Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet. (Rev. 12:1) The Marian images for today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe remind of us of the powerful moments and importance of the new life that was entering our world.
The reading from Revelation gives us a glimpse of the story of Mary bringing Jesus to birth, albeit within the context of colorful language. Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, accepts the invitation to bring Jesus into our world. This acceptance is also seen in today’s gospel as Elizabeth welcomes the mother of our Lord. How is it that we welcome the Lord and his mother into our lives and homes? Do we recognize that the Lord is seen even in the least among us?
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
It is easy to get caught up in the business of the Advent season while missing its deeper spiritual significance. Thankfully, the readings for today present us with vivid images that focus our attention on Jesus as the focal point of our preparation and celebration during this time.
In the first reading, Isaiah offers a profoundly moving image of the changes that will result at the arrival of the Lord. Christians have traditionally interpreted Isaiah’s pronouncements to be foretelling not only the birth of Jesus at Christmas but also to be looking forward to the second coming of Jesus at the end of time. Consequently, reading Isaiah during Advent helps us to prepare our minds and hearts to celebrate Christmas and remain cognizant of his second coming as well.
Monday of the Second Week of Advent
At Immaculate Conception Parish we consider ourselves a “community of disciples”. A disciple is someone who follows Christ (thinks like Jesus, talks like Jesus and acts like Jesus.) But I think a disciple is also someone who disciples others and brings them to Christ. I have many people who lead me to Christ, but I am particularly blessed to have a husband that disciples me in my faith. He shows me how to be Christ like by his selfless giving of himself to others in his work, in the activities he supports and at home. He also leads me by example in his love and acceptance of all people. In the evening before bed, we pray together and reflect on scripture. He opens my eyes in many ways to what it means to be like Christ. In this year of Being Home at Church and Church at Home, I believe we are being called to disciple one another in a place which is closest to our hearts, but can be the most challenging place to live our faith- our homes. The readings today invite us to remember that we have a role in bringing others to Christ for healing and grace. When we live our faith- our discipleship- in our homes, Christ’s presence will be with us and “we will see the glory of the LORD.” (Is 35:2)
Second Sunday of Advent
I had just finished my grocery shopping at Kroger’s and as I was driving away from the parking lot I realized that my care rear door had just flung open. Obviously, I had not shut it tight. Meanwhile another car had just pulled up next to me to let me know that I was driving with my door open. I thanked this person for caring and then, lo and behold, as if this was a scene from Hollywood, this amazingly trendy, gorgeous, young woman steps out and hands me this little booklet. And she tells me (Hollywood style) how in this season when everybody is rushing, how patience can help. I told her I was the pastor at Immaculate and I think her face dropped a little bit. But then we said goodbye and unlike Hollywood style, parted ways. I came back home and glanced over the little booklet and it was obvious that Marissa was a Mormon. I knew then that her face had dropped, perhaps, because she knew I was Catholic. Nevertheless, the message she gave me was well taken. She was asking me to slow down and be centered just when life becomes hectic. Without talking about Christ she was proposing Christ to me as the answer.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day of celebration for the Church throughout the world and especially for the parish of the Immaculate Conception!
Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church
Lots of non-Christians have wanted to claim that Christians are dualistic: that is, that they separate the body and the mind. They claim we see bodies as evil, that we don't like sex, or eating, or anything else that is bodily. Instead, we promote fasting and abstinence and giving up things as a way of trying to make our bodies insignificant.
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
It’s such a busy time of year these few weeks before Christmas. I love Advent and the liturgical richness of this time, and I get frustrated sometimes with my own stress and external pressures that I take on to hustle and bustle and hurry up and get all my shopping and decorating done (which I never seem to be able to get done in a timely fashion anyhow). I wish I could just stay in the mode of the quiet waiting and preparing of our hearts for Jesus’ coming.
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Where are the places that you see as in your life as sacred? At home there is a place I like to sit and pray. Right now there is a Little Blue Book with Advent reflections on that arm of the chair. I like to read it first thing in the morning when I awaken. Also, on the kitchen table where we eat as a family is an Advent wreath. This table and this wreath are at the center of our family activities. The light of the candles help bring a prayerful close to the day for all that can be there. Indeed the wreath and its light are symbols that draw us into a spirit of prayer.
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Today I heard on the radio about a service that will send you a compliment by email or text message if you are having a bad day. On the one hand, this seems like a good idea to me. It is often easy to get discouraged by life and to crave a friendly message from another person. There are times when I wish someone would give me a compliment. On the other hand, I suspect that this is only a superficial response to a deeper issue. It seems to me that one reason why people feel the need for a compliment service is that there is so much bad news going around. The news seems always to be full of problems. It is easy to dwell on what is going wrong, because there is indeed so much injustice in the world today. It is in keeping with our need to experience encouragement at a crucial time that the scriptures today point us to the revelation of Jesus. By focusing on these scriptures we can find the deep encouragement we need to get through this season of the year.
