When Christmas comes, are you ready?

(Updated version of column for church bulletin)

I enjoy reading, so much that I remember having to be told not to bring books to the dinner table when I was a child. Today my reading interest varies depending on the mood I am in. Subjects can range from history, religious and biographies to best selling fiction.  Sometimes I will let the book I read effect my mood. I remember the first time I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was so sad when I finished the last book. The characters of the books had entered my imagination and become real. We shared grand adventure, become friends; protected each other and now all at once and very quickly they were gone, never to live again unless I read the books again.

Our holidays can be like that sometimes. The memories become alive just like the characters in the books we have read. We may feel that with each passing Advent and Christmas season something has been lost. Memories and feeling have been made that we may never have again. Luckily the unique sights and smells of the holidays draw us back to our own memories. The sweets that are baked and the scented candles we burn all help us remember our own family memories. We recall our childhood and the excitement we felt at this time of the year. We want to remember our past but also create new memories with our own family and friends. We recall the past and use those memories to build on the future.

This is what Advent should be for all of us. We should be looking back at the birth of Jesus, recalling all the events surrounding it and also looking forward to the opportunity the birth of Jesus will bring to us. It is fitting that today’s Collect helps us to look both in the past and to the future. We pray that through the Incarnation of the Son of God, made known to us through the message of the Angel, God’s grace may be poured forth into our hearts. This grace will help us prepare for our own eternal salvation that is shown to us by the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel tells us that the child Elizabeth was carrying leaped for joy when hearing the voice of Mary, causing Elizabeth to cry out: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We too must be ready to leap for joy when the birth of Christ comes. Our savior wants us to say “Yes” to the salvation he will one day offer to us which begins with his birth. This is not just something from the past, a memory that only lives when we read or think about but an offer of a future eternal life. Advent has helped us to recall the past and to prepare for the future. When Christmas comes may you too be blessed for having believed the message spoken to Mary “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

We read in Luke’s Gospel that when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the presentation, they met a man named Simeon. He was a devout, righteous man and the Holy Spirit was with him. Simeon held Jesus in his arms and knew he was seeing the salvation of the world. After praising God, Simeon told Mary “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

As Jesus hung on the cross, Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled. Mary’s heart was pierced with sorrow at the sight of her son suffering this agony and death. Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Church asks that we recall the sorrows Mary endured out of love for her son. Mary’s silent suffering can be the example of how we endure our own trials and tribulations. We can use our sufferings to demonstrate that same faith Mary had in her son Jesus.

Second Sunday of Advent (Bulletin Column 20151206)

On the first Sunday of Advent we took a short look at St. Andrew. We recalled that he is considered the first Apostle and was always inviting people to Jesus. We reflected on our own invitation to follow Jesus and on inviting others to do the same. This week we will look at another Saint for inspiration as we prepare for the birth of Jesus.

We have all heard of Our Lady of Guadalupe but have you heard of St. Juan Diego? Juan Diego was canonized on July 11, 2002 and his Feast day is on December 9. Juan Diego was of Indian descent and living as a conquered people. The Aztec people of Mexico had been conquered by the Spanish in 1521. This conquest signaled not only the end of an empire but also the end of a civilization and way of life. Juan Diego was not only poor but he struggled with a new life that included letting go of old ways and beliefs. He would have been in his fifties and be considered an old man back in December of 1531, the date he became forever linked to both the history of Mexico and the Catholic Church.

Juan Diego was living an obscure life when our Mother Mary appeared to him at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531. The most famous parts of the story of Juan Diego are usually associated with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is celebrated on December 12. Our Mother Mary appeared to Juan Diego as he was on his way to daily Mass. He was instructed to talk to the local Bishop but his story of the appearance of Mary was not believed. The Bishop ask Juan to bring back evidence of the appearance of Mary. Juan was told by Mary to gather roses as proof of her appearance. The roses gathered were neither in season nor native to the area. He put the roses inside his tilma, a cloak, to protect them. Upon reaching the Bishop he opened his tilma and the roses fell out. Left on the surface of his tilma was an image of Mary. Today we celebrate this appearance of the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our Virgin Mother not only left an image of herself for the whole world to see, she talked to Juan in his native language and wore the clothes of an Aztec princess. These Marian apparitions sparked the conversion of millions of persons to the Catholic faith in just a few years. The tilma Juan wore and which holds the image of Mary has withstood time, scrutiny and attempted destruction. St. Juan Diego though has faded into history. Not much is known about him after these events. He is said to have lived at the shrine constructed at Tepeyac Hill and verbally taught the catechism until his death. We do not even know what St. Juan Diego looked like. The earliest images we have of him are paintings from the 17th century.

What is important to remember about St. Juan Diego is the example he is for us. We may feel insignificant in worldly events but God has a role for each of us in salvation history. We are to help build up the Church established by Jesus. This Advent let us look at the role we play in our own parish and the life of the Church. Whatever role God has for us in his Church is never too small and always important

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.