1/29/12
The word or title “prophet” is an often misunderstood term. Most people probably believe that the word prophet means one who predicts or foretells the future. “Prophesies” are often interpreted to mean predictions of future events. Occasionally, such predictions are accurate. At other times, they are terribly off-base and inaccurate. Some “prophecies” can merely be a logical calculation of a cause and effect relationship, with chance and probability playing a large role.

The prophets of the Old and New Testament were not fortunetellers or seers. The prophets of the Bible spoke for God. They did not predict future events or make bold predictions as much as they were messengers – spokespersons – for God. That is why the book of Deuteronomy (today’s first reading) states “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up from you from among your kin – to him shall you listen.” God called the prophets – they were never self-appointed and they never adapted their message so as to gain popularity or win public approval.

Moses was a great leader, but also a spokesperson for God. What Moses often had to say fell on deaf ears or was met with open hostility. Notice in today’s Gospel the initial respect for Jesus, as He spoke in His hometown, Capernaum. Although Jesus wins disciples and a circle of followers, His message and ministry were also met with rejection and outright hostility. Yet, Jesus was not merely a “spokesman” for God. He is Emmanuel – “God with us” – and yet met tremendous rejection. As God communicated through the prophets, Jesus is the “Word” of God, become one of us. Are we any more willing to listen?

1/22/12
Everyone has heard the statement, “I don’t go to Church because I see lots of hypocrites there. I know lots of people who appear holy and religious in Church, but outside of Church, they are very different.” The observation, on the surface, is true. In Churches, one does encounter lots of imperfect, sinful people. If only the opposite were true, that, outside of Church, one meets only perfect people, or totally evil people.

The image used by Jesus in the Gospel today is fishing. He calls the first disciples and tells them that they will become “fishers of men.” If you have ever fished (most of us have), then you understand the euphoria and sense of triumph when anything bites on the hook. Of course, the successful catch depends on a great many things: the right bait, the proper technique, and the right fishing hole.

The fisherman ultimately has little control over what may bite first. One thing no fisherman does, however, is to place a sign on the hook which reads: “good fish only,” or “big, meaty fish only,” or “my favorite fish only.” The disciples going to
preach the Gospel and the need for repentance were not to discriminate. They were to approach any and everyone with the good news of Salvation. Jesus promised them they would become “fishers of men.” Look around you – look at yourself – in Church. Perhaps you will understand.

1/15/2012
The new translation and texts of the Mass were intended not only to give a closer, more genuine translation of the older Latin text of the Mass, but also to emphasize those passages from Sacred Scripture, which as part of the Mass, demonstrate how the words of the Mass itself were composed in earlier centuries. Today, in the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus introduced to two future disciples by John the Baptist. John says to them, pointing to Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Before receiving Holy Communion at Mass, we too are invited to come forward to receive the Body of Christ with the words: “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

A lamb was an innocent animal, a perfect gift from the flock, offered as sacrifice to God in ancient Israel as the perfect offering which took away the sins of the people. A lamb is an animal of innocence and weakness, not a sign of aggression and strength. This is how John the Baptist introduced Jesus to his own disciples. St. John (the Evangelist) is defining the person and character of Jesus to the crowds, who were unaware of His presence. He comes not as conquering Messiah or as a powerful king, but as one willing to give His own life on behalf of many. We, too, in receiving the Eucharist, are invited to do the same.

1/8/2012
On this first day and first Sunday of the New Year, 2012, the Church celebrates Mary, the Mother of God. Mary, the mother and model of the Church. She is the “proto disciple” (first disciple). Mary, in her life, demonstrates far better and far more than others, what God’s grace can accomplish in the lives of human beings who choose to cooperate with the overwhelming grace of God in their lives. She is the very model of what we hope one day to be. She is the proof of what all humanity can become.

A “new year” normally begins with great hope of the yet unexperienced, with fond or heavy memories of all that occurred in the preceding year. On this day one of a new year, the Church places before us the image of Mary – a simple, poor woman who, following the direction of God, becomes an able guide for all who move into the new year. We will sorely need guidance and direction as we face the challenges and dilemmas of the coming months. Today, we pray for guidance and inspiration, continued blessings and grace.
Have a wonderful 2012!

1/1/2012
On this first day and first Sunday of the New Year, 2012, the Church celebrates Mary, the Mother of God. Mary, the mother and model of the Church. She is the “proto disciple” (first disciple). Mary, in her life, demonstrates far better and far more than others, what God’s grace can accomplish in the lives of human beings who choose to cooperate with the overwhelming grace of God in their lives. She is the very model of what we hope one day to be. She is the proof of what all humanity can become.
  A “new year” normally begins with great hope of the yet unexperienced, with fond or heavy memories of all that occurred in the preceding year. On this day one of a new year, the Church places before us the image of Mary – a simple, poor woman who, following the direction of God, becomes an able guide for all who move into the new year. We will sorely need guidance and direction as we face the challenges and dilemmas of the coming months. Today, we pray for guidance and inspiration, continued blessings and grace.

12/25/2011
The name of the new-born King is Emmanuel, "God is with us." Christmas is the marvelous celebration of an event which changed all human history: God has become one of us, taking on our human form and living in this world as one of us, sharing all the challenges and even the difficulties and pain of life.

This is the fourth year of the Great Recession, and these last years have been indeed extremely difficult for many of us. Let’s never forget, however, that we are never alone when we wonder what we should do or how we are going to get by or make it. We are all in this together, and in our world and daily lives, we should live and celebrate our belief that God is indeed with us.

Christmas is a celebration of the great hope and joy that is ours, even under the most trying and difficult of circumstances. Better times will indeed come, but until then let’s really use and live our beliefs. We are not alone, even when life, the economy, or our fears overwhelm us. God is with us!

