wpengine

Scripture:

1 John 1:1-4
John 20:1a, 2-8

Reflection:

Yes Virginia, there is a . . . risen Lord?  I have to admit that I checked and rechecked to make sure I had the correct readings for today.  Didn’t we just welcome the Christ child into the world?  Are you really asking me to think about Jesus’ suffering and death so soon after celebrating his birth?  Christ as a baby is promise and possibility and hope.  How can we not feel joy when we think of a newborn babe.  And now, so soon after Christmas carols and twinkling lights, we come to the grave.

But that’s when I realized there is the greatest joy in this gospel.  This grave, of course, is empty.  Jesus is risen.  Death and sin are conquered.  We have been saved!  John explains in his first letter, "the life was made visible."  Jesus had to be born so that he could die.  How easily we forget this when we are eating candy canes and unwrapping presents.  Jesus became flesh and lived and breathed a real human existence.  His suffering was a human suffering.  After his death, those who loved him buried him.  Now here is where the story gets interesting.  When Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb in the third day, she finds the burial clothes are rolled up and the tomb empty.

Today’s gospel is really the completion of the Christmas story.  Jesus had to live so that he could die.  But the Father could have brought Jesus to earth however he chose.  He could have appeared as a full grown man.  He could entered the world through apparition.  But Jesus’ victory over death is miraculous precisely because he was a real person.  When he closed his eyes and handed his life over, even those who witnessed his greatness on earth understood what that meant.  It was over.  Evil had won.  Jesus was dead.  Those who live in faith in fellowship with our Lord know of course, that is not where the story ends. 

I’m sure many of us looked around the Christmas table this year and grieved for those who were not there.  I know I spent more than a few moments this week feeling more than a little bit sorry for myself as I was missing family members who have passed.  Did I really forget the Easter message just because it was Christmas!

Death is vanquished.  It’s isn’t our enemy anymore.  It means that every day-every moment-is a new chance.  We have been rescued from its grip.  Jesus was good and innocent, and he willingly sacrificed himself so that we could be free.  But we know that death now promises a new beginning for those who live in the Lord.  So, what can we possibly have left to fear?  Let’s greet 2011 with the power of that faith. 

 

Marlo Serritella is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago.

 

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

 Scripture:

Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14
Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Reflection:

"He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled."

It is December 26.  Christmas Day is over. Presents are opened. Families have gathered from near and far and the good news of the Christ child’s birth is known worldwide. All of our anticipation and hope for a happy, peaceful, holy Christmas as we await the birth of Jesus is set aside until next year.

But, today we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  The baby who would be our salvation is born into our world and completes a family.  I often look at the different artistic depictions of the Holy Family, mother, father and child, and wonder: did Mary know the hurt and agony that she would endure watching her son being beaten and crucified?

When a child is born either at the start of or an addition to a family, there is so much hope, so much anticipation, so many good wishes for a happy, healthy child; a fresh start.

I remember when my children were born; it seems like yesterday.  I look and see what fine young men they have grown in to and think: was it really that many years ago?  Something happens when people become parents.  Suddenly you are responsible for a whole other life beyond your own.  It is a huge weight of responsibility.  However, with this responsibility is an instant love and a fierce, fierce feeling of having to protect this innocent helpless baby.

I think it is this instant love and protection that Joseph experiences and with the help of the Angel of the Lord, he takes Mary and Jesus in the night to keep them safe, to protect them from harm.  "He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled."

A blessed Christmas season to all, and may the New Year bring you good health, happiness and peace.

  

Claire Smith is on staff at the Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.

 

.

Christmas Day

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 9:1-6 
Psalm 96:1-3, -13 
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14

  

Reflection:

In 1983 I was in Ireland at the end of the Jubilee Year.  Throughout all of the country you could find in every church a banner.  On this banner was the image of a Celtic cross.  Within the cross, there were eight frames each depicting the Advent/Christmas event.  This started with the four Sundays of Advent followed by Christmas, Feast of Mary the Mother of God, Jesus’ temptations in the desert, and finally the Baptism of Jesus.                              

Just as it took a number of events in the life of Jesus to celebrate appropriately His truth for the Jubilee Year, so too at Christmas.  The church finds it impossible to express in one liturgy the richness of this day.  The Feast of Christmas is so rich the church assigns three masses to this day to capture the theological truth of this celebration.  The Mass at Midnight celebrates the historical birth of Jesus.  The Mass at Dawn celebrates the birth of Jesus as a liberating king, living among us.  The Mass at Day celebrates the new age inaugurated in us the baptized. 

