Friday, December 30, 2016

December 30 - The Holy Family

+ On this Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I should like to focus on the person of St. Joseph. Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Child Jesus, next Friday we will celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and of God, and so today it is fitting and proper to speak for a few moments on holy, just, good and faith-filled Joseph who was chosen by God to be the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus the Lord.

Joseph possessed all of the virtues of a true holy man of the faith of Abraham and the house of David. And his most outstanding virtue, along with faith, would have to be TRUST! Joseph trusted God absolutely, implicitly, unquestioningly and immediately!

In the gospel passage we hear that Joseph received news from an angel in a dream to take the child and his mother and flee into Egypt for the safety of the life of the child. Joseph did not have to question the angel at all; he awoke and did what the angel told him!

Then later, when it was safe, the prophecy: out of Egypt I called my son was fulfilled, when the angel again appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family and return to Nazareth in Galilee – to fulfill yet another prophecy: he shall be called a Nazorean – this Joseph did immediately!

It was then that Joseph became the strong earthly father figure for Jesus in his formative years in the home of Nazareth. He taught him his own carpentry trade. He with Mary taught Jesus to pray and to observe all of the dictates of the Jewish religion of which they were a part. His loving example of husband and foster-father is a great role model for all men who marry and have children. And the respect and submission that Mary and Jesus had to Joseph’s God-inspired leadership in their family was equally noteworthy.

Mary was the ideal mother and wife – who trusted God that all would work out well for her family! It would not be easy later on – but with the support of Joseph for a while, and the community of disciples of Jesus after that, she would have what she needed for the remainder of her earthly life. And it is to be noted that Jesus, as a child obeyed Joseph without question or argument!

May our family lives resemble Holy Family Life – with parents and children respecting and loving and anticipating one another in deeds of kindness and helpfulness. And may the dynamic of the marriage of Mary and Joseph, be the model for all Christian marriages – which were sanctified and sacramentalized by their own Son Jesus – where the husband cherishes and cares totally for the wife and children more easily, the more they each in turn trust in and submit to his prayer inspired, Spirit aided decisions for their welfare.

Let the peace of Christ control our hearts, all of us;
let the word of Christ dwell in us richly through FAITH and the TRUST

that St. Joseph inspires!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

December 29 - Christmas Weekday

+ The two beautiful Christmas Season readings “shine the light,” if you will, on the formula for life, the formula for peace that Jesus – Messiah and Lord – came to proclaim! “The light is love” proclaims St. John in the first reading today; and love is all inclusive, including all of our brothers and sisters of the human family, including even the most lost and errant among them.

It is only when we refuse to give up on them, and we “bathe them in the light of God’s mercy and love” with our prayers and best wishes that there can be any chance of peace on earth!

Beloved Simeon in the Gospel passage was granted his heart’s desire: to take in his arms the awesome promised Messiah and King – who is a light of revelation to all the nations and the glory of Israel! His promise is to us too: to reveal a right path for the tiny nations of our own lives, and to help us give glory to his Father and ours, in heaven!

And then there will be more peace on earth this day than less, because we have taken Jesus into our arms and into our hearts, and are part of the solution and formulation of his peace, rather than the problem and cause of discord behind blocking it from entry!

Glory to God in high heaven, and on earth peace to men, women and children who really try to get it right!



Wednesday, December 28, 2016

December 28 - The Holy Innocents

+ The Holy Innocents were the boy children of Bethlehem and its vicinity who were put to death not because of Christ, but instead of Christ: thus being the first New Testament persons to give their lives for him: thus making them the first martyrs of Christendom! All male children under the age of two were put to death when Herod became infuriated at being deceived by the Magi whom he sent to ascertain the whereabouts of the Child who was born King of the Jews: for he felt that his own throne was threatened by this newborn King. Anywhere from five to twenty-five children were taken from their mother’s and killed – in one account; but other accounts and observances from other rites in the Church list the number as 14,000 (in the Greek Liturgy for today), 64,000 in the Syrian Rite, and 144,000 of the Apocalyptic interpretation: [in any and every case] thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah regarding “Rachel weeping for her children.”

The feast has been celebrated on this day in the West since the sixth century. They are depicted in art as children playing around God’s heavenly altar with the crowns and palms that are their reward. They are also in a mosaic arch in the basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. In England their feast was called Childermas. They are the object of special veneration in Bethlehem where the Franciscans and children of the choir visit their altar under the Church of the Nativity and sing a hymn to their memory from the Divine Office.

May we always remember the sacrifices that were made by many to establish to the one true Church of Jesus Christ, beginning with the glorious martyrdom of these dear young children; may our sacrifices today on behalf of the Church and its continued spread be significant and loving, and also deserving of heavenly reward.


Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare!

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

December 27 - St. John, Evangelist

+ St John the Apostle and Evangelist was a son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St James the Greater and a fisherman; he with his brother James were called the sons of thunder, due to the enthusiasm with which they approached the work of the apostolate when they were disciples of Jesus.

John was first a disciple of John the Baptist and then a friend of St. Peter. He was called by Jesus to be a disciple (and later Apostle) during the first year of his ministry, and traveled everywhere with him, becoming so close as to be known as the beloved disciple. He took part in the Last Supper, and the next day was the only one of the Twelve not to forsake the Savior in the hour of his Passion, standing at the foot of the cross, with Mary the Mother of Jesus, whom he received into his home at Jesus’ request.

Upon hearing of the resurrection, John was the first to reach the tomb; when he with the Eleven met the risen Lord at the lake of Tiberias, he was the first to recognize him. During the era of the new Church, he worked in Jerusalem and at Ephesus. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and most likely the Book of Revelation. He was the last of the Twelve to die, as a special grace and favor of the Lord to whom he was indeed the beloved.

