Vigil of Christmas Homily (Extraordinary Form)

Today we observe the Vigil of Christmas.

This word “vigil” is familiar to many of us. The word “vigil” is still used by the Church, but its application here is different then it’s modern day understanding.

In the new Missal a vigil is celebrated the evening before as an anticipation of the feast. Therefore, later today we will celebrate the Vigil Mass of Christmas at 5pm and this Mass will count as one’s attendance for Christmas.

What we observe today is different than this understanding. A Vigil in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is a preparation for the feast. Therefore, this Vigil of Christmas is made in preparation for the feast which is Christmas. This day is penitential in nature for it is preparing us for the feast which we will soon celebrate.

At this moment we continue to anticipate the coming of the Messiah. As we were instructed in our Alleluia verse, “Tomorrow shall the iniquity of the earth be abolished: and the Savior of the world shall reign over us.” As will be said in the Secret to this Mass, “that as we anticipate the adorable birthday of Thy Son. So may we joyfully receive His eternal gifts.”

Here we look outward to what is to come. As we look outward towards this gift of God made Flesh we must reflect upon the ways in which we remain closed to Him. If we are to “joyfully receive His eternal gifts” we must make room in the inn of our heart for Him to come and dwell with us. This season of Advent, as well as this vigil, remind us of this need to be found prepared for such an encounter.

There are many who will wake up tomorrow, open presents, eat with family, and give what is truly important to this feast no other thought. For us we do not rush into the feast, but prepare for our encounter with it. Hopefully, there will be none here who simply wake up and forget that Christ is the reason for the season. Not only is He the reason for the season, but we must be found receptive of Him and His Divine truths.

As we are told in the Gospel of Saint John, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die.” This verse is important for our reflection because the Lord came down from Heaven as the Word made Flesh. We must now be found prepared to receive Him in order that we may live.

Let us continue our preparations for Christmas that our life may always be ordered towards the Lord in order that we may be found receive of Him in all things.

3rd Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent also known to us as Gaudete Sunday. This word “gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice” and is taken from today’s entrance antiphon, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.”

Therefore, we focus our attention upon rejoicing in the Lord. Whenever we come to rejoice in the Lord we have true Christian joy. This joy that is being proclaimed to us is not just an ordinary joy such as one’s favorite food. We are speaking of a supernatural joy which is to say that we look outward towards that life to come which is in Heaven.

Saint John Chrysostom stated, “All seek joy, but it is not found on earth.” We can think of the many ways in which we attempt to find such joy in our life, but always come up short in acquiring it. Money and earthly pleasures always leave us longing for something more because our true longing is to enter into communion with God.

Our world is filled with a lot that might make us think that we have no reason to rejoice. So often we think that happiness and joy are equal, but they are not. There will come times in our life when we will come to know the hardship of the cross. During these moments we do not have to lose the virtue of hope because we can still have joy. Joy exists each and every time that we look outward and look upon the face of Christ.

During this upcoming season of Christmas we have the ability to acknowledge that God’s love is so great that He took on our human flesh and dwelt among us. Despite the darkness of sin and death that entered into the world through the Fall it was Christ who brought forth a great light to the world as He triumphed upon the cross. The love of the Lord for each of us is abundant and thus we must always find our belonging in Him.

During the remainder of this Advent season we must continue to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. The more that we open our heart to receive Him the more that we are able to find joy. Wherever you believe that hope cannot be found remember that it is always found in that joy which springs forth from relation with the Lord. There is no cross, no matter how heavy, that is greater then the cross that He already endured for our sake. By joining with Him we invite Him to enter into our life in order that our burden may be made light. May this time of expectant anticipation bring about joy for we will come to encounter the Lord soon. We will encounter Him today in the Most Holy Eucharist, we will encounter Him at His Nativity, and we will encounter Him when He comes again.

No matter the circumstance that we now face let us “rejoice in the Lord always.”

2nd Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

Saint John the Baptist is known as being the precursor of the Lord. Through this important role he calls people to receive Him into their life. He knows of this roll for he states that “I must decrease and He must increase.” From Saint Mark’s Gospel he invites, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

During this season of Advent we prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. He comes among us in the Eucharist, He comes at the Nativity, and He will come again at the end of time. For each and every encounter with Him we must be found prepared. This call to such preparation is important for us to heed for so often we encounter Christ as if He is one among many instead of being “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Saint John the Baptist understood that Christ was the Messiah. He understood that Christ was the one to whom all of scripture and prophets had pointed towards. He called out to Him from the depths of faith, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” For this encounter that he had with the Lord and to which he directed others he lived his life with vigilance.

Through this vigilance we see a man who lived a life of mortification. Of this mortification we are told in the Gospel of Saint Mark, “John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.” Through acts such as these he was found completely free and detached to the point that he remained open to the will of God in all things.

