Christmas 2018

Sorry I forgot to post this:

Message in a Minute for Christmas:

Glory to God in the highest, Christ Our Savior is born.

Merry Christmas!  We celebrate the birth of Christ Our Savior.  This day fills us with joy.  What a blessing it is to celebrate the birth of Christ by celebrating the Holy Mass. As for the Masses, this is an interesting day.  You may not know this, but there are 4 separate Masses listed in the lectionary and the Roman Missal.  There is the vigil Mass, the Mass during the night, the Mass at dawn, and the Mass during the day.  Each of these 4 Masses has their own set of readings and prayers.  The Church even allows a priest to offer multiple Masses that day so long as he chooses to celebrate one of the different Masses. Each Mass presents the birth of Christ is a different way.  (I should note that the priest who celebrates Mass has the option to use any of the 4 choices, so it is not always the case that you would hear the different selections if you went to all 4 Masses at the Cathedral)

Vigil Mass:The gospel for the vigil Mass is the genealogy of Jesus.  We hear name after name.  I’m sure that few of us would be able to recognize many of the names in the list. There are heroes, and there are villains.  There are great religious leaders like Abraham.  There are wise kings like Solomon.  There are terrible kings who led the people into worshiping false gods. So, Jesus is the Son of God, but he was born into a human family.  And if you study his family closely, you will notice that it’s a hot mess.  But, this should give us hope.  Christ was born for the whole human family, saints and sinners. That baby in the manger came to redeem the whole human race.

Mass at Night: The gospel for the Mass at Night is probably the most familiar to us.  We hear about Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem.  We hear about Jesus being placed in the manger because there was no room for them in the inn.  We hear about the angels and the shepherds.  You can almost hear all of our most beloved Christmas music.  But, one thing I really appreciate about the reading is the fact that Jesus is placed in a manger.  The manger is the place where the food is placed in the stable.  Even as a baby, Jesus is being shown as the bread of life. The Eucharist imagery is very powerful, even if it is very subtle.  Think about the connection with the Eucharist next time you pray in front of the manger scene.

Over…

Mass at Dawn: The shepherds are the focus of this gospel. After the shepherds hear about Christ from the angels, they feel they have to go and investigate.  We too have heard the message about Christ. Hopefully, we can follow the example of the shepherds and go seeking to learn more about Christ, seeking to find him. Notice too what happens when they do find him: they go and make known the message about Christ.  So, we see that the shepherds hearabout Christ, seekto find him themselves, and then proclaimthat Good News to others.  This sounds like a perfect program for our own lives of faith: Hear, Seek, and Proclaim.

Mass during the Day:This gospel comes from the Gospel of St. John.  If you hear this reading you might think to yourself, what about the baby in the manger? Yet, this gospel passage also helps to shed light upon the amazing mystery of Christmas.  We know that the baby Jesus was born and placed in the manger. This gospel tells us just who that baby really is.  In the beginning was the Word.  This little baby is the Word of God, the Son of God. This little baby is the Eternal Son of God.  But, for our sake and for the sake of our salvation: The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.  The mystery of Christmas is that the Eternal Word of God entered into human history. The Word became human so that humans might be saved.  No wonder we cry out “Glory to God in the highest.” 

Please know of my prayers for all of you during this amazing season of Christmas.  I would like to thank you for your warm welcome here at the Cathedral.  It has been a joy to celebrate Advent and Christmas with all of you here.  I look forward to being with you in 2019.

In Christ,

Fr Jake

You can sign up to receive the Message in a Minute online by visiting the Cathedral website: www.cathedralfortwayne.org

Holy Family and Mater Dei

Message in a minute for Holy Family and Mother of God:

This is a two for one special this week with the Message in a Minute.  Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family and on New Year’s day we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God.  So, both feast days are centered on Christ, but also feature Mary.  Mary is our wonderful role-model in the faith. She is also our powerful intercessor and guide.  These two feast days continue to unwrap for us the powerful mystery of Christmas.

On Holy Family this year, we hear about the story of Jesus being lost in the temple.  We know very little about the life of Jesus between the time of his birth and the time of his public ministry.  In fact, this gospel passage is about all we know about the life of Jesus as a boy.  We learn a few important things about Christ in this reading.  First, he tells Mary and Joseph: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  Even as a young man, Jesus proclaims his identity: he is the Son of God.  His Father is God, the temple is God’s house. So, he was at home there in the temple. Jesus is not afraid to proclaim boldly his relationship to the Father.  But, the next thing we hear is that he went from there down to Nazareth and he lived in obedience to Mary and Joseph.  This tells us of the humility of Christ the Lord.  One the one hand he tells everyone: this is my Father’s house. On the other hand, he goes down to tiny Nazareth and lives in obedience to Mary and Joseph.  We talk often about Jesus being fully God and fully.  It seems to me, that this story captures both features quite well.  In the temple, Jesus shows his full divinity.  In his obedience at Nazareth, he shows his full humanity.

