Merry Christmas to all of you. We find ourselves inside of this sixth day of the octave of Christmas where liturgically we continue to find ourselves on Christmas Day itself until the end of this octave which comes to its conclusion with the celebration of Mary the Mother of God on January 1st. We also continue to find ourselves within the season of Christmas until the conclusion of our celebration of the Baptism of The Lord on January 13th. The season of Christmas reminds us of the importance of "the word made flesh," and today we have the opportunity to celebrate the very fabric of our society which is the family. Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus which gives great direction to our families amidst the many voices that come to us from our culture. This family shows us our need to love and our need to do so through being informed by the faith that we share. If we can allow the Holy Family into our own families during this Christmas season we will see great transformation take place.
Gadium et Spes, a document of the Second Vatican Council, was concerned with speaking about the role of the Church within the modern world. Within this document time was spent to dwell upon the gift of married life and the family. This section reflected upon the importance of a man and woman giving to each other mutually out of love. In this mutual giving of self the man and woman can achieve holiness through their vocation and bring forth new life. It also reflected upon the necessity that exists for the parents to hand on the faith to their children. The children also have a role to play in helping to aid their parents in holiness. They can achieve this necessary role by obedience and by standing by their parents during hardships and the reality of old age. All of these attributes of the family should be common sense to us, but of course they are not always respected and lived out within our culture and even within our own families.
On December 8th in the year 2009 Pope Benedict said: "Every day, in the newspapers, television and radio, evil is told to us, said again, amplified, so that we get used to the most horrible things and become desensitized... In a certain way, it poisons us, because the negative is never fully cleansed out of our system but accumulates day after day. The heart hardens, and thoughts become gloomy." I believe that these attitudes that Pope Benedict was pointing towards can be found within our own lives and within our own families. In some way we have all become desensitized through the use of media. We are constantly being shown images which clash with the Church's understanding of the family. We are told that the family is an unstable entity where the bond of marriage is not necessary. We are told that marriage itself has been separated from the creation of life and therefore nothing is more important then our own self gratification. Even children are expressed as being radical and thus not needing to be obedient to their own parents.
The Holy Family challenges each of us here to something more. Through the relationship that is found within the lives of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus we are being challenged to allow our lives to circle around our relationship and trust in God. In the Holy Family proper respect and love for each member of the household is found. Joseph respected his wife because he trusted in the gift that was given to her by God and did cast her off from his midst. Mary gave of herself fully to the point of having to watch her own son suffer upon the wood of the cross. Christ continually showed his respect and obedience for his family through his words and deeds. We must remember that following our Gospel reading from today that he went home and remained obedient to his family for eighteen more years before beginning his public ministry. The Holy Family shows us the proof that we can strive for love, patience, forgiveness, humility, compassion, obedience, and all other virtues within our own homes.
Instead of allowing the voices of the media to be the formators of our homes we should turn towards the Holy Family for this assistance. Fathers should turn towards Saint Joseph to receive their example for fatherhood. Saint Joseph was chaste, prudent, just, obedient, and faithful in his life which all make up the attributes of a good husband and father. Mothers should turn towards the Blessed Virgin Mary as their example for motherhood. We know that she was pure, had a loving heart, was obedient, was faithful to God, and loved her son dearly. These are the attributes that are important for both mothers and wives. Children should also look to Christ to receive their formation because he was obedient and loving towards his family. With so many shows and attitudes that exist which attack the true relationship of the family we should be on our guard to protect our own family. We should realize that many of these images that come to us are contrary to what is seen in the perfect model of the family found in Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. It was no mistake that Jesus was found by his family inside of the temple because it was here that his Father dwelt and he realized his own divinity. In our own homes may we also go to God instead of reaching out to the many other things which always come up short in filling the void found in our hearts.
Through the intercession of the Holy Family may we allow our families to be transformed. May we allow our families to be informed by faith instead of being informed by popular opinion. May we take time within our own homes to grow close together through the use of prayer instead of racing after the unending list of things that we must do that constantly pulls us away from our family. May we realize our need to be true fathers, true mothers, and true children by living out the example that has been given to us by the Holy Family.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Feast of the Holy Innocents Homily
Merry Christmas. Today we find ourselves on this fourth day of the Octave of Christmas where we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Innocents. This day is unlike the Feast of Saint Stephen which was celebrated on Wednesday. Saint Stephen was able to face martyrdom through his acceptance of the Christian faith. The Holy Innocents were mere children and thus unable to accept the faith for themselves. Despite this fact they were put to death due to Christ's coming into the world.
This feast should make us think of all the innocent lives that are lost and are abused. The life that is lost through the sin of abortion. The life that was lost a few weeks ago in Sandy Hook, Connecticut through the tragic shooting. The many children who are abused within the world. Even ourselves in the times that we have been treated unfairly or have treated others unfairly. May we allow the Holy Innocents to guide us in our prayer for all of these souls and to help us along our path towards the Christ child.
Christ was also an innocent child who came into the world and was eventually led to the wood of the cross to die for each of us. May we continue in this Christmas season to draw our lives towards the Christ child in all that we do.
This feast should make us think of all the innocent lives that are lost and are abused. The life that is lost through the sin of abortion. The life that was lost a few weeks ago in Sandy Hook, Connecticut through the tragic shooting. The many children who are abused within the world. Even ourselves in the times that we have been treated unfairly or have treated others unfairly. May we allow the Holy Innocents to guide us in our prayer for all of these souls and to help us along our path towards the Christ child.
