Monday, December 31, 2018

Dec 31 - 7th Day of Christmas!


+ On this last day of the calendar year, before we celebrate the Octave of Christmas, it is fitting to read the magnificent beginning of St. John’s gospel describing Jesus as the Word of God – the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity – now made flesh – made like one of us – to dwell with us, so that we could take heart, so that we could see his glory – his glory as God’s own, full of grace and truth. Jesus came as light, with power, proclaiming truth! Those who live in truth are in the light, and the more light they get, the more truth they comprehend.



John, in another place, (in our first reading today) in his first letter, written later in his life, tells us that the age of the final hour has begun [the reality of which is stronger now than ever]; it has begun, but no one knows how long it will last; but in this hour both the truth, and many great lies will coexist in the world: there will be some who leave the flock and deliberately speak lies against the Christ, the Savior, the Messiah: they are the rightly named “antichrists:” there will be many, and their humanistic logic and earthbound wisdom will sound appealing to the basely human and earthbound souls: but to those who live the life of children of God – they will reject them, and accept only the words and wisdom of the Great Truth and the Great Light: Christ the Lord.



May we today be among the truth bearing and living, children of God, and may we reject and denounce the antichrists who are out there trying to tempt us to divert from God, to divert from the faith, to divert from the truth.



And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, we saw his glory full of grace and truth!

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Dec 30 - Feast of 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. Last Tuesday 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!

Friday, December 28, 2018

Dec 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!

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Dec 27 - St John the Apostle and 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 was given pride of place there, when Jesus allowed him to express his love for him by laying his head on his chest during the meal, 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, (as fully as he wishes to reveal it to each of us, which will be on a different depth and level for each of us, 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.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Dec 26 - St Stephen


+ Today in the shadow of the pinnacle of the Christmas celebration we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, the first to give his life for the truths proclaimed by the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ the Lord (as a composite whole), the first member of the Church to give his life for its founder.



All we know of Stephen is related in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the first deacons, and a preacher; and while preaching the Gospel in the streets, angry Jews who were angry at him for berating them, and believing his theological message to be blasphemy, dragged him outside the city, and stoned him to death. In the crowd, to the sight of the mob, who did nothing to stop the killing was a man who would later be known as St. Paul the Apostle. Before he died, Stephen asked God to forgive his attackers. This happened around the year 33.



And so, the veracity of the religion was shifted into a higher gear; and a tremendous example of martyrdom included one of Jesus’ most difficult sayings: pray for your persecutors, and even to expect to be put to death on account of his Name!



Stephen’s own wordsLord Jesus, receive my spirit, (echoing Christ’s own words on the Cross: into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit) – ought to be ours at all times – so that we live and die as members of Christ, joyfully, and as instruments of peace in his hands.



Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord:

 the Lord is God and has given us light.


Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Christmas Day


Today we celebrate the birth of the impossible, the nativity of the improbable: the coming to our earth of God-as-Man. “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us!” (Jn 1:14)



You know how when we are excited about something, we exclaim our joy by saying: “OH” – i.e. “O My Goodness” “O For Heaven’s Sake” even “O God” or when communicating to a person: “O Mary, O John” that was so nice of you! Well the same thing happened when the Great Drama of our Salvation quickened its pace and its heartbeat in this last week before Christmas:



We have just concluded the O Antiphon Series at the daily Evening Prayer of the Church (Vespers)  for the past seven days announcing the Royal Titles of the coming Messiah: (in joy we cry out): O Sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Jesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, O Emmanuel: translated: O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Sunrise, O Sovereign of the nations, O our God with usand now today we extend the “O sentiment” three steps more: O Great Mystery, O Wondrous Exchange, O Come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!



The text: O Great Mystery (Magnum Mysterium) is part of the celebration of the Midnight Hour (Matins) of the Divine Office for Christmas Day: O great mystery, and wondrous sacrament, that animals should see the newborn Lord, lying in their manger! Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear the Lord Christ. Alleluia.



For centuries, composers have been inspired by the beautiful text depicting the birth of the new-born King amongst the lowly animals and shepherds. It is a fitting affirmation of God’s grace to the meek and the adoration of the Blessed Virgin.  We will hear a majestic version sung by the Southwest Seminary Oratorio Chorus as our communion meditation at this Mass – Morten Lauridsen’s rendition soars to the height of the radiant star of Bethlehem. It is a truly stunning piece.



