What is My Epiphany Response?

 

Deacon Dave · What is My Epiphany Response?

Homily for Epiphany Sunday, January 5, 2025. Gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12. Theme: What is My Epiphany Response? 

 The Christmas Season has two major feasts, each of which proclaims that the Savior has been born for us, but each with its own particular slant. The first of these is Christmas Day itself when the birth of Jesus is revealed to the Jewish shepherds of Bethlehem as the fulfilment of God’s promise of a Messiah in Israel. The second is today’s feast of the Epiphany to the Magi wherein the mission of Jesus as Messiah is expanded to include those who are outside the confines of Judaism. As the early Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, the Epiphany became a very important celebration because of its joyful message that all peoples can receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life through Jesus, Who is Lord and Messiah. 

 That Jesus is the Universal Savior of the world is nothing new for us to hear today. But in first century Israel the very idea that the Messiah had come for the good of all peoples and nations was utterly revolutionary and controversial! The Hebrews had been raised and taught to believe that only Israel was God’s Chosen flock and that the Gentiles were spiritually unclean and alienated from all that was holy. There were bitter arguments and fiery disagreements over it among the first Christians. who were by and large Jewish converts, but the truth won out. We hear it from St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians which is the second reading of today’s Liturgy, “the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 

 And so in response to this controversy the Apostle St. Matthew included the Epiphany in his Gospel to show that from the very beginning, Jesus revealed Himself to the Gentiles as well as to Israel. But another important thing that St. Matthew teaches us in his retelling of the story is that people can have very different responses to learning about Jesus Christ. The Epiphany story has intriguing and intense drama seen in the various ways in which people can respond to the Good News that God has sent his Son into the world as its Savior. As we start off the New Year, which is typically a time to evaluate our lives and make resolutions for improvement, let’s take a look at these characters and see if they can help us to identify and, if need be readjust, our own response to Jesus. 

 The first type of response can be found in the reaction of Herod when he learns about the birth of the Newborn King of the Jews. Now, Herod was a very wicked man whose jealousy to rule over his kingdom had led him to kill one of his wives and several of his own sons whom he saw as threats to his throne. So, it’s no surprise that he would order the slaughter of the little boys of Bethlehem in an attempt to get rid of the Christ Child. Herod saw Jesus as a threat and wanted Him out of his life at any cost. He cared only about his own status and situation with prestige and power being the false gods he worshiped in his life. His response to the news about Jesus was that of fear, the fear of losing what he possessed and this led to rejecting Christ. 

 A second type of response can be found in the Jewish scholars whom Herod called to advise him about the Messiah’s birthplace. They knew the Scriptures very well and were aware of the prophecies about the Messiah. They were, after all, the professional Bible experts of their day. Yet when the news of His birth reached them they did nothing at all. They stayed put in Jerusalem rather than go to Bethlehem (which is only 5 miles away) to see for themselves if their long-hoped-for dreams about the Savior of Israel had indeed come true. But their response to Jesus was apathy, a complacent yawn. They were comfortable and happy with life as they knew it, and they didn’t want a Messiah and his teachings to disturb their status quo. 

 The third type of response is the one we find in the Magi themselves. They were utterly consumed, totally captivated, by the quest to find the One whom the star proclaimed. They had invested a lot of themselves, their time and energy, in studying the prophecies and charting the constellations concerning the Messiah. They spent long hours mapping out their route to Jerusalem, gathering up supplies for the trip, and selecting precious gifts to properly pay Him homage. Stories tell us that later in life they heard the Gospel of Jesus from early Christian missionaries, they gave up their pagan religious practices to serve Christ as their God and Savior. The response of the Magi was one of faith which brought them the joy of new life in Christ. 

