4th Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

Our gospel places Saint Joseph firmly before our sight. It states that he was “a righteous man.” This title is something more then simply being found morally upright. He was one who lived a right relationship with God as well as with other people, he was willing to listen attentively to God’s word, and ordered his life after what he was instructed.

Very soon we will welcome the coming of Christ at Christmas. Saint Jospeh stands before us as a reminder of entering into the silence of prayer and remaining faithful when it pertains to what we have been instructed. So often we are those who are too busy to pray and too afraid to go where we have been called.

Saint Joseph shows us that righteousness is rooted in action and not in words. Throughout the course of Sacred Scripture Saint Joseph is attributed with saying nothing. Nevertheless, he was found so willing to respond by taking his wife, naming his child, protecting his family, and providing for their needs through his labor.

As Saint Bernard of Clairvaux would state, “Jospeh was called righteous because he was a faithful servant, prudent and trustworthy, whom the Lord appointed as head of His household.” Like Saint Joseph we must take to heart the fullness of what has been entrusted to our care and act upon it as a true disciple of the Lord.

Saint Jospeh’s life was not filled with pomp and circumstance. He labored with care by carrying out his daily responsibilities with love and perseverance. He becomes a model to us that we must also act with such hidden faithfulness in all that we do. It can be easy to forget that the mundane gestures of our life are also a means to which we can be connected to God.

Pope Benedict XVI stated of him, “He does not cling to his own ideas of happiness, but makes room for God’s will.” In our life we must also learn to make such room for God’s will within us. It is so easy to become to busy or worried about the ways of the world to the point that we forget to invite God in to dwell with us.

Saint Joseph displays such trust to us through his willingness to pray and act upon what he is told. He was a righteous man who looked upon his relationship with God with great humility. He saw his unworthiness in all of this, but God still called him to act in such a way through the protecting of this family.

Let us continue to make room for God to dwell with us as He does through the Incarnation. Through this act of love God comes in order to make His dwelling place among us. Will we be found ready to greet Him or will we instead be found too busy and unwilling to rush out in order to greet Him? Let us reflect upon this relationship and be found willing to go wherever God leads.

Saint Jospeh, pray for us.

3rd Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

As Christians we are called upon to have the courage to remain committed to the truth no matter what that commitment might require of us. Saint John the Baptist was committed to the defense of such truth and even died in defense of it. Therefore, he stood firm against Herod, the Pharisees, and the crowds in order to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.

We can state that Saint John the Baptist was not a “reed swayed by the wind.” Such imagery reflects one who changes their convictions based upon pressure, who seeks the approval of others, and is willing to waiver in faith or morals. Such actions are the opposite of the virtues of firmness, fidelity, and fortitude.

Saint Jerome likened this to a person who was “tossed by the storms of every doctrine.” In our day age there are those within the Church who have been caught up in such pursuits which are incompatible with the the gospel. The Church is not a democracy and her teachings a faith and morals cannot be overlooked just because we might find them to be hard.

As Venerable Fulton Sheen had stated, “There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church- which is, of course, quite a differed thing.”

Such a statement should challenge each of us to educate ourself on what the Church teaches. So many are so easily swayed by the wind and do not want to challenge themself by their well formed conscience. It is so much easier to follow feelings and popular opinion instead of orienting our mind to that which is true.

As Saint Paul states in 2 Timothy, “For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine, but have itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires.” In such manner we wrongly think that truth is what we feel, that we don’t need the Church, that sin doesn’t really matter, and that faith and morals should change with the times.

If we attempt to stand firm alone we will bend or break with the storm. Instead we must always remain firm by staying close to the Church even when doing so might be difficult. Let us not be swayed by the wind, but rooted in the Sacraments, in Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium which is anchored in the unchanging truth of Christ.

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent we have great longing for the Lord will soon come. Let our longing be to encounter Him entirely as His disciples instead of receiving Him as if He is to conform to our desires. In all things let us stay united to truth for the truth is not a reed that sways by the wind.

2nd Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

The prophet Isaiah gives us a vision of hope, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” This image of a stump relays something which has been left finished, cut down, and left beyond repair. Nevertheless, despite such certainty renewal is able to take place in this stump as well as in each of us.

From this stump will a shoot sprout and with it life will be brought forth. This reality is made so through the coming of the Savior. He comes without spectacle and brings forth life to all that He touches. As we continue this Advent journey we must be found willing to look inwardly upon self and to see our disordered habits, our broken relationships, and our spiritual dryness and to allow God to bring forth new life within us.

