His Word Today: Speak

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel presents the figure of Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (Lk 2:36).  By the time we encounter her here, she has lived most of her earthly lifetime: having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage and then as a widow until the age of eighty four (Lk 2:36-37).  All through these years, she had waited for this moment, and finally it had arrived.  Did she know that she would meet such important visitors that day?

... coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem (Lk 2:38).  The encounter Anna had that day with the child Jesus and with his parents filled her with joy.  This is the same joy that we experience when we encounter the living God, and this is the same joy that excites and motivates us to give thanks to God.  Filled with the joy of having encountered Jesus in prayer, we are equally filled with an overwhelming desire to speak about Him to all those we meet.

Today, Anna shows us a wonderful example of evangelization.  Let us ask her to pray with us today, together, let us ask the Lord to allow us the great privilege of encountering Him, of being filled once again with the great joy of knowing that He is near ... and let us also ask the Lord to plant within our hearts a desire to speak about Him with those we meet today.

Have a great day.

Take care of each other

Any of us who have children can perhaps remember a time when they were very young, a time when you would put them to bed, and then before you yourself went to bed, you would tiptoe into your children's rooms - even hours after they had already been sleeping - just to be sure that they were there.  You might have been home all evening.  Logically, you knew that they were asleep in their beds.  You knew that they were there, but until you could see for yourselves that they were safe - just one more time - you yourself would not be able to sleep.  This is the protective instinct of all parents.

Can you imagine what must have gone through Saint Joseph's mind when, after Jesus had been born, another angel appeared to him late in the night and confirmed his worst fear: that his child was in mortal danger, and that he would have to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (Mt 2:13).  This was not merely a case of hiding his family, but of uprooting them, abandoning his work, their friends ... and fleeing to a foreign land so that his child would be safe.  Like any parent, Joseph got up instantly, took the child and his mother in the middle of the night and went away (cf Mt 2:14).

In order to protect his child, Joseph chose to give up everything and to become a refugee in a strange land.  All parents want what Saint Joseph wanted: to provide a safe home for their children.  Sometimes they are forced to flee great dangers and even to become refugees in order to do so.  Others are more fortunate: they can stay in their homes and protect their children by ensuring access to clean air, pure water, nourishing food, a good education and a future that is filled with hope.

Later in life, adults sometimes look back upon their own childhoods with gratitude for the ways in which their parents cared for them.  As our parents increase in age, the words of today's first reading take on a deeper meaning: My child, says Sirach, help your father in his old age ... even if his mind fails, be patient with him (Sir 3:12-13).

The wisdom of the scriptures reminds us that not only should parents care for their children, but children should also honour their fathers and respect their mothers (cf Sir 3:3-4).  With the example of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary to help us, we are all called to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col 3:12) so that we can care for one another out of love at all stages of life.

A living Gospel

The gospel passage that we have heard concludes with the words spoken by the shepherds: Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us (Lk 2:15).  Like them, we too have come to gather around the manger.  Gazing upon the images that we find here helps us to contemplate the great miracle that took place so many years ago.  Our Holy Father has referred to the manger scene as a living gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture (Apostolic Letter, Admirabile signum, 1).

These figurines stand still, and yet they recall the truth of a moment in time when our ancestors in faith, who walked in darkness had seen a great light (Is 9:2) and we have been walking in the light of faith ever since.  It is good for us to recall the story, to remember the details of that night, for even today, we are still living out its fulfillment.

At the centre of the manger scene, we find the figures of Mary and Joseph.  The decree issued by Caesar Augustus had compelled them to travel from their home in Nazareth to the city of David (cf Lk 2:4), a journey that would have taken them at least three days.  Worn out from the journey, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son (Lk 2:7).  If we look closely at the figure of Mary, we will find a mother who contemplates her child and shows him to every visitor (AS, 7).  We can almost hear the words of her response to the angel's invitation: Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; be it done ... according to your word (Lk 1:38).  Mary shows us all how to abandon ourselves in faith to God's will.