Christ was also an innocent child who came into the world and was eventually led to the wood of the cross to die for each of us. May we continue in this Christmas season to draw our lives towards the Christ child in all that we do.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Day Homily
If you were to poll the people prior to coming to Mass on Christmas about what Gospel they would hear that day I am sure that the vast majority would point towards one of the infancy narratives that are found in Matthew or Luke. These are after all the stories that we are most comfortable with because we have fashioned Christmas plays and even the manger scene after them. These Gospel accounts have given us a glimpse into the journey that Mary made with her child and the joy that was brought into the world through His birth. Today we instead hear from the Gospel of Saint John where we are told that "the word became flesh and dwelt among us." This one verse of Sacred Scripture tells us about the profound event that we celebrate on this Christmas Day. When we glance at the manger we see the infant Jesus who lays inside of the crib. I believe we often realize the importance that birth plays in the life of Christ as a child, but fail to truly ponder upon the reality that Christ is both fully divine and fully human.
When the word became flesh we end up having a great tension that is taking place. We should ask ourselves how it is possible that God would take on human flesh and come to the world to dwell with each of us. In this event we should wonder how the mighty creator of the universe ,who is God, is able to join in our own frailty by taking on human suffering. We know that the angels were created prior to humanity and thus find themselves to be close to God in creation. If that were true, then why would God want to come into such a frail existence. The angels pondered this question because some of them found this news to be so surprising that they turned away from God. Through their own choice they desired to fall away from God and thus fall into the darkness of despair. They followed after their own path of pride instead of realizing the great love that is being brought into the world through Christ's birth. On this day may we see the love that God brings into our lives through this event.
In the event of Christ's birth we are having a great expression of love that is being brought into our lives that in time will see its completion upon the wood of the cross. But for now Christ lays comfortable on the wood of the crib as Saints Joseph and Mary look on with great joy. It is through this great event of God's love brought into the world that all flock around this manger. It is through this event that we come here this day desiring to enter more and more into God's divine love. From our letter from Hebrews we know that the divine love of God was shown to each of our ancestors and continues to be shown to us. From the fall of humanity the glimmer of God's love still shined despite Adam and Eve's sin. This is the same unchanging God who came before Moses and Abraham who now comes before us as the Christ child. With the coming of the Christ child all knees bend to the great king who dwells here with us because through this action the love that all the prophets were pointing towards could finally be fulfilled.
The fulfillment of Sacred Scripture was made manifest through this miraculous birth. In this miraculous birth, God who has no form took on the form of humanity by taking on human flesh. In this great offering of love new life has been brought into each of our lives. From the darkness that is found within sin we are given the hope of new life. The light of Christ shines upon each of us during this Christmas morning desiring to bring this profound message of love into our lives. We participate today in an event which is historical and yet transcends history. We still celebrate and relive the great moment when "the word became flesh." On this dark night the light of God shun forth through this child. As we continue our search for truth and hope from within our world we must go to Christ to allow Him to bring light into our darkest moments. This will be the greatest hope that we have because without "the word becoming flesh" God would always remain at a distance instead of sharing in our very humanity.
On this Christmas Day may we take the time out of our busy schedules to ponder what our lives would be like if Christ was never born of the virgin. Without this miraculous birth God would always have remained at a distance, but luckily God came to dwell with us. May we use our time to continue to dwell with God and to allow God to bring the light of hope into our lives. We must remember that God became flesh in order to save all men and women from their enslavement. No matter how we find ourselves enslaved may we look to Christ's Nativity to see a glimmer of hope. A glimmer of hope always shines forth from this crib of the manger because it was here that God had come into the world to dwell with us. If we mourn the loss of a loved one hope can still be found at the bedside of this manger because God desires to be with us. If we fear this upcoming year and what it will bring into our lives may we allow Christ to lead us forth on our journey as He went forth from that manger into the world. No matter what pain, joy, and fear that we may feel may we trust in faith that God took flesh and dwelt among us out of love.
This same love that was felt on the night of the Nativity is continued to be felt in the sacraments of the Church. On the night of the last supper Christ took bread in His Hands and looking to Heaven said "this is my Body." At that moment Christ came to dwell inside of the Holy Eucharist out of love because through this act He desired to continue to dwell with each of us. At this Mass, on this most Holy Night, we rejoice at the word made flesh and the reality that Christ continues to dwell among us through His Flesh and Blood that is found in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. We give praise and honor this day at the fact that "For us men and our salvation he came down from Heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man." On most Sundays we bow following this statement that "he became man," but today we kneel in awe at this statement of love where God came to dwell with us!
When the word became flesh we end up having a great tension that is taking place. We should ask ourselves how it is possible that God would take on human flesh and come to the world to dwell with each of us. In this event we should wonder how the mighty creator of the universe ,who is God, is able to join in our own frailty by taking on human suffering. We know that the angels were created prior to humanity and thus find themselves to be close to God in creation. If that were true, then why would God want to come into such a frail existence. The angels pondered this question because some of them found this news to be so surprising that they turned away from God. Through their own choice they desired to fall away from God and thus fall into the darkness of despair. They followed after their own path of pride instead of realizing the great love that is being brought into the world through Christ's birth. On this day may we see the love that God brings into our lives through this event.
In the event of Christ's birth we are having a great expression of love that is being brought into our lives that in time will see its completion upon the wood of the cross. But for now Christ lays comfortable on the wood of the crib as Saints Joseph and Mary look on with great joy. It is through this great event of God's love brought into the world that all flock around this manger. It is through this event that we come here this day desiring to enter more and more into God's divine love. From our letter from Hebrews we know that the divine love of God was shown to each of our ancestors and continues to be shown to us. From the fall of humanity the glimmer of God's love still shined despite Adam and Eve's sin. This is the same unchanging God who came before Moses and Abraham who now comes before us as the Christ child. With the coming of the Christ child all knees bend to the great king who dwells here with us because through this action the love that all the prophets were pointing towards could finally be fulfilled.
