Christmas Homily

Merry Christmas!

This time of the year is filled with many Christmas movies and songs. Many of these present the common theme of having a desire to receive a gift. Be it a Red Rider BB gun or your two front teeth. As Christians we have received a much greater gift than any of these or any other gift that our mind can fathom.

Today we do not get caught up in worldly allure, but instead come to proclaim a great truth. That we who have been touched by the darkness of sin and death have come to see a great light. It is this gift which brings calm over the whole world. 

If we look at the ways of the world we can see people like you and me who are in need of such a gift. There is violence that ravishes foreign lands, violence against the unborn, violence that attacks the family. There is always something more for us to be worried about when it pertains to what our future may hold; be it health, money, or work. We have been touched by the death of those who have gone before us into life eternal and must eventually face our own death which comes in the twinkling of an eye.

Thankfully, we proclaim a great gift this night. Towards this gift angels adore, shepherds give reverence, and kings give homage. O come let us adore Him for this gift is Christ the King. It is this child who is the Word made Flesh. This means that God’s love is so great that He took on our human flesh and dwelt among us. He is not just a human child, but is fully God and fully human. Not just one among many gifts, but THE gift.

Let us have a blessed Christmas season. Let us allow Christ to be the one whom we adore as we come to be present with Him in sacrament and word. Where there is fear, despair, and sin come to Him in order to give homage for He is the light that frees you from all that holds you captive. Let us give reverence to Him for no other gift can compare to this gift. O come let us adore Him for He is the gift that we truly seek.

4th Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

Today we celebrate this 4th Sunday in the season of Advent. When we join together next weekend we will celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.

Our journey towards Christmas really began on March 25th. It was on that day that the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation. This was the day that Mary gave her “yes” to the angel Gabriel and conceived the Lord in her womb. Christ does not become God nor human at His birth for this has already taken place through the events of the Annunciation when God took on our human flesh. Let us always pray for the sanctity of human life for that child in the womb of it’s mother is human and is beloved by God.

As we are told throughout the course of Sacred Scripture, “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” This virgin is named Mary who conceived within her womb, Jesus. He is Emmanuel for this name literally means, “God with us.” God is truly with us for Christ is the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. He is God who takes on our human flesh and dwells among us. Mary is very important in bringing about this reality for it has been revealed to us through Sacred Scripture.

Through this action Mary gives herself entirely to God and to each of us. She fully gave of herself unto God and assisted in fulfilling God’s plan for us. This plan was that we who have been touched by the reality of sin and death would come to be saved. The Lord dies upon the cross out of love for us in order that we may be redeemed. This is only possible through the coming of the Christ child. It was this child who was conceived within her womb.

We must come to foster devotion to her for this devotion always leads us towards her Son and towards a pursuit of virtue. During this last stretch of the Advent season we must set straight the path of our life to encounter her Son. Devotion to Mary leads us along this path which leads us towards Bethlehem and the birth of her Son. What must we continue to perfect within our life in order that we may be found more receptive of such a wondrous gift?

As we gather next Sunday and celebrate the Nativity of the Lord we should reflect upon this. On this most holy of nights the Lord will be born of this virgin. This child is the answer to all of our desires, but so often we fill the void of our heart with something else that can never fulfill us. Let our heart come to be filled by Christ. The heart of Mary was filled with love for her Son and so may she pray for us in order that we may be found prepared for our encounter with her Son.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

Through Christ great works come to take place, “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

Throughout Advent we prepare ourself for our encounter with the coming of Christ. It is Christ who will come again, it is Christ who comes among us in the Most Holy Eucharist, and it is Christ who is born on Christmas.

When it pertains to the miracles of Christ there needed to be faith in the heart of the receiver. As we were told within the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.”

So too the Lord desires to work such mighty things in our life, but do we have the faith to allow Him to do so? We have been touched by sin and death and He has given us the path towards eternal life. Do we desire eternal life and thus reality of joining with Christ for all eternity?

It was Saint John the Baptist who serves as the precursor to Christ. He would lead people into the waters of baptism as a foreshadowing of that life giving baptism which was to come. Through our baptism we were claimed for Christ and a great work was accomplished within us.

It is through sin that our baptismal garment becomes stained. Thankfully we do not have to stay in this state, but we can come to the sacrament of Confession in order to be healed. Our parish will have seven priests with us on Tuesday to assist with confessions. Hopefully you and your family will come to partake in this opportunity to know the healing mercy of God.

The Lord has entrusted the Church with seven sacraments, so who are we to say that we know better and have no need of the sacrament of confession? Yes, God already knows our sins, but calls us towards His priests in order that we may be healed. As the Lord told His apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained.” In confession we encounter Christ through the priest and it is Christ, not man, who absolves us of our sin.

What are we holding back from the mercy of God? Let us not hold onto our sin without His help, but make use of this sacrament in order that we may be healed. The Lord desires to work great things with our life, but we impede this from taking place. May the words of Saint Luke’s Gospel ring true for you for “there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Please return to the sacrament of confession and let the Lord heal you.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. 

