Jesus came to be born among us to reveal the heart of the Father’s Love for us in very humanly relatable ways, such as in a family.
We put faith and love into action in the ways we live in families and relationships.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
December 30, 2018: Feast of the Holy Family
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
December 25, 2018: Feast of the Lord's Nativity
How glorious it is that a mighty and seemingly distant God now comes so close to us in the baby Jesus Christ.
This baby is the very essence of the Father fully revealed to us, in contrast to the "partial and various" ways God spoke through prophets in the time before His Son was born.
We now rejoice in the Light that has come to our world, which reconciles us back into right relationship with God, the purity of Creation at the beginning, as Father Bob so marvelously noted in his homily.
Now that we are reconciled, we become bearers of Good News to a world, announcing that God continues to dwell among us, working to make everything right again.
This baby is the very essence of the Father fully revealed to us, in contrast to the "partial and various" ways God spoke through prophets in the time before His Son was born.
We now rejoice in the Light that has come to our world, which reconciles us back into right relationship with God, the purity of Creation at the beginning, as Father Bob so marvelously noted in his homily.
Now that we are reconciled, we become bearers of Good News to a world, announcing that God continues to dwell among us, working to make everything right again.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
December 23, 2018: Fourth Sunday of Advent
As the celebration of the Lord's Nativity nears, we're reminded of the glorious purpose for His coming.
He came from a small town to serve a large role in God's plan of salvation, to shepherd His people toward God. In the spirit of the reading from Hebrews, He offered His very self as a sacrifice to God to serve His purposes.
So we can count on Christ to lead us to salvation, rejoicing that He brings God into our midst, just as St. John the Baptist leaped in the womb of his mother Elizabeth at the sound of Mary's greeting.
Even as we await the joy of Nativity Day, we rejoice in recognizing how God is present, and how He draws us into His purposes, opening ourselves up to His purposes as Christ was devoted to the Father's purpose, and so was Mary in becoming the Mother of God.
Let us rejoice that God is at work so wondrously in our midst.
He came from a small town to serve a large role in God's plan of salvation, to shepherd His people toward God. In the spirit of the reading from Hebrews, He offered His very self as a sacrifice to God to serve His purposes.
So we can count on Christ to lead us to salvation, rejoicing that He brings God into our midst, just as St. John the Baptist leaped in the womb of his mother Elizabeth at the sound of Mary's greeting.
Even as we await the joy of Nativity Day, we rejoice in recognizing how God is present, and how He draws us into His purposes, opening ourselves up to His purposes as Christ was devoted to the Father's purpose, and so was Mary in becoming the Mother of God.
Let us rejoice that God is at work so wondrously in our midst.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
December 16, 2018: Third Sunday of Advent/Gaudete Sunday
I couldn't say it better myself than St. Paul on this Gaudete Sunday, as he proclaims in his letter to the Philippians that the people of God should rejoice always, repeating it again for emphasis.
God is near, and like the prophet Zephaniah proclaims, He rejoices over us.
This is a reality that is greater than any of our circumstances. (I think about how we heard these readings proclaimed 6 years ago on Sunday, December 16, 2012, after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.) No matter what we face, God is present, entering into our hearts to work something marvelous, and He is our joy.
So we give ourselves over to Him, which is what St. John the Baptist proclaims when various people come to ask Him what they should do. He calls them to change their lives around, because God is near, and is coming into our lives. So we change our lives to be open to the transformation that comes when God arrives.
I furthermore rejoice that I mark 5 years since I started this blog, joyfully reflecting on God's revelations in the words proclaimed on Sundays and Holy Days.
God is near, and like the prophet Zephaniah proclaims, He rejoices over us.
This is a reality that is greater than any of our circumstances. (I think about how we heard these readings proclaimed 6 years ago on Sunday, December 16, 2012, after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.) No matter what we face, God is present, entering into our hearts to work something marvelous, and He is our joy.
So we give ourselves over to Him, which is what St. John the Baptist proclaims when various people come to ask Him what they should do. He calls them to change their lives around, because God is near, and is coming into our lives. So we change our lives to be open to the transformation that comes when God arrives.
