December 29, 2019: Feast of the Holy Family

We have the wonderful opportunity to spend multiple days unpacking the mystery of the Word Made Flesh.  God, through Jesus Christ, has entered into our world and our lives in all manner of ways so that we can enter deeply into a relationship with God.

Then He shows us how we make much of that relationship with the others in our lives, especially the family, which is the domestic version of Church.  That is why He was born in a family.

His presence with us calls us to live out virtues by which we show care for one another, bringing to fruition that love which sustains us in all circumstances, and enables us to do so when He is born in our hearts.

Even in the difficult circumstances of fleeing King Herod, Joseph and Mary had firm grounding by following God's directives and trusting Him.

So in our difficulties, we have assurance in entrusting ourselves to the One Who has come to us in the flesh and accompanies us always.  His example in the Holy Family helps us see how we can live out our call to holiness by abounding in the glorious exchange of love with those in our families who are so close to us in first showing us love and bringing us into the family.  The continual nurturing of love in our families truly makes present the Word Who became Flesh, and it is that love, keeping us close to God, that sustains us.

December 25, 2019: Feast of the Nativity of the Lord/Christmas

There is truly great reason to rejoice on this Feast.  We celebrate that the invisible God has become visible to us in Jesus Christ.

God greatly desires to be so close to us, even to the point of becoming human.

We now have come so close to the glory of God.

So let us rejoice as we give glory to God, making known our joy throughout the world, embracing that God is truly here with us, and knowing true peace.

December 22, 2019: 4th Sunday of Advent

God wants us to be sure of His presence in our world, which is why He sends us signs.

Indeed, the signs of His presence fill the world, as they have from when He created the Heavens and the Earth.  Ever since humans fell out of right relationship with God, He has used signs to draw us back to Him, as He actively desires to be in relationship with us.

In keeping with what Advent is about, let us awaken and be alert to the signs He sends us.  Aware of how He is present to us, we then are spurred on to embrace the call to holiness in our lives, trusting in His presence that always accompanies us.

December 15, 2019: 3rd Sunday of Advent/Gaudete Sunday

As we await the celebration of Christ's Birth at Christmas, and His 2nd coming at the end of time, we already have much reason to rejoice.

God is at work in our world, restoring what is broken, and bringing alive what is dead, as is described in Isaiah, and as Jesus describes in the Gospel reading when He responds to the inquiry of St. John the Baptist.

Let us open our eyes to see God at work, and await patiently as He brings His work to its fullness.

Indeed, when we keep ourselves aware of what He's doing, we are truly filled with joy.

I am furthermore filled with joy as I think about how this blog has provided the opportunity for me to reflect on what God speaks through Scripture, as it did back to Gaudete Sunday 6 years ago, all the way to today.

I took this photo of the rose candle on the Advent wreath at Ascension Parish.  Isn't she a beauty to behold?

December 12, 2019: Feast of La Virgen de Guadalupe

Mary was on the move in the Gospel reading from Luke, to visit her relative Elizabeth, and what a moment of joy they shared.

We rejoice on this day when Mary went on the move to the Western Hemisphere, and appeared to an indigenous man, San Juan Diego.

Her appearance advanced the Gospel of salvation among the Mexicans, and even furthermore among the Americas.

We behold our God Who comes to us, that all the world may be saved, and kept under His care, as He leads us to everlasting life.

What joy we have in encountering Him even now.

December 9, 2019: Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

When humanity turned from God, He set out to save us.

From before the foundation of the world, He chose Mary to be the pure vessel by which He would bring His Son into the world.  And so He has chosen those being saved from before the foundation of the world, cleansing us so that we might live for His praise.

Her act of obedience, her "Yes" to God, made possible the salvation of the world by reversing the curse of sin.  In our obedience to God, we participate in the victory God has won for us in Christ, born of Mary.

December 8, 2019: 2nd Sunday of Advent

The coming of God into our world changes the world:

The vision presented in the first reading from Isaiah speaks about an immense peace, in which even creatures who are naturally against each other instead abide in harmony.  This peace is established by the rule of the One upon Whom God has put His Spirit.

We long for this peace by which we acknowledge the very presence of God in our world.

And His presence draws all people to Him.  Even the Chosen One of Israel was sent to be a blessing for all people.

Because God is coming into our world, it's time for our lives to change, repenting and producing the fruit of repentance, as John the Baptist calls for while preparing the way for the One mightier than him.  This mightier One baptizes with fire that changes lives to live following God's way, which truly changes the world.

December 1, 2019: 1st Sunday of Advent

St. Paul says it well in the selection from his epistle to the Romans in the 2nd reading, "our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

Jesus speaks with a similar sense of urgency, adding that we don't know when the Son of Man will return.

These are statements that urge us to wake up and become alert to what's happening, and to make ourselves ready to welcome the Lord into our world and into our lives.  St. Paul tells us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ".

Isaiah speaks of a vision of the nations streaming to the mountain of God, where they will receive His instruction.

As we start once again a new year embarking on this Advent journey, let us strive toward God, letting Him direct our lives according to what matters, keeping the perspective of Eternity in mind, so we are ready to embrace the celebration of His birth later this month, to be ready for His return at the End of Time, and to welcome Him into our hearts even now, alert to how He is present among us.

November 24, 2019: Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

We rejoice greatly this great Feast day:  Christ is our King, largely because His moment of triumph came durring His Passion, a portion of which is depicted in today’s Gospel reading from St. Luke.

Jesus was crucified, and the charge above Him read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

While many mocked Him, a thief crucified near Him, recognizing his sin and Jesus as his savior, pleaded for mercy, that Jesus would remember him when He came into His Kingdom.  Jesus promised Paradise for this repentant thief.

And so He promises Paradise to all of us who acknowledge the reign that is rightly His because He died, and rose again to save us from sins.

He is truly above all, because He created all things.  And like His ancestor David, who was anointed King of Israel, Jesus was anointed to the the suffering King, anointed for the purpose of dying to bring us to the new, abundant Life we now have in Him.  As St. Paul writes in the Epistle to the Colossians, Jesus is truly "firstborn from the dead".

