Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 1: 5-25

In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth. 
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years. 

Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. 
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense. 
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard. 
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John. 
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. 
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. 
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God. 
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” 

Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this? 
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 
And the angel said to him in reply,
“I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. 
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. 

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Once a year, a priest was chosen to enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room of the Temple, where it’s believed God’s presence was dwelling.

This was the closest a human being could physically be to God.

Zechariah was chosen to enter that day, to pray on behalf of an entire nation. 

While this was a tremendous honor, the moment was bittersweet. Zechariah was not only placing the needs of his nation before the Lord; he was also interceding for his wife, Elizabeth, who was elderly and barren.

Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed their whole life for a child…and, suddenly, the angel Gabriel appears to him and says, “Your prayer has been granted.”

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The angel Gabriel will deliver a similar message to the Virgin Mary. “Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.”

Mary responds to the angel in confidence, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”

But Zechariah, on the other hand, is filled with doubt. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Zechariah favors human logic over divine providence.

For this reason, he’s struck mute by the angel. Scholars say that this was an act of mercy, preventing Zechariah from blaspheming against God while in the Holy of Holies.

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How often do we find ourselves in Zechariah’s position? We pray to the Lord, but in our heart of hearts we wonder if anything will really change?

 We favor human logic over divine Providence.

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Today’s Gospel – and by extension this Advent season – reminds us to never give up. The elderly and barren conceive. The Virgin is found with child. The Word is made flesh and dwells among us. 

God does something beautiful in our own lives.

For nothing is impossible for God. 

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Image credits: (1) The God of the Impossible, Busy Blessed Women, WordPress (2) Zechariah in the Temple, Jan Livens (3) Pinterest

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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