Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
The other day I was helping my son paint. We were doing such detailed work that most of the time I was hoping my face six inches from the wall. Soon the wall, and the stencil became all I could see. When I looked in any other direction my eyes could not easily refocus on any distance even with my glasses. What did help me to see better was focusing my eyes on a new distance. In effect, my eyes needed retrained to see what was beyond the end of my nose. The readings today are an example of God retraining us to look to the Lord for hope.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
To open “A Christmas Sermon on Peace,” Dr. Martin Luther King proclaimed, “This Christmas sermon finds us a rather bewildered human race. We have neither peace within nor peace without. Everywhere paralyzing fears harrow people by day and haunt them by night.” Sadly, this statement, penned in 1967, resonates with our contemporary situation. These past weeks, both far and near, has shown us that we have not achieved “peace within or peace without.” It has bore witness to much bewilderment and fear. Fear that paralyzes. Fear that haunts. Whatever our interpretations or judgments of our situation, it seems rather clear that this Advent season confronts us with the reality of a dream not yet realized.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
When I think about the story of the fall, related in today’s reading from Genesis, I must confess I feel more than a little compassion for Eve. Not one of us can truly know what it was like to be in her shoes. But considering what the Scriptures say she did—eating a piece of fruit from a tree—it does not seem to warrant consequences of such cosmic proportions! Nonetheless (formal exegesis aside) I suspect we can all identify with what she did; we have all made choices that are in opposition to what God desires for us in a given situation. And, on this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the story of Eve stands in stark contrast to all that Mary represents to us.
Second Sunday of Advent
This last Tuesday, Barry and I happened to be here in church with another musician. The back of the church was very dimly lit. I saw the inside door of the church open ever so slightly and then close and then open again. And then I saw figure walk very hesitatingly into the church and slowly slip into the very last pew. Just to make sure that everything was fine, I decided to walk up to the person. Meanwhile, I saw this person walk toward me. When I could actually see more clearly I saw a young woman and she was clearly distraught. I introduced myself and asked what I could do for her. She said that her grandmother has just passed away and before she could finish the sentence she was sobbing heavily. As I hugged her, she simply broke down and cried uncontrollably. Barry will tell you that she was loud. For a moment I felt her body just go limp in my arms. After she recovered, I took her aside and spoke with her. Her name was Andrea. She told me she had gotten away from her faith and that when she heard her grandmother passed away she was hoping that some church would be open for her to come and pray. I prayed with her for her grandma, invited her to light a candle, gave her the prayer to the Holy Spirit and left her alone to pray. I am not sure how long stayed but here is the kicker. Normally, this church is never open on a Tuesday at 6:30 pm and I am never in the church at that time. I was in utter amazement as I headed back to the rectory. Now hear these words from today’s first reading: “Comfort, give comfort to my people,” says your God. “ I know that God was reaching out to Andrea and comforting her in her despair. I am not sure what this moment meant for Andrea and if I will ever see her again to know that. For me this was a God moment. I kept saying to myself under my breath, “God is real, Satish, God is real."
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Ite Missa Est’s (Immaculate Conception's Adult Faith Formation Ministry) “Advent Journey” this year is centered on Joy, and today’s particular challenge directs us to “The Joy of Healing.” I don’t think it is natural for us to look at where we need healing and experience joy, but I think that is part of the message in the readings today. Our readings call us to take heart, for God is the healer, the mender, and the one who picks up the pieces. Sometimes we act like we need to do all of that before we approach God, but that never works. This is why our “Advent Journey” today calls us to reflect on a time of healing.
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
In today’s psalm we are told, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” I hear in this message that we must take all things we do to prayer. In this prayer we must ask the Lord, to be our guide and to show us the way. It is better to live a life following God’s will and living out Jesus’ message than it is to give into the worldly pressures of our society. We are told that those who build their houses on rock – Christ – will survive and those who build their homes on the things of this world – sand – will crumble.
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
The winter solstice nears as the days continue to get shorter. These short dark weeks of Advent are almost paradoxical. The coming of Christ happens at the darkest time of year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. As the night lengthens, the daylight shrinks. Yet it is in this very dreary time of year, that the Church celebrates this season of great hope.
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
I was recently at a bookstore, staring at a gigantic pile of Christmas cards. I couldn’t stop looking at them, my eyes darting here and there, resting for a moment on a sparkling star or bright red reindeer nose. It made me think back to all of the cards my family would get at Christmas time, and how my mom would hang them up around the kitchen and dining room. One of the most popular sentiments was “peace on earth.” It’s still quite easy to find cards with “peace on earth” written on them, and there is something about that short phrase that does seem to cover any of the holidays we celebrate during this time of year.