 So, today’s liturgy might be placing before each one of us a very important and personal question: What is my own response to the Epiphany of Jesus as King, God and Savior? Like Herod, does part of me find Christ and His teachings to somehow be a threat to my present lifestyle? Would I rather have Him out of my life rather than change my behavior? Or perhaps do I respond more like the religious scholars by thinking that Christ and Christianity are a disturbance to my comfort zone? Does following Jesus’ Gospel demand too much of a change from me? Finally of course, St. Matthew’s Epiphany story hopes to inspire us by the example of the Magi. They were totally committed to following the star, to finding the Newborn King and pledging their fidelity to Him. Encountering Jesus changed their lives forever. They had discovered in Him everything for which they had been longing and searching. Is that how Jesus is for me? Is this my response to Him? 

 There’s probably a tiny trace of Herod and a little bit of the Jewish scholars in all of us now and then. But as we begin this new year, let’s ask the Lord for the grace to respond wholeheartedly to the Epiphany more like the Magi. Let’s be willing to do whatever it takes to personally encounter Christ in our lives. Let’s take up the journey to Jesus and not be afraid of what might lay ahead. If we walk by the light of faith, like the Magi following the star, we will surely discover Jesus in a newer and deeper personal way just as they did.

Keep Mary in Your Mind and Jesus Will Grow in Your Heart

 

Deacon Dave · Keep Mary in Mind and Jesus Will Grow in Your Heart

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, Jan.1, 2025. Galatians 4:4-7; Gospel of St. Luke 2:16-21. Theme: Keep Mary in Your Mind and Jesus Will Grow in Your Heart. 

 The figure of the Madonna and Child has been a favorite subject of artists and sculptors for centuries. I think it’s because it’s an image that captures the heart, warms the soul, and directs the mind to that special bond that exists between mother and child in every culture. Our Catholic devotion, too, has always considered the intimate bond between Jesus and Mary to be something precious and vital. As a matter of fact, the most ancient title given to Mary by Christians is the one that honors this relationship and that we are celebrating today: Mother of God. 

 Isn’t it an amazing thing to think about? God the Son, Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Eternal Word through whom all things were created, became a man and had a mother who carried Him in her womb, nursed Him, raised Him, taught Him, loved Him, was always there for Him. She pondered her memories of Him throughout her life as all mothers do and as today’s Gospel reminds us. But at the same time, it’s important to remember that in calling Mary the Mother of God we do not mean that she pre-existed God or is greater than God as some people erroneously think. 

 Instead, this beautiful title of Mary attests to the fact that she made it possible for God to come to earth as our Beloved Brother and Savior. She made it possible for the God of Creation to actually and personally experience His creation as a real man, living in every way as we do except for sin. Her motherhood made it possible for Jesus to truly be Emmanuel, God-with-us, and so heal and transform our humanity by participating in it and blessing it with His divinity. Calling Mary the Mother of God tells us why she is so very important to the story and mission of Jesus. But it also tells us that she is very important to the stories and lives of everyday Christians like you and me. Without her there would be no Christmas. Without her we would not be Christians. Without her we would not be the adopted sons and daughters of God. 

 St. Paul emphasizes this truth about Mary in our second reading. He reminds us that God the Son came to earth and made possible our divine adoption as children of the Father precisely because of a woman, Mary. And so the blessings of her motherhood have also been extended to us and have become an important part of our own story as Christians. But Jesus didn’t just use Mary as a means to an end and then disregard her. He didn’t toss her aside once she served the purpose of enabling him to come in the flesh to planet Earth. Her mission as Mother of God, Mother of Christ and Mother of Christians is meant to continue forever. And so, we should strive to have a bond with Mary and open our hearts to her love just as Jesus did. 

Jesus and Mary lived in a deep and mutual relationship of love, a life-long relationship as Mother and Child. Imagine what this must have been like for two people who, because they are both free from sin, were able to love perfectly, to love unselfishly. Consider the deep emotion, the heartfelt joy in each other’s presence, the unbreakable bond between them, from the first-time Mary held that precious Infant in her arms on that first Christmas until the last time she held Him, bloody and lifeless, on Good Friday. As Christians who are called to have the same attitude and outlook as Jesus, this should be the inspiration for our own personal love for and devotion to Mary, Mother of God and our own spiritual Mother. 

