You Are The Light Of The World

Dear Parishioners,

Last Sunday, 40 days after Christmas, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Simeon there referred to Jesus as “a revealing light to the Gentiles…” The feast also used to be known as Candlemas Day as the candles to be used during the year were blessed on that day. So light, as embodied by Jesus, was the prevailing theme of the day.

This week’s gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) continues the theme of light as Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” Jesus is telling his disciples and us that we should reflect him to the surrounding culture. If we are faithful to Jesus, people should see that we are different from others—that Jesus has made a difference in our lives. The first reading from Isaiah (Isaiah 58:7-10) gives some suggestions as to how we can do that. Feed the hungry; shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked. In short, we are to do what we can for those who are in need. Then we can bring some light and joy into a world that badly needs it.

- Fr. Carl

“Give us the grace - When the sacredness of life
before birth is attacked, to stand up and proclaim that
no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life.”
~ Pope John Paul II, Homily, October 7, 1979

The Presentation Of The Lord

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate a joyous moment in the early days of our Lord’s earthly life (Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40). There is the holy couple, Mary and Joseph, Simeon the sage, and Anna the prophetess of God, all brought together by the presence of the infant Christ. He is in their midst, and because he is touch-ably, beautifully among them, their lives overflow in worship and joy.

That is why we are here today. We gather in this place where the scriptures are read, the word proclaimed, and the sacraments given, to say with one voice that God is among us. In Christ, God is beneath us and over us, behind us and before us, with us and within us. Live in His presence always, and we all will find new joy in living.

- Deacon Robert

“Human life must always be defended from its
beginning in the womb and must be recognized
as a gift of God that guarantees the future of humanity.”
~ Pope Francis

The Sense of a Beginning

Dear Parishioners,

This sense of a beginning in our Lord’s public ministry felt here in Matthew’s gospel (Isaiah 8:23, 9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23) transitions into a movement that gathers followers in places like Bethsaida and Sidon, Gadara and a grassy hillside. The movement makes its way to Jerusalem as one by one, the crowds peel away and disciples scatter until only Jesus is left before a sneering mob and a splintered cross.

And so what is this sense of a beginning for you? How might you make this moment a beginning moment in your life? What if you acknowledged your apprehension with one breath and then took in deeply the oxygen of resolve saying with your lips and lives, “I will follow, too!”

And who knows where this beginning might lead: a changed heart, a more open acceptance of others in their need and longings, and even a new awareness that God’s Spirit in Christ is the very atmosphere in which we live and move and have our being.

- Deacon Robert

“Help one another: This is what Jesus teaches
us, and this is what I am doing—and doing with all
my heart—because it is my duty. As a priest and a
bishop, I must be at your service. But it is a duty that
comes from my heart. I love it.”
~ Pope Francis

Here Am I Lord

Dear Parishioners,

Now that the Advent and Christmas seasons are over, we are back in what is called “Ordinary Time.” However, time is never plain and ordinary. It is a gift from God. Furthermore, ordinary is given the name from the ordinal numbers (1, 2, 3, 4…) as opposed to the special liturgical seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter). In any event, the color of the vestments is green—the color of life and hope. During this time, we hope that God’s grace will grow in our hearts that we may have life to the fullest.

In the first reading (Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34), Isaiah is told that Israel is to be God’s servant. The responsorial psalm tells us the motto of a good servant, “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will!” Of course, not everyone wants to serve; many want to be served, instead, forgetting the words of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. Our Lord taught us many lessons in life but none more important than the greatness of serving God and our neighbor. That’s what the psalmist means when he says, “Here am I Lord, I come to do your will.”

- Fr. Carl

“God thinks like the Samaritan who did not
pass by the unfortunate man, pitying him or looking at
him from the other side of the road, but helped him
without asking for anything in return; without asking
whether he was a Jew, a pagan or a Samaritan,
whether he was rich or poor. He asked for nothing.
He went to help him. God is like this..”
~ Pope Francis

Baptism Of The Lord

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus came from Galilee and submitted to John’s baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17). Jesus trusted his whole life to God, his Father. At our Baptism, we became more intimately united with Jesus and God, our Father in heaven. We who hear the story of our Lord’s death and resurrection, entrust our lives to the One who died and rose again. To be a Christian, to take into your life the Christian story, to believe God’s Spirit can work through you is to entrust your life—past, present and future—to Jesus Christ.

- Deacon Robert

“May you also be true evangelizers! May your
initiatives be ‘bridges,’ means of bringing others to Christ,
so as to journey together with him. And in this spirit may
you always be attentive to charity. Each individual
Christian and every community is missionary to the extent
that they bring to others and live the Gospel, and testify to
God’s love for all, especially those experiencing difficulties.”
~ Pope Francis

Feast of the Epiphany

Dear Parishioners,

The word “Epiphany” means manifestation or appearance. It was used to describe the visitation to his people by a king or ruler. There was a display of power as the king paraded through the town. However, King Jesus comes in just the opposite manner; he appears as a weak, helpless baby as the Magi come to him (Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12). He has none of the trappings of a king, yet the Wise Men recognize his majesty even robed in swaddling clothes. They see not with earthly eyes, but rather with the eyes of faith. They don’t just kneel, but they prostrate (lie flat on the ground) in adoration. Neither Herod nor the religious leaders in Jerusalem had their kind of spiritual vision (faith), and that was their fatal flaw, their tragedy. They should have known better, for if these gentile outsiders, the Magi, could read the signs of the heavens, even more so should the religious leaders of the times. After all, they had the sacred scriptures to give them a clue.

“I see him, though not now;
I behold him, though not near:
A star shall advance from Jacob,
And a staff shall rise from Israel.”
(Num 24:17)

Let us pray for the same kind of vision as the Magi so that we can be with Jesus and never take our eyes off him as we journey through life.

- Fr. Carl

Feast of the Holy Family

Dear Parishioners,

Each year the Sunday following Christmas is celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Family. Each year a different gospel gives us a unique glimpse of our Lord’s family on earth. This year we hear how the Holy Family is threatened by King Herod who wants to kill Jesus. Today family life is threatened still but not by an evil king, but by more subtle forces of evil that eat away at family life, harmony, and support. The lure of materialism, consumerism, hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure) tend to make things more important than relationships. The bonds between family members often become brittle and break. The frantic pace of work, school, and extra- curricular activities prevent family members from joining together in common activities. Even regular meals are eaten at different times so that Mom and Dad can chauffer their children to different events.

The Holy Family did not have all the diversions that compete for our time and attention. They spent a lot of time together. If we want to prevent our families from becoming dysfunctional, and if we want them to become healthy and Holy, then we need to find ways and make sacrifices so that they can have more time together as a family. And if our families become Holy, they will be happier and more joyful.

- Fr. Carl