Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Though the season of Christmas comes to a liturgical close with today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord, this celebration is hardly the end of anything. We have spent these last few weeks reflecting on the birth of Jesus into our world. The light of the world begins to shine in the darkness, is made manifest to the nations, and now in the baptism in the river Jordan that light begins a mission of salvation.

The Incarnation happens for one simple reason: “God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son, so that all who believe in Him might not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Humanity, fallen in sin, needs a savior. Thus, the whole mission of the incarnate Son of God is to bring salvation to the world. His mission will involve both teaching and action. Teaching – He preaches the Gospel, showing us the truth of who He is, revealing the Father’s love for us, explaining how we are to live in accord with the Father’s loving plan. Action – He enters the full depth of our human suffering by dying on the Cross for love of us, and He defeats death with the power of His Resurrection. The day of Jesus’ baptism, then, is just the beginning of something great and beautiful.

In a similar way, the day of our baptism was the beginning. On that day, we received our mission. As baptized Christians, it is our mission to live as disciples of Christ, following Him in everything and to be His apostles, those sent out to bring Jesus to others. A disciple, as you know, is one who follows. So every baptized person is called to be a follower of Christ. We follow Christ by living in a relationship with Him, a relationship rooted especially in prayer and the sacraments. To be a follower means also to be a student. Thus, we must get to know Jesus in reflection and study, as well. How well do we know the story of the Gospel? How well do we understand the Catholic faith? Are we willing to ask questions and seek answers? An apostle is one who is sent out on mission. In baptism, we also became apostles of Jesus Christ, sent out into the world to bring His light and love everywhere we go. Often we think of those heroic missionary saints who went to far off lands, learned foreign languages, lived in poverty and difficulty, yet proclaimed the Gospel with courage and conviction and we wonder if we could ever do it or how we could possibly have a mission that compares. And yet the fact remains that God has entrusted each of us with a mission. The truth is that the mission is most often lived out in simple ways, through fidelity to our daily responsibilities with family, through our daily prayer, through our treatment of the people around us.

Baptism did not mark the end of our Christian journey. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, while marking the end of a liturgical season, is in fact just another beginning. May this feast once again focus our attention on our mission in Christ, to bring His light, love, and mercy into the world!

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” As we enter these final days of Advent, our preparation for the coming of the Lord continues. It is a hope-filled preparation. Hope implies our belief that what we expect will indeed occur. We expect the birth of our Savior on Christmas Day, we are confident that the Lord comes to save His people.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see testimony that God desires to redeem Israel, His chosen people. The covenant God makes with Abraham is renewed many times, the prophets are sent to convert, encourage, and remind Israel of God’s plan for them. Divine Revelation is full of the word of the Lord being spoken and people looking forward in hope to the fulfillment of that word. When Mary hears the words of the angel Gabriel, she understands them in this long, historical, spiritual context. She receives them as the revelation of how God will bring salvation to His people. Her faith and hope enable her to accept and say a confident “yes” to God’s plan. She believes that what the Lord has spoken, both to the whole history of Israel and to her through the angel, will be fulfilled. Truly, as Elizabeth says, Mary is blessed!

We are invited to share in this confident faith and hope of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With her, we are invited to say yes to the will of God in our lives. God renews His covenant with us again and again. This Christmas, He calls us to place our confidence in His loving plan once again. Let us use these final days and hours of Advent to prepare with joy, to open our hearts more fully, and to ready ourselves to go forth to meet Christ the newborn King!

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we enter the third week of Advent, we are reminded to rejoice, for the Lord’s arrival in time and history is very near. His forerunner, John the Baptist, gives a powerful prescription for finding joy. The people come to him as he baptizes at the Jordan and ask what they ought to do. Having heard his call to repentance and received baptism, they want to know how they can continue their conversion and stay strong in their resolve. John gives a twofold answer. First, he tells them to share what they have, to live generously. Second, he reminds them of the truth that a mighty savior is coming.

