Category: Homily

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Do or don’t – there is no try…”

I have often mentioned how this season we call “ordinary time” is anything but ordinary and today’s gospel from Luke and the words of Jesus shows once again how this season is far from ordinary.

In this moment are we truly ready to absorb and heed what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel?

He begins with the statement: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

Although fire can be very destructive as we have seen in Hawaii and California in the last couple of years, fire also has a role in renewal. When there is a forest fire, that fire has the potential to destroy everything in its path. However, after some rain and time – new growth starts to push through the layers of dirt and ashes – to give the forest a fresh start.

That is the type of fire Jesus is referring to in the gospel – the fire of renewal but in this case, it is the fire of the Holy Spirit and the rebirth we receive through judgement,  purification, and the graces of the sacraments. Christ wants the earth on fire for that purpose – not for destruction.

Then he says this: “Do you think I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

Is this the same Jesus that when asked by a pharisee what was the greatest commandment, Jesus in return answered that “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he added: the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”?

Jesus talking about division and love – almost seems incompatible, doesn’t it?

Upon first reading this gospel – it does in fact appear to be contradictory to what Jesus has said in other places. However, Jesus wants to stress how important following his will is and so he uses what we know as hyperbole in his statements to others and us through the scriptures.

“Hyperbole” is often used to stress the importance of a particular point or to generate interest in what is being said, and Jesus uses it several times throughout the gospels for that very reason.

In Mark, Chapter 9, he says “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. He, of course, does not intend us to maim ourselves but simply wants us to remove those activities, those things in our lives that cause us to sin. Here is the secret about this – we all know what those things are in our lives – so in reality – at least for ourselves – there is no real secret here.

In Luke, Chapter 6, he talks about wooden beams in our eyes which we do not notice and splinters in our brothers’ eyes that we notice and try to take out. Now, we do not walk around with wooden beams or splinters in our eyes – this is referring to faults that we seem to easily see in others but fail to see in ourselves. Jesus just wants us to take care of our own situation first and then help others, so we are not acting hypocritical.

Over in Mark, Chapter 10, Jesus, when talking to the young man about how to gain eternal life and providing him with what he should do said: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

In response, the young man upon hearing this statement went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus then turned to his disciples and said: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Jesus’s point is not about whether a camel can or cannot pass through the eye of a needle – but that taking that extra step to be purely focused on Him is near impossible for many of us. We all often connect with the material goods we qcquire in life but we need to be willing to give it all up to have fidelity with God. The visual makes it more concrete to those listening to understand – that also includes us today – and understand that is what sacrifice is all about. While we might not be called to become a martyr for the faith in the traditional sense of spilling our blood like so many have done before – Jesus does however, call us to make some tough choices about our life – especially those parts that can potentially separate us from his love and salvation.

Jesus also stated the obvious on occasion to make a point in the gospels. Again, in Luke, Chapter 6, he says that “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” This is all about our ability to bear fruit for God through our actions and it will be one of two things – either good or bad. If we are rooted in the sacraments – then our fruit will be good and pleasing to God.

This brings us back to today’s gospel and what appears to be a very contradicting statement of the Lord’s desire to not only set the world on fire but to also bring division.

In the context of all I have shared so far in this homily, let’s take these bold statements and try to understand what Jesus means by them.

First – do any of us honestly believe Jesus wants to literally burn down the world or to sow division within our families? Of course not because he is the God of love.

The point Jesus is making in today’s gospel is that there is no middle ground for us when it comes to living according to his will – there is no gray area – there is no maybe – it is either yes or no. As Yoda told young Luke Skywaker in Star Wars – “Do or Don’t – there is no try.”

He desires all of us – our entire soul and being to conform to his will. That will not be easy and that is why he is talking about division in the gospel today.

Are we willing to live firm in our faith – no matter what?

Are we ready to be courageous witnesses to the gospel no matter what – even if it means no longer being able to carry on relationships with certain friends or yes – sometimes even a family member?

Living in accordance with God’s will for us means that we must live in “faithful perseverance” even if that means facing opposition from others like Jeremiah did in our first reading when he was dropped into the cistern because those around him did not like the way he lived his life for God.

However, there is a reward for living in this manner as we saw Jeremiah’s rescue from the cistern and certain death – that is God’s deliverance that we can all receive if we but live completely and totally for him in all that we do – even when it is hard – even when it is filled with adversity – even when it is not the popular thing to be doing.

The point Jesus is making using all these dramatic descriptions is to show just how important loving him is – it should be the thing we do at all costs because this life is a short part of our eternal existence. The ways we define this life are temporary – not forever.

Admittedly, that can be and is a tough pill to swallow because we naturally put quite a lot of value into our families and relationships in this life – and we should do that because God built us to be loving creatures, and we are fulfilling that calling in this life.

That is why God gives us the opportunity to have families, marriages, children, grandchildren and friendships.

That is why he calls us to our vocations – to live out his will for us each and every day – even in the face of challenges.

He does not want there to be any misunderstanding of his expectations for each one of us and what it takes – what it requires for us to ultimately live with him for eternity.

That is why we have gospels like today – to help us vividly understand those expectations – so there can be no misunderstanding about what it takes to live in God’s will for us and ultimately live with him in heaven forever.

I would like to close my homily with part of the closing prayer from Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours this morning. It beautifully encapsulates what we have been talking about in this homily:

            “God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imagining.”

            Amen.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Be Martha for others…”

OK – we are going to start off with a homily pop quiz. During Fr. Marek’s homily last weekend, he preached to us about a very well-known parable. Do you remember the name of that parable? (Parable of the Good Samaritan).

OK – Do you remember what he changed the name of the parable to when he decided to look at it from a different perspective? (Parable of the Man in the Ditch).

All right, congratulations – you all passed the homily pop quiz. No promises that there won’t be another one next week about today’s homily.

In all seriousness though, I think Fr. Marek was really onto something last week by taking this well-known parable and approaching it from a different angle and I am not just saying that because he is my pastor and also sitting right behind me!

Sometimes it can be really valuable to take what has become ordinary because we have heard it many times from a certain perspective and see if there isn’t a way to learn something new from that the same story.

As is my normal practice when preparing a homily, earlier this week I was reading and praying with one of my commentaries about today’s gospel, which is another very well-known story from the scriptures like last week’s parable, and it provided a perspective I have never honestly thought about and I want to use that as a means for us to take a different look at today’s gospel as well.