Monday of the First Week of Advent
I believe that you can find God and his truths even in the most mundane experiences of our daily lives.
As part of my regular exercise routine, I participate in a TRX (strength training class) at the rec center. A big part of our workouts include strengthening our core- the muscles that support the back and abdomen. Having a healthy and strong core allows people to accomplish the daily tasks with improved balance and less risk for injury and pain.
First Sunday of Advent
Thanksgiving is over. Perhaps many of you also used the holiday to put up your Christmas tree and get a jump start on Christmas shopping. I know some very wise people who began their Christmas shopping on the 26th of December last year. In many ways our Christmas preparations have begun. Isn’t that what Advent is all about? What are you expecting to get out of Advent? How is this Advent going to be a preparation for Jesus? This is my hope – that as we prepare for the holiday, that we are also preparing on a much deeper level; that this Christmas is a real encounter with Christ.
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
A while ago I found a great reflection from Father Robert Barron on the Seven Deadly Sins. I know that is a cheery start to this reflection, but it ties into how Fr. Barron describes sloth. He mentions that people can run around busy with all sorts of things but still be slothful. He describes that as being spiritually slothful. He warns that being lethargic about our faith can be slothfulness.
Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
I know that the popular take on scriptures like the ones for today's reading is the movie "Apocalypse," earthquakes, tsunamis and terrifying end-of-the-world events. Thinking about the end of time can be scary, partly because it makes us reflect on how much we don't know about our future. But when I meditated on it for this week, all I could think was, "This is just so true - this is the way life is." Life changes quickly - perhaps even moreso in these days of lots of technology. The world changes so fast - healthy people get sick suddenly; economic fortunes come and go; jobs and policies and procedures change. In our day-to-day life, unexpected things happen and we realize, over and over, just how little control we have over our lives and how little we really know about our future.
Thanksgiving Day
On this day of giving thanks, we are presented with the gospel from Luke (17: 11-19) of the Healing of the Ten Lepers. Each year this gospel reading is offered for Thanksgiving Day mass and can be a challenging reminder of the importance of returning to God in thanks and praise, whether in thanks for healing or other blessings. In the past I have reflected on the one leper’s realization that he had been healed, something that we sometimes miss in our own lives. I have reflected on how we might miss that a gradual healing or answer to prayer has occurred if we don’t stop from our busyness and distractions to take the time to pray, listen, reflect, and notice how God is working and moving and healing in our midst.
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Passion for the Lord can become like an all-consuming fury. A heart so filled with praise, gratitude and zeal we proclaim great and wonderful are you works oh Lord. This proclamation comes not only from our lips but from our discipleship. This lifting up of our voices and lives as an offering of praise is the testimony to the gratitude we have for all of our blessings.
Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dŭng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Am I the only one who gets puzzled when face with the Book of Revelation? I have done studies, reviewed commentaries, and attended sessions presented by scholars and have always come away a bit perplexed. One thing I have come to believe about Scripture is that my immediate grasp of the specific passage I am reading is not the point. In fact, my inability to grasp said passage to my own satisfaction is a direct challenge to my faith in the Word and my faith in Jesus. And that is a good thing!
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Dr. Martin Salia is the latest victim of the Ebola virus in the United States. He along with his family lived in Maryland. He was flown back from Sierra Leone in a critical condition and died thirty-six hours after he was admitted to the hospital in Nebraska. So what was he doing in Sierra Leone? Dr. Salia was a native of Sierra Leone and as his friend Patricia Mustapha said, "He was back in his country, helping his people." He was only 44 years old. In many ways, this is such a tragedy. The world needs more people like Dr. Salia. On the other hand, Dr. Salia died saving lives. Our gospel reading on the feast of Christ the King celebrates people like him. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
I could easily say that my wedding day was one of the greatest days of my life. The reasons are numerous and it still stands as an all-around amazing day. Not only that, but being married has been great. Sure it has challenges, but those have only helped deepen our marriage beyond the superficial.
I’m saying all of this because as Christ is schooling the Sadducees about the resurrection, he drops a peculiar sentence in there. He says, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.” Did you catch that? I suppose I could have underlined it too. When I read this it jumped off the page as if it twice its size. I bring this up, because it says something about heaven.
Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A common critique people make about contemporary life is that we want the good stuff, all the time, and immediately - and by good stuff, we can mean anything from chocolate to a good job to nice house, car and clothes.
At some level, most of us know how to postpone one good thing in favor of another that we want more: instead of buying a latte from Starbucks, we save up the money for something larger, like going out to eat with the family. Or getting up a bit earlier (and postponing sleep) in favor of training for a marathon.