Moment of decision

Message in a Minute for Feb 17:

A moment of decision.

Today’s readings seem to focus on the fundamental decision that faces each human person: for God or against God.  In Jeremiah, we hear that the person who trusts only in human beings is cursed, while the person who trusts in the Lord is blessed.  St. Paul is facing a similar dilemma with his congregation in Corinth: either Jesus was raised, or he was not.  In the gospel, Jesus lays out blessings and woes.  Blessings if we follow after him.  Woes if we choose ourselves.

The Christian life is a really a life lived in the tension of this decision: for God or against God.  Belief that Christ is truly God, truly raised.  Or disbelief in the message of the gospel.  Each and every one of us is faced with this decision: for God or against God.

Now, if I took a poll at the parish and simply asked: are you for God or against him.  Not many of our parishioners would choose the “I am against God” box in the survey.  Right? Most people would say: of course, I’m for God.  But this moment of decision is not a question that is answered with our thoughts or our words.  This is not even a question that we answer with our hearts.  This fundamental moment of decision is a question that must be answered with our very lives.

Several years ago, there was this popular theory in moral theology called the fundamental option.  This theory basically stated that each person is faced with the fundamental question of being in union with God or separated from him. This fundamental question is answered once and for all in a person’s heart.  The daily affairs of a person’s life cannot affect one’s fundamental option. St. John Paul II rejected this theory in his wonderful letter Veritatis Splendor.  In that letter, St. John Paul II said that we are indeed faced with this fundamental decision.  But this question is answered in the decisive moments of our daily existence.  We cannot pretend that our hearts are set on God if our lives and our actions are not set on God as well.  Therefore, the decisive moment is the daily moment, choosing God every day and in every moment and action.

So, let the question hit you again today: what will you choose?

They want to throw Jesus off a cliff...

Jesus begins his ministry in the gospel this week.  Things start out pretty good.  All spoke highly of him.  All were amazed at the words that came from his mouth.  So far so good.  Then Jesus challenges them about wanting him to do miracles for him, and things go haywire real fast.  The passage ends with: they were all filled with fury, the rose up to drive him out of the town, they were going to throw him off a cliff.  I’ve been here at the Cathedral for about 7 months.  I’ve been very happy to be here, and everyone has been so nice. So far, I don’t think anyone wants to throw me off a cliff.  So, thanks!

What happened with these people in the gospel today?  I think it really highlights the difference between the heart and the mind.  See, with the mind, the people were happy to hear about Jesus.  They spoke well of him.  They were amazed at his words.  But, then, his words cut them to the heart.  He demanded that they change.  Result: they were ready to throw him off the cliff.

Now, each of us here might say “I would never throw Jesus off of a cliff.”  True, I would hope not.  But, how quick are we to convert our hearts?  How quick are we to change our ways?  That can really be tough.  The words of Jesus should fill our minds with delight.  We should speak highly and be amazed at the words of Christ.  But, what about letting the words change our hearts?

We have no better example of just how to change our hearts than the reading we just heard from St. Paul.  This is St. Paul’s great treatise on love.  This is such an amazing and inspiring reading.  It is definitely the most popular reading for people to choose for their wedding.  Love is patient, love is kind, on and on.  Amazing words.  But, they can be painful to hear.  These words should be a checklist for every Christian.  Remember, Jesus said “my commandment is this, love one another as I have loved you.”  That means we need to be kind, patient, humble, not jealous, or inflated, or quick tempered.  When I read this list, I can instantly think of the many ways that I have failed to live up to these expectations.  Maybe I haven’t thrown Jesus off a cliff, but my heart still has a long way to go in order to be loving like Jesus.

But, don’t let this list depress you.  Rather, let this list inspire you.  Imagine for just a moment if every person in this church was able to live out this list perfectly.  Can you imagine the difference in the world?  It would be amazing.  Imagine if you and your spouse lived it out every day.  Imagine if everyone in your family lived it out.  Isn’t that inspirational?

How do we do it?  Bear with me for a moment.  I want to talk about Greek grammar.  Hopefully no one will fall asleep.  St. Paul’s original text is in Greek.  The way he wrote this passage is really interested.  When talking about love, he uses all verbs.  It’s really not possible to bring that into English, that is why the translation we have is just fine: love is patient.  But, St. Paul actually says: love patients, love kinds, love doesn’t jealous, it doesn’t pompous, etc.  In other words, love isn’t so much about our thoughts.  Love is about our actions.  John Mayer has a song on his born and raised album called: Love is a verb. Perfect.  He says: love ain’t a thing.  Love is a verb.  