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
A few years back I traveled to Seattle for my little cousin's wedding. Taking full advantage of the opportunity to be in the Pacific Northwest, I budgeted plenty of time to explore the scenic landscape for which Washington is known. Before I ever left Ohio, I had my itinerary planned and my routes mapped. Item No. 1 on the agenda was to climb Granite Mountain, a challenging, yet very achievable goal. For my long hike up the mountain, I came prepared, bringing plenty of water, protein bars, and my Bible, stopping from time to time to gain physical and spiritual refreshment. It was awesome! The sights, the sounds, and the solitude made for one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The only detour (literally) came when I inadvertently deviated from the actual trail. I didn't know where I had gone wrong or how exactly to get back on the right path. Every sight was so beautiful that at one point I thought that I had even approached the summit. I thought, "How could any view be more beautiful than this?" But then I saw the lookout above me. I just didn't know how to get there. I was so close, yet so far! Eventually, I found my way back on the right course and made it to the lookout. Blessed with a rare clear day in Washington, the impressive view from the actual summit exceeded all of my expectations!
First Sunday of Advent
Since Thanksgiving is over and since black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday are barely behind us, to talk about the end times again as the gospel reading does, is very difficult. Moreover, since we are at the beginning of the new liturgical year it is difficult for us to focus on the end times. In fact, I experienced ‘apocalyptical fatigue’ as reflected on today’s readings. The mood of the readings also contradicts the jovial, frolicking, almost playful tone that the secular world associates with Christmas. For a serious Christian too, advent is about a joyful expectation. So what shall we do about these readings that talk about being ready for the unexpected arrival of Christ?
First, the readings are not as misplaced as we think it might be. Even the very popular holiday song “Santa Claus is coming to town” has a warning attached to it. It says, “You better watch out!” This secular song reminds us that in the midst of all fun and frolic there is an ethical demand made on all of us. The song ends by asking us to “be good” even it is only for“goodness sake!”
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Appropriately, on this final day of the liturgical year, we have reflections about the apocalypse, or the second coming of Jesus. “Apocalypse” in Greek literally means “revelation” or “pulling back the veil” (Hence the title of the last book of the Bible). We generally talk about “revelation” as the way that God makes Himself known to us—in Scripture, through the Church, and preeminently in Jesus Himself.
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
After two thousand years of Christian history, it is sometimes easy to forget what happened in the early years of Christianity. And it is easy to overlook the importance of people in previous times. Our lives as Christians are possible because of the witness of holy women and men throughout the ages who handed down the gospel of Jesus Christ to us. The scripture readings for today remind us of the importance of apostles and missionaries and their role in turning people’s attention to Christ.
Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
As we come to the end of the liturgical year before the beginning of Advent, we continue to have readings from the book of Revelation as well as hear of the second coming of Christ in today’s gospel from Luke. Perhaps to the disappointment of some, the book of Revelation is not a prediction of when or even how the end of the world will come. It was written to bring hope to the persecuted Christians through proclaiming God’s justice and ultimate victory over evil in history. Scripture scholars tell us that the symbolic or “coded” language was used by the author of Revelation to criticize the Roman emperor and empire in a way that would not necessarily put his readers at risk of persecution or even death at that time.
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
As the liturgical year comes to a close our readings continue the theme of the end times. At this moment, many people have been focusing on the literal end times. Thousands of people have been contacting NASA and visiting the NASA website to find out if the winter solstice will be the true end of the world. Many already understand that we can look at the end of the Mayan calendar in a similar way we look at the end of our yearly liturgical or secular calendars. The end is a way to ritualize that a period of time has passed. In the Catholic Church this emphasis has a liturgical focus on the end times. These end times metaphorically remind us of our own literal endings.
Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
When our children were young we took a trip to Washington DC. The first day we took the kids to the Smithsonian and the Capitol and several other places. When we got off the Metro to begin our trek, my husband gave each of the kids a twenty dollar bill and told them that was their money to use for souvenirs. We had walked only a short way before we noticed a homeless man. My son, 7 years old at the time, stopped and looked up at me. “I know what I want to do with my money”, he said. He proceeded to walk up to the gentleman and give him the twenty dollars. That image is forever burned in my memory. That small gesture, for me, carries significance beyond my understanding. Frankly, I do not remember much else from that trip to Washington.
The Solemnity of Christ the King
We are celebrating the Feast of Christ the King under the shadows a very violent two weeks in the Holy Land. In two weeks more than two-hundred people have been killed in the latest fighting between Israel and Palestinian forces. This is a political conflict but this is also a religious conflict. Jesus was not immune from the very same kind of conflict and violence. As a child he had to flee into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. When he returned to Nazareth he grew up under the shadow of the conflict between the Romans invaders and the Jewish zealots. There were insurrections and the brutal suppression of any effort at Israelite independence. It is truly intriguing that in spite of the violence around him, Jesus became the kind of person that he was – non-violent, non-resistant, teaching love of enemies and finally forgiving his murderers from the cross. But that does not mean that he was weak. He was king and Messiah but his message was a message of humility, service and love. Two thousand years after Jesus death we know that no other man influenced the course of human history like he did.
Memorial of Saint Andrew Düng-Lac, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus interacting with representatives from some of the various schools of Judaism of His day (of course, we must remember that Jesus was a Jew who observed the requirements of the Jewish Law). Since Jesus was known as a rabbi (or teacher), it would have been customary for him to debate the interpretation of the law with other Jewish leaders. Not surprisingly, these debates often included attempts to undercut and outsmart the other, especially if the authority of opposing party was suspect.
Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The readings for today speak to the need for us to be sincere and authentic in our faith. There is always a temptation that, as Christians, we will fall into a pattern of just paying lip service to Jesus’ teachings. We go to church and participate in the worship there. We affirm what we think we should believe, without thinking too much about it, and without letting it have too much effect on our lives. If that is all that we do, then there is something very important missing.