We always have lots to learn from Christ. But, I’m taking away from this passage his simplicity and humility.  Sure, we might feel like grabbing what we deserve from time to time.  But, here is Christ, who deserves everything.  Yet, he lives in humble obedience.  This is the pathway to peace in our lives.

On January 1^st, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.  The reading for this celebration sort of brings closure to the birth of Christ. After 8 days, he was circumcised and given the name “Jesus.”  For 8 days now, we have been celebrating Christ’s birth.  Think about Mary, she had spent these last 8 days holding the Son of God.  She experienced many wonderful things.  We have celebrated these wonders over the last 8 days.  But, how to keep it alive in our hearts?  Our culture has moved on from Christmas.  They are ready to throw the wonders out.  Not Mary: she ponders all these things in her heart.  We should try to imitate Mary.  Keep the wonders of Christmas alive in our hearts all year long: Jesus Christ is born for us.

Mary went in haste:

4^thSunday of Advent year C 2018:

Of course, there is a lot to love about our wonderful Cathedral. There is the beautiful building. Our prayerful masses.  The good people here.  But, one thing that I really love is belonging to a parish under the patronage of Mary, the Immaculate Conception.

Anyone who thinks that Catholics do not have a huge love and respect for women does not know about our love and devotion to Mary, Jesus’ mother. Now, some people think that we worship Mary.  Of course, that is not true.  We know that Mary is completely human.  But, we also know that Mary is the Mother of our Savior.  She is our guide.  She is our model.  And, she is a powerful intercessor for us.  All of that goes for everyone in the whole Church, but even more so for us, who have a special relationship to Mary because we belong to this wonderful parish.

This special relationship has really come to my attention this year as we go through the season of Advent.  I suppose that I have always known that Mary plays a big part of the seasons of Advent and Christmas.  But, as my first year of celebrating these seasons right here at the Cathedral, her important role to play in these events has really stood out to me.  Mary’s words and actions help us tremendously in our own life of discipleship.

First, it’s good to remember that we are still in the season of Advent.  This is a time where we prepare to welcome Christ.  No one has done this better than Mary.  When the angel appeared to her, she was willing and able to say a resounding Yes to God and to doing his will.  Really, that is what Advent is all about: Spiritual preparation for us to be able to say yes to God’s will.  Hopefully we all feel more prepared after this season of Advent.  But, this job of being ready to say yes to God’s will is something that doesn’t end on Christmas.  We need it all the time.

So, with Mary as our great model and intercessor, we too can pray that we would be ready to say yes to God’s will just as she did.  Yet, today’s gospel even teaches us another level. Not only was she ready to say yes to God’s will.  But, she is also motivated by charity.  She conceives Christ in her womb.  And, then she rushes out to help Elizabeth.  Doing God’s will is not a one-time thing.  She keeps doing it every day.  Good lesson for us.  It’s an especially good lesson because it teaches us that sometimes we really need to reach out to do God’s will.

Notice the gospel says that Mary went in haste to the hill country.  Remember, there are no airplanes or freeways.  This doesn’t sound like an easy journey for anyone, much less a pregnant woman.  And yet, she is ready to reach out to help Elizabeth.  How far are we willing to go?  Are we willing to reach out?  Sometimes we will be charitable when it’s right in front of us.  But, Mary had to practically fight to get there.  Yet, she wasn’t afraid of the difficult journey.

Also, Elizabeth was Mary’s relative.  She was ready to reach out to help her.  What about us with our own relatives?  One sad thing I see sometimes as a priest is the fact that there can be tensions and struggles in people’s families.  It can bring a lot of pain and sadness.  Maybe this is the Christmas where we can put Mary’s example into practice.  Reach out to family?  Even if it means traveling the tough road in the hill country.  

Rejoice in the Lord

3^rdSunday of Advent Year C 2018:

I was really struck by the number of references to joy in the Mass this week.  It begins with the entrance antiphon for the mass, which says: Rejoice, I say it again rejoice. This is the reason why we call this Gaudete Sunday.  Gaudete is the Latin word used in this phrase.  This is a special Sunday of Joy, which is why we wear these rose-colored vestments.  

In the first reading we hear: shout for joy, sing joyfully. The psalm for this mass says: cry out with joy and gladness.  St. Paul says: rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice.

So, Joy is the theme of this mass.  But, what exactly is Joy?  We might think of joy as an emotion.  We might think of joy as being something like bubbly enthusiasm.  Nothing seems more joyful than children at play.

Do we experience that kind of joy?  Sure, sometimes.  But, do we experience this all the time?  Probably not. So, how can we possibly fulfill what St. Paul is talking about?  He says rejoice always.

Clearly, he must be talking about something more than emotional exuberance, something more than bubbly enthusiasm.  Sure, joy might feellike this sometimes.  But, joy is more than an emotion.  Joy is a state of being.  In our context, joy is the Christian person’s response to the amazing activity of God in Christ.

Look again at the words of St. Paul.  He says, rejoice always, the Lord is near.  Have no anxiety at all.  Let the peace of God guard your hearts and minds.  This is what joy is all about.  St. Paul knew that first hand.  But, you know what I find so interesting about this reading?  St. Paul wrote this while sitting in prison waiting to be tried and eventually executed.  Isn’t that amazing?  I’m not so sure I would be filled with joy if I were in prison awaiting execution.  Yet, St. Paul was.  Why: The Lord is near.

You see, for St. Paul it was impossible for him to lose his joy. It was impossible for him to lose his trust in Christ.  He knew that the Lord was near.  The reason for his joy was not his external circumstances.  Rather, it was the internal disposition of being in union with Christ.

This is something I’ve been working on for a long time in my life.  It seems so easy to blame all my troubles on external circumstances.  Or, to credit all my happiness on external circumstances. So, if joy was completely dependent on externals then we should all quit our jobs, move to Hawaii and sit on the beach. Ok, maybe that doesn’t sound too bad. But, you know what would happen? Soon we would complain that the sun was too hot, or the cost of living was too high, or that the beach was too crowded.  

No, the source of true joy is internal.  It comes from communion with Christ.  It comes from having a higher perspective.  It comes from not being so concerned with the internal, but being focused on God.

I have a friend who I think does a good job of this.  Any time I see her I invariable ask: how are you doing?  Her response every time is: great, I’ve never had a bad day.  At first, I thought this was just some kind of Hallmark thing to say. But, she really believes it and lives it.  Now, does this mean that she has never had a problem?  Never had a tough day, a setback, tensions, or struggles.  Nope, she’s been through a lot.  But, her attitude is always good because she knows that God has blessed her so many ways.  She knows that the Lord is near in her life.

So, just like St. Paul in prison, she’s never had a bad day. That’s what rejoice always looks like.

So, where are you in all of this?  If I asked: how are you?  Could you answer: I’ve never had a bad day?  St. Paul in prison says: rejoice always.  Is your life that bad?  I doubt it.  Yet, even in prison Paul was filled with joy, because he was close to our Lord.  

So, let us celebrate this mass with joy.  This mass, and every mass, is a chance for us to be near the Lord.  He is really and truly present right here in the Holy Eucharist.  No wonder we always use music in the Catholic Mass.  Our first reading says: sing joyfully.  So, we sing here at Mass with great joy because the Lord is near.  Take some time to reflect on joy this week.  Hear again St. Paul’s words: rejoice in the Lord always, the Lord is near.

Prepare the way of the Lord

2^ndSunday of Advent year C 2018:

It was a big weekend here for us at the Cathedral. Saturday was our parish patron feast day.  It was the celebration of the Immaculate Conception.  Mary is our patron here at the Cathedral under that title.  But, the Immaculate Conception is also the patroness of our diocese and our nation.  So, it was a triple patron celebration.  Also, it was exactly 20 years ago that Bishop D’Arcy consecrated this altar and rededicated the Cathedral after the major renovations.  So, I was thinking about the history here.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception dates all the way back to the 8^thcentury.  But, it was only formally proclaimed in 1854.  So, that’s a 164 years.  Well our Church was dedicated only 6 years later in 1860.  So, the feast of the Immaculate Conception has been celebrated here for 158 years.  And this altar has been host to this celebration for 20 years now.

But, that pales in comparison to the proclamation of John the Baptist.  His voice has been crying out in the desert now for 2000 years.  Make straight the way of the Lord.  2000 years is a long time.  Every year we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Every year in Advent we hear John’s voice.  Every year it’s the same and it’s been going on for a long time.  Yet, every year is also quite different.

One thing I always find to be a challenge about this time of year is keeping it all fresh.  It can be really easy just to think: yeah, yeah, Jesus was born, I know all about this. The story of our Christian faith is so amazing that it can change are lives.  Yet, we can take it for granted.

So, when we think about history, it gives us a connection to something bigger than ourselves, which is great.  But, if we don’t make the story new in our lives, then it remains something old and stuffy, never making a real impact on our lives.  So, let’s hear the words of the John the Baptist again.  Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.  John’s voice calls out for repentance.  Change your lives and prepare for Christ to come into your lives.  We have heard this before.  John has been saying this for 2000 years.  But, we have never lived today.  We have never lived this Advent, this Christmas.  So, this is a new day, a new year.  Let’s make it a chance to hear God’s voice.  

One great way to repent is to go to confession.  Advent is a great time to go to confession, a great way to make straight your paths for the coming of Christ.  Advent can be a season of change and repentance.  We are preparing to welcome Christ on Christmas morning, through confession we can welcome him into our lives and ask him for his gift of mercy.