Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. 
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly. 
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. 
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her. 
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.” 
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.” 
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. 
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel reveals the heart of Saint Joseph. He is a man of mercy, action, and silence.

Joseph was an ordinary man – a carpenter from a small town on the edge of the Roman Empire. Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to him was meeting his bride-to-be, Mary.

Now, strangely, he knows she’s pregnant … and the child isn’t his. 

Anyone standing in Joseph’s shoes could’ve been understandably heartbroken. Distraught. But instead of plotting revenge against Mary, Joseph is merciful. 

Although the Law allowed him to throw her out – even to have her stoned! – Joseph decides to, “divorce her quietly,” a sign he forgives Mary’s transgression, even as he plans to go his separate way.

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Then, an angel appears to him in a dream, telling him that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was conceived. No human wisdom will help here.

Yet, Joseph didn’t ask for further proof. He didn’t take a silent forty-day retreat to process this message. Immediately, he took Mary – and this child that wasn’t his – into his home. Then he served and protected them for the rest of his life.

Joseph was a man of action.

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Perhaps most difficult of all, he was a man of silence. The Gospels never record Joseph saying a word. He listens and he acts.

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What might Joseph’s life and example say to us?

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Three things: Treat others with mercy, offering the benefit of the doubt. There’s always a chance we don’t have the full picture.

Second, when the Lord speaks, do something. All too often we beg for more proof or another day to process. Joseph reminds us, as the old Zen saying goes, “Leap and the net will appear.” Have faith.

Third, embrace the silence. Listen before you speak. 

Which of these is the Lord calling me to practice today?

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Image credits: (1) Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, Guido Reni, Wikipedia (2) Philippe de Champaigne, The Dream of Saint Joseph, The National Gallery, London (3) Aleteia

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-24:

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.

The Word of the Lord.

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Christmas is almost a week away!

For many of us, our trees have been decorated, most of our gifts have been wrapped, and empty nests have been filled with kids returning from college, relatives from out of state, or friends we’ve finally made the time to reconnect with.

It truly is a blessed time of year. 

But I wonder, can we keep this holiday spirit going year-round? Or is Christian joy something seasonal?

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Saint Paul says in our second reading, “Rejoice always!” Not, “Rejoice during the month of December.”

Or, “Rejoice until Christmas.”

Or, “Rejoice when everything in life is going my way.”

But, “Rejoice always!” 

God calls us to be joyful people year-round. This is what we celebrate today on Gaudete Sunday. So, how do we translate this holiday cheer into joy year-round?

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I’ll offer four simple tips. Perhaps one or two might stick, becoming a New Year’s resolution, even a year-long habit.

1.) Give more gifts.

Every Christmas we’re called to be generous. But don’t stop giving on December 25th. 

Keep giving.  In fact, give more. 

But instead of giving someone a set of Apple AirPods, the latest bestseller, or a set of furry slippers, give the gift of yourself. 

Some things we buy this Christmas will be out of style next year. But you never will be. Don’t let any commercial or advertisement convince you otherwise.

What your family and friends need more than anything else is you. 

If we focus on the giver – not the gift – then Christmas joy will be ours year-round.

2.) Spend more time with God.

For some of us, God gets more time during Advent than other times of the year. 

In preparing for the birth of Christ, we may have attended an extra Mass, prayed a rosary, read the bible, or spent a few moments in prayer, even over a cup of coffee.

When the anxiety and busyness of life returns, these routines shouldn’t stop; our relationship with God should never be seasonal.

The formula — before, during, and after Christmas — is always the same: 

More time spent with God equals more joy. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us in our first reading, “My God is the joy of my soul.”

3.) Remember, God is always with you. 

During the Christmas season, many of us fill our homes with Nativity sets, Advent wreaths, and angels atop our Christmas trees. 

All those little bits of Christmas décor are reminders of God’s presence in our lives. We need these visual reminders that the Lord is near.

But not just during the month of December. We need them year-round. When the Christmas decorations come down, put up another reminder of God’s presence. 

Replace your Christmas tree with a crucifix, your Advent wreath with a framed Bible quote, or your Nativity scene with an image of a favorite Saint. 

Keep some physical reminder of God’s presence in view for yourself, your children, and for all who enter your home, then the true source of Christmas joy – Jesus Christ – will be with you always.

4.) Go the extra mile. 

The holidays often inspire us to be a little more generous with our time, treasure, and talent. 

For example, we’ve all made the effort to buy a gift, send a card, a text, or to volunteer. I’m thinking, in particular, about the young parents who helped to run our Christmas pageant last week.

When the holidays conclude, keep it up, because the old saying is true – “the more we give, the more we have.”

Go that extra mile and you’ll experience Christian joy year-round.

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In nearly a week we’ll celebrate Christmas. Holiday cheer is everywhere. But it doesn’t have to end on December 25^th. 

In fact, it shouldn’t. Christian joy is never meant to be seasonal.

In order to keep it going, we must give more gifts – particularly, the gift of ourselves. Spend more time with God. Remember that God is always with us. And go the extra mile.

Then Christian joy will be ours year-round.

As Saint Paul encourages us today, “Rejoice always! I say it again, rejoice!”

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Image credits: (1) Global Teen Challenge (2) Just Cards Direct (3) Calvary University

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force. 
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John of the Cross, a 16^th century mystic, poet, priest, and Doctor of the Church. 

John was ordained a priest at the age of 25, but most of his spiritual “formation” happened shortly thereafter while imprisoned by his own religious community.

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After attempting to introduce stricter spiritual practices into the life of his monastery, John was thrown into a darkened cell all by himself for nine terrible months.

One night, he decided to escape. So, he pried open his door, made his way to the edge of his monastery, and in the pitch black while dangling twenty to thirty feet in the air, he let go.

John spent the rest of his life living in different monasteries around Spain, writing poetry and spiritual canticles.

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In his famous work, The Dark Night of the Soul, John likened a soul’s journey to God to that fateful night of his escape.

When he let go of the wall surrounding his monastery, he knew he also had to leave behind his anger, grief, and frustration at his brothers. He could not expect to be welcomed into heaven if he still harbored evil thoughts about what happened in his heart.

As he later wrote, “In the twilight of our lives, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions or worldly successes, but by how much we have loved.” In his case, that also included how much he was able to love those who imprisoned him.

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So, what might John’s life and writings say to us today?

There are parts of every human soul which we must detach ourselves from – whether it’s anger, jealousy, greed, pride, or any other sin. 

We cannot simply hope these things go away; rather, we must develop a sense of urgency, confronting those hardened parts of our hearts with prayer, fasting, and penance. 

At times, it’s quite painful. But doing so makes more and more room for God, until God becomes, “all in all.”

Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Christianity Today (2) John of the Cross, Wikipedia (3) Salt and Light Blog