I furthermore rejoice that I mark 5 years since I started this blog, joyfully reflecting on God's revelations in the words proclaimed on Sundays and Holy Days.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
December 12, 2018: Feast of La Virgen de Guadalupe (Te Quatlaxupe)
We rejoice at the abundance of graces God bestows on His people, and furthermore upon the world, so that all may be saved.
From Mary, God brought forth a Son into the world Who would rule all.
We rejoice that God has a part for each of us to play in the unfolding of His plan of salvation. And so we go forth to proclaim the Good News, as Mary magnified the Lord, and San Juan Diego helped propagate the Christian faith to the people of Mexico in a way that touched the natives more closely.
From Mary, God brought forth a Son into the world Who would rule all.
We rejoice that God has a part for each of us to play in the unfolding of His plan of salvation. And so we go forth to proclaim the Good News, as Mary magnified the Lord, and San Juan Diego helped propagate the Christian faith to the people of Mexico in a way that touched the natives more closely.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
December 9, 2018: Second Sunday of Advent
A major theme in Advent is the breaking of God into our world, as is described in today's Gospel reading.
The individuals listed in the opening verses of the passage wielded incredible power at the time but what's more powerful than any of them is St. John the Baptist who comes to proclaim the message of God's coming.
And like Father Hurlbert stated masterfully in his homily at Ascension Parish this weekend, those seemingly mighty people have become footnotes in history while the message St. John the Baptist proclaimed persists.
Indeed, God is still at work in our world, doing something mighty in us, making us righteous in His sight so we may be ready to welcome Him into our world. He is removing all the reproach of sin and everything that weighs us down and joyfully bringing us into something new. We will be filled with God's splendor as He makes a straight way for us back to Himself, Who loves us so greatly. We will be fully in His presence, and all the world will see Him for Who He is, in all His glory. This is the joy of the Nativity, even as we know it now.
The individuals listed in the opening verses of the passage wielded incredible power at the time but what's more powerful than any of them is St. John the Baptist who comes to proclaim the message of God's coming.
And like Father Hurlbert stated masterfully in his homily at Ascension Parish this weekend, those seemingly mighty people have become footnotes in history while the message St. John the Baptist proclaimed persists.
Indeed, God is still at work in our world, doing something mighty in us, making us righteous in His sight so we may be ready to welcome Him into our world. He is removing all the reproach of sin and everything that weighs us down and joyfully bringing us into something new. We will be filled with God's splendor as He makes a straight way for us back to Himself, Who loves us so greatly. We will be fully in His presence, and all the world will see Him for Who He is, in all His glory. This is the joy of the Nativity, even as we know it now.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
December 8, 2018: Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
While sin entered through the falling of our ancestors Adam and Eve, God has demonstrated His mighty power over sin by His Grace.
Mary was filled with His Grace, and He chose her to be part of the great work of salvation. She consented to the plan of God presented to her, and so God entered the world through Jesus Christ, Who triumphed over the curse of sin.
Oh what a marvelous work God has set out to accomplish in all the disciples who follow in the way after Mary, for He bestows His Grace on us, as we consent to His plan for our lives, so that His Grace flows forth.
Mary was filled with His Grace, and He chose her to be part of the great work of salvation. She consented to the plan of God presented to her, and so God entered the world through Jesus Christ, Who triumphed over the curse of sin.
Oh what a marvelous work God has set out to accomplish in all the disciples who follow in the way after Mary, for He bestows His Grace on us, as we consent to His plan for our lives, so that His Grace flows forth.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
December 2, 2018: First Sunday of Advent
It's clear that Christ is coming again in great power to wield judgment on the world, as surely as He came as a baby to bring us salvation by dying and rising.
For those of us who are in Him, His coming is our time to stand tall to welcome Him, even as we spend this time of waiting now in holy and righteous living.
He has promised to establish anew a Reign of Justice in this world. We can count on His promise, and so we long for Him, opening our hearts and our lives to living in such a way so that He may enter in now, as surely as He shall come at the End of Time.
For those of us who are in Him, His coming is our time to stand tall to welcome Him, even as we spend this time of waiting now in holy and righteous living.
He has promised to establish anew a Reign of Justice in this world. We can count on His promise, and so we long for Him, opening our hearts and our lives to living in such a way so that He may enter in now, as surely as He shall come at the End of Time.
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