2009

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast brings to us the connection between the Holy Family and our own families. The main purpose of the feast is to present the Holy Family as the model for all Christian families and for family life in general.

St. John Chrysostom urged all Christians to make each home a “Family Church” and in doing so, we sanctify the Family unit. In other words, our lives are sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes. This is known as the domestic Church.

So, how do we live out the life of the Church in the family: the best way is by making Christ and his Church the center of family and individual life. Ways to do this: attend Mass at the least on Sundays and Holy days of Obligation, doing things together as a family unit that promotes love, joy, respect, happiness, by imitating the actions and lives of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph by putting God first.

There are drastic actions that can destroy the family unit: abortion, contraception, same-sex marriages, embryonic stem cell research, divorce, spousal abuse, child abuse, infidelity.

However, there are actions that tear the family apart slowly and are somewhat hidden in today’s hustle and bustle of everyday living. Today, most families never or rarely sit down together and communicate. Why? Kids watch their favorite shows on their bedroom televisions and the parents are in their room doing the same.

We sometimes find the family unit together for supper, however, it is in front of a blaring television in the living room. I can’t help but wonder if my generation had something to do with that. I remember every household I visited had a set of TV trays prominently displayed in the living room, even in my own home. The motto was eat while you watch, not talk as you eat.

Both parents started working and the children were either left with a baby sitter or one child was old enough to take care of their siblings. Still, the nurturing and guidance of the parents became more scarce.

Since, in today’s family, meals are eaten on the run, most families never sit down together and talk.  If we do not converse with one another, how are we expected to understand, know, or communicate with each other? Eventually, the family becomes fractured, to the point that it begins to crumble.

This does not take into consideration the negative content of much of today’s entertainment. Have you ever noticed how movies are marketed: Children’s films are marketed on Nichelodeon, tweener (that is pre-teen) films on Disney, teen films on MTV, young males on “ESPN”, and females on Oprah and Lifetime.

The only thing many producers see is a demographic; they do not even know how to market films to families.

With the invention of computers, the internet, videos, video games, social networks like My-Space, families function independently without the parental influence, nurturing, guidance, and especially the loving touch of father and mother throughout the day.

When parents try to communicate with their children without first understanding the child’s means of entertainment, it  becomes an exercise in futility because they are speaking a different language- literally!!!!!!!

Do not fear, for all is not lost. We, as a society and as Christians can find ways to strengthen the family. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph shows us how. They practiced, on a daily basis, patience, obedience, love, and faith in God, even while going through their toughest times.

Like us, the Holy Family was very human and had their share of difficulties. They were poor, powerless, homeless. They were forced by the Roman Emperor to leave Bethlehem , where Mary gave birth to her son, Jesus and laid Him in a stable of animals.

King Herod’s cruelty forced them to seek refuge in Egypt. But through all these trials they placed themselves in the hands of God. God was the center of all they did. This is what Hannah from our first reading had done.

She placed, in God’s hands, the want to have a child. Here request was so important to here that she promised the child to God after the child was weaned. And so, Hannah conceived a boy and she named him Samuel.

Great things happen when we place ourselves, and even our family’s

in the hands of the one who created us. This is what the gospel is all about; the nurturing of the family, each member, by God’s love and compassion and mercy.

Mary and Joseph, even though they could not, at that time, realize what Jesus was doing and could not understand why Jesus answered them the way he did, showed compassion and love by accepting Jesus’ answer which was in the form of a question: “did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” I know what most parents would do in this day and age if their child of 12 was missing for 3 days and I suspect that you know also. It would be a different outcome.

Could it be all that possible that the subversion of being “about our father’s business” or of being “in our father’s house” might actually be the solution for problems that we are trying to solve by our own wisdom and human priorities? Could it be that the same principal of reversal that underlies “those who lose their lives will save it” also applies to those who focus on God?

Bring back God into the family and see what happens. Lives will be transformed and the family unit will once again become strong and the Church will once again be the stronghold that nourishes and feeds the family through the sacramental life it contains.

Christmas is now over. What now”? I say, “let us be about our Father’s business”. For we “who are in our Father’s house” Christmas is not over. It has only begun and we take on the responsibility of being the example in our society of the Family who showed us that the family is a sacred place where God lives!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Christmas is a time of mystery and wonder, a time of memories upon memories. If Christmas is anything, it is memories that come alive and now. Each Christmas we recall past Christmases, and each Christmas we build more Christmas memories to cherish for years to come. Christmas has a special power to touch the heart.

