Bulletin Article: December 26

Merry Christmas!

I welcome all of our parishioners and visitors to this celebration of the Lord’s Nativity. I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas season. A big “thank you” to all those who have assisted in our Christmas celebration in any way.

On January 8th our parish will have it’s Epiphany Party following the 5pm Mass. This will be a pot luck dinner and an opportunity for fellowship as we continue to celebrate the birth of the Savior. Hopefully we will have many who come together in a spirit a fraternity for this celebration.

Please note that January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. Nevertheless, the 8:30am Mass will be offered to celebrate this solemnity for those who wish to attend.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Octave of Christmas Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we encounter Anna and Simeon. Here we are told that, “this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel: and for a sign which shall be contradicted: and thine own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.”

This is an important message to remember when it pertains to the Christ child. It is easy for us to forget why He was born. Without His death His birth would not have the same significance. If He did not die upon the cross and rise again on the third day there would not be a reason for us to gather on Christmas.

As Fulton Sheen wrote, “From the moment she heard Simeon’s words, she would never again lift the Child’s hands without seeing a shadow of nails on them; every sunset would be a blood red image of His Passion. Simeon was throwing away the sheath that hid the future from human eyes, and letting the blade of the world’s sorrow flash in front of her eyes. Every pulse that she would feel in the tiny wrist would be like an echo of an oncoming hammer. If He was dedicated to salvation through suffering, so was she. No sooner was this young life launched than Simeon, like an old mariner, talked of shipwreck. No cup of the Father’s bitterness had yet come to the lips of the Babe, and yet a sword was shown to His mother.”

Through all of this we see the parallel which exists between His Nativity and death. There is something more to the Christmas season then what many currently profess. This Sunday in the Octave of Christmas keeps us grounded on the totality of why Christmas is so important for us to celebrate. May we too come to celebrate it with great joy for we continue to feel the saving effects of this child and what He has done to save us.

As people of faith we must remain grounded on what is truly important. Let us continue to rejoice at the Good News of the Lord’s birth and remember that He is the one who has come in order to save us from sin and death. An encounter with Christ should change us and would transform our world. To truly encounter the Christ child means that we let go of sin in order that we may turn our heart onto His. Let us rejoice for by His cross and Resurrection He has redeemed the world.

Holy Family Year C Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Jospeh. This is an interesting celebration because it reminds us that God took on our human flesh and submitted Himself to the confines of a family. Mary and Joseph would protect Him, feed Him, and instruct Him in the ways of morality and faith.

Each of us have been entrusted to the confines of a family, but none of our families are as perfect as the Holy Family. Therefore, the Holy Family should be the focus of our family life. As Pope Francis has stated: “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to love.”

Sadly, I don’t believe that many families have allowed themselves to be formed in such a way. Popular media gives us the example of the broken home and the immoral life. The Holy Family alone can be our perfect guide to which we should be formed upon. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are the the way in which we come to be formed in the Christian life.

The many issues which plague the modern day family would be nothing if we allowed Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to be our guide. Joseph and Mary show us the importance of marital life, Joseph shows us the importance of fatherhood, Mary shows us the importance of motherhood, and Jesus shows us the importance of respect for one’s parents.

In our modern world the domestic church which is the church at home finds itself under attack. There must be prayer within the home, but so often this goes pushed off to the side. The home is the place to study the family and to follow the life of virtue. The home should point the way to the Holy Mass, but this is so often overlooked for other worldly endeavors. 

The Holy Family shows the importance of prayer within the home. They also show the importance of being formed within the Christian life. There was nothing on this earth more important then this task which had been entrusted to them. May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Jospeh always remain our guide in order that we may strive for the Kingdom of Heaven.

May each of you continue to have a blessed Christmas season as we come to model our life and home after the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Christmas Homily

Merry Christmas!

Tonight we celebrate the fact that God became Flesh and dwelt among us. To this reality the angels praised God saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We joined with these angels today as we sang the “Gloria” “Glory to God in the Highest” proclaiming this same joy throughout the world.

From the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John we are told, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We are later told, “And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us.”

A literal translation of this word “dwelt” would be “and He pitched His tent among us.” This is a beautiful statement for it draws a connection to the Old Testament. In the Old Testament God dwelt among us in the Ark of the Covenant and a tent was pitched known as the tabernacle. It is here that God’s presence dwelt despite the many problems and anxieties that came with the life of the Jewish people.

In the Church we continue to encounter the literal presence of God who dwells among us. The Lord is present among us in the Most Holy Eucharist. It is hard to fathom that so many can be complacent to this reality for this is truly the presence of Christ who has taken on our human flesh and pitched His tent among us.