When we pray the Rosary we pray those words given to us by Saint Gabriel, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”

What does it mean for one to be found full of grace? Mary was found to be “full of grace” because she was filled with the presence of God. Seeing that she is most perfectly filled with God’s presence there is no room within her for sin. Each us have been touched by the reality of sin. Unlike us she is that most perfect creation of God which was preserved from the stain of sin for she would be the Mother of God.

This statement made by Gabriel is a reversal of roles. Throughout the Old Testament it was humans who would revere angels for they were closest to God and thus partake most fully of the divine light. Gabriel’s statement shows that even the angels come to revere Mary. She was found to be “full of grace” and thus it is right and just that we give her proper devotion.

When we think of sin we often think of those transgressions that one makes against God. Not only did Mary never consent to sin, but she was also conceived free of original sin. When an individual is baptized all sin including original sin is washed away. This was not necessary for Mary for she was that perfect creation who God had been set apart to be the mother of His Son.

This celebration is most important for us for the Immaculate Conception is the beginning of our salvation. Through it we get that mystery of faith which we will soon celebrate, the Nativity of the Lord. Mary remained open to the gift of God’s grace throughout her whole life. Likewise, we must open ourself up to this gift of His grace. We cannot turn inwardly upon self, but must be willing to remain open to God. This is preciously what Mary was willing to do.

May this celebration of Mary assist us in opening our heart to such graces. May she pray for us in order that we may realize that such a reality has been extended to us if only we would dare to place our trust in God and the gift of His grace. Truly Mary was “full of grace,” we forever profess this reality through this celebration of her Immaculate Conception.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

2nd Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

 The desert is a hot place. One would have to be pretty foolish to enter into one without an ample supply of water. As the heat of the day carries onward things only get hotter and if unprepared the chance for death rises. The body can only go so long without water and the conditions of the desert make this much worse.

Saint John the Baptist was a voice that called out from the desert. He was a voice which lead people towards conversion as he called them to make straight the path of their life for the one who would come. Ultimately he is leading individuals towards the body of water known as baptism. 

The baptism that he gives is of repentance, but he promises that the one to come will be mightier then he and will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is baptism that serves as the fundamental sacrament of the church. It is an important sacrament to receive because it cleanses one of all sin including original sin, claims one for Christ Jesus, and incorporates them into the life of His Church.

Baptism is not just a dunking into water, but is a change of how one is to live their life. Unseen to the eye are the graces which are at work through the sacrament not only at the moment of baptism, but everyday thereafter. It is for this reason that baptism leaves an indelible mark which is a mark which never passes away even with death.

Therefore, we are constantly called towards this life giving water and renewing within ourself all that was begun within them. For this reason Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Messiah. We must heed the words of Saint John the Baptist who instructs, “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

As Saint Augustine stated, “If you say, ‘That is enough,’ you are lost. Always aspire to more, never stop walking, keep making progress. Do not remain in the same place, do not move backward, do not go astray.”

With this in mind let us further reflect on how we are called upon to prepare the way for the Lord. Where have we gone astray and how can we reorient ourself towards the path that was begun for us at our baptism? May this Advent season be fruitful in preparing us for our encounter with the coming of the Lord.

This coming of the Lord will come in the blinking of an eye. Let us not be found weary in our preparation, but realize the necessity to be found active in it. We need to be be prepared for our encounter with the Lord. We need to renew day by day that which was begun in us at our baptism. Let us be found attentively waiting for the Lord’s coming. 

Solemnity of Anniversary of Dedication of Church Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Anniversary of the Dedication of our Parish Church. This church building was dedicated on December 2, 2000 and from that point forward the hallowed walls of this church have lifted up many souls in their devotion to God.

In order to enter into a church one must first enter through the doors. It was this doors that welcomed us in at our baptism and it will be these doors that greet us at our death. In all things let us come to this hallowed space in order to be protected from the storms of this world and be prepared for that journey towards Heaven. Herein we receive an abundance of God’s grace which strengthens us in order that we may be prepared for that moment that we enter back into the world that we will live as Christians ought.

Some wrongly think that the building of the church holds no importance in the life of the faithful, but that is not the case. At the heart of Jewish worship was the Temple and so too does the Church become the fulfillment of the Temple and what took place within. The church as a building is very important for it serves as a symbol of the Mystical Body of Christ to which we are members through our baptism.

As Saint John Paul II spoke concerning the importance of the building of the church, “The beauty and the harmony of churches, destined to render praise to God invite us human beings too, though limited and sinful, to convert ourselves to form a ‘cosmos,’ a well-ordered construction in close communion with Jesus, who is the true Holy of Holies.”

Therefore, let these hallowed walls continue to nurture us and destine us towards that ultimate goal of Heaven. Today following Mass I will enthrone our parish to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this act may we entrust our own life to His in order that we may live as His people. This is exactly what the church does for us. Let us live for Christ for from Him we receive all that we will ever need to live a good and holy life.