In our Christmas memories, we find strength to deal with the present and we find the hope and courage we need to build the future. Granted, some Christmas memories are sad memories but even a sad memory can be a source of strength. To remember a sad Christmas from the past can help us appreciate more the Christmas we have right here and now.

You have your treasury of memories and I have mine, but now I want to share with you someone else’s memory, a father who kept a box in his closet marked “the good stuff,” that contained odds and ends of personal treasures. Much of what he kept in the box would not catch a thief’s interest but to him, they were priceless.

One of the keepsakes was a small lunch size paper sack. The top was sealed with duct tape, staples and several paper clips. There was a tear through which the contents could still be seen. What a packrat! He has had this bag for more than 20 years!

One morning as he was leaving for work, Molly, his seven year old daughter, handed him two paper sacks. One contained his lunch; the other was sealed with duct tape, staples and paper clips. Mystified by its appearance, he asked her what was in the bag. Molly said, “Just some stuff, take it with you.” At lunchtime, he tore open the bag and dumped its contents on his desk: two ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny seashell, two animal crackers, a marble, two chocolate kisses and thirteen pennies. He smiled. How charming.

After finishing his lunch, the father swept his desk clean. Into the waste basket went the contents of Molly’s bag along with the garbage from his lunch. He thought to himself, “There wasn’t anything I needed.”  When he got home, Molly asked him, “Where is my bag?” “What bag?” “You know, the one I gave you this morning,” she replied.

Molly then explained, “I forgot to put this note in it. Besides, I want it back.” “Why?” “Those are my things in the bag, Daddy, the ones I really like. I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn’t toss the bag, did you?” she asked, her eyes filled with tears.

To him, they didn’t look like much but to Molly they were her most prized treasures. “Oh, no,” I just forgot to bring the bag home,” her father lied. As Molly hugged him, he opened the note, which said, “I love you Daddy.” Molly had given him all that a seven year old daughter held dear. Love in a paper sack. Love which he had thrown into a wastebasket because “there wasn’t anything I needed.”

After Molly went to bed, he father headed back to the office. He got there before the janitor did and managed to retrieve all her treasures from the wastebasket. The next morning, he asked her to tell him about everything in the sack. Each item had a story. By the time Molly had finished, her father could see why each piece was so important to her.

In the most unpretentious way we can imagine, the son of God was born in a stable 2000 years ago. Given what God can do, the birth of Jesus was as ordinary as the things in Molly’s sack. Does this event capture our attention only for a moment? Like Molly’s father, might we find the contents of God’s bag charming but “nothing I really need?” When the glitter of this Christmas becomes a distant memory, will we have swept aside that which is priceless to God to get on with the rest of our day’s work?

What excites us today may well be gone tomorrow, while that which is priceless to God will be around forever. No earthly delights can compare with God’s ordinary treasures. Our finest chocolates, choice wines, latest electronic gadgets and designer labels will be history someday but the treasures that God has for us, what we are celebrating in this Christmas moment is ours forever if we want it!

Isaiah tells us that people who walked in darkness have seen a great light and so we have in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul reminds Titus that Jesus appeared, training us to reject godless ways and earthly desires. Instead, we are to live temperately, justly and devoutly. These bits of wisdom may seem as common to us as thirteen pennies, but they are offered to us with much love for that is what God offers us this night/day.

In what may be his last Christmas message to us as our Archbishop, he wrote, “When the song of angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and priests are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks…The work of Christmas begins…to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild nations, to bring peace among peoples…to make music in the heart!”

May we treasure the presence of Christ in our lives not just on this day or in our memories of Christmas past, but every day to come. May we value his treasures among the “good stuff” so that our age old dream of peace on earth and good will toward all can become very real for all of us.

God bless you and may you have yourself a Christmas full of memories you will long treasure.
 

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was a season of light. It was a season of darkness.” Those eloquent lines, which Charles Dickens wrote to begin his classic, A Tale of Two Cities, could well describe how some of us feel right now. While the coming week will be joy-filled for many, for others the days ahead will be difficult ones to endure. The loss of a loved one through death or divorce could leave a person despairing too much to be touched by the joy that Christmas has to offer. Others who have grown distant from God through indifference or anger may also remain unmoved by the message that awaits us.

And what might that message be? Quite simply, I would say it is hope. Certainly, there is a spirit of hope in the air. We hope to get the last minute shopping done. We hope to get all the cards mailed in time.  We hope that the dinner won’t be burnt on Christmas day. We hope that all our guests will arrive safely and on time.  We hope that a spirit of peace will prevail.

