Who is Jesus?

            Today we hear about the transfiguration of Jesus.  This is a very interesting and mysterious event in the life of Jesus, where we see and learn many things about Christ.  When Jesus is transfigured there we catch a glimpse of the glory that awaits our savior on the other side of his crucifixion.  So as we journey towards Easter in this season of Lent, we can keep this image of Christ in glory before us.  This image should fill us with hope as we enter again into the suffering and death of our savior.  We see here Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah.  This reminds us of the continuity of the gospel with the Law and the Prophets.  Jesus comes to fulfill the promises of old. 

            So there is a great deal for us to contemplate in this story of the Transfiguration, but as I was praying with this passage over the past week, something really stood out to me.  The words of God the Father can be heard: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.  The gospels were written not just to tell us about the life of a man who lived 2000 years ago.  The gospels were written to tell us who Jesus is.  And the words and actions of Jesus take on much more importance when we realize just who Jesus is. 

If we really believe and acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, then the command of the Father is really the only choice: listen to him.  There is no other option.  If Jesus is God, the Word through whom all things were made, then he alone will have the words of eternal life.  He alone will be able to guide us where we long to go.  I always find it somewhat troubling when I'm conversing with someone who will say: I know the Church teaches x, but I don't really believe that.  How can that be possible?  How did we get into this situation where it seems acceptable for good people simply to reject the teachings of the gospel that they don't like? 

            I think it is a problem of identity.  We believe and profess that when the Church teaches in the name of Christ, it is Christ himself who teaches.  And who is Jesus: he is the chosen Son of the Father: listen to him.  The season of Lent is a great time to listen anew to the voice of Christ in the Scriptures and in the teachings of the Church.  We believe he is the Son of God, and we believe that if we follow him, he will lead us to new life, not only in the eternal life to come, but also new life in this present age.  This is the promise of the Gospel, if we follow Jesus we have citizenship in heaven. 

            We have a great example of listening to the voice of the Lord in St. Paul.  St. Paul, of course, heard the voice of Christ that day on the way to Damascus, and his life was never the same.  He saw in Jesus the only one who could lead him to eternal life.  This is why he knows that our citizenship is in heaven.  And, today he tells us to imitate him: to listen to the voice of Christ, to follow his guidance.

            During the rest of the season of Lent we will hear the words of Jesus in our scripture readings.  We should keep the message of God the Father in our minds and hearts: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.  This Lent will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen our faith in Christ, to recognize him as the Son of God.  And when we recognize him as the Son of God, it gives new vitality to his words.  Not only will we hear the words of Jesus, we will also celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's body and blood.  As we hear his voice in Scripture and see him present on this altar, hopefully the voice of the Father will resonate in our hearts: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.

Pope Benedict resigns

By now all of you have heard the news that Pope Benedict is going to resign his office on February 28th at 8:00 PM Roman Time (2:00 PM our time in Indiana).

What does this mean?  It means that at that precise hour the See of Rome will become vacant.  The norms that can be found in Universi Dominic Gregis are to be followed.

These norms are the special legislation that govern the death of the Roman Pontiff, the interim government, and the election of the new Roman Pontiff.  In these norms there is only brief mention of the possibility of resignation.  So, unless the Pope issues new norms in the meantime, it would seem to me that these norms will become active, and the rules that kick in when the pope dies will begin at that precise moment.

Someone asked me recently, does this mean we are shepherd-less?  No.  First of all, we are all still under the care and direction of our local bishop.  Remember that the local bishop is a true pastor, he is not just a branch manager for the pope.  So, we still look to the bishop for his leadership.

Secondly, it is true that there will be no Pope for a period of time.  As a result, no name will be mentioned in the Eucharistic prayer at the place where the Pope's name is usually mentioned, only the local bishop will be mentioned (if you live in a diocese where there is currently a vacancy, neither name will be mentioned, odd isn't it?).