12/18/11
The people of Israel believed they once had a great, golden age, when King David was on the throne. The Jewish people prospered and held their enemies at bay, experiencing great national pride and basking in their covenant as a "Chosen People." When two great foreign powers – the Assyrians and Babylonians – wiped out the small Jewish kingdom, it was naturally seen as an enormous disaster. All seemed lost, and they wondered if God was faithful to His covenant, if God still loved His people.

In today’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary, a young girl from Nazareth, that she has found favor with God. It is God’s intention, announces Gabriel, to lift up dejected Israel, and restore the kingdom of David, in whose lineage Mary (and Joseph) stand. Mary is troubled and wondered what this greeting should mean, but the angel tells her "Do not be afraid." God is faithful to His promises and the promise of God’s presence and protection for His people will be renewed through Mary.

What must have equally shocked Mary was the second part of the Angel’s message: the holy one to be born will be called Son of God. The very thought of God taking human form and becoming a human person was not part of Jewish religious thought. As the angel says to Mary, "The Lord is with you," we can believe that "God is with Us." What makes this coming week special is our basking in the realization that God surely is with us and we are about to celebrate His coming and presence. Have a good final week preparing for this great celebration of Christmas faith.

12/11/2011
Again this week, the Gospel of the Third Advent Sunday focuses on John the Baptist. And as is so often the case, John is interrogated by the priests, Levites, and Pharisees with open contempt. After all, John hardly fits the image and mold of a potential messiah or Christ. John realizes that he is being misidentified as the "one who is to come" and he denies being the Christ, or a prophet. His questioners ask him quite pointedly: "Who are you … What do you have to say for yourself?"

John, of course, says quite directly: "I am not the Messiah." In other words, he says: it’s not about me. John, a humble man who lives out in the wilderness like a hermit, tries to convince his audience that he is only trying to be a witness, a voice trying to point out one among them whom they do not recognize. He tells them he is trying to get the people to prepare for someone coming, far greater than himself. Give John the Baptist credit for insisting that what he is proclaiming is not about him. John the Baptist came to testify to the light coming into the world, John the Evangelist writes in today’s Gospel. He (the Baptist) is not the light.

In this season of preparing for Christmas, do we misidentify the reason for this season? Too often, all of us have confused the shopping, the parties, and the gifts as the purpose of this time of the year. In addition, we have all probably thought that our work in the Church, in our parish or school is all about "us." In everything we do in the next two weeks, we need to explain in all we do that it is not about us. It is about Jesus Christ, who when He comes offers peace, goodness, and light. Let’s step aside, like John, and begin to point to someone greater than us. Let’s try harder not to point to great food, presents, and Christmas vacation.

12/4/11
The Gospel of Mark – read almost every Sunday in the coming liturgical year – begins not in a manager, but in the desert. It is an unusual place to begin the story of Jesus Christ, given our expectations about this season of the year. But every year, on the Second Sunday of Advent, the Gospel introduces us to John the Baptist, certainly a very unusual individual. He is the bridge between the Old and New Testament. Keep in mind that the desert – the wilderness – is a desolate and foreboding place, and hardly the starting point for the Gospel this time of year.

It is the "lone wolf" figure of John, out in the wilderness, who is chosen by God to announce a new beginning in the relationship between God and man. The Gospel states clearly that John attracted a great following. The whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem went out to see him, hear him, and be baptized by him with water. The anticipation of the people and the expectations surrounding John were truly enormous. The Jewish people, suppressed by still another foreign invader (the Romans), still longed for freedom, change, and release from their present times. John is the first to give the people witness to Jesus in their midst.

The Baptist certainly has been portrayed as a raving lunatic, and his preaching could have been dismissed as the ranting of a madman. He makes clear, however, that to become part of the "new" and to understand "the mightier one" present in their world, the people must rid themselves of what prevents them from recognizing and embracing what God has in store for his people. He preached repentance, the rejection of evil, the removal from each life of what will prevent them from participating in a new relationship between God and man. To live as the sons and daughters of God in the world, we in this Advent time need to do the same.

11/27/2011
Waiting is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks for people. Parents wait for their children to come home. People without transportation wait for the bus or for someone to pick them up. Everyone hates to wait in line at the grocery store, at the bank, in the car line at the drive-thru, in the waiting room of the doctor or dentist or emergency room. Consider for a moment how often all of us must wait in the course of the day or week. Waiting tests patience, unless we have something useful or productive to do – which makes the waiting go "faster."

The Gospel of the first Sunday of Advent urges that while we wait for the time to come, that we be "watchful" and "alert." Advent can be a time so packed with activities and preparations, that one wonders what we are "watchful" and "alert" for – the next party to attend, the biggest sale in the stores, or the traffic lights to get us home. As a parish community, let’s wait for the coming of Christmas in a way that gives purpose to our hectic impatience. May I make some suggestions?

• Come to a Penance Service and go to Confession. The Penance Service for the school will be held on Friday, December 2 at 1:00 p.m.; The Parish Penance Service will be held on Sunday, December 11, at 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

• Come to Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mary is the patroness of our country under this title. The Church and our country need the protection and guidance of the Blessed Virgin.

• Attend the Day of Reflection at the Shrine Center (St. Therese’s) right down the street from us. It will be a wonderful half-day of prayer and waiting together. This takes us out of the pre-Christmas rush and crush. Great opportunity!

• Pray and reflect on the true meaning of the coming feast of Christmas. The gifts are fun and fine, but why not try to grasp better that we celebrate "God with us." In all our challenges, hopes, and crises, God is with us.