 So, let’s ask Jesus today for the grace to love and honor Mary like He did. And let’s ask Mary to mother us as she mothered Him; to form us through her prayers and her active spiritual presence in our lives into living images of Jesus, her Beloved Son and our Beloved Brother. You know, there’s a saying in Catholicism which goes like this: “Keep Mary in your mind and Jesus will grow in your heart.” I think this would make an excellent New Year’s resolution for us all!

Unwrapping the Christmas Gift from God

 

Deacon Dave · Unwrapping the Christmas Gift from God

Homily for Holy Family Sunday, December 29, 2024. Gospel of St. Luke 2:41-52. Theme: Unwrapping the Christmas Gift from God 

 Unlike the culture around us, we Catholics make a big deal about Christmas by observing it as an Octave which means 8 days of celebration. And so today is the 5th Day of Christmas. but during this Octave our Liturgy doesn’t keep us in Bethlehem repeating the story of the Nativity story over and over again. It has us move on to other aspects of Jesus’ childhood and family life because Christmas isn't just about one event that had significance for just one day. Rather, it was the starting point to the unfolding of the great mystery of God becoming man. The rest of what Christmas means was played out over the ensuing years as the Holy Family carried on with their everyday lives in the obscure backwoods village of Nazareth, as today’s Gospel informs us. 

 Both Bethlehem and Nazareth are important in the Christmas story. But while Bethlehem proclaims the coming of God as man, Nazareth shows us what it looked like for God to live as one of us on planet Earth. And since everything Jesus did was for our instruction and salvation, we need to stop and ask ourselves: What is He saying to us in the fact that 90% of His life, that is, 30 of His 33 years were lived in obscurity, in spending His days doing the usual and the ordinary? What message does Nazareth hold out to us in the Christmas story of God becoming human? I think the message of Nazareth is that we are mistaken if we look for God and holiness only in the extraordinary and the miraculous. He is present and active in every single aspect of life no matter how insignificant or trivial it may seem. He knew that this is how most of us live and so He wanted to show us and teach us that loving and serving God can be accomplished even in those everyday things that we don’t think are all that special. And so as much as I love the Bethlehem part of the Christmas story, with all of its miraculous marvels and wonders, I relate much more to Jesus in Nazareth where He lived like you and me. 

 Nazareth means that the Baby in the Bethlehem manger had to learn to walk and talk and navigate His way through life as we all must do. It means that He went to synagogue school and asked a lot of questions as He grew in age and wisdom. It means that as a young man He had to wake up every morning, pack up His tool bag and grab His lunch before taking off for work. Nazareth shows us that the Creator of the universe didn’t live by miracles with angels serving Him, but earned His living by the sweat of his brow and the hard work of His hands as a laborer in wood and stone. He had good days and bad days just as we all do. In other words, He was exactly like us in every way and in all things, except for sin. 

 And because He lived and worked as we all do, Jesus made it possible for our own ordinary everyday lives to become something beautiful for God like His. You see, since Christ was fully God as well as man, when He participated in our human experiences He sanctified them. This means that they have been blessed and graced by the touch of His divinity. By living as we all live and by doing what we all do, Jesus as God elevated the dignity of human activity, enabling our daily routine to become a pathway to holiness for us and not just be something that we have to do in order to to get by and exist. It’s kind of like a twist on the ancient Greek fable of King Midas and his Golden Touch which you might recall, except for Jesus that Touch was fact and not fiction. And He invites each one of us to benefit from this Divine Touch and sanctify our own daily activities by carrying them out in solidarity with Him. 

 And we can truly do this because of our existing relationship with Christ by Baptism. We are already spiritually united with Him so we can easily link everything we do in our day with what He did when He lived on earth. We can make this offering without words, but a great short prayer to use is the doxology from the Mass which goes, “Through Him, With Him and In Him”. It can be as simple as that to unite what we offer up to God with what Jesus offered up to Him and continues to offer to the Father in the Eucharist today. This spirituality of the daily offering enables us to give deeper meaning to all that we do and allows us to become partners with our Savior in consecrating the world to God. It actually has the capacity and potential to make us into saints. 