In my opinion, this is what the people get wrong in the gospel.  Their minds were fine.  But, their actions were bad.  Maybe the same is true for us.  We hear St. Paul’s list and it just sounds terrific.  Now, it’s time to make those words verbs in our own lives.  

Love never fails.  St. Paul’s challenge to us today is simply, but difficult.  Make love a verb in own lives.  

The whole gospel of Christ

Message in a Minute for Feb 3:

            First, let me begin by asking everyone for your prayers.  Today is the 6^thanniversary of Bishop D’Arcy’s death. Hard to believe, but he died in 2013. He was tremendously important for me in my spiritual life and vocational discernment.  He is greatly missed.  The crypt chapel will be open on Feb 3 if anyone would like to go down there and offer a prayer for his soul.

We see two crazy extremes in the gospel today. At first, people are saying nice things about Jesus: “All spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”  But, this positive sentiment does not last very long: “They were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town… to hurl him down…”  All spoke highly, then all were filled with fury.

What can explain this alarming, and quick, change of opinion?  The people listened to Jesus.  At first, the message was one of hope and blessing from God.  But, then his message turned into a message of challenge, conversion. The first message was greeted with joy. The second message was greeted with fury.

Can we really claim to be all that much different? We all love the story of Christmas, where Christ was born to be our Savior.  But, what about the message of Good Friday: only the Cross can bring new life. Jesus certainly told his disciples: follow me.  But, he also told them: pick up your cross if you would be my disciple. 

For some years now there has been this “prosperity gospel” that has become pretty popular.  Basically, it goes like this: if you are good, then God will bless you and fulfill all your dreams.  This is obviously attractive.  It’s also a true message.  But, it’s only part of the message of Christ.  It’s like the beginning of the gospel: all spoke highly and were amazed.  But, what about the message of conversion?  Do we avoid that part of the gospel?  Or, worse, does it fill us with fury?

Take some time this week.  Ask Jesus for both parts of the message.  Ask him for the good news that will fill you with joy. But, also ask him for the tough message of conversion.  Hard as it might be to hear, conversion will lead us to an even deeper kind of joy and peace.

Today this passage is fulfilled

3^rdSunday of Ordinary Time year C 2019:

Today the scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. These are powerful words from Christ. He is telling the people in the gospel that, behold, God’s promises have been fulfilled.  Indeed, this is good news.  This is at the very heart of the entire Gospel of Christ: God has sent Jesus to fulfill the promises of God that he made in the Old Testament.

What are those promises?  Glad tidings, liberty, sight, freedom, a year of Blessing from God. I’m sure that the people in the synagogue that day may have been a bit skeptical.  Who is this guy to say all this?  But, I can’t help but think that their hearts may have lifted at the same time. Maybe?  I mean, who among us wouldn’t want these amazing things promised in the scroll of Isaiah?  I want glad tidings, liberty, sight, freedom, blessing.  But, we might have the same kind of skepticism in our own hearts: can God really give me these things?  Will God give them to me?  

Today, this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. Today.  Let this be a new day.  Listen again to the words of Christ.  Know that he is not simply a historical figure.  He is present in our world right now, today.  This reading is just as important for us today as it was 2000 years ago.  For, the gospel is not a dead letter, it’s the living voice of Christ that continues to speak to us right now. 

This makes me want to encourage everyone to spend time with the Bible.  I know that the Bible can seem intimidating sometimes.  How do we read it?  Where to start?  Which Bible should I read?  It can seem complicated and confusing even to start.  Then there’s the Bible itself.  Sometimes there are wonderful stories about God’s gifts and blessings and the miracles of Christ.  But, there are also a lots of long stories about tabernacle construction and things that might not make sense.  Reading the Bible is not easy.

But, it is so worth it.  The beginning of our Gospel passage today is actually the beginning of St. Luke’s gospel.  He tells us why he has written the gospel.  He tells Theophilus that he has written an ordered account of Jesus’ life so that “you might realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.” This is why we have the bible.  So that we might come to know the certainty about the teachings of Christ.  But, it also works the other way: if we don’t read the Bible we will have uncertainty about Christ and his teachings.  This is why it’s so important to read and study the Bible.  It gives us insight into the mind and heart of Christ.