In fact, the Incarnation of God’s love found in Jesus was ever the theme of John’s entire life and preaching: when he was very old, and there were gatherings of Christians, John would simply say to them: “My little children, love one another.” John died in exile, most likely on the island of Patmos, the only Apostle not submitted to a martyr’s death: not that he was not willing, but by God’s favor.

May we today pray for the grace to understand fully the mystery of the Word-Made-Flesh, and the enormity of the Divine Love for all of Creation that is found in the manger of Bethlehem, a place which sang sweetly of the fact that now with the arrival of this Babe-Messiah, all is well, all is really well for those who want it to be: may our lives reflect the life of the one in whom we are indeed baptized and sent to tell the “good news” story of: Christ the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord, you just.


Saturday, December 24, 2016

December 25 - Christmas

There are two great moments during the ordinary calendar year when all people, all nations and indeed all of creation “grinds to an amazing halt,” and for one brief, reverential, fearful, silent, awesome and wonderful moment “holds its breath!” It is undeniable, as most guardians of philosophies and theologies can tell you and it happens every year like clock-work.

The first of these moments we recall and celebrate right NOW. It is the proclamation of the good news, the greatest of all times, that God has broken into human history (and become one of us) – he has “pitched his tent among his people” – so that he could relate to them simply, directly,  powerfully and personally this message: “I LOVE YOU” – so very, very much – LOVE ONE ANOTHER, THEN, as much!

I love you enough to reduce myself to the form of a tiny, weak and vulnerable baby, born in a stable in Bethlehem – because there was no room for him at the adjacent inn. The animals there gladly offered their house and were very proud and happy that Emmanuel (God-with-us) was born there – right where they ate supper – He who was to give himself as Food and Supper to everyone later on for their spiritual strength and comfort throughout life.

Yes, there is something radically different about Christmas Day – no matter who you are – you can just feel it.

The other moment during the year that causes all of the universe to hold its breath was the event at 3pm on a Friday afternoon in early April on a hill outside Jerusalem – Calvary they called it; for at that moment GOD’S VERY LOVE FOR ALL OF HUMANITY AND CREATION – MADE FLESH, JESUS CHRIST -  DIED A HUMAN DEATH – a very real one – to save all of humanity and creation from its sins and failings – so that the great and necessary reconciliation between God and the world could finally be accomplished – so that the gates of heaven could be dramatically swung open once again to receive all of the faithful who love God and try to live how Jesus asked them to live. [These ways are kept in written form in a book called The Bible, for those who want to know what they are and who want to follow them.]

Yes, we cannot have “the crib without the cross.”

Perhaps each day this coming New Year we can pause for a moment, take a deep breath and thank God our Father for coming up with so marvelous and mysterious a plan, a way for us to have our sins forgiven, and to live with Him forever, and think of “the crib and cross” of Jesus his Son, our Brother, that made it all possible.

And into the darkness of the night came the Light of God’s love –
and God’s peace -


[Merry Christmas to all, and God’s richest blessings be upon you!]

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

December 6 - St. Ambrose

+ Today we celebrate the feast of a remarkable man and servant of God. Ambrose of Milan was born of Roman nobility in Trier in 397, (two of his brothers were also saints: Marcellina and Satyrus). He was educated in the classics at Rome. He was a poet and a noted orator, a convert to Christianity and governor of Milan, Italy. When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides and impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. His resistance, causing more violence, led to his assent, and on December 7, 374 he was baptized, ordained as a priest and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.

Ambrose became a noted preacher and teacher, a Scripture scholar of renown, and a writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arianism. His preaching helped convert St. Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins. He was proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298. The title Honey Tongued Doctor was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. He died on Holy Saturday, April 4, 397 at Milan, Italy, of natural causes.

In the gospel passage today Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd, who would live and die for the welfare of the sheep of his flock; this very much characterized the life and ministry of one of the greatest bishops of the Church, Ambrose of Milan. He did everything he did for them and for their salvation; as did Jesus. St. Paul in the first reading reminds us how important it is for any and all of us to be open to the grace of God as it tries to communicate to us and through us the very reality and power of God in our lives, giving us boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him to the very mysteries of God. We are so very blessed; may we live like we deeply appreciate these blessings this day!

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.


Monday, December 5, 2016

December 5 - Weekday in Advent

+ Jesus heals the paralytic because he saw the faith of those who lowered him through the roof.

In their own hearts, they have seen “the glory of the Lord” and that is why they are so eager to make firm knees that are weak, and to say to their friend “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God.”

Advent calls us to be such a friend “for those with a journey to make.”


Let us remember now all those for whom we are praying with as much faith as we can muster – let us put it in the hands of God – and then wait for the answer that will surely come in God way and God’s time.

Friday, December 2, 2016

December 2 - Weekday in Advent

+ In a certain sense we are all like blind men crying, Son of David have pity on us!” But from such faith erupts the making of all things new: the lowly find joy, the poor rejoice, tyrants are no more, the arrogant go away, the deaf hear, the lame leap like stags, and “out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind see.”

Faith is acknowledging the presence of Jesus who is always passing by. Immersed in Jesus’ newness, let us keep crying out his holy name in reverent, endless awe…Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

Our day will be filled with opportunities to announce this message of HOPE to everyone God puts in our path. We ask Blessed Mother Mary to lead us to those people and then for Jesus to minister to them through us.


Behold, our Lord shall come with power; he will enlighten the eyes of his servants. 

Happy New Year 202

  A Happy New Year to you all! I hope and pray I am able to keep this blog up to date now that we are entering into the New Year! I would li...