Children, sometimes even grown children, will ask this question.  It’s not that they want a history report, ‘just the facts please’. They want to hear you tell them about the experience of their birth in your life. It’s about the relationships, the joy, the hope, the affirmation of being loved. Telling the story allows us to let others see and hear what’s important to us, how we were open to and changed by this new life. They want to see our eyes light up, our faces fill with joy and our whole presence exude love for them and that moment in our lives.
 
Imagine Jesus asking Mary and Joseph about his own origin story, his birthday! ‘Tell me again about the Angel, Imma’… ‘did Wise Men really come from the East?’ Abba, ‘tell me about the journey to Bethlehem’. Maybe, cousins Elizabeth, Zechariah and John would be visiting, and Elizabeth would chime in about when she was expecting John and Mary came to visit!  Can you imagine. And John, from across the room can be heard hollering, “Tell me the story of my birth, too”, Imma!
 
All our birth stories are important, no matter the circumstances. It’s about how we came to be and the day we came into the world, and if only briefly, that time when time seemed to stand still.  To gaze upon the face of a newborn child is to be bathed in light and love, transfixed on the beauty before you and the wonder of new life. So too the birth of Jesus, except we all want to enter into his story, marvel at his birth, gaze into his face. It’s his birth that changed everything for everyone who shares in it. And yes, Mary and Joseph knew that their child would save the sons and daughters of God, that’s why they named him, Jesus. 
 
For Matthew, telling the story of the conception and birth of Jesus is to emphasize that it was a unique and world changing event. It speaks of the very intimate experience of Joseph and Mary. It speaks of the movement of God in creation, passing from the former age of prophets and promises to the time of fulfillment and intimate presence. Matthew sees the coming of God’s Son into the world as the fulfillment of the promise given through Isaiah centuries before. The birth of Jesus is the sign of God’s presence, “God with us.” Emmanuel.
 
In the beginning Joseph didn’t think he wanted to be part of the story. He wasn’t thinking about the prophetic words of Isaiah, at first. He didn’t immediately see a new age coming and this story of the child in Mary’s womb wasn’t, at first, a story he wanted to live or about which he wanted to tell others. Some of our own stories might also have been complicated and controversial. For Joseph, it was an unexpected and unwanted development in his life with Mary. The law and the norms of his culture supported his view of the situation, and although he wanted to be merciful toward her, he also couldn’t see any alternative, quiet divorce was the only way forward.  Such might have been the history of Joseph and Mary if not for the Angels message in his dreams.
 
The message of the Angel put to rest within him the apparent scandal of the situation and revealed another path. Without clear comprehension, but full of faith and righteousness, Joseph “awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him”, courageously he did as he was asked.  He was asked not to follow the wisdom of man, not to invoke the law. He was asked not to abandon Mary and Jesus. He was asked to not to act out of his pain, his sense of betrayal. That morning as he rose and prayed and put on his mantle, Joseph offered his sacrifices to the Lord. He offered his dreams of the future, his hopes for children with his name, his desire for his wife. He laid down his fear, doubts, questions, reputation, understanding, personal hopes, the protections of the law and so opened himself to the mercy and grace of God.  
 
Joseph didn’t go on to do great things in the world. In fact, his silence in Scripture is so deafening it demands attention as its own spiritual lesson. His righteousness became his greatness. His silent love for God became his greatest strength as he faithfully agreed to extend his loving mercy and wrap his mantle around Mary and Jesus and bring into being the Holy Family. Faith and Grace made him able to receive Mary and the child; to fully love, protect, nourish, and provide.
 
As their story together unfolded, they would discover that if there was any scandal, it was that God became intimately present to creation in their Son.  They would learn the depth of God’s merciful faithfulness and loving commitment to creation.  They became the first among us to receive the fullness of the gift of salvation in the renewal of the covenant in which God affirmed that He chooses us. He loves us. He is at the center of all our stories, no matter the circumstances of our birth. He gazes upon our beauty and He shares with us light and love this His own Son whose birth we celebrate today.
 
“Tell me the story of when I was born.”... “Tell me the story of when you were born again”
​

This is a good week to spend some time (yes, in the midst of everything else), and reflect on what we believe and even to make note of the things in our Creed that we're unsure about or maybe, that we don't yet fully believe.  Meditating on the Creed offers a great way to prepare so that this coming Feast of the Nativity of Christ is one in which you can fully enter and celebrate, for all the best reasons - most especially the Birth of Christ.

The Nicene Creed​

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
 
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
 
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

On this ‘Gaudete’ Sunday, the Scriptures are focused on rejoicing, joy, singing God’s praises.  So close to Christmas many of us might not be ‘feeling the joy’!  For everyone, whether focused on our personal spiritual growth and readiness for Christ or focused on the ‘busyness’ of the season, now is the time when we can get weary from our efforts, stresses, pressures, expectations and preparations!  