The world continues to be filled with the problems and anxieties of life, but we must always remember that Christ’s presence among us is something which remains. We have not been left lost and abandoned, but He has came in order that we may be redeemed. Despite what we may endure within this life let us always go to Christ and place our trust in Him.

As the Christmas account continues to unfold we encounter angels, shepherds, and magi who come to do Him homage. The shepherds and magi had their own problems and anxieties just like those in the Old Testament, but they came to discover He who had come to set us free from sin and death. There is no greater joy that we can encounter than journeying with them unto the Lord whose presence is among us.

Today we will come to encounter Him in the Holy Eucharist where He comes to dwell among us.  We like the angels, the shepherds, and the magi should come to adore Him and place Him first in our life. In this manner all the problems and anxieties of this life will be no match for Christ who is the Word made Flesh who pitched His tent among us.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Bulletin Article: December 19

On Saturday we will finally come to celebrate Christmas. We will have the vigil Mass on December 24th at 5pm. On December 25th Mass will be at 12am, 8am (Latin), 10am, and 12pm (Spanish). Please note that there will not be Mass on December 25th at 5pm. Our Masses for December 26th, Feast of the Holy Family, will be normal schedule.

Our parish penance service will be Wednesday, December 22th, at 6pm. Keep in mind that we continue to have regularly scheduled confessions Wednesday at 6pm, Saturday at 9am and 4:30pm, and Sunday at 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm.

The parish portion for the Synod is quickly approaching. We will have listening sessions throughout the month of January. These have been scheduled for January 10th at 6:30pm (Zoom), January 15th at 9:30am in gym, and January 16th in Spanish following 12pm Mass. We also encourage those who cannot participate in these to take the survey, link included in bulletin. A one page report based upon these listening sessions and survey will then be compiled and submitted to the diocese.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins 

4th Sunday of Advent Homily (Extraordinary Form)

In our Gospel we were instructed, that “every valley shall be filled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought low.”

These high mountains are symbolic of sin. It is through our arrogance, our opposition to the will of God, and our pride that we enter into such sin. Through such behavior we build high this barrier between us and God. Our pride and sin can only be brought low through repentance. Through repentance we return to God’s infinite mercy and allow this barrier to be removed from our midst.

As the prophet Isaiah further exclaims, “and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain.”

It is through the twists and turns of this life that we get caught up in such behavior. We are called upon to set our sight upon the prize and to move forward towards it. This is only possibly if we realize that God and the coming Kingdom of Heaven is that prize for which we seek. It is the pearl of great price which scripture tells us about. Through repentance we begin to set straight the path of our life as we come into this encounter with the Lord.

The prophet Isaiah concludes by stating, “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

This does not simply imply you and me, but all. We must set straight the path of our life, but we must also become convinced of the importance of the Gospel and sharing it with others. So often it seems that the Church is only willing to maintain and not be sent out to convert others to the truth of the Gospel. We can only be sent out as such missionaries if we are convinced of the importance of this relationship that we have been invited to enter into.

As we were told of John the Baptist, he was “a voice of one crying out in the wilderness.”

It was this voice which humbled himself for the coming of the Messiah. It was this voice which was convinced of all coming to know the importance of the coming of the Savior and preparing for His coming among us. We too must be this voice which boldly proclaims the coming of the Messiah as we are sent forth from here. Let us use the remainder of the Advent season to prepare the way for the one who comes among us at the Nativity, within the Eucharist, and He who will come again.

4th Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

Our Gospel accounts for us the Visitation where Mary traveled with haste to be with Elizabeth who was also found with child, John the Baptist. Interestingly enough we are told that she went to the town of Judah. This is important because the town of Judah was where David found the ark of the covenant. As a reminder the ark of the covenant was the pure and spotless vessel which contained the presence of God. So too does Mary become the new ark of the covenant for within her womb is Christ who is God.

Elizabeth understands the importance of this moment and thus she exclaims, “How does it happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Even John the Baptist was touched through this encounter for we are told that he leaped for joy within her womb.

If we go to 2 Samuel 6 that David asked, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me? This is very similar to the statement that Elizabeth made to Mary. We are also told in 2 Samuel 6 that there was “leaping and dancing before the Lord.” This was very similar to John the Baptist who leapt with joy within the womb of his mother due to his encounter with the Lord. 

If we go to verse 56 of this Gospel we would be told, “Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.” This parallels the fact that the ark of the covenant remained in the home of Obededom for a period of three months.

Through this whole encounter Elizabeth came to exclaim something with should be very familiar to us, “Blessed are you, among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She understands that the ark of the covenant is in her midst. She does not take this gift for granted, but comes to fully accept and acknowledge it’s saving effect upon her and her family.

