This is What it's All About!, the Fourth Sunday of Advent–Year A

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today’s Scriptures remind us “a virgin conceived and bore son, and he was named Emmanuel” (see Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23).  The Gospel’s reference to the birth of Jesus directly quotes the Prophet Isaiah, and so we believe it was the fulfillment of God’s age-old promise to those waiting with expectant faith.

As we contemplate these scriptural passages, I believe it’s a good idea to ponder the actual situation into which Jesus was born.  Let’s recall Mary and Joseph were very poor and humble, and they hailed from Nazareth, a very small town “in the middle of nowhere.”  Let’s recall the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy: to those who didn’t know the truth, it would have been “scandalous” (she was found “with child” before marriage and Joseph’s first inclination was to “divorce” her quietly).  Let’s recall that soon after Joseph “took Mary into his home,” they found themselves haplessly journeying to Bethlehem, and there, even though she was about to give birth, were unable to procure a decent place to stay.  Let’s recall the birth of Jesus took place in a filthy stable where animals were kept, and let’s imagine how “shameful” that must have been for his “vagrant” parents.  This child of theirs, who they named Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us,” was born into humility.

Mary and Joseph, the earthly parents of the Son of God, were poor, humble, homeless and voiceless; by all outward appearances, others certainly could have regarded them as despicable and disgraceful individuals, highly unworthy to be parents of one destined to such greatness.  And this is exactly how God the Father in heaven wanted it to be!

      

I believe all of these circumstances “set the stage” for the entire earthly ministry and mission of Jesus.  Think about it: Jesus spent most of his time reaching out to the “lowly” and to those who had no voice; he proclaimed God’s mercy and love to sinners, and to those who were otherwise disenfranchised and marginalized from society; he preached to the arrogant and self-righteous “religious leaders,” and told them they were hypocrites; he said those seeking to be Godlike would have to “become like little children,” or they would not inherit the Kingdom.  This great ministry and mission of Jesus truly began in that little town of Nazareth when “the virgin Mary responded to God’s will and thereby conceived a son.”  Because of this, and from the very first moment of the “incarnation,” we believe God became flesh within the very lives of the lowly, the humble, and the poor.  Jesus even did so until the very end of his earthly ministry, when he was absolutely humiliated by suffering a criminal’s death on a cross.  This Jesus, our Emmanuel, our God with us, has always sought out and identified with those who were and are the most “lowly” and humble among us.  And so, I believe we are called to do the same!

Today, we remember the “virgin who conceived and bore a son,” and we contemplate an earthly mission of Jesus directed toward the “lowly” and the poor.  We believe this was how our God came to live among his people!

Once again, and as faithful children of such a God, let’s commit ourselves to the ministry of forgiveness for sinners, to the work of bringing others out of misery, to the task of feeding the hungry, and to the care of healing the sick and the brokenhearted.  This way, and with our lives, we will always proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to others!  My friends, this is what it’s all about! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Rejoice in the Lord Always, I Say it Again, Rejoice!, the Third Sunday of Advent–Year A

My Sisters and Brothers:

The first words of the traditional “entrance antiphon” proclaimed at Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent are from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.  He wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice” (see Philippians 4:4).  In Latin, this translates to “gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete,” and so, based on these words, this Sunday has always been known as “Gaudete Sunday.”

On this day, the traditional liturgical color is rose, hence the unique hue of the Advent wreath’s third candle, as well as the vestments used by the ministers.  The words of St. Paul in the antiphon, and the color rose, are meant to emphasize our heightened sense of JOY during these ebbing days of Advent, and as we come closer to the celebration of Christmas.  This is completely based on the experience of knowing the presence of the Lord is at hand, and this reality causes us to rejoice!  “I say it again, rejoice!”

In today’s first reading, the Prophet Isaiah described the day of the Lord’s coming; he spoke of this same joy when he wrote “in those days the desert and the parched land will exult, the steppe will rejoice and bloom, they will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song” (see Isaiah 35:1-2a).  And on that day of rejoicing, he also prophesied that “the eyes of the blind would be opened, and the ears of the deaf would be cleared . . . then the lame would leap like stags, and the tongues of mutes would sing” (see verses 5-6a).

These joyful words form a kind of prologue to those of Jesus found in today’s passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew.  In it, the emissaries of John the Baptist questioned Jesus about whom he truly was.  And then echoing the words of Isaiah, Jesus told them: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (see Matthew 11:4-5).  We can only imagine how overjoyed they must have been upon learning the anticipated day had come, and that Jesus truly was the long awaited Messiah.

Yet because we know “the rest of the story,” surely our joy is even greater than what was experienced by the followers of John the Baptist.  We already know what the Lord has done for us in this life, and what he promised as we now anticipate our own future glory.  We know Jesus worked wonders upon the earth, and we know he came to serve humanity and to raise the lowly to high places!  We know he sacrificed himself completely for us when he died on the cross; we know he rose from the dead; we know he saved us, and we know he promised us joy forever with the Father in heaven.  We also know we share in the mission of Jesus Christ as ambassadors of God’s love on this earth.