However, the governance of the Universal Church is taken up by the College of Cardinals.  They will begin meeting immediately following the pope's resignation.  It will be their job to guide the church in this interregnum period.  However, one principle is to be maintained: sede vacante, nihil innovatur.  In other words, while the See is vacant, nothing is to be changed.  In fact, in Universi Dominici Gregis, John Paul II proclaimed that any action that the College of Cardinals undertakes that is properly seen as the responsibility of the pope alone is rendered absolutely invalid.

Normally, when the college of Cardinals has this responsibility there are 2 major tasks for them to care for.  First, they are to conduct the funeral rights of the deceased Pontiff.  However, in this case that would not apply obviously.  Second, they are to make all of the necessary preparations for the Conclave that will elect the successor of the apostle Peter.

This conclave is to be held no earlier than 15 days after the vacancy and no later than 20 days.  Unless the pope issues norms to the contrary, the conclave cannot begin this year until March 15th.

It takes a 2/3 majority to elect the Roman Pontiff.  Only 1 ballot will be held on the first day, with 2 ballots per day after that.  My completely amateurish prediction is that it will be within 5 days.

People have asked me who I think will be elected.  I think it will not be me.  Other than that, who knows!  Let's just pray that the Holy Spirit guides the election process.

God bless Pope Benedict and the College of Cardinals.
Fr Jake

Jesus is Tempted

1^st Sunday of Lent year C 2013:

In the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the Church’s official daily prayer book, every day begins with the recitation of the Invitatory Psalm.  And this psalm, like most psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours, is framed by the reading of an antiphon.  During the season of Lent, there are only two options to choose from.  Both of which give us a great perspective on the season of Lent.  One option is: if today you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.  This is a great way to think about Lent, a chance for us to be open to the voice of the Lord.  But today’s gospel made me think about the other option: come let us worship Christ the Lord who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Today we hear about Jesus’s temptation in the desert, and I think the antiphon from the Liturgy of the Hours gives us a key for interpreting this passage.  I have always thought of this passage as somewhat strange: Jesus is tempted.  But, Jesus is God, how could Jesus really be tempted?  Well, in an amazing way, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, truly becomes fully human.  He experiences everything we experience; he is like us in all things, but sin.  So, Jesus is truly tempted, and this shows us the fullness of his humanity, but we might still be left with a question: why would Jesus allow this temptation?  Here is where the words of our antiphon come into play: for our sake Jesus endured temptation and suffering. 

In the temptation of Jesus we see one like us in all things, and yet he overcomes temptation.  Even though Adam and Eve fell to their temptation, even though we fall to our temptations, one like us overcame.  When Jesus overcomes temptation in and through his full humanity, he raises all of humanity with him.  Through his union with us, Christ lends new strength to fallen humanity, first as exemplar and through grace.

Today we hear that Jesus faces three temptations, temptations that might be part of our experience, and our passage shows us a way through temptation.

First, Jesus is tempted with bread.  It certainly would have sounded great to have the pleasure of eating that bread, as hungry as he was.  We too might be tempted by the pleasures and good things of this world when our appetites are moved.  Jesus encourages us in our temptation: Man does not live by bread alone.  When we are tempted by those appealing things in our life, we should make a conscious effort to think of higher things.  I’m a total sucker for sweets, and this year for Lent I gave them up: so when I’m tempted to reach for chocolate I will employ the words of Christ: Jake does not live by sweets alone!

Second, Jesus is tempted with power and prestige.  He is shown all the cities and lands, the devil says: I will give you power and glory.  Rarely is it put so boldly, but aren’t we often tempted to power and glory?  Don’t we want to be noticed, liked, and appreciated?  In a way this is the Original Sin, where Adam and Eve placed themselves above God and his commands, taking God’s place, his power, his glory.  That didn’t work out too well for them.  What does Jesus recommend when we are faced in a similar temptation: you shall worship the Lord your God.  Worship transforms us into humble people because when we worship we acknowledge that God is God and we are not!