Our story today from the gospel of Luke is familiar – Jesus visiting the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany as he did multiple times in his travels. His relationship with them is special and he honors that closeness by visiting them regularly as he passes through Bethany, which was just a couple of miles from Jerusalem. We hear of special encounters throughout the gospels which happen when he visits them. These of course include the raising of Lazurus from the dead and the anointing of his feet by Mary.

It is a short gospel, but the core of it is this exchange between Martha and Jesus:

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

The usual initial reaction is that Mary is correct having chosen to spend this time listening to the Lord at his feet and that Martha is worrying too much about the task of providing hospitality to their guest and is missing out on precious time with the Lord. It almost feels like a “right or wrong” is being determined here between each of their actions.

Another approach we often hear for this gospel is to bring both of their actions together like two-sides of the same coin – two types of worship. Sometimes there is work to be done such as providing hospitality as Martha is in this gospel, or ministry work at our parish and they cannot and should not be neglected. We can’t just let our homes fall into disrepair or ignore visitors. There are times our worship needs to be active and not contemplative.

When you flip that coin over, there should also be time that we spend in contemplation and prayer so that we can draw nearer to Jesus and be nurtured and fed by him. It reminds us that there is a time for both of these things and that sometimes they will clash with each other. In that situation, we should make sure we set aside the time for each of them in our lives. Put it on your calendar if that is what it takes to protect that opportunity for spending time close to Jesus and choosing the better part. Then you can take care of the other stuff later.

We also often hear that Jesus might be rebuking Martha in his response to her plea for getting Mary to help. However, by repeating her name twice, “Martha, Martha” he is addressing her with great affection and with a reminder that she also needs to make sure she takes the opportunity to spend time close with Him through the example of her sister Mary.

However, with that said, her work is also important. Actively worshipping and doing works of mercy are very much part of our faith.

Consider this alternate approach to understanding our gospel today. What if I told you that by focusing on the hospitality she is providing for Jesus as their guest, that Martha is actually giving Mary the gift of time and removing distraction so that she is able to be at the Lord’s feet to listen to him and grow closer to him during this visit.

Without having to worry about providing the hospitality that was very much expected in a Jewish household in those days, Mary is able to give all of her attention in that situation to Jesus.

That perspective means there are times when each of us should be Martha for someone in our lives. It might be our spouse, children, brother or sister, parents, aunts, uncles, or even friends or coworkers. By taking care of things around the house or elsewhere while someone close to us spends time with Jesus either in a quiet room for prayer, coming to Daily Mass, attending adoration, or even just walking outside in nature, it allows them to have that time to contemplate our Lord and as they pray, spending time listening for the voice of God. It is truly a priceless gift to be given.

Of course, there is a reverse side of this coin too and that is when we are gifted this precious time by someone in order to spend time with our Lord, then we need to be thankful for it and consider providing them with the same opportunity.

By the way, this is not a scoreboard, and the intent is not to keep track of how many times we do this for someone and then expect the same number in return. For many of us, there is going to be some variation and fluctuation in the opportunity to do this for others – these are gifts – gifts of the heart – and should be given and received freely without any obligation or expectations. Do know though, that the seeds you sow in actions like these will be returned to you thirty, sixty or a hundredfold as we have heard often in another very familiar parable, the Parable of the Sower.

I encourage each of us to reflect on our lives and the relationships we each have with others and consider the tremendous gift it can be to take on that worry, those obligations and what needs to be done so they have the opportunity to spend precious time with Jesus. It will enrich their lives in so many ways and by giving this gift of time to them, you will also be greatly rewarded.

So, as we leave here, look for these opportunities and act on them for yourself, those you love and to further grow the kingdom of God in this life because both of these callings, to serve and to worship, are important elements in our lives of faith.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…”

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

In the most basic sense, this is the Holy Trinity which we celebrate today in the Catholic Church. This phrase is used throughout our liturgies, sacraments, and with sacramentals such as when we enter the church and dip our fingers into the Baptismal Font. We cross ourselves in this action, even if it is an unconscious habit, to acknowledge the three persons who are one God in the Trinity. It is part and parcel of our existence as Catholic Christians. This weekend, during the Vigil Mass I baptized a baby named Sawyer and I used these same words when I baptized him and we welcomed him into the Body of Christ because those are the words we use to baptize in our Church.

While this phrase, which invokes all three persons of the Most Holy Trinity, is a phrase that reminds us of one God in Three Persons, university level courses that last an entire semester or more can teach us about this but still can’t fully explain this profound mystery of our faith. Even our patron, Saint Augustine, attempted to fully understand the Most Holy Trinity by researching and writing about it for 30 years. Despite that and being recognized as a Father of the Church, he was never able to fully understand the Most Holy Trinity when he was writing his final book on it called De Trinitate.

There is a story about that struggle that is often shared concerning  Augustine that goes like this.

It is said that he was walking along the beach, struggling to understand how God could be three Persons in one God, when he met a small child who was using a seashell to scoop water from the sea.  The child would run back to the beach and pour the water into a small hole he had dug in the sand.

Augustine watched for a while, then asked the child what he was doing.  “I’m putting the sea into this hole,” the child explained.

“But that is impossible!” Augustine said.  “The hole is not big enough to contain the entire sea!”

The boy stopped for a moment, stood and looked into the eyes of the Saint, and replied, “It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do – to comprehend the immensity of the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your small intelligence.” With that, the child disappeared from Augustine’s sight.

In that moment, Augustine then understood that no mortal man can understand the Trinity because it is a mystery that only God can comprehend. Whether the child was an angel or as some believed, the Christ Child himself, it taught Augustine this very important lesson about the mystery of the Trinity.

To set expectations about this homily, we are not going to walk out of this church understanding the full depth and mystery of the Most Holy Trinity – if Saint Augustine was unable to communicate complete understanding about it, I have zero expectations that I would be able to do it myself.

However, that is OK because we can still explore this great mystery of our church through our scripture readings today and the Traditions of our church that help bring us closer to this mystery. Ultimately, full understanding will only come when God reveals all to us in the glory of heaven when we join Him, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – One God – for ever and ever.

Biblical scholar and author, Peter Kreeft, in his commentary titled “Food for the Soul”, says this about the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity:

“We don’t need to understand the theology, though it is very helpful, but we need to believe the data, because it is divinely revealed. The bible is very clear on that.  Here is the data: The Father is God. The eternal Son of God is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet, there is one God. In God, the three persons are related to each other in eternal, infinite, and perfect love. They are not one person but three persons in total harmony and total love.”