Therefore, on this Third Sunday of Advent, and with all of these things in mind, we rejoice again with even more enthusiasm than those disciples of John.  But even more specifically, we rejoice today because we anticipate the second coming of Jesus, and we believe the hour of his return is close at hand!

    

My friends, as we joyfully light the rose-colored candle of our wreath, let’s celebrate with enthusiasm the promised return of Jesus the Lord!  And so today, as we anticipate the finale of Advent, and the coming of Christmas, let’s once more recall St. Paul’s words: “Rejoice in the Lord always!”  Yes, Jesus is coming, so let’s say it again: “REJOICE!”

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Reform, the Reign of God is at Hand!, the Second Sunday of Advent–Year A

My Sisters and Brothers:

The message and the mission of John the Baptist are always highlighted on both the Second and the Third Sundays of Advent.  As the one chosen to announce the coming of Jesus, John warned the people they would need to change their lives in order to be prepared.  And so he proclaimed: “Reform your lives! The reign of God is at hand!” (see Matthew 3:2). 

John then invited the people to receive very visible and public baptisms of water, but he made it very clear such baptisms were meaningless without true inner conversion.  He therefore told those seeking baptism they would need “to produce good fruit as evidence of their repentance” (see verse eight). 

This admonition was particularly addressed to those Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to him for baptism, but who actually didn’t have genuine faith in their hearts.  As Jesus would later do, John severely criticized such “religious people” who usually piously feigned devotion to God, but in fact had little or no true faith at all.  John sternly rebuked such people as hypocrites, and he called them a “brood of vipers” (see verse seven). 

Anyone could receive baptism, but the truly reformed would demonstrate their faith by the manner in which they lived their lives.  The others, John very grimly proclaimed, would be “burned with unquenchable fire” (see verse twelve).  As we once again journey through the season of Advent, and this renewed time of preparation, it might be wise for us to give special attention to these warnings!

And so, with the admonitions of John the Baptist in mind, we may wish to ask ourselves the following questions:  (1) Does the Scriptural call to authenticity give us reason to be repentant during this season of Advent?  (2)  Do we have “external religion,” like many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but little or no internal faith?  (3)  Do our “religious actions” come from our hearts, and are they truly meaningful?  (4)  Do we come to church every Sunday, profess ourselves to be Christians, but actually fail to practice true love for others, especially for those who are “different?”  (5)  Do we publicly pray the Our Father, but privately refuse to forgive the faults of those who have wronged us?  (6)  Do we tell others we are Christians, but then fail to live as true disciples of Jesus?  Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, as I’m sure each of us could come up with many more related questions.  So then, let’s do just that as we seek to ready ourselves for the coming of the Lord; let’s realistically examine our consciences during this sacred time of renewal and preparation!

 

As we continue to reform our lives and to prepare for the coming of God’s reign, let’s once again heed the words of John the Baptist.  Let’s make any necessary changes in our lives, and let’s make ourselves completely ready for that “New Day” when “old and malevolent ways of doing things and of being” will forever pass away.  Unlike those hypocritical “religious people” of old, such as many of those Pharisees and the Sadducees, may we always strive to have genuine faith in our hearts! 

And as those who have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, may our visible and public acts of devotion always be authentic reflections of who we truly are!  My friends, the reign of God is at hand.  Let’s live accordingly! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Are We Truly Ready?, the First Sunday of Advent–Year A

My Sisters and Brothers:

It’s hard to believe another liturgical year has come to an end, and a new one now begins.  As with every year on the First Sunday of Advent, and on the days to come, we are challenged by our Scriptures to contemplate the coming of a “New Day.”  We believe when that day comes “the old and malevolent ways of doing things and of being” will have passed away.  We trust that day will also mark the final and definitive coming of Jesus, the triumph of all truth and goodness, and the end of earthly existence as we know it.

The Prophet Isaiah, pondering such a future day, wrote the following: “In days to come . . . they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again” (see Isaiah 1:2a-4b).  This is exactly what we long for as people of faith, and at the same time we’re painfully aware such a day has yet to come.  We need only to read the newspaper, to watch the television, or to follow an internet feed to know this to be true. 

Christians therefore understand Advent as more than simply a season for cheerful gatherings, colorful decorating, gleeful shopping, and joyful preparing for the festivities of Christmas.  For us, this is also a time and an opportunity to reflect and to prepare spiritually for the day when all evil will be conquered, and when the fullness of the presence of God will decisively infuse and conquer everything on earth. 