The central “O phrase” for our celebration today, however, and fodder for our spiritual Christmas pondering is this: O Wondrous exchange!

The Creator of human nature deigned to take on a human body and soul, and be born of the Virgin. He became man without having a human father and has bestowed on us His divine nature! O Wondrous exchange!



This, of course, is incomprehensible without faith – God’s own light-giving gift – the inner light of our souls, the warm glow of our hearts! With faith this exchange is beheld as an awesome event: God shares in our humanity, and we begin to share in his divinity! O Wondrous exchange!



God is now capable of suffering, capable of expiating (making up for) our sins by His sufferings, and of healing us by his humiliations!  Blessed be God forever! O Wondrous exchange!



We must participate in this exchange through faith. And the astounding gift the Christ child has for us in this exchange is that those who receive him by believing in Him have the power to become children of God – brothers and sisters of the Lord – and coheirs with him of an everlasting Kingdom. O Wondrous exchange!



And so then, come, O come ye joyful and triumphant ones, come ye poor and displaced ones, come ye homeless and ye starving, come ye jobless and ye overburdened, come ye politically enslaved and ye voiceless, come ye marginalized and downtrodden;  come ye young and ye old, come ye sick and infirm: come to Bethlehem and behold the King of angels; behold your Lord and your Friend, come as shepherds came, leaving their flocks, drawing nigh to gaze, with them to adore him with wonder, to embrace him with love, to reach out to him with hope  – and your life will never be the same again!



May the Spirit of the lowly, tiny and o so loving Child in the Animal’s Manger permeate your heart and soul, both now, this Christmas Day, and forever! Amen.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Dec 21 - Friday 3rd Week of Advent


+ Our gospel passage today speaks to us of the outgoing nature of the realization that God is present to us in an intimate way.  Immediately after Mary gives her consent and Christ becomes incarnate in her womb – her first motivational instinct is to go to her cousin Elizabeth who is also with child, and in her old age.



This is the dynamic that ought to be in play each time we receive the Lord almost as intimately, privately and personally in holy communion. While it is recommended that we pause for a few moments both right after reception or right after mass to ponder the magnitude of the Presence we now have deep in our hearts and souls, the Presence of our Creator, Sustainer, and Sanctifier, our Healer, our Lover, our Friend: Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us until the end of time.



But then shortly after that, we are “sent forth from the Mass” enlightened and strengthened to let our Light shine, the Light of Christ, through our words and deeds done for love of him. And once we set ourselves in motion – like Mary did in hastening to Elizabeth’s side – we will find we have all the power, stamina and grace we need to help meet the needs of others God places directly in our path this day.



God has spoken promises to us to – promises of sins forgiven, Paradise to be gained, eternal life of joy and superabundance to be enjoyed – Elizabeth can say to us today as she said to Mary so long ago – “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled!”



O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!


Thursday, December 13, 2018

Dec 13 - St Lucy


+ St Lucy was one of the most popular saints of the first centuries of the Church. Living in the early part of the fourth century, she was born in Syracuse, Sicily, to wealthy Christian parents of Greek ancestry. Raised in a pious family, she vowed her life to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young, and her mother arranged a marriage for her. For three years Lucy managed to keep the marriage on hold. To change her mother’s mind about her desire to give her life to Christ as a virgin, Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha for her mother’s bleeding illness to be cured, and it was cured, and so her mother agreed with Lucy’s desire to live for God.



Now, Lucy’s rejected bridegroom, denounced Lucy as a Christian to the governor of Sicily, who sentenced her to forced prostitution; but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even after hitching her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture, which included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but immediately went out. She then prophesied against her persecutors with a strong voice and was finally executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger.



Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. The removal of her eyes, and the meaning of her name “light” – led to her connection with eyes, the blind, eye trouble, and the like. Through her intercession may the eyes of our faith be enlightened this day, so that we can see clearly the marvels God is doing for us, has done and will continue to do, so long as we are faithful and persistent in our Christian beliefs. May we not be afraid to put things on the line for him and his glory, as did St. Lucy of Syracuse – for he may come again as he promised at any time, and like the wise virgins of the gospel passage today, we will then be ready to go into the wedding feast with him!



This is the wise virgin, whom the Lord found waiting; at his coming, she went in with him to the wedding feast!

