What’s your mission?

Father Anto told us about a monk who's funeral he served at in April of 2009.  The monk died at age 108 and garnered national attention with CNN even covering the story about his life.   We were told that the monk would each year pick a new mission to embark on.  When he was 99 years old he decided to learn Spanish and at 100 he decided to learn how to use the computer and Internet.  He committed to these missions for the glory of Christ. This was pretty amazing and inspiring and must have helped with God’s grace to live such a long life.

In the Gospel, Jesus was embarking on a mission by fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, freeing the people from captivity, restoring sight to blind, and glad tidings to the poor.  Jesus was starting his public ministry showing people who he was and how to love their neighbor. He pointed out that we too have a mission as well and individuals and as a Church, bringing the good news of Christ to others.   In light of Catholic Schools’ week our school at Saints Francis and Clare fulfills a mission of enriching the faith of our children.   We all have a mission to serve Christ each in our own special way.  What is that mission?   It’s a good question to prayer about this week.  May God bless you.

The Spirit at work in our parish and at the Wedding at Cana

On the third Sunday of Ordinary time the Gospel was about Jesus' first miracle in his public ministry of changing the water to wine.  Fr. Anto preached at the Mass I attended and preached on St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians & tied it to the Gospel.  St. Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit and how it is manifested in each of us with unique gifts.  Father Anto spoke about a visit with some new parish members who cited the Spirit at work in our parish and a reason of why they wanted to join. They were home bound now, and lived outside of parish boundaries, but had a chance to visit and felt the spirit working.    Our parish has grown tremendously over the past few years and I think we can overlook the Spirit’s role in our vibrant parish.   Father Anto made the point in the Gospel that the spirit at the wedding was getting low and Jesus mother noticed.   Jesus changing the water to wine was an uplifting of the spirit of all those at the wedding, and is a reminder of how the Holy Spirit can uplift us and work to do the will of God.   As we go on during the cold and dark months of winter may we call on the Holy Spirit to lift us up & bring the good news of Jesus to others.  May God bless you.

Baptism of the Lord: Why Jesus was baptized if he was without sin

On the first weekend of Ordinary Time the readings for Mass focused on the Baptism of the Lord.  I attended the Mass where Father Anto preached.  He asked a few questions about what baptism is and what it does.  A few answers were that it wipes away original sin and it is the Sacrament that initiates us into the Church.  In the Luke’s Gospel John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordon River.   Why was Jesus baptized?  Baptism removes original sin and Jesus was human like us in all things except he was without sin.  Father Anto went back to look to the Old Testament, Joshua chapters 3-4, to get some background on this.  He discussed that Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land. Most of us are familiar with the parting of the Red Sea where Moses leads the people, but there is another parting of water that provides dry ground for the Israelites to cross the Jordon River into the Promised Land.  This journey traveling on foot usually takes 11 days, but this journey lasted 40 years!  There’s a lot more to their journey and why it took so long, but the point Father Anto was getting to was from the book Joshua where the priest carrying the ark of the covenant were leading the 1.5 million Israelites across the Jordon to the Promised Land.   The priests, one from each of the tribes of Israel, carrying the Ark of the Covenant preceded the people and when their feet touched the Jordon River the waters dried up allowing the people to cross over.  The sacrifice of the priests allowed all the people to make this journey.  Can you imagine how much it took for the priests to hold up the Ark for all this time?   The sacrifice of the priests carrying the Ark points to the baptism of Jesus in the Jordon and the sacrifice he made for us to enter into the Promised Land.  Jesus did not need baptism to remove original sin, but in his humanity was baptized like all of us, and his divinity gave us the gift of Eternal life through baptism by his sacrifice.   The Old Testament revealed to the Apostles about Jesus mission and ministry and helps us to understand our faith as well.  Father Anto used the baptismal font as the image of crossing over the river of dying to our old self and rising into new life through Jesus Christ.  May Jesus' Baptism help you to rise to new life in Christ.

A personal encounter with Jesus will lead you to an Epiphany!

Today's readings are for the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2012

Today is the feast of the Epiphany.   Epiphany is not a word that we hear every day. The dictionary defines epiphany as a moment of sudden revelation or insight.  Have you ever had a homework problem that you were struggling with and you had the “ah ha!” moment, when you finally figured it out?  It usually happens when we understand something in a new way that changes our perspective on things.  The magi’s encounter with the Christ child was a moment for them that enlightened their minds and hearts.