HOPE, is what we all need.  HOPE, is not about expecting what can not happen.  It is about trusting that God will provide what is necessary in order to bring us home.  

We HOPE for the coming of Christ more fully in our hearts, our lives, our families and the world.  

HOPE is what can help us receive the blessings that God has for us and face the challenges that come our way.  Can you think of anyone who might like to hear a message of HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT, right now?  

Then now is the time to offer a prayer for them.  Now is the time to reach out and lend a hand, send some kind words in a card, an email or just call them up!  Is there anyone you know who might be feeling alone or shut in right now?  Then now is the time to beat a path to their door and bring them some cheer.  

​We are reflecting on the first coming Christ, His coming more fully in us and His second coming, but we should not forget that right at this moment we are Christ.  We are His hands and feet, His voice and His embrace in the lives of others.  Continue to REJOICE! Be a bearer of JOY! Let your whole being SING the GOOD NEWS and raise up the Spirit in all those you meet!

Ready or Not, He's coming...

When John the Baptist talks about repentance, he’s talking about conversion of heart and mind that leads to changes in our life choices. Authentic disciples of Christ are necessarily open to the fullness of the Grace of God which can be received in the Sacraments we receive, especially the one given for reconciliation through God's mercy and love. A fullness of grace which is intended to transform us. A transformation that will necessarily be seen, felt and desired by others. The true sign of conversion is in our actions. It would be an illusion if we believed that just because we have received these sacraments, we are safe on judgment day.
 
We are being called to get it straight before we die or before He comes again.  This season of advent could be a wake up call for some and a tune up for others.  I’m sure it would make sense if I said it was necessary to do periodic tune ups on your car to make certain that it functions like it should and as efficiently as it should.  Doesn’t it make more even more sense that we need to do periodic spiritual tune ups?
 
Hopefully everyone is getting increasingly focused on their spiritual health and preparedness, as we continue into the second week of Advent.  There are so many traditional and new ways to approach this season of the year whether you are a young adult, a family, a couple whose kids have moved to their own homes, or a single person.  One really cool idea I read about, can be especially meaningful and helps to build the habit of prayer.  While wrapping gifts reflect and share openly about that person and then when you put on the bow or tag, offer a prayer for them for the coming year or maybe for a particular need that they have at this time of year.  

Today the Church is reminding us that we have been created for something greater than passing comforts, empty pleasures, superficial popularity, and earthly achievements. We all want our lives to matter, to make a lasting difference in this world, not just a passing difference, a little scratch on the surface. But do we all want to live fully and faithfully under Christ's rule, firmly entrusting our lives into his care so that we can all reach our God given potential to make the world a better place, living in the imitation of Christ the King, experience fulfillment of purpose and the interior peace that follows. 
 
Jesus came to inaugurate among us the Kingdom of God. It is he himself who embodies the whole vision of the Kingdom by the way he lived, spoke, worked, taught, healed, liberated, and finally sacrificed his life in love for us.  He is our model, the one we are to imitate. There is no other who so completely reveals to us the truth of who we are and who we were made to become.
 
Colossians tells us that before all, he existed, and it is he holds it all together, sustains and supports the unity of creation. In him, we gain our freedom, through the forgiveness of our sins.  By him who frees us from the power of darkness, we are brought into his Kingdom to live freely what we now see clearly is our true identity. It is in him, the first-born of all creation that we see the image of the unseen God and ourselves. 
 
Yet, we find it so difficult to remain free and faithful. We are all too willing to hide who we are, what we believe and find that too easily we cede our influence to the knowing and the ignorant minions of the enemy. Bombarded by media messages that tell us to keep our religion to ourselves and out of the public square we effectively allow the world to be ruled by the shadow masters. If we truly believe that Christ is the Savior, that there really is one God who created us and redeemed us, we should not be afraid to bring that faith to action in the society around us. If we don't, others will fill the void. 
 

• If we don't defend and spread Christian values in society, what values will thrive there?
• If we don't continue to bring Christ into culture, what will culture become?

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4 Last Things: Part 2 (in brief)

​The manifest message of western culture today is to avoid thinking about the last things, the great truths like death and judgment. Accordingly, imbued with the cultural creed, the problem for many Christians is not so much anxiety about the end of our world but living as if there were an eternity of tomorrows and no judgement to come. The manipulative message of the YOLO creed tells us to enjoy ourselves while we can here on earth and, don’t worry – be happy.  Subsequently we get too focused on a future which is essentially uncertain and mortgage that future against final judgement. We have been indoctrinated to believe that all we have to do is take the right steps, get the right breaks and have enough money to guarantee a future under our control. That living the Christian life means fitting the Gospel into our chosen lifestyle and our chosen future. 
 
