ORDINARY TIME
As Christmas comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord – which we celebrated this past Sunday – we begin what the Church calls Ordinary Time. It is called “ordinary” because the weeks are numbered in order – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. It is time – usually 33 weeks – ordered by God’s grace in between the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter. The priest wears green vestments. Our church’s Christmas decorations have come down and we all have returned to a […]
THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
“After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Lk 3:21-22). On this, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we hear God the Father declare that Jesus, the son of Mary is, indeed, His Son as well. And, He is well pleased with him. Shortly after his baptism, […]
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” The explanation that the magi gave for their journey seems so simple and straightforward. But, like so much of our Salvation History, there is more to the story. These wise men came from afar bringing gifts to an infant. In return, they receive a gift much greater than the distance and effort they spent. After depositing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they, in turn, receive a gift: they are redirected.
That is what we all […]
SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.” (Isaiah 60:2). As we continue our celebration of the Christmas season with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, we all need to hear these words of encouragement and assurance of God’s presence. With the ongoing unrest worldwide and even in our own country, we all feel – in some way – to be covered in darkness with thick clouds covering us. But, Jesus Christ, the […]
THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, with time to celebrate with family and friends. This is a very sacred time of the year as we reflect on the great mystery of the incarnation: God coming to live among us, in fact, as one of us. And, he came into a family, the new family of Mary and Joseph. As we contemplate his birth during this Christmas Octave, we are encouraged on this, the Feast of the Holy Family, to reflect on our lives as part of our families. […]
MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” This is the second time in a week that we heard about Mary keeping all these things and reflecting on them in her heart. You’ll recall that we heard this same phrase in Sunday’s gospel passage after Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. You will remember that Jesus was surprised by his parents’ concern and explained that he must be in his Father’s house. Both on that occasion and the occasion we hear about this morning […]