 So, yes, the extraordinary events surrounding the Lord’s Nativity were truly spectacular and awesome and I look forward to celebrating Christmas every year! But Bethlehem was just the starting point. It was where God’s Christmas Gift of His only Son was first given. However, it was in Nazareth, where this Gift was unwrapped, so to speak, revealing to us what it meant, what it looked like, for God to become a man. For it’s in Nazareth that we truly discover a Messiah and Lord whose ordinary everyday life made Him truly what we proclaim Him to be at Christmas, that is, “Emmanuel” which means “God-with-us”.

Christmas: Do I Have Room for Christ?

 

Deacon Dave · Do I Have Room for Christ?

Homily for the Solemnity of Christmas. Gospel of St. Luke 2:1-14. Theme: Do I Have Room for Christ? 

 We all know the Christmas story as recorded in St. Luke's Gospel and many of us can probably recite it by heart. Leading up to the story, Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea so that they could be counted in a census ordered by the Roman Empire. This meant that they journeyed 90 miles in about 4 days, with an uncomfortable Mary ready to deliver her Child at any moment. Most likely she was on a donkey while Joseph walked, leading the way. And then we enter the part of the story that we just heard from St. Luke: “While they were there…she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” 

 Joseph was from Bethlehem, so when he got there he would have naturally gone to his family home to claim a place to stay. The Greek word that Luke uses for "inn" really means a place to the home where one received and housed visiting guests. So, Joseph would have certainly expected to be welcomed there. But Mary and Joseph didn’t get that welcome. They were relegated to a rustic segment, of the property where their animals lived, and that’s where the Baby Jesus was born. We’re not quite sure why that happened. Maybe there were other relatives from other places who had also come for the census and they claimed the available spaces first? But if that’s true then consider what else this might mean: that those relatives looked at Mary, who was nine months pregnant, and decided not to give up their place for her. Not a one of them. This would have been a great affront to Jewish hospitality. I think this rude action would only make sense, so to speak, if Mary and Joseph were being shunned by his devout Jewish family because of their premature pregnancy. 

 Recall that the Gospel of St. Matthew informs us that Mary miraculously conceived Christ while she and Joseph were betrothed but not yet living together as husband and wife. And while this meant they were legally married, it did not yet grant them in Jewish law the right to physical intimacy. So without knowing the truth of how it happened, maybe Joseph’s relatives decided not to have “that kind of girl” in their house. Remember, only Joseph and Mary knew how Jesus came to be within her…the others simply assumed what most of us would have also presumed. 

 So perhaps that is how the Son of God was first received into our world. As St. John puts it in the beginning of his Gospel, “He came to his own people and his own did not receive him.” The late Pope Benedict XVI wrote about this rejection of Jesus by his own relatives and thought that this story should be a challenge for all of us. He urged each one of us to ask ourselves, “What would happen if Mary and Joseph were to knock at my door. That is, the door of my heart? Would there be room for them to bring Jesus into me? Would I have room for Christ when He seeks to enter under my roof? Would I make space for Him in my life?” Or am I more like those who refused Him entrance and shelter? Just as Jesus' untimely conception brought out the self-righteousness of his relatives, do He and His Gospel of love cause me to falter as well? Am I scandalized by His commands to take responsibility for the poor, to forgive my enemies and put myself in the last place in life? Does that make me not want to welcome ”that kind of Messiah” into my heart, into my home? 

 The Birth of Jesus is fun to observe what with all the food and parties, the lights and decorations, the sights and sounds of the Season. But the first Christmas was not a time for sentimental celebrations. It was a time for making a decision that would reveal what was within the heart. Christmas offers a choice for each one of us. It can be an invitation a brand new life or it can come and go without changing us whatsoever. The decision is totally ours because God always respects our free will power to choose. 