You all know it’s winter outside right now, right?  The high temperature on Wednesday is going to be -2 degrees.  So, I happen to know that all of us will probably be stuck inside for the next several months.  Why not spend some time reading the Bible?  We have about a month until Lent begins, but why not start early with some spiritual practices, especially reading the Bible.

In the Message in a Minute this week, I give an outline on the practice of lectio divina.  This is way of prayerfully reading the bible.  Maybe pick up the MIM if you want more info.  

St. Luke addresses his gospel to someone named Theophilus. We don’t know who this is.  A couple years ago a read a fiction novel, where the author dreamed up a life story for this man.  It was an interesting book.  He is mysterious.  But, his name is not mysterious.  It means: person who loves God.  So, the Bible is written for anyone who loves God, so that we can grow in our faith. Spend time with the bible so that “today this scripture passage” may be fulfilled in your hearing.

Importance of the Scriptures

Message in a Minute for Jan 27:

            Today’s gospel is the beginning of Luke’s gospel, sort of.  If you notice, the pericope is Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21.  So, chapters 1,2, and 3 all come between the first paragraph and the story of Jesus in the synagogue.  Now, we had been hearing those intervening chapters over the last several weeks, since they contain the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood. Now that we are back in ordinary time, we hear about the proclamation made by Jesus in the synagogue: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

            But, for this week’s MIM I wanted to focus on St. Luke.  He gives us his insights into what he is doing.  He tells Theophilus that he has decided to put together an ordered account of Christ’s life so that he might “realize the certainty of the teachings he received.”  In other words, St. Luke put together this gospel so that Theophilus, and all of us, can grow in our faith.

            This reminded me of the importance of reading the Scriptures.  It might sound basic, but we can’t know about Jesus’ life without reading the Bible.  The Bible is a great gift that God has given us, but it only “works” if we actually read and study it.  I would recommend trying to incorporate Lectio Divinainto your prayer life.  Lectiois a way of reading the Bible that turns it into a wonderful prayer experience.  Here are the basic 4 steps:

            Lectio: read a small passage (out loud works fine if you can). Really understand the words and their meaning.  What kind of passage is it?  (Parable, historical encounter, teaching narrative, etc).  Know what the passage says.

            Meditatio: wrestle with the text a little bit.  What are the major terms in the passage?  What do those terms mean, have we seen them before? For example, what is a shepherd? Who are the sheep?  

            Oratio: take a conscious moment to turn the passage into a prayer.  “Thank you, Lord, for being my shepherd.  Please keep leading me to green pastures, etc.”

            Contemplatio: this step is God’s chance to speak to us while reading the Bible.  We don’t even have to do anything extra.  This step takes place by God working through our prayer time.

            See if you can’t take some time this week to find a passage in the Bible and practice Lectio Divina.  It will help you “realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.” 

Wedding feast of Cana

Message in a Minute for January 20:

Today we hear about the Wedding at Cana.  St. John tells us that this was one of the first signs that Jesus performed.  People began to believe in him because of what he did there at the wedding.  And, what did Jesus do?  We know that he made the water into wine.  But, there is much more going on in the story.

First of all, this first sign takes place at a wedding.  I don’t think this is random.  The first sign of Jesus takes place at a wedding because it is the married couple that is the first building block of our human society.  At the heart of the Christian family is the committed married couple.  So many people in our society think that marriage is something that can be defined by anyone.  “Marriage is what you make of it.”  But, that’s not what we believe.  As Catholics we believe and profess that marriage is an institution written into the very fabric of the human being.  We believe that marriage is a loving commitment between persons that is open to new life.  This is not something that we invented.  Rather, God invented marriage.

But, marriage is difficult.  You might ask how I know that since I’m not married, but I talk to many married couples about their difficulties and struggles all the time. Marriage is hard because marriage entails two people giving of themselves for the good of their spouse. Marriage is about sacrifice and giving, not about taking and self-fulfillment.  But, as human beings, we have never been good at sacrifice, service, and humbly following God.  If we were good at that, we would still be in the garden.

This is why Christ came to us.  He came to be our savior.  He came to show us the way to salvation.  He showed us that the way to salvation lies in the cross.  When he gave himself up to death, he granted to the human race the power to overcome sinfulness and selfishness.  And there is no place that needs that gift more than in marriage.  We cannot overcome sinfulness and selfishness on our own.  And there is nothing more damaging to marriage than selfishness, sinfulness.  