At Mary's side, we find the figure of Joseph.  The figurine in our manger scene portrays him holding a hat.  As he gazes upon the child, it is as though he is also hearing the words that were spoken to him by the angel: She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).  Joseph is usually thought of as the guardian who tirelessly protected the Holy Family, but at that particular moment, I wonder whether he himself was perplexed, wondering how he was going to fulfill the role that God was calling him to play.  There are many young fathers and mothers who know that feeling of worry only too well.  Young parents are often filled with joy at the birth of their children, but at the same time, they can be overcome with concern and worry for the future in which their children will live.  We can all look to Saint Joseph and ask him to help us to look to the future with hope.

Once the statuette of the infant Jesus is placed in the manger, the entire scene comes alive.  God appears to us in the form of a child.  Hidden in weakness and frailty, he conceals his great power of his love, a love that he reveals by smiling and by opening his arms to all of us (cf AS, 8).  In this newborn infant, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all of us (Titus 2:11).  The manger scene is a snapshot of our lives too.  In these images, we dare to seek and to find reasons for hope and for joy.  These are the eternal gifts that are offered by our God.  Let us celebrate and give thanks.

Wesołych Świąt
Feliz Natal
Giáng sinh vui vẻ
Feliz Navidad
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Nadolig Llawen
Buon Natale
Joyeux Noël
Merry Christmas

His Word Today: Rejoice

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel passage takes us to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth at the moment when John the Baptist was born.  Her neighbours and relatives - those who knew only too well how many years she had longed for a child - heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her (Lk 1:58).

How many of us, or how many of those we know have lived for many decades waiting to discover how the Lord wants to use our talents and gifts?  Have we ever felt as though we are ready to respond, yet we have not yet discovered our own calling in life?  Every one of us has a vocation; every one of us is called by God to do his work, work that is particularly suited to us and to no one else.  Elizabeth and Zachariah were two such people.  They had waited so long, and finally their role had been made clear.

Pope Francis refers to the elderly as the guardians of our history.  Do we value the presence of the elderly in our midst?  Do we look to them for advice?  Do we appreciate their contributions?

Today, we hear the final of the O Antiphons, the refrains that help to prepare us for the coming celebration of Christmas: O Emmanuel.



Have a great day.

Unexpected outcome: O King of the Gentiles

What was it like for Joseph to hear Mary's extraordinary tale of the encounter she had with the angel?  The two were already betrothed, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child (Mt 1:18).  The angel had said that this would come about as an act of the Holy Spirit, but how was that possible?

Joseph was a righteous man.  He believed in, even longed for the coming of the promised Messiah of whom the prophet Isaiah speaks.  He knew the words that we heard today: the young woman is with child and shall bear a son (Is 7:14) but how could he be sure that Mary's story was trustworthy?  The story sounded very strange.  Could he really trust that what he was hearing was true?  If it was true, how could he accept the fact that God was about to fulfill the promise He had made so long ago, but in such a mysterious way?

Then an angel appeared to him in a dream and called him by name: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife (Mt 1:20).  And the angel had gone further, explaining that Mary would bear a son.  They were to name him Jesus, a name which means to deliver or to rescue.  Most of the time, the details of dreams are not easily remembered once we awaken, but this dream helped Joseph to understand that he was being invited to take part in a mystery that was much bigger than he or any human being could imagine.  He woke from his sleep and welcomed this unexpected reality into his life.

Thirty years later, the scriptures portray the child who was entrusted to Mary and Joseph spending much of his time doing unexpected things that were sometimes even scandalous.  Whether he was sitting at table with sinners and prostitutes or embracing lepers and tax collectors, Jesus would often challenge people's ideas about what God is like.

God comes to us in ways that can confuse and challenge us.  At this time of year, we might expect to encounter God in cozy family gatherings and beautiful liturgical celebrations.  We might not be able to recognize him in the shivering person sitting out in the cold, or in the cranky relative that we would rather avoid, yet we are all called to belong to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:6) and God makes Himself known to us in sometimes very unexpected ways.

Our celebration of Christ's coming at Christmas is an invitation to open ourselves to new possibilities and new ways of recognizing God.  Like Joseph, may we welcome him with open and generous hearts, however he may appear.

Our journey toward the celebration of Christmas continues.  Today, we hear the sixth of the O Antiphons: O King of the Gentiles.

There are seven O Antiphons, each of which is used on one of the seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

His Word Today: O Dayspring

Good morning everyone,

I don't usually write these reflections on weekends but I need to complete the reflections on the O Antiphons.