In today’s Gospel we hear about the magi who are coming in search of the newborn king of the Jews.    Who are the magi?  Among several definitions of magi the one that is most relevant to Matthew’s Gospel was that they were of the Persian priestly caste and thought to be astrologers, those who studied stars and found meaning in them.  Now if the magi used stars to interpret things, what could have prompted them to set out on a journey to search out a new king in Judea?   Historical sources show that there was speculation at the time that a new ruler of the world would emerge from Judah.  But in order to cause them to seek out this ruler they must have been a people of unrest, seeking to find hope and truth.  The magi were not just ordinary men. They were “wise” and sought out for their knowledge by kings. In the tradition of the Church they have also been known as kings. The magi were the seekers of truth as found in every age. 

As the magi approached Judea they went to King Herod seeking to find the newborn king, which troubled Herod.   Herod was a paranoid and evil king.  History shows that he had murdered three of his own sons, for fear of threat to his power. Herod consults with Jewish leaders, the priests and scribes, who tell of a prophecy of a ruler to come from Bethlehem. Herod’s inherent evil seeks to protect his own power and tries to use the magi to find the newborn king.  He tells the magi he wants to pay homage, but he really wants to do him harm. The plotting of Herod and Jewish leaders foreshadow Christ’s Passion.

         We have a similar situation in the world today where those in power are threatened by the presence of Jesus or God and want to have him removed.  It’s quite common to hear about prohibitions of public displays of Nativity scenes or the Ten Commandments in secular settings.  Also many businesses don’t allow their employees to greet people with Merry Christmas during this Christmas season in fear of acknowledging the feast of Christ’s birth.   The powerful want to be in control and feel threatened God.

         After the magi’s encounter with Herod they set out to find the newborn king following the rising star that stopped over the place where the child was. There are some people, who doubt this really happened, but modern science calculates the alignment of the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars occurred at the time of Jesus’ birth, which would appear as a very bright star. It’s also thought there was a supernova at the same time, which is a new star appearing with a great explosion that lasts a long time.  How the star came to rest directly above the place of the child was God’s work at hand.  All things are possible for God.

         The Gospel states that the magi where overjoyed when they saw the star and upon entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother and prostrated themselves and did him homage. To prostrate means the magi laid flat on the ground face downward in humble reverence. The magi must have been awed at the personal encounter with the infant Jesus as they were showing respect reserved to someone much greater than them, such as a divine king.  There was no mention of King Herod receiving this kind of respect by the magi.   The gifts they offered were also of a grand nature, their best.  Tradition holds that the gold offered represented the kingship of Christ, the frankincense His divinity, and myrrh, which is perfumed balm used in anointing a body upon death, represented Christ’s Passion. The magi who came seeking Jesus, were Gentiles, points to how Jesus came to save all, both Gentiles and Jew.  

The Gospel conclusion states the magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, but to go by another way to their countries.  Dreams are a reference the Bible uses of being in prayer.  God speaks to us in our prayers and dreams when we are still and quiet.  The magi’s encounter with the infant Jesus, must have profoundly affected them.  Have you ever had a moment of awe where all you can do is be still and quiet to take in what just happened?  I think that’s how the magi were affected. In the silence they must have had an epiphany, an “ah ha” moment, and God called them to change their direction from going back to Herod.   They listened to God to go another way.  The way Christ was leading them.

         The magi give us a good model for us.   They seek the truth to find the newborn king by following the star, pay the king homage, give their best gifts when they personally encounter him, and listen to God in prayer to change their lives to follow him.   We can also do the same when we come to Mass and in our daily lives.  When we come to the church there is a light burning in the tabernacle lamp that points to Christ’s presence that should give us joy.  We can show homage to Christ by genuflecting to toward the tabernacle.  During Mass we can bring our best gifts to honor him not only in money we offer, but also in presenting the acts of kindness we’ve done through the week, our best efforts in school or at work, and even our endurance and perseverance through suffering in the struggles we haves.  We can again show homage in kneeling at Eucharist prayer (if we are able) and in bowing before receiving Christ in the Eucharist.  We can also have the personal encounter with Him in receiving the Eucharist and adoring him in Eucharistic adoration.  Finally we can listen to him in prayer to change our lives to follow him.  In prayer we can have our have own Epiphany on a daily basis. 

Merry Christmas and May God bless you all!

Which Star Are You Following?

Deacon Steve's Homily for the Feast of Epiphany - January 6, 2012

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany and it marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas.

In the old days, Christmas gift giving was a 12 day event, ending on the Feast of the Epiphany.

Imagine giving and getting gifts for 12 consecutive days!

For those of you who keep your Christmas tree up for the 12 days of Christmas, it’s now time to take it down.

As I reflected on this feast day, I thought about the star that led the magi to Jesus.  

