Holy Family Sunday - 2019

As a child my favorite Christmas gifts were the Erector sets by Meccano. One Christmas a model steam engine was added to my collection – it was going to be the best Christmas ever. But on that very day it broke down and failed to work – joy quickly turned to the saddest Christmas ever. Broken gifts are not uncommon at this time, that is why in the days after Christmas shopping for “Krazy Glue” is a big item. The sadness experienced at Christmas can not only be over broken toys but over broken families as well. That is why this feast of the Holy Family is of such importance. For the Second Reading in today’s liturgy the Church chooses a selection from St. Paul’s letter to Colossians. Here Paul lays out a description of the “krazy glue-of grace” that holds families together. “As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  Now you might say to St. Paul, “That’s easy for you to say but you don’t know my family.” – but God does. But these are virtues of grace that Paul has listed, and they flow from the Holy Spirit into our hearts through prayer. “As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,” - first God brings us into His family, broken as we are and loves us into life. And in this communion with God we are healed and made holy, part of God’s beloved family. Now we can begin to bring this “krazy glue-of grace” into our families and start to heal what is broken within them. Let us be certain of this, if history has anything to say, man alone is not going to heal this broke world we live in. If we break away from the Family of God what hope do we have? Only when people realize this and return to the Father’s House will the remedy be found. St. Paul concludes: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." Then he adds three keys: And let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be Thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly; Only then filled with God’s love, will we be able to: “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;  Paul ends with these words, let us take them home to our families today. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

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PRAYER OF BLESSING O God, you have created us in love and saved us in mercy, and through the bond of marriage you have established the family and willed that it should become a sign of Christ's love for his Church. Shower your blessings on these families gathered here in your name. Enable those who are joined by one love to support one another by their fervor of spirit and devotion to prayer. Make them responsive to the needs of others and witnesses to the faith in all they say and do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

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Christmas - 2019

There are many meanings attach to Christmas – the importance given it seems to be changing over the years. Today the commercialization of Christmas has had a substantial negative effect. The old Christmas stories of conversion from despair to joy are now more likely to be replaced by just silly romance stories that just happen to take place around Christmas. Even now when the image of the Christ Child is displayed its message seems unable to rise above the mere sentimental. It becomes all the more important for us to disentangle from all these negative influences and grasp again with wonder and awe the powerful message laying open before us. To expose ourselves to this great revelation it’s necessary that when we look down at the baby Jesus in the crib we look up at that same Jesus on the Cross, because that is the message – that is why he has come. As the words of the familiar Christmas song ponder: “I wonder as I wander out under the sky that Jesus my Saviour did come for to die for poor on'ry people like you and like I.” St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians chapter 2 shows us how, not only to wander in wonder but to understand and to imitate what we see revealed in the Christmas Image of crib and cross. Paul tells us: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (vs. 5) This manger and this cross seen together reveal the true meaning of Christmas. St. Paul now exhorts: “be of the same mind, (that you behold) with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but everyone for the interests of others.” (vs. 3-4) This is why Jesus was born into this world and it is also the reason why each of us has also been born. St. Paul again: “For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.” (vs. 13) (work for what- his, God’s good purpose) One of the customs of Christmas is to decorate our homes with lights – indeed there is almost a competition to see who has the most and the brightest lights.  St. Paul ends this section by describing the true lights: “Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life.” (vs. 15-16)

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Fourth Sunday of Advent - 2019

We begin this Fourth and final week of Advent in Matthew's gospel as he begins to tell the story of "...how the birth of Jesus Christ came about." In those days, the period of engagement of marriage was to last up to one year. The marriage covenant was official, they are married, but before the couple lived together, this one year waiting period would prove that the betrothed was indeed a virgin and that any child conceived would be that of the husband. Should a conception occur it prove infidelity and adultery on the part of the woman. The engagement/marriage would be broken off and the woman publicly disgraced. Matthew does not give us many details as to how all this unfolded with Joseph and Mary. This provides us with a wonderful opportunity to explore these questions in meditation and prayer. Matthew tells us, "... she was found with child." Here we are led to wonder did Mary explain her pregnancy to Joseph; how it was the work of God? Did Joseph believe her? We can only speculate. The text continues "... Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly." “… since he was a righteous man” This tells us that Joseph was a man of holy integrity and that he followed the Law of Moses in all its detail. Now, in the Book of Deuteronomy 22:23 we read: “If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.…” What deep conflict must have been tearing at the heart of Joseph. Mary is pregnant! What to do – the law is clear as to what must be done. Joseph knows he must divorce Mary but surely God will permit him to spare her such humiliation and disgrace, even death. Now the hand of God is revealed through the angel Gabriel: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Joseph too must see the important role God is giving him to fulfill in this plan - "She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  Dear friends, these stories are not fairy tales we bring out at Christmas to dress up in colourful scenes. They are real events that happened in the lives of real people. Recognizing this can we not identify with these humble people of God? Do we not have to face conflicts and challenges in our lives, struggling to understand, struggling to make sense of it – to find solutions just as they did? Our faith is not disconnected from our real life. On the contrary, it is intimately connected just as it was for Mary and Joseph. And when we make this connection our faith becomes a living, life saving dynamic reality guiding and supporting us throughout our life. Once we make this connection the stories of the lives of the people in the scriptures become learning centres, where we begin to learn how to recognize God’s hand in our lives. Do not let Christmas just be a fairy tale.

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Click to View Video The Road to Bethlehem by  Fritz von Uhde In reflecting on this painting, depicting a scene from Luke 2: 3-7, Geoff Wheaton SJ points out the love and concern of Joseph, the strength of Mary, and the poverty that Jesus was born into. How do you react to what you see?

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The "O" Antiphons

Beginning today the Church recites or chants the "O" Antiphons. They are the seven antiphons that precede the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours, and are the words of the gospel acclamation for the daily liturgy of the Word at Mass. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. For a detailed look into these Antiphons go to this LINK >>>.
December 17 O Sapientia: O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.	December 18 O Adonai: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.
December 19 O Radix Jesse: O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.	December 20 O Clavis David: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.
December 21 O Oriens: O Radiant Dawn, splendour of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.	December 22 O Rex Gentium: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.
December 23 O Emmanuel: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Saviour of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

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