He promises that we will join His reign in its fullness one day as we strive to be faithful subjects in His Kingdom, which we bring to this earth even now as we abide in His ways of mercy and love.

November 17, 2019: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

When the End of Time comes, God will recreate the Heavens and the Earth by unleashing great fury and tumult, all in an effort to reestablish justice and righteousness.

Yet even leading up to that tumult, there will be great strife in the Earth, as has been confirmed throughout history and even in what's happening in our world today.

We as God's people aren't shielded, as people opposed to God oppose us who live by faith in Him, which can lead to strife for us.

But we can have assurance that in holding on to our faith, God will bring us through.  And when He unleashes great fury of judgment on the earth, we will be the beneficiaries of what the prophet Malachi says is the sun of righteousness that will bring healing to all our brokenness and restore us, and so our lives will be preserved.

So as St. Paul encouraged the Thessalonian community, let's remain diligent in doing the work God has called us to do, as we eagerly await the Day of the Lord.

November 10, 2019: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Resurrection gives us a purpose to our living now, because through the Paschal Mystery of Christ, God promises that we will attain to the Resurrection for ourselves.

We can live in hope that all difficulties of this life will give way to the reward of the next, and all the joys are a foretaste of that reward.

That is why we can stand strong in our faith, as did the brothers and their mother in the story from 2 Maccabbees.  And we know that we are living a glorious life even now, for, as Jesus asserts, we are children of the living God.  So we go forth with this encouraging word, to continue in the faith that gives us hope of Life and Resurrection.

November 9, 2019: Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica

The Church is the Body of Christ.  He dwells in each of us, and brings us together as His Living Body on Earth.  He brings us alive by the Paschal Mystery of His Death and Resurrection so that we may bring His presence and all the accompanying graces to the world, so God may truly be known on Earth.

November 3, 2019: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ever since humans first turned away from God into sin, He has been out to bring us back into right relationship with Himself.

The reading from Wisdom has rich, insightful words about how God rebukes sinners so they will turn from sin and back to Him, because He has created all, and so loves all.

That is on display in the Gospel reading, the story of Zacchaeus.  As a tax collector, working with the hated Roman authorities, and amassing wealth selfishly, the Jewish people consider him on the wrong side.  Yet there's something so compelling about Jesus that Zacchaeus goes to great lengths to see Jesus, even going out on a limb literally.

Yet Jesus is after Zacchaeus, too, as the first sentence of the reading indicates that Jesus has a definite purpose for going into Jericho, which is to invite Zacchaues to open his home, and his life, to Jesus.  This encounter compels Zacchaeus to repent of his ways and make things right.

Truly, a relationship with Jesus is meant to be life-changing.  Like Bishop Casey spoke so insightfully in his homily at St. Martin de Porres Parish at their Feast Day Mass today, we are not to be stuck in our limitations, but are called to go out on a limb and embrace a new perspective.  Jesus comes to us even today, telling us He must come into our homes and lives today, as He invites us to change our perspective on ourselves and others to a way that leads us closer to God Who loves us so much.

November 2, 2019: All Souls' Day

Christ's redemptive work in death and Resurrection has totally transformed our existence.

No longer does death have power over us the way it did before.  Death now serves God's redemptive purpose, for those of us who abide in Christ's righteousness.  The faithful departed are in the hands of God, entering into the full reality of the Resurrection.

And in Christ, we remain connected with all those who have gone before us.

November 1, 2019: All Saints' Day

What a great feast it is that we can celebrate all the saints in Heaven, known and unknown, even as we celebrate our call to holiness.  This call leads us to Heaven, where we will join a great multitude in praise of God, Who has lavished His love upon us, and called us His children.  We experience such love even now, and this call to holiness also gives us the opportunity to live as saints in our lives now.

God has called us His children, lavishing His love upon us, and we can show that love through holy living, displayed through humbly serving others, striving courageously through any challenges in life, because we live in glory even now.

October 27, 2019: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Consistently in our Scriptures and Tradition, God grants special attention to the lowly and those in need.  There's incredible imagery in the reading from Sirach about the prayer not withdrawing until answered by the Most High, in a just way.

As Deacon Kevin mentioned in his homily at Ascension Parish, the interior disposition of the heart is important in prayer.  We can be lowly in the way we offer our prayer from the heart, as we acknowledge God is God, and we are not.  That's why Jesus says the tax collector, a despised sinner in ancient Israel, went home justified from his time of prayer at the Temple, rather than the Pharisee, because the tax collector was lowly enough to recognize his erring ways and his need for God's mercy, just as we do at Mass.

It is in a state of lowliness that we can be confident in God's action.  St. Paul humbly lived out his faith in striving to do God's work, and in the 2nd reading from 2 Timothy, recognizing the end of his life draws near, he reflects in stirring words, saying he has "fought the good fight...finished the race...kept the faith", with "the crown of righteousness" in store for him.  Even when all abandoned him, God stood by him so that he could boldly proclaim the message of God all the way through.  My family felt those words reflected my Grandpa Martin's path through life, and put them on his headstone, in accordance with something akin to the NIV translation of that passage.

Indeed, when we live life with a mesure of lowliness, we open ourselves to God's ability to act in and through us, and God will justify us now and at the end with great reward.

October 20, 2019: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

History has demonstrated the power of persistence.

For with persistence the Israelites conquered the Amalekites who attacked them.

With persistence, the judge in Jesus's parable finally granted the widow's request for a just judgment.

If a judge who doesn't fear God can give in, imagine how much more, Jesus says, God will grant our requests through persistence.

We poise ourselves to continue persistently by growing in relationship with God, continuing in what we have learned from our encounters with Him in Holy Scripture, doing it, as St. Paul writes, in season and out of season.  It is from Scripture that we are equipped for the work of faith, and persist in it.

October 13, 2019: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has revealed to the nations His saving power, as Psalm 98 proclaims.

It happened when Naaman came to Israel seeking a cure for his skin disease.  After the disappointment of being told by Elisha to bathe in the Jordan River, he praises God for curing him, and devotes his life to praising God alone.

So it happens with a Samaritan in a group of lepers.  He alone returns to Jesus to offer praise and thanks for his healing.

Jesus commends this Samaritan for the faith which he expresses in giving thanks.