Lastly, Jesus is tempted to throw himself down.  This is an interesting temptation and Jesus’ answer is telling: you shall not test the Lord your God.  We know that Jesus always did the will of his Father.  Think about the night before he died: if this cup may pass from me, but your will be done.  How often are we convinced that if God would just listen to us, we would straighten everything out?  I always say it is a good thing I’m not omnipotent, because if I were things would be different, but certainly not better.  We might be tempted to frustration and dissatisfaction sometimes in our spiritual life, we might be tempted to tell God how to be God; how much different is Christ: you shall not test the Lord your God.

So Jesus shows us the way through temptation, but he also gives us the strength to battle temptations.  Especially here in the Holy Eucharist, we receive the gift of God’s very life.  As the antiphon says, it was for our sake that Christ endured temptation and suffering, so that when we suffer, when we are tempted we might be lifted up by the example and power of Christ.

Duc in Altum

5^th Sunday of OT Year C:

Our readings for today’s mass focus on discipleship.  Jesus tells his disciples to set out into deep waters.  John Paul II would often reflect on these words.  He thought this image of being on deep water captured what it means to live our faith in the world.  Deep water can be dangerous and intimidating, but in those deep water we find the great catch of fish.  So, the idea is not to run away from the world, but to engage it as disciples of Jesus.  About these words, John Paul wrote, “These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’”

First, we are to remember the past with gratitude.  St. Paul says it so well today, “I handed on to you what I first received.”  It is true that we believe in the timelessness and eternity of God.  But, the eternal Word of God became man and dwelt among us.  As a result, Christianity is a historical religion.  As I say often, we do not believe in Jesus-ness, these stories are not mere myths.  We believe that a historical concrete person was in fact the eternal Son of God.  So, remembering the past with gratitude is an essential component to Christian life.  By remembering all that God has done for us, we should be filled with joy.  God loved us so much that he sent his son to be with us, and Jesus offered his life for the salvation of the world.  How often do we stop to remember this amazing truth?  Hopefully every day!  Actually, every time we celebrate the holy Mass, this is precisely what we are doing.  By celebrating these mysteries they become new again in front of us.  Setting out into deep water is challenging and intimidating, and we will only have the courage to do this if we recall the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our savior.

When we celebrate these great mysteries they come alive for us in the here and now.  This is why we are able to live the present with enthusiasm.  For Christians, Christ is a real historical person, but he never remains a person stuck in the past.  Christ is just as present to us now as he was to St. Peter in our gospel story today.  When we live a life of faith, Christ dwells in us and works through us.  With Christ present and active within us we find a boundless source of energy to carry out his work his mission.  And we shouldn’t worry too much about our own weaknesses and sinfulness, Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips, Peter said depart from me Lord, Paul reminds us today that he persecuted the Christians.  But, God worked great things through these people.  If we acknowledge our weaknesses, then rely on God’s strength, we will see that we can live the present with great enthusiasm for the faith.

Finally, John Paul tells us to look forward to the future with confidence.  By reflecting on the past, and living the present tense with Christ present and active in our lives, we will be ready for whatever the future might bring.  If tomorrow brings joy and prosperity, we will give thanks.  If tomorrow brings sadness and affliction, we will call on God for help.  No matter what tomorrow brings, we put our trust in Christ who said: behold I am with you always until the end of the world. 

Living our faith in these interesting times can be quite a challenge.  Sometimes it seems like the culture is directly opposed to Christian living.  But, with these three principles in mind, we can have the courage to put out into deep water, to live our faith with enthusiasm so as to bring it to a new generation.

This week has been a sad week for our diocese.  We lost a beloved shepherd and mentor this week with the death of our bishop emeritus John D’Arcy.  But, I think it is fitting that this gospel passage is our reading for the week, because I often heard Bishop D’Arcy referring to these words.  And I feel that Bishop D’Arcy truly lived John Paul II’s call.