Saint John the Baptist makes this his message as he cries out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Through such repentance we are willing to move towards God and to realign our life towards the one who is to come. We can only act in such a manner if we are found willing to be honest in those areas in our life where we resist God and to be found willing to move back towards Him. 

As we are told in Saint Matthew’s Gospel that we will, “produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” In such manner good fruit is brought forth despite the certainty of what seems to be finished, cut down, and left beyond repair. Through Christ this sprout will spring forth and life will once again come to triumph in it’s place.

It is this image from Isaiah that is the basis for the Jesse Tree. Through the Jesse Tree the linage of Christ springs forth from the stump of Jesse. The world has been prepared for the coming of the Messiah through the lineage of people such as Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and finally Mary and Jesus.

Let our sight be forever set towards such a coming. Through the virtue of hope we can and must prepare for such a coming. He will be found at work within us (even if we feel finished, cut down, and left beyond repair)  if we are willing to come to Him without reservation. During this season of Advent let us come to Him in such a manner and thus allow the Lord to prune all that must be pruned in order that we may be sent forth from His midst in order to bear good fruit.

1st Sunday of Advent Year A Homily

Today we observe the 1st Sunday of Advent, where we prepare the way for the ardent light which springs forth due to the coming of the Messiah.

From the prophet Isaiah we are told, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” As Jesus Himself says in the Gospel of Saint John, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” We must now stand firm in our practice of faith and proclaim, “Let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

The light of Christ proclaims a great hope to all of us. Through the Messiah’s birth humanity has been rescued from the darkness of sin and death. Through this birth we have been given a way towards the reality of eternal life. This light provides direction in the midst of all that we come to endure in this life.

From the Book of Romans we were told, “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Such a thought causes us to look inwardly and to realize that this light is much stronger than the darkness. The more that we allow ourselves to reflect upon such a light, the more we will be able to overcome sin, fear, and despair.

During this time of year we especially long for the coming of such light because of how early it grows dark. We must realize that such gloominess will be overcome through the rising of the sun. Eventually the day will grow longer and so too in our life we must look to the Lord so that all that ails us may be overcome.

The sacrament of confession assists us in allowing the light of Christ to penetrate into the midst of the darkness of sin. This is the perfect way to begin this season of preparation. On Thursday we will hold our Advent Penance Service, where eight priests will assist in hearing confessions. Take advantage of this or one of our other confession opportunities.

From the Gospel of Saint Matthew we are told of the need to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man for we know not the time nor the hour. We can only prepare for such an encounter if we are willing to step out of the darkness and enter into the light. If we allow ourselves to remain in such darkness, we will be caught off guard at the Lord’s coming.

May this Advent season continue to assist us in preparing the way for the Lord’s coming. Let us be willing to welcome this light into every corner of our life. He has come in order to dispel the darkness, so that we may walk with renewed hope towards the One who saves.

4th Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

We have finally arrived at the final Sunday of Advent. When we gather together on Wednesday we will come to celebrate Christmas and thus the birth of the Messiah. It is for His coming among us that we have been longing and preparing during this season. Hopefully we will continue to remain on guard in order that we may always come to receive Him with joy.

Our Gospel gave us the account of the Visitation. It is here that Mary went in haste to be with her cousin, Elizabeth, who was found to be with child. Elizabeth exclaimed, “blessed is the fruit of your womb” and Saint John the Baptist “leaped for joy” within her womb. As Elizabeth understood in her question, “that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

It must be understood that Elizabeth as well as John the Baptist came to receive a great gift in this encounter. They had received the one into their midst whom they had been longing for. Soon Saint John the Baptist would be born and he would serve as the precursor to the Messiah in order that others may also be found ready to receive Him with joy.

Elizabeth was a person of great faith who lived a righteous life. She placed her trust in God no matter the hardship set before her and through such faithfulness she conceived her son in her old age even thou she was once thought to be barren. She lived her life with preparation for this day when she would encounter the Messiah.

It is Christ who remains at the heart of this Gospel. He is the God who has taken on our human flesh and made His dwelling place among us. This is the Messiah for whom the world has longed and the prophets have pointed towards. All of the world throughout its history has been made ready for this encounter.

As we transition into the season of Christmas we must continue to prepare the way in order that we may encounter Him with joy. There is so much in this life that we allow to get in the way of such a reception. No matter what we must undergo in this life we must always remember that it is Christ who is at the heart of this season as it is Christ who is at the heart of the Visitation.