As we continue our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the fifth O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Dayspring.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: O Key of David

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel passage speaks of the Annunciation of God's divine plan which the angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary.  Do not be afraid, he said to her, for you have found favour with God (Lk 1:30-31).  With these words, the angel called Mary to step outside of herself and to dare to embrace a new truth.  This is precisely what still happens with us today, whenever God calls us to step outside of our own habits and practices, and to set out for new horizons.

Mary's 'yes' shows us both her willingness to cooperate with God's eternal plan to bring His son into the world, and another part of the preparations that God was making in order to prepare humanity for the great gift of Christmas.  This is how He does it: God invites us to say 'yes' so that through us, another part of his plan can be revealed.  We may not always understand how it is that God is inviting us to be part his plan, but if we have grown to trust him even in small things, we can in turn place our confidence in him, even if the matter at hand is more complex.

Jesus holds the key that opens God's merciful heart so that He can be present to us, even as we strive to imitate his virtues.  Let us ask him to direct our hearts, our actions and our words so that we can say 'yes', and then marvel at God's handiwork.

Continuing our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the fourth O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Key of David ... come to liberate the prisoner.  Isaiah, chapter 22 describes the arrival of a new king who holds a key to the saving of his people.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: O Root of Jesse

Good morning everyone,

More of the details concerning the preparations for Jesus' birth are recounted in today's scripture passage.  In this case, the story focuses on the person of Zechariah who was a priest.  His wife Elizabeth and he were both righteous persons, having observed all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord (Lk 1:6). He found himself serving before God in the Temple when he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense (Lk 1:9).  While the people were praying outside the sanctuary and could not see him, the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Lk 1:11) and explained that he and his wife were to play a part in the unveiling of God's plan.

We too encounter God in the secret moments of our own lives.  Hidden from the knowledge of the outside world, God reveals himself to us.  Sometimes the plan he reveals can appear to be daunting but it is always meant for good: either for our own growth or for the betterment of others.  Zechariah may have been tempted to refuse such an invitation, but the angel's encouragement helped to give him the courage he needed.

Like Zechariah, the Lord also encourages us with the words: Do not be afraid (Lk 1:13).  Let us pray today for the grace to surrender our will to that of the Lord, and to give thanks for the courage of our spiritual ancestors who said yes.  Because of their faith, we now count Jesus, Jesse and many other figures as part of our own spiritual family tree.

Continuing our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the third O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Root of Jesse - the tree of Jesse which pictures Jesse to be the root of the tree and Jesus to be the culmination, sitting atop the tree in the arms of his mother.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: O Adonai

Good morning everyone,

This is one of the times of the year when - if we take the time to stop and ponder - we can be particularly aware of God's grace and action in our lives.  Today, the scriptures present the figure of Joseph of Nazareth, who is also known as the just man.  Saint Matthew calls him a righteous man (Mt 1:19).  Possessing this virtue, we can safely consider this man as one who was well respected, one who constantly sought to do good and to be honest.  Are these not the virtues that we too usually try to live?

Being a righteous man, when Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit, ... he decided to divorce her quietly so as not to expose her to shame, but God had another plan, and Joseph had a part to play in that plan.

Sometimes, we too find ourselves in situations where we would rather find a way to leave our troubles behind, either because the challenges we encounter seem to challenge our own considerations about how life should be, or because such realities threaten to stretch us beyond the limits that we might consider possible.  However, sometimes God places such challenges in our lives in order to help us to grow in the level of our trust.  Sometimes, we need to listen in prayer for the words of an angel who proclaims to us the same words that were revealed to Joseph: Do not be afraid ... (Mt 1:20).

Continuing our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the second O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Adonai - one of the Hebrew names attributed to God.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: O Wisdom

Good morning everyone,

Today marks the beginning of the final period of the liturgical season of Advent.  In the liturgy that is celebrated during these eight days, the gospel passages present the story that led up to the birth of Jesus.

In today's gospel passage, the focus is on Jesus' genealogy (cf Mt 1:1-17).  Rare are the accounts of such histories, except in the case of royalty, especially at the time when this history was written, however the gospel writer wanted to be sure that we who read these words today are able to trace Jesus' roots, thus also proving the prophecy about the Saviour being from the house of David to be true.