 Ultimately, Christmas asks us if we want Christ as Lord and Messiah of our lives. May our celebration of Christmas this year become the time when we really and truly ask the Lord for the grace to welcome Him with open arms when He comes knocking at the door of our hearts. May we hear St. Joseph knocking and welcome the Blessed Mother,. They bring us the Holy Child and asks us to make room for Him within ourselves, within the our lives.

Jesus-Living-in-Mary & Jesus-Living-in-Us

 

Deacon Dave · Jesus-Living-in-Mary & Jesus-Living-in-Us

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 22, 2024. Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-45. Theme: Jesus-Living-in-Mary & Jesus-Living-in-Us
 

As we draw closer to Christmas, the Liturgy reminds us of the indispensable role that the Blessed Mother had in bringing Jesus into the world.  You see, we Catholics don’t look at Mary simply as a necessary means to an end and think that once Jesus was born and raised her role was over. The reason for this is that we do not believe in a God Who simply uses people (as we sometimes do) and then discards them once their task is done. Rather, we hold that when God chooses someone for a particular mission it’s a permanent personal calling, a lifelong mission. And so we believe that in addition to being the physical Mother of Christ she is also the spiritual Mother of Christians, of we who form the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. She was called to be and to remain the special vessel chosen by God to bring Jesus to the world, both physically as His Mother and spiritually as His instrument.

Today’s Gospel illustrates this mission.  The Divine Presence of the preborn Jesus-living-in-Mary filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with joy that she had been blessed to receive a visit from the Mother of God.  And the unborn John the Baptist somehow recognized Jesus-living-in-Mary and leapt in his mother’s womb with excitement.  Jesus-living-in-Mary touched both their lives and their hearts. Through the instrumentality of Mary, the power of Christ’s Presence, even though hidden and unseen, touched and sanctified both Elizabeth and pre-born John.  This Gospel shows us that like Mary we too can become living vessels of Christ’s presence and power to those who come into contact with us.

Through our participation in Holy Mass we can have Jesus-living-in-us if we welcome Him by faith into our hearts through His Word and receive Him with mindfulness in Holy Communion.  Both of these expressions of Christ's Presence, in Word and Sacrament, make it possible for Him to live in us and for us to grow in Mary-like discipleship and holiness.   She first received Jesus the Word of God by opening her heart to Him at the Annunciation.  And after having first done this, she then consented to welcoming Him into her womb, as flesh of her flesh.  She became a living tabernacle of the Lord’s Divine Presence.

This can be seen as a kind of reflection of how we, too, might become living tabernacles.  First we open our hearts to His Word proclaimed in Scripture and afterwards we allow His flesh to mingle with ours through reception of His Very Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  When we leave Mass and go about our various tasks, we can be like Mary who carried Jesus-living-in-her to Elizabth’s home and bestowed His blessing. Do you see the connection and how simple it really is?  It’s the very same Jesus that Mary received into her with the only difference being in the ways in which this happens.  But what really matters is our intention and attitude. Are we willing to do this and place ourselves at the service of God and neighbor as she did?

So, it seems to me that if we want to truly prepare for and welcome Jesus and then live what Christmas means throughout the coming year, we should mindfully turn to Mary and ask her to show us the way. I am confident that she will help us open our hearts and lives to her Son, and thus allow Him to live within us and to bless others through us just as He did through her.  Notice that Mary didn’t do anything unusual or extraordinary towards Elizabeth or John to bring about their spiritual experience of Jesus. She simply “rang the doorbell” so to speak, and when it was answered Jesus-living-in-Mary touched them both and did the rest.

And that’s how simple it can be for you and for me. In our ordinary everyday lives, we can be like Mary with Jesus-living-in-us. Like Mary, we can bring Christ to others who are in need of Him as they traverse through our morally dark and spiritually hungry world. We simply need to cherish and nurture our faith-relationship with Jesus through an intentional spiritual life of union with Him by both Word and Sacrament. And then, as we go about the various duties of our day, He can reach out to others through us, blessing and touching them through His Divine Presence living and acting within us.

A Real Reason to Rejoice!