Hope also captures the spirit of these readings. They are filled with the good news that even in the darkest moments, God does not forget his people. First we hear the words of the prophet, Micah, written 2800 years ago, “You, Bethlehem-Ephrata, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.” Micah wrote during a time when Israel, occupied by foreign armies, yearned for a savior. He promises a new beginning with the coming of a great king who will shepherd Israel to peace. Better yet, “he shall be peace.”

In the gospel, Luke provides us with a tale of two women, whose faith offers us a message of hope. For those who listen to their message, Christmas can be the best of times, a season of light that dispels the darkness of our world. Elizabeth proclaims the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Israel, barren for so long with no one to lead her, is now awaiting her messiah in the person of Mary’s son, Jesus.

Even the letter to the Hebrews provides us with a message of hope. Jesus tells us, “As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.” He has come to establish a new covenant, sanctifying us by offering himself on the cross for us. At last, the hope of ancient Israel will be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

However chaotic our lives may be at times, however dark the season may seem, hope is there to keep us going. Our God hears us even in our bleakest moments.

On Christmas day, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America’s best known poets, received word that his son had been seriously wounded in battle. Despondent, he penned these words, “In despair, I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of ‘peace on earth, good will to men.’”  As he wrote these words, bells sounded from a church nearby. For Longfellow, the bells rang a message of hope, the presence of something much stronger than the malaise that was gripping his soul.  Adding to what he had already scribbled, he wrote, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, ‘God is not dead, nor does He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men.”

Like the words of Micah and Luke, Longfellow’s lines are recalled by many each year at this time. His poem became the well-known carol, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day.”

I pray that our nation will never again experience a bloody war like the one that claimed the life of my great grandfather in 1864. Although we are not enmeshed in a civil war, we are at war, a sad reminder that peace remains elusive from war-torn Iraq to the West Bank and beyond.  With so much conflict in every corner of the world, our need for hope and peace still lingers.

If peace is what we are yearning for, what must we do? The German poet, Goethe, observed, “He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.”  We can begin our quest for peace by taking a look at ourselves and deciding what really matters. If we really want peace, then we must rid ourselves of what stands in the way. One Jewish source noted, “Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us, namely avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride. If these enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.” In so many words, Jesus has given us that same advice repeatedly.

The starting point for finding happiness and peace ultimately begins with us. Fr. John Powell comments, “I can’t change the world to suit me, but I can change my response to the world. I can change me. Happiness is an inside job.”

For countless generations, God has kept his promise to lead his people through good times and bad, in sickness and health. And God continues to do so today. Blessed are they, who, like Mary, trust that the Lord’s words would be fulfilled. For them, peace and justice become possible. For those who listen to the message of Mary, Elizabeth, and Micah, Christmas ought not to be the worst of times. It is meant to be the best of times, best in that it brings us a season of light that has the potential to forever dispel the darkness of our world.

Earlier this week, I inadvertently upset a friend by what I said. He responded by saying that he felt disrespected.  Our brief spat brought to mind another line from Micah. Peace will be ours when we strive to walk humbly, act justly, and love tenderly in the sight of God and one another.  For those who heed his advice, they could very well experience the best of times.

Joy Amidst Despair

We celebrate today (tonight) the Third Sunday of Advent. In Church liturgies, this Sunday is also known as Gaudete Sunday. It marks the halfway point of Advent, a time when we continue our process of waiting for the Lord through greater commitment to prayer and reconciliation for the anniversary of the coming of the Lord at Christmas. The hope we feel that our wait will soon be over is symbolized by the wearing of rose vestments.

The message of the readings this weekend is two-fold. First, do not be discouraged and fearful about your lives. Rather, be joyful for God will guard your hearts and minds and give you what you need. The second message complements the first. Jesus tells us in our Gospel from Luke that for all we have been given we must turn aside greed, selfishness, and corruption and instead share what we have been given for the building up of our families, communities and our world.

The two-fold message of our Gospel might seem particularly difficult this Advent. Our country is going through its worst economic times since the Great Depression. Millions have lost their jobs; the disparity between rich and poor in country has never been greater. People are losing their homes and their health insurance by the hundreds of thousands.

But it is not my intention to dwell on what makes us afraid and discouraged. Instead, I would ask that we focus on what the Lord has given to us all. I would like to be optimistic, so optimistic that you might think that in addition to my rose-colored vestments, I am seeing the world with rose-colored glasses.

Let me ask that you consider the following:

In spite of the world’s many problems, in 1900, the world’s economic output was about two trillion dollars. In 2000, it was $37 trillion. And even though that wealth is not well-distributed, technical and social engineering and the success of Catholic social justice teaching has made it possible for vast numbers of people to raise their standard of living to levels that could only have been dreamed about a few generations ago.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If you and your loved ones own a computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who do.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than those who live in chronic pain and those who will die today.