All this detail is a reassurance for us that through baptism, we too are part of this extended family of faith, and therefore the coming festivities are part of our family's remembrance and celebration of God's good favour shown to all of creation.

In accordance with a very ancient custom within the Church, we encounter the O Antiphons in the liturgy of these final seven days prior to the celebration of Christmas.  These references to various names for Christ which have been used throughout the centuries appear in the gospel acclamations for the Mass that is celebrated each day during the next week.

Collectively, these short phrases are referred to as the O Antiphons because the title of each one begins with the vocative particle 'O'.  Each antiphon refers to a name for Christ or one of his attributes.  Over the next seven days, I will present these antiphons along with an example of how it is used in the prayer of the Church.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: Answers

Good morning everyone,

How often does it happen that we ask questions - at times in prayer and at other times in other circumstances - and those questions seem to go unanswered.  Does such a perception cause us to be anxious?  Perhaps in answer to our prayers, the Lord is trying to show us the answer - but in some way that we are not able to see or appreciate.

When John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus: Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another? (Mt 11:2-3), Jesus replied not in the way that they expected, but rather by pointing to the evidence so that John's disciples could make their own decisions: Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor (Mt 11:4-5).

We are preparing in these days for the coming celebrations of Christmas, yet perhaps we too are still unclear about who or what we are looking for.  Let us not be afraid to come to Jesus and to ask him to help us.  In response to our prayer, he will always point us in the right direction, so that we can see the evidence we need of his presence, and so that we can discover his presence in our own lives.

Have a great day.

The earth rejoices

From time to time, people will ask me for advice about how they should pray.  If I am speaking with children, I might suggest that they learn the Lord's Prayer, or the Hail Mary, but if I am speaking with an adult - one who has already learned the rote prayers that are part of the Church's traditions - I might explain prayer as a discipline of spending time with God.  Sometimes we use words, but at other times, we can simply be with God.  Spiritual masters refer to this wordless presence as meditation.

The third Sunday of Advent is known as the day of great rejoicing, or Gaudete Sunday.  The words of the scriptures provide us with an abundance of images upon which we can meditate in these coming days.  In anticipation of the coming of the Lord, the prophet Isaiah says: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom (Is 35:1).  Anyone who has visited Israel will know that some parts of that country are a vast desert where there is less than 100mm of rain every year.  In recent years, there have been severe droughts.  As a result much of the land is dry, yet Isaiah's prophecy foretells a time when even the dry land will rejoice and blossom.  At the time when these words were written, human beings did not possess the technology needed to make this happen.  Even today, while our understandings of the science of irrigation have advanced greatly, we still can marvel at the way God continues to work in people's hearts, helping us to identify the need for sharing our knowledge with others in order to make it possible for miracles to happen.

Today's gospel passage presents yet another image for our meditation.  From his prison cell, John the Baptist heard about the deeds that Jesus was accomplishing and sent some of his followers to inquire about whether Jesus was the one they were waiting for (cf Mt 11:2-3).  Jesus did not answer clearly; instead he pointed to the things that he was doing as proof: Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them (Mt 11:4-5).  Who else, except for God, could make such miracles come true?  Even today, if we were able to see the world through the eyes of faith, we would also find these things to be taking place in our midst, but in order for this to happen, we need to cultivate hearts that are able to step away from the frantic pace of always needing to get things done so that we can begin to appreciate such miraculous happenings.

Perhaps in the coming week, we can begin by asking God to grant us the grace to recognize the miracles that are taking place all around us, but first we need to rely on yet another of his gifts.  The letter of James, from which we read today, suggests that we should be patient ... until the coming of the Lord (Jas 5:7).  Patience is also a gift from God.  Without it, none of our efforts will amount to anything, but with it, we too will be able to accomplish amazing things.

His Word Today: Saint Lucy

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saint Lucia of Syracusa (Syracuse, Sicily).  Born of noble parents around the year 283 AD, her father was a Roman who died when Lucy was only five years old, leaving her mother to raise her without any paternal influence.  Like many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, but unaware of her vow, her mother wanted to arrange her dowry so that she could marry someone influential.  However Lucy countered her argument, saying: ...whatever you give away at death ... you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Saviour, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death.  These words portray the heart of one who has spent much time in prayer.  Lucy continued in her conviction until the day she died as part of the Diocletian persecution of the early Church.  Her executioner thrust his sword through her throat.

