The Holy Family

This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, and it is a good time to stop and reflect on the Christian Family and what it means for us to be part of the family of faith within the Church. This Sunday, we commemorate a family in deep distress because their Son is seen as a threat to a jealous king: Joseph and Mary are running for their lives from Herod the Great. Tradition says that after three years in exile, another angel informs Joseph that Herod the Great is dead. The Holy Family returns to their homeland, not to Bethlehem, since the new king who reigns in his father’s place is also a cruel and barbaric ruler. Joseph brings Mary and Jesus to his native town of Nazareth in Galilee. There, they lived a simple ordinary life, Joseph the carpenter with  Mary and  Jesus who grew in holiness and in knowledge of God.

We recognize the sacrifices Joseph and Mary made for Jesus, in the same way as we recognize the sacrifices our parents made for us  and many other parents  are making for their children today.    In the readings of the Feast of the Holy Family, we encounter a profound invitation to transform our homes and our lives into sanctuaries of God’s love and faithfulness.  The first reading from Sirach emphasizes the respect and honour owed to our parents, linking family life to the spiritual life. It shows us that the familial bond is not just a social thing but a sacred covenant. The Holy Family, in their simple yet profound acts of faith, become a model for us, guiding us to see our family relationships as opportunities to grow in holiness love and charity. The Gospel of Luke, detailing the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, underscores the holy families deep-seated obedience to God’s will as they went up to the temple to do what the law required.

 This gospel story  is a vivid portrayal of a family committed to their faith, where each action and decision is rooted in faith and love.  The Church is a great family, the great family of God. The Church is prophetic: she proclaims the Kingdom of God. Simeon, as well as the prophetess Anna, are there in this gospel to witness to this. This example sets a high standard for us: to make our embodiments of divine love, where every interaction is steeped in the virtues of faith and love. As we meditate on these scriptures, we are called to think about our own family dynamics. It is in our family homes that we learn a philosophy of life. It is there that we acquire principles by which we should live and relate to others. It is there, in the domestic church, that God is acknowledged, that prayer is learned. It is there that our soul is nurtured at the family altar, the family table in which we share a communion of food for the body, the mind and the soul. So in thanking God for the gift of the Christ Child, we also thank God for our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, and the wonderful gift that our families are for us. By strengthening these bonds, we mirror the Holy Family’s commitment to God’s plan and we become active participants in the manifestation of His love and mercy in the world where we are and we are impowered to pass his love and mercy on to those around us.

CHRISTMAS 2023

As our Journey through Advent concludes we have heard the voice of John the Baptist calling us to conversion and then earlier today  the 4^th Sunday of advent we heard the story the story of the Angel Gabriel coming to tell Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. With everything that is happening around us, we welcome an opportunity to put aside our cares and worries as we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem. We remember in a special way all those who have died since last Christmas and we keep their families in our thoughts and prayers. The giving of gifts expresses love of the other person. Festive decorations set this season apart from all others. Santa Claus was originally St. Nicholas of Myra, a bishop remembered for his generosity.Every Christmas card or letter we send  and every greeting we receive bears the stamp of this special season, tidings of good will, and a reminder that those who are far away are close to us in mind and heart.  

The customs of this season are veiled announcements of one message: Christ is born for us. To remove the veil, to hear the good news, we gather together in our churches. There we listen to the message of Christmas given in the scripture readings. The readings tell us that God wants to enter more fully into our messy lives with all the good and bad and all the happy and sad times that are part and parcel of our daily lives. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “In times past, God spoke in  various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God speaks the message clearly through Jesus, who is born in our midst in the stable in Bethlehem and whose birth we celebrate with great joy.   On this day the whole community of heaven joins with all believers on earth in a jubilant song of praise for the good news proclaimed by the angel of the lord when he said: Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).  

The act of God becoming man in a humble, human way in the stable gives us hope in the rebirth of goodwill and peace especially when there is so much war in the world. We are people who have walked in darkness and now have seen a great light. We can sing a new song, as we are glad and rejoice. Let us take the good news of great joy into our hearts and let the joy and peace flourish so others can enjoy it as well. One of the things for us to do as a community of faith is to appreciate more fully that it is only in the life that Jesus brings and shares with us that we can be truly happy and at peace within ourselves.  So with Mary and Joseph with the shepherds and Angels and the whole company of heaven let us adore him Christ the Lord the light in the darkness of our world.