If you have never experienced the fear of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 700 million people in this world.

As we celebrate Mass this (evening) morning, let us remember that we celebrate without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death. In having the freedom to worship God, we are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

The joy of reflecting on what we have, rather than on our suffering no matter how real should also be accompanied by the clear command of our Lord in our Gospel this morning to share our joy, spiritual and material with others. And so I also wish to share some very practical suggestions how we can share what we have with others.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting the birth of Jesus, place a small nativity scene on your own front lawn or porch. If all of Jesus’ followers did this, there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene in the town square.

Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way Christmas is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. Many of them may be terribly afraid and lonely this year and anxious to see the face of Jesus in strangers.

Visit someone in the nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend more time with them. Tell them the story of Jesus’ birth and why He came to earth. Hold them in your arms and remind them that you and Jesus love them.

Pick someone who has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

Give everyone you meet a warm smile. Sometimes it can literally save a life.

When you do shop for Christmas presents, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word.

Don’t go Christmas shopping on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

Support missionaries, the people who take Jesus’ love and the Good News of his message to those who have never heard of Jesus.

Buy some food and a few gifts for the poor and marginalized; give them to charities that believe in Jesus so that such food can be delivered to the less fortunate.

Consider an alternative Christmas, giving gifts on behalf of friends to their favorite charities.

Take your faith into the public square, fighting for the right to life at every stage of life, fighting for universal health care as a right not a privilege, protecting God’s creation, defending the rights of workers, putting the poor first, defending and advancing human rights, including economic and social justice, seeking peace and avoiding unjust wars.

Above all brothers and sisters remember what Jesus said so many times: “Do not be afraid.” If only we lived those words. Be confident that the Lord of love will give us what we need even if it is not always what we want. Putting the Lord and others first is a central message of Advent, laying the groundwork for that message in other seasons. Christianity is a wonderful faith, but only if we go out and live it, not just on Christmas Day, but every day of the year.
 

If every Catholic on south Whidbey joined us for Mass, I suspect every seat would be taken. For whatever reason, many are not here. That is unfortunate, since worship provides a great opportunity to grow in our relationship with Christ. I ran across a parody of the poem, The Night Before Christmas, which renders a fitting message for those who see little need for making time for Jesus in their busy lives.
 
Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
in hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
not once ever kneeling or bowing a head;
And mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
was watching the late show while I took a nap.
When out of the east there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter;
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Threw open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The light of his face made me cover my head,
It was Jesus returning, just like he said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw him in spite of myself.
In the book of life, which he held in his hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as he searched for my name,
When he said, “It’s not here!” my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to his Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound,
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late:
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and cried as they rose out of sight.
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem, the meaning is clear.
The coming of Jesus is drawing quite near.
There’s only one life and when the last name is called,
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all.

This poem provides a wake up call. So does John the Baptist. Every Advent, as we await the coming of Christ, we hear the same message, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.”

Undoubtedly, you have a wish list of what you would like for Christmas; things you want to add to your worldly possessions. John is urging us to think of what we need to let go of that stand in the way between God and us. He wants us to fill our valleys and level our mountains, not literally with bulldozers but by attending to the details that foster our relationships with Jesus and others. The valleys he speaks of we created with kind words left unspoken, compassionate deeds left undone, bread not shared, prayers neglected, neighbors not welcomed, the poor overlooked, or the expressions of another person’s love that go ignored.

He challenges us to level our mountains of pride, arrogance, blind ambition, selfishness, domineering attitudes, any of which hinder us from experiencing and sharing God’s gift of love. John calls on us to smooth the rough ways of impatience, intolerance, anger, prejudice, racism, bigotry and favoritism that leaves anyone feeling excluded and unloved. Heeding his call to forgiveness and reconciliation could result in some of the best Christmas presents that you could ever give.

As we do our part to fill in our valleys, level our mountains, smooth the rough edges of our relationships, we can be mindful of those whom we know who are not here to pray with us. Allow them to experience the joy of Christmas by inviting them to join us for Mass on Christmas eve or morning. We have cards in the narthex for you to pass onto them.

Might they come? God only knows, but your personal invitation could make a difference. So could the example you set by choosing to act justly, walk humbly, and love tenderly. Through our example, to paraphrase Paul, may the love of every inactive Catholic increase even more in this advent season so that they can truly discern what is of value in life, thus be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, when their names and ours will be found in the book of life that he will be holding.