Our second reading today from St. Paul to the Romans describes the work of each of the three persons in the Trinity for our salvation.

First – We have peace with God our creator and the creator of all things. That means we are reconciled with Him through the work of Jesus Christ.

Second – Through the work of Jesus Christ, we have gained the gift of grace thanks to his passion, death, and resurrection. We continue to receive those graces through the sacraments he left the church which allow us to hope in the glory of God. We hope because we know that affliction, which we all experience, produces endurance, endurance produces character, and proven character produces hope and as we know, hope in God does not disappoint.

Third – The reason for all of this is because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us freely through the love of the Father and the Son.

The words of St. Paul so beautifully connect how the uniqueness of the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity, each with their own actions for a common goal, help us towards our salvation.

We hear this every time we pray the creed at mass or make a profession of faith – this creed was developed in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, to help members of the early church to learn and understand the core beliefs of the faith and to also help against the heresy which denied the divinity of Christ. In 381 AD, at the Council of Constantinople, it was updated again to address some lingering concerns about that same heresy that were still around. Since then, over more than 1600 years, it has remained relatively unchanged.

While we may not fully understand the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, we can still embrace it as an integral part of our faith.

I have this memory of a homily by Fr. Donal many years ago on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, where he talked about being more deliberate when making the sign of the cross. To be more intentional about reverencing the three persons who are one God when we cross ourselves in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Making the sign of the cross can become very rote and feel repetitive if we do not take the time, even if it is just a few extra seconds, to be thankful for the beauty of our faith and the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

As Fr. Donal encouraged us all those years ago in his homily, I also encourage each one of us anew to take our time with the sign of the cross.

By taking the time to say the name of each person in the Holy Trinity as we slowly, deliberately, and with intention touch our fingertips to our forehead, to our heart, and to each one of our shoulders, we give the Holy Trinity its proper recognition in this simple gesture.

As I said, we are talking about just a few extra seconds so that we have that time to recall the mystery of the Holy Trinity which is the source of our salvation, our reconciliation, and our unity as the people of God – even if we do not fully understand it.

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

Amen…

By Deacon Richard Hay

“The love of God in our lives…”

I don’t know about you, but this last month, the first four weeks of the Easter season has been quite an experience – quite the journey – with all the events happening within our universal church.

This coming Monday will mark just one month since our Holy Father Francis died early on that Easter Monday.

I recently had a conversation with one of our parishioners at a parish event, and they mentioned that this journey which the universal church has been on very much parallels what we had been through during Holy Week when we celebrated the Easter Triduum including Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and of course Easter.

While not anywhere near the sacrifice that Jesus offers for our sins on the cross, Pope Francis did dedicate his life to the church – especially when he accepted his election as our Pope back in 2013. So, his death, as the Vicar of Christ, the leader of Jesus’s church on earth and the successor to St. Peter did result in our mourning for him – just like the apostles mourned Jesus’s death.

We then watched the church go through the period of “Sede Vacante” or the empty chair, like the three days without Jesus while he was in the tomb. Pope Francis was also laid to rest in a tomb, with his body prepared for that burial just like Jesus’s body was prepared before being laid in the tomb after his death.

Of course, we know that on the third day, Jesus was raised from death to life – resurrected – as it was promised and there was great rejoicing in the early church among the apostles and believers of Jesus as he appeared among them as we have heard over these Sundays of the Easter season.

We have also had the opportunity to experience great joy when our new Holy Father, Pope Leo the XIV, was elected by the College of Cardinals on May 8^th. While not a resurrection, it is a new life in the Church – a continuation of the line of successors that goes back to St. Peter.

As you can see, there are many parallels in what has happened with the death of our Holy Father Francis and the election of Pope Leo and our journey through the Easter mysteries.

That brings us to today – this Fifth Sunday of Easter. The first reading, psalm, and second reading contain a lot of imagery about the Kingdom of God.

The gospel also follows with verses about this same kingdom, but this is now the Kingdom of God’s love. Our church in this world is all about establishing the Kingdom of God here on earth and we do that through the love of God and His Son which brings us the Holy Spirit. Haven’t we seen the Holy Spirit in action over these last few weeks in our universal church? As Father said recently – no such thing as coincidences when it comes to faith.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about how the structure of the church was established during Paul and Barnabas’s mission to the Gentiles. They appoint elders who are prayed over and installed to oversee these local churches – just like our bishops and priests who are put in place to shepherd the local church and parishes in various dioceses.  Their authority is given by Christ in an unbroken line of succession from the first apostles. It is given to them to exercise ministry and authority in the absence of those who preceded them.

This has happened throughout history, for over 2,000 years, and it continues to happen in our church as we have witnessed with the papacy over this past month.

The first reading concludes with the verse “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Those hardships we are going to experience in this life and many if not most of us have done so but it is through the love of God that we are given the graces to live through those moments in life. Jesus never said it would be easy, but His love will be there to sustain us. The Universal Church also goes through these hardships and challenges but through the love of God it is also sustained.

Our Psalm today is also known as the “Psalm of the Kingdom of God”. In case you were not counting, the Kingdom of God is mentioned four times in this psalm – more than any other psalm.

In it we are reminded that we are called to proclaim this kingdom just like the Apostles, Paul, Barnabas, and their successors over all of history. We receive this call at our baptisms – you have heard these words said over the last three weeks as Father Marek and I baptized eight babies at the Sunday masses – that through our baptism we are to join Him as “Priest, Prophet, and King.”

The psalm also affirms that God’s grace, which is sustained in us through the sacraments, is characterized as gracious, merciful, kind, good, and compassionate. What beautiful reminders to consider when we look at God’s grace and His love for us. Nothing in there about a vengeful God – just a pointer to the gospel’s new commandment of love and that his kingdom is for all ages – and that it – along with His love – endures forever.

The verse that should catch our attention in the second reading from St. John in the book of Revelation is that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Consider how intimate that interaction is for us. Would you let a stranger walk up and touch your eyes? Maybe a father, mother, or spouse could do that because we already have a close and intimate relationship with them. But a stranger – not very likely.

Through the love of God, who is no stranger to us if we are his disciples, we can receive the depths of this intimacy with God and having Him wipe away those tears will be comforting. This is the level of intimacy in the life to come – this is the level of intimacy we can have through the love of God.