Likewise, we must use this season to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. Saint John the Baptist’s call to “make straight his paths” is a call which leads us towards such conversion to the point that we can also be free and detached to the point that we remain open to the Lord in all things.

With such a thought in mind we must take to prayer the ways in which we are led by something other then Christ. And ask, how can we use this season to attune our heart and mind in order that we may follow after the Lord? What must we strip away from our life if we are to more closely follow after Him? The Advent season’s purpose is to assist us in being able to celebrate fully with Christ as we move into the Christmas season.

Let us heed this call that comes to us from the mouth of Saint John the Baptist. By preparing “the way of the Lord” and making “straight his paths” we come to more clearly “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Let nothing get in the way of such an encounter with Him.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This celebration draws many parallels to the Old Testament especially the figure of Eve.

Verse 15 of the Book of Genesis tells us, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.”

This verse shows the struggle that exists with sin which culminates with the Lord’s death upon the cross. It was through this death that victory was won for us. Mary holds an important roll in this victory for she said yes to the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation and through her womb came forth the savior of the world.

Verse 20 of the Book of Genesis also tells us, “The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.”

One title that has been given to the Blessed Virgin Mary is that of the New Eve. Through the Eve of the Old Testament sin entered into the world, but through the New Eve which is Mary the world came to be redeemed from sin and death through her Son. She serves as mother of all the living for she is the pure and spotless vessel in which God chose to take on our human flesh. Thus the saving effects of this reality continue to be enjoyed by each of us.

This celebration of the Immaculate Conception is to say that Mary was chosen by God to be this pure and spotless vessel. She was prepared for such a task through her Immaculate Conception which is to say that she was conceived without the stain of original sin. Another title attributed to Mary is that of the New Ark of the Covenant. The ark of the covenant was to be pure and spotless for it contained the presence of God. Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant for she was pure and spotless and God came to dwell in her womb.

If we analyze the Gospel of Saint John we would notice that Mary is constantly referred to as woman instead of by her name. At the wedding feast of Cana, “Woman…my hour has not yet come.” When upon the cross, “Woman, behold your son.” We would notice that Eve is only known by her name after the fall. Therefore, the use of this word “woman” is showing great honor to Mary because it is heralding her as the New Eve.

As we further this celebration of the Immaculate Conception may we come to foster devotion for her. She is our mother and devotion to her always leads back to her Son. As we continue our Advent preparations we must always come to our open our heart to be found receptive of her Son.

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

1st Sunday of Advent Year B Homily

Today we celebrate the 1st Sunday of Advent. The name Advent comes from the Latin word, advenire, which means, to come to.” During this season we prepare for the coming of Christ. We must remember that Christ continues to come among us in the Most Holy Eucharist. On December 25th we will celebrate the birth of Christ who comes among us as the Word made Flesh. Finally, we cannot forget that the Lord will come again at the end of time.

We should approach this season with great attention for this season is important in aiding us at being found watchful and alert for this coming. During these weeks which lay ahead the world begins to act as if Christmas has already arrived, but the Church calls us to be vigilant. Through our vigilance we are found prepared for the return of the lord of the house. If we are not vigilant and do not take this season seriously we will continue to encounter Christ as if He is just the mundane.

There is nothing mundane about the Lord and thus we must stir ourself out of our slumber and prepare for His coming. If the gatekeeper fails to be alert he will not be able to allow the lord of the house in. Advent assists us in making those preparations in our life which assist us in our expectant anticipation. These preparations have nothing do with putting up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations. These preparations cause us to look inwardly and see what is off kilter in our life when it pertains to Christ.

There will come a time when we will encounter Him with joy. Today we will encounter Him with joy as we behold Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. On December 25th we will encounter Him with joy as the good news of His birth is spread throughout the world. Eventually we will encounter Him with joy when He comes again at the end of time at an unknown hour. For this encounter we must be found watchful and alert.

As we pass through this season let us reflect in our prayer on the ways that we have moved away from the Lord and thus fail to make room for Him to dwell within the inn of our heart. There are many things which we place great importance upon which push the Lord away for our midst for we have become too busy to encounter Him with joy. This season assists us in preparing the way for His coming among us in order that we may encounter Him which such joy.

If we are looking for ways to prepare for this encounter we must not forget the sacrament of confession. It is this sacrament which connects us to the Lord and His presence among us in the Most Holy Eucharist. So many forget this sacrament which goes hand in hand with our reception of Holy Communion. We cannot live our life exempt from God’s mercy. To do so would mean that we are not being vigilant for that unknown hour which awaits each of us. Let us remain watchful and alert for the Lord’s coming among us.