Most children can relate to the Christmas story very readily.  The birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds, the manger, the swaddling clothes, and the song of the angels.  What is said beneath all the images is that #1. The incarnation of Christ happened among us in a very human condition.  #2. The Divine is known in the Child (the angels sing, the night is illumined).  #3. Only those of humble heart can know this Wonder.  #4.  It is the poor, the outcasts, the shepherds who see and believe.  #5.  The Child weak and voiceless, with neither legal rights or power will shake the kingdom and destroy evil.  All this will be accomplished through a helpless child who comes to us in the middle of the night. 

  

Fr. Kenneth O’Malley, C.P. is the archivist at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  

Christmas Eve

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Luke 1:67-79

Reflection:

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us. 

Today’s liturgy reminds us of deep feeling of love that God has for us.   He expresses this by breathing his Incarnate Word into our world.   The expression tender compassion is a translation of the original Greek New Testament word splagchnon.   This is one of the strongest words in the Bible for the bottomless  affection that God has for us.

This monumental love of God for us in the birth of Christ should quiet all our fears and anxieties.  The prophet Zephiniah 3:16 tell us "God will quiet you with his love".  His love in the infant Jesus should silence all our anxiety.   When we gaze at the crib He in effect tells us to shut up, and rest in His love.   Praise to His compassion we are thousands of times more important to Him than He is to us.  "Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord: for He is risen from His holy habitation." Zck 2:13

 

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

 

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Luke 1:57-66

Reflection:

Perhaps you’ve heard about the lawsuit against McDonald’s for enticing children to eat unhealthy foods by way of offering toys in their "Happy Meals." This has spurred discussion once again about the role of parents in bringing up their children.

This came to mind as I reflected on our Gospel reading, which relates the events around the birth of John the Baptist. You may remember that Elizabeth, John’s mother, was thought to be incapable of having children, and that Zechariah, John’s father, was struck mute by the angel Gabriel, because he had trouble believing what the angel told him about Elizabeth conceiving a child.

When Mary visits her, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit when she greets Mary (See December 21^st). When John is born, and about to be named, and the relatives ask Zechariah what the boy should be named, he affirms what Elizabeth told them, and writes on a tablet, "John is his name." And Zechariah’s mouth is opened, he is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he blesses God.

So we see Elizabeth and Zechariah filled with the Holy Spirit. Years later we see John also filled with the Holy Spirit, preparing the way for Jesus. As Elizabeth and Zechariah raised John, can we not imagine them telling him how he had been blessed by God from the very beginning of his life?

Wouldn’t it be good to share with our children that they have been blessed by God, and that there are more important things than what the world tells them. Perhaps we could cultivate and encourage their openness to the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, so that they could fulfill their part of God’s plan.

It often is a struggle for parents to combat the unhealthy images children see, and the negative voices children hear. But we, adults, too, have the Holy Spirit! We, too, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, can sing God’s praises to our children! May we help our children recognize what was seen in John the Baptist-that the "hand of the Lord" is with them.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is the director of St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Scripture:

1 Samuel 1:24-28
Luke 1:46-56

Reflection:

I am sitting in my living room looking at our Christmas tree. It is our 35^th Christmas and I love to look at each ornament as I hang it on the tree. They bring back so many fond memories. My favorite ones are the ones with pictures of the kids at different ages, and ones of our family who are already in heaven. Our tree is a mini-history of our lives so far and it helps me to treasure all of my blessings.

Advent and Christmas is a good time to look back over the year and see how we are doing with our lives and especially with our gifts of family and friends and faith. It’s good to reflect on our blessings and thank God, but also let our loved ones know how precious they are to us.

My daughter-in-law was in an accident last week with two of her children. When I heard about it, all I could do was thank God over and over that no one was seriously hurt and that we still have them with us!!! It’s so easy to take the people we love for granted. And sadly, many people even let small problems grow to large problems until they aren’t even speaking to someone they love.

Let’s all take time this week to look at our lives, to thank God for our blessings and to be sure that we mend any broken fences so that we don’t waste another day estranged from someone we love. They may be gone tomorrow. Don’t let anything stand in the way of making amends and of making your relationships the best they can be. Make time to see your grandchildren. Take time to call your sister. Make time to write a nice long letter to your Mom. And take some quiet time to sit with the Lord and invite him once again into your heart of hearts. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

 

Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 4. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at janice@frcedric/org

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture:
Isaiah 7:10-14
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

Reflection:
"Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world or high as the sky!" (Isaiah 7:10)

I don’t know how many times I have asked God for a sign. I usually do this when I can’t decide what to do. Sometimes, my confusion of what to do is over small decisions. For example, should I take on a good work that is being asked of me or should I do another kind of good work, one that I feel more able to do? What is good and what is better? There are certainly good reasons why you should choose one good work over another. In cases like this, asking God for a sign is like flipping a coin to see what I should do.

Other times, the decisions I face are big ones. Some decisions have major, life-changing consequences. Some decisions that people have shared with me are truly major ones. For example, should I ask this woman to marry me? Should I accept this proposal for marriage? Should I change careers, move away and begin over again, should I give up my job and work for the Church? These are decisions that will affect many people in our lives. Also, once the decision is made, it becomes very difficult to undo what is already done. So asking God for a sign seems to be a helpful way to guide us in making good decisions.

However, the signs that God gives us are not always so clear at first glance. For one thing, once we receive a sign from God, we are expected to understand it and follow it. In our first reading, Ahaz, the King of Judea, did not want to ask for a sign from God, even thought God had told him to ask for one. Ahaz wanted to remain in the dark. He may have been afraid that God would require much more faith from him than he wanted to give. So he said, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!" But God would not take "no" for an answer. God gave him a sign anyway: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel." Later on, when Jesus was born of the Virgin, Mary, Matthew was able to say in our Gospel reading: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’."When God gives us a sign, God does not disappoint us!

The old saying, "Be careful for what you ask for, you may just get it" applies when we ask for a sign from God. So many times, signs from God appear to be difficult to understand, and even more difficult to accept. Why should Mary say "yes" to God’s invitation to become a Virgin-Mother? Why should Joseph receive Mary as his spouse when he clearly did not father Mary’s baby? Why does God always seem to ask us to do the impossible?

Advent is all about recognizing the signs that God has sent us and saying "yes" to God’s invitations to do the impossible. The Angel Gabriel told Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God." Too many of us want God’s signs so that we can choose the easy path, to make the easier choices. But God does not work that way. God wants only the best for us, and sometimes the best for us is discovering the Divine in our midst. So, let us sing with all our hearts and all the faith we can muster: "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

 

Fr. Clemente Barron, C.P. is a member of the General Council of the Passionist Congregation and is stationed in Rome.

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Scripture:

Jeremiah 23:5-8
Matthew 1:18-25

Reflection:

"Justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace forever."

During this season of Advent we have been reminded again and again by the prophet Isaiah of God’s promise of the gift of justice and peace.  The word "justice" seems to be a bit distant and even a bit cold.  I guess it’s because it is associated so closely with the law.  But if the truth be told, justice is interested in promoting and defending the dignity of every human being.  As to peace we can cozy up to it without much of a problem.

I believe that the gift of these two promises can get anchored realistically in the gifts that we will receive at Christmas from family and friends.  Quite nice to look at the names of our givers.  So touching to know that they kept us in mind.  Gifts have a way of letting us know that we are loved and appreciated in so many ways.  So how does justice fit in? 

Have you noticed that when a gift is given to you on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day it is usually preceded with "Merry Christmas.  I love you!"  And often, sealed with a kiss. We know that many of our gifts do eventually wear out or that the box of candy gets eaten!  But that love continues to circle around within us. "Look at what I got for Christmas!  Isn’t it beautiful?  And, here…have some of these delicious chocolates!"  How does one feel throughout all of this?  Put simply, just wonderful, just great!  You have been graced with justice.  You have been singled out.  You have that sense of being noticed and loved for who you are.  So often gifts will be carefully chosen to please the individual, because you are special.  Ah, now we have some sense of that word "justice" and it fits so well with "peace!"  Justice has a goal of noticing the individual as a unique gift and loved for who one is.  Justice works to remove the obstacles that get in the way of one’s ongoing growth.  Justice works to bring to the individual what will help.

One of the deep and touching truths of Christmas is that Jesus, your precious Christmas gift, loves you as you are.  Oh, don’t say you are not perfect because you’ve made some mistakes.  True!  But you’ve also done some wonderful things in the course of your life up to this point.  Friendship reaches out to the person, loves the person and frees the person to grow into the unique individual one is.  Love does not want to control anyone.  Love sticks with a friend when things are not going right.  Love also encourages a friend,

And so, as we wait the celebration Jesus’ birthday are you and I open to the precious gift of His love?  Many of us in our teens, young adult years or older will realize that Jesus will not remain a tiny baby.  He will grow into an adult.  As you kneel before the nativity scene, can you just be quiet within and hear Him saying, "Let’s continue to be friends, let’s love each other.  If you are in your teens or young adult years or are now moving along into your later years or into your senior years, I am with you."  And with a smile on his face He will hand you back your baby picture and, looking you directly in the face, will say, "I love you as you are now." 

 

Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P. is on the staff of Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, Houston, Texas.