New Beginnings

We have arrived at the beginning of a New Year, 2013!!! People are always asking, "Where does the time go?" It seems like time is moving faster and faster. These new beginnings give us a wonderful opportunity to look at our lives and see what we need to do better. Many people make New Year's resolutions, but how far do we get with those? The Church provides us with many opportunities to begin again, especially with the Liturgical seasons. We have concluded the Advent season, which is like a mini-Lent, preparing us for the birth of Our Lord. Now, we are in Christmas Time, rejoicing at the coming of the newborn King. In over a month, we will begin the Season of Lent, since Easter is early this year. As we mark these new beginnings, we know that we are not alone. How appropriate to begin the New Year by celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. We know that the mother of God's only Son is also our mother as well. She watches over us with her maternal hand, love, and prayers. We also have the communion of saints that we can turn to for assistance. Ultimately, we have the grace of God to help us in all things. Yes, new beginnings afford us a wonderful opportunity to begin again and when we fall short, we know that we can pick ourselves up again and resolve to move forward with a renewed effort. May God bless us as we begin this New Year of 2013. Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Pray for Us!!!

Saint John

The Church celebrates the feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist. He is a saint for this Christmas Time and a saint for the Year of Faith, because we are all called to be evangelizers and live and share the Good News with others. We come to know Christ through John's own experience. This is what one of the Entrance Antiphons for Mass said, "This is John, who reclined on the Lord's breast at supper, the blessed Apostle, to whom celestial secrets were revealed and who spread the words of life through all the world" (Magnificat, 405). There are also two quotes that the Magnificat has for our consideration: our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI says, "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person." Saint Edith Stein says, "Through John we know how we are to participate as our destiny in the life of Christ" (405). John had a personal encounter with our Lord and that is what he expresses in his gospel and in his preaching. During the Year of Faith, we are asked to work on our deep, personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. We are the evangelizers, the disciples asked to continue our Lord's mission in our present day. Like Saint John, may we be "Joy-Filled Witnesses to Christ" and live and share what the Lord has done in our lives. May our example touch the life of another so that we can make the presence of Christ known to all peoples!!! Saint John, Pray for Us!!!

Saint Stephen

On this day after Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr. This passage from scripture says it all, "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved" (Matt. 10:22). The virtues of patience and perseverance are key because we are living on God's time and following the will that He has set for us. We may not know where the will of God will lead us, but we need to rely on our faith and trust to sustain us in all circumstances and at all times. The following commentary also puts this feast into perspective as we celebrate it at this time of the year: "Lest we be tempted to sentimentalize the mystery of Christ's birth, the Church today sets before us the example of Stephen, first of martyrs, icon of the Crucified. Bethlehem is the prelude to Calvary. We may not merely stand adoring at the crib; we must also follow to the cross" (Magnificat, 394). A very powerful statement, but it is true. As I mentioned at the Christmas Mass, "To get to the cross and the resurrection, we need to celebrate the birth of Our Lord." God became one of us to set us free and to lead us to safety. As we live our lives, our faith to the fullest, we pray for the intercession of Saint Stephen, so that we will not be afraid, but persevere in the journey to the kingdom!!! God Bless You!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Blessed and Merry Christmas from me to all the blog readers!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read the blogs and I pray that each entry brings a message of hope, faith, and inspiration to your lives. A beautiful solemnity to celebrate, the birth of Our Lord: the Savior of the world, Prince of Peace, the Light that dispels all darkness. The message that I gave to my parishioners in preparation for Christmas is from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and I want to leave his words with you today. "God's sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty. Exactly the same sign has been given to us.... God's sign is simplicity.... God's sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby - defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts, and his will - we learn to live with him and to practice with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, and love him... Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul, and our mind to be touched by this fact" (Magnificat, 384-85)! May the joy of this Christmas Time fill your minds and hearts with comfort and peace!!!

Light of Christ

"O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death" (Traditional "O" Antiphon). To show how the liturgical year goes in cycles, we look to the Easter Vigil and the lighting of the Paschal Candle. After the candle is lit we process into the dark church and intone "Christ our Light"! Jesus is the Light of the world that dispels the darkness of sin and death. What we await at this Christmas Time is the light to come into the world as we read in the "O" Antiphon for this day! Of course, the light has come and now we ultimately await Our Lord's coming in glory. As we continue our journey may the light of Christ shine in our lives and in our hearts so that we may radiate that light in all we do! Have a blessed day!!!