The fulfillment of Sacred Scripture was made manifest through this miraculous birth. In this miraculous birth, God who has no form took on the form of humanity by taking on human flesh. In this great offering of love new life has been brought into each of our lives. From the darkness that is found within sin we are given the hope of new life. The light of Christ shines upon each of us during this Christmas morning desiring to bring this profound message of love into our lives. We participate today in an event which is historical and yet transcends history. We still celebrate and relive the great moment when "the word became flesh." On this dark night the light of God shun forth through this child. As we continue our search for truth and hope from within our world we must go to Christ to allow Him to bring light into our darkest moments. This will be the greatest hope that we have because without "the word becoming flesh" God would always remain at a distance instead of sharing in our very humanity.
On this Christmas Day may we take the time out of our busy schedules to ponder what our lives would be like if Christ was never born of the virgin. Without this miraculous birth God would always have remained at a distance, but luckily God came to dwell with us. May we use our time to continue to dwell with God and to allow God to bring the light of hope into our lives. We must remember that God became flesh in order to save all men and women from their enslavement. No matter how we find ourselves enslaved may we look to Christ's Nativity to see a glimmer of hope. A glimmer of hope always shines forth from this crib of the manger because it was here that God had come into the world to dwell with us. If we mourn the loss of a loved one hope can still be found at the bedside of this manger because God desires to be with us. If we fear this upcoming year and what it will bring into our lives may we allow Christ to lead us forth on our journey as He went forth from that manger into the world. No matter what pain, joy, and fear that we may feel may we trust in faith that God took flesh and dwelt among us out of love.
This same love that was felt on the night of the Nativity is continued to be felt in the sacraments of the Church. On the night of the last supper Christ took bread in His Hands and looking to Heaven said "this is my Body." At that moment Christ came to dwell inside of the Holy Eucharist out of love because through this act He desired to continue to dwell with each of us. At this Mass, on this most Holy Night, we rejoice at the word made flesh and the reality that Christ continues to dwell among us through His Flesh and Blood that is found in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. We give praise and honor this day at the fact that "For us men and our salvation he came down from Heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man." On most Sundays we bow following this statement that "he became man," but today we kneel in awe at this statement of love where God came to dwell with us!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
3rd Sun of Advent Year C Homily
If you have taken any notice to the look and feel of the liturgy during these past two weeks of Advent you will realize that things have taken on a more penitential attitude. We are accustomed to singing "Glory to God in the Highest" prior to the opening prayer of the Mass, but in Advent we do not use this joyful hymn. It is normal to walk into the Church and see it decorated with many beautiful flowers, but in Advent they cannot be found. The music also takes this penitential form because it reflects the season that we are currently inside. Even the white garment that I wear called an alb reflects the attitude of this season because it is plain and is not adorned with any lace. If we look to the banners hanging high upon the wall we notice the liturgical color of the season which is violet. This color calls us to a penitential attitude where we prepare ourselves for something and ask of the Lord's mercy upon our sinfulness. Today we remain inside of the season of Advent, but are reminded of our need to rejoice.
In the Church this third Sunday of Advent is known as "Gaudete Sunday" which is Latin for "rejoice." On this Sunday we have a lot to rejoice about because we realize that the coming of the Christ child is drawing near. As we rejoice on this day we remain inside of the season of Advent, but should realize our need to rejoice. Our liturgy reflects this reality as we continue to move ourselves closer to Christ's birth. The music begins to pick up with this tone of rejoicing. As you can tell we take a break from wearing violet and get to wear the liturgical color of rose. This is only one of two appearances that rose makes during the liturgical year. The other time that it is worn is when we take a break from the penitential character during one Sunday of Lent. And so as the Church begins to rejoice inside of this great season we should begin to do the same. As each of us here continues to prepare for the coming of Christ we rejoice at the fact that he will be coming very soon within the Christmas season.
Saint Paul bluntly instructs the Philippians to rejoice. They should be filled with joy because the Lord's coming is ever drawing nearer. They are instructed that they should not be filled with anxiety at his arrival because this is a good thing to prepare for. We likewise should not be filled with anxiety as we continue to prepare for the Lord's coming. It can become easy to fall into seeing God and Christ as a judge who sits in the sky judging us for all that we do. If this is our experience of God then anxiety at His arrival would become very understandable. God is truly full of love and we can see this from the mutual sharing that is found inside of the Holy Trinity. Anytime that we fall away from God's love we are turning towards ourselves and away from this life giving love. There is much rejoicing for each sinner who returns to God with a repentant heart because they are returning to God's great overflowing of love. We should not await the coming of Christ with anxiety because with His coming excitement can be found through the abundance of love that He brings into our lives.
Our first reading shows the great excitement that should be had for the one that is to come. There is a realization that we should no longer be filled with discouragement because The Lord is prepared to enter into our midst. In a matter of days we will have the opportunity to sing joyfully because God has come into the world as man. The sin that has been brought into the world has caused reason for fear, but with Christ present in our midst we have nothing to fear because forgiveness is constantly being showered upon each of us. Our rejoicing should be centered upon the reality that Christ is fully divine and yet fully human and through His Sacrificial action has brought salvation into each of our lives. May we constantly challenge ourselves to turn away from our enemy of sin because through this action we can draw ourselves closer to Christ who gives us reason to rejoice with all the angels of Heaven this day.