The gospel passage for today's Mass depicts a moment when Jesus must have been frustrated with those who were gathering around him.  Saint Matthew places the following words on his tongue: To what shall I compare this generation?  It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another: 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn (Mt 11:17).  These words paint a picture of people who are searching for meaning in their lives, but for whom the search has thus far been fruitless.  This is not unlike many who lived in the time of Saint Lucy ... and perhaps there are many in our time too for whom these words would be apropos.

Modelled on the example of this holy woman from Sicily, let us set out today to live with purpose and conviction.  Our God has defined our purpose in life - to know him, to love him, and to love others with the deep love that he himself lavishes upon us, until the day that he calls us home to live with him for all eternity.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Our Lady of Guadaloupe

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates Our Lady of Guadaloupe.  The Virgin Mary appeared once daily for four consecutive days beginning on 9 December 1531: three of those were to the young Juan Diego on the hill known as Tepeyac, in a suburb of Mexico City and the fourth was to his uncle.  The woman spoke to Juan Diego in his native language known as Nahuatl (the language of the Aztec Empire) and identified herself as the Virgin Mary, the mother of the very true deity.

Juan Diego sought out the local Bishop and reported what he had seen, but the Bishop was skeptical.  Eventually, even after days of repeated testimonies, the Bishop still insisted on needing a sign, so on 12 December 1531, having been assured by the Virgin that a sign would be given, but concerned about his ailing uncle, Juan chose another route when he set out in search of a doctor.  The Virgin intercepted him and inquired about where he was going.  He explained that he was in search of help for his ailing uncle, and she replied: ¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre? (Am I not here, I who am your mother?).  At that moment, Juan's uncle was cured.

The Virgin instructed Juan to gather roses from the top of the Tepeyac hill, which was normally barren, especially in mid-December.  He followed her instruction and found Castillian roses - not native to Mexico - blooming there.  Having gathered the roses in his tilma (a cloak-like apron), he went to see the Bishop.  When he opened his tilma, the roses fell out and the Bishop saw an image of the Virgin imprinted on the tilma.

The first chapel was built on the hilltop shortly afterwards and to this day, the minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadaloupe is one of the most-frequently visited Marian shrines in the world.  Like this more modern example of miraculous happenings, the moment of the Virgin Mary's visit with her kinswoman Elizabeth was another example of simple humble people responding joyfully to the call of the Lord (cf Lk 1:39-47).

Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for us as well, to embolden us so that we too may respond joyfully to the call of the Lord today.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Parched

Good morning everyone,

The liturgical season of Advent is a privileged time for us to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for the coming of Christmas.  In the midst of all the physical preparations for these coming celebrations, I have always longed for the time when I will be able to use this time of waiting to truly deepen my appreciation for the gift of waiting ... but then the haste of these weeks catches up with me and I find that the time has flown by.

In the midst of such a hectic pace, how appropriate the words of today's gospel passage sound as they resound in our hearts: Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28).  No amount of human effort ever seems to be enough for us to achieve the rest that we all need - especially at times when we are surrounded with multiple demands and frenetic paces, but the Lord promises us the gift of his rest, rest for our souls that hold the promise of refreshment for our weary souls.

Come then dear friends.  Let us draw near to the Lord; let us seek in him the gift of rest for our souls and refreshment for our hearts.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Precious

Good morning everyone,

I love you! - These are simple words; when they are repeated often, they have a wonderful effect on people.  Eventually, those who hear them begin to believe these words to be true.  The same is true whether these words are spoken by human beings or by God.  Even if we have heard these words again and again, we need to hear them ever afresh.

In addition, we need proof of the fact that our God is eternally faithful ... and that proof is what we hear of in the gospel passage chosen for today.  Using the image of a shepherd and his sheep, Jesus tells us that our God loves us so much that he is willing to leave everyone else in the wilderness - even to risk having them wander away - so that he can come in search of us when we are lost (cf Mt 18:12).

