Baptism of the Lord Year B Homily

Merry Christmas to all of you. Today our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord brings us to the conclusion of the Christmas season. Throughout the course of the Christmas season we have professed that God took on our human flesh in the second person of the Holy Trinity which is to say that God now dwells with us. This message cannot remain secluded in a manger and is not a message that was simply made for the shepherds and magi who came to do Him homage. Last week we celebrated the Epiphany where we were reminded that the message of God made flesh being resonated throughout the whole world was represented by the magi's visit to the manger. Now today, through Christ's baptism in the Jordan, we are reminded of the importance that baptism plays within our own life. Here we are reminded that baptism has imparted new life upon each of us, new life which has united us to the Holy Trinity in a most special way. Due to this reality we must always set before our eyes that which was begun in us at our baptism.

At our baptism we were not simply configured to the Lord at that one point in time, but instead through our baptism our life has been changed forever. Through our baptism we have been forever oriented towards Christ whom we discover in the manger during this Christmas season. Seeing that baptism has forever changed our life and has oriented us towards Him we must take it upon ourself to continue to live out what was begun in us on that day. As we should know, the living out of our baptismal promises are not always easy. It is tough at times to keep our faith firmly placed upon what was begun within us on that day & it is also tough to continue to step out upon the straight path that leads to Christ through our resisting of sin and temptation. Nevertheless, no matter how hard it is to live out what was begun in us at our baptism we must stay firmly grounded in the continuation of this sacrament through the living out of this tension especially through the faithful reception of the sacraments that always bring us back to Christ.

Anytime that you have the opportunity to attend a baptism or even on Easter Day itself you receive the opportunity to renew your baptismal promises. To each question that is asked we know that our response is "I do." Here the use of "I do" is very similar to what we say prior to receiving Holy Communion where an "amen" is given in order to signify that you believe not only in Christ present in the Eucharist, but also in everything that the Church professes and teaches. So often we pass by our "I do" given at the renewal of our baptismal promises as if they are without meaning. So to with our "amen" given prior to receiving our Lord in Holy Communion because we are used to saying what is requested of us without moving on to reflect deeper upon the significance of our words. And so we are asked: Do you reject Satan? And all his works? And all his empty promises? Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and earth?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Each of these statements are most important because they renew within us our commitment to what was begun in us on the day of our baptism. May our "I do" or even our "amen" always signify our commitment to what was begun in us on that wondrous day of our baptism. When Christ was baptized in the Jordan He went plunged into the water to signify His death, but then He rose again from the waters to signify the new life that springs forth with the Resurrection. We to have been plunged into these waters in order to put our sin to death and we have then raised forth from them as a new creature who will always be oriented towards God. 

It was Saint John John the Baptist who prepared us for the coming of the Messiah throughout the season of Advent with his command to make straight the way to the Lord. This day we again encounter Saint John the Baptist who now points the way to the Messiah who dwells with us. From Saint John's Gospel we are told "He must increase, I must decrease." Indeed we must allow our Lord to increase in our life by the way that we continue to live out what was begun in us on the day of our baptism. May we always allow nothing to impede this relationship, but instead may we continue to come to the mercy and forgiveness of Christ who always sheds the water of new life upon us.

Epiphany Homily

Merry Christmas to all of you and happy New Year. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word "epiphany" means manifestation and so what we celebrate today is our Lord's manifestation to the whole world. As we know and profess Christ is the Word made Flesh which means that He is God who now dwells among us. The shepherds were given this great news and now the magi too traveled to proclaim and give adoration at this most profound reality. As they journeyed they knew that the one who they sought was the Word made Flesh and thus the gifts that they brought with them proclaimed this profound reality to the world. They represent that the importance of the Christmas message was not made in private and thus extended only to a few, but instead that this message extended throughout the whole world as it continues to do to this day.

Through their three gifts they proclaim three realities which are true of Christ. The gift of gold proclaims Christ to be a king, the gift of incense was offered because He is God, and finally the gift of myrrh was given to acknowledge that He is the Savior would die on our behalf. The magi sacrificed a lot from their life to make this journey, and yet this sacrifice was most necessary for them to make because they knew that all the sacrifices in the world were worth the opportunity to fall in adoration to our Lord. The magi were educated men, after all, and therefore they knew of the coming of the savior and were able to interpret that all of history was pointing its way to this one moment in the course of time. With this they left all to follow the light of a star that brought them to the great light that shines forth from the darkness found within this world through Christ; who laid in a manger poor and defenseless, and yet still God made man.