The crowds whom we encounter in today's Gospel reading had the realization that their baptism required something more from them. Saint John the Baptist told them of the many things that they needed to do within their lives because the coming of the Messiah was quickly approaching. We should join with this crowd today in asking ourselves what we should do to prepare for this moment. We should be prepared to leave the barrenness of everyday life behind and trust in The Lord our God who is coming into our lives to bring us reason to rejoice. When we remain stuck in the barrenness of sin and the many tragedies that can be found within the world it is easy to see no reason to rejoice. It is only through turning our hearts towards the infinite love of Christ that we can move forward with reason to rejoice. We have all heard of the tragic shooting in a Connecticut school by now and are filled with sorrow at this horrendous crime that brought about the death of many people including that of children. We look upon this and similar crimes with sorrow, but despite them we must trust in The Lord who has come into our midst. He is our only hope that death and sin does not have the final say within our lives and for that we still have reason to rejoice.
In the midst of our own sinfulness and the sorrow that comes with any tragedy may we rejoice this day at the coming of the Christ child. We realize that the world is far from a perfect place, but despite that we have hope that is found within the coming of Christ. He came into the world and redeemed each of us through His death upon the cross thus giving meaning and hope to our lives. May we use the few days that we have left inside of this season to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah for on this day we have true reason to rejoice. May we cry out to The Lord with joy and gladness as we continue to prepare ourselves for His coming.
In the Church this third Sunday of Advent is known as "Gaudete Sunday" which is Latin for "rejoice." On this Sunday we have a lot to rejoice about because we realize that the coming of the Christ child is drawing near. As we rejoice on this day we remain inside of the season of Advent, but should realize our need to rejoice. Our liturgy reflects this reality as we continue to move ourselves closer to Christ's birth. The music begins to pick up with this tone of rejoicing. As you can tell we take a break from wearing violet and get to wear the liturgical color of rose. This is only one of two appearances that rose makes during the liturgical year. The other time that it is worn is when we take a break from the penitential character during one Sunday of Lent. And so as the Church begins to rejoice inside of this great season we should begin to do the same. As each of us here continues to prepare for the coming of Christ we rejoice at the fact that he will be coming very soon within the Christmas season.
Saint Paul bluntly instructs the Philippians to rejoice. They should be filled with joy because the Lord's coming is ever drawing nearer. They are instructed that they should not be filled with anxiety at his arrival because this is a good thing to prepare for. We likewise should not be filled with anxiety as we continue to prepare for the Lord's coming. It can become easy to fall into seeing God and Christ as a judge who sits in the sky judging us for all that we do. If this is our experience of God then anxiety at His arrival would become very understandable. God is truly full of love and we can see this from the mutual sharing that is found inside of the Holy Trinity. Anytime that we fall away from God's love we are turning towards ourselves and away from this life giving love. There is much rejoicing for each sinner who returns to God with a repentant heart because they are returning to God's great overflowing of love. We should not await the coming of Christ with anxiety because with His coming excitement can be found through the abundance of love that He brings into our lives.
Our first reading shows the great excitement that should be had for the one that is to come. There is a realization that we should no longer be filled with discouragement because The Lord is prepared to enter into our midst. In a matter of days we will have the opportunity to sing joyfully because God has come into the world as man. The sin that has been brought into the world has caused reason for fear, but with Christ present in our midst we have nothing to fear because forgiveness is constantly being showered upon each of us. Our rejoicing should be centered upon the reality that Christ is fully divine and yet fully human and through His Sacrificial action has brought salvation into each of our lives. May we constantly challenge ourselves to turn away from our enemy of sin because through this action we can draw ourselves closer to Christ who gives us reason to rejoice with all the angels of Heaven this day.
The crowds whom we encounter in today's Gospel reading had the realization that their baptism required something more from them. Saint John the Baptist told them of the many things that they needed to do within their lives because the coming of the Messiah was quickly approaching. We should join with this crowd today in asking ourselves what we should do to prepare for this moment. We should be prepared to leave the barrenness of everyday life behind and trust in The Lord our God who is coming into our lives to bring us reason to rejoice. When we remain stuck in the barrenness of sin and the many tragedies that can be found within the world it is easy to see no reason to rejoice. It is only through turning our hearts towards the infinite love of Christ that we can move forward with reason to rejoice. We have all heard of the tragic shooting in a Connecticut school by now and are filled with sorrow at this horrendous crime that brought about the death of many people including that of children. We look upon this and similar crimes with sorrow, but despite them we must trust in The Lord who has come into our midst. He is our only hope that death and sin does not have the final say within our lives and for that we still have reason to rejoice.
In the midst of our own sinfulness and the sorrow that comes with any tragedy may we rejoice this day at the coming of the Christ child. We realize that the world is far from a perfect place, but despite that we have hope that is found within the coming of Christ. He came into the world and redeemed each of us through His death upon the cross thus giving meaning and hope to our lives. May we use the few days that we have left inside of this season to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah for on this day we have true reason to rejoice. May we cry out to The Lord with joy and gladness as we continue to prepare ourselves for His coming.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
2nd Sun of Advent Year C Homily
Now that we have entered into the season of Advent I have been very busy with penance services around the diocese. This coming Friday at 7pm our parish will hold our penance service. One of the blogs that I often read quoted a priest who used his homily from the first week of Advent to tell the people what he wanted from the parish community for his Christmas gift. Instead of being concerned with money or food it was his desire that the people of his parish would go to confession. I would like to extend this same invitation to you this day. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is something that each of us needs in our lives and is the perfect way for us to prepare ourselves for the Christmas season. Through Confession we are able to express the reality that we sin, but from it we are able to receive healing from Christ's infinite mercy. There is nobody here, myself included, who is not in need of God's mercy and forgiveness. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a way to enter into this profound mercy.