It is a faith that God has brought ultimate healing through the salvation that comes in Jesus Christ, Who heals us from our sins.  Free from sin, we can devote our lives to living for His praise.

October 6, 2019: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has given us faith as a great gift.  And it has so much potential, as Jesus says that even a small amount of faith can accomplish greatly.

That is why it is important for us to have the right attitude about faith, not using it to gain something for ourselves, but letting it guide us to magnify God day by day, Who created and loves us, calling us to love Him above all.

God doesn't guarantee abiding in faith will bring us a life of ease, but He guarantees it will grant us assurance that will help us face whatever we encounter in life.

As St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy, the Holy Spirit, which we receive in faith, will aid us in guarding the faith, as we "stir into flame" that gift, and strive to uphold it.

September 29, 2019: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In tones similar to last week's liturgy, God calls us to use our wealth for good purposes, and not focus solely on amassing wealth for our own pleasure.

The rich man, like those criticized in Amos, took pleasure his wealth, and totally neglected the needy, like Lazarus who was at his front door.

God stands ready to judge those who heed not the needs around them, and like Mary proclaims in the Magnificat, He will reverse the fortunes of this world, bringing the comforted to great despair in the next life, as He brings great comfort to those afflicted in this life.

We can use our wealth for good purposes when we live in the virtues and righteousness to which St. Paul calls Timothy.

Even as we are promised the fullness of Eternal Life one day, we share in a portion of it even now.  So let us lay hold of this Eternal Life that God calls us to, and pursue the ways of faith, the great gift granted to us by God.

September 22, 2019: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I remember during a retreat a few years ago, we focused on the parable of the dishonest steward.

It’s quite odd that Jesus would commend someone acting dishonestly, but when looking closer at the context, we realize that Jesus narrows in on the steward’s earnestness in gaining for himself.  Jesus then says that spirit of earnestness is a model for how we should strive in advancing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

We should not seek to profit for ourselves, but go above and beyond in helping those in need, recognizing that God extends special care for the poor and needy, raising them up.  May we answer the call to help those in need and be part of how God cares for them.  Let us seek to be one people of God, in the spirit in which St. Paul writes we should offer prayers for everyone and live quietly and peaceably.

As I think about first coming to St. Teresa’s 10 years ago, and the many relationships I forged in that community, especially with Dan and Ann Ruggaber.  They helped meet my need of community to offer consolation while away from home, and aiding me in attaining a purpose-filled life in advancing the Kingdom in great earnestness.

September 15, 2019: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

While God is just, He is also merciful, in a radical, reckless way.

It doesn't matter how far we've strayed from Him in sin.  He is always ready to welcome us back when we repent and turn again to Him, so vast is the power of His grace and mercy, which nothing can overcome.

When we come back to Him, we are back in the abundant Life He has granted us through salvation.  There is truly reason to celebrate when sinners repent and turn to Him, because it is a manifestation of His Life.

May we open ourselves to the ways God showers His mercy and grace on others, aware of how much He had for us.

September 14, 2019: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Jesus Christ was crucified upon the Cross, a horrible punishment given to the worst of criminals by the ancient Romans.

Yet God redeemed this instrument of torture to be a means of salvation, so that in joining Christ in dying, we could enter into the abundance of new Life that the Cross brings.

Such a reversal brought in the power of redemption is truly God's power of triumph.

September 8, 2019: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus is calling us to a new way of life that demands much of us, that we devote our lives to Him as the primary focus.

I remember hearing these reading at the Mass on the Grass held at St. Teresa's during my college years, when we had Mass outside.  And at the outdoor Mass at Ascension Parish this weekend, I heard them again, including the once every three year proclamation of a reading from Philemon.

It was from that reading that Father Hurlbert noted that God doesn't force us to obey Him:  He gives us the option to freely choose Him.  We grapple with what it costs us so that we may have strength of character and faith to follow after Him, persevering in those demands, knowing He makes a way for us, and prospers the works we do by faith, so that we can live with purpose and meaning.  It is like Mary, who Nativity is today: She said "Yes" to God's plan and fulfilled a significant role in God's plan.

It is also like those first Spanish settlers who came ashore on September 8, 1565, and when they founded St. Augustine, Florida, they celebrated Mass to demonstrate their thanksgiving and devotion to God.  From that first Mass in the present-day United States, we continue to offer thanksgiving as a sign of devoting our lives to Him.

September 1, 2019: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the past, God's people were afraid to approach Him as He manifested Himself in terrifying glory on Mount Sinai.

Now, we can access God in a less terrifying way as we draw near the Heavenly Jerusalem.  There, we encounter a festal throng, and Jesus, the mediator of the new Covenant, Who makes it possible to draw so close to God by faith.

Similar to last weekend's readings, though, this faith compels something of us.  It calls us into a new way of Life, based on humility, as we follow after the One through Whom we have access to the Father.

We are not to seek the best for ourselves, or to have repayment for our kindness.  We are to seek to give of ourselves, putting others in a place higher than us, as we strive on toward the Heavenly Jerusalem where we will ultimately receive the reward of glorifying God in His very presence as we have done so on Earth to those around us.

August 25, 2019: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

When asked who will be saved, Jesus issues a call to strive toward "the narrow way".

God has given a great gift of faith to us, as He has to people throughout the world, through which He bestows His abundant mercy and love on us.

But so great a gift compels something of us, that we work to uphold it, making much of it.

Even in the midst of discipline in the troubles of life, God works to strengthen our faith.

And as we put faith into action, it comes alive as we join together as one people upholding our faith.

It was a faith I saw alive in the community of the St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Student Center at Valparaiso University when I attended Mass there for the first time 10 years ago, and it spurred me on in faith for the four years of college and beyond.

August 18, 2019: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Christ came, like all the prophets before Him, including Jeremiah, to proclaim God's Truth.

But some are opposed to God's Truth and so oppose His messengers.

So Jesus declares that His mission on Earth causes division when people oppose Him, a mission that drives Him so strongly, it leads to His death.  Yet it is part of His Passion, a baptism by which the world is set ablaze that it may be restored to the way God intended it.