Open Wide the Doors to Christ

"O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come and lead forth from his prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Traditional "O" Antiphon). The title of this post was the theme of the new milleniuum when we went from 1999 to 2000. It was a Holy Year in the Church and the Holy Doors were open at various basilicas and churches throughout the world. The symbolism of the Holy Door is to open our minds and hearts to Christ. This is what we are doing as we prepare for the coming feast of Christmas. We are opening our minds, our hearts, our very lives to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our Lord will come inside and dwell in our very being. He is the Light of the world who will dispel all darkness. That is a gift that we need in our lives at all times! Do not be afraid to open wide the doors to Christ. He is Savior of the world, Prince of Peace. Our lives will truly be transformed. Let us not be afraid to open the door and welcome Christ because he will work in our lives in a very beautiful and special way!!! Have a blessed day!!!

December 19

"O Root of Jesse, who stood as a sign for the people, before you kings shall remain silent, and to you the Gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us, and delay not" (Traditional "O" Antiphon). As I see the word "silent" in our "O" Antiphon, I cannot help but think about the Gospel for today, Luke 1:5-25. The Gospel presents us with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He was a priest and was chosen to burn incense in the sanctuary of God. While he was in there the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to him and brought him the great news that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son. The angel even told Zechariah to not be afraid, but he did not believe what was being said. Thus, Gabriel said this, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things thake place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time." Zechariah waited in silence for these things to happen. Once they occurred and he wrote to the people the name of the child, his tongue was freed and he was able to speak. In the midst of our busyness and all the voices around us, we need to find that silence and listen to the voice of God. We look forward to the day when all these things will take place. Let us be silent, listen, and wait with joyful anticipation and hope! Have a blessed day!!!

December 18

"O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us" (Traditional "O" Antiphon). As we know from the Scriptures, Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. God made a covenant with His people and by the coming of His Son, Jesus, we have been renewed and redeemed. We continue to pray for God's unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness. That will be made manifest as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Let us continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christmas by turning away from sin and turning back to God through the gift of reconciliation! Have a blessed day!!!

Preparing for Christmas

"O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reached from end to end, and disposed of all things sweetly and mightily: come and teach us the way of prudence" (Traditional "O" Antiphon). Beginning today, December 17 and going to December 24, we begin our preparation for the Nativity of Our Lord. One of the ways that we prepare is with the "O" Antiphons. According to Magnificat, "The great "O" Antiphon verses traditionally sung before and after the Canticle of Mary each evening at vespers, begin this evening. The popular Advent hymn 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' paraphrases them" (258). In the first antiphon, we pray for Wisdom and that we may be taught the ways of prudence. As this passage says, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways" (Rom. 11:33)! Wisdom is a Gift of the Holy Spirit that we receive at Confirmation! We pray that it will be a gift that guides us in all that we do. May God open our minds and hearts to receive wisdom and prepare for the birth of Our Lord! Have a blessed day!!!

Gaudete Sunday

Let us rejoice and be glad!!!! We have arrived at the Third Week of our Advent journey!!!! We are getting closer to the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord!!!! The words that you heard from the readings today are "Joy" and "Rejoice"!!! The rose candle is now lit and we can rejoice in God' s great love and what He has done for us. We are mindful that people need joy in their lives, especially when tragedies arise, like the sad events of Friday in Connecticut. We remember the victims and their families in our prayers!!! At times like these, people come together to bond and support each other! We know that we need to be there for people in all circumstances and that God is always with us!!!! Let us radiate the light of Christ in all that we do and may all people's be filled with joy and rejoice!!!!!

