Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Mark 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose feast day we celebrate today, is the first American-born Saint. 

Born into a wealthy Episcopal family in New York City, her life was a series of ups and downs, of heartache and hope.

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Her mom died when she was three. Her younger sister died a year later.

She was married at the age of 19, but became a penniless widow with five children to raise by the age of 28.

Once filled with fortune and promise, Elizabeth’s life seemed to have reached a dead end.

But she knew that God wasn’t finished with her just yet.

Shortly after the death of her husband, she made a leap of faith, converting to Catholicism and becoming a nun. This decision led to a series of firsts.

She established the first American convent for nuns, the first Catholic school, and the first Catholic orphanage in the United States. She also became the namesake of my alma mater, Seton Hall University. 

One act of faith led to another…and another….and another. By the end of her life, she changed thousands of lives for the better.

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So, what can Elizabeth Ann Seton teach us today?

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God always has a plan for our lives. Think of Elizabeth when she was penniless with five children at the age of 28. She had nothing – but she turned to Jesus.

That decision led to life in abundance.

The same can be true for us. When one door closes, another one can open. But sometimes a leap of faith is needed.

As the old saying goes, “Leap and the net will appear.” 

God will never let us down.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Allegro Design (2) Catholic Online, Elizabeth Ann Seton (3) Family Tree Acupuncture

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Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Growing up, there was a TV show I used to watch called, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” 

(I still wonder why I watched it; it spooked me every time. I guess it was a function of being an innately curious child.)

Each episode began with kids sitting around a campfire at night. One of them would put a flashlight in front of their face and begin to tell a scary story. 

The stories always took place at night with an evil character at work.

For example, one episode was called The Tale of the Night Nurse. In the story, a group of kids get locked inside a hospital overnight, while a ghost haunts them! 

Do they survive?

I won’t say.

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Today’s Gospel sounds just like an episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” 

There’s an evil character, King Herod, who wants to kill the baby Jesus. Meanwhile, the magi want to worship him. If they’re going to find him, then the magi must travel in the darkness…into the night. 

We might ask them, “Are you afraid of the dark?”

(…Dun…dun…dun…)

As they begin their tedious journey, the magi must be aware of several things: the possibility of heavy storms, robbers hiding in the hills, wild animals lurking in the bushes, and many months, perhaps a year or longer, on the road.

This will not be a journey for the faint of heart. In many ways, their lives are at stake.

There’s also the added shade of political darkness: King Herod has issued a death warrant for Jesus because Herod will do anything to remain in power.

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This is an important theme of the Epiphany, which we celebrate today: Christ entered into a darkened world.

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We gather this Sunday morning all too aware of the darkness and uncertainty that still lingers among us. 

Some Christians live like the magi, under the constant threat of political persecution for their belief in Jesus.

Meanwhile, the spread of Omicron has sparked renewed fears among many, leaving us questioning, “When will this pandemic end?”

There’s also the drama some families experienced over the holidays, when Christmas dinner turned into more of a feud than a feast.

Others carry burdens silently: grief from losing a loved one, social anxiety, cancer, financial or marital trouble, and so on.

Our journeys are not too different from the magi that first Christmas. At times, we, too, journey through uncertainty. We, too, journey through the night.  

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But something happened to the magi that transformed their experience of the darkness. They were comforted by the light of a star, leading them to the child Jesus.

That star assured them that there was Someone else working in the night. In spite of King Herod and the other dangers they faced, God was with them. 

God was for them.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas: the fact that, in every time and place, God is with us. God is for us.

God also works in the night.

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This is where our stories differ from the life of Herod, and from that show I watched as a kid, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”

Like the magi, at times we pass through periods of uncertainty, but the magi embolden us not to be afraid.

We have Jesus – Emmanuel – meaning, “God is with us. God is for us.”

As we begin another year, may we proceed in peace knowing a star will guide our steps.

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Image credits: (1) Springlike Parish (2) Catholic Daily Reflections (3) Everyday Power

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Gospel: Luke 2: 16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,  
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,  
they made known the message  
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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By now all of our Christmas gifts have been unwrapped and stowed away. Perhaps a few have been re-gifted or returned. We can literally say, “Christmas was last year.”

While that day has come and gone, we are invited to reflect upon the meaning of Christmas year-round.

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As we hear in the Gospel today, “Mary, kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” 

She didn’t go through the motions that first Christmas night. She paused. She pondered. She tried stitching together the meaning of it all.

I’m sure Mary thought about that providential encounter with the angel Gabriel nine months before; her 80-mile journey to visit her cousin, Elizabeth; Joseph’s acceptance of this divine plan; and the appearance of the magi from the East.

When she held the infant Jesus in her arms, she must’ve wondered, “Why me? Why was I chosen? Can I really care for this miracle made flesh?”

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Mary, “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

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But what is there for us to ponder about that first Christmas night? 

Consider two minor details. First, Jesus was born in a “manger,” which was synonymous with a “feeding trough.” 

Why would the Gospels describe Jesus being born in a “feeding trough”?

Just as animals feed from a trough, so Christians are meant to feed on Christ. He is nourishment for our body and soul. We feed on his Word at Mass, and, ultimately, we feed on his Body and Blood in the Eucharist. 

Christians feed on Christ.

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Secondly, Jesus was wrapped in, “swaddling clothes.”

Just as a blanket was wrapped snugly around Christ’s body, so Christians are meant to conform their lives around Christ. We place our present, our past, and our future into his hands.

The opposite approach would be trying to wrap God around our own plans and desires.

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Although our Christmas gifts have been unwrapped and stowed away, we are invited to reflect upon the greatest gift of Christmas – Jesus Christ – year-round.

As we begin a new year, may we feed on his Word and his Body, and conform ourselves ever more to his will.

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Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Archdiocese of Washington (3) Beautiful Baby Jesus, Twitter