Our dear departed Pope Francis put it this way in his apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) – he wrote:

“The family is an image of the Holy Trinity – the tenderness of love that should be expressed between spouses and family members is a foretaste of the divine.”

How beautiful and encouraging is that!?! I don’t think it would be strange at all to have God wipe away my tears.

Finally, in our gospel we hear this new commandment to love one another as Christ loves us. To love others like he loved us is to evangelize and demonstrate our love for Him through loving each other. How do we do this as individuals or a community?

Is our parish a community of love or do we just say hello in passing as we race into church to grab a seat or rush out to get in our cars and beat the traffic? Through those types of actions and others in life, can we be called the disciples of Jesus?

Remember he said we are recognized as His disciples because we show and are the love of Christ to others.

Can we truly say that we are the love of Christ through our actions? It is a tough question and requires a tough truth at times.

If changes are needed in our lives, then we should pray on it, then we can ask God to help us change so that our actions truly reflect the love of Christ to all we encounter and not just some of those we cross paths with in our daily lives.

Let me close with the blessing that Pope Leo shared from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica when he was introduced to the world for the first time as our Holy Father. He said:

” God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace.”

Amen

By Deacon Richard Hay

“The mysteries of unconditional love…”

Michael W. Smith is a very popular Christian artist and if you have listened to contemporary Christian music at any time, you have likely heard one of his praise and worship songs such as “A New Hallelujah”, “Open the Eyes of my Heart”, and “You are Holy”.

He has recently released a new single called “Arms Around the Sun” and there is a line in that song that fits perfectly with this journey we are now on through the mysteries that are part of the Holy Triduum leading to Easter.

It goes like this – “I believe You are a love that never ends but trying to get my head around You is like trying to wrap my arms around the sun.”

In all these mysteries that we will encounter over these next few days – they are given to us because the love of God has no end. In fact, we will bear witness to the greatest sign of his love when on Good Friday Jesus gives up his life for our salvation.

There are three key events in tonight’s readings for Holy Thursday as we begin this journey.

First is the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus and his disciples are at the Passover Seder meal and when it is concluding he shows the apostles how they are to celebrate this new covenant of his body and blood – this is the first mass. Remember, the Passover meal was an important meal to the Jewish people to commemorate their exodus from Egypt and slavery on their way to a promised land of milk and honey as part of their covenant with God.

By giving his apostles and us bread that is his body and wine that is his blood as a new covenant, we receive the graces of what we now know as the Sacrament of the Eucharist. When we attend the mass, the source and summit of our faith, where we receive this sacrament, we also experience our own exodus from slavery – a slavery to sin – and that exodus from sin leads us also to a promised land – eternity with the Lord in heaven.

Second – the institution of the priesthood. Yesterday, at the Holy Chrism Mass, the priests of our dioceses renewed the promises they made at ordination when hands were laid on them by their bishop to configure them to Christ. At that ordination their hands were also anointed with Holy Chrism – they are anointed as a sign of the Holy Spirit and receive the sacred power to sanctify, shepherd, and teach.

Without the priesthood, we would not have the Holy Mass, the eucharist, and everything that stems from that such as adoration and viaticum for the dying. There would be no anointing of the sick and there would be no reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins.

Third – it is Christ putting into action one of the two most important commandments he shared with us. The first we know is to love the lord our God with all our heart, soul, and all our strength. The one that is forefront tonight is the second most important commandment – to love one another as Jesus loves us. He shows us this love through the humble act of washing the disciples’ feet. This act was significant because this was something normally done by a household servant or slave.

After he does this, even washing Peter’s feet despite his protests, he tells them that if he, as their master and teacher have washed their feet, then they should wash one another’s feet. He gave them a model to follow and then says to them”, …as I have done for you, you should do also.”

For us this is about more than washing feet though – this is about being Christ for others because they also have Christ in them. This is about those two most important commandments – this is about love – unconditional love. We should be willing to always humble ourselves to serve others – that is what Christ gives us in the gospel tonight.

Here shortly, we will have an opportunity for feet to be washed as Jesus did on this night over 2,000 years ago. I know the elect will have their feet washed by their sponsors and in turn, the elect will wash the feet of their sponsors.  Others will have their feet washed by a family member or a friend.

I want to encourage all of us here to contemplate and reflect while this is happening on someone who we might be estranged from for any reason – maybe we haven’t talked to them in a long time because of a disagreement – if the opportunity to wash their feet – to humbly serve them in some way – became available – would you do it? Jesus calls us to do so because he has also done it for us.

In celebrating the eucharist and carrying Jesus within us outside of this church, we must wash the feet of others through our actions by

• Revering Christ’s presence in others.
• Considering others’ needs as important as ours if not more important.
• To serve others without expecting any reward or recognition.
• Sharing our time, talent, and treasures to be true disciples of Christ.

Jesus’s action tonight in serving his apostles in this most humble manner, shows us the importance of serving each other – being Christ for those we encounter. We should always have the eyes of our heart open for those opportunities in our own lives. These are things we should all prayerfully consider during these days.

Although the mood of some of our time in these days approaching Easter will be very solemn – especially during Good Friday as we wait to witness the Passion of the Lord and his death on the cross – a day on which no mass will be celebrated throughout the universal church. When we sit in the silence of Holy Saturday as Jesus lays in the tomb – each of these days are filled with witness of his eternal love for us.

• He goes to the cross because he loves us.
• He lays in the tomb because he loves us.
• He rises from the tomb because he loves us.

The beauty of these powerful displays of God’s love for us through the actions of his only son will sustain all of us well beyond the Easter celebration.

They in fact will take us to eternity if we are willing to profess him as our lord and savior by loving others as he loves us.

As Michael W. Smith also says in his song “Arms Around the Sun”; we should all be caught up in the wonder of who God is even though he is too big to measure, too heavy to hold, too deep to fathom, too bright to behold, and although he may be far beyond the horizon – he is still closer than a prayer.

Let the mysteries of the Triduum and Easter inspire us with the closeness of Christ’s love, enabling us to then spread that love and serve one another.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Journeying for ourselves and with others towards resurrection”

I am sure everyone here has made some type of journey in their lifetime. Whether it is a vacation or a business trip – we all have a sense of what it is like to travel somewhere.

There are also journeys of life, growing from childhood into being a teenager and adult, from being single to married, having kids and becoming parents or later grandparents, or in our work careers. The bottom line is that we are always on a journey of some sort in our lives.