4th Sunday of Advent

This weekend we celebrate the 4^th Sunday of Advent and this year it is also Christmas eve. Our first reading from Samuel, points to the dangers of religion becoming institutionalized.  When the Israelites travelled through the wilderness, God travelled with them and dwelt in their midst in the “meeting tent.”  God wasn’t limited to one place but moved in the hearts and faith of the people.  But now Israel was going through a comfortable period of peace and prosperity with its enemies vanquished and king David ensconced in a comfortable palace.  But David needs to be reminded who’s in charge.  God was the one who took the lowly shepherd boy David and made him king of Israel.  God, not David, was the reason for Israel’s success and God will be the one to give them peace and protection from their enemies. 

Since God was the reason for their past success God, not David, will see to their future as well.   In our Gospel we hear the story of the Angel Gabriel coming to tell Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. But as we hear this story we should stop and step aside from all the ongoing activities of this time of year to think about how Mary felt when she got this news that she was to have a child. Luke tells , ” she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” The angel has to reassure her, “Do not fear Mary.” she must have been afraid. In that uneasy world of Galilee, a place of conflict and struggle, Mary’s personal response showed confusion and doubt. Still, Mary did not get a roadmap of the future neither do we. All her questions weren’t answered and many of our questions are unanswered. Gabriel announced that Mary’s child would be “great”. He would be Son of the “Most High” the highest concept of divinity one could have.

Mary made room for God in her life. Scripture suggests God wants to enter more fully into our messy lives with all the good and bad and all the happy and sad times that are part and parcel of our daily living. Mary accepted, and  proclaimed, God’s will in her life. She placed her future in the hands of the Father so should we.  God’s promise of a permanent resting place with us is being fulfilled.  And where will this God be found?  Not in the places of power and world influence; but among those who have known the powerful works of God in their lives.  So today we look back and see how God’s hand strengthened us in many difficult situations. Like Mary who proclaims the greatness of the Lord we see that  God guides us when we wander, strengthens us when we falter and consoles us when we weep.  We thank God for his presence among us and we pray that we will be his presence in the world so that others can find God’s presence in their lives where they are.

Third sunday of Advent

The third Sunday of Advent  is also known as Gaudete Sunday. In some places Rose vestments are used and we light the rose  candle on the Advent wreath. It is the advent  Sunday when we rejoice as we look forward to the birth of Jesus. Many parishes are also celebrating Bambinelli Sunday.  This  is a Roman tradition where  the priest will bless the baby Jesus from family cribs brought to Mass by the children on Gaudete Sunday. Then on Christmas Morning they place the baby in the crib in the family home and say a prayer.  Our first reading tells us that prophet was sent to bring good news to the poor Anointed by God, he tells us I am sent to bring hope to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, and proclaim freedom. Clothed in salvation, I joyfully await God’s justice to flourish.

 We are also called by god and sent out to bring hope to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, and proclaim freedom, as we joyfully await God’s justice to flourish through  Jesus his son. In this  psalm for Mass that is part of  the Magnificat Mary proclaims God’s greatness as she announces what God has done for her and will do for the all those who have turned to God the father for help.  The second reading tells us to rejoice always, pray ceaselessly, and give thanks in all situations we find ourselves. We know that god has called us to follow him and he will not let us down because he is faithful. Our Gospel story tells us about John the Baptist who was the voice crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord. John the Evangelist presented the Baptist as God’s witness, the one who spoke eternal truth in a transient world. John’s message and ministry of a repentant baptism prefigured Christ’s. John baptized in the spirit of hope and we live in the spirit of hope. The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan realized that hope.

Those baptized by John looked forward to a life with God. Those baptized by the Christ lived in God as we live in God.  The joy of Christmas will come to us if we set about actively trying to create the same joy for others.  The Joy we have at Christmas is not about the Secular Razzmatazz of the ongoing parties instead it is about Jesus Christ the Son of God who is for us the light in the darkness. It is about reaching out to others family members, friends and relations those who we might not value as much as we should. On Gaudete Sunday we joyfully praise God. We thank him for all he has done for us in our own lives and in the lives of all those who are dear to us, families and friends. We rejoice that through the coming of his Son Jesus we have come to know god as our Father. We do what we can to imitate Jesus life, to follow his Gospel in a spirit of joy.  As we continue our  Advent journey in  the run up to Christmas with all its chaos let us stop and take the time  to prepare the way for the Lord remembering that  the words of the  entrance antiphon for Gaudete Sunday  rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. the Lord is near. 