This was not an ordinary star; it was a supernatural star.

Have you ever looked into the sky at night and seen all of the stars?

When you’re away from the city what an impressive sight the stars in the sky are.

On trips to Canada and Northern Michigan, I am always amazed at the night sky; there’s no city lights to brighten the night sky and it seems that all you can see is nothing but stars.

Brilliant stars fill the sky – there are more stars than we could ever see here in central Indiana.

Have you ever thought about how many stars there are?  Keep in mind, that our sun is a star.

A study a few years ago suggested that the universe could have 300 sextillion (300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) stars.

That’s 300 with 18 zeros behind it. That’s a lot of stars!

Scientists also estimate that there are roughly 100 billion (100,000,000,000) stars in our galaxy alone.

Today about 2000 stars can be seen by the naked eye on a clear night away from the lights of the city.

That was probably true 2000 years ago when the magi followed the star to Jesus.

The magi followed one star, the brightest star, all the way from their homelands to Bethlehem.

Their homelands were far away and the journey was long and dangerous.

Yet they followed that one special, supernatural star that led them to Jesus.

Imagine you were there, 2000 years ago and you see these three mighty men showing up in Bethlehem at the holy family’s door, wanting to worship the Christ child.

They fall down and lie before him and give priceless gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

They tell the family that a brilliant star led them to Bethlehem to find the newborn King.

This was no ordinary star, but one that caught the eyes of the astrologers and served as a guide to Jesus.

In just a short period of time, from the Annunciation up until the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph experienced some unbelievable, supernatural events.

And now they were about to have one more.

Three kings, the magi are there, worshiping the One they call the King of the Jews.

What could the Holy Family possibly have thought except that this child of theirs was indeed very special? 

How special He was!  He was the Son of God, the 2^nd member of the Trinity.

This event, my friends, is the Feast of the Epiphany which means ‘a personal encounter with God’.

The three kings met God that day.

And they came bearing gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

These gifts were significant.

Gold is a royal gift fit for Jesus the King.

Frankincense is a symbol of prayer, signifying that Jesus is the Son of God.

Myrrh is used to anoint the dead, signifying that Christ would die for the salvation of all people.

To know and encounter Jesus is to know God personally.

In the encounter of the wise men with Jesus we see God’s plan to give his only Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jewish people but for all the nations and people as well.

Jesus came so that both Jew and Gentile might find true and lasting peace with God.

In our second reading, Paul tells the Ephesians:

“that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

My friends, like the magi, we too can have epiphanies where we encounter our Lord.

Sometimes we recognize Him or sense Him. Sometimes we turn away.

The question for us today is: of all the stars there are, which star are we following?

Are we following the star that will lead us to walk in faith and grace towards Jesus?

Or are we following other stars, the ways of the world that lead us away from Him and His graces?

If we choose to follow Jesus, is our life reflecting that?

Are we like the three magi who bowed at the young Jesus because when they saw Him, they instantly recognized that they were in presence of a King?

Or do we just brush off His presence in our life and ignore Him?  These are good questions for us to ponder.

As we continue in our Year of Faith, let’s ignore all those stars that lead us away from Jesus and follow the star that leads to Jesus.

That star for us is the Church where we encounter Jesus in the Sacraments, in the traditions of the Church, in sacred scripture, and in each other.

Let’s take the time to pray and to read God’s word each and every day.

Let’s strengthen our relationship with Jesus by adoring him when we participate at mass each and every Sunday.

May our journey here on earth continue to be one that has Jesus as our final destination.

In 1857, John Henry Hopkins wrote a Christmas carol for the Epiphany.

He was not only writing about the magi; he was writing about our journey as well.

Does this sound familiar?

Star of wonder, star of night! Star of royal beauty bright; westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy Perfect Light.

My friends, may we like the magi, always follow the star that leads to the Perfect Light of Jesus!

God bless you all!

Spiritual Fitness for New Year's Resolutions

In Father Vince’s homily for the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, he pointed out that it coincides with the secular new year, a time when many of us our making resolutions. Most people are focused on the resolution for getting physically fit, but Father Vince suggested some resolutions for being spiritually fit, especially for the Year of Faith, in order to better know our faith and to evangelize others about Jesus. Bishop Coyne’s recent blog post, New Year’s Resolutions for the New Evangelization, was used as a model to help improve spiritual life for the New Year.  These are some great resolutions to incorporate into plans for the New Year, especially sharing faith in Jesus with someone daily.   Enjoy reflecting on them and pick a few for yourself in the New Year.    Call on the Holy Spirit to help you carry through to stick with the resolutions.   May God bless you!