The Feast of the Holy Family

Reflecting on the readings for the Feast of the Holy Family, particularly the gospel, and picturing the life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Nazareth, may help us to see what it means to be holy, as individuals and as a family.

Joseph believes in God, trusts in God, fulfills the law of God, and most importantly, obeys God, which enables him to be the best husband of Mary and an excellent foster father of Jesus.  He is a righteous man who has put God first in his life, and therefore knows and does what is the greater good for his family.  God has arranged for the finest of men in Joseph who will protect and provide for God’s Son and His most holy mother.

Mary, immaculate and holy, loves Joseph and Jesus at every moment, for she knows that the Lord God who has done great things for her.  She is a humble and grace-filled servant of her husband, her Son, and her God.  With God at the center of her life, free of anything that is not of God, Mary is the holiest woman, wife, and mother.  She is most highly blessed and a blessing in every way to her Holy Family.

Raised in such a holy home, Jesus grows in wisdom and grace and spends quiet hidden years preparing for His mission of preaching, healing, suffering and dying in order to save the world.  Jesus spends time with God His Father in prayer.  He studies the Scripture and learns the history of God’s people.  Jesus watches Mary and Joseph and from His childhood on sees what it is to care for others and serve those in need.  Jesus learns to praise and honor the Lord God in all that He does by being with Mary and Joseph as they are faithful in living solely for God’s glory.

None of our families are as holy as that of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at home in Nazareth.  Yet, we can all grow in virtue by doing as they did: putting God first, trusting God’s action in our lives, seeking always to make our love concrete through humble service.  This is God’s will for us.  We ought to desire this and to ask for the gifts we need in order for our families to be transformed by God’s action. 

God is faithful and will provide everything for us if only we trust Him and surrender to His actions in our lives each and every day.  God will work in even the smallest of ways.  All things are possible for God and the Lord is faithful.  Once we have God at the center of our lives, we too will begin to be a holy family.

4th Sunday of Advent

On this 4th Sunday of Advent, with the celebration of Christ’s birth only hours away, the Church offers us once again the story of the Annunciation.  Mary’s “Fiat” allowed God to become one of us; it also showed us the way to be a faithful disciple of the Lord as Mary was.  What the angel announced to Mary speaks of three gifts that her Son has given to us through our life with Him in Baptism.

First, we are freed from fear.  The Baby was born to offer His life on the Cross for us and so we need no longer fear sin nor death for He has conquered both of them for us.  God’s message to us is always, “Do not be afraid.”

Second, the Lord is with us.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us and desires to lead us and guide us each day.  Jesus is always present to us in the Eucharist, as well as in our gathering in prayer in His name and in the presence of those in our midst who are in need.  Jesus indeed is Emmanuel – “God with us.”

Third, we are blessed.  The Lord God offers us all we need to live a holy life so that we be happy with God forever in heaven.  God’s greatest gift to us is God’s Son and with Jesus, fully human and divine, comes everything we could hope for or want.

What do we offer to God in return for all the Lord has given us?  One thing only: ourselves, which we surrender to God in humble service.  Like Mary, we go before God as willing servants, ready to do whatever is asked at any time.  Sometimes this may entail suffering and pain, as it did Mary at times.  But more often, it will bring a peace beyond all understanding and a joy that would never be ours otherwise.

Later tonight we will celebrate again God’s greatest gift: Jesus the Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.  We offer once more the one gift that is ours to give: our very lives, given in gratitude to our God, Emmanuel, who is God with us, Jesus, the Baby born in Bethlehem, who saves us.

Third Sunday of Advent

A few weeks ago, I was visiting the nearby Catholic grade school.  At recess, a cute little girl came up to me, called me by name, and said hello.  In response, I asked her, “Who are you?” and she smiled, brought herself up to her full height, and announced proudly, “I’m the principal’s daughter!”  Her delight came to mind again as I read today’s gospel.

"Who are you?" is the same question asked of John the Baptist in today’s gospel.  John knows very well who he is and why he is doing what he is doing.  His identity and what the Lord God has asked of him fuels the meaning and purpose of his life, and even his death.  It is behind all he says and does.

“Who are you?” is an excellent question for all of us to ponder during Advent.  And when we answer it in light of God’s word, we have reason to rejoice.  Similarly, the readings from Isaiah and 1 Thessalonians can enlighten us as to what we should do once we know who we are.  

We are preparing for Christmas, the celebration of the gift God gave to us in the Incarnation.  The all-powerful, creator God of the universe came into our world to share our human experience.  We know that Jesus, being fully human, yet fully divine, was like us in all things but sin.  What He did was free us from sin and death so that we might attain the glory of heaven.  Jesus shared our humanity, so that we might share in His divinity.

Who are we?  Through baptism, we are the daughters and sons of God, the sisters and brothers of Jesus.  Now that is a reason to rejoice!  Although weak and sinful at times, we are always welcomed back and washed clean in the mercy of God. 

Like Christ our brother, we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit.  The prophecy from Isaiah in today’s first reading are meant for us.  God has wrapped us in a mantle of justice.  We wear a robe of salvation.  We bear the beauty of a bride adorned with jewels or the impressive strength of a bridegroom wearing a diadem.  As the Scripture says, we rejoice heartily in the Lord and our God is the joy of our souls.  And Isaiah explains we have a mission in life as well, the same as that of Jesus.

Paul affirms all of this in the second reading when he tells the Thessalonians that the God of peace will make them perfectly holy – spirit, soul, and body.  God is faithful and God will accomplish this, Paul assures them. Again, these words are for us also and give us further cause for rejoicing.

