our mission now is to earnestly seek to acknowledge the presence of God wherever He appears, be transformed by the seeking and the encounter with Christ, and go forth to share the Light He gives us with all.  We offer Him our finest gifts, especially in adoring His presence in others.

Sunday, January 1, 2017: Feast of Mary, Mother of God/Naming of Jesus

God's salvation was given to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, born of Mary.  By being born human, He identified Himself so closely with us, bestowing on us His mercy, and freed us from sin so that we may live to glorify God, like the shepherds did who received the announcement from the angels of the Messiah's birth.

There is no other Name by which we are saved, and in the Name of Jesus we come before God's very presence to receive all the blessings of being in relationship with Him.  Following the example of Mary, we hold Him closely in our hearts, that we may let His graces come upon us, and know the blessings of being in a relationship with Him--all of which comes from His Name, revealing the very essence of who our great God is.