As His disciples, we follow in His way to proclaim the Truth of God, and we face opposition for it as did our master, and the prophets before Him.  Yet, we press forth, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, striving on in our mission, in our journey of faith, to attain the goal of our faith, passing through the Cross to the joy of the fullness of redemption.

August 15, 2019: Assumption of Mary

I find much meaning in this feast because it hearkens back to Easter Resurrection Sunday.

As Christ, the Head, has arisen from the dead, so we hope to have our own Resurrection, redeemed in both soul and body.

As the first disciple, Mary has experienced this fullness of Resurrection by being assumed body and soul into Heaven.

We live in hope of the power of God that is to work in us in death through the final day of Resurrection.

We rejoice that by the power of the Resurrection, the corruption of sin that works against our bodies is reversed.

Together with Mary, we magnify the Lord Who brings us Life and hope of the fullness of Life one day.

August 11, 2019: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have been given a great treasure in the gift of faith that brings us into relationship with God.

In order for this gift of faith to really mean something, we have to work at building it, stewarding it with great care:  We let our faith influence our lives, as we give of ourselves in serving others so that God is truly made present.

We demonstrate faithfulness to the God Who is so faithful in attending to us and revealing Himself so we can have a relationship with Him.

I've spent much time this weekend hob-knobbing with presidents at sites pertainign to them, specifically Herbert Hoover and Abraham Lincoln.  Like John F. Kennedy said, as is indicated in the Gospel reading, good leaders recognize that being given much power means having greater expectations upon us.

Indeed, what a great gift of faith we have been given, which calls us to greatness in our living.

August 4, 2019: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A portion of the 2nd reading for today is slated for Resurrection Sunday.  It is a reminder of the work Christ had done in our lives by the Paschal Mystery, which now focuses us on Heaven above.

Therefore, our aim in life becomes building up treasure in Heaven.

We need this focus because life without God becomes vanity, with our all efforts coming to naught once we leave this life.

That's why it is important for us to be rich in our relationship with God, and use this life to build up those riches, embracing our Heavenward calling.

July 28, 2019: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has always sought to be in close relationship with us, and He desires that we draw close to Him, persisting in growing in relationship with Him.

Abraham dares to persist in bargaining with God to spare Sodom for the sake of the innocent therein.  Jesus teaches His disciples His prayer and then instructs them that prayer is a means to petition God, Who grants us the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit Himself.

Now, as people redeemed by the Paschal Mystery, we can dare draw near to God in prayer, confident that He will grant us His very living, real Presence, so that we live abundantly.

July 21, 2019: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When God enters our lives, it is an invitation to draw toward Him and embrace an opportunity to be in relationship with Him.

Having a relationship with God, and investing in it, helps keep us focused on what matters, which sustains us in the busyness of life.  Martha certainly was noble in her efforts to wait on Jesus, and when she got exasperated when Mary didn't help her, Jesus responded by inviting her to focus on "the better part" of many things.

When three visitors came to Abraham's lodgings, he recognized something glorious about them, and focused his efforts on welcoming them.  In such gathering, he encountered the blessed news that a child would soon be born to him and Sarah.

A relationship with God truly transforms us, as the living real presence of Christ dwelling in us draws us toward Eternal Life, which is our "hope for glory", as St. Paul writes.

So day by day, we live in hope, as we open ourselves to God's presence in us.

July 14, 2019: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has brought a word of command so very close to us.  It is a command to love God with all we are, and to love our neighbors, too, as an expression of God's Love.

It is a command that becomes real to us because God came in Jesus Christ to show us the way of Love, and break down the barriers that would prevent us from experiencing God's love and extending it to others in action.

July 7, 2019: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God calls us to be His disciples, having set us apart by the Paschal Mystery, freeing us from sin and bringing us into a new way of life.  He grants us a mission to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand, present right with us now, and to help others see that it is present.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus sends out a group of 72, and in His instructions for them, He focuses their attention away from certain material goods that might accompany them, getting them to focus on their proclamation.

It is the proclamation that sustains us as we face difficulties, which St. Paul alludes to when he talks about "the marks of Jesus" on his body in the reading from Galatians.  While the realities of the world indicate that we will experience hardship as we seek to fulfill God's mission to us, we can rest in the assurance that God is leading us to Himself.

Indeed, regardless of how others respond, living out this mission helps us realize that we are on our way to Heaven, where we will experience His abundant Life, even as we experience it now.

So when the 72 return, rejoicing that the demons were subject to them, Jesus tells them, and even us, not to rejoice simply in how the demons respond to them, but that their, and our, "names are written in Heaven".

We truly rejoice in what God has done for us, and that He continues to accompany us so that what we do leads us to Himself, and we are truly bound for glory.

June 30, 2019: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

At a time when we celebrate freedom in the United States, the readings for this Sunday help us understand what freedom means in the context of faith.  Christ, by the Paschal Mystery, has set us free from sin.  This freedom now grants us new purpose in life, as He calls us to serve Him, a call to wholehearted devotion that consumes us.

He has placed His presence upon us and within us, like when Elijah placed his mantle on Elisha, and calls us to serve Him with wholehearted devotion, as evidenced by what Jesus says to would-be followers, following after Him all our days, all the while making His presence to others.

No matter what we face, we have assurance in Him as we make Him the center of our lives, He Who has rescued us from death and brought us alive in abundant Life that we live when we follow obediently in answering the call day by day.

June 29, 2019: Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

We have much to celebrate in these two saints today.

God chose them to fulfill special roles in building on the foundation of the Church He lay.

They give us a great example of living faith boldly, rooting ourselves in a strong foundation in Christ that can strengthen us in troubles and allow us to bring Life to the world as Christ radically brings us alive, as He did Saints Peter and Paul.

June 28, 2019: Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

There is something about the Love of God that is so deep so as to leave us in such a profound state of wonder.

Father Brankin put it well in his homily at Mass this morning at St. Odilo, saying that God must see something valuable in us so that He would save us, like a shepherd having such loving care for His sheep.

God's love, flowing from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is so deep, that He would die for sinners and bring us to new Life, continually sustained in His Love flowing forth.

This is the Love that grants us peace the world cannot give.

On this day marking 100 years since the Treaty of Versailles, may the overflowing, abundant Love of God continually flow forth into and around us so we may live in Peace He alone gives.

