Sunday Readings

2009 Christmas Card
Family Matters

The first Sunday after Christmas is the celebration of holy family Sunday. I used to think it was so close to Christmas because after the families have gathered with each other for longer than they usually are, we need a reflection.

And I don't think I'm wrong. The holiday season is a time when families get together. Gen. Patton would find work easily in coordinating the troop movements of families from one relative to another.

So at this central time of family life, it is providential that we reflect on the holy family who play such a central part to the sacred days.

Our prayers, preaching, and images show this family to be the paradigm of what it means to be a family. Now, obviously most families do not have the structure this one does. For example, although many children may think they are the center of the universe -- if not its cause -- parents are more realistic. So it must be something else. The structure of the holy family -- from a sociological point of view -- is not the model. What is the model is the vocation each member of that family understood and lived.

This past week, many of us followed that long and difficult story of David Goldman trying to regain custody of his son Sean. His wife had taken him to Brazil for a vacation, called to say that they were getting divorced and the boy would stay with her. Sadly, she died and her family illegally retained custody of the young man. For the past five years David Goldman has spent more time and money than he can even calculate trying to regain custody. This past Christmas Eve, he flew back to the United States with his son.

The news reported a legal battle -- and it certainly was a difficult one. So many have opinions on rights, international relations, and all the rest. But I think what we saw was a vocation story. Without the benefit of structures or even legal protections, David Goldman was deeply convinced that his son was an obligation not a possession. He does not need words to describe his vocation to be a father. I don't even know if he would see it in this way.

But I am hoping we can. Every mother, father, child, uncle, aunt, grandparent -- any relation in the family -- is some one we have been given by God. And this includes each one of us. Without this basic understanding of how we play a part in the world that God has created no amount of psychology, political debates, and legal maneuverings will accomplish what God intended. In fact – and, again, I may be going out on a limb here - I believe so much of the distress we find in modern family life is based on the simple lack of understanding of why we are families in the first place.

Statistically, a society that does not support family life is one that will not endure. If the rights and obligations of families become political pawns or footballs, no good will ultimately be achieved for anyone. If people believe that courts, governments, schools, and, yes, even churches will be the final arbiters of what it means to be a family, we will never have one.

Joseph took care of Mary. Mary took care of Jesus. They took care of each other. It was in that care and in that love that this family is truly holy. Not because they have to, not because the law said that this was how it was to be but because the grace of God was moving them to do what Grace inspired them to be.

On this holy family Sunday, the Church prays and celebrates the great vocation to be members of the families God has allowed us to be. Whether by blood or affiliation, biological relationship or the bonds of friendship, those we have -- and those of whom we are -- are unequivocally and beautifully the will of God.

In the holiness of this vocation -- as well as the obvious reality that is -- we truly are and become the holy family of God's holy people.

Sunday Readings

2009 Christmas Card
Ancient New

I will never forget that Christmas morning when I opened that gift of a Texas Instruments calculator. It had those little red numbers and could do more than any machine I'd ever seen up to that point. It not only ended, it subtracted!

And as much as the world has changed in all the years since opening that most cool of all gifts., going back to that memory, to that moment of utter delight, proves one of the most enduring aspects of the Christmas celebration. Today we mark that moment in history when "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." And even though this event happened so long ago in such a faraway place, there is an excitement that never seems to change.

And yet, no Christmas is ever like the one before. For both happy and sad reasons, it is never exactly the same. We invest our memories in Christmas tree ornaments and family photos. We recall those who are no longer with us as we celebrate the birth of the Child in the manger.

So even in the most secular sense, there is something timeless we celebrate with tinsel and lights. As Christians, we know what that something is because it is Someone. What the world considers timeless magic we know to be everlasting life. We quietly commemorate our faith in the moment God entered into our world in the mystery of the Incarnation. We are celebrating something which is very ancient and at the same time, very new.

In many places, Christmas is one of those rare opportunities when preachers take the opportunity to gently remind those annual visitors to church that we are open all year long. Others, take the same opportunity to rail against many of the very real evils in our world today. Personally, my preference is to do with the Eastern Church does on this feast. Over and over again throughout the liturgy priest, deacon, and the choir people sing in various ways the same singular message: God is with us.

All the happy and holy thoughts of this season dim in the light of this mystery. All the sins and sorrows of our world - and of our life - no longer seem to be disconnected from God's concern. St. Paul said that God is for us so nothing can be against us. He is not only for us from use with us.. He doesn't look down from heaven as much as He travels by our side. In the fractures and divisions that seem to define our families and our nations, in the manger heaven and earth are no longer two, but one.

It is reported in many places that Christmas trees start coming down the day after Christmas. The store shelves are wiped clean of anything having to do with the "holiday season." By Sunday, the Valentine's Day decorations should be out. Tempus fugit -- time flies -- as the old grandfather clocks used to say. And, no, I have no idea whatever became of that Texas instruments calculator.

