"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And
it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things
that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
Merry Christmas to you and your families!
May the Baby Jesus be present in your homes and your hearts, and may we all be good shepherds this coming year.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
Mary Christmas
I've been thinking a lot about Mary lately.
Given the recent Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and the ongoing Nativity story during Advent, it is hard not to.
Mostly I have been trying to "feel" what it must have been like for her the day the Angel Gabriel came to visit her.
I'm trying to remove the numbness that hearing the same passage over and over brings with it.
Trying to get past the words I have heard hundreds of times.
Trying to forget that I know the answer in the back of the book.
Mary was given a choice. Say yes, or no, to a request that is almost beyond human comprehension.
In her early teens.
And by the way, saying "yes" to God's Will would bring with it the overwhelming threat of public humiliation and, likely, punishment by death. (Side note ... was Mary the first person that every risked her life for Jesus? Interesting.)
In any case, we have the luxury of knowing how the story ends. Mary, at least to our knowledge, did not.
She had to say yes to an idea that probably went against everything she had expected. The Savior they had been waiting for was going to be born to a virgin? In the poor area of Nazareth? To her???
It was her faith against all that. And her faith won.
May God grant all of us just a small portion of our Blessed Mother's faith ...
I hope you are all having a Blessed Advent.
Given the recent Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and the ongoing Nativity story during Advent, it is hard not to.
Mostly I have been trying to "feel" what it must have been like for her the day the Angel Gabriel came to visit her.
I'm trying to remove the numbness that hearing the same passage over and over brings with it.
Trying to get past the words I have heard hundreds of times.
Trying to forget that I know the answer in the back of the book.
Mary was given a choice. Say yes, or no, to a request that is almost beyond human comprehension.
In her early teens.
And by the way, saying "yes" to God's Will would bring with it the overwhelming threat of public humiliation and, likely, punishment by death. (Side note ... was Mary the first person that every risked her life for Jesus? Interesting.)
In any case, we have the luxury of knowing how the story ends. Mary, at least to our knowledge, did not.
She had to say yes to an idea that probably went against everything she had expected. The Savior they had been waiting for was going to be born to a virgin? In the poor area of Nazareth? To her???
It was her faith against all that. And her faith won.
May God grant all of us just a small portion of our Blessed Mother's faith ...
I hope you are all having a Blessed Advent.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
What to do post-election?
Well, we have finally reached the end of a troubling election cycle here in the U.S.
Some people are happy, some are angry.
Most are confused and now waiting to see what this all means.
But there is one piece of advice we should follow no matter what platform we believe in - PRAY.
PRAY for our country and for all countries. And PRAY for the Salvation of the World.
Some people are happy, some are angry.
Most are confused and now waiting to see what this all means.
But there is one piece of advice we should follow no matter what platform we believe in - PRAY.
PRAY for our country and for all countries. And PRAY for the Salvation of the World.
Prayer for the Salvation of the World
Father, hear our prayers for the salvation of the world.
Grant Mercy to all souls that turned away from You.
Open their hearts and minds with Your light.
Gather Your children from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
Have mercy O God on those who do not know You.
Gather Your children from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
Have mercy O God on those who do not know You.
Bring them out of darkness into Your light.
You are our saving God Who leads us in our salvation. Protect us from evil.
Bless and praise You O Lord, hear our prayers and answer us. You, our Savior, are the hope of all the ends of the Earth and the distant seas.
Bless and praise You O Lord, hear our prayers and answer us. You, our Savior, are the hope of all the ends of the Earth and the distant seas.
May Your way be known upon Earth; among all nations Your salvation.
We put the world in Your hands; fill us with Your love. Grant us peace through Christ, our Lord.
Amen
We put the world in Your hands; fill us with Your love. Grant us peace through Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Comprehending Marriage
In today's Gospel, some Sadducees give Jesus a hypothetical scenario where a woman marries seven brothers, one by one.
They ask Him which of the seven will be the woman's husband at the time of the Resurrection.
Jesus' answer, in essence, is that marriage is an earthly thing. It is not "needed" in a Heaven without death - one where our relationship with God is paramount.
This is hard to comprehend, especially for married folks. But it is fair to say that we are just not capable of fully understanding these kinds of things yet.
I equate it to when we were young children, and the thought of marrying someone was "gross". We just didn't have the capacity at that time to appreciate how wonderful marriage could be, just like we do not now - at this point in our journey - have the capacity to fully appreciate what happiness in the Eternal Paradise is like.
Hopefully some day we will, and it will be more beautiful and amazing than we ever thought possible.
For now, we have Faith.
God Bless you.