As if this is not enough, we are in the midst of the liturgical season of Advent. We are preparing for the celebration of Christmas, the moment in history when God sent his son Jesus into the world.  This too was an act of love.  What more do we need in order to convince us that we are precious in the eyes of God, that we are truly loved.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Immaculate Conception

Good morning everyone,

Usually, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, but since that date was a Sunday, the observance of this Solemnity has been transferred to today.  This Solemnity takes place during the annual observance of the liturgical season of Advent, a time of waiting for the approaching celebrations of Christmas.

To help us understand the meaning of this celebration, we can look at the words that the Holy Father, Pope Francis spoke yesterday in his weekly Angelus address.  Speaking about the meaning of the Immaculate Conception, he said: we are told that something has already been accomplished, in the person and in the life of the Virgin Mary. Today we consider the beginning of this fulfillment, which took place before the birth of the Mother of the Lord. In fact, her immaculate conception leads us to the precise moment when Mary's life began to palpitate in her mother's womb: already the sanctifying love of God was present, preserving her from the contagion of evil that is a common heritage of the human family (Pope Francis, Angelus greetings, 8 December 2019).

Today, we celebrate the Church's long-held belief in the fact that the Virgin Mary was herself conceived without sin, in order to prepare her for her sacred role as the bearer of the Son of God.  Like the Angel Gabriel, we too can speak the words that convey our love for her: Hail full of grace!  The Lord is with you (Lk 1:28).

Have a great day.

To wear, to see and to speak

In the gospel passage for this weekend, we find three verbs that can help us to prepare our hearts for the coming celebrations of Christmas.  During the coming week we can focus our attention and our prayers on what we wear, what we see and the words we speak.

In the gospel passage, Saint Matthew introduces us to the person of John the Baptist.  The writer of the gospel tells us that John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist (Mt 3:4).  He was not a king, he did not wear fine clothing.  Rather, he dressed in the clothing of a poor man, someone who could easily have blended into crowds, one who could even have been ignored by passers by.  If he were alive today, he would probably dress just like you and me, or maybe his clothes would be tattered and torn.  Perhaps we would pass him by on the street, not paying much attention to him at all, but this is the very point that we must focus on today.  This ordinary-looking man was the one who was chosen by God to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.  Have you ever considered the possibility that God may be calling you and me to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus?  We can do this by living our faith in concrete ways: by trying our best to model compassion by the way that we interact with others.  We can also pray for our family members, for our friends and even those who sometimes make life difficult for us.

The second thing that we can focus our attention on this week is what we see.  Saint Matthew says that when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism (Mt 3:7), he challenged them to live lives that are consistent with their desire to change their ways.  In other words, he was calling them to be honest with themselves.  As Christmas draws closer, we focus our attention more and more on the gift of love that God gave to us when he sent his Son into the world.  When we recognize the presence of divine love in our lives, we are also made more and more aware of our own sinfulness, and so it is customary during the season of Advent that we take some time to celebrate the wonderful Sacrament of Reconciliation.  On Wednesday evening, 11 December, there will be a Penitential Service held here in the church, beginning at 6:30pm.  Let us all take advantage of this moment of grace to be at peace with ourselves and with God and to prepare for the coming of Christmas.

A third aspect upon which we can focus our thoughts and prayers this week concerns the words that we speak.  When people asked John the Baptist who he was, his reply was very humble: I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me (Mt 3:11).  In the coming weeks, we will hear more and more parts of the Christmas story.  Let us pray for the grace to listen attentively and to receive the graces that the Lord wants to share with us at this time.  Perhaps there will be tangible gifts, but more importantly, God's gifts should be accepted in a spirit of humility.  This is not an easy task because we are human beings, constantly being tempted to focus only on our own desires and not on the needs of others, yet our God is constantly calling to us, offering us another chance to look outwards and to recognize his presence in those around us.  Let us pray for the grace not to ignore this invitation.

If we focus on these three words of advice in the coming week, we will be well on the way to preparing our hearts for the coming celebrations of Christmas.

His Word Today: Saint Nicholas

Good morning everyone,

Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343) was also known as Nicholas of Bari.  He was an early Christian bishop of the ancient Greek maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the faithful and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus.

The gospel passage proposed for today recounts a moment when Jesus encountered two blind men who were calling out for help.  He truly wanted to help them - as he always wishes to help us too - but needed to test their sincerity so he asked them: Do you believe that I can do this? (Mt 9:28)  When they responded affirmatively, Jesus granted their request.