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Dec 12 - Our Lady of Guadallupe


+ Today we celebrate the four apparitions (between December 9 to 12 in 1531) of the Blessed Virgin Mary to an Amerindian, Juan Diego, on Tepeyac hill outside of Mexico City, ten years after the defeat of the Aztec Empire at the hands of the Spanish conquerors. A painted, life-size figure of the Virgin as a young, dark-skinned American Indian woman with the face of a mestizo was imprinted on Juan Diego’s cloak. The image gave Indians the assurance that Christianity was not only the faith of their European conquerors, but a faith for them also; indeed, that Mary, the Mother of God, was loving and compassionate toward them.



In 1754 Pope Benedict XIV authorized a Mass and Office to be celebrated on December 12 in Mexico, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and he named Mary as patron saint of New Spain. She was designated patron saint of all of Latin America in 1910, and as “Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas” in 1945 by Pope Pius XII. Pope Benedict XVI declared this day a Holy Day of Obligation in Mexico, and extended the feast to the universal church.



Today we celebrate the simplicity and the faith of the woman who was clothed with the sun, having the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars: intercessor and friend and mother to all God’s children, including most especially we remember this day, the poor and the lowly of Latin America. Her greatness comes from her faith, her trust, her loving choices and her self-sacrificial life-style: may we imitate her today, and invoke her aid both for ourselves and our loved ones; and may we proclaim her greatness, not because we are forced to, but because we want to, because we love her – who is seated now beside the Great Intercessor Himself.



You are the highest honor of our race – Holy Virgin Mary!­­­

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Dec 11 - Tuesday 2nd Week in Advent


+ Our Advent readings today continue to reign us in on the abundant and amazing options that our God is placing before us, even this day! God wants nothing more than for us to feel the comfort and joy that he wants us to experience in the depths of our beings – even though we are sinners, even though we stray from his heart often, even though we walk  around and stumble in the dark a lot of the time. He wants to introduce us to the remedy for all our ills who will soon leap and bound from heaven to dwell among us and once and for all rectify the wrong that only he can rectify – and all will begin to be well for those who “buy into” the scenario of his redemptive love.



Like a shepherd he will feed his flock, in his arms he will carry his lambs – carrying them in his bosom and leading the ewes with care! We have an amazingly tender omnipotent God and Father! We are so very fortunate who are baptized into his life and care!



The gospel passage today confirms God’s never-failing love and desire to reign in all sheep from many pastures, especially those who are simply lost and don’t even know it! He delights in going after the weary and the lost sheep – and when the sheep surrenders to the loving gesture of God / Jesus picking it up – it will find an awesome covey of love and sweetness – as if it were the only sheep in the whole world.



This is the love God has for all of us – lost or not – and so we owe him so very much obedience, devotion, affection and love in return! and we put this into play when we ourselves seek out those in our day, in our passing by, who appear to be lonely, dejected, confused, weary or just plain lost!

Exult before the Lord, for he comes to rule the earth with power and LOVE!

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Dec 9 - Second Sunday of Advent


+ On this Second Sunday of Advent we reflect for a few moments on the motivation behind the Incarnation of Jesus: and that would be, LOVE!  Our God came to save us from certain doom and eternal separation from Him, by sending his Son who would make everything better, and in a big way – because they both loved us, unconditionally! And when that Messiah finally came, everything would have to be completely ready and prophesied to the last detail, the final prophesy being the straight-road by which he would be able to process into the history, into the lives of those who would never be the same because of his appearance.



This is why the mountains had to be lowered and the valleys filled in: so that the highway could be straight, smooth and inviting! “Salvation Street” could be the name of the road traveled by the Savior; a name that ought to be ever on our lips, if we are to enjoy the blessings of the one who traveled on it!



St. Paul tells the Philippians today that he is so happy with them because they are carrying out the good work that the Holy Spirit began in them with their baptisms: they became a truly loving people, truly possessing the great knowledge of the treasure they were entrusted with: life in Christ Jesus, the Divine Love-of-God-made-flesh! They were excited about the prospect of being blameless when Christ returns in glory! Can we share their excitement? What is the evidence on our behalf? My dear friends, we must share it!



And so, may we, in the remainder of this Advent season, contemplate often the great things that God has done for us, because his Son literally traveled down the dusty streets of a Holy Land for our benefit – so that even we today could be filled with joy and hope and peace knowing that God’s love for us is so large, encompassing, expansive and enduring that it will draw us safely into eternity where we belong!



Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,

          so that he can reach us, and we can reach him!

         

Friday, December 7, 2018

Dec 7 - 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.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Dec 2 - First Sunday of Advent


+ Today we begin again, telling the story of “Jesus come from heaven to be our Redeemer, Our Savior and our Friend”: today, the first Sunday of Advent is New Year’s Day in the Church! It is time to make resolutions for the coming days, weeks and months.  This is a time of planning how to open ourselves more to the influence of grace, and the action of faith and love in our lives.



Our readings remind us that we are all part of the great drama of salvation as active participants: the Scriptures are not just something we read in Church and occasionally at home, but have nothing really literally to do with us personally. This is wrong thinking. The Scriptures have everything to do with us as personally, individually and as families and communities. Even if we were the only person living on earth they would have been written for us because of the final page that is not yet written: the page on which the conclusion of the grand drama of salvation takes place when Christ the King comes on a cloud and call us, by name, (if just one of us) to make an accounting of our life and then to be placed where he would have us placed – on his right or left! We must be called or we will not be placed, so this is very personal indeed.



St. Paul tells the Thessalonians in the second reading (and us), that increasing in grace, love and faith is the best way to go, and the only way to be sure that we will end up in the right place and the right time at the end. He tells us to conduct ourselves so as to please God, always, just as we did at the first moment of our baptisms. If we do this at all times, then we will be ready!



Let us therefore, as the gospel urges us, stand straight and tall when some of the calamities that might signal that the end is near, do, in fact, begin to occur - (do you read the newspapers, and watch the evening news on TV?); Be brave, then, for our redemption just might be at hand: but no matter when it will be truly at hand, be ready, clear minded, sober, stress free and alert. Be mindful!



And so vigilance at all times, is the watchword, while rejoicing in the fact that if we are faithful to Christ, he will be faithful to us, and we will stand strong when things really get interesting on that great and Last Day!



O come, O come, Emmanuel!

 

Friday, November 30, 2018

Nov 30 - St. Andrew, Apostle


+ It is the feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle. There must have been something in his voice, there must have been something in the way he said things, there must have been something in his look and manner that would make these four long-time dedicated fishers of fish leave everything immediately and follow someone who has just offered to make them “fishers of men.” What could this possibly mean? But, they didn’t have to stop to figure it all out: their intuition, their instinct, their gut told them to go and find out what this new adventure was all about.



Andrew was actually the first Apostle called by Jesus as seen in another account; he was the brother of Simon Peter and led him to Jesus. He was a follower of John the Baptist; and like John, he spent his life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. He was a missionary in Asia Minor and Greece and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. He was martyred on a saltire (x-shaped) cross and is said to have preached from it for two days before he died.



There are several legendary explanations for why St. Andrew became patron of Scotland. The first being that in 345, the Emperor Constantine the Great decided to move Andrew’s bones from Patras, Greece to Constantinople. Then St. Regulus of Scotland was instructed by an angel to take these relics to the far northwest. He was eventually told to stop on the Fife coast of Scotland, where he founded the settlement of St. Andrew. And, when the Pictish King, Angus, faced a large invading army, he prayed for guidance. A white cloud in the form of a saltire cross floated across the blue sky above him. Angus won a decisive victory and decreed that Andrew would be the patron saint of his country. The Saltire became the national flag of Scotland in 1385.



The first reading today from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans beautifully describes the mission of the apostle and evangelist. The world must hear the Good News in order to believe in it; and someone must be sent to bring that Good News to the waiting world: this would be the Apostles and their successors and helpers. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. May we rejoice that their voice has gone forth to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world; and may we do our part today to spread that word, that message, that hope to at least one person, if not many!



Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.

St. Andrew, pray for us!

---

Meditation:

When St. Andrew first caught sight of the gibbet on which he was to die, he greeted the precious wood with joy.  "O good cross!" he cried, "made beautiful by the limbs of Christ, so long desired, now so happily found!  Receive me into thy arms and present me to my Master, that He Who redeemed me through thee may now accept me from thee."  Two whole days the martyr remained hanging on this cross alive, preaching, with outstretched arms from this chair of truth, to all who came near, and entreating them not to hinder his passion.




Monday, November 26, 2018

Nov 26 - Monday 34th Week in OT


+ The gospel passage today sets an important precedent: God is very pleased when we trust him absolutely and give until it hurts, give even our last penny to his service. God takes care of his own, his children, and when he sees them with so much love and trust, he immediately and directly sees to their needs. We say in the prayer that Jesus taught us: give us this day our daily bread: this is exactly what it means: we also say with the psalmist: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” – indeed I shall not want for anything that is essential to my life on this sojourn to heaven.



The only real evaluation of the situation that we can make on the natural level is to use of frail and broken reasoning: and hoping against hope, holding our breath, drop the last of our earthly fortune into the hands of the Church – but if we could look at it from God the Father perspective, he can see that his trusting beloved one is not hoping against hope at all: but rather hoping with all her/his might so that we can soon sing our Father’s praises for taking care of us once again.



May we pray today for such childlike abandon and confidence, so that once we give away what we think will be our last gifts – like the multiplication of loaves and fishes – God will see to it that we have more than enough for our own true needs as he see them, and the needs of others, as he sees them.



They shall receive blessings from the Lord, those who seek his face, and love him with all their hearts!

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Nov 21 - Wednesday 33rd Week in OT


+ Our gospel passage today has to do with the investment of the gifts that God entrusts to each of us. Just as God can distribute 10, 5 1 talents to whomever he wishes – and he expects us to use them for his glory and to help other human beings who in the scheme of things only we have been placed with them to do.



The passage shows how the ones with the 10 and the 5 invested the money and brought forth even many more good abilities and creative ways to give God glory and their neighbors the help they needed. But the person with 1 – knowing the master expected a return on the trust placed to him – wrongly concluded that the best thing to do was not to lose the 1, but to carefully guard, protect and bury it until his master’s return. The master was very angry at this report and he took the one and gave it to the man with the 10 – and disparaged the carrier by saying: you could have at least put the money in the bank so I could have interest on it. Then Jesus concludes the lesson by saying that: everyone who has will be given more (if it is rightly invested), but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is not harsh – it is just in the way God sees things, which unfortunately 99% of the time is not the way man sees them.



Let us then be industrious and prudent possessors of the many gifts that God gives us on behalf of others – let us give until it hurts, and then give them some more! That’s what Jesus did on the Cross – he gave it ALL – and won for us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in a glorious new kingdom that awaits us all!



I chose you from the world to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last, says the Lord!

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Nov 15 - St. Albert the Great


+ Albert the Great was born in 1200 in Swabia, near Ulm, Germany, the son of a military nobleman. He joined the Dominicans while studying at the University of Padua in 1223 and taught theology at Cologne Germany, and Paris France. He became an influential teacher, preacher and administrator. Against his will he was named bishop of Regensburg in 1260; and because of his inability to deal with the serious problems in the diocese, he resigned the see in 1262 to devote his time and energy once again to teaching and writing in Cologne. He partook of the Council of Lyons despite the shock of the announcement of the death of St. Thomas Aquinas on his own way to the council. Albert introduced Greek and Arabic science and philosophy to medieval Europe and was known for his wide interest in what became known later as the natural sciences – botany, biology and the like.



He wrote and illustrated guides to his observations and was considered on a par with Aristotle as an authority on these matters. Albert’s health began to fail him in 1278 as he lapsed into a form of dementia today called Alzheimer’s disease. He died on November 15, 1280 and was buried in the Dominican church in Cologne. He was beatified in 1622 and canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church and patron saint of students of the natural sciences in 1931.



As the Book of Sirach tells us in the first reading today, it is he who fears the Lord – who understands his dependent relationship with the almighty, loving, Creator, Father – who is given the gift of deep insight into the realities of both heaven and earth. Albert the Great must have then had a deep and real sense of fear of his Lord and God to reach the heights of understanding and knowledge that he did.

The gospel passage tells us that as we await the end, saints and sinners must coexist side by side, but as we try the best we can to be saints and influence sinners to turn away from sin, we trust God that, fearing him, and using the gifts he gives us will help the cause – as St. Albert the Great used his!



Lord, teach me your statutes.


Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Nov 13 - Tuesday 32nd Week in OT


+ Our readings today are pointed and right on time.  St. Paul, through Bishop Titus, is laying the groundwork for millennia of Christian attitudes, guidelines, and boundaries. If you belong to Christ then the presence of the Holy Spirit, his Father’s gift and his, will inform all that you think, say and do, and therefore you will appear to be “different” from the wild, boundary-less, children of the world and of the devil.



Words like: “temperate, dignified, self-controlled, reverent in behavior, models of good deeds, using sound speech and giving God the credit for all these things – accompany those who truly have Christ as their King, their Lord and their Savior.



The gospel passage reminds us that we are to do these things classifying ourselves as “unprofitable servants” who have done “what we were obliged to do.” This reflects the fact that the very power to do any of these virtuous deeds does not come from us, for without God’s grace, we can literally not even move a muscle.



When we recognize that God is God and we are not – then we will act as his true children, dependent on him for everything we need to use the talents and gifts he has given us to make life better for others – as we  progress in our journey through this vale of tears to the teeming shores of the Waters of Life that flow from the very White Throne of God in his heavenly Temple!



Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in his native land and be granted your heart’s deepest requests.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Nov 8 - Thursday 31st Week in OT


+ In the first reading for Mass today from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians he tells them that once one comes to a better, more truthful perspective and insight into something – then one is bound to grab onto it, to investigate it, and to apply it to one’s life of service to others. This after all is what the heart knows is the purpose of human life: to love and serve others, as we have been loved and served by God. This too is a lifelong learning task for us.



Paul says that his whole earlier life as a zealous Jew, even an overzealous one – persecuting the Christians as he did – once the higher calling and insight was presented he went for it with all his might, with all his being and with all his heart: everything else became loss, he says.



In the gospel passage the finding of the lost sheep and the lost coin, sparks a flame of rejoicing and merry-making because we know deep inside, when the lost is found, there is an innate sense of relief and the celebration: and we also have an innate evangelical sense that we need to call in our friends and not celebrate just alone,



Whether we find ourselves as the one who loses something today or are witness to someone else finding something of value – we need to actively, in the presence of others, celebrate the grace that made the finding possible: there are no coincidences. Grace loves to increase in a party with others.



Let us not forget that at each Mass we attend, or prayer time that we engage in at home or on the road, it is a chance for God to find us, if we seem lost to ourselves or others, and for us to look around and try to find another who might need our help in being found by God – maybe through us.



This is the day the Lord has made, it is full of surprises and opportunities to put our love and our faith into action, either energized by reception of Holy Communion if that is possible, or in making any number of Spiritual Communions – moments set aside to “let God find us adoring him, praising him, thanking him, and asking for help in matters great and small” – then our light will shine today – and when our head hits the pillow tonight we will quickly drift off into an experience of deep restful sleep – with angels watching by our side!



Amen.


Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Nov 7 - Wednesday 31st Week in OT


+ St Paul tells the Philippians, and it applies to us as well, that once safe in the Body of Christ, the Church, we have to work for our salvation! Now, wait a minute, isn’t that already a contradiction that doesn’t make too much sense: if salvation is a free gift, and cannot be worked for, then why are we ordered now to “work for it.” Good question!



The key to the answer is the Prime Mover, or the Origin of the Salvation: and that is God in his mercy, love and forgiveness. We may not be able to produce the salvation on our own, but once its deposited in our souls, then we darn well better work to keeping it there – and to reach it.



So faith and works, good works done in imitation of Christ, and for love of his Father, is the formula for life, here and hereafter!



The “world” – held hostage by the Devil – for the time being – though not permanently so – will always be “the crooked and perverse” reality that all are meant to wallow in as a test – but activated and energized, like the bunny, we are meant to shine like lights, like stars, like objects of hope, in the twisted and perverse generation that will always be there – until the end of time.



Jesus puts it another way in the gospel passage: if you want to complete your salvation – then you must focus on it absolutely and totally – turning away from an attachments to family, work, pleasure or anything else – you must take up your cross and follow me to the kingdom – the is your “work of salvation” – “I carried my cross to Calvary” – your are to carry yours to the same place – so you can have the full benefits of my Resurrection – which I activated for you!



Did you not know or remember, that every time you come to Mass – you come to the one and the same Sacrifice of Calvary – you are there – so that your sins the you commit now, and those of your brothers and sisters in the church for whom you pray – will be forgiven – and the gates of heaven will be opened widely to us and to them!