Through the gift that is the Holy Eucharist we too are given the invitation to join with the magi who now look upon Christ. We are able to join with them in the joy of the Christmas message that now extends throughout the world each and every time that we look upon the Eucharist. Within the Holy Eucharist we too behold the Word which has taken on our human flesh; not in some manner of mere representation, but instead with the fact that what we behold is truly Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As everything in the course of scripture and history points its way towards the coming of God taking on our human flesh, so to is the case with the Eucharist. Scripture and history points its way to the reality that the Eucharist is not mere bread and wine, but instead is truly Christ's Body and Blood. All the actions of the Mass point themselves towards the Eucharist which is the Word made Flesh and which is also the source and summit of our faith.

When we come to adore Christ who is present in the Eucharist, when we receive Him worthily, and when we allow ourself to center around Christ present in the Eucharist we too join in the magi's adoration of professing Him to be King, to be God, and to be the one who has come to take away the sin of the world. To demand that the action of asking those in the state serious sin or those from other faith traditions to refrain from receiving the Eucharist is unjust; is to miss the mark of understanding what the Eucharist truly is. The Eucharist is not something that we receive just because everyone else does, the Eucharist of course is not bread and wine that has been left unchanged, but instead the Eucharist is truly the Word made Flesh. Sin and the way that we live our life can and will put our relationship with Christ to death. We cannot simply allow this to be so, but instead we must come before the Word made Flesh contained in the Holy Eucharist to bring Him proper homage, adoration, and glory as the magi were able to give.

And so on this Epiphany Sunday where we celebrate Christ's manifestation to the whole world may we join with the magi in coming to understand who Christ truly is. May we come to this profound understanding of being able to proclaim Him as King, God, and Savior by the way that we approach the Eucharist. From the Council of Trent's Decree on the Eucharist we are told: "' (The Eucharist) is the same God whom the Magi fell down and worshiped, and finally, the same God whom the apostles adored in Galilee as Scripture says." May we truly take serious the Eucharist this day and always; that we may join with the magi in humble adoration each time we approach the Mass, each time we behold the Eucharist, and each time we receive our Lord into our heart and soul.

Announcement of Moveable Feasts

Know, dear brethren,

that, as we have rejoiced

at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,

so by leave of God's mercy

we announce to you also,

the joy of his Resurrection,

who is our Saviour.

On the 18th day of February will fall Ash Wednesday, 

and the beginning of the fast of the most sacred Lenten season.

On the 5th day of April

you will celebrate with joy Easter Day,

and the Paschal feast of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the 14th day of May

will be the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the 24th day of May,

the feast of Pentecost

On the 7th day of June,

the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. 

On the 29th day of November,

the First Sunday of the Advent

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to whom is honor and glory for ever and ever.

Amen.

Mary Mother of God Homily

Merry Christmas to all of you! At the heart of the Christmas season is the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us. As we begin this new calendar year we celebrate with joy the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God which again, found at the heart of this day is the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us. This celebration brings to a close the octave of Christmas in the same way that it began on December 25th in a manger where God came to dwell among us. For this reason we refer to Mary as the Mother of God or as the Theotokos which is Greek for the Godbearer. We profess that it was through this spotless vessel that God chose to come and to dwell with us out of love and thus to release us from our bonds towards sin.

As we depart upon this new year may we always remember the importance of our blessed Mother's intercession upon us and upon our families. It is easy to get caught up in the actions of our life to the point where religion and thus Christ has been pushed far from our midst. As we enter into this new year we do not yet fully know what joy or hardship awaits us around the corner. But no matter what it is that we must bear during this new year may we always be brought back to Christ through our Blessed Mother's intercession. She always leads us towards the path that will eventually lead us to discover her Son, Jesus Christ. In the midst of every joy that will arise in our life we need Jesus Christ and with every hardship that is forced upon us we need the rock of our faith who is Jesus Christ. If we enter into this new year exempt from this reality we will never truly be able to encounter true joy nor will we ever be able to overcome the hardships that arise in the course of this year.

Before the creation of time itself God desired to take on our human flesh. He therefore chose our Blessed Mother to be the spotless vessel that would usher the second Person of the Holy Trinity into the world. Mary was conceived without sin and tradition holds that at a young age she was left at the temple to be raised in both scripture and wisdom. She had full knowledge of the coming of the Messiah and thus understood the urgency that came with the Angel Gabriel's greeting. In her great humility she lowered herself to God with her "yes" given to the angel. She then raised her Son into adulthood when He would depart upon His public ministry which would eventually lead to the cross. When He hung upon the cross she was there and it was here that He states to all of us this day in the words of Saint John's Gospel: "Behold your mother."