 

Deacon Dave · A Real Reason to Rejoice!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 15, 2024. Zephaniah 3:1-5; Philippians 4:4-7. 

Theme: A Real Reason to Rejoice!

 

Today is Gaudete Sunday which signals the beginning of the Third Week of Advent. Our liturgical heritage makes use of colors to express our Faith and so today pink makes its Advent appearance symbolizing joy.  The rose-colored candle of the Wreath and the pink vestments worn at Mass are meant to send a visual message announcing that the Lord’s coming draws near. Both the prophet Zephaniah and St. Paul invite us in our readings today to “be not discouraged” but instead to “rejoice in the Lord always.” But it might be a bit difficult for many of us to 

hear our Liturgy today give a shout out to Christian joy.

However, this message might hit home more powerfully if we have an awareness of what was going on in the lives of these men as they proclaimed their encouraging words. When Zephaniah spoke about shouting with joy, the Hebrews were about to undergo one of the most terrifying episodes in their history in which invading enemies would destroy their land, decimate their holy city and take them captive as slaves.  And St. Paul’s upbeat words about rejoicing always were written from a cold dark damp Roman prison cell, where he was in chains, awaiting trial by the Emperor and eventual martyrdom for Christ.  I think that knowing these facts about their situations can be helpful for us during the holiday season which is supposed to be,  as one of our Christmas songs puts it, “the happiest time of the year”.  But is it really?  And is 

it possible to rejoice and be full of cheer no matter what’s going on around us?

Our contemporary culture and Christianity have two very different and in many ways opposing understandings of what “Christmas cheer" means. It's important for us to remember that there is a real difference between "joy" and "happiness" even though we typically use these words interchangeably.  The emotion of  “being happy” as our culture defines it is based on things that are going on around us to make us “feel good”.  It’s dependent upon our surroundings which can flip-flop and change in a moment.  But joy, on the other hand,  is born of the conviction that we are individually and unconditionally loved by God and that nothing — sickness, 

failures, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death — can take that love with its joy away.  You see, Christian joy is rooted in what the prophet Zephaniah says to us today, that “God will rejoice over you with gladness and renew you in his love…he will sing joyfully because of you.”  Do you believe that God Himself rejoices over YOU?  Not because you (or I) have done something marvelous or are outstanding creatures, but simply because we exist.  If you let the profound reality of that infallible Scripture really sink in , I would think it should  bring 

you a deep sense of joy.

So we see that rejoicing can be present even amidst sadness.  And how appropriate that 

immediately after encouraging us to “rejoice always”,  St. Paul tells us to “have no anxiety at all”, because for many people anxiety reaches a peak at Christmas time. Trying to maintain our holiday expectations can be emotionally draining and physically exhausting. The “ho ho ho” of jolly old St. Nick can easily end up sounding like a mockery because of all the planning and rushing.  There can be a great deal of stress that makes it very challenging to be joyful as we brace ourselves for the inevitable family frictions to come or frustrate ourselves by trying  to fit 

too many things into an already crammed schedule.

And on top of all this, our traditional American Christmas culture puts into our heads the false image of a perfect Christmas, as if such a thing exists. It tells us that we must be surrounded by perfect presents, that are all perfectly wrapped and placed under a perfectly decorated tree. Then we are expected to gather with our perfect family in order to eat the perfect meal, while of course enjoying perfect conversation which is shared by all in perfect harmony.  And while we all know this is not realistic, for some reason year after year we keep expecting it on some level!   

And so we need to keep reminding ourselves that real “holiday cheer” is not of the kind we find in Christmas cards or Hallmark movies.  Rather, it's an inner happiness that’s not based on false expectations.  We are joyful because of the Baby laying in the manger of Bethlehem and what He grew up to be and to do for us. We cherish the Christmas story year after year because it assures  us that we no longer have to walk through life alone because the Son of God has become and remains one of us; that He delights in us and sings joyfully over us. And this is the true rejoicing of Gaudete Sunday.  This is the authentic holiday cheer of Christmas which 

brings us a joy that can be ours all year long.