June 24, 2019: Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is truly reason for us to celebrate because he was the one who heralded the coming of our salvation, Jesus Christ, the purpose that drove His life's work.

He sets an example for all of us who confess faith in Christ to herald His coming as He enters our world, for this is the purpose for which God calls us.

June 23, 2019: Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

What a great feast it is, as we celebrate the source and summit of the Christian life, God offering Himself to us through Jesus.

The Eucharist is truly a mystery, that the Bread and Wine become the very Body and Blood of Christ, yet it is a reality that comes so close to us in the Eucharist.  It is the Feast at the heart of the Paschal Mystery, by which God showed us the full extent of His Love, and brings us Life.  We continually remember His offering by eating of His Body and taking up the cup of His Blood, and offering our thanks, just as Melchizedek did in Genesis.

And we continue our priestly duties as people in Whom God dwells, Whom God has fed, as we live to show His presence dwells in us.  For the Eucharist has such great power in how it transforms us, as we partake of Him, to be joined in community as the One Body of Christ, and become His Presence in the world.

June 16, 2019: Most Holy Trinity Sunday

I notice that the readings are quite short for today's Mass that celebrates the Most Holy Trinity, a mystery that is large and unfathomable.

Yet we become aware of the reality of the Trinity through the revelations God has granted us of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We see that God brought everything into a sense of order when He created the world.  And Jesus Christ, in perfect union with the Father, continually reveals God to us, Who made us right in His sight and continues to draw us into a life-giving relationship with the Father.  Jesus tells the apostles at the Last Supper, "Everything the Father has is mine" and He "takes what is mine and declares it to" us.

Indeed, Jesus Christ has filled our hearts with the love of God the Father, through the Holy Spirit Who is God's continued presence in us, which sustains us in hope, so that we can abide in belief and faith because, despite the vastness of the mystery of the Trinity, we believe it is real because of how we experience it.

June 10, 2019: Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

We rejoice that God has granted Mary a special role in serving as the channel by which our salvation entered the world.  Since Mary is the Mother of Christ, Who is the head of Christ's Body, the Church, so she is the Mother of the Church.

And this salvation has been entrusted to the Church as we proclaim the Good News, following Mary's "yes" to God as we devote our lives to pray and worship that leads us to the action of proclamation.

June 9, 2019: Pentecost Sunday

As God promised, He has poured forth the great gift of the Holy Spirit upon His people, summoning forth His Church.  It happened at Pentecost, a Jewish feast celebrating the start of the harvest and the establishment of the Mosiac Law.  Now it has new meaning in the new covenant it has established in Jesus Christ's Paschal Mystery poured forth in the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Risen Jesus in us, God abiding with us always.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be fully alive in God and proclaim the Good News that Christ, Who was once dead, is now alive forever and ever, sealing His covenant with the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, the Holy Spirit is a great gift that empowers us to go forth using it for God's glory as we proclaim Him and serve others.

Just as happened at the first Pentecost, so today the Holy Spirit continues speaking in many languages, which I thought about at World Youth Day 2019.  Even with so many different languages spoken, we were all united in speaking the one language of faith, praising our God.

Father Hurlbert insightfully pointed out in his homily at Pentecost Mass today that the Holy Spirit helps us communicate in other languages, even beyond verbal-written systems of communication to also nonverbal forms of communication, those sensations we feel inside us that we may not be able to describe fully but are sure signs of God's presence.

So as we conclude the Easter Season with this great feast, we are sent forth to walk with the Spirit to proclaim God, just as the Holy Spirit descended in great force to empower the disciples beyond their human capabilities to proclaim the mighty acts of God.

June 2, 2019: Ascension Sunday

We rejoice that our Risen Savior entered the fullness of His glory in His Ascension.

He has entered the very presence of God, having completed His salvific work of salvation in dying and rising that brings us to God.

By His Ascension, He has blazed a pathway to God the Father Himself.

So we are bound now for glory, and as we strive in this life toward our Heavenly goal, we can experience that glory as we do the work for which God has sent us forth.  We don't merely look upward: we strive forward and outward.  And we wait upon the Holy Spirit to guide us because He is the power that enables us for this work, so we can be His Presence in this world.

May 26, 2019: Sixth Sunday of Easter/Rogato Sunday

Revelation describes how God and the Lamb are the all-sufficient Light in the new Heaven, so that there will be no sun or moon, and there is no Temple since we abide in God's real presence there.

Even now, though, we have a foretaste of what we will experience one day in Heaven.

In the midst of the progression of changes we experience in life, we can be that God is always present with us through the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is the Advocate to guide us through the changes so that we respond in a way that honors God.

Acts recounts how the early Church relied on the guidance of the Spirit in issues they encountered, like when it came to the right way to welcome Gentiles into faith, which was still dominated by Jewish practice.

As we abide in the newness of Life now, we can rely on God, letting Him be the Light that shines in and through us, ever making us new as we remain constant in our devotion to Him.  As His Light shines in all the world, all the peoples praise Him for His goodness and mercy.  And we go forth unafraid, because He has promised us peace, which we know because of the Advocate Who guides us.

May 19, 2019: Fifth Sunday of Easter

In those remarkable early years, those in the Church had to strive to uphold the faith, even in the face of opposition.  So we in this day must keep persevering in the faith. We know that a glorious end will come, when all suffering will end, and everything will be made new, as described in the reading from Revelation 21

We are already experiencing everything made anew, for Christ has been glorified through His death and Resurrection.  He imparts His glory to us, and we see it revealed when we follow His commandment to love another in the same love He showed us in dying and rising, which was His glorification.

I think about my life of faith and how it has been made new in so many ways, ever since my baptism on the Fifth Sunday of Easter 28 years ago, and has especially been shaped significantly in the 6 years since I graduated from Valparaiso University, with experiences like teaching Religous Education, joining the Knights of Columbus, and attending World Youth Day, which I incorporated in many ways into my excursions this weekend in Washington, D.C.

I visited St. Joseph Parish, some of whose parishioners I met at World Youth Day.  I visited and prayed at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the National Shrine of Pope St. John Paul II, two places that evoke such a strong sense of the glory of God.