Over these last five weeks we have been journeying towards Easter through this period of Lent where we focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Time is a funny thing in the way it moves, seemingly fast at some points and at other times slower but next weekend it will already be time to celebrate Palm Sunday and the Lord’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem.

As with any journey, there are often smaller journeys within them. Now, I am not talking about branches off the main path of the journey but more so the underlying parallel journeys that happen.

During Lent this year, over these last five weeks, we have been on a journey including having had our parish mission, a reconciliation service, weekly Soup Supper and Stations of the Cross right alongside another journey that we have been witnessing and participating in over these past three weeks.

I am talking about this journey alongside of our catechumens and candidates – the elect as they are now known – as they have participated in the scrutiny’s as they are preparing to receive the sacraments at Easter.

Over these three Sunday’s we have witnessed and been part of this period of purification and enlightenment the elect are undergoing. We have done this by utilizing the Year A readings from the Holy Gospel even though we are in Year C as a church. Then there is a special prayer prayed over them before they are dismissed to learn more about the Word of God.

We use these particular readings because they emphasize important elements of our faith which the elect will soon profess for the first time.

The first week we heard about the Samaritan woman at the well and her encounter with Jesus. We learned that Jesus wants to share the water of life with all of us so that we never have to be thirsty again in faith.

Last week, in the second scrutiny, we heard the gospel of the Man Born Blind. We heard the entire story of not only the physical healing and restoral of his sight but, as Fr. Marek mentioned in his homily, that gospel story was also about the opening of the eyes of the blind man’s and our hearts – our eyes of faith – our spiritual sight – sight we need so that we can testify to God’s presence in our life and proclaim him as our Lord and Savior.

Today, in this fifth week of Lent – the third scrutiny for the elect, we hear the story about the raising of Jesus’s friend Lazurus from the dead. We learned that we all receive the promise of resurrection – a new life – if we believe.

We heard Jesus ask both Mary and her sister Martha if they believed this and they professed that faith to Jesus.

Jesus used this last public miracle in his ministry on earth to show his apostles and disciples that he was sent by the Father and is the Son of God. However, he also did this knowing very well he was close to Jerusalem and that the authorities would quickly hear about it and this miracle would push them towards the fulfillment of the scriptures and the Father’s will that Jesus would suffer and die for our sins.

In the Gospel of John, we have travelled from the first miracle Jesus did – turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana – to now his last miracle – raising Lazurus from the dead.

You might remember I asked the question during that homily why not perform this last profound miracle of raising Lazurus from the dead first, instead of what seems like a minor thing of changing water into wine. We now understand it was always to do the Father’s will – to bring glory to the Father who sent Jesus to become like us in the first place.

This week, all of our readings should help us to look at death with hope because of the resurrection we have been promised. That means we should be living in a loving relationship with Jesus each and every day, because if we do then he will raise us up on the last day, just like he did with Lazurus in the gospel.

That is because there is more for us who profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior like the Blind Man, Mary, and Martha did in the gospels.

The readings bring out these assurances we are given. In Ezekiel the prophet tells the Israelites that it will be God’s breath of life that will bring them back, give them a new life and eventually resettle them in their land.

St. Paul is writing in the second reading to reassure the Romans, a Christian people whose belief in Jesus could cost them their life at any given moment. They are surrounded by death, but he tells them and us of the promised resurrection for all of us who believe that Jesus is our Savior. That promised resurrection is a reason for hope in our lives in this world and to not fear death itself. Remember – life is changed not ended at our deaths.

Then in John’s gospel, we are shown through the raising of Lazurus, the very undeserved gift we will also receive through belief when we are raised to eternal life with the Lord at the end of times. That resurrection hope truly lets us know that through our faith in Jesus, we receive the promise of the resurrection and new life with Him.

This is all reality; Not conjecture or wishful thinking – but real.

The woman at the well asking for the life-giving waters from Jesus, the blind man regaining not only his physical sight from the Lord but having his spiritual blindness taken away, and then Lazurus being raised from the dead and the profession of faith his sisters Mary and Martha make to the Lord – that they believe he is the Christ, and each of us professing our faith in the Lord – all of it real.

We might be tempted to look at these stories in scripture and think – well they had Jesus in the flesh – believing was much easier by witnessing these things in real time but let’s remember that we also have Jesus present to us in this day and age. He comes to us right here on the altar at every mass.

Through the miracle that happens when the priest says the words of consecration, Jesus becomes present to us just like he was present to the woman at the well, the man who was born blind, and Lazurus who was raised from the dead.

We affirm that belief every time we approach the Most Holy Eucharist and say Amen – which of course means “I believe”.

So as our journey continues in these final days of Lent, we should all continue to pray for the elect who will complete one of the final parts of their preparation for the Easter sacraments today with the final scrutiny.

The day is coming very soon when each of you, the elect, will be able to join as at the table of the Lord and encounter Jesus’s full presence – His body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist – the gift and grace we are all preparing for in this season of Lent.

I encourage everyone to strengthen their Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in these final days of Lent. If something needs to be changed – then change it – don’t hesitate – and then keep moving forward towards the Easter celebration that will be here very soon because our Lenten journey is almost at an end.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Working Towards Our Own Transfiguration”

To quote Deacon Greg who just recently finished up our Parish Lenten Mission this past week – “How is your Lent going?”

Hopefully, everyone who attended has a few more tools to use as this journey through Lent continues marching forward. By the way, Deacon Greg’s talks were recorded and will be posted in the coming week for everyone else to see.

 Today, we now enter week two of Lent. In our readings we heard about the covenant between Abram and God; we hear about the ever present light and salvation we receive from the Lord; St. Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven and how the Lord will change “our lowly bodies to conform with his glorified body”; and then in the gospel we hear from Luke about what Peter, James, and John witnessed on the mountain-top when Jesus was transformed into his glorified body.

As you might gather from what we have heard – we are talking about transformation this weekend including our own potential for transformation both now in Lent but also throughout the other parts of our lives and when we receive our heavenly reward and our own glorified bodies to live with Jesus forever.