A Time for Return & Reform

 

Deacon Dave · A Time for Return & Reform

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 8, 2024. Baruch 5:1-9; Gospel of St. Luke 3:1-6.  Theme: A Time for Return and Reform

Today’s first reading from the prophet Baruch gives us a message of hope in a prophecy announcing better times ahead for God’s people. On the level of ancient history it’s referring to the Hebrews’ return from their forced exile of 70 years in what is today Iraq. But it can also be heard on another level besides that of history.  It can be interpreted on a spiritual level as saying that the approaching holiday season can be a time of a return home for those who have exiled themselves from life with Christ through his Church.  And we all know that such spiritual exiles exist and are common in parishes everywhere. We see them especially in the more-than-the-usual numbers of people who are in the pews at Christmas Masses. 

There are some who are critical of those whom they jokingly call “CEO Catholics” (Christmas and Easter Only). Now, I agree with them in that people should come to Mass weekly and not just on our two biggest holy days. But I utterly disagree with them in assuming that this is simply a sham expression of a “holiday religion”.  For whatever reason, some people DO come back home to church during the Christmas season but it just might be because they want to and not because they feel like they have to. And I like to think that this means that on some level they are still connected with Christ and the Church even if by the thinnest of threads. And that tiny possibility is all that Jesus needs to pull them closer in. I like to hope that deep within their hearts they are hearing an echo of Baruch’s prophecy of return.  

And I pray that they respond to that interior sensation and give it a chance to grow and blossom in their hearts. Maybe this year’s Nativity Mass will help them realize that life with Christ can be so much fuller, so much more meaningful, than living apart from Him.  Perhaps on some level while they are in the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence at Mass, they will open themselves up to this home-coming grace. All of this is more than possible for God, so let's start praying now for these brothers and sisters of ours. Let’s ask that they respond to Christ knocking at the door of their hearts.  And let’s do our part on the human level to help this happen in whatever ways we can by the manner in which we interact with them, the holiday greeting we bestow upon them and the prayers we offer for them while they are among us.

But today’s Liturgy theme isn’t just about the exiles returning. It’s also about us, the “regulars”,  reforming. Today’s Gospel is calling us to really hear the prophecy of Isaiah which foretells the preaching of St. John the Baptist.  We are urged to prepare a way for the Lord in our lives by embracing a more mindful and authentic manner of following Jesus that goes beyond simply attending Mass on Sundays. St. John the Baptist warns us to repent of our sins, which means to not be content with just expressing sorrow for our wrongdoings, but to intentionally strive for a real change of heart that shows itself in a tangible change of behavior. So,  how are we supposed to do this?

The answer is found in their prophecy. Both Isaiah and St. John direct us to level out the hills and fill in the potholes in our lives.  They were referring to the fact that in ancient times, when a king was coming to pay a visit, a royal messenger was sent ahead to announce his coming.  If the people wanted to get the best outcome from this royal visit, they put all of their time and energy into preparing the path into their town. Isaiah’s words about leveling and filling in were not just empty speech. The people literally did a lot of hard construction work to beautify the landscape and smooth out the roadways.  They wanted the king to see what they had done for him and how much his visit meant to them. They wanted to make his journey smooth and his arrival pleasant. In return they hoped for many generous royal benefits and rewards.

St. John the Baptist calls us to do the same kind of thing in our lives.  We need to get to work in straightening out the “crooked roads” that we have constructed out of our pretenses. We have to fill in the “ditches” that sin has dug into our lives and patch them up with God’s grace.  One of the very best tools for this spiritual construction project for repairing the infrastructure of our lives is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It causes us to pause and ponder as we take a good honest look inside ourselves.  We ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we need to do and where we need to change in order to level the road and make straight the pathway for Christ to our hearts. So, let’s really return and reform this Advent by examining our consciences and confessing our sins to the Lord so that He might find in us a truly welcome place when He makes his royal arrival as our Newborn King this Christmas.

Here is a concrete plan for a real change of heart and life. 

Based on the principles of St. Ignatius Loyola...