As we continue this Advent journey towards the Nativity may we come to realize the one whom we behold. So many take this gift for granted and act as if it is just one among many things. The one who we prepare for is God. The one who we encounter in the Eucharist is God. The one whose return we prepare for is God. We therefore have the opportunity to encounter the same gift which came into the home of Elizabeth.

Our Gospel passage ends by stating, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Let us cut away all from our life which keeps us from encountering the Lord with true joy. Make use of the sacrament of confession and invite the Lord and His mercy to enter into your life. Whenever we pray the “Hail Mary” let us come to do so with true faith, for not only do we ask her to pray for us, but we are taken to God whose presence was within her womb.

May these finals days of Advent assist us in welcoming God into our homes in order that He may dwell with us.

Bulletin Article: December 12

Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. We are now so close to Christmas, but we must not grow weary. Instead we must continue to prepare for the Lord’s coming among us. Normally December 12th would be the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The 3rd Sunday of Advent outranks it, so it is not celebrated this year. Nevertheless, this feast remains important to our Spanish speaking members and should be important for all of us. After all, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Americas.

Therefore, our new area of prayer behind the parish church will be blessed today. Here has been place a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has been placed upon a rocky hill for it was upon a rocky mount that she appeared to Saint Juan Diego. This area is not completed, but will continue to be worked on until completion.

Lastly, I look forward to December 17th and our parish celebration of Bethlehem. The 17th day of December is important because it is this day which starts the “O Antiphons.” The “O Antiphons” are important because each day assigns a title to the Messiah and is made in reference to a prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah. This day will be a Marketplace of Bethlehem from 5pm-6:30pm, the lighting of the Bethlehem star with music from 6:30pm-7pm, and the Los Posadas (a Spanish tradition where the Holy Family attempts to find lodging for the birth of the Messiah) starting at 7pm.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

Today we celebrate this 3rd Sunday of Advent which is also known to us as Gaudete Sunday which means rejoice.

In our Gospel the crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers came onto the Lord and asked, “What should we do?” This seems to be an easy enough question, but its application required so much from them. They were told to take and give to those in need, to stop collecting more than was necessary, and to not falsely accuse others.

As we prepare for the coming of the Messiah we too must ask, “What should we do?” The response to this question may seem to require much from us. Nevertheless, no matter the difficulty all will turn into a joy and will be given every reason to rejoice if we place our trust in the Lord. It is the easier path to remain content, but the Lord always calls us towards something more.

We must remember that God is love and that this love is infinitely given. Therefore, there can be no response which is too difficult if it is given out of love. The more that we enter into it the more that we will grow in love itself. There are many who think that they love fully, but they instead do things for their own gain and without the full extent of giving without reservation.

As Saint Basil the Great puts it, “The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry. The cloak in your wardrobe belongs to the naked. The shoes you allow to rot belong to the barefoot. The money in your vaults belong to the destitute. You do injustice to every man whom you could help but do not.”

Saint Basil the Great is pointing the way towards what it means for us to love. Love requires us to see the needs of those around us and to respond to them with our life. The easier path would call us towards ignoring these needs and doing whatever we please. During this Advent season we must be like the crowds, the tax collectors, and the soldiers who came unto the Lord. They inquired what they must do and it required much of them.

Let us not only ask this question with our lips, but be willing to put the needed response into action. During the week ahead use every opportunity to consider what the Lord is calling us to do. When we discern this answer let us not avoid it out of fear, but come to embrace it to its fullest degree. In this manner we will be given every reason to rejoice as we encounter the Lord who comes the Nativity, who comes in the Most Holy Eucharist, and who will come again at the end of time.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The one who has been conceived is made in reference to Mary. The word “immaculate” means without stain. Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin upon her soul. Thanks to the intervention of God she was preserved from original sin in order that she would be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth the Savior of the world. Mary became the first to be redeemed through her Son for He was her redeemer.

None of us have been preserved from sin like Mary. Yet we live in a world which acts as if sin does not exist. Sin is an offense which is made against God. If we know Him to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life why would we turn away from Him? Nevertheless, there are many in our society who have no concept of God and therefore they cannot have a concept of sin. Sin exists because God is real and we consent to sin by turning away from God who is love.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as “an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law’.”

Through the use of the media we see played forth before our sight these many sins which are made against God. We see murder, theft, the burning of buildings such as Catholic Charities in Knoxville, war, sins against life such as abortion, and this list goes on and on. With so much played out before our sight it becomes easy for us to lose hope that things will ever get better.