He gratefully remembered the past, he was certainly a man of Catholic faith and conviction.  There was nothing he liked better than celebrating the mass and preaching about Christ and all he had done for us.  He certainly lived the faith with great enthusiasm.  He was remarkable, I never met someone as hard-working.  He was always on the go, but he always made time for us.  And, he certainly looked to the future with confidence, even in his last moments he was praising God and prayerful.  Bishop D’Arcy will truly be missed by all of us.  But, I will miss him especially because I saw in him someone who was not afraid to put out into deep water.

RIP Bishop D'Arcy

Sunday morning at about 11:30, our beloved Bishop Emeritus John M. D'Arcy died after a mercifully brief bought with cancer.

He will be greatly missed, he was certainly one of a kind!

I owe a great deal to Bishop D'Arcy.  He accepted me to the seminary in 2001 and ordained me a priest in 2009.  In the 8 years in between we had frequent meetings and opportunities for me to learn from him.  He was truly a father-figure to his seminarians and priests and I am who I am today because of his guidance.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

A prophet to all the nations

In today’s gospel we hear the last line from last week’s gospel repeated: today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.  Every time I hear that passage I’m filled with a sense of awe.  Imagine being there, hearing the words of the prophet read by Jesus, imagine looking upon the Son of God and being there when he reveals to the world that he has come on a mission from God to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, a time of prosperity.  We almost expect everyone in the synagogue to stand up all at once, to start cheering, and to follow Jesus as his disciples.  Instead, Jesus is greeted with a terribly lukewarm reception: who does this guy think he is?  We know where he comes from, come on he’s no prophet…

We see in this story the prophet’s dilemma.  Called from among human beings, the prophet is called to speak on behalf of God to those same human beings.  This is a difficult and challenging thing to do.  I for one find it somewhat comforting to hear that even Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Word of the Father, was greeted with a lackluster, lukewarm kind of reception.  But, Jesus is not deterred.  He perseveres in his mission to proclaim the good news.

I think this story refers to each of us in a way.  First of all, what kind of reception do we give Jesus?  Is our response lukewarm?  When we hear the good news proclaimed to us, do we accept it as it is, the good news of our salvation? 

But, I think this passage might also encourage us as we live out our own prophetic calling.  I’m sure most of us do not remember, but on the day of our baptism we were anointed with Holy Chrism with the words: just as Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his holy people, sharing everlasting life.  Everyone one of us is called to be a prophet.  If we do not tell the story of Jesus to others, no one will hear it.  Telling others about Jesus is a fundamental part of what it means to be Christian. 

But that gets me back to the reception that Jesus gets in the gospel story.  Even Jesus Christ himself received a lukewarm kind of reception, so we can expect the same thing.  Especially in today’s world, religion is something private and personal.  Not only might each of us be intimidated to share the faith with others, but most people do not want to hear about it.  It is perfectly fine for you to believe what you want, and it is fine for me to believe what I want, and neither one of us should talk to each other about what we believe.  But this individualism is not good for us, God saves us as a people, we are all the body of Christ and together, not individually, will we find salvation. 

So, how to be a prophet?  Look to the example of Jesus, he was undeterred, he was sure of himself and confident of his relationship with the Father.  Therefore, no matter what happened, he was able to continue in his mission.  We too should be confident in our relationship with God, and we should be sure of the teachings of our faith.  Being a prophet really begins with being a follower of Jesus, of welcoming him and his message into our lives, so that we can share it with others.

What a beautiful reading we have from St. Paul today.  Love is patient, love is kind.  In other words, Love is what Jesus shows us on the cross.  Jesus lays his life down for all of us, and he asks us to love others as he loved us.  Isn’t this a great message that our world needs to hear?  Namely, that the pathway to happiness not only in this life but in the life to come is found not in trying to grab and possess, but in giving of ourselves to others.  First, we must come to believe this message, then we live this message, then, undeterred, we will have the courage to share this message with others.