To John the Baptist’s first piece of advice, we can all nod in agreement. However, it’s not always so easy to follow that advice. Giving of ourselves and our resources can be a genuine challenge. We tend to plan, to budget, to set things aside just-in-case. We tend also to look for more. But John the Baptist tells us to share, to be satisfied with what we have. Freedom from sin requires a heart that is focused on God. Later in the Gospel, we will see the generosity John calls for lived out by an unlikely figure. As Jesus goes through the city of Jericho, he finds a tax collector named Zacchaeus. Through this encounter, Zacchaeus leaves behind a sinful life and repays all that he has taken from people. Furthermore, he gives half of everything he owns to the poor. And he does it with joy! The Lord’s response? “Today, salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). Zacchaeus was isolated by his sin – extortion, greed, theft – and is desperate for freedom and the joy he lacks due to his isolating sinfulness. When he meets Jesus and says yes to the invitation to conversion, he finds true joy.

In our literary tradition, we see a similar conversion take place in Ebenezer Scrooge. Dickens’ famous miser is never satisfied with what he has and absolutely refuses to give anything of his vast fortune. Like Zacchaeus, Scrooge is isolated. When he finally makes the decision to change, he discovers that his generosity breaks down the barriers of isolation that he has built. He finds that giving away what he has results in a payment of joy he could never have imagined. Look at <em>how</em> Scrooge goes about this. He meets the men who had, the day before, asked him for a donation. He apologizes for his earlier rudeness, asking for their forgiveness. Then, he whispers his intention to make a donation. First, he repents. Second, he atones, making an offering almost as a penance.

John the Baptist’s preaching always points toward the coming of Christ, the one who is mightier, the great savior of the nations. Zacchaeus encountered Jesus directly and put John’s preaching into action. Scrooge follows a path that each of us can take. Though very few of us would ever be placed in the same category as Ebenezer Scrooge, we can, if we are honest, see some of his flaws in ourselves. The season of Advent calls us to repent, to atone for our sin. As Christmas approaches, we are reminded again and again of the joy of giving. With Scrooge and Zacchaeus, then, let us turn away from our sin and make restitution. And remember how Scrooge wraps up his Christmas day. After making his donation, he goes to church. He prays for the first time in many years. Having asked pardon he is able to come before the Lord with freedom and without stumbling block. From church, he goes to his nephew’s home and shares in the family celebration. His conversion has broken down the isolation he experienced from his fellow men, from his family, and from his God. So our generosity breaks down the barriers that exist in our world, in our community, in our homes, and allows us to welcome the one whose sandals we are not worthy to unfasten. Jesus, though He is so highly exalted, has humbled Himself. He desires to be among us and for us to experience the joy of His presence. So let us live generously and prepare well for the Mighty One, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, whose coming we await with joy.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

John the Baptist, the great forerunner of the Messiah, is heard in the Gospel today identifying himself with the prophecy of Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert:’ Prepare the way of the Lord’.” His sacred, prophetic task, is to call all who hear him to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ. To accomplish this, John calls the people to repentance, to conversion of life, and to baptism. His baptism is the outward sign of a heart that desires to change, of a soul turning away from sin and death and toward the life promised by God.

In calling people to repentance and conversion, John must necessarily speak to the consciences of his listeners. He is not afraid to point out sinful inclinations, attitudes, and actions. Note, however, that when John calls to repentance, it is without judgement. To name sin as sin is not the same as to reject persons or to condemn. Rather, identifying the problem – sin – allows John to offer a solution – repentance – and invite people to a different way of life. As a teacher corrects the mistakes of a student without casting them out of the class, so John the Baptist demonstrates the sinfulness of the people, all the while calling them to a new way of living, a renewal in their relationship with God.