May the communion we receive today be truly the pledge of our participation in our own reconciliation with God – and may we resemble more and more in thought, word and deed, the Christ who becomes us, and we become him as the host digests into both our physical and spiritual systems.



Lord, help me to keep my light shining brightly so I can see my way through this day, and so I can help others see their way as well! Amen.

Monday, November 5, 2018

Nov 5 - Monday 31st Week in OT


+ Our readings today are simple and beautiful.  The first reading finds St. Paul telling the Philippians that the thing that would make him most happy is, as baptized members of Christ, having his very life within them,  to be united in their convictions and in their love for one another – having a common purpose, and a common mind. United in mind and heart therefore.



He tells them that there should be no competition among them, no conceit, but everyone is to be self-effacing, and always to consider the other person to be better than themselves, and to consider his / her interests above their own.



The hallmark of being a Christian is love: See how they love one another!! This was said about the early Christians – can it truly be said of us, here, now? If not, we have work to do – because this is actually the only thing that God will be interested in taking an account of us one day: how we loved one another rather than ourselves.



This is again, illustrated and highlighted in the gospel passage when Jesus tells the Pharisees that when giving a lunch they should invite not their cozy little in group, who can repay you with a like feast at their house, but no, they are to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind – because they cannot repay you. This is the virtuous thing to do. After all he is telling the Pharisees that such guests are actually him in a sort of disguise. Reward will come with an eternal banquet prepared in heaven.



All there is is love – plain and simple! If we live this way – we are truly Christian, truly Catholic, and truly members of Christ – and will be so forever in heaven. Amen.  

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Nov 1 - All Saints


+ Today is the great feast day of all the saints in heaven: the canonized and the not yet canonized. So often we think of saints as those who live a pure, holy and basically unearthly life and then somehow get assumed into heavenly glory. There are a small minority of those in heaven. There are also those specially chosen by God to go outside their often-times selfish comfort zones and do something really important for the life of the Church – when crises arise and spiritual heroes are needed to bolster the faith, and lead the flock. Among these are those who found religious orders who preach, teach, take care of the poor and the sick and the suffering.



But I think more important than all of those are the ones who lived a real human life, encountering real human interactions, making mistake after mistake after they committed themselves to lead good Christian Catholic lives, but kept getting up and starting over again – who are also called to heroic measures of self-sacrifice, love, compassion, helping those God the Father places directly in their paths each day: be they family, coworkers, or total strangers – who wake up when Jesus hits them over the head somehow and says: hey I want to use you for my game plan – in saving people, in saving the world, are you game?? St. Paul comes to mind here, and St. Francis and saints to be like Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day.



These are the kind of saints who eventually – when their own strivings and wills are smashed, put to rest and buried: can at last think only of doing what God would have them do: thus living the life of Beatitude proclaimed by Jesus in the gospel passage. Brother Richard Steinberg, aka Paul Andre, JSC RN is such a saint now that he has been “transferred to the Motherhouse in heaven” as the Joyful Servants of the Cross like to put it – he lived a very full life and was tempted in all of the ways the rest of us are – but as he puts it: when God hits me over the head and gets my attention, then I am willing to do what he asks of me: and great great things he did indeed as a monk previously, as a soldier, as a husband, as a father, as a nurse, as a gardener, as a gourmet cook – giving his all for the people God put in his life – and many cats, and dogs, and birds, and geese and ducks as well!



In co-founding the Joyful Servants of the Cross, we both followed God’s bidding – and lived 13 years a life of true holiness, worship, study, recreation, and hard work in the vineyard of the Lord: he as a nurse, and me as a priest.



Brother was more than ready to make the simple leap into his promised eternal inheritance on February 5th of this year, the feast of St. Agatha, Patron of Nurses of all days: and now with all the other saints of any making – while glorifying God at each moment, still do all they can for us here on earth who are still “in via” on the road to where they are!



I have not a shadow of a doubt that Brother is here at our monastery in spirit, and that he is very active in inspiring and suggesting things as to how I an “keep the order going as long as I can” – which was his last wish for the group.



Yes, there are Saints, and then there are saints of all sizes, ages, stages and flavors: and the are just so willing for you to pray to them, talk with me, do things with them, things that will help the Kingdom to Come more this day than yesterday! Just think, one day we can be saints WITH THEM! AMEN!



Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints!

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...