Our first reading tells Jerusalem to take off its "robe of mourning and misery." In the place of this robe we should be adorned with the "splendor of glory from God." Our sins have clothed us inside of this mourning and misery, but despite them the hope of God's Heavenly splendor remains. Saint Augustine said that we must stand upon our sins and they will lift us up to God. This is a very profound image to think about because it shows that we can conquer our sinfulness. This image shows that no matter how much we fall into sin or how vile that sin may be we can still come to conquer them. There is always hope to be found if we only attempt to do something. When we lose hope and do nothing our sins begin to stand upon us. They wrap us inside of this sorrowful robe and it seems that all hope has been lost. This feeling of the loss of hope is a great lie that the evil one sends into our lives because hope always remains as long as we reach out with sorrow and call upon the splendor that is found inside of God's mercy.
And so my brothers and sisters in Christ we must ask ourselves what is keeping us from reaching out for the "fruit of righteousness." Here among us we find people who reach out for this fruit often, others who at least come for it twice a year for penance services, those who have gone years without attempting to reach for it, and maybe even a few who have never reached out for this fruit at all. To those who come to the Sacrament of Penance often I thank you for your great courage and encourage you to continue to endure in God's mercy. For you who come twice a year I challenge you to continue to allow yourselves to stand upon your sins and to do so as often as possible. For you who have gone many years without searching out this mercy I encourage you to overcome your fear of sin and return to the sacrament of Christ's mercy. To those who have never entered into this great sacrament do not fear because your sins can be forgiven and the priest can aid you in making a good first confession.
When we fall into sin we are following a road that is far from straight. The road that sin leads us down is filled with many twists and turns. Falling into sin gets us lost inside of our own chaos and makes it impossible for us to find a way out from this entrapment. If we leave finding a way out of this misery up to our own resources we will always remain lost without a glimmer of hope. Instead of trusting in our own resources we must turn to Christ who will make the way straight. With His assistance inside of our life we can finally move about with purpose instead of getting lost within the chaos. To turn towards the mercy of Christ will help us to realize that our sins are nothing compared to Christ's love and mercy. In sinfulness we have turned away from the love that God showers upon us and have trusted in ourselves alone. Turning towards Christ's mercy we realize our need for this perfect love to enter back into our lives. May we not allow fear to be the thing that gets in the way from this taking place.
May we not allow fear to be the thing that keeps us away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Satan wants us to think that we do not need or are unworthy of receiving this Sacrament. Let us no longer allow the devil to take control of our lives, but instead banish his lying voice from our ears. Instead of allowing the father of lies to fill all our minds with chaos let us turn towards the voice of John which comes from the wilderness pointing the way to The Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation points the way to The Lord out to each of us and from it comes the hope of God's mercy coming into our lives to make the path straight. In confession we do not come before a man to receive forgiveness, but come to Christ the Divine Healer. Christ the Divine Healer who is able to forgive sins and fix the brokenness of our hearts and to reconcile the effects that our sins have brought upon the community of faith. In the midst of this Divine Healer the voice of the father of lies can finally be silenced from within our lives.
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this season of Advent let us reflect upon our lives and ask ourselves what sins we have committed since our last confession and then not run in fear of them. Instead of running away may we bring them to the Sacrament of Reconciliation that brings mercy and forgiveness into our lives. In Confession we do not have to give details or excuses, but only need to put a name to our sins. In naming them with a contrite heart we are able to be assured of the mercy of God. Let us not take the risk that comes with avoiding confession because that risk is not worth it. Instead of taking the daily risk that comes with avoiding confession may we flock to this sacrament as we flock to the Holy Eucharist. Let us keep in mind 1 Corinthians 11:29 which states: "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgement upon himself." In our examination of conscience let us realize our need for mercy because it is connected to the Holy Eucharist that we receive.
Our first reading tells Jerusalem to take off its "robe of mourning and misery." In the place of this robe we should be adorned with the "splendor of glory from God." Our sins have clothed us inside of this mourning and misery, but despite them the hope of God's Heavenly splendor remains. Saint Augustine said that we must stand upon our sins and they will lift us up to God. This is a very profound image to think about because it shows that we can conquer our sinfulness. This image shows that no matter how much we fall into sin or how vile that sin may be we can still come to conquer them. There is always hope to be found if we only attempt to do something. When we lose hope and do nothing our sins begin to stand upon us. They wrap us inside of this sorrowful robe and it seems that all hope has been lost. This feeling of the loss of hope is a great lie that the evil one sends into our lives because hope always remains as long as we reach out with sorrow and call upon the splendor that is found inside of God's mercy.
And so my brothers and sisters in Christ we must ask ourselves what is keeping us from reaching out for the "fruit of righteousness." Here among us we find people who reach out for this fruit often, others who at least come for it twice a year for penance services, those who have gone years without attempting to reach for it, and maybe even a few who have never reached out for this fruit at all. To those who come to the Sacrament of Penance often I thank you for your great courage and encourage you to continue to endure in God's mercy. For you who come twice a year I challenge you to continue to allow yourselves to stand upon your sins and to do so as often as possible. For you who have gone many years without searching out this mercy I encourage you to overcome your fear of sin and return to the sacrament of Christ's mercy. To those who have never entered into this great sacrament do not fear because your sins can be forgiven and the priest can aid you in making a good first confession.
When we fall into sin we are following a road that is far from straight. The road that sin leads us down is filled with many twists and turns. Falling into sin gets us lost inside of our own chaos and makes it impossible for us to find a way out from this entrapment. If we leave finding a way out of this misery up to our own resources we will always remain lost without a glimmer of hope. Instead of trusting in our own resources we must turn to Christ who will make the way straight. With His assistance inside of our life we can finally move about with purpose instead of getting lost within the chaos. To turn towards the mercy of Christ will help us to realize that our sins are nothing compared to Christ's love and mercy. In sinfulness we have turned away from the love that God showers upon us and have trusted in ourselves alone. Turning towards Christ's mercy we realize our need for this perfect love to enter back into our lives. May we not allow fear to be the thing that gets in the way from this taking place.
