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