First though – a little story…

There was an old farmer from the countryside who was visiting a big city for the first time with his wife and son. He stood speechless in front of the elevator in the lobby of this big hotel. As he watched in wonder, an old woman got into the elevator and the doors closed. Within just a few minutes, after the flashing of lights and chimes, the doors once again opened up and a beautiful young woman stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. Completely amazed, the old man excitedly called out to his son who was registering for the room the family would use during their stay. He said, “Son, come on over here and put your mother into this machine…”

I am sure we all wished transformation was that easy, but reality proves to us that it is not that simple. Of course, there is also an entire industry that exists just to help men and women look better or change something about themselves they don’t like.

However, the type of transformation we are talking about here in the context of the church is an internal transformation that will eventually lead us to our own transfigured and glorified bodies when we join Jesus in heaven.

For this reason, our bodies are not our own – they are temples to God and they should be His in every way so that our actions always reflect that we are Christ for others and even if we do not see an appearance of dazzling brightness like the apostles did during Jesus’s Transfiguration – we need to always be aware of Christ’s presence in others we encounter.

The Holy Spirit can transform our lives during Lent so that we can be that Transfigured Christ to others by living a spirit filled life by making more room for him through the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

In our first reading, Abram, who will eventually become Abraham, our father in faith, is a pagan when he has this encounter with God and is told that his descendants will number as the stars. God enters this covenant with him because of Abram’s faith and obedience.

Our responsorial psalm contains a beautiful declaration of our faith, the faith Abram agreed to in his covenant with God, when it says, “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.”

In the second reading, St. Paul clarifies that it is not the observance of the Mosaic Law that makes people Christians – in those days there was much consternation about following the law and being followers of Christ. However, he tells us that ultimately to be Christian is to share in a life of being a disciple of Jesus so that we can then share this glory in the life to come.

In the gospel, we hear Luke’s account of the revelation of Jesus’s glory. He always had this glorified body, but the eyes of the apostles were prevented from seeing it until the Transfiguration.

The main purpose of this event was to help the apostles fully understand the Father’s plan for Jesus’s passion, death, and resurrection. It also helps Peter, James, and John see and understand Christ’s divine nature so they could see who Christ truly is plus it would encourage them as they led the early church after Jesus’s ascension.

Then the voice of God affirms everything they are witnessing in this moment when out of the clouds, which had descended on the mountain-top, they hear God’s voice say: “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” A revelation of Jesus’s true identity and a glimpse into the glory that awaits all of us who do God’s will in this life by trusting and listening to Him.

In our own lives, we experience a transfiguration – a transformation – at every Holy Mass when we receive the bread and wine which have become the true presence of Christ – fully his body, blood, soul, and divinity – and then we become part of Him who feeds us from the altar.

The apostles were strengthened by Christ’s transfiguration on that mountain-top, and we similarly receive heavenly graces and strength as we come to the source and summit of our faith – the Holy Mass – and receive the Most Holy Eucharist. Regular reception of the Eucharist will help us with our own transformation both during this continued season of Lent, but also throughout the rest of this year and throughout our lives.

Other sacraments create transformation in our lives as well:

• In Baptism we share in being a priest, prophet, and king with Christ.

• In Confirmation, which more than 50 of our youth will receive in May, affirms our baptism and creates us as temples of the Holy Spirit.

• In Reconciliation which brings us back into the graces of God after we have chosen to step away from Him by sinning. He is always there waiting with open arms to bring us back into a relationship with Him through this sacrament.

We should view the transfiguration of Jesus as encouragement – especially in moments that we might feel distant from God. Be reminded that a transfiguration awaits all of us who remain in communion with Him.

Finally, we should seek out our own mountain-top experiences by:

• Spending extra time in prayer.

• Fasting not just from food but, like Deacon Greg said during our mission, from things that do not bring us closer to God.

• Doing almsgiving by helping others in need or simply be present for someone who needs your presence – give not only of your treasure but also of your time.

As we continue this journey to another mountain-top, that of Golgotha on Good Friday, know that there is still plenty of time to find these and other opportunities to grow closer to God – we just need to be willing to make the effort and climb up to the mountain-top to meet Him.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Presenting ourselves to the Lord…”

Today’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the gospel we just heard from Luke, was a very regular occurrence in a Jewish temple. In fact, we hear in the gospel the reason Joseph took his family to the temple was to present Jesus to the Lord because that is what the law required of them.

Although it is not made clear in the gospel, Joseph brought his family to the temple in order to not only present Jesus to the Lord, but it was also for Mary’s ritual cleaning because, according to Mosaic law,  any woman who gave birth was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after giving birth and also needed to make themselves present at the temple to offer the required sacrifice to once again become ritually clean.

Joseph is faithfully obeying God’s law given through Moses for both purification of the mother and the redeeming of the child.

That is why this feast occurs 40 days after Christmas. In many areas of the world, today’s feast also marks the end of the Christmas season. In fact, the creche at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, has been left in place until this feast for that reason.

So now we know that the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord was also known as the Feast of the Purification of Mary, but did you know it was also known by a couple of other names?

The Feast of the Encounter – with Simeon and Anna who were both in the temple – drawn by the Holy Spirit to be there because they had been told they would encounter the Lord. This encounter was between the old and the new with Jesus representing the new covenant and Simeon and Anna representing the old.

As we are reminded of Simeon and Anna’s many years of being present in the temple, waiting for the Lord. It gives us a moment to reflect on what Pope Francis reminded us about the older members of our parish – that we should continue to honor them and seek out their wisdom which they have gained through their faith lives; be mentored by them in our faith and in turn mentor others in their faith. Building those bonds of faith through community because sharing our experience can help each other navigate the challenges of life. There is so much experience in life and faith in this community and it should be shared freely and abundantly.

Second – the Feast of Candlemas – the blessing of the candles. This feast came about because of Simeon’s comment in the gospel that Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”.

In our worship and liturgies, candles are always used to represent the light of Christ and always provide a visual reminder that he is the light of the world. If you have ever attended the Easter Vigil, and watched as the Paschal Candle enters the darkened church as a solitary point of light and then is slowly spread through the church to other candles until the church is ablaze with light, then you have seen the power of a single candle to spread abundant light. That same Paschal Candle is lit and present at baptisms and funerals because it is a reminder of the light of Christ and how it accompanies us at the beginning, end and all throughout our Christian lives.

Today’s feast and this gospel, also emphasizes the priesthood of Christ. As members of the Body of Christ, we are part of that priesthood because at our baptism we are reminded that we are “priest, prophet, and king”.

To fulfill those roles, we can ask Christ that more of his strength be given to us through the Holy Spirit – like Simeon and Anna did – to enable us to fully share in his priesthood.