Fulfilled in your hearing

Today in our readings we hear something interesting.  In both our first reading and our gospel we hear about the scriptures being read.  In both cases we hear that amazing things happen when the Bible is read.

The Bible is truly a remarkable object.  It is unlike any book or any ancient piece of literature.  While we believe that it was written by human beings, we also claim that it has God for its author.  While it is many different books, compiled over thousands of years, and written by various authors, we call it one book.  While there are many inspirational books out there that might change your perspective on life, we believe that this book is inspired by the Holy Spirit, Vatican II says, “the divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”  Further, “we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach the truth which God wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures for the sake of our salvation.”  In other words, not only is the Bible important because it was written by God, but it contains nothing less than the truth, and this truth will lead us to salvation.  I think the first reading and the gospel show us how this takes place.

In the book of Nehemiah we hear about the law being read to the people.  This took place after the Babylonian Captivity.  Jerusalem was left in ruins, but through Nehemiah and Ezra, Jerusalem was rebuilt.  When the book of the law is read to the people, the rebuilding is complete.  Not only have the buildings been rebuilt, but the word of the Law, the Scriptures, reconstitutes them as a people.  Then in the gospel we hear about Jesus opening the scroll of Isaiah: today this passage has been fulfilled in your hearing.  The words of Isaiah are renewed and proclaimed to a new generation.  For all those in the synagogue that day, the words of the prophet came alive.  In both cases, the reading of this Bible brings about a new reality.

This is how we should read the Bible.  The Word of God is what forms us into God’s people.  Just like when the law was read in our first reading, when we read the Bible it gives our lives shape and direction.  To be Christian means to be like Christ, and we can never be like Christ unless we hear the word and let it enter our hearts and minds, making us more like Christ all the time.  Also, when we read about the message of salvation, it is not simply something that stays in the past, rather when we proclaim this Good News it brings the Gospel into our own day, it becomes fulfilled in our hearing.  So, when we read the Bible it comes alive in the present tense and it shapes us into the kind of people we want to become.

Let’s apply these principles to our second reading.  This passage is speaking to us.  There we hear Paul say that we are all one body.  Though each of us has a different vocation and role, we all belong to the same body.  Let this text come alive for you right now.  Look around, do you see the Body of Christ?  If we let this passage speak to us, we should see everyone around us as fellow members of Christ’s body.  I think changes the way we look at others.  Also, what responsibilities come with this?  Maybe I am not an apostle, or a teacher, but as a member of Christ’s body I am called to be Christ to others. 

The word of God is living and effective.  It is not just some old book; rather, since it is inspired by the Holy Spirit the Bible continues to form us into God’s people, and it continues to be fulfilled in our hearing.  This is why we read the Bible at every Mass.  But, also why reading the Bible as a part of our personal prayer and devotion is so important.  Through our engagement with the word of God, that word becomes alive in our lives and forms us into the people of God.

Epiphany

Today we celebrate the feast of our Lords epiphany, his manifestation. This feast day is important to us because it reminds us that Christ came for everyone. Jesus is the Messiah promised to the people of Israel, he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, he was born of the house of David, but he comes with a universal mission.  He came to save all people.  Today We celebrate Jesus' manifestation to all the nations.

So these magi represent all of us; if you stop and think about it, they represent all the Gentiles and all the people of the earth. We should be inspired by their courage, they travelled great distances to approach the Savior, they faced difficulties with king Herod, but still they were not deterred, why?  Why would they go through all this hassle, this difficult journey?  It's because of this baby, because of who they believe him to be. He must obviously be quite special for them to undertake this trip, but their gifts tell us more about who they believed Jesus to be.