Saint Lucy

In this Advent Time, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Lucy, a Virgin and Martyr. Her biography in one resource was brief, but I want to focus on a commentary that was written because it puts her life into perspective and calls us to live the gift of faith. "Saint Lucy is said to have chosen blindness rather than betrayal of the Lord she loved and longed to see. In her suffering courage we catch sight of the light of faith that cannot be quenched by any darkness" (Magnificat, 171). Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of all!!! He is the light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. We have been saved through the death of our Lord and given the promise of eternal life through his resurrection. As we observe the Year of Faith, may our faith be enlightened because it is the gift that sustains us in all circumstances. May Saint Lucy intercede for us for in living our faith to the fullest, we can radiate the light of Christ to others!!! God Bless You!!!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Several days removed from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate another beautiful feast to honor our Blessed Mother under the title, Our Lady of Guadalupe. One of the gifts that I received as State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus came when I attended the Supreme Convention in 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. After the convention, the Order help sponsor the first conference on Our Lady of Guadalupe and it concluded with the Guadalupe Festival at the local hockey arena. For the Masses during the conference, the concelebrants wore an off-white chausable with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the front and the K of C emblem on the back. The Order let us keep those vestments as a reminder of this great event. I proudly wear that vestment on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated as the Patroness of America and Protectress of the Unborn. As Blessed John Paul II prayed, "Virgin of Guadalupe, intercede with the Lord that he may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God." Our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI says, "I invoke the maternal protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe so that she may protect and inspire those who govern in their difficult task as promoters of the common good, and renew the bonds of Christian fellowship for the good of all people" (Magnificat, 161). During this Year of Faith, may we grow in living our faith and the Universal call to holiness. Let us be assured that the prayers and intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be with us!!! Have a blessed day!!!

Second Week of Advent

This week of Advent began with the appearance of John the Baptist. He is the voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of The Lord. Over the centuries many prophetic voices have prepared people for the coming of The Lord. The call is still the same in our present day, but the question is, "Are people listening "? I would hope so, but think how different the world would be if we took to heart how we are to prepare for the Lord's coming. This Year of Faith calls us to reinvigorate, reawaken our faith and we need to grow in our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ! There is a lot that we need to work on and now is the time. As John the Baptist preached a message of repentance so we need to heed that call and make sure our lives, our house is in order!!! Let us make the most of our Advent Time because this is a gift to us from God and the Church!!!! May God Bless Our Journey!!!!

Immaculate Conception

A Happy and Blessed Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception!!!! We have a few hours to enjoy this feast before we focus on the Second Sunday of Advent! We thank God for the gift of Mary and for her "YES" in becoming the mother of His only Son! Of course, this feast celebrates Mary being immaculately conceived in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. Our Blessed Mother is a tremendous example for us and we pay that she will intercede for us and help us to follow the will of God in our own lives!!! Have a blessed feast!!!!

Saint Ambrose

As I write about Saint Ambrose today, this will be my 600th blog post! It is amazing to see how far we have come in the last few years. It is a joy to send out spiritual and inspirational messages because this is a great way to evangelize since everyone is using computers to stay connected and informed. I told my listeners at Mass that we have been celebrating some exemplary saints this week: Saint Francis Xavier- a missionary, Saint Nicholas- with his model of stewardship and generosity, and Saint Ambrose- defender of the faith. I said that these holy men are Advent saints. Since we are discussing Saint Ambrose, you might wonder what makes him an Advent saint. I think the commentator answers that very well: "Saint Ambrose proclaimed the coming of Christ, the long-awaited Savior, in troubled times not so different from our own. When others were abandoning the true faith for falsified concepts of Christ, Ambrose remained steadfast and taught his people fidelity by means of his preaching, writing, and creating inspiring hymns" (Magnificat, 96). We can say that Saint Ambrose is an Advent saint because he proclaimed the coming of Christ, which we need to do in our present day. He is also a saint for the Year of Faith because of his steadfastness and determination to live, preach, and teach the faith. We also need to be doing that because we are living in critical times and people need to listen to the Good News and see us put our faith into action. May Saint Ambrose intercede for us as we prepare for the coming of Christ and as we live our faith to the fullest!!! May God Bless Our Journey!!!

Saint Nicholas

In this Advent Time, we celebrate the memorial of Saint Nicholas. Two memories come to mind as we celebrate this memorial. The first was during my days in the seminary. The night before this feast we would sit our shoes outside our doors and in the morning there would be candy and fruit. That is how Saint Nicholas would work. When we were fast asleep his generosity truly shined forth as he left us gifts to enjoy. Saint Nicholas would be a wonderful example of stewardship because giving of our time, talent, and treasure is a way of life. The second memory is that as a priest, I have dressed up as Saint Nicholas for the Catholic Schools or Religious Education programs I have served. The children always enjoyed the visit of Saint Nicholas and they also received a gift they could enjoy as well. Usually candy canes which is a wonderful symbol because it looks like a shepherds staff and Saint Nicholas was a bishop who served his flock very well. This is a time of great joy as we look forward to the coming of Christ and we thank God for the gift and example of Saint Nicholas. May we always be generous and charitable in all that we do as we share God's love with others!!! Have a blessed day!!!