If you think about it, this process of presentation continually occurs in our sacramental lives. It happens when we present our children for baptism, first communion and confirmation or when anyone presents themselves for reconciliation, matrimony, anointing of the sick, or to Holy Orders for ordination as a deacon, priest, or bishop.

If you were keeping track, yes, that is all seven of the sacraments given to us by Christ himself.

Consider this though, while some of those sacraments are only received once in our lives, two that we should always be presenting ourselves for is the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Look, I know I sound like a broken record with this because it comes up in my homilies quite often – but these are the two sacraments that will give us strength beyond compare and so we should present ourselves for them often.

Every mass we attend and participate in is a renewed presentation to the Lord. Therefore, we should live daily with that awareness, carry it forward as we encounter the challenges of life, carry it for the whole church – yes, our role is that important that it impacts the entire church because we are part of the Body of Christ. When we approach the Eucharist and say ”Amen” – which means “I believe” – in that word – in that act – we are acknowledging our believe that we are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ – his true presence – that should feed our soul until the next chance we have to present ourselves to the Lord. Why else would we present ourselves to receive this heavenly nourishment if that wasn’t the case?

These sacraments help us with the next need we have in presenting ourselves to the Lord – that we need to always be in the presence of God – just like Simeon and Anna were in the temple to encounter Christ and his Mother. If they had not followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit – they would not have experienced those encounters with Christ. We also do not want to miss those opportunities to be present to Christ in our own lives. Although it might not be as dramatic as Simeon and Anna’s encounter – we do not want to miss that prompting.

Of course, here in the parish we can do that by spending some time in front of the tabernacle where Christ is always present, we can do that at exposition, and of course here at the Mass when Christ becomes present on the altar. What about when we are not here around the church and all these elements and reminders of God? How do we stay in the presence of Christ?

One simple way to do this throughout our day are what are called “Arrow Prayers”. They can be a quick Hail Mary, Our Father, or a simple “I love you Jesus” or “Jesus, I trust in you”. It is a way for us to let God know we love him and that he is on our mind and in our heart. These are quick little prayers to God while we are in our day in the ordinary parts of our lives.

So, lets’ ask ourselves:

• For what am I waiting?
• What parts of my heart do I hide from others?
• What pain and struggles do I need to bring to the Lord?
• With whom have I shared the joy of the Gospel?
• How do I share this joy?

As we continue into our week, let’s ponder in prayer and the presence of God what the answers to these questions might be.

If you don’t get an immediate answer, continue to reflect on it in prayer but if you do get an answer, then the next step is to fulfill that response in action.

Bottom line is to always present ourselves to the Lord so that we can be in his presence and able to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Always invite Jesus and Mary…”

Everything feels so different when we transition from Christmas season to Ordinary Time each January because the decorations are all gone. It makes things up here in the sanctuary feel so empty – all of a sudden we have all this extra room. You all probably go through this experience in your homes as well.

In reality, it is the same sanctuary we always have – the change is part of the movement of our lives – moving along normally in the life of the church.

Today, on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, in our readings we have heard John’s Gospel about Jesus’s first miracle which happened at the Wedding Feast in Cana.

First though – a little story – Many years ago, during an episode of the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson was interviewing an eight-year-old boy who was asked to appear on the show because he had rescued two friends from a coal mine near his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny started asking him questions, he quickly realized that the young boy was Christian. He asked if he attended Sunday School to which the boy said yes, and so Johnny asked him what he was learning in Sunday school.

“Last week,” the boy replied, “our lesson was about how Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.” The audience burst into laughter and applause at his response. Johnny, with a straight face, then asked “And what did you learn from that story?”

You could immediately tell that the young boy had not thought about getting asked this question. However, after squirming in his seat for a bit, he turned to face Johnny and replied, “If you are going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus and Mary!”

In that reply this young boy, in a very simple and straight forward manner, has stated in part what the message of today’s Gospel is all about. We must make sure we invite Jesus and Mary into our lives – into all parts of our lives – no matter where we live or where we go – they should always be present.

The miracle at the Wedding Feast in Cana is Jesus’s first one after beginning his public ministry although, based on what we heard in the Gospel today, it didn’t sound like that was going to be the case.

Weddings were multi-day events in those days, and it would have been extremely embarrassing for the bride and groom to run out of wine during their wedding feast – no one wants to start their marriage under those circumstances. A modern day parallel might be either the bride or the groom saying an ex’s name during the exchange of their vows. Hard to recover from that happening.

Mary understands this and she goes to Jesus and says, “They have no wine.” In reply though, Jesus says to his mother, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”

Sounds like the beginning of a long conversation, doesn’t it? Not in this case. Mary simply turns to the servers and says to them, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus then turns to the servers, and we know how this finishes with the six stone jars being filled with water and the headwaiter, after tasting it, going to the bride and the groom, who were almost embarrassed at their wedding feast by running out of wine, to praise them for saving “the good wine” for last.

John then closes this part of the Gospel by writing that “Jesus did this as the beginning of His signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed His glory, and His disciples began to believe in him.”

Why a wedding for His first miracle? Why water being turned into wine? Would it not had been much more impactful if Jesus had for instance raised Lazurus from the dead instead? Wouldn’t that turn many more heads and hearts towards Him? The reason is because it’s all about the covenantal relationship that God desires for us.

Jesus is the new covenant – we hear Him say this at the last supper about His body and blood being that covenant for the forgiveness of sins.

– By definition, a covenant is a solemn agreement or promise between two parties.

– More than a mere contract; it is a binding commitment.

– Often initiated by God and reflects His sovereign will and purpose.

– Based upon mutual commitments, involving promises, obligations, and rituals.

Sounds a lot like a marriage doesn’t it?

If we continue with the covenant as marriage theme, then we must understand that…

– Jesus is the bridegroom

– We, the Church – all of us – are his bride

– Our faith and therefore our relationship with him should be one of intense intimacy

– God loves us like a bride; He rejoices in us, takes delight in each and every one of us individually – just as we should rejoice in our own spouses.

In the rite book that we use for celebrating marriages, in the introduction, it says this about Jesus being at the wedding in Cana:

“By his presence, Christ brought blessing and joy to the wedding at Cana, where he changed water into wine and so foreshadowed the hour of the new and eternal covenant: “For just as of old God made himself present to his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so now the Savior of the human race offers himself to the Church as Spouse, fulfilling his covenant with her in his paschal mystery.”

