“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh.”  Woe to you who are rich, …woe to you who are filled now, …woe to you who laugh now, …woe to you when all speak well of you.’”  As you listened to today’s first reading and gospel, you may have felt a little uncomfortable.  Reviewing this weekend’s readings, I was reminded of an observation one of my scripture professors made: “Our Lord came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”  […]

“Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.” Think about it, that’s what the son of a carpenter said to a lifelong fisherman.  Peter did it, perhaps just to humor Jesus, or because Jesus had just cured Peter’s mother-in-law.  And what happened?  They took in the biggest catch of their lives. A fluke? A trick? Or a sign of things to come?  Whatever, it overwhelmed Peter.  “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” we hear Peter exclaim as he falls on his knees […]

In all of sacred scripture, there are only two accounts that tell us of the life of Jesus between his birth and the beginning of his public ministry: his presentation in the temple – as we celebrate today – and his finding in the temple when he was twelve years old.  We hear the account of Jesus in the temple every three years on Sunday but the account we heard today about his presentation in the temple occurs only when the second of February is a Sunday; the last time […]

“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 […]

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.  […]

“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 […]

Once again, let me wish all of you a Merry Christmas.  That’s exactly what we’re doing right now: celebrating a Merry Christmas.  Have you ever wondered what the word “Christmas” means?  Originating from the Old English phrase, “Cristes Maesse,” a phrase that can be traced back to at least the year 1038, it means “Christ’s Mass.”  Yes, we are celebrating Christ’s Mass with great merriment as we recall the great work God has done for us from the very beginning of time and especially through sending his son – Jesus, […]

Let me wish all of you, once again, a very blessed Christmas!  We gather this evening to celebrate the most blessed event of all time: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We hear, once again in today’s Gospel, the story of his birth.  It is the story of Joseph and Mary putting their trust in God and cooperating in his plan of salvation for all of us.

In the minds of all of you children, I’m sure Christmas has taken forever to get here.  Soon, you’ll be opening […]

On this, the last Sunday of Advent, the great mysteries and personalities we have heard from over the past weeks suddenly converge in new ways. The prophetic promises made by Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah over the past three Sundays and today, Micah to Israel foretold a just shoot from the house of David, a messenger of comfort, a mighty savior and a strong shepherd become stories of two children to be born, one the son of an elderly woman beyond child-bearing years, the other the son of a young virgin, conceived […]

“What must we do?”  We hear that question asked three times in today’s gospel account.  What must we do?  Much like the Jewish people in the time of Jesus, Christians have asked that question down through the centuries, as if we could achieve salvation and redemption by ourselves.  It is easy – in our pride – to think that whether or not we will go to heaven is tied to the sum of our good deeds.  Of course, as we humbly admit our sinfulness, we come to recognize that we […]