May we not allow fear to be the thing that keeps us away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Satan wants us to think that we do not need or are unworthy of receiving this Sacrament. Let us no longer allow the devil to take control of our lives, but instead banish his lying voice from our ears. Instead of allowing the father of lies to fill all our minds with chaos let us turn towards the voice of John which comes from the wilderness pointing the way to The Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation points the way to The Lord out to each of us and from it comes the hope of God's mercy coming into our lives to make the path straight. In confession we do not come before a man to receive forgiveness, but come to Christ the Divine Healer. Christ the Divine Healer who is able to forgive sins and fix the brokenness of our hearts and to reconcile the effects that our sins have brought upon the community of faith. In the midst of this Divine Healer the voice of the father of lies can finally be silenced from within our lives.
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this season of Advent let us reflect upon our lives and ask ourselves what sins we have committed since our last confession and then not run in fear of them. Instead of running away may we bring them to the Sacrament of Reconciliation that brings mercy and forgiveness into our lives. In Confession we do not have to give details or excuses, but only need to put a name to our sins. In naming them with a contrite heart we are able to be assured of the mercy of God. Let us not take the risk that comes with avoiding confession because that risk is not worth it. Instead of taking the daily risk that comes with avoiding confession may we flock to this sacrament as we flock to the Holy Eucharist. Let us keep in mind 1 Corinthians 11:29 which states: "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgement upon himself." In our examination of conscience let us realize our need for mercy because it is connected to the Holy Eucharist that we receive.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Immaculate Conception Homily
Getting lost inside of an unknown area can be a very scary thing. It can especially become scary once the sun goes down and we are surrounded by darkness. When driving one turn can quickly get us into a lot of trouble that might require a lot of time in order to get back onto track. Maps or GPS technology can be very helpful in getting reoriented to the correct path, but even here it might take more time then we would like to get things figured out. This is especially true when we hear "recalculating route" being repeated over and over again in our ears. Once it finally has it figured out we do not have the time to react and then we are left repeating all the steps all over again. We might get so frustrated with this process that we decide that there is no hope especially when we have been led down a path where we encounter unmoving traffic. Sin has many paths that always led us into getting lost without hope. Sin leads us into getting upset and falling into despair.
Glancing at the world we can see a lot of stuff that can quickly make us upset. Everywhere that we look it seems that we can find some place where sin has entered into the human existence and we now find ourselves to be lost. With this giant burden that has fallen upon us we must continually battle the desire to fall into despair. No matter how grim the human existence seems to be we cannot fall into despair because hope always remains. Today we gather to celebrate this solemnity of hope. In the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary we can always find hope. Hope remains that from the darkness of sin the light of new life always shines forth. Our Blessed Mother brings this great light into the darkness of our lives and hope is given that we can come to conquer the death of sin. The death of sin was never allowed to touch the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was chosen by God before time to be the vessel that would carry our Divine Saviour into the world.
Her "yes" to the angel Gabriel can still be felt to this day because from it came the hope that a Saviour would be brought into the world who would save all from their sinfulness. This exchange was only possible because she was a woman without the stain of sin. Christ could never come to dwell in the womb of an impure object because he was completely pure and without sin. The Immaculate Conception brought this possibility into the world because from it Mary was conceived without sin. Without the Immaculate Conception taking place it would of been impossible for the Annunciation to take place. Without the Immaculate Conception the sin of Adam and Eve that we inherit would of been impossible to be overcome. Her Son, Jesus, is the new Adam while she is the new Eve. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, but Christ and Mary were able to triumph over its grasp. From this reality great hope can be found within the event of the Immaculate Conception.
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this Advent season for the birth of Christ may we realize the importance that the Immaculate Conception plays within that event. Through the Immaculate Conception Mary was set apart because she never knew sin. From the moment of her Conception onward she began to prepare herself for the arrival of her son. Her life was set apart, so that in due time Christ would come to dwell within the world. Mary now dwells with her Son in Heaven above and she reaches out to each of us this day who need to use this season of Advent to prepare for the arrival of her Son. She desires to bring that light of her son into our lives as we prepare for this important moment. With the reception of this bright light the darkness of sin is able to be erased from our lives. May we trust in allowing Mary to help us prepare for the arrival of her son. From the event of the Immaculate Conception she knows a lot about the preparation that is necessary within our lives.
And so what are the preparations that we need to make during this season? Through these preparations that we must undertake we can begin to move ourselves closer to Christ. We can help our faith to grow a new during this season. We can learn how to silence the many voices of the world and be led into the silence of prayer. We can see how material possessions are nothing compared to having family and Christ present within our lives. We can see that we can move ourselves closer to God each day only if we begin to put a little work into it. Mary points out the path to all of these changes that must occur within our life. She is the reminder that the sin of Adam and Eve could not conquer humanity. When we come to her great embrace she takes not worship of herself, but always draws us closer to Christ. In the event of the Immaculate Conception she was set apart by God from sin, and now encourages us with great hope to stay connected to God always. She is the beacon that shines in the world leading us away from the various things that have made us lost within our lives. Through following this beacon that shines out we can finally be reoriented towards Christ and His love. The Immaculate Conception is the marvelous deed that God has worked within our world showing His desire that each of us will continue to have hope that we will not be left lost among the weight of sin and despair.
Glancing at the world we can see a lot of stuff that can quickly make us upset. Everywhere that we look it seems that we can find some place where sin has entered into the human existence and we now find ourselves to be lost. With this giant burden that has fallen upon us we must continually battle the desire to fall into despair. No matter how grim the human existence seems to be we cannot fall into despair because hope always remains. Today we gather to celebrate this solemnity of hope. In the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary we can always find hope. Hope remains that from the darkness of sin the light of new life always shines forth. Our Blessed Mother brings this great light into the darkness of our lives and hope is given that we can come to conquer the death of sin. The death of sin was never allowed to touch the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was chosen by God before time to be the vessel that would carry our Divine Saviour into the world.
