Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-24

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 conceive 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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’re now one week away from Christmas! 

Can you feel the tension in our readings? We’re so close that today’s Gospel gives us the Christmas story early from Joseph’s perspective.

What might he say to us from his experience of Christmas?

When God enters your life, buckle up buttercup!

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Joseph was an ordinary man. He never wrote a book. Never went to college. Never held public office. Never lived in a major city or even journeyed far from his home. He was far from royalty, a simple carpenter who earned his daily bread by the sweat of his brow.

Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to him was meeting Mary, his bride-to-be. But now she’s pregnant…and the child isn’t his.

Imagine how you’d feel.

Anyone standing in Joseph’s shoes would’ve been heartbroken. Perhaps we’d be filled with anger or begin plotting our revenge.

But the Gospel tells us that Joseph is a “righteous” man, a good man, who decides to divorce Mary quietly. 

Under the Law, he could’ve taken her to court and sued her for his dowry. He could’ve exposed her to shame, or even had her stoned. But Joseph takes the path of least resistance, tempering justice with mercy.

That’s a virtue every Christian can learn from: mercy. When someone we love hurts or disappoints us, instead of seeking revenge or entertaining angry thoughts, we treat them with mercy, instead.

What might that look like for me, treating others with greater mercy?

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Even after Joseph “resolves” the problem of a scandalously pregnant fiancé, his story is only beginning. God invites him to accept a future he never imagined.

Buckle up, buttercup.

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Joseph is told in a dream that his worst nightmare – Mary becoming pregnant out of wedlock – was, in fact, the will of God. It was an act of God. 

She conceived a son by the power of the Holy Spirit!

No human wisdom will help here.

Anyone would’ve been baffled. Perhaps this strange turn of events would’ve made us even more bitter. 

But, immediately after awakening from this dream, Joseph takes Mary into his home, showing that he’s not only a man of mercy.

He’s also a man of action.

He doesn’t do what I might do and take a forty-day silent retreat to process what he’s heard. He doesn’t pause or question. As soon as he opens his eyes, he welcomes Mary, and this child that isn’t his, into his home. He accepts them both on God’s terms.

The rest of Joseph’s life becomes caught up in God’s plan – a divine plan – a plan that is far greater than himself. 

What I find most striking of all is the fact that the Gospels never record Joseph saying anything. He’s the silent hero of the Christmas story.

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As Christians, we tend to assume that the idea of God entering into our lives is a good thing. A great thing. It’s what brings us to church on Sunday!

But asking God to guide us can also be risky and, at times, upsetting.

Just look at what happened to Joseph. He was stretched to the brink. Instead of living life on his own terms, he became a foster father, accepting a future he never imagined. He becomes a man living in surrender.

How might our lives change if we had the heart of Joseph? Would we act more boldly on God’s Word? Would we accept a future we haven’t planned or carry a cross we didn’t ask for?

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The Christmas story reminds us that, when God enters into your life, the world becomes unpredictable, divine, other-centered. Fear gives way to trust.

Deep down, it’s what we all want – God at the center of our lives. 

But be prepared. When God takes over, buckle up, buttercup.

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Image credits: (1) Buckle Up Buttercup, Words Quotes Carmilla (2) Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, Guido Reni (3) SooToday.com

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Gospel: John 5: 33-36

Jesus said to the Jews:
“You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. 
I do not accept testimony from a human being,
but I say this so that you may be saved. 
John was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. 
But I have testimony greater than John’s. 
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.”

The Gopel of the Lord.

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Every morning before I begin praying at my desk, I light a tea candle and place it in a stand. The candle burns bright for over an hour before its tiny little wick runs out, disappearing into a small silhouette of smoke.

It’s such a simple object, but that candle teaches us several lessons about the life of John the Baptist, whom Jesus praises in today’s Gospel.

“He was a burning and shining lamp,” Jesus says, “and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.”

John was like a little tea candle. 

But, what exactly do John and a tea candle have in common?

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They both give off light.

The purpose of light is to guide. As the Psalmist says, “Your WORD is a lamp for my steps, and a light for my path.” John was a light, a “bright and shining lamp” who led people to Christ.

They produce warmth. The light of a candle attracts and warms human hands; the light of Christ, present in John the Baptist, warmed human hearts.

Finally, and most poetically of all, the candle loses itself in the process of giving off light. The more light and heat it produces, the shorter its wick becomes until there’s nothing left.

Like a tiny tea candle, John’s life – his ambitions, his hopes, his understanding – slowly burned away until only Christ remained. As he himself said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

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In what ways are we like a tiny tea candle? 

Do we emit the light of Christ? Do we attract others by our warmth? Above all, do we allow the Holy Spirit to melt away our plans and desires until only Christ is left?

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Saint John the Baptist, Carlo Maratti (3) Pixaby

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Gospel: Luke 7: 24-30

When the messengers of John the Baptist had left,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. 
“What did you go out to the desert to see  a reed swayed by the wind? 
Then what did you go out to see? 
Someone dressed in fine garments? 
Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously
are found in royal palaces. 
Then what did you go out to see? 
A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 
This is the one about whom Scripture says:

    Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    he will prepare your way before you.

I tell you,
among those born of women, no one is greater than John;
yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”
(All the people who listened, including the tax collectors,
who were baptized with the baptism of John,
acknowledged the righteousness of God;
but the Pharisees and scholars of the law,
who were not baptized by him,
rejected the plan of God for themselves.)

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Can you remember as a child toying with an old car radio? 

You have to adjust the dial, getting the indicator to land on a station “just right” – not too far to the left, not too far to the right.

“Just right.”

If it was one click off, then all you’d hear was static.

Today we just hit the SEEK button and PRESTO the radio finds the next available station for us. 

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But fiddling with an old radio reminds me of what Advent is all about.  

Just as we had to work to find the right radio station, so we have to fine tune our hearts to hear God speak. One click too far to the right or to the left produces static, muffling his voice.

We have to dial down the distractions – the noise of the holidays, shopping, iPhones, televisions, and computers – and turn up the time we spend in prayer and reflection, preparing ourselves for the second coming of the Lord.

Only then – when there is silence – can we hear the Lord speak to us.

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So, what has my Advent journey been like? Have I been able to dial down the distractions and turn up time spent in prayer, pondering spiritual things? 

Or is there still static buzzing within?

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In ten days, we will celebrate Christmas. Keep fiddling with that little dial in your heart, making time for the Lord.

Only when it’s silent within will you be able to hear Jesus speak.

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Image credits: (1) Advent Journey, mycatholicireland.net (2) Philkotse (3) Meg Hunter-Kilmer, Advent Boot Camp 2020