It is amazing to think of how glorious it is when my faith has come alive, and the ways I have put it into action, as God has done one amazing thing after another.

So I strive on in this journey of faith toward the glorious vision God has revealed to us, even as this glory is present to us now when we live the Love He showed us so fully in the Paschal Mystery.

May 12, 2019: Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday

As we approach the midpoint of the Easter Season, the focus of the readings turns toward Jesus as our Good Shepherd of us the flock, who are His people.

As our Shepherd and Savior, He lays down His life for His flock, His people, so that we can be free from sin, and He opened the way for us to attain Eternal Life.  He guides us through all the cares of this life, caring for us tenderly as He guides us on our way to living forever in His Presence.

As He leads us there, He calls us to embrace a way of life that abides by His Word, so that we can faithfully fulfill the vocation He grants us for our lives, to serve in His Love, which makes Eternal Life present to us now.

On this Sunday, we rejoice in the gift and vocation of motherhood that brought us alive and by constant nourishment, continues bringing us alive.  We implore God to stir up abundant vocations to the religious life and priesthood as people devote their lives to serving as shepherds of His flock.  We also give thanks to God, on this, Florence Nightingale's birthday, for the compassionate care nurses do in their work as they tend to those with medical needs.

We praise God that in so many ways He shows His care for us and calls us to care for others as a sign of His continued Presence among us, bringing a healing touch that brings us alive.

May 5, 2019: Third Sunday of Easter

The Risen and Living Jesus Christ truly transforms us.  He draws us out of despair and sin to enter into a new way of life steeped in hope.

He reinstated Peter and the other apostles after they slunk into despair, especially considering how they fled from Him the night of his betrayal and compounded by a night of catching no fish whatsoever.

Christ gave them new purpose, which eventually led them to boldly proclaim His Name, even when the religious authorities ordered them not to, and they rejoiced that they were found worthy to suffer for the Name, as Acts recounts.

They grounded themselves in a powerful sense of hope, which is represented so powerfully in the reading from Revelation, describing Christ, Who was once dead and rose again, conquering death, as now reigning powerfully and giving us hope and courage to face any troubles in the world, knowing we live in and act in His victory.

It is truly reason for celebration, which was certainly on my mind as I marked the 20th Anniversary of my First Holy Communion, at St. Giles Family Mass where it happened.  And we go forth celebrating, strengthened by Christ to live His love, which, as Father Carl put it in his homily today, is the criteria for serving Him.

April 28, 2019: 2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday

Christ was once dead, but now is alive forever and ever.  He reigns as the Mighty One over all Creation, which He redeems by His blood shed on the Cross.  Now that He lives forever and ever, He imparts to us newness of life, which brings us peace, joy, and healing, so we can be free from all that weighs us down.

And He brings us together as a community of faith, where we make Him present to one another, and then are sent forth, filled with His powerful living presence to make Him known in the world, and share the peace, joy, and healing He grants us.

It is by the power of faith that we continue recognizing His presence, just as I have since that day 28 years ago today when I died to self and rose to new Life in Christ, a newness of Life I have lived in so many ways, which I celebrated today.

April 21, 2019: Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection

The tomb is empty, for Christ had to rise from the dead to fulfill the word of God proclaimed for ages past.

He chose us, His people, to encounter the Risen Presence of Christ and go forth to proclaim this great Good News that He is alive.  For now that Christ our Pascal Lamb has been sacrificed, as St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, we live in sincerity and truth, looking above to Heaven, as he writes in Colossians, where we are headed to attain the fullness of Eternal Life, won for us by the Risen Christ.

On the way, we testify to the reality of the Resurrection so all may know the gifts that flow forth from the Empty Tomb, and the Risen Christ, Whom we encounter day by day as we walk in newness of Life that leads to glorious Life Eternal.

April 20, 2019: Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

Even as God's people awaited the culmination of God's work of salvation, He was at work.  He was pointing His people toward the way of redemption, just as He does today, calling us to seek after Him, to follow His ways, as we embrace the Paschal Mystery by which we die to ourselves and rise into glorious new life.  We were created to be something glorious, and by the Resurrection, we have been recreated into something new and even more glorious.

April 19, 2019: Friday of the Lord's Passion (Good Friday)

Jesus Christ came to Earth to fulfill the purpose of God to die for us.  Even in the midst of great suffering, He stood strong in God's purpose, fully aware of that purpose.  As a result, we have benefitted by being freed from the punishment we deserved for our sins.  We have been made into a people of God, through Him Who testified to the Truth in the midst of lies that abounded because of sin, a light shining in the darkness, even when the darkness seemed to snuff it out.  That is why we honor Him today as our great Savior, because He willingly died for us.

April 18, 2019: Maundy Thursday

Jesus Christ offered His Body and Blood at the Passover meal He celebrated with the Apostles, thereby instituting the Eucharist.  At the same meal, He washed His Apostles' feet as a way of establishing a model for how they should live their lives in giving of themselves in service to others, the way they love as He loves us.

So as we continue to partake of the Eucharist, we necessarily must be compelled to live out the Eucharist by serving others, motivated by the Love God has shown us in Christ.

April 14, 2019: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

We join the crowds and hail Christ as our triumphal King as He enters Jerusalem:  He is the One Who came not to seize power for Himself and be a mighty ruler, but because He stepped back from power.  And He humbled Himself to embrace death on a Cross, entrusting Himself to the Father, so that we could be saved from sin.

So as God exalts Him, we shout "Hosanna" because He is the King Who died for us and rose again that we might die to sin and live in newness of Life.  We take our place in following behind Him, entrusting ourselves to God, in the hope that we will enter His Kingdom one day, as He welcomes us in.

April 7, 2019: Fifth Sunday of Lent

Behold, God is doing something new, as the prophet Isaiah proclaims, like a dry desert coming alive with streams of water.

Indeed, God is entering into the deserts of sin within us, bringing life-giving waters through His Son, Who does not condemn us, but showers mercy on us so that, no longer condemned, we embrace the chance to do what is right.  And we open ourselves to extending that same mercy to others, for all are in need of it, and God grants it freely to all, as we focus away from condemning.

