Our Understanding Lord (Bulletin Column 20141221)

Today we read of the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that when will bear a son.  Mary with the free will that God has granted all of us declares she will do the will of the Lord.  This is not an easy decision for Mary to make.  By accepting this child, Mary's life will be forever changed.  She will open herself up to shame, ridicule, divorce, ostracism and the possibility of death.

The birth of Christ is a beautiful and wonderful event in the history of mankind.  It can also be a life full of many dangers.  These dangers are not just for Mary and Joseph but for Jesus himself.  Our faith is that Jesus was fully divine but also fully human.  Jesus as fully human was exposed to all the frailties that come with being human.  He felt the cold of the night and the heat of the day.  He experienced the pain that comes from cuts and bruises.  There were probably days of hunger and of sadness.  Jesus would also experience all the good things that come with being human.  Jesus would have felt the warm and comfort of a parent's hug.  He would have tasted the food made with care and love that only a mother can make.  He would have felt the pride of Joseph as he learned his earthly father's trade.  Jesus would understand how a beautiful sunrise or a full moon moves us to ponder our existence.  He would experience friendships both created and lost. Jesus experienced all that you and I will experience in our lifetime.

There are only a few days left in this Advent season.  These past few weeks have given us the opportunity to review our own life.  We have removed the things that cause us to sin and added those things which bring us closer to God.  Let us also begin to look forward to Christmas, when our Lord becomes flesh.  For it is only through the sacrifice of his flesh and blood that we find salvation in our Lord.  A Lord that completely and fully understands what it is to be human.

Rejoice in the Lord (Bulletin Column 20141214)

"Rejoice in the Lord always” are the first words in our entrance antiphon. They are the very first words that are either recited or sung when the Mass begins. We rejoice because the Advent season is more than halfway over. We are closer to the birth of Christ. Advent is a season of joy to most of us. We have found the perfect gift for our loved ones. We have attended a few Christmas parties. Our houses have been decorated both inside and out. The Christmas Eve or Christmas day menu has been set. We wait in joyful anticipation of the beautiful Christmas Mass with its music that recalls the angels giving glory to God.

To recognize this joy the Church lights the pink candle on the Advent wreath and the clergy vestments are rose colored. The third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday should also remind us of what the Advent season is for. In just the action of lighting a pink candle we should be reminded of why purple vestments are worn and purple candles are light during the other weeks of the Advent season. Advent is like the Lenten Season, a penitential season. Advent is a time for us to remove any hindrance that will keep us from being in full communion with the Church when our Savior is born.

It is important that we be prepared for the birth of Christ. Recall that John the Baptist was crying out in the desert for all to repent and make straight the way of the Lord. John the Baptist understood that we must remove the distractions that keep us from growing closer to our God. When our earthly distractions begin to fall away we realize that our hope can only come from God. Advent gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves. We use the season to remove the things that give us false hope and distance us from God.

We read in Thessalonians that we are to “Pray without ceasing.” This does not mean we should always remain in a prayerful posture and never attend to those who cry out for our help. It means that everything we do should be done as a prayer being offered up to God. Recall how you pray in church; with reverence, sincerity and humility. Image if you did everything in this same way, as a form of a prayer being offered up to God. Your abilities are a gift from God so you would use your gifts with reverence. You would share your gifts with others in sincerity knowing that they are given to you by God's love for us. You did not earn these gifts; they are given to you freely from God so you would use them humility. Your actions can be prayers that glorify God.

The conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is a prayer. The part we read today is a wonderful Advent prayer to all of us.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy

and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,

be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May this Sunday’s change in liturgical color be your encouragement to continue the spiritual preparation for Christmas.

Louis Zamperini, Unbroken (Homily Excerpts-2nd Sunday of Advent Season)

I just finished reading a book called “Unbroken”.  It is a book about the life of Louis Zamperini.  His family and friends called him Louie.  Louie excelled in track and at the age of 19 Louie qualified for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.  He did not win a medal put he set a record for the fastest final lap in the 5000 meter run.  This was so impressive that Adolf Hiller had a personal meeting with him.

In 1941 Louie enlisted in the Army Air Force and became a bombardier.  While on a rescue mission in May of 1943, his plan crashed into the Pacific Ocean.  Louie and his friend Phil, the pilot, lived on rainwater, raw fish and birds for 47 days.  It was on the 47th day adrift that Japenesse captured them. They were held in captivity, severely beaten, mistreated, bones broken and underfeed until the end of the war in August 1945.  Louie was tormented by a prison guard nicknamed "The Bird", who in psychotic rage would beat him regularly.  Louie was so badly beaten, abused and starved that he would never again be a world class runner.

After the war ended Louie married but began drinking in an attempt to forget his POW abuse.  He thoughts were comsumed by plans to murder “The Bird”, constant nightmares also haunted Louie, including nightly dreams of being strangled by his captors.  He woke up one night with his wife screaming, Louie was strangling is own wife trying to fight off the prison guards.

Louie's wife Cynthia attended a crusade looking for peace.  Louie reluctantly agreed to attend a later crusade with his wife in the hope of saving his marriage.  After attending the crusade, Louie remembered his prayers both on the life raft and in the prisoner of war camps.  Louie had made repeated promises to serve the Lord if God would only protect him.  Louie laid everything at the foot of the Cross. He said that as soon as he made his decision to fulfill his promise to Christ his life changed. He was able to forgive his captors, stop drinking and never had another nightmare.

Louie became an inspirational speaker and established a camp for troubled youths called Victory Boys Camp.

Second Sunday of Advent

This is the column I wrote for our Church bulletin dated December 7, 2014.

Almost everything we do that is of importance to us requires the devotion of our time. If we like a clean house or a manicured yard we must put in the time to maintain those features. If we like to be good in academics or athletics then we must set aside time for study and practice. Our faith should be the same way. For us to be good Catholics we must devote the time for growth in our faith. This would include personal time for prayer, scripture reading and the study of the writings of our Church fathers.

Personal time is not all that is needed for growth in faith. A few weeks ago was the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We learned that we are all members of the Kingdom of God. Just as the members of earthly kingdoms do, we must come together to praise and worship our heavenly king. We come together through the celebration of the Mass. This coming together in celebration of the Mass is so important to the formation of our faith that it is one of the five precepts of the Church.

The Precepts of the Church are the basic actions required as a practicing Catholic. The five precepts are;

• You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
• You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
• You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. 
• You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
• You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church. 

The precepts are in place to guarantee each one of us has the opportunity for more growth in our faith. Monday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. We know that as a precept of the Church, we must attend Mass on Monday and that by attending Mass we will grow in our faith.

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was infallible dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. He stated that “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” We learn through the Catechism of the Catholic Church that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. Mary was born into our world free of Original Sin.

In this second week of Advent there will be many opportunities to follow the precepts of the Church. Along with attending Mass on the Holy Day of Obligation, our Cathedral will offer a Reconciliation service on December 10th. The Advent giving tree is now available. It is one of many ways you can help provide for the needs of the Church. May your faith continue to grow.