Her "yes" to the angel Gabriel can still be felt to this day because from it came the hope that a Saviour would be brought into the world who would save all from their sinfulness. This exchange was only possible because she was a woman without the stain of sin. Christ could never come to dwell in the womb of an impure object because he was completely pure and without sin. The Immaculate Conception brought this possibility into the world because from it Mary was conceived without sin. Without the Immaculate Conception taking place it would of been impossible for the Annunciation to take place. Without the Immaculate Conception the sin of Adam and Eve that we inherit would of been impossible to be overcome. Her Son, Jesus, is the new Adam while she is the new Eve. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, but Christ and Mary were able to triumph over its grasp. From this reality great hope can be found within the event of the Immaculate Conception.
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this Advent season for the birth of Christ may we realize the importance that the Immaculate Conception plays within that event. Through the Immaculate Conception Mary was set apart because she never knew sin. From the moment of her Conception onward she began to prepare herself for the arrival of her son. Her life was set apart, so that in due time Christ would come to dwell within the world. Mary now dwells with her Son in Heaven above and she reaches out to each of us this day who need to use this season of Advent to prepare for the arrival of her Son. She desires to bring that light of her son into our lives as we prepare for this important moment. With the reception of this bright light the darkness of sin is able to be erased from our lives. May we trust in allowing Mary to help us prepare for the arrival of her son. From the event of the Immaculate Conception she knows a lot about the preparation that is necessary within our lives.
And so what are the preparations that we need to make during this season? Through these preparations that we must undertake we can begin to move ourselves closer to Christ. We can help our faith to grow a new during this season. We can learn how to silence the many voices of the world and be led into the silence of prayer. We can see how material possessions are nothing compared to having family and Christ present within our lives. We can see that we can move ourselves closer to God each day only if we begin to put a little work into it. Mary points out the path to all of these changes that must occur within our life. She is the reminder that the sin of Adam and Eve could not conquer humanity. When we come to her great embrace she takes not worship of herself, but always draws us closer to Christ. In the event of the Immaculate Conception she was set apart by God from sin, and now encourages us with great hope to stay connected to God always. She is the beacon that shines in the world leading us away from the various things that have made us lost within our lives. Through following this beacon that shines out we can finally be reoriented towards Christ and His love. The Immaculate Conception is the marvelous deed that God has worked within our world showing His desire that each of us will continue to have hope that we will not be left lost among the weight of sin and despair.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
1st Sun of Advent Year C Homily
The week after Thanksgiving has arrived and with it we desire to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Christmas. In order to prepare ourselves we have a lot of decorating to do, lots of shopping, a plethora of Knights of Columbus Christmas cards to fill out, and maybe even some planning of parties. Despite the fact that Christmas is coming we must also remember that we find ourselves in Advent and with it comes lots of preparation for Christmas. This season is a time to look at ourselves and at the world and ask how we can better prepare ourselves for the arrival of Christ. This preparation requires us to look change in the eyes and to do something about it. This change effects the way we look upon the world, at ourselves, and at the faith.
Pope Benedict XVI in a recent General Audience spoke about the need that the Western World has to reclaim its faith and no longer be "dazzled by the glitter of worldliness." In this address he pointed towards the lack of integration of faith that people have inside of their lives and how this attitude has ultimately harmed Christianity. Our Holy Father pointed out that "the practical atheism of those who say they are Christian but live as if God does not exist is a bigger threat than actual atheism." "While actual atheists often think deeply about God before rejecting belief, practical atheism is even more destructive because it leads to indifference towards faith and the question of God." In the Western World Christianity has long enjoyed being the dominant religion where to not believe would require a true reason. With the tables now being overturned with this indifference of attitude we must reclaim the reason why we believe. We must ask ourselves how we can allow our faith to grow where we can once again believe.
In our Gospel reading we find ourselves being warned that we cannot become drowsy in our faith. The reality of the end of time is pointed out and we are being reminded of the need to not grow idle in our faith. To grow idle in our faith would be agreeing that we are fine living out the practical atheism that Pope Benedict warned about inside of his general audience. We cannot allow ourselves to grow comfortable in our faith giving way for us to become lazy and accepting of things that might be contrary to the faith. Instead we are being called to stay awake and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Christ. The season of Advent is about preparing ourselves to be vigilant in our preparation for the reality that we will one day stand before the Son of Man. As we prepare ourselves to stand before the manger of Christ on Christmas morning during this great season of Advent we should work hard at using these four weeks to transform our lives from the moral and spiritual chaos that might be found in order to rediscover God.
Our second reading from the first book of Thessalonians gives us the challenge to continue to endure in the instructions that were given to us through The Lord Jesus. As we have been given these instructions by Christ we cannot turn away from them, but must continue to trust in The Lord all the more. Our first reading from Jeremiah reminded the people of the need to continue to live a life that is morally upright in the eyes of God. Despite all the hardships that these people have encountered they were given hope in the one who was to come. The days are indeed coming for us when The Lord will come into our lives through the season of Christmas. We now prepare ourselves for the arrival of this season during Advent. We must ask ourselves what ways we have grown indifferent to religion. We must ask ourselves where we continue to stumble along the path towards Christ. We must accept our many imperfections and allow Christ to take a hold of each of them as we hope that our faith can grow a new.
If we will ever be able to overcome these hardships we must begin to work on three things within our world. Firstly, we must have a concern to help restore the wonder of creation to the world. As a society we have lost our ability to look upon creation with wonder and instead desire to explain everything away avoiding the reality of a creative intelligence. Secondly, we must restore the wonder that is found within humanity. According to St. Augustine: "truth dwells in the heart of man." The problem that we face is a lack of time to reflect upon what is taking place within our hearts. We live in a very noisy and busy world and often fail to allow Christ to enter into our hearts through prayer. We must work on our ability to stop in the midst of this noise and return to God. Lastly, we must return to our understanding of faith. The breakdown of faith has led us away from encountering God each day who transforms our lives in every area possible. It is a no wonder that Pope Benedict has declared this year as the "Year of Faith."
As we enter into Advent with the invitation to be prepared may we do things that can aid us in rediscovering these important elements. Working hard with our understanding of the world, ourselves, and the faith that we share will assist us in overcoming the practical atheism that is so prevalent within our society. To challenge ourselves to grow in these three aspects we will be working hard to truly come to an understanding of the Christmas season that we are preparing for. May we look for ways during this time of preparation to reorient ourselves to the creative order of the world which brings about the fact that all was created by God. May we look for ways where we can silent our lives and return to allowing Christ to remain at life's center. This can be done through prayer at home, an hour before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, through the Holy Rosary, and through realizing our need for the Lord's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. May we search out ways that can help us to grow in our faith. Now would be the perfect time to enter a bible study group or to read a good book concerning the faith. Pope Benedict recently released his third and final installment of "Jesus of Nazareth" which conveniently concerns itself with the infancy narratives. This book or another one of spiritual significance would assist in our quest to reclaim our faith. During this season of Advent may we do all that is possible to lift up our soul to The Lord.
Pope Benedict XVI in a recent General Audience spoke about the need that the Western World has to reclaim its faith and no longer be "dazzled by the glitter of worldliness." In this address he pointed towards the lack of integration of faith that people have inside of their lives and how this attitude has ultimately harmed Christianity. Our Holy Father pointed out that "the practical atheism of those who say they are Christian but live as if God does not exist is a bigger threat than actual atheism." "While actual atheists often think deeply about God before rejecting belief, practical atheism is even more destructive because it leads to indifference towards faith and the question of God." In the Western World Christianity has long enjoyed being the dominant religion where to not believe would require a true reason. With the tables now being overturned with this indifference of attitude we must reclaim the reason why we believe. We must ask ourselves how we can allow our faith to grow where we can once again believe.
In our Gospel reading we find ourselves being warned that we cannot become drowsy in our faith. The reality of the end of time is pointed out and we are being reminded of the need to not grow idle in our faith. To grow idle in our faith would be agreeing that we are fine living out the practical atheism that Pope Benedict warned about inside of his general audience. We cannot allow ourselves to grow comfortable in our faith giving way for us to become lazy and accepting of things that might be contrary to the faith. Instead we are being called to stay awake and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Christ. The season of Advent is about preparing ourselves to be vigilant in our preparation for the reality that we will one day stand before the Son of Man. As we prepare ourselves to stand before the manger of Christ on Christmas morning during this great season of Advent we should work hard at using these four weeks to transform our lives from the moral and spiritual chaos that might be found in order to rediscover God.
Our second reading from the first book of Thessalonians gives us the challenge to continue to endure in the instructions that were given to us through The Lord Jesus. As we have been given these instructions by Christ we cannot turn away from them, but must continue to trust in The Lord all the more. Our first reading from Jeremiah reminded the people of the need to continue to live a life that is morally upright in the eyes of God. Despite all the hardships that these people have encountered they were given hope in the one who was to come. The days are indeed coming for us when The Lord will come into our lives through the season of Christmas. We now prepare ourselves for the arrival of this season during Advent. We must ask ourselves what ways we have grown indifferent to religion. We must ask ourselves where we continue to stumble along the path towards Christ. We must accept our many imperfections and allow Christ to take a hold of each of them as we hope that our faith can grow a new.
If we will ever be able to overcome these hardships we must begin to work on three things within our world. Firstly, we must have a concern to help restore the wonder of creation to the world. As a society we have lost our ability to look upon creation with wonder and instead desire to explain everything away avoiding the reality of a creative intelligence. Secondly, we must restore the wonder that is found within humanity. According to St. Augustine: "truth dwells in the heart of man." The problem that we face is a lack of time to reflect upon what is taking place within our hearts. We live in a very noisy and busy world and often fail to allow Christ to enter into our hearts through prayer. We must work on our ability to stop in the midst of this noise and return to God. Lastly, we must return to our understanding of faith. The breakdown of faith has led us away from encountering God each day who transforms our lives in every area possible. It is a no wonder that Pope Benedict has declared this year as the "Year of Faith."
As we enter into Advent with the invitation to be prepared may we do things that can aid us in rediscovering these important elements. Working hard with our understanding of the world, ourselves, and the faith that we share will assist us in overcoming the practical atheism that is so prevalent within our society. To challenge ourselves to grow in these three aspects we will be working hard to truly come to an understanding of the Christmas season that we are preparing for. May we look for ways during this time of preparation to reorient ourselves to the creative order of the world which brings about the fact that all was created by God. May we look for ways where we can silent our lives and return to allowing Christ to remain at life's center. This can be done through prayer at home, an hour before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, through the Holy Rosary, and through realizing our need for the Lord's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. May we search out ways that can help us to grow in our faith. Now would be the perfect time to enter a bible study group or to read a good book concerning the faith. Pope Benedict recently released his third and final installment of "Jesus of Nazareth" which conveniently concerns itself with the infancy narratives. This book or another one of spiritual significance would assist in our quest to reclaim our faith. During this season of Advent may we do all that is possible to lift up our soul to The Lord.
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