What we need do is surrender to God’s work within us and strive to continue the work of Jesus by building up the Kingdom.  Such a surrender and sharing in the mission of Jesus calls for humility, like that of John the Baptist and Mary of Nazareth, the two who best symbolize Advent, the holy season of preparation.  They heard God’s call and said yes and were obedient every step of the way.  We desire to do the same. 

And as Paul encourages, we give thanks, always and everywhere, in every circumstance, for God at work within us.  God – Emmanuel – is with us, no matter what we have to endure, no matter where we may find ourselves. 

We rejoice, for the Lord is near.  Our God has come to save us and God will be faithful until the end.  We know that we are not worthy, but we believe that it is all ours, if only we are willing. 

Second Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist makes his appearance each Second Sunday of Advent with the message to prepare our hearts and make straight our paths for the coming of the Lord.

The people were excited by John’s preaching and baptizing at the Jordan for they recognized him as Elijah come again, which was the sign the Messiah would soon make his appearance.  People responded to John’s call for baptism and were encouraged by the promise that One greater than John would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

For us, of course, that has happened already.  We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, ready to counsel us and defend us and give us the words we need, all as Jesus promised at the Last Supper.  All we need do is ask and then submit to the Spirit’s guidance in our lives. 

Yet, John’s message, especially as prophesied by Isaiah in today’s first reading, is still pertinent to our lives.  In order to see the Lord more clearly, we need to make straight our paths.  The valleys that need to be filled in are those places we can fall into that cause us to struggle to find a way out.  Temptations or even sins such as selfishness, self-pity or fear provide moments in very dark and gloomy valleys.  The mountains that need to be laid low are the more major areas of sinfulness with which we struggle: anger, greed, hatred, laziness, lust, and pride.  John’s call to repent of our sins, to change our lives, to head in another direction, is not once and for all, but is a constant need for all of us who desire to grow in holiness.

Not matter how far we have fallen or how high the obstacles that keep us from God, Isaiah reminds us in the first reading that God is like a shepherd for us and will do whatever is needed to keep us safe and well fed.  All we need do is listen for God’s voice, follow the Lord’s call, and trust in God’s mercy and love. 

The second letter of Peter reminds us that God is patient and that too is an assurance for us.  We don’t need to do everything at once.  We ought not to rush because that will only end in failure and discouragement.  Our striving for holiness is a life-long journey. 

We would be wise to ask the Lord for the two virtues that John the Baptist had: humility and perseverance.  John knew that it was all about Jesus, not himself, and John persevered in doing what he knew God called him to do each and every day of his life.  He was willing to prepare and wait patiently for years in the desert.  He then preached and baptized tirelessly when God called him to do that.  And he gladly decreased, so that Christ might increase.  Most importantly, he was faithful to the truth right up to the end, even when it cost him his head in prison. 

The message of Advent and Christmas is that we are loved and God desires to come to us.  And so we work at making our paths straight so that we can see the Lord more clearly.  When we see, may we respond with humility and great gratitude, ever more ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

First Sunday of Advent

We have heard the story of the high school student who decides to have a party because his parents are going away for the weekend.  The house is packed with his friends, and all of their friends, and others he doesn’t even know.  Everyone is having a good time: drinking, smoking and dancing to loud music.  And then without anyone even noticing, the father walks in; his wife had gotten sick and she insisted they turn around and go home.

There was no one watching the door.  The sudden appearance of the father, too upset even to speak, silences everyone, who quickly head for the door.  There is no time to do anything else.

That scenario always comes to my mind when I hear today’s gospel parable.  Jesus’ last word is simply, “Watch.”  And watch we should, for He is coming again in glory at a time when no one knows.  We need to be prepared, for when He appears, it will be too late to do anything else.

In today’s first reading, Isaiah cries out to God our Father and asks God to rend the heavens and come down.  The people are in need of God and God’s appearance among them.  Hundreds of years later, the prayer is answered and God quietly appears among us as a little baby born to a young girl with only her trusting husband in attendance.  The only ones who will arrive later are some young shepherds who had been out in the field and were amazed at what angels told them, and some wise men who journeyed from afar being led by a star.

Advent calls us to prepare for the Second Coming that will catch all unaware, but will be made manifest to all who are alive for it will be awesome and glorious.   Yet, Advent is also when we remember the first coming in Bethlehem, which was the beginning of God’s saving the world in time through the power of love.

God wants us all to be saved.  As told by Isaiah, and then later by Jesus, our God is a loving Father who calls us by name into a relationship.  Our Father, and Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, desire that we know, love, and serve their Majesty.  In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that our God is faithful and will give us the spiritual gifts we need and desire.

Advent then is about both watching for and preparing for God’s coming into our lives.  Advent is an invitation to pray, to ponder the goodness of God, especially the person of Jesus Christ.  We are to deepen our relationship with Him through personal prayer, reading and studying the Scripture, and availing ourselves of the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist that will make us more like the One we love.  We are invited to experience the power of the Holy Spirit leading us into greater holiness. 

We trust that God will provide for us, but it is up to us to give the time, discipline, and energy needed to come to know the Lord.  Advent is a gift of twenty-two days to set aside distractions, fight laziness, silence our minds, and ponder God’s goodness to us.  Then, in imitation of Mary, we will say “Yes” to what God asks.   Like Joseph, we will pay attention to the different ways God speaks so as not to miss a message the Lord has for us.  

As Jesus said, “Watch.”  Our God will come.