That is foolish. It is not the mindset for living that will lead to a face to face encounter with Jesus at judgement, where we hear the words 'well done, good and faithful servant'.

Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell

One very important theme we can draw from today’s Mass is that Jesus is the Lord of life. Life that isn’t ended by physical death, contrary to what the Sadducee’s believed.  But this truth is a such a central truth, we must consider its import for how we live our lives.
 
We know or at least we hope Heaven is real and that we’ll get there. We’re taught that hell is real, but we hope it isn’t, except for the folks we hate. We’ve heard there is such a thing as Purgatory but since we don’t understand it, we try not to think about it, much, unless we’re invited to pray for the souls in purgatory and since we have loved ones who have died, on the off chance this matters, we are willing to pray for them.
 
We don’t really like to talk about death and dying, even though we all know that moment will come for all of us. It’s uncomfortable. It forces us to consider our own mortality, choices, and salvation. It also forces us to consider the future and past loss of loved ones.  It may not be fun to think or talk about.  But we must.

​Let’s not forget the Final Judgement…
There will be a resurrection of all, as St. Paul explains in 1st Corinthians 15. Those who have been faithful to Christ will rise glorious, their bodies transformed on the model of the risen body of Christ. Jesus will come at the end of time to judge all human beings. This is called the parousia, His second coming. It was foretold by the angels as He ascended into heaven: "This Jesus who is taken up from you to heaven, will come in the way in which you saw Him going into heaven". Acts 1:11 The general judgment at the end of time simply solemnly confirms the particular judgments of each person, with the difference that then the body as well as the soul will receive what is due. 
 
If we were asked, what is really our ultimate concern, on what really do we base our lives, what would we say? 
 
Our relationship with God must be our ultimate concern.

Please don't judge me... God’s attitude towards those who sin, continuing the theme from last week.

The Gospel tells a story about a man named Zacchaeus, a rich collector of taxes and likely well fed. Then one day because he climbed a tree to see, the Son of God invited himself over for dinner! These guys, the tax collectors, not Jesus, usually got wealthy by destroying the lives of those upon whom they preyed – bleeding them dry through threats, extortion, and murder. Such is the stereotype, but maybe not true of this guy.

This might remind you of that time, in Revelations when St. John painted us a beautiful image of Jesus: “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him and he will eat with me”. Rev 3:20

The crowd, as we heard, was not impressed. They were shocked and scandalized, although maybe moved by some sort of jealousy as well: “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Sure, based on 'the norm' they might have been right, since to them it seemed like a sure thing in light of their lived experience; every tax collector is a crook and even worse a Jew stealing from Jews... the most detested person in the town! But 'the norm' isn't necessarily the truth about everyone. Have you ever been judged in this way?

Undaunted, but humble and fully aware of the meaning of the crowds judgement against him, Zacchaeus confidently tells Jesus what he’s really guilty of: “Half of my possessions I give to the poor; and if I find I have taken more than I should, I pay back fourfold.” Jesus, clear enough to be understood by the crowd, pointed out, “Today salvation, wholeness, has come to this house, because Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham.” ‘Son of Abraham’ was a title for a good-living Jew and sometimes applied to Christians in the early Church. “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost”. As we say today, never judge a book by it’s cover!  But, just like those folks in the Gospel, we often superficially judge others.

The words in the first reading, ought to be in our minds and on our lips as frequently, at least, as we are tempted to be more like the crowd and less like Jesus! 

“Lord, you love all things that exist,
and detest none of the things that you have made,
for you would not have made anything if you had hated it.
How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?
Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?
You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love all that lives.”
And pray for others, along with St. Paul…
“We pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call
and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness
and complete all that you have been doing through faith;
because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
will be glorified in you and you in him,
by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sin is a failure to love, and very often our worst sins are the things we ought to do but don’t. 
          But unworthy as we are, God is always ready to heal us.

​One of the lessons of today’s readings is that God listens to all of us who humbly call upon the mercy and love of God. Our prayers and supplications, though they leave our lips directed to God they remain powerful and with life. Jesus reaffirms in the Gospel; this certainty and he emphasizes being humble before God and others. Although we should be grateful for the ways in which our prayers have been answered and grace has enabled us to grow in the way of holiness – we ought not to be presumptuous, judgmental, and arrogant.
 
Not everyone believes that God is listening or that God wants to forgive them. After doing something we know is quite wrong, we might wonder how God could continue to love us. It is precisely as a sinner that a person most needs the love of God, most needs God’s help.  The poor, the widow, and the orphan often suffer from insecurity or a lack of confidence that God hears them. God assures all of them in this first reading that no less than any other humble person whom they might consider more worthy, God is listening and ready to answer their prayers according to the divine plan. God sees the sinner as a person who needs to be healed and restored.  
Sometimes we believe we can only be in God’s good graces based on our performance-and not His mercy. This is a dangerous place to be.