In our personal relationship with Christ, the bridegroom, we must be fully in His Word – the scriptures – and in the body and blood of Christ – the Eucharist – the true presence of Jesus. Once our personal relationship is thriving in Christ, then, on that core, we must build the relationships around us, with our spouse, our children, our family, our friends, and those we encounter.

As we consider the miracle at Cana, let us remember that Jesus’s first public miracle was not just a display of divine power, but a profound sign of God’s abundant grace and transformative presence in our lives.

In a moment of potential embarrassment and crisis, through his mother’s prompting, Jesus brought forth the finest wine from simple water, demonstrating that what He offers us is infinitely better than anything we could imagine. This transformation invites us to open our hearts to His presence, trusting that He can bring renewal and joy, even in our most ordinary moments and challenges.

As we continue through this upcoming week, may we carry the assurance that God is at work in our lives, ready to bring forth new beginnings and unexpected blessings. Let us live with faith, hope, and openness to the miracles God wants to perform in and through us.

One of the ways we can do all of this is to remember to invite Jesus and Mary to everything in our lives and fully participate in the sacraments of the church which were given to us through the new covenant.

Like Mary said to the servers, in the only instruction she gave throughout the Gospels, she says to us now:

“Do whatever he tells you.”

By Deacon Richard Hay

“The Reality of Advent Preparation”

I am going to let you in on a little church secret.

Many times, during Advent, we talked about preparing for the arrival of Jesus – to remember both His first coming as a baby in Bethlehem on that first Christmas but also to prepare for His second coming at the end of time.

During this season of Advent, we have been encouraged to spend time preparing in prayer and reflection. The goal is to not rush towards Christmas and skip right over these four weeks of Advent – but patiently journey through this season because the four Sundays of Advent are each unique and give us a special focus.

However, as I walked into the church last Thursday morning and saw our own preparations for Christmas starting to appear, as you also now see all around us, the reality sets in that as much as we would like to purely focus on preparing our hearts and souls for Christmas during Advent, there is the need of some actual preparation – physically getting out the decorations plus putting up the tree, hanging the lights, stockings, setting up the nativity, and yes, even putting out the 20 foot inflatable Santa Claus – it is all part of the season. That type of preparation must also happen, even here inside of our own church, otherwise the calendar just doesn’t give us enough time as we shift between the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

So, the secret is that what we must do and hopefully have done over these last four weeks is to have at least put aside part of the time on our calendar to focus on preparing our hearts and minds to receive Christ because this is important in our spiritual lives.

Then, with what time is left over, we can do the other things that are necessary to prepare for Christmas. This is just our reality, but it should not come at the expense of our spiritual preparation.

So, over these first three weeks of Advent, each Sunday has been tied to a theme to help us in these preparations. In addition, Father Marek’s homilies have given us some beautiful insight into where and how to focus each week.

That first Sunday of Advent was about hope. Father Marek reminded us that preparing for Advent is like the fire drills that we used to have in school. We need to develop strong habits in our faith life so that we are prepared for both Jesus’s first coming at Christmas and His second coming. Are we truly prepared for that to happen? Do we need to work on new or existing practices in our faith life to improve in those areas so we are ready?

On the second Sunday of Advent, we focused on peace. In Father’s homily, he asked us how well are we preparing for eternity. Are our hearts at peace with that preparation or do we feel unsettled about it? One needs to be maintained – our peacefulness – and if we feel unsettled, then there is still work to be done.

Then last week, on the third Sunday of Advent when we celebrated the joy we should all feel about Christ’s coming, Father told us that wonderful story of the monastery and monks. We learned that when we see the possibility of the Messiah in others, it can only lead to great joy and growth. Do we take the time to see Jesus in others or do we just skip that completely?

Now, today, we arrive at this fourth and final Sunday of Advent. This entire season of journeying towards Christmas and the themes of Hope, Peace, and Joy are brought together under the auspices of love.

This is of course no accident because God is all about love – the purest form of love – and absolutely everything that is in Him is of love.

As Jesus himself told us when he was asked what the greatest commandment was, he said:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ And then he added “the second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Our readings today emphasize this love of God beginning with the first reading from Micah. This is full of messianic prophecies, and I won’t list out all ten, but Jesus’s coming fulfills all of them and He was sent by the Father out of love for each one of us. That is why He sent His son to become man – to become incarnate – at that first Christmas – all out of love for us.

God’s rule is not one of power but of love and love is the point of these prophecies being fulfilled. Love is the gift of self in all our relationships – with God, our spouses, families, friends, co-workers and even the strangers we encounter in our lives each day.

The second reading shows that it was out of love that we have been consecrated through the offering of Christ’s body once for all – for all our sins.
Then, in our gospel, some powerful stuff is happening in the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.

First, Elizabeth recognizes Jesus in Mary’s womb when she says, “and how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” When she professes Jesus as Lord in that moment – this could be considered the first Christian proclaiming Christ as our Savior.

Elizabeth is made aware of this through the Holy Spirit in this beautiful encounter with Mary. The Holy Spirit reveals to Elizabeth that Mary is carrying Jesus, that is how she knew it was our Lord. Even John, growing in Elizabeth’s womb, encounters Mary as the Mother of God and Jesus’s presence when Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting and she tells Mary afterwards that the infant in her womb “leaped” for joy in that moment.

This of course, connects us back to the homily last week about the monks and looking for the Messiah’s presence in others. This is something we should always be looking for – Jesus – in everyone we encounter because it will change how we treat people when that is our first thought. It will in fact cause us to “leap for joy” and create massive changes and revival in our world just like it did for the monk’s and the monastery.

There is still time in this season of Advent over these next couple of days before Christmas to collect ourselves, reflect on what we have been able to do to prepare for the coming of the Lord, and ask ourselves these questions:

• Are we truly prepared for Christ’s coming?
• Are our hearts truly ready for eternity?
• Are we always truly making the effort to see the Messiah – to see Jesus in others?
• And, are we always truly loving of our God and others?

If any of those answers are no, don’t worry, even though Advent is nearly complete, all of this can still be worked on but don’t delay because the day and time of His second coming is known only to the Father in heaven.

When that happens, then the time for preparation is over – we must be ready to meet our Lord whenever that day and time comes – we must always be prepared.

So, let’s all take some time before Christmas to truly open our hearts for the coming of Jesus and keep our hearts always open to Him so we may be ready to make Him the light in our hearts and our lives.