Furthermore, we no longer hold dear what is of this earth.  We constantly strive upward to possess the fullness of a relationship with God, as we join with Christ in dying to ourselves and rising to new life, made possible by Christs's Paschal Mystery.

March 31, 2019: Fourth Sunday of Lent/Laetare Sunday

What powerful words it must have been for the Hebrews to hear, that God had "removed the reproach of Egypt from" them.

The curse of an oppressive past had been lifted, which surely must have added to their sense of celebration of reaching the Promised Land, and eating of its harvest as they celebrated the Passover, when God delivered them.

And what a grand celebration it must have been when the son who ran away returned home.  The father's urge to celebrate started as soon as he caught the faintest glimpse of his son, running toward him to embrace him and welcome him so dearly. 

God wants to remove the stain of sin from us to make us pure and holy as He created us to be, even sending His Son to reconcile us to Himself.  He makes us a new creation, so that we can join the great celebration of being reconciled back to the God Who created us.  (I think about Abby Johnson's story, depicted in the film Unplanned that opened in theaters recently, and how Abby came to her senses and completely changed the direction of her life.)

And we remember that His mercy is for all, and we should be open to sharing it, so that the celebration is truly ours, not removing ourselves from embracing it like the older son who thought he wasn't getting enough of what he deserved.

Indeed, God's mercy is reckless, immense, and abundant, because He is so eager to welcome us back when we repent of sin and turn back toward Him.  And on this Laetare Sunday, just past reaching the midpoint of Lent, there is truly much reason to celebrate and rejoice.

March 25, 2019: Feast of the Annunciation

Like Pope Francis remarked during World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, Mary had an incredible influence on the world because she consented to the Word of God and let it be done in her.

She made way for the Son of God to enter our world and be our salvation.

Let us follow the example of Mary, the first disciple, and day by day offer up our "yes" to God so that His Word can be done in us, and His work can be done in our world through us.  Just like Pope Francis told the crowds at World Youth Day, like Mary, we can be an influence on our world.  And it starts with a "yes" to Him.

On a historical side note, how fitting that a colony with Mary's name on it was founded on this day in 1634, which would have an influence by planting the seeds for religious freedom and the thriving of Roman Catholics in what is now the USA.

March 24, 2019: Third Sunday of Lent

This day, I attended Mass at St. Augustine Mission church in Winnebago, NE, just like I did 6 years ago on the 3rd Sunday of Lent in Cycle C, when we heard proclaimed the reading from Exodus in which Moses encounters God in a burning bush.  God commands Moses to remove the sandals from his feet, because he stands on holy ground.

St. Augustine was founded by St. Katharine Drexel--it's truly "holy ground" where a saint walked, just as all those who serve here, including those in my group that came here, have made it holy.

On holy ground, in the presence of God, we have the opportunity to ponder Who our God is, like Father Mark Beran talked about in his homily this day in 2019.  He is Holy, Almighty, and Just, but He is also merciful and compassionate to all, even to the point of recklessly seeking after us when we keep sinning.  He constantly desires for us to repent and be fruitful for His Glory.

As we ponder Who He is, we are led to respond to that invitation to repent from our wrongful ways, receive His mercy, and live righteously before Him.

March 19, 2019: Feast of St. Joseph

God called Joseph to be the earthly father of His Son Jesus Christ.

Likewise, God calls us to be guardians and stewards of the great gift of salvation He grants us, so that it may be done to all the world.

How fitting to think of the Shepherds of our Church, who mark significant anniversaries on this Feast: 6 years since the installation Mass of Pope Francis, and 70 years since Cardinal Cupich was born.

May God continue to enrich them, and us, in be faithful to this call.

March 17, 2019: Second Sunday of Lent

As we continue on our Lenten journey, we hear the story of the Transfiguration, which gives us a glimpse of where we're headed, an encounter with the fullness of the glory of God, which we encounter in the Resurrected Jesus.

But we don't merely see His glory:  We're called to be transformed to reflect it ourselves, becuase God has brought us into a special relationship with Himself, starting all the way back with the promises He made to Abram.  And now our citizenship is in Heaven.   We no longer focus on earthly things, but focus above to where we're headed as we strive along the way.

We can count on seeing God's goodness as we devote our lives to God, acknowledging Him as our Light, for He is our Hope.

March 10, 2019: First Sunday of Lent

In His response to temptations in the desert, Jesus honored God above all, with all we are, and all our actions.

That is in the same spirit of what God commanded of the people in Deuteronomy, in presenting the firstfruit offerings to God.

We offer our best to God beceause He saved us, which we believe by the Word that made known to us the message of salvation and which continues to work in us so we live out our belief.

March 6, 2019: Ash Wednesday

The time has come to call upon God on account of an awareness of our sins that leads us to plead for His mercy, knowing full well our God is so abundantly merciful.  Indeed, He alone has the power to transform miserable sinners, such as us, and restore us to righteousness, for we have no power on our own.

God calls us to repent with our hearts, not only with outward signs.  From the heart, God desires to draw us into a deeper relationship with Him, and our actions should focus on purifying ourselves, as we focus on deepening our relationship with God.

As I was at Mass this evening, I thought about how at that very hour of the evening 6 years ago, I was in an aboriginal American sweat lodge ceremony, with a strong spiritual component that speaks to it as a purifying ritual, as we offered up our prayers to God.  Indeed, Lent starts with a symbol, the product of a fire, and throughout this season, we have the opportunity to purify our hearts to be righteous before God in our way of living.

Now is the time to act, because today is the day of salvation, the day when we can enter more deeply into a relationship with our God Who saves and out of death, brings new Life, which we shall celebrate fully in the Triduum.

March 3, 2019: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As part of His call to live a radical lifestyle, Jesus says we should not be so focused on judging others' faults that we don't heed and take action to correct our own faults.

Let us hold to the Word of God, letting it stir us to rightness in mind and in action, as we follow the example of our teacher.  May we remain sturdy in bearing good fruit, knowing our God, through Christ, has won the victory for us over sin and death so that we can be steadfast in bearing good fruit for the Lord.