Gold has always been a valuable metal. Normal people do not have access to large quantities of gold. In the Bible, gathering gold was the job of the king, since gold was able to be used to sustain the kingdom. The magi's gift of gold shows that they believed that this was the newborn king. Frankincense is a fragrant sap, it was burned in the temple. This gift on incense might seem strange, what would a baby do with incense? I mean I like to play with incense here at church, but what would a baby do with it. But, the point of the incense is what it means, it means that the magi recognize Jesus as being God. The myrrh is perhaps the strangest gift. This spice was used to preserve bodies for burial. Why would anyone give a baby myrrh, it would be like giving a coffin as a baby shower gift, again it says something about this baby: his greatest achievement will be his death. In a way this gift is the pinnacle of the other 2: Jesus shows he is king and God when he defeats sin and death, when he puts these things under his rule.

The gifts of the Magi show us that they believe Jesus to be king, God, and Messiah. No wonder they came to do him homage.

But I was thinking this week, don't we do the same thing? Every week we make a pilgrimage here to St Matt's. Every week we bring him our gifts, not gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but our very lives, hearts, we give ourselves to Christ. And just like he did to those magi he manifests himself to us, an epiphany takes place at every mass, if we have the eyes to see it. Christ comes to us not as a little baby this time but in the sacrament of his body and blood.

No wonder we make this pilgrimage, because right here at this mass we see Jesus. And we believe and profess that he is the divine king who died to save us. This is why we worship here at the mass. The mass is not simply the gathering of a community, but it is a gathering precisely for us to bend our knees in worship of Christ our savior.

               But, alas, the mass cannot last forever, I know many people think it lasts long enough already.  But just like these magi we return to our daily lives after spending this time in the presence of God; but listen again to what the gospel says about the magi, it says they went home by another path.  This is a great way to describe how our experience of worship here at mass should have an impact on our lives. We all make a pilgrimage to get here, and afterwards we all return to our daily lives, but hopefully we don't go home the same as we arrived. 

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2012:

            First of all, let me say on behalf of Monsignor Mike and everyone at St. Matthews: Merry Christmas to all of you.  We celebrate this feast with great joy.  Christ is born for us.  God our Father sent his only begotten Son into the world to bring us healing and peace, forgiveness and reconciliation, he came as our Savior to bring us everlasting life.  Today we celebrate his birth, we see in this little child the hope of the whole human race.  Without him, without this little baby, we are lost, doomed to death as punishment for our transgressions, but with Christ, with this baby, there is hope, salvation.  No wonder we are filled with joy today. 

There is a lot to love about Christmas.  I love everything about Christmas: presents, parties, lots of food, family, fun, etc.  But at the heart of everything we do during this Christmas season is this little baby.  There are many clichés that capture this sentiment, but there is something to these phrases: keep Christ in Christmas, he is the reason for the season, etc.  Without Christ there would be no Christmas, without Christ we would not be here, without Christ there would be no Christianity, no Church, no Mass, no salvation, no parties, presents, or chocolate.  So during Christmas it is important to remember this little Child, it is good for us to contemplate who he is.

This week as I was contemplating Christmas and contemplating this little baby I thought about Star Wars.  Now, this might seem a bit strange.  You might think I had visions of baby Jesus with a light sabre doing battle with the forces of evil.  But, no, I was thinking about the opening titles.  At the beginning of every Star Wars movie is the same phrase: a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away: Star Wars.  This is George Lucas’ way of saying that this story is fiction, it is not pretending to be real life.  If anything, Star Wars is a myth about good overcoming evil.

Is this how we think about the birth of Jesus?  It is certainly true that it happened a long time ago, over 2000 years ago; and, it is certainly true that it was far, far away, in a little town called Bethlehem.  There are certainly mythical elements involved: we hear about angels talking to people, about Jesus being a divine figure. 

But, this story is no myth, this story is not fiction.  This story is real, Jesus was really born, he really had a mother, he lived in a real time and place.  And as Pope Benedict wrote recently, this flies in the face of the modern spirit.  In our day and age, God is relegated to the realm of ideas and principles.  It is completely acceptable for someone to be spiritual, or to believe in God, just so long as we don’t allow God to affect our real life.  God is certainly allowed to act in the spiritual realm, but not in the material realm, that is the realm of science and physics.  God is allowed to exist in the spiritual, ethereal plane, but not in the material, concrete world.  But, if God cannot act in the material world, then he is not God, for to be God means to be the maker and sustainer of everything. 