Seeing the face of Christ!

This title, "Seeing the face of Christ" is a favorite theme of Saint Benedict's and it is mine as well. That is one of the things that Saint Benedict told his monks, to see the face of Christ in all whom they meet. In a recent gospel, Jesus told his disciples, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." The purpose of that statement is that the disciples of Jesus were at the right place at the right time. They were able to witness Christ first hand, see his ministry unfold, and listen to his words in person. Of course, we are blessed as well because the presence of Christ is still with us and that is the Good News that we proclaim everyday. "Whoever listens to you, listens to me" (Luke 10:16). "Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me" (Matt 10:40). "Whatever you do for one of these least ones, you do for me" (Matt 25:40). The commentator goes on to say after speaking of Saint Benedict seeing Christ in all peoples, "We see Christ in the abbot, in the guest, in the sick. But we are not always aware of what we see. Blessed are the eyes that see Christ in the poor, in the friend in need, in the elderly relative. Blessed are the eyes that see Christ in the stranger, the immigrant, the one whose faith or culture is different from ours. We are truly blessed if we see Christ in every person we meet" (Loose-Leaf Lectionary, 3033). The single sentence that concludes the commentary is a prayer for all of us, "May Christ give us eyes to see" (3033). As we begin this Advent Time, may our eyes be opened to see the presence of Christ, the face of Christ in one another. Just think how differently our world, our communities would be if we took this message of seeing Christ in others to heart! Have a blessed day!!!

A Blessed Time

We thank God and the Church for this blessed time of Advent. It is a great way to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, not just at Christmas, but ultimately his return in glory. This past First Sunday of Advent I used this piece, "It's the most wonderful time of the year with the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you 'Be of good cheer' it's the most wonderful time of the year it's the hap-happiest season of all with those holiday greetings and gay happy meeting when friends come to call it's the hap-happiest season of all." Those lines are from the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" made famous by Andy Williams, who passed away this year. The commentary went on to say that what was missing from the song was any mention of God. It also talked about the gospel from Luke 21:25-28, 34-36, which focuses on the end times. The question was asked, "Why does the Church give us a vision of the apocalypse on the First Sunday of Advent?" The answer: "It is because Christmas would make no sense unless we ponder how much we still need God" (Source: The Priest, November 2012). That is so true because we need God in our lives at all times. Many people will call on God when something has gone wrong in their lives, the lives of others, or they are faced with an illness. No matter the circumstance in our lives- happy, sad, joyful, sorrowful, we need God and we need to call upon Him in prayer. This Advent Time is a blessed time to work on our relationship with God because we need Him. Plus, He is always with us because Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us. Let us make the most of this blessed time because each day brings us closer to the coming of the kingdom. Have a blessed day!!!

Advent Time

The Church has arrived at the beginning of Advent Time!!! This is a joyful time for us, as well as a penitential time, because we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ, not just at Christmas, but his glorious return. The readings for this First Sunday of Advent speak of the days that are to come. Of course, no one knows the day nor the hour, only the Father. We are all in God's hands and we are living on God's time, so the call to be ready and prepared is with us every day of our lives. The Church gives that preparation special attention during this Advent Time. Since we do not know when these events will take place, we need to live our lives and our faith to the fullest. As the commentator writes, "In the apocalyptic tradition, the signs of Christ's coming at the end of time are terrifying spectacles of nature. In the sacramental vision, the signs of Christ's coming in daily life are the kind of acts of love described in the Word of God for this morning's prayer. Let us be vigilant to see Christ in whatever good is done for us and to make him manifest in the good we do for others" (Magnificat, 39-40). This is a special Advent since it is coming during the Year of Faith. May this be a special time to renew our efforts in living our faith, our call to holiness, and following the Lord has his close disciples. Have a blessed first Sunday of Advent!!!