I think about St. Mother Katharine Drexel, whose feast day is March 3.  She founded many missions to serve impoverished African-Americans and aboriginal Americans, one of which is St. Augustine in northeast Nebraska, where I was present to celebrate her feast day 6 years ago during a service trip.

We had the opportunity during that week of service to put into action the spirit of charity that blazed within her, and that we are all called do exhibit as we bear the fruit of righteous by the power of God.

February 24, 2019: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has created us to reflect something of His character.  When sin diminished the luster of His character in us, He sent Christ to bring us back into relationship with Him.

Though we bear the image of Adam, the first man, in Christ, we bear the image of the Heavenly One.

And we are called to reflect His image by living His character.  We are called and challenged to not limit extending mercy just to those who are kind to us, but to extend mercy even to those who are unkind to us.  David radically demonstrated this when he refused to kill Saul, as noted in the first reading.  

When we show this kind of merciful love, even to those who seek ill will for us, we reflect our God Who shows kindness, mercy, and love to all.

February 17, 2019: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God longs for us to be impoverished, so that He can fill us as the One Source of abundance.

No other source can satisfy and sustain us as God can.

That's why He sent His Son to earth, Who emptied Himself, so that we could be reconciled back into relationship with God and be filled with Him again.

In drawing upon Him as the Source, we are truly blessed, no matter what we face.

February 10, 2019: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Both in the first reading with Isaiah, and with Simon in the Gospel reading from Luke, we see people in the awesome presence of God overwhelmed by their unworthiness.

Yet when we are destitute spiritually, aware of how inadequate we are, God comes to us, and raises us up so that we may respond fully to the purpose for which He calls us, just as He did for Isaiah and Simon, and even for St. Paul as he reflects in the 2nd reading from 1 Corinthians.

God calls us by the Gospel, the message of Christ's Death and Resurrection, which allows us to live life anew, and fulfill His grand purposes.  In doing so, we reach out to draw others discipling them into the ways of Eternal Life.

February 3, 2019: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prophets proclaiming God's Word often encounter harsh opposition, as Jesus did from the people in His hometown.

Yet God's purpose still empowers us, because He has chosen us for this purpose from birth.  And He empowers us in our lives through Love Divine, which allows us to face any opposition or trouble with the strength that comes from being so in tune with God.  This Love is not about serving our own purposes, but giving of ourselves to serve others, which is truly the Divine Way.

This self-giving is what makes love last and truly have an impact that can see us through life's difficulties, because by it, we do the work of God.

February 2, 2019: Candlemas, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord in accordance with the Law of Moses.  In this presentation, Jesus makes Himself known as the Light and Salvation of all peoples.

He has brought God to us so that we can enter God's presence with purified hearts, following Him as the One Who alone makes us righteous.  He shines His Light so gloriously over us and we embrace this Light and follow Him.

January 27, 2019: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The first reading from Nehemiah speaks of a great assembly, just like where I was today, when attending the Closing Mass for World Youth Day in Panama City.  It was truly a day to rejoice in the Lord as we encountered the powerful manifestation of His Presence in our lives through God's Word, which is life-giving, restoring us when we have gone astray, and gives us a purpose.

It is through His Word that God's Spirit comes upon us so that we can go forth, with gifts specially suited to us.  And when we each join together to put our gifts to use, God is truly glorified.

As Pope Francis encouraged those gathered, let us say "Yes" to living for God now, so that God's Word may be truly fulfilled by our faithfulness to acting on it.

January 20, 2019: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

While we have gone from Christmas Season to Ordinary Time, we have the opportunity to continue marveling at the extraordinary works God does.

Indeed, God makes Himself manifest in the common circumstances of our lives, like Jesus did when He changed water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.  The text doesn't really say how it happened, but describes that it happened.

God wants to make Himself known, and for us to experience the joy of being in relationship with Him.  And He continues to make Himself known as we use our gifts for His Glory, cooperating with His Grace.

January 13, 2019: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

We conclude the Christmas Season with a wonderful feast, held on Sunday for the first time in three years, as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.

Jesus chose to be baptized as part of identifying Himself with humanity, while remaining fully God.

In Jesus, we now are able to have a relationship with God, and all of God, His goodness and glory, comes to dwell in us.  We take great comfort that God has lavished His love on us, and made us holy and pure, as He created us to be, through the washing by water and renewal by the Spirit that returns us to our state of divine dignity.

God is now pleased to call us beloved daughters and sons, as He so named Jesus at His baptism.

And now, God is truly present in us as we make Him known by our living out our Christian dignity and faith.

As was proclaimed at the March for Life Chicago 2019, we are each created unique for a purpose, and on this Feast of the Lord's Baptism, we celebrate how God manifests Himself as we live out the purpose to which He has called us and for which He has chosen as His own.

January 6, 2019: Epiphany Sunday

Here again is another feast to fire up the Christmas spirit.

We rejoice that God came to us in Christ, born of Mary--and that He came to bring salvation, through the nation of Israel, to all people.  (I think about how the reach of the Church has stretched throughout the vast world:  When Pope Francis visited Mexico three years ago, he celebrated Mass in Chiapas, with parts of it in an indigenous language.  His final Mass was held near the US-Mexico border, with people gathered in a stadium in El Paso, TX, watching the Mass live in Ciudad Juarez on a screen.)

He shines a great Light into all the world, which drew Magi to travel a long distance to worship and give gifts to the Christ Child.

He continues to shine a Light that draws all people to Himself, as they open themselves up to that Light, and follow it to where they shall truly encounter Christ, Who continually manifests God's presence to us.

And we sense God's Presence further when we share it with others, a sign of the transformation that comes because God has shined His Light on us, as He seeks to shine it on the whole world.

January 1, 2019: Feast of Mary, Holy Mother of God (and Naming of Jesus)

As we continue the celebration of the Word Made Flesh in this Christmas Season, and coming on the heels of the recent Feast of the Holy Family, we ponder the mystery of how God came to our world, born of a woman, Mary, to be the One Who saves, as is the meaning of His Holy Name.

Because God entered our world as a person, He was able to bring us salvation.  He could truly show His face to us, and bring the blessings and peace that come with His presence on Earth, by which we were saved.

It is truly a mystery for us to ponder and behold.  May it lead us to rejoice.