Friday of the Third Week of Advent
What do you think happened to the innkeepers? You know, the ones who turned away Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary? They were just doing their job, right? They were taking care of the people who got to their inn first and they were likely already overwhelmed by the task. Joseph and Mary were probably not the only ones turned away that night. But what if the innkeepers had known that they were turning away the Holy Family? Would it have mattered to them? Would they have believed it? Would they have offered to displace other guests in order to care for the Mother of God? Is that what Mary would have wanted?
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
I love the idea of paper calendars, and I even have one. But the truth is, I completely rely on my electronic calendar. Because it’s on my phone and because I have my phone with me all the time, I never fail to enter a new appointment or event. And I love it that it rings a delightfully cheerful “bell” ten minutes before I need to be somewhere like a meeting or class.
Monday of the Third Week of Advent
O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty, and awe.
Yesterday we began the ‘O’ Antiphons, alerting us that Christmas is only an octave (8 days) away. This year’s short Advent feels compressed since its last days fall early in this Third Week of Advent.
Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Interestingly today’s first reading and Gospel reference Elijah. The first reading from Sirach praises Elijah the prophet for doing what God called him to do. This passage can inspire us to reflect on God's call for us. We are reminded that, like with Elijah, God equips us with what we need to fulfill our call.
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
You’ve probably heard this saying (or something like it), “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Well, today’s gospel reading from Matthew (11:16-19) reminds me of this.
Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
When I hike amidst the tall pine trees or the thick tropical trees of the rainforest, I am filled with awe and wonder at the beauty of creation. Today’s first reading reminds us that God has given all of this beauty to us. How often do we take time to be grateful for these gifts and to be mindful of how we are caring for these treasures?
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
“The words of the living God cannot be suppressed or put to silence.” That statement, attributed to St Lucy, whose Feast we commemorate today, is a powerful reminder to us as we approach God’s Word today. Jesus, you are the Living Word; as we open your written Word today, open our hearts by your irresistible grace. May the Word read us so that by its power we might be transformed. Grant us the grace we need and humility of heart. We begin our prayer in your mighty Name, Jesus, Amen.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrates the miraculous appearance of Mary to a poor Indian near Mexico City some 470 years ago. On this Marian feast, I find myself reflecting on the Mother of God by thinking about my mom, my own motherhood, and the motherhood of all the many other women in my life (including the many ways to be mothers: biological, adoptive, foster, and spiritual).
Monday of the Second Week of Advent
The prophet Isaiah shines during Advent. “Isaiah twas foretold it…” as we sing in the beautiful carol Lo How a Rose. In fact, unique to the first two weeks of Advent, unlike the rest of the liturgical year, is priority for the first reading, more often than not from Isaiah of Jerusalem. The chosen Gospel of the day is supportive of that reading, rather than the other way around.
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to listen and act on what God is asking us to do to build the Kingdom of God. In the above quote, we are the laborers and God is the master of the harvest. Further in the passage, Jesus instructed that the Twelve apostles (and us) are to be generous with what God asks us to do since God generously gave to us: “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is one of my favorite feasts in the church for a variety of reasons. Mary is quite simply an incredible model of faith, discipleship, strength, compassion, and love. My devotion to Mary is rooted in my childhood experiences of listening to stories from my great aunt Helen about her trips to Marian apparition sites and praying the Rosary with my family at home in the living room with the statue of Mary. This relationship with the Immaculate mother of Jesus continued into my college years at the University of Dayton, learning more about the Marianist charism, and being involved in music ministry–each year on December 8th, the university hosts a wonderful community event called Christmas on Campus that finishes with a beautiful liturgy for today’s feast.
Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
In today’s psalm we are told, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” I hear in this message that we must take all things we do to prayer. In this prayer we must ask the Lord, to be our guide and to show us the way. It is better to live a life following God’s will and living out Jesus’ message than it is to give into the worldly pressures of our society. We are told that those who build their houses on rock – Christ – will survive and those who build their homes on the things of this world – sand – will crumble.
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Have you ever climbed a mountain? How does the experience of being on a mountain differ from being in the valley? Mountain climbing certainly can be a physically exhausting process. Yet part of the reason for going up a mountain often goes well beyond the physical. For those who have done it, getting to the top of a mountain is gratifying in an almost surreal way. Being at the top can be a spiritual experience. From the mountain top we see a perspective of the big picture that is often invisible from the valley. In my own experience, the beauty of the mountain top is enlivened by snow, clouds or even a fast approaching storm whose electricity demands our flight.
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
In 1980, CNN started the first ever 24-hour newscast. Back then, people were skeptical, and the network’s ratings showed it. Who needed news 24 hours a day? Wasn’t the nightly network newscast coupled with a local newscast and maybe a newspaper enough for the average American? Apparently not as many other 24-hour news networks followed and, over time, gained in popularity.
Monday of the First Week of Advent
Advent is the favorite time of year for many, shining with the virtue of hope. All religions are about faith and love. But Christianity alone places hope on equal footing.
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warned his disciples of being lax in their expectation of the coming of the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man. The evangelist Luke wrote to the early Christian community who were expecting the second coming of Jesus to arrive soon. Perhaps they were trying to predict specific dates and times of when this will happen. On the contrary, Jesus said that rather than be concerned about the precise date, his disciples should be vigilant.
Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Although humanity has experienced violence, wars, and natural disasters (not counting global climate change) for more than the two thousand years since the gospels were written, it seems we still hear (or say) the end times must be near. And as a people, don’t we like to know, to predict, to plan for and have control over our lives and future? It seems to be part of our human nature. The disciples of Jesus similarly wanted to know what to expect and when.
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Today is the feast day of the apostle St. Andrew. Both readings today highlight the importance of listening to and acting on God’s word. There are several times in the gospels where Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” How often are we listening to hear God speak to us, and if we aren’t listening, how can we do His will?
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The title of today's reflection, a play on the line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, illustrates the dichotomous light we may need to illuminate our own actions. Although the readings speak to the end times, a more overwhelming message rises to the top as we quickly approach Advent. Simply put, the times of trial and persecution will lead us to testify to our faith, in other words, to glorify God.
Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The future is not known to us human beings. And we don’t like that very much. To make it more rather than less predictable, we build structures in our lives—like jobs, schedules, habits, savings accounts, and so forth. These structures give us a sense of security and peace about what the future will be like.