This celebration of the Immaculate Conception is a celebration of hope. Of Mary it was said by the Archangel Gabriel, “Hail, full of grace.” Mary is our hope because she stands upon the serpent which is the cursed demon which has come to confuse us and to pull us into sin. Mary is our hope because through devotion to her we are drawn closer into union with her Son.

Today we celebrate the fact that Mary was conceived without sin. We ackwledge that she has been prepared to be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth the Savior of this World. Through this Savior the shackles of sin and death have no power for He is the new Adam and she is the new Eve. Let us strive to moved closer to Christ placing our trust in Him and moving away from the reality of sin and death which attempts to keep us captive.

Bulletin Article: December 5

Wednesday, December 8th, is a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass, December 7th, will be in Spanish at 7pm and there will be Mass, December 8th, at 6:30am (Latin), 8:30am, 12:15pm, and 7pm. This solemnity brings about the conclusion of the Year of Joseph. Therefore, we will cease praying the Prayer to Saint Joseph following this solemnity.

Our parish Advent mission will be December 9, 10, and 11 and will be led by Father Noel, OSB. He is a monk of Saint Meinrad Monastery in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. Each evening he will give a talk in English at 6pm and in Spanish at 7pm. Please join me in welcoming him to our parish community.

December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Due to it falling on a Sunday in Advent it will not be celebrated this year. Nevertheless our 12pm Mass in Spanish will reflect upon the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, will have a procession following Mass to bless our new statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and there will be a party to follow in the gym. All are welcome to participate in this joyous occasion. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas and therefore a celebration for all.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

2nd Sunday of Advent Homily

The Prophet Isaiah instructs: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Our Gospel tells us: “Behold, I send my Angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.”

For some the Advent season is overshadowed by Christmas. Therefore, the celebration of Christmas begins after Thanksgiving and ends with December 25th. By December 26th the Christmas tree is thrown to the curb and with it the celebration of Christmas. 

Instead we must realize that Advent is an important season which calls us to prepare for the Lord’s coming among us. We have been called upon to prepare the way for the Lord by making straight the path of our life.

Despite Advent being a season of waiting it is not a season of passivity. In this season we are called upon to be active. Throughout this season we yearn, we search, and we prepare for the Lord’s coming. Advent has a penitential character attached to it because we are called upon to prepare. This preparation requires us to realize that we are in need of a Savior. We are only in need of a Savior if we have something that we need to be saved from.

All of us are sinners who are in need of the infinite mercy of God. We cannot be convinced that we have nothing that we need to be saved from. The Lord comes in order that we may be saved. Through our Advent preparation we should realize the many ways in which we have been called upon to open up the inn of our soul in order that room may be found for Him to enter in and dwell among us.

If we are found willing to enter fully into this season we will better be found prepared to encounter Christ at Christmas. We will be given every reason to rejoice not for worldly allurments, but the birth of a Savior. Each and every time that we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we encounter this living Savior who comes to us under the appearances of bread and wine.

Advent prepares us for the coming of Christ by setting straight the path of our life to encounter Him. We must do preciously this when we encounter Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. There is no greater gift that we can encounter, but this. Let us always come to prepare ourself for our encounter with Christ Jesus.

He will truly come at the Nativity born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, He will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, and He continues to come among us in the Eucharist. May we always be found ready to encounter Him by setting straight the path of our life for such an encounter.

Dedication of Church Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Dedication of our Parish Church which was dedicated on this day in the year 2000. This community transcends this reality because we began having Mass in our the gym of our parish school starting in 1990, our former church still stands in downtown Johnson City which was dedicated in 1931, there was a white church building before it, Mass was held in a home overlooking market street starting in 1906, and Mass was celebrated in this city even prior to that.

A church is not a building which is withdrawn from the ordinary. It takes that which is ordinary and dedicates it unto God. When Jesus drove the money-changers out of the Temple, He was not making a statement against capitalism. Rather, He was saying this place is not for that use: that it has been dedicated to something else. Not just for its own sake is a church building dedicated, an altar consecrated, a person baptised: no, we do all of this for a sacred purpose.

Our church is no mere museum for sacred objects, our altar no mere table for a special meal. No: this is the place to praise, to bless and to preach; to sacrifice, intercede and thank; to honour, to consecrate and to commune; to christen, to absolve and to commission. Here the most extraordinary things occur: babies are changed into children of God; bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood; couples into spouses; singles into priests and religious; sinners into saints.

May this sacred space continue to transform the lives of all who enter. The Catholic Church here in Johnson City has a strong history and will have a strong future if we allow God to be the one who is found as at work within us. The ordinary will be taken and will continue to be transformed in the presence of God.