When we say that this little baby is the Son of God, who become man, we are saying something amazing.  We are saying that God not only made the universe and set it in motion, but that he entered the world he created.  We are saying that God not only created the human race, but that he became human in order to share his divine life with us.  When we say that this little baby is God we are saying that God is real, that he exists in the real world, that he is tangible and concrete.  The birth of Christ is not some mere myth or morality story.

So, my friends, we celebrate this feast of Christmas with great joy.  We celebrate the fact that Jesus is really God.  That while this story is set a long time ago in a city far, far away, this really happened.  Jesus is God, he was sent to be our savior.  And just as Jesus came into the real, concrete world 2000 years ago, he continues to come into the reality of our lives.  We live every day in the presence of God, he is not remote, he is not distant.  He loves us, cares for us and is present in our lives.  In a sense, every day could be filled with the joy of Christmas because every day can be a day where we experience God’s presence in our lives. 

We experience this presence in a very powerful way right here as we celebrate this holy Mass.  That little baby is truly God, and his is present in the Holy Eucharist.  Right here at this mass Christ comes to us, not as a little baby, but as his body and blood.  Today we celebrate his birth among us, and we welcome him into our lives as our savior and redeemer, but we do so by welcoming him into our lives in this Holy Eucharist.  Jesus Christ is real, he is not a myth, not a morality fable, not something from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  Today and every day of our lives we believe in Jesus Christ, we love him, and we follow him.

Gaudete, even in tragedy

3rd Sunday of advent year c 2012

Rejoice in The Lord always.  These words from our second reading today form the theme of the day. In fact, this Sunday is known as Gaudete Sunday, coming from the entrance antiphon from today's Mass. This is why we don the pink vestments and proclaim rejoice. This color represents the joy that we are experience as we prepare to celebrate the great feast of Christmas, where we celebrate the central truth that the Son of God was born to be our savior. This is the source of our joy.

But, this day comes to us on the heels of a very sad day. How can we not be saddened when we hear about the senseless violence that claimed the lives of so many people in Connecticut this past week. One headline I read said it all: why would anyone hurt our babies?  Why indeed?

This latest tragedy may be freshest in our mind, but there have been tragedies all throughout history. Just in the last 100 years we have seen world wars, communist oppression, terrorist attacks large and small. It seems like every day the newspapers are just filled with bad news. In this context, doesn't joy seem a bit out of place. How are we to be joyful in the midst of such suffering?  It is certainly true that there are many obstacles keeping people from living the Christian life, but one we might hear quite regularly goes like this: how can I believe that God is loving and powerful if he lets things like this happen?

Rather than simply dismiss this complaint as misguided, I think it deserves a serious response. How do we answer the question of evil?  One that we hear quite often is that God has a plan for all this. But I feel that this answer rings somewhat hollow. This answer almost makes it seem as though God causes evil to happen so that good might come about. But that doesn't make sense to me. Why would God cause evil, just to bring out good? Wouldn't he just bypass the evil step and just jump right to doing good?

I think if we really explore this issue we can find an answer that is more helpful.  Make no mistake, evil is a mystery. It doesn't make sense. As much as we want it to make sense, it won't.  And, that is because evil is not supposed to exist. The best answer to the question of evil is that God didn't create evil. In fact, if we read the book of Genesis we see there that God created Adam and Eve to live and to be with him in the Garden. In that place there was no death, no evil, no sin, no one attacking innocent children. These things only enter the world after the fall of humanity, only after original sin. In other words, God is never the author of evil, never the author of tragedy. It is the case that God allows evil. I remember reading a quote from John Paul once that said although God allows suffering, he does not enjoy it. This is important to remember.