So, of course Jesus’ first sign was at a wedding. He came to help us overcome everything that holds us back.  How amazing then that he does so in marriage.  Don’t be afraid to let Christ into your married life.  It says in the gospel that Jesus was also invited to the wedding.  Do you invite Jesus to your married life every day?  I’m sure for many of you, you invited him to your wedding by having a religious/Catholic wedding ceremony.  But, don’t let that be the last invitation.  Let’s ask Christ to bless all marriages like he did at Cana.

Baptism of the Lord

Message in a Minute for Jan 13:

Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast marks a transition from the Christmas season to Ordinary Time.  This is an important feature of the event of the Lord’s baptism, because the baptism is the beginning of his public ministry of teaching and healing. Ordinary time is anything but “ordinary.”  Rather, it is our chance to listen to the words of Christ.  We get to travel with him, learn from him, listen to him. Think about all the time the disciples had with Jesus.  Sure, there were big events in their lives, like the Resurrection.  But, I think it was in the quiet moments that they were able to grow in their faith.  This is why Ordinary Time is an important time in our own life of faith as well.  We know about the importance of Advent, Lent, Easter, and Christmas.  These events are wonderful times for spiritual growth.  But, so is Ordinary Time: take advantage of these next few weeks. Listen to Christ.  Spend time with him.  Grow in your faith.

When Jesus is baptized, he comes out of the water and the voice from heaven is heard saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  This voice confirms Jesus’ identity.  Truly he is the Son of God.  But, Jesus’ baptism also helps us to understand our own baptism.  Jesus walks before us in all things, including his baptism. So, when Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit comes upon him and heaven proclaims that he is God’s son.  I like to think that every time someone is baptized, the same thing happens to that person.  Now, we don’t necessarily hear the voice from heaven, but it’s there nonetheless.  The person baptized receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The person baptized is adopted as a son or daughter of God.  

Yet, how often do we take some time to reflect on the wonderful mystery of our baptism?  A few years ago, at a confirmation Mass, Bishop Rhoades asked everyone in the church if they knew the date of their baptism.  Only a couple people knew.  Then he asked if anyone knew the date of their birth.  Of course, everyone knew their birthday.  So, he challenged everyone to know the date of their baptism.  Because, while it is important to know the date we were born naturally, it’s also important to know the date when we were born spiritually.  In many ways, the day of our baptism is much more important than the day of our birth.  The day we were baptized we received the Holy Spirit and God called us sons and daughters. Amazing gift.

            Do you know your baptism date?  Mine is Sept 17.  Look up your own.  Take some time this week to reflect on the amazing mystery of our own baptism as we celebrate the baptism of Christ.

RIP Fr. Larry

My uncle, Fr. Larry Tippmann, passed away last week.  Today was his funeral.  My aunts and uncles asked me to do the homily.  Below is the text.  Please say a prayer for Fr. Larry.

Fr. Larry Homily:

I would like to begin by thanking Bishop Rhoades, my brother priests, and all of you for being here today to celebrate the funeral Mass for Fr. Larry Tippmann.  It means a great deal to all of Fr. Larry’s family to have you here.

When I was ordained a priest 9 years ago, Fr. Larry said: Good, now I have my replacement.  So, it’s an honor for me to be here to give this funeral homily.

If you listen carefully to the prayers of the funeral Mass you will hear 3 layers of prayer going on at the same time.  The first layer of prayer is glorifying God.  At this Mass, and at every Mass, it is right and just to give God thanks and praise.  Fr. Larry was a priest.  He knew that the most important part of his life was celebrating Mass and worshipping God. So, the most important thing we can do today is to worship God during this Mass.

The second layer of prayer during this funeral Mass is for Fr. Larry.  Let us all implore our merciful and loving savior to be a kind and merciful judge for Fr. Larry.  Fr. Larry knew quite well that he was not a perfect person.  He had sins and failings like every one of us here.  But, he loved God and knew that God was merciful. Please, in your kindness, implore God to be merciful to Fr. Larry.  Lord, open the gates of paradise to your servant.  Grant to him eternal life.