Second Sunday of Advent

Here we are at the second Sunday of Advent as time continues to pass by as we head towards Christmas at breakneck speed. I wonder how many people out there really understand the meaning of Advent and the reason for the season of Christmas.  Advent is all about watching and waiting and Christmas is about the birth of the Christ Child and how we welcome him into our lives. This weekend we continue our wait as we light the second purple candle on the Advent Wreath. Our first  reading from Isaiah announces the “breaking news” that the people’s exile was coming to an end. They had hoped for a new beginning and God was coming to fulfill their hopes. just when we are stuck in our own desert of discouragement, failed plans and “bad-news days,” God sees our predicament and helps us to understand what we have to do. The prophet in the reading cries out, “Get Ready and that is what we do in Advent!”

The reading from Isaiah has a message of consolation for us and a promise of a new start and here we are in 2023 preparing to celebrate the new start once again. In the gospel reading John the Baptist the voice in the wilderness takes centre stage as he calls us to prepare the way and make the paths straight for the lord. He also tells us that there is someone coming after him who is more powerful than he was and that he was not fit to undo the strap of his sandal. So are we making the paths straight for the lord as we try to make sense of all the ongoing razzmatazz or are we going with the flow, just too busy with all the secular preparations to really take notice of the importance of the preparation that John the Baptist talks about?   John was called to bring renewal to the institutional expressions of religion which, at the time, had  become fossilized into mere formulae or external ritual.   As the journey of Advent continues John the Baptist’s call to conversion sounds out in our communities.

Like John the Church in every age including our own must become a reminder of the light of the truth Jesus proclaims and we have to allow that light to shine brightly  in our lives and in the life of the Church. As we continue our preparations for Christmas let us not forget the true and lasting message of Christmas that god came among  us a message that has lasted over the  years right down through the generations to us here in 2023. For many people out there in the wilderness the voice of Jesus means very little as they go about their daily lives.  This weekend through the Prophet Issiah and John the Baptist all of us  are called to reawaken within ourselves the great spirit of expectant waiting as we wait on the Christmas feast. So are we making the paths straight for the lord or are we just going to go with the flow taking little or no  notice of the importance of the preparation of our hearts and minds for the great spiritual feast  that Christmas is. We need to refocus ourselves as we prepare the way for the Lord doing our best to make his paths straight. So now as we continue the preparation will it be the secular razzamatazz that will take over our Advent and Christmas celebrations or will it be Jesus the Child in the Manger who will take his  place amongst us, our families and  friends. So how are our preparations for the coming of Jesus at Christmas going this Advent?

First Sunday of Advent

This weekend we begin Advent as we journey to Christmas and the birth of Jesus the Prince of Peace in Bethlehem. We bless the Advent wreath and light the first purple candle as we remember all the places where there is war and continue our prayers for peace in the world. It seems no time since we began the church year that ended last weekend with the feast of Christ the King. In the secular world out there Advent seems to begin the season of Christmas and ends with the measuring of profits in the business sections of our newspapers on Christmas eve. In churches and faith communities throughout the world this season’s sounds will be contradict all this is going on outside the with the Scriptures, liturgical banners and  purple colors that tell us that we should “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  

Amongst all the razzmatazz of the Christmas preparations and the madness of the shoppers on our town and city streets we stop and ask ourselves what or who are we waiting for this Advent ? Jesus the master, is coming to help us put aside all that is false in our lives and our world and rebuild our house on rock, that is the rock of faith. We remember Paul’s words “God is faithful” and he will accompany us through any change or adjustment we need to make in our lives. This is the God Isaiah evokes as he imagines us as clay to be formed by our God, “the potter,” and reminds us, “we are all the work of gods hands.” Hope is the basis for a watchful and vigilant spirit in Advent. The Lord will come. And in the blink of an eye, God will renew us, he will also renew the world. In our anticipation for the Lord’s coming, our faith will help us to reveal the Kingdom and prepare ourselves as well as others for eternity.

Our efforts alone will not bring about the Kingdom. But, God,  will reveal the Kingdom through us and what we do and say. Blessed John Henry Newman reminded us in a homily for the Advent Season: “Advent is a time of waiting, it is a time of joy because the coming of Christ is not only a gift of grace and salvation but it is also a time of commitment because it motivates us to live the present as a time of responsibility and vigilance. This ‘vigilance’ means the necessity, the urgency of an industrious, living ‘wait’.  To make all this happen, then we need to wake up, as we are warned by the apostle to the Gentiles, in the  reading to the Romans: ‘Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rm 13:11). As we begin this advent we ask ourselves what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for the presents and razzmatazz of Christmas Day or are we preparing for the greatest gift of God, Jesus his Son, Christ the  prince of peace and  the light in the darkness for a broken world .