Author: admin

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Gospel: John 1: 1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. 
All things came to be through him,
    and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
    and this life was the light of the human race;
    the light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, 
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
    and the world came to be through him,
    but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
    but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
    he gave power to become children of God, 
    to those who believe in his name, 
    who were born not by natural generation 
    nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision 
    but of God.

And the Word became flesh
    and made his dwelling among us,
    and we saw his glory,
    the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
    full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, 
“This was he of whom I said, 
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me 
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses, 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, 
has revealed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The first thing I do when I start a puzzle is spread out all of the pieces across a large table.  One piece turns into a cluster – and then several clusters – and finally a picture starts to emerge. 

Once the puzzle is completed, it’s helpful to look back, remembering how it all began.

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This is how John begins his Gospel, building upon the Book of Genesis, describing the beginning of the world. It began as a dark formless waste, with mighty winds sweeping across the waters.

Slowly, God ordered the chaos. Day by day, piece by piece, God assembled the world into a suitable home for humanity. Thousands and thousands of years passed until finally, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

We celebrated this mysterious truth less than a week ago, for these are things that only God can do: turn the darkness into light; chaos into order; take on flesh and dwell among us; and turn death into life.

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We still need that divine, creative power to work in our world, and in our own lives, today. 

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Looking back over the year, 2025 looks like a thousand puzzle pieces strewn across a table, some pieces resemble darkened chips, while others radiate light. 

On the evening news, we’re constantly reminded of wars raging, spontaneous protests erupting around the world, and the unfortunate truth that politics remains a divisive force, even separating families and friends.

Meanwhile, Catholics mourned the loss of Pope Francis, and celebrated the election of Leo, who recently returned to Rome from his first international pilgrimage, praying for peace in the Middle East.

Catholics also celebrated a Jubilee Year of Hope, with our own small parish serving as a Jubilee site. Thousands of pilgrims came through our doors, seeking God’s hand in hope.

For only God can take the many puzzle pieces of our lives and order them into a meaningful story of grace, hope, human resilience, and love. 

Perhaps that’s the best way to end this year and begin another one, praying with open hearts, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

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Image credits: (1) BBC (2) Jennifer Thayer Knight (3) Catholic Online

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Gospel: Luke 2: 36-40

There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Anna is one of the few female prophets mentioned in the bible. In a few short verses, Saint Luke paints a beautiful picture of her.

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She was a widow. 

Anyone who’s lost a loved one – particularly a spouse – has known the sorrow of Anna. But her sorrow doesn’t make her bitter. As Luke tells us, she never left the temple; it was the center of her life. 

She reminds us that grief can do one of two things: it can dry up our faith. Or it can make us kinder, softer, more sympathetic people, who trust in a God who doesn’t waste our tears.

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Second, Anna was eighty-four.

Age changes us. As our body weakens, we either become increasingly irritable, complaining about all of our aches and pains, or increasingly grateful for the time we’ve been given. As it’s written in the Psalms, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.”

Though the strength of her body was slowly being taken away, the strength of her faith increased by the day. She was a joyful, holy, elderly woman.

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How did she become to be the person she was?

She prayed. In spite of her age and sorrow, she praised the Lord, not only publicly in the Temple, but also in the privacy of her home.

As the saying goes, “They pray best together who first pray alone.”

Prayer lifts the spirit; it keeps us joyful; it fills us with God’s peace, even into the final years of our lives. 

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As we look to yet another year, may we become like Anna – not only older in years, but also stronger in spirit.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Full of Grace TV, YouTube (3) Simply Organized

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Gospel: Luke 2: 22-35

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This will be our only encounter with Simeon in scripture. But he appears for a very particular reason – to teach us the value of patience.

God promised Simeon that he would see the Christ before his death. But tradition tells us that Simeon was now 120 years old.. and still waiting. Imagine the ache in his bones, and the hope in his heart, that each day would be the day… and it wasn’t.

Suddenly, everything changes. 

Luke tells us that Simeon entered the Temple that day, “and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Meaning, he had a sixth sense, eyes of faith. Thus, when Mary and Joseph presented the Christ-child to him, he recognized exactly who it was.

Overcome with gratitude, Simeon cries out, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled.”

While God may have waited until the last minute of the last day of this man’s life to reveal himself, he kept his word. 

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We can also feel like God is delayed in keeping his word, or acting in our own lives. Think of how many promises Jesus makes to us:

“Come to me, all of you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you.”

“Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you.”

And yet, how many of us are still waiting for divine comfort, for peace, or for that open door to come?

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Simeon reminds us that God will act. But remember that God is not only present in the answer; he is also present in the waiting; in the stillness; in the hope that salvation will come. 

As the Psalmist reminds us, “A thousand years in your eyes are merely a day gone by.”

It’s hard being patient, especially with Someone whom we cannot control, yet are entirely dependent upon. But good things come to those who wait, even a “thousand years.”  

To God, it’s merely a day gone by.

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Image credits: (1) Expedition of the Soul (2) Simeon Holding Jesus, Andrey Shishkin (3) Living the Everyday