 

May we indeed behold our mother this day. She desires to never lead us away from her Son, but instead always leads us towards Him. As we get bogged down with the busyness of life we cannot forget our Mother whose heart was always centered upon her Son. As we experience joys in this upcoming year we cannot forget our Mother whose joy was fully felt when God chose her to become the God-bearer. When we run into hardship we cannot forget our Mother who looked upon the bruised body of her Son who had died upon the cross for our salvation. From the time that stretched from the Annunciation to the crucifixion Mary joins with each of us in every joy and sorrow that we can ever come to endure. Indeed may we always take to heart our Lord's words from the cross "Behold your mother" because these words lead us to the fruit of her womb which is her Son, Christ our Lord."

Mary's vocation as being a mother has not ended with the death of her Son, but instead her vocation continues with each of us. As we depart upon this new year may we not do so without her who desires for us to come and know her Son. Where sin is found we cannot claim that we have fully come to know her Son. Where despair is found we cannot claim that we have fully come to know her Son. May we continue to rejoice at the reality that is the Word made flesh as we allow our Blessed Mother to aid us in coming to discover her Son. We are now left to look at the year that now lays behind us and to look forward to the year that lays ahead as we do so through our Blessed Mother who leads us not towards the pride of our self centeredness, but instead towards the humility that is encounter with the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us.   

Holy Family Year B Homily

Merry Christmas to all of you! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The celebration of this feast is always most important for us because it serves as a reminder of the Holy Family and thus how our own families on this earth should be centered around them. In our world today we see a shortage of vocations: vocations to the religious life and priesthood, but we also cannot forget placing vocations to marriage on this list. We also see families who have grown apart to the point where individuals live within a home instead of a family who is drawn together. We are given the impression that for those who do enter into marriage that it can easily be thrown away with divorce, or that in order to truly get to know someone you must live with them first outside of the bonds of marriage.

When we reflect upon the Holy Family one of the many things that we should envision is love. The Holy Family had a profound sense of love not only for each other, but most importantly they had a love for God from which all the actions of their life flowed. The Holy Family never attempted to live out the family life exempt from their love for God, but instead this love for God was always placed front and center in their life. How was it then that God chose to dwell among us in the Incarnation? He chose to come as a child, poor and defenseless, born to a woman, and entered into the love of a family. Here He gave us a foreshadowing of how all of our love should be a participation of the love that is found in the three Persons of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we observe in our Gospel in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple; Mary and Joseph were dedicated to their faith and thus to God when they brought their Son to be presented in the temple as is prescribed by Jewish law. May our families too decide not to dedicate themselves to the passing things of this world, but instead to be dedicated to love for God and His Law which allows us to live freely.

One of the questions I always ask a couple who I am preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage is what is the Domestic Church? At this question I am usually met with the eyes of a deer staring into headlights because they have no clue what this means. I believe one of the greatest challenges to the family life in this day and age is caused from the breakdown of the Domestic Church. We think that Church is the hour that we spend here and it should be segregated from the other 167 hours of the week. If this is the case it is no wonder why children no longer practice the faith, it is no wonder why marriages begin to fall apart, it is no wonder why we live in a vocation crisis on all levels, and it is no wonder why society no longer wants to speak of God. The Domestic Church is to live out what is found within the Holy Family which is a love directed towards God in all things. It is to promote prayer in the home among the family, it is to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass together, it is to go to confession coming as a family, it is to pray before the Blessed Sacrament as a family, it is to promote vocations within the home, it is to educate children in the faith more so then dropping them off for Religious Education on a Wednesday night, and most importantly it is to have a love for God and His Son Jesus Christ, who came to dwell among us in the second Person of the Holy Trinity; as we celebrate in this Christmas season.

One practice that many families have is to request a priest to come over and bless their home. At the home the priest offers a prayer of blessing and then moves throughout the home blessing each room with Holy Water. This is an important statement of faith because through this blessing the family is asking that everything that takes place within these walls may be directed towards their love for God. The water sprinkled serves as a reminder of baptism and thus the commitments that were made to God on that day. The commitment was not live out life as if it were unchanged, but instead it was a commitment to be dedicated to God in all things.

The struggles to the family life are indeed abundant within this society, but they can be overcome with our sight directed towards the love of God. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph serve as a testimony to this truth. May we allow ourself to follow after them and the love that sends them forth to discover what it truly means to be a family held in communion with each other by God. Yes, hardships will arise within our life and within this world, but despite all of these hardships God took on our human flesh and came to dwell among us and in return sanctified the family life to be the path that would lead souls to discover Him and thus to be lead into Heaven. May we indeed allow ourself to follow after this path of love that has been opened wide to us by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.