But Christmas cannot be put back into a storage box. The Mystery of the Incarnation was never really visible to our eyes and does not depend on bows or LED lights. "God is with us" is far more enduring than even the best monuments of human ingenuity and devotion can construct.

The simplest details of an ancient story of Mary and Joseph, of shepherds and kings, of Angels and babies has become the reason for everything else. Whether proclaimed in Handel's Messiah or recounted by Linus in the "Charlie Brown Christmas special", the story leads to only one conclusion. To appreciate, share, and rejoice in that conclusion is the greatest gift we can give to each other or ourselves. It is the beginning, the substance, in the end -- all wrapped in one.

God is with us so we could be with God.

May all the wonderful, fun, and fattening joys of this day -- and those who share it with -- either reflection of this first great gift. And following shepherds and kings, drummer boys in Santa Claus, we to go even unto Bethlehem and see this wonderful thing that has come to pass.

And along the way, Christmas after Christmas, step-by-step, we find Him who has already made the journey to us.

Have a merry and a very holy Christmas.

Sunday Readings

2009 Christmas Card
Gifts

I guess it's starting to hit us that it was only five days till Christmas. For several weeks now it has been all about sales and gifts. As usual, many have decried the materialism and the commercialism of the season. It is what Archbishop Dolan called the "Christmas wars."

The two sides of these skirmishes can generally be described as materialistic versus spiritual. The material aspects of the holiday are considered commercial, crass, and greedy. The spiritual side maintains a purely religious aspect of commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. For the most part, these two sides are complete opposites and have little to do in common with each other.

But as Catholics, is this really our fight?

I do not believe it is. I do not even believe we are in the ballpark in this annual conflict between the godless secularists and the strident spiritualists. We are, after all, a church of the incarnation.

We believe that Jesus Christ has sanctified this world by becoming man and in particular, we believe He sanctified our human nature. We reject any belief contrary to this. We reject the secularists’ view that the material world is all there is. And we equally reject the overly-spiritual view that the material world is of no importance or has any value in God's sight. Throughout the centuries, we have stated not only that these beliefs are problematic, we have gone so far as to declare them heretical.

Today's readings speak of the incarnation. They speak of the body prepared and offered in service to the will of God. Mary, the one who carried the incarnate Lord, made the journey of charity to Elizabeth.

In other words, because of Jesus Christ, the material world is not only good, it is holy. We can take the good things of this world and see them as the vessels of Grace. Sacramentally we do that every day with bread and wine. We honor God with the beauty of art and music. And in that same spirit, we offer each other the material gifts of this season as a reflection of what God has given us in the Child of Bethlehem.

Obviously, the excessive greed or stingy spirituality is never appropriate. But in these last few days of the season, as we give and receive, can we see them as an echo of the event we are celebrating?

Imagine, if you will, Mary sending a message to Elizabeth saying that her thoughts and intentions are with her in this difficult time but that she could not be bothered with all that is going on in her life to cross the hills of Judea to visit her. It would be an intention without action. It simply would not be real.

But, Father, it is after all these "thought that counts." Actually, that's not true either. A good intention that does not manifest itself may be very pleasing to the individual but nothing more. It has no more impact than a gift given without any regard to the individual receiving it.

The glory of our celebration of Christmas is that we attempt, as far as humanly possible and divinely inspired, to imitate what we are celebrating. We prayerfully appreciate the wonder of the incarnation as we attempt to demonstrate that spiritual reality we offer one another.

So let the gifts be given! Let the gifts he received! Maybe these last few days before the feast of the incarnation be an opportunity in all of our lives to echo the great things God has done for us.

God has truly blessed each of us and lovingly invites us to bless each other.

Have a holy Christmas by enjoying Christmas.

Sunday Readings


2009 Christmas Card
Extraordinary Ordinary

If you drive around this or any other neighborhood at night, you will notice a pleasant transformation. People attach lights to almost any and every solid object. With the advent of the new LED lights that are cheaper, you can see more of them than last year. In the darkest times of the year, these lights attempt to quell the darkness. And the result is a lot of fun.

The Christmas season is always a time to decorate and dress up. We all agree that a special season requires special behavior. We have unwritten rules about gift-giving, party throwing, and all the rest. And it is a good thing because we need these patterns to remind ourselves of the importance of the holidays.

People of faith engage the same dynamic as we grow ever closer to this religious feast day. We do it for all the major events like Easter and weddings. We ask the question the pilgrims going to hear John the Baptist asked so long ago: what should we do?

This joyful pause in the Advent season is the perfect time to ask that very question. What should we do to celebrate Christmas so it will be a holy and religious feast day?

If we look at the answers John the Baptist gives to these different groups, they have one characteristic in common. John tells them God requires only that they do their jobs rightly and justly. In other words, they are to do the ordinary things they do all the time but do them well.

This is good advice for all the year and for all of life. To quote a friend of mine, "I want to live an ordinary life extraordinarily well." And he is right, as I told his future wife at their wedding.

But let's get specific in this festive season. What should we do to have a holy Christmas? I would offer one suggestion: enjoy every moment of it. Enter into it as if it first time, the only time, and the last time. See the sparkling lights of the outdoor decorations as a child would. Hear the message of the angels singing their Gloria exactly as the shepherds once did for the first time. Look forward with anticipation to the gifts given us by those who love us like the youngster who peeks out the window searching for evidence of flying reindeer.

And while celebrating these wonderful things, go to the manger. Discover the Christ-Child with the excitement of those three Kings who finally made it to Bethlehem. Celebrate the season as we ordinarily do but do it in an extraordinary way.

So yes, dive right in to the frenetic activity of the pre-Christmas craziness. Savor every cookie, gift, and shiny object. That is what we do -- and we do it very well. In addition, the joy of the season is more profound than even this. John the Baptist advises us still that we should do what is most obvious. We should continue to look ever more closely for the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

May the grace of this Eucharist give us the encouragement to do precisely that.

Sunday Readings


2009 Christmas Card

An early Christmas treat:

Watch It!

We may have always known it, but not always appreciated it. Human beings need how to be taught to be human. A child who by chance or choice is deprived of a parent is immediately at a surmountable but significant disadvantage.. A student or worker who is denied the dedication of a mentor faces a challenge to succeed. And we all know the outcome of those who, when driving somewhere without the benefit of GPS, refuse to stop and ask for directions.

But somehow or another we apparently need very little guidance when it comes to faith. It is an assumed obligation that all thinking people will define and recognize the presence of God in their life. I guess this is how so many cults begin. A charismatic personality discovers a unique perspective that everyone else seems to have missed. And God help you if you disagree with them!

St. Paul said that faith comes by hearing. The message has always been preached and listened to. Yes, there are a few souls who, disposed by nature and grace, are given the gift of immediate revelation. But the norm is that most of us need John the Baptist even today.

John the Baptist, a remarkable and memorable character we commemorate after all these centuries, was marked out by God for the task of pointing to the Lamb of God. His prophetic role was to call attention to the grace we now know in Jesus Christ. We echo his words even today as the priest does what he did; holding the host he repeats ‘behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...’

In celebrating the Advent season, the Church once again takes on the prophetic role as teacher in pointing out the arrival of the Promised One in the world. She asks the world rejoice even in the darkness of this time of year and to celebrate life with an eye on the life that will never end.

So the figure of John the Baptist makes an awful lot of sense, doesn't it? But as much as it would be a mistake to keep the Christ of Christmas only in church, we would be just as foolish to keep John the Baptist's cry only for the Advent season.

John the Baptist called people to a vision of Christ not in the Temple, not in the synagogue, but in the wilderness. In that barren place, free of distractions and comforts of a successful life, he prepared the way of the Lord. Perhaps in the thinking of many who came to those riverbanks to hear him, an obvious thought stood out. In this desolate place, without shrines or symbols or any tangible presence of God, God would be found as He visited His people. Like the God who revealed Himself in the desert of Sinai, we would once again see His glory in the last place we would expect to.

Little has changed. The voice of John still rings out in the wilderness of modern life. Who can watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" without hearing his call. Amid all the schlock of the "holiday season" that assaults us year after year, don't we find ourselves commenting that this upc0ming holiday is supposed to be the celebration of Jesus Christ?

But even more to the point, John the Baptist’s call is not reserved for the annual celebration of the Incarnation. It is heard throughout the year, at every moment in every life. Any and all reminders of the presence of God in the world is an echo of this announcement. Sure, they can be with the standard religious fare: Church bells, crosses, First Communion days and all the rest.

But in the wilderness we see all around us -- and within us -- can we hear that same call? When we are in a place in our life where God seems most absent or expelled, can we see the signs that He is not?

What are the signs? Usually, I think, they're the obvious whispers around us. We can see those signs in the comments, corrections, and encouragements of those God has placed in our lives. We can see them in the planned or surprised moments of wonder and beauty. And experience will show us that we can hear the call even in places and from people we would never expect.

Let me give you a personal example, not because I believe it is extraordinary, but because I believe it is and should be ordinary.

A couple of weeks before my ordination to the diaconate, I was having when most people getting married refer to as a ‘freak out.’ I went into a friend's room and demanded his car keys. He could tell that the peace of the world depended on handing them over! I got into his car and began a several hour "drive to nowhere." As I peacefully drove through the highways and byways of our fair Empire State, I had the radio blaring. Bryan Adams’ song from the movie Robin Hood came on. All of a sudden I heard the words of the chorus -- everything I do I do for you -- and they became a prayer and a consolation. I drove back to the seminary and have been happy with the decision ever since.

Again, I am not unique. I'm sure many of us can relate story after story of how God broke through because we saw the sign. Perhaps we can even understand the role we have played in being the sign for someone else. But the message of John the Baptist and of this holy season remains simple.

God has come to us and He still does. Look for Him because He is looking for you.