In this, we can see a reflection of the mission of the Church and of every Catholic. We can see in ourselves both John the Baptist and the people he baptizes. We have been given the truth of the Gospel for the sake of calling others to conversion and inviting them to a new way of living. At the same time, we must always recognize our sinfulness, our need for repentance and conversion, and the change of life demanded by our fidelity to the Gospel. Our cultural milieu and locale can make this difficult at times. In a high-pressure, socially demanding area, appearances matter. We try to hide our faults. We don’t enjoy hearing that we are imperfect. Yet the voice of John the Baptist, the one crying out in the desert, still calls us to prepare the way of the Lord, to repent, to change our lives.

Ideas that prick the conscience inevitably arise. Our culture would tell us to ignore those ideas, that we’re just fine the way we are. Spiritual writers and commentators have described the religious beliefs of many as “moralistic, therapeutic deism,” that is, an approach to God that acknowledges a vague higher power, holds to certain, often malleable “values,” and generally is positive in tone and makes me feel good. But if religion is meant only to affirm me and make me feel good, there’s a good chance I have begun to worship myself. When those conscience-moving ideas are heard, we should hear them as though they were the voice of John the Baptist. Remember, John’s voice cries out a message of truth and clearly states what is required in order for us to prepare the way of the Lord. All the while, his voice is also inviting to a new way of living.

The season of Advent reminds us that we are people in need of conversion. The voice of John the Baptist does not cry out to condemn us, though. Rather, he invites us to a new life. As our conscience is moved, let us not ignore that challenge. Rather, let us respond with the knowledge that our repentance, our conversion of life, is a step forward in our relationship with God, a movement pleasing to Him, and a response of genuine love for the God who gives us everything, even His only-begotten Son.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The year of grace 2019 begins this weekend with the celebration of the first Sunday of Advent. As you know, the Advent season is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord at Christmas. Additionally, it is a season in which we look forward to His second coming in glory at the end of time. Throughout these four weeks, we are invited to prepare our hearts, minds, and homes to welcome Christ our Savior.

The violet vestment is used throughout this holy season to remind us of our need to spiritually prepare. We typically associate violet in the liturgy with penance—during the sacrament of confession, the priest wears a violet stole; during Lent, a season of penance, violet is worn throughout. In the context of the Advent season, the violet vestment does indeed call us to penance, though not in the same way as it does in Lent. Advent prepares us for our Lord’s arrival on the human scene. Thus, the penance we take on in this time is less of a rigorous spiritual discipline and more focused on preparing for a joyful celebration. Think, for example, of the joyful expectation of a family awaiting the birth of a child. Though pregnancy is difficult and involves the “penance” of certain discomforts, etc., parents look ahead with joy to welcoming new life. Their penance, then, is touched by joyful expectation and hope. Our penance and preparation throughout this season should be touched by similar joy.

We Catholics are among what seems to be a minority. For many, the Christmas season began when Santa Claus passed by Macy’s in the parade on Thanksgiving. The Christmas season ends sometime early on December 27. To a Catholic, this is backwards. The Church recognizes our need to get ready and our need to sustain joy. These weeks are set aside to help us prepare and to recognize in Christmas something greater than an opportunity to give gifts and eat. The famous “spirit” of Christmas ought not, for a Catholic, be confined to being joyful and with others (though this is, of course, very good!). Rather, for Catholics, the spirit of Christmas is none other than the joy of the shepherds and Magi who found the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The shepherds were taken by surprise, the Magi had time to prepare as they journeyed. We can easily be taken by surprise if we skip Advent. So let us go with the Magi, preparing our hearts for the journey at hand, and let the anticipation of the birth of our Savior build in our hearts.

To help us on this journey, we are privileged to offer two evenings of prayer and inspiration in our Advent Parish Mission, led by Fr. Luke Joseph Leighton, CFR. You may remember Fr. Luke, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, who joined us a few years ago for our Lenten mission. On Monday and Tuesday of this week beginning at 7 PM, he will offer inspiring talks and prayer, with music by Michael Corsini. Each evening will include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. On Tuesday evening, priests will be available for the sacrament of confession. Please join Fr. Luke and use these nights to enter deeply into the beauty of the Advent season!

Peace,

Fr. Sam