In many ways, the answer to the question why in the face of great tragedy escapes us because evil doesn’t make sense.  But, we could ask another question of God: what?  What did you do about it, how did you respond?  Since God is not the author of evil he was not responsible, God didn’t have to do anything in response to the falleness of humanity.  But, he did respond.  He did do something, He sent his son Jesus.  He sent us Christ as our savior to free us from sin and death.  It is precisely this knowledge, our Catholic faith, that fills us with joy.

Joy is not the same thing as bubbly enthusiasm.  We do not always experience the warm fuzzy feelings of enthusiasm.  Joy is something deeper.  Joy is the certain knowledge that Christ has conquered all.  Joy is the knowledge that evil doesn’t get to win.  Even though evil can bring us pain and sadness, it does not have the last word.  Someone remarked to me that this tragedy will ruin Christmas for so many people, and I certainly understand what he meant.  But, I think the message of Christmas is the best thing we can give to those in pain: I know you are suffering and I know you feel the pain and misery that evil can cause in this world, but fix your heart on Christ and believe in him, for he is close to the broken-hearted.  Jesus Christ is the source of our Joy precisely because he alone can destroy sin and death, the enemies of Joy.

1st Sunday of Advent

1^st Sunday of Advent, Year C: 2012

Today we begin the season of advent.  This is the liturgical season where we prepare for the celebration of the great feast of Christmas, the feast of the Word of God becoming flesh.  Since this is the first Sunday of Advent and we are preparing for the feast of Christmas, you might expect warm fuzzy readings about the birth of Christ.  Instead, we get some particularly terrifying readings about the end of time.  Why is that?

Advent is the season where we prepare to celebrate the feast of the first coming of Christ; but, the Church, in her wisdom, gives us Advent as a yearly reminder that, not only has Christ come once, but he will certainly come again.  Sometimes it is easy for us to get a bit complacent in our waiting for the coming of Christ.  I mean, it has been 2000 years after all.  Subconsciously, we might get the feeling that we don’t need to be mindful of Christ’s coming, but make no mistake: Jesus will come again.  We will all see him face to face, either at his second coming in glory or the moment of our death.  Advent is a good time for us to examine our readiness to see the Lord.

So in our readings today, Jesus tells us what this means.  He basically shows that there are two camps when it comes to the second coming.  Some people are totally caught unprepared.  These people, Jesus says, will die of fright.  Wow, what a powerful image.  Those who are not ready for the coming of Christ will die of fright.  Then there is the other camp: when you see these things stand up straight and get ready for your redemption is at hand.  In other words, if we are ready for Christ the second coming will not cause us to die of fright, quite the contrary.  Those who are ready for Christ will see in his coming the redemption we all long for.  Which camp do you want to be in: those who die of fright or those who are excited by his coming?  Obviously we all want to be in the second camp.

But, Jesus has a warning for all his believers: beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing or drunkenness, but also by the anxieties of daily life.  In other words, don’t let our sinfulness cause us to be unprepared for Christ’s coming.  But not only that, being carried away by the anxieties of life can cause us to be unprepared for his coming.  I don’t know about you, but Christmas time can be full of anxieties: we have so much going on at this time of year that it can be quite easy to let Christ drift to the background.

This is why Advent is so great.  It is a yearly reminder to all of us to keep Christ in the center of our lives, in the center of our hearts and minds.  It is popular this time of year to see bumper stickers and signs that say: keep Christ in Christmas.  And that is certainly true, but we will only keep Christ in Christmas if we invite him into our lives once again during this season of Advent. 

What a great way to begin this season of Advent by celebrating the Holy Eucharist together.  Here at this Holy Mass Christ comes to us, just as he did 2000 years ago.  This time, he does not come as a baby, but under the appearances of bread and wine.  But, it is the same Jesus.  If we welcome him here and now into our lives and into our hearts here at this Eucharist and during this season of Advent, then we will be ready to welcome him when he comes again in glory.