Like Saint Nicholas, we too are sometimes called upon to do good for others even at times in secret, yet we do good not for the sake of gaining any personal reward, but rather because at some point, we ourselves have heard the Lord ask us: Do you believe? ... and in return we have received good gifts that far outmeasure our own sense of entitlement.  Having received such goodness, we ourselves should always seek out others so that we can pay the blessings forward.  May Saint Nicholas help us to do this with great joy.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Foundation

Good morning everyone,

Sometimes it is possible to say lots of things with only a few words.  We see an example of this in today's gospel passage.  Jesus says to his disciples: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven ... but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven (Mt 7:21).

What is Jesus saying?  It's not enough to call out to Jesus - or even to God - and to use the words Lord, Lord in doing so ... but this is already something of great importance.  The use of the word Lord is an admission of our recognition of the supremacy of our God, but even this is not enough for us to enter into heaven.  Jesus says that we must go further: we must strive to do the will of our Father in heaven.  And how do we do that?

Jesus says that we must not only listen to his words, but also, we must act on them.  In other words, it's not enough to hear the advice that Jesus offers us ... and then to let his advice get lost in the noise of all the noise that surrounds us.  Instead, we should work at listening attentively to the word of God so that we can discern the will of our Father.

Let us pray today for the grace to listen closely to the words that our heavenly Father offers to us, so that we will not forget the wisdom that he has to share with us, but rather that these words might begin to take root within our hearts.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Special

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday was the World Day of Persons with Disabilities.  To mark the occasion, Pope Francis issued a special Message in which he reminds us all to renew our gaze of faith, which sees in each brother and sister the presence of Christ Himself, Who considers every gesture of love towards one of His least brothers to have been made to Himself (cf Gospel of Matthew 25:40).

Have you ever considered the fact that great crowds came to Jesus, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others (Mt 15:30).  They had great faith in his abilities.  They trusted that he could and would look lovingly upon these brothers and sisters of theirs, who knew the pain and tribulations of being looked upon by others with judgement and help them to recognize their true value - not judged by any measure of physical beauty or usefulness, but rather on the mere fact that they are loved.

And what about us?  Do we always look at others with love and acceptance.  If not, perhaps we can pray today for the grace to gaze with faith upon those who cross our paths so that we can recognize all people our brothers and sisters and the reflections of Christ himself.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Francis Xavier

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis Xavier (7 April 1506 - 3 December 1552), a Spanish missionary who co-founded the Society of Jesus, along with Saint Ignatius Loyola.  Saint Francis Xavier led an extensive mission which took him to modern-day India, Goa, Japan, Borneo and the Maluku Islands.  He was preparing to extend his missionary efforts into China when he died on Shangshuan Island.

In the gospel passage for today's Mass, Saint Luke presents Jesus as he is rejoicing in the Holy Spirit: I give you praise Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Lk 10:21).  Like all missionaries, Saint Francis continued his devoted work so that he could give praise to God the Father.

Since 1927, Saint Francis Xavier has been recognized as a co-patron of foreign missions, along with Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.  Let us ask Saint Francis to pray with us today, to awaken and to strengthen within us the desire to evangelize: to give praise to God our Father by sharing the good news of the gospel with others, wherever they are.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Faith

Good morning everyone,

As we begin the season of Advent, the scriptures provide us with an example of living faith today.  The gospel account speaks of a moment when Jesus entered Capernaum, a place that was very familiar to him.   A centurion approached and appealed to him, saying: 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully' (Mt 8:6).  The question is implicit: Please do something to help!

What is even more surprising is the fact that a centurion - one of the Roman guards - would come to him and ask for help.  The fact that this man approached shows that he (the centurion) had heard Jesus speak before.  Perhaps he had witnessed such miracles.  Perhaps beneath the rough exterior that most of the men of his rank were expected to portray, a seed of faith had begun to germinate in response to God's workings in his own heart.

Advent is a special time when God invites us to awaken the faith that lives within our own hearts.  Perhaps this gift has laid dormant.  Perhaps it is there but remains hidden.  Whatever the circumstances, the invitation is there to water our faith with evidence of God's goodness that is all around us.  Let us begin this journey together ... a journey that will lead us to celebrate the birthday of Jesus at Christmas.

Have a great day.