Christmas Weekday
It is my favorite time of year because we get to spend time with family. It is great hearing old stories, making new ones and keeping traditions alive. I especially appreciate getting to eat meals with family and friends. Eating with my children recently, I got more than I wanted to hear. I was singing a Christmas song quietly. They asked why I always look so sad while singing, even at Church. Of course, I was unprepared to hear the truth.
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Today the Roman Catholic Church honors the lives of two friends from an area of what is now Turkey that was called Cappadocia. St. Gregory of Nazianzen and St. Basil the Great began their friendship while away at school and later became bishops. Basil and Gregory were defining figures as the early Church sought to figure out just how to describe Jesus as fully human and fully divine. Both were largely responsible for safeguarding the faith that has guided the Church for thousands of years.
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Regardless of where you find yourself on the spectrum of devotion to Mary, this day in the life of the Church offers an invitation to reflect on the person and mission of Mary and to consider her place in our lives. I humbly suggest that if we aren’t actively seeking our Mother’s intercession, we are missing a tremendous opportunity for blessing in our lives. Today’s readings overflow with blessing for us as God’s children, co-heirs with Mary’s Son, our Lord. I invite us to reflect today on our Mother as a fount of blessing for us, for our loved ones, and for the entire human family.
The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Today’s highly philosophical readings from the “two John’s” of the Christian Scriptures revolve around these themes of Truth and Light. By the Light, we see the Truth. There is one truth. The community that the ‘first John’ is writing to is experiencing division, caused by false representatives of the gospel that have peeled off from the church to start their own groups. They have invented their own teachings which depart from the true teachings of Jesus passed down by the Spirit through the true Church. Lies divide groups, but the truth does not divide. The truth unifies, because there is only one truth. This is one way we can determine whether information, philosophy, or religious teaching is true; does its acceptance cause a dividing force or a unifying force in its believers? Is it interested in casting people out, or welcoming people in? (Of course, plenty of false teachings are welcoming, so more discernment is necessary.) The gospel has always been welcoming, and the Christian community has always sought to welcome all of humanity into Jesus’s Way. No one is excluded by ethnicity, nationality, or previous beliefs.
The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
“Did you forget?” I hear that question sometimes. Maybe I was supposed to ask an important question, or maybe Bess and I are preparing to host a guest. For any number of reasons there is something that needs to happen or is happening, and I need to remember it. I need reminders. I need a google calendar notification, a note on the fridge and a verbal reminder from Bess. We all need constant reminders sometimes and today's first reading has a few for us. I have three quick points to draw from them.
Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
“Christ is light. In him there is no darkness. Come to him and he will bring you light.” My children sing this in catechesis of the Good Shepherd each week. The tune is catchy and it stays in my head and theirs, throughout the week. I find it a constant reminder to continue to seek out Christ - seek out the light in the darkness. This same message is relayed in our first reading today, as we hear that “God is the light and in him there is no darkness at all.” As we are in the Christmas season, this season of light and life and hope, this message seems very relevant and poignant.
Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
We are now two days into the season of Christmas and celebrating the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist. We are still rejoicing because Emmanuel has come. God is with us in the infant, Jesus. Today, our Psalm and Gospel encourage us to rejoice for a different reason, but one that comes full circle, that draws together the full culmination of our Catholic faith. We reflect and rejoice in the Resurrection. All in one day, in this season of Christmas, we celebrate God with us as a lowly, vulnerable baby AND God with us, conquering sin and death, as the Savior of the world.
Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
We have just one TV in our house, and it’s in the basement. So, when we are out of town and staying at a hotel, one of our favorite things to do at the end of the evening is to “flip through the channels” to see what is on TV these days. On rare occasions, we will come upon a good movie. Most of the time, we’re pretty amazed at the junk that passes for content on TV. In that category, I place televangelists and especially the ones that preach “the prosperity gospel.” Perhaps you have run across them too when you are flipping through the channels—folks like Joel Osteen and Paula White. These folks preach that Jesus suffered and died not on behalf of excessive love and incomprehensible grace that saves us from our sins but, instead, in order to alleviate illness and financial difficulty in our personal lives. If we have faith—and, importantly, manifest that faith by adopting a positive attitude and (especially) by making financial donations to their churches—Jesus will bless us with wealth and security. Both Osteen and White are terrifically wealthy. Apparently, the prosperity gospel works—at least for those who preach it.
Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Advent - Mass in the Morning
While sugarplums dance in the minds of children and many of us are exhausted from our preparations for Christmas, Advent still has one last message for us. The first reading from Samuel describes David as settling into his new palace, and yet thinking about the Ark of God residing in a tent. Although David’s desire to build a temple is strong, God sends David a message through Nathan. The message states that God has watched over David and all of Israel and will continue to do so. Nathan is trying to remind David that the Lord is in charge. God through Nathan makes a promise to David. The promise is that the House of David shall endure forever and that God “will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and will make his Kingdom firm.”
Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
There are many characters in Scripture that mess things up at some time or another. Zechariah was no exception. He botched it when Gabriel appeared and told him about John. In today's gospel, we see the evidence of Zechariah's redemption. He shows us how to recover when we too fall short of the faith to which we are called.
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
To accompany others is an important practice as a disciple of Christ. Today’s gospel reading is an excerpt from the visitation. Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship illustrate how we are called to accompany others in our daily lives. When we listen with an open heart, speak with kindness and compassion, and commit in love to another, we become the presence of Christ for that person.
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
The story of the annunciation, which we read in today’s gospel from Luke (1:26-38), is one that I’m guessing most of us have heard many times over in our lives, especially around Christmas time. There are countless works of art depicting this scripture passage as well. It is obviously an important part of our Christian faith and tradition. It has become so familiar that I think, at least for me, there is the temptation to not allow myself to fully enter into the story. I find it easy to recognize it and think, “Oh I know how that goes,” and then move on to the next thing without really reflecting and becoming immersed in this sacred story. Sometimes a work of art provides the fresh perspective that allows me to see or hear the familiar in a new light.
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
There are a number of instances in the Bible where elderly women who never bore a child were, through God’s grace, blessed with a child. In today’s first reading, it is revealed that the wife of Manoah is sterile. In the ancient world, this was considered a great curse for a married woman, often leading her to be outcasted by society. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to her. She heard the wonderful words, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.” Although the woman may have been initially scared by the angel, she was moved by her faith and when the child was born, she named him Samson. This son, who would be dedicated to God, had a special role to play. “The boy grew up and the Lord blessed him; the Spirit of the Lord stirred him.”
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
I’ve had many occasions this year to ponder what it means to be merciful. People in my life have shown me great mercy, for which I am deeply grateful, and from whom I’ve learned a lot about being a merciful person. I’ve also witnessed the pain and trauma that people experience when others withhold mercy from them. Sometimes the unmerciful believe that they are following God’s law and the teachings of the Church. They hold to a rigorous interpretation of the rules, and a black and white understanding of “right behavior.” Some, in their quest to be righteous, point out what they perceive as another’s sin and sometimes even shun them because of it. God doesn’t tolerate sin, so neither must I; surely God judges them, so I will, too. Sadly, these folks misunderstand the righteousness God requires of us. God’s righteousness is always merciful. In today’s Gospel, St Matthew describes Joseph as a “righteous man.” We can learn a lot from Joseph’s witness to his faith and his love for God.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Who is God? Today’s readings delve into God’s slow revelation of what holy power looks like. Judah was promised to be more powerful than his enemies, to be first among his family, and to be given children, and to receive honor from the people of Israel. What results from this good and holy leadership? Peace for the land, good judgment coming from those in authority, and a blessing for all the other nations of the world. This is a test by which we can know whether our leaders are making holy decisions or not; is there peace? Are other cities, states, and nations blessed because of us? Or are we causing more problems than we solve?
Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Today’s gospel is centered around a single question - the question of authority. Jesus is asked by whose authority is he able to teach such lessons? Who, in their worldly hierarchy, gave him the authority to teach others about God? And frustrating as it may be, Jesus does not answer this question - rather he answers with another question.
Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Have you ever had a wonderful evening with your spouse, children, or dear friends? Maybe it was more than an evening. It could have been a nearly perfect vacation or getaway. Or if you are like me, maybe you’ve had the perfectly made coffee, dinner, or glass of chocolate milk. In the midst of that experience, a thought always zips through my mind, “Why can’t it always be like this?” That question exists in our spiritual life as well.
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Have there ever been people in your life who make you feel like you just can’t win, like you will never be right no matter what you do or you will never be good enough? We feel like this as parents sometimes. Our two year old wants to do everything on his own. We tell him to put on his coat and suddenly he wants us to help him. So we try to help him and he pulls away yelling because he wants to do it on his own. Some days we feel like we truly cannot win. But he is two. When adults act like this, it is much harder to accept them, forgive them, and still treat them like children of God. “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard…’ Human beings will always find something to criticize.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The scene that Luke puts before us today is simply breathtaking and should give us pause. Here we have a young woman in the last few years prior the Common Era who is engaged to be married. She is a virgin, and it’s crucial that she remain that way so that she may enter legitimately into that marriage. One day, as her wedding approaches, an angel (of all things) shows up and says “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” She responds fearfully and is “greatly troubled” by this encounter.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
I let out a Hallelujah over our two readings for today! Get ready to receive a phenomenal blessing as you enter into God’s Word. It’s especially a double-whammy of goodness today! I like The Message translation of the Isaiah text. You can find it here. I also appreciate how the NIV translates it – here. Let the impact sink in as you read the three translations. Pause and consider that God’s promises are true for you. Not just for others, not hypothetically or objectively true somehow, but true for you! Let’s reflect on the reality of God’s identity and attributes and receive God’s promises: