Monday of the Second Week of Advent
I have been struggling recently. As a Christian I am called to live with joy and hope as I build the Kingdom of God, but so many things in the world around me do not give me reason to believe. The political fighting, the lack of respect for people (particularly if they are a different race, ethnicity or religion), and the exploding world of consumerism during this holiday season all create a sense of restlessness in me. Today’s readings are reminders of what we can expect when we live in the Kingdom of God. These passages create a longing within me to able to live in the Kingdom right now. Since we are disciples of Jesus, we are called not only to seek and recognize, but we are sent forth to build His Kingdom even in the midst of the chaos of this world.
Second Sunday of Advent
When we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, one of the first things we do is examine our consciences and seek God’s mercy. “Kyrie Eleison! Christe Eleison! Kyrie Eleison!” And then the celebrants announces the absolution, saying, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life!” The congregation responds with a resounding, “Amen!” And then community does something special. We break out into the Gloria! “Glory to God in the highest,” we sing, “and peace to his people on earth!” The reason is simple. The experience of God mercy and forgiveness leads us to rejoicing! One moment the mood is sorrow for sin and the next moment the mood changes to praise! This contrast of moods is also the best way to explain the spirit of Advent. All of Advent we prepare our lives for Christ. And then at Christmas, we break forth singing “Glory to God in the highest!”
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
When preparing for the weekly reflection I often read over and pray with the readings as they appear on the USCCB’s website (Not sure what I mean? Follow the link above). Rarely do I go out of my way to find them in the Bible unless I’m foggy on the context of the passage or, as is the case today, verses are omitted.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On this, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the readings begin with the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3: 9-15, 20) and how they disobeyed God and sinned. It is a story about human weakness and sinfulness. Once they disobeyed God they became aware of their nakedness and were ashamed. They tried to hide themselves from God in their shame.
Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Scripture Readings
The other day I was watching my two toddler boys playing with a new favorite toy. It was clear that one was doing most of the playing, while the other was waiting and hoping to play with it. On this particular occasion, rather than fighting, whining, or stealing, the other son simply said in toddler-ese, “switch please.” His brother gave him the toy and took his turn waiting.
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Have you ever climbed a mountain? How does the experience of being on a mountain differ from being in the valley? Mountain climbing certainly can be a physically exhausting process. Yet part of the reason for going up a mountain often goes well beyond the physical. For those who have done it, getting to the top of a mountain is gratifying in an almost surreal way. Being at the top can be a spiritual experience. From the mountain top we see a perspective of the big picture that is often invisible from the valley. In my own experience, the beauty of the mountain top is enlivened by snow, clouds or even a fast approaching storm whose electricity demands our flight.
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
In 1980, CNN started the first ever 24-hour newscast. Back then, people were skeptical, and the network’s ratings showed it. Who needed news 24 hours a day? Wasn’t the nightly network newscast coupled with a local newscast and maybe a newspaper enough for the average American? Apparently not as many other 24-hour news networks followed and, over time, gained in popularity.
Monday of the First Week of Advent
I pray 'Lord I am not worthy' immediately before receiving the Body of Christ at every celebration of the Eucharistic. These words are from today's Gospel passage (Mt 8:8) and are the plea of the centurion requesting that Jesus save his dying servant. What do these words mean to me before receiving the Body of Christ? Am I saying them automatically or am I acknowledging deep in my heart that I am an unworthy servant at the mercy of God?
First Sunday of Advent
The Christmas frenzy has begun. No matter how much I try each year, there is no escaping it. More often than not, I feel violated by all the in-your-face glitz and glamor. It is crazy, but my first Christmas party is on the 12th of Dec. It goes ridiculously downhill after that. I have given up trying to make Advent a quite time. The social and commercial dimensions of the season are so blatant, that there simply is no escaping it. All I can do is to make sure that I do not lose out on the real meaning of the Advent season.
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Those who have interacted with me for at least 30 minutes have likely gathered that I have some nerdy tendencies. One clear indicator is my love for The Lord of the Rings. I was reminded of a scene from the movie version of The Lord of the Rings as I read today's Gospel.
Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
It feels like it ought to be Advent already! Thanksgiving was a week ago and usually that means the next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. This year, though, we have this week after Thanksgiving to ponder Ordinary Time some more. In fact, maybe because of the way the days fall this year, we can really take this week to zoom in on the Feast of Christ the King. I feel that so often Thanksgiving overtakes the week of the Feast of Christ the King and the last week of the church year that we don't spend a whole lot of time with it. And yet, proclaiming Jesus as King is so crucial to our faith - so let's think about that some!
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
As an engineer, one of my favorite places on the planet was my office. For years, it was the home of many work-related victories, personal triumphs, epiphanies, and breakthroughs, as well as a setting of stress, occasional discouragement, and numerous late nights. That space was not just my office- it was my cafeteria when I ate, my study when I worked on my Masters, and my chapel when I prayed. Many good days and many bad days were lived in my chair, pencil in hand, coffee by my side, at my large desk which I was always secretly so proud of. My diplomas graced the top of my tallest bookshelf, above textbooks, journals, and project files too numerous to count. Truly, it was good. But of all the items in my office, the most memorable was a small, yellow post-it note that I kept above my computer. On it, the following words were handwritten in green ink: "At once they left their nets and followed Him."
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The writing was on the wall today as I prayerfully prepared today’s reflection. Although the readings speak to the end times, a more overwhelming message rose to the top as we quickly approach Advent. Simply put, the times of trial and persecution “will lead to your giving your testimony.”
Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The future is not known to us human beings. And we don’t like that very much. To make it more rather than less predictable, we build structures in our lives—like jobs, schedules, habits, savings accounts, and so forth. These structures give us a sense of security and peace about what the future will be like.
Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The book I use for my daily prayers contains stories about holy people. Many times these stories are inspiring and encouraging, but there are times when I stop and wonder-I don’t have any remarkable talents. How am I called to be holy? Today’s gospel reading is the story of the widow giving her small offering and receiving praise from Jesus. Jesus reminds us that when we give of our simple gifts- the daily offerings of our time and talent- it is here that we give God glory and help to build His kingdom.
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
I am sure you have heard about the concept, ‘Culture Wars.’ Culture Wars refers to the conflict between traditionalist or conservative values and progressive or social liberal values in the Western world. Here in the United States, the term culture wars entered our contemporary vocabulary in the 1990’s with a book by James David Hunter, entitled, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America. On the Feast of Christ the King, I begin my homily with a reference to Culture Wars because this movement is affecting the Catholic Church greatly. There is a very small but a vociferous movement in the Church that believes that Pope Francis is committing heresy. There are many reasons for this accusation, but the most prominent of them is that the Pope making it possible for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion on a case-by-case basis. They accuse him or undermining centuries of Church doctrine. Pope Francis, on the other hand, is clear the he is not overruling doctrine, but that he is providing pastoral care for those in need. The culture war in the church runs the risk of creating a schism.
Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The Sadducees play an important role in today’s passage from Luke. Scholars tell us that the Sadducees rejected all books of the Bible except for the Torah, or the first five. Nothing outside of these five books was authoritative or doctrinally binding to them. Thus, believing they couldn’t find the promise of eternal life and resurrection explicitly in the Torah, they rejected those beliefs. Rejecting eternal life is why they were ‘Sad-you-see’ (I can’t take credit for that pun). Luke also tells us about their denial of resurrection, which brings us to their confrontation with Jesus. After their attempt to trap Jesus by making the resurrection sound absurd, He responds in a very important way. He provides evidence from the Torah.
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
My Jewish friends would groan if they ever saw the title for this scripture reflection, because they tell me Christians make way more of Hanukkah than even Jews do. It has come to be called the "Jewish Christmas" so that their kids don't feel left out of all the commercial hoopla - but, as my friends tell me, Hanukkah has traditionally been a rather minor holiday, especially by comparison to Passover or Rosh Hoshanna.
Thanksgiving Day
As our minds and hearts turn to the meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday, perhaps you’ve heard some of the following advice:
“The easiest thing you can do to increase your happiness is to list five things each day that you are thankful for.”
“People of all incomes and ages report vastly different levels of happiness, but the amount of thankfulness is a strong determining factor.”
“You can be thankful in any circumstance, because everything is a gift from God.”
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
It is with powerful yet somewhat violent imagery today that the readings challenge us to live and speak boldly for the Kingdom ofGod. The continuing story from the Second Book of Maccabees shares the image of a faith-filled family. The narrative has the family being tortured for their beliefs. As each brother refuses to obey the command of the king, they are executed, all this while their mother watches. The mom waxes poetically about how the creator of the universe gave each child life and to them they will return. Her statement is not defeatist though, as she encourages her sons to accept their fate with hope that a merciful God will reunite them all again some day.