Christ must be the one for whom our life is lived. All that we do should flow from this relationship that we have with Him. This is truly what could be said of Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and Mary. They lived their life in preparation for the Messiah and continued to live their life oriented towards Christ. Let us live accordingly in order that Christ may always remain at the center of our life.

3rd of Advent Year C Homily

Saint John the Baptist was asked on three occasions in the Gospel of Saint Luke, “What should we do?” His answer given to the these questions point the way towards the one who is to come and what they must do if they are to be found receptive of Him. Saint John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not the Messiah, but only the precursor of the one who is to come.

As he stated in this gospel, “one mightier than I is coming.” During this season of Advent we prepare ourself for this coming of the Lord. He comes to us as Word Made Flesh, He comes to us in the Eucharist, and He will come again at the end of time. For this encounter with Him we must be found prepared.

Therefore, we too must ask this question which was given to Saint John the Baptist. “What should we do? This season of Advent assists us in making these preparations which are necessary in order that we may come to receive Him with joy. Sadly, we often spend Advent chasing after other pursuits that make us ready for Christmas in a worldly sense instead of a spiritual sense.

Whenever something is being asked of us it can be easy to forget that we are being called to place our trust in the Lord. Those who came to Saint John the Baptist were called to undergo hardships which would cause them to grow in their love of the Lord once He came. We too must undergo such penances in order that we may grow in our love for Him.

When we are liberated from our passions which hold us captive we are able to see the life that has been given through such action. We should never act as slaves to our passions, but as those who have been given freedom. Saint John the Baptist’s words were invitation to those who heard them to be liberated from all that held them captive.

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent we are told in the words of Saint Paul to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Whenever we called upon to let go of that which is not necessary we are given reason to rejoice for we have been liberated. The world looks upon such acts of penance and is confused on why they would be a reason to rejoice.

We are able to rejoice for the Lord’s coming is nigh and through Him we have been given everything that we will ever need in order to be happy. Saint John the Baptist was giving aid to those who came to Him in order that they in due time could rejoice. So too by asking what we must do are we given reason to rejoice.

Let us dare to rejoice with the Lord always by doing whatever is necessary for us to receive Him at His coming. This is not a call to partially receive Him because we are found unwilling to to let go of something. This is a call to allow our whole to be lived in relationship with Him without compromise.

1st Sunday of Advent Year C Homily

As each academic year would come to its end at Conception Seminary we were always reminded about the Blessed Last Things. These were placed before our sight in order that we would not grow slack in the final days, but finish well. After all, with the Christmas or summer vacation so close it would be easy to not treat those last days as if they were important.

Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent and very soon we will arrive at our celebration of Christmas. With all the preparations that we must make for this season of Christmas it would be so easy to overlook Advent. After all, there is a lot of shopping that must be done, decorations which must go up, and a never ending list of parties to attend. Let us remember that Christmas is not yet here.

In our Gospel we are warned that we cannot allow our heart to “become drowsy.” Therefore, we are called upon to remain “vigilant at all times” for the coming of Christ is nigh. This coming is made known at Christmas, but too in the Eucharist and at the end of time when He will come again. No matter when we encounter Him we must be found prepared.

Just as it is so easy to celebrate as if Christmas is already here, so would it be so easy to live our life as if we will never be called home to Him. This facade is one that cannot be sustained for there will come a point in time when we will stand face to face before Him. Will we be found prepared for such an encounter or squander the time that has been set before us?

Advent is a beautiful season of the Church that aids us in such preparations. We would notice that during this season the priest wears violet which serves as a reminder of our need to undergo penance. During this season we should focus on prayer and fasting in order that we may purify ourself of all that keeps us from being found prepared for the coming of Christ.

At the time of the Nativity it was said that there was no room in the inn. We too make no room within the inn of heart for the Lord to enter in and dwell with us. Use this time for prayer especially as a family. Use this time to study Sacred Scripture for in the words of Saint Jerome, “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Use this time do acts of charity which send us outside of the doors of this Church in order to bring Christ into the world.

Also, if it has been a long time since your last confession I invite you to return to this sacrament. If we want nothing to do with this sacrament we have closed ourself from being found receptive of the gift of God’s grace. We must remember that the Lord is merciful with us, but we must first desire His mercy.

May we allow this season of Advent to assist us in remaining “vigilant at all times.” There is a lot that goes on around us especially at this time of the year. Let us take to heart the Blessed Last Things which are necessary (for we are not yet there) if we are to be found ready for the coming of Christ and the celebration of Christmas.

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.

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.