The third layer of prayer is for all of us here, who mourn the loss of Fr. Larry.  He was an important person in the lives of so many people.  He was important in the life of our Tippmann family.  But, he was also important in the lives of his parish families over the years.  During this past week I started wondering about Fr. Larry’s lifetime statistics. Just imagine how many masses he celebrated, weddings, funerals, baptisms, confessions, anointings for the sick. How many of us were touched by Fr. Larry’s priestly ministry?  It’s true that a priest does not leave behind natural children and grandchildren.  But, he leaves behind a spiritual family of people touched by his ministry.  This includes all of us here today.  So, the prayers of the mass are for us as well. That God might give us his consolation.  But, also, that we might grow in our faith through the example of Fr. Larry’s life and by the Word of God.  I would like to offer 4 things for us to remember.  Fr. Larry’s kindness, positive attitude, love for his family, and his love for the Eucharist.

One thing I will always remember about Fr. Larry was his kind heart and his peaceful demeanor.  After I was accepted to the seminary, Fr. Larry called me up out of the blue and wanted to take me to lunch.  He told me he was praying for me and he was happy that I was going to the seminary.  He even gave me his haircutting kit that he used in the seminary 50 years ago. Apparently, he would cut the other guys’ hair to help out.  Not my gift, to cut hair.  But, I was grateful of his support.  He was always kind and gracious to me, and for that I’m grateful.

Also, his peaceful demeanor.  I haven’t known him as long as some of you here, but I never saw him upset, or discouraged.  He was always upbeat and positive.  Now, I’m sure he had his moments, we all do.  But, I especially remember being amazed at his attitude following the accident where he hurt his hand badly.  First of all, we all know he had no business operating that saw.  But, be that as it may, he was very badly injured.  He had numerous surgeries, procedures, and lots of therapy.  But, anytime I talked to him he was positive and upbeat.  I remember one time asking him: Fr. Larry how is the hand doing.  “Oh, great” he said.  “Look what I can do:” then he moved one finger about a quarter of an inch.  I remember thinking that I would have felt greatly discouraged by the lack of progress. But, for him, it was great progress. 

It was sad to see Fr. Larry struggling these last number of years.  He was always so sharp, especially his memory.  I remember talking to him at lunch about our big Tippmann family.  I’m convinced that he was the last person alive who really knew everyone in the family.  How many of us can really say that?  I don’t know every Tippmann.  But, Fr. Larry did.  He had a great devotion to our family.  I know we will miss him greatly.

Finally, I’d like to call attention to Fr. Larry’s great love for the Mass and the Eucharist.  This was such an important part of his life.  Even in retirement, he would celebrate mass in his apartment. He would spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  The Eucharist was at the heart of his spiritual life.  This makes sense.  The Eucharist is at the heart of every priest’s spiritual life.  The priest is the one ordained to offer the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of the whole Church.  It is truly the Eucharist that gives the priest his identity and mission.  Without the Eucharist, the priesthood wouldn’t make sense.  Without the priesthood, there would be no Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of Christ when he offered his life on the cross for the salvation of the world.  When we offer this Mass today for Fr. Larry, we are offering once again the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  When we spend time in prayer adoring the Blessed Sacrament, we are truly in the presence of Christ.  Fr. Larry knew this.  This is why he was so devoted to the mass and to praying before the Lord especially in the adoration chapel.

I’ve been thinking about many of the funny “Fr. Larry” stories that have been passed down over the years.  I remember one from not too long ago, when he was getting easily confused. Fr. Larry had run out of hosts for mass. For him, this was a crisis.  So he called 911.  Now, everyone here knows that 911 is not for that kind of emergency. But, for Fr. Larry, it was a crisis. He knew that you called 911 when there was a crisis.  He may have been confused mentally at the time.  But, he was right: life without Mass would be a crisis.  

So, my friends, let’s make today a day of prayer.  Let us praise almighty God.  Let us give him the worship that is due.  Second, let’s pray for Fr. Larry Tippmann.  May the Lord grant him a share in eternal life.  Fr. Larry believed what Christ said today in the gospel: whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live forever. Grant him that eternal life, O Lord. During the incensing of the casket we will sing the In Paradisum.  These words, in Latin, ask that Fr. Larry might be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom with all the angels and saints to welcome him to paradise.  This is our prayer.  May Fr. Larry be welcomed into paradise.  Finally, let’ make this a day of prayer and support for all of Fr. Larry’s family and friends.  His natural family and his spiritual family.  Prayer for all of his brother priests.  The Tippmann family is a big family.  But, Fr. Larry’s spiritual family is even bigger.  We can all pray for one another, especially that we might grow in our love and respect for the Mass and for the Holy Eucharist.

Rest in peace Fr. Larry.  May the words of the gospel ring true for you and for all of us as we celebrate this funeral Mass: whoever eats this bread will live forever.

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.