They ask Him which of the seven will be the woman's husband at the time of the Resurrection.
Jesus' answer, in essence, is that marriage is an earthly thing. It is not "needed" in a Heaven without death - one where our relationship with God is paramount.
This is hard to comprehend, especially for married folks. But it is fair to say that we are just not capable of fully understanding these kinds of things yet.
I equate it to when we were young children, and the thought of marrying someone was "gross". We just didn't have the capacity at that time to appreciate how wonderful marriage could be, just like we do not now - at this point in our journey - have the capacity to fully appreciate what happiness in the Eternal Paradise is like.
Hopefully some day we will, and it will be more beautiful and amazing than we ever thought possible.
For now, we have Faith.
God Bless you.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Inspiration from St Paul and St JP2
It is easy to get discouraged these days.
Between the poverty, suffering and endless bickering in society, it is not always easy to stay positive.
But the "stars" of this weekend give us hope.
Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. John Paul II (Oct 22) and some of his more famous quotes include:
And in today's second reading, St. Paul tells us:
These positive and uplifting reminders are certainly welcome at times like these. With them in mind, hopefully we can - like St. Paul - compete well, keep the faith and finish the race.
God Bless you.
Between the poverty, suffering and endless bickering in society, it is not always easy to stay positive.
But the "stars" of this weekend give us hope.
Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. John Paul II (Oct 22) and some of his more famous quotes include:
Do not abandon yourself to despair. We are the Easter people and Alleluia is our Song!
There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us.
From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God.
And in today's second reading, St. Paul tells us:
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
These positive and uplifting reminders are certainly welcome at times like these. With them in mind, hopefully we can - like St. Paul - compete well, keep the faith and finish the race.
God Bless you.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Quick Bytes: Where are the other nine(ty)?
I couldn't help but feel like today's Gospel was being re-enacted right in front of me today.
From my Church's half-filled parking lot, to the empty pews during Mass, I could feel Jesus looking around, asking "what happened to the other nine(ty)?"
The Lord gives so many gifts to us ... please pray that more people act like the Samaritan in today's Gospel and come back to praise Him.
God Bless you.
From my Church's half-filled parking lot, to the empty pews during Mass, I could feel Jesus looking around, asking "what happened to the other nine(ty)?"
The Lord gives so many gifts to us ... please pray that more people act like the Samaritan in today's Gospel and come back to praise Him.
God Bless you.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
A Twist on Poor Man / Rich Man
I was listening to Bishop Robert Barron's podcast on this weekend's Gospel, and he certainly gave me a lot to think about.
This Gospel is one we all know well - about Lazarus, a poor man, and an unnamed rich man.
First things first, I have always considered all of us the "rich man" in this reading. After all, if you can read this blog, and type a response, you are richer than most of the world.
Bishop Barron comments that being "wealthy" (remember, it is a relative term, and not just material) is not a bad thing. Perhaps, he states, God has given us this wealth so that it gets to the people that need it most.
What an inspirational comment! Rather than feeling guilty that we have three meals a day (plus dessert!), can read and write, can afford a roof over our heads and a computer to blog ... we can act as stewards of God's treasures and be his "distribution arm" on earth.
However, just when I had absorbed that thought, Bishop Barron turned that idea on its head. He reflected that, perhaps, the rich are not just here to help the poor ... what if God also put the poor here to help the rich get to heaven? What if all those beggars in the street, letters asking for donations, and volunteer emails are opportunities for us to take a step towards our Eternal Home?
Either way, the guidance is clear. Love one another, share your gifts, and care for those in need.
God Bless you!
This Gospel is one we all know well - about Lazarus, a poor man, and an unnamed rich man.
First things first, I have always considered all of us the "rich man" in this reading. After all, if you can read this blog, and type a response, you are richer than most of the world.
Bishop Barron comments that being "wealthy" (remember, it is a relative term, and not just material) is not a bad thing. Perhaps, he states, God has given us this wealth so that it gets to the people that need it most.
What an inspirational comment! Rather than feeling guilty that we have three meals a day (plus dessert!), can read and write, can afford a roof over our heads and a computer to blog ... we can act as stewards of God's treasures and be his "distribution arm" on earth.
However, just when I had absorbed that thought, Bishop Barron turned that idea on its head. He reflected that, perhaps, the rich are not just here to help the poor ... what if God also put the poor here to help the rich get to heaven? What if all those beggars in the street, letters asking for donations, and volunteer emails are opportunities for us to take a step towards our Eternal Home?
Either way, the guidance is clear. Love one another, share your gifts, and care for those in need.
God Bless you!
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