During these days, we are called to examine our personal and communal lives, and if necessary, to change any attitudes and/or behaviors that are contrary to the hopeful words and vision of Isaiah.  We have this in mind as we begin another Advent, and as we once again pray fervently for the “Second Coming” of Jesus!  During this season, we therefore ask ourselves: “Are we ready for that day?”

Jesus challenged his disciples in the Gospel to have such a spirit and desire to be ready when he said to them: “Stay awake!  Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:42b,44b).  This very same challenge, with a great sense of urgency, was spoken by St. Paul when he wrote: “Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep . . . for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11-12a).  And so, these are our more important focuses during this wonderful liturgical season of Advent as we once again prepare ourselves for that “New Day” when the Lord Jesus will come again!

My friends, let’s not lose our Advent focus!  During this time, let’s have a great time with all our cheerful gatherings, our colorful decorating, our gleeful shopping trips, and our joyful preparing for the festivities of Christmas.  But let’s not forget the message of our Christian faith, and our longing and readying for the day when the Lord Jesus will come again. 

On that day, we believe the words of the Prophet Isaiah will triumph victoriously, and those “old and malevolent ways of doing things and of being” will be forever vanquished.  And what a day of rejoicing it will be . . .  And so today, and during this Advent season, and as we anticipate that future day, let’s ask ourselves again: Are we truly ready?

 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Jesus, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  On this unique Feast Day of the Church, we are invited to reflect upon our understanding of who Jesus is as our “Savior,” as our “King,” and as our “Messiah.” 

Echoing today’s Gospel, I believe this day can inspire us to pray together: “Lord Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom!” And with faith that transcends the “wisdom of the world,” we must actually do this with the “foolishness” of the crucifixion of Jesus as our reference point!  For those of us who believe in the power of the Cross, we once again renew our commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior, Messiah and King!

According to all of the Gospel narratives, Jesus’ humiliating death on the cross also included the indignity of being mocked by a lot of very worldly people–some of whom even claimed to be “religious.”  These included rulers, chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, soldiers and the crowds of hostile onlookers (see Matthew 27:24-55, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 23:1-56 and John 19:1-42).  In each account, these people rebuked any notion of Jesus as “Messiah,” and so they scornfully laughed at him, and they faithlessly exclaimed him to be “the King of the Jews.”  And without an understanding of the true meaning of his “kingship,” nor of his identity as “Messiah,” they contemptuously challenged him “to save himself as he had saved others.”  After all, the religious leaders had claimed the “king” and the “Messiah” would come to save his people, hadn’t they?  At least it’s what they thought as people guided by those trapped in “false religions” and who were also schooled in the “wisdom of the world.”

 

The Gospels also tell us thieves were crucified alongside of Jesus, and even they jeered at him (see Mt 27:44, Mk 15:32 and Lk 23:39).  According to Luke’s version (read at today’s Mass), one of the thieves “reviled Jesus” and said to him: “Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us” (see verse 39).  But the second thief in Luke’s account, the “repentant thief” whose name tradition tells us was Dismas, instead professed his faith in Jesus as he proclaimed: “Jesus, you have done nothing criminal . . . please remember me when you come into your kingdom!” (cf. verses 41 and 42).   

Dismas’ remarkable profession of faith, so poignantly made even in his own darkest hour, gave testimony to the actual saving power and to the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross.  In fact, he had come to save his people, especially those who were the worst of “sinners.”  And so, from the cross, even as he was being mocked as a powerless “king” by the unbelievers, Jesus in fact “saved” Dismas, a true believer! 

This reality reminds us we too need to acknowledge and accept who Jesus truly is as our crucified “king” and “Messiah”; like Dismas, we need to repent from our own personal sinfulness, and to profess our faith in the promise of everlasting life!  In this way, and even though it seems foolish to the worldly, who will mock the apparent folly of Jesus upon the cross, we who are also “sinners,” are also “saved.”

On this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and with the power of the Cross in mind, let’s once again profess our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our Messiah and our King! 

Unfortunately, and like those crowds at Calvary, the people of this world will never understand our faith, and they will mock it and even remind us of the apparent failure of the crucified Jesus.  But like Dismas the “repentant thief,” we believe and we profess our faith in Jesus, and we know the saving power of that Cross!  And so, with him we then pray “Lord Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom!”  

Today, let’s encourage each other with this message of our faith! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Truth, Goodness, and what is Right, will Ultimately Prevail, the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

The teachings of Jesus found in today’s Gospel were given to his followers just days before he himself was arrested, and then eventually put to death on a cross by his enemies.  He took the opportunity to warn his followers about the “end-times” and the tribulations they too would have to endure (see Luke 21:5-19).  I’m sure you would agree many of his words were rather ominous; he said: “Your adversaries will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name . . . you will even be handed over by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death . . . you will be hated by all because of my name” (see verses 12, 16, and 17).  Perhaps alluding to his future victory over suffering and death, and his own triumphal resurrection from the dead, he also encouraged his disciples with the words “but not a hair on your head will be destroyed . . . and by your perseverance you will secure your lives” (see verses 18 and 19).

Although we can expect struggles and sacrifices in our Christian lives, fortunately, most of us will never face any of the extreme types of trials and/or betrayals foretold by Jesus’ dire words.  Surely all of us desire instead to experience Divine care and the security promised by his more hopeful words!  But today, the message is we should be ready and prepared for any possible trial, big or small!  Jesus promises strength for those who endure any tribulations because of his name, and this gives us great hope!

 

In our own time, we don’t need to look far to recognize who our adversaries might be.  I believe our recent experience as citizens struggling through an often bitter and rancorous political campaign might demonstrate this well.  If you were like me, then you might have found yourself involved in spirited debates with others who didn’t share your particular points of view about this or that candidate or ballot questions.  Sometimes the rancor might even have been “ugly!”  And if political positions were also based on deeply held religious convictions, then probably they were even more passionately expressed! 

We all know how painful it is when we’ve had serious political disagreements with people for whom we’ve otherwise had great respect and admiration (especially when they are our “parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends”).  While this doesn’t exactly parallel what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel today (i.e., the “end-times” and persecutions), it might at least give us a frame of reference as we ponder our recent political season.  This might then bring us some consolation and peace.

 

Jesus bluntly promised his followers there would be tribulations, but he also told them “not to worry” because God would protect them (even the hairs on their heads).  Let’s not forget Jesus was disrespected by those who should have known better; he was mocked, arrested, dealt cruel punishments, and then was hung on a cross until he died.  These things were done by people who were out of touch with what was “Godly.”   But when all seemed most hopeless, it was just then Jesus’s power was in fact most victorious! 

Our Christian faith promises us a share in Jesus’ triumphal resurrection from death to new life; I believe we can claim this even today, even in the face of any personal, communal or societal setbacks. 

My friends, we need not despair!  The Lord will always have the last word, and so let’s be confident that truth, goodness, and what is right, will ultimately prevail!  Please, let’s encourage each other with this message of faith! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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By His Cross and Resurrection, He has Set Us Free, the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

In the prayers of the Mass, we proclaim and profess “Save us Savior of the World, for by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free!”  We call this “the Mystery of Faith,” and as baptized Christians, we believe freedom from sin, salvation, resurrection, and unending life, are promised to us by our faith.  These concepts help us to understand who we are as children of God, they guide our paths through our present lives, they give us abiding hope, and they’re great consolations for those who mourn the passing of loved ones.  Today’s Scripture readings give us reason to reflect on these fundamental Christian ideas, and they challenge us to know who we are from eternal perspectives!

The Old Testament “martyrdom of a Maccabean mother and her seven sons,” only partially narrated in today’s first reading, happened nearly two-hundred years before the birth of Jesus (see 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14).  At the time, faithful Jews who lived in and near Jerusalem were persecuted and martyred by the evil pagan ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his cohorts.  As they were about to die at the hands of their tormentors, the mother and her sons fearlessly testified to their belief in the resurrection of the dead; these testimonies gave them courage to face their deaths with the hope of new lives that would never end.

The professions of faith of the Maccabean mother and her sons speak to the theme of today’s Gospel, in which Jesus taught about the resurrection of the dead (see Luke 20:34-35).  As with the new realities and eternal lives expected by the Maccabees, Jesus assured his followers their heavenly existence would also be very much different from those experienced in the flesh.  Jesus promised salvation and an eternal life of complete and total happiness in the presence of God the ever-loving Father.  He clearly proclaimed a life after death to be enjoyed with those loved and cherished in the here-and-now (such as family members and dear friends), but that would be passionately focused completely on God, and free of any earthly limitations (such as the worldly needs to have possessions, or to be contractually bound to husbands or wives).

 

Teachings about salvation, resurrection, and eternal life are often at the top of my thoughts as I celebrate baptisms and funerals, the two “bookends” of most Christian lives!  In fact, I always get a little choked up when, after baptizing a newborn baby and presenting the child’s family with a lighted candle, I speak the words “this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly . . . when the Lord comes, may you go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”  Similar words get me a bit “verklempt” during funeral rituals when I pray “merciful Lord, turn toward us, and listen to our prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith, until we all meet in Christ and are with you and with our dear loved one forever.”  The hope of resurrection permeates our journey of life, from beginning to end!

“The Mystery of Faith” assures us Jesus “saves us as the Savior of the World, and by his cross and resurrection, has set us free!”  As we contemplate the salvation, resurrection, and eternal life promised by our baptismal faith, let’s fear no evil, nor worry about any human limitations we might face while walking the paths of our present lives. 

My friends, keeping our eyes focused on the promise of eternal life, let’s be confident Jesus saves us and has come to set us free!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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