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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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Christmas
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Feast
of Christmas - B Cycle - John 1:1-18
A student asked a Christian professor how
Confucius and Buddah would differ from Christ. He responded with a
parable.
A woman fell into a deep hole. Try as she
might, she
could not climb out. Confucius looked in. He told her, "Poor woman, if
you had paid attention to me, you would not have fallen in there in the
first place." Then he made himself scarce.
Buddah approached. He too spotted the woman.
He said to himself, "If she can just manage to get out of that hole, I
can give her genuine aid." He continued his journey.
Along came Jesus. He spotted the woman. He was
moved with pity. He jumped into the hole immediately to assist her out.
This story illustrates the Incarnation. We
gather here
to celebrate the concern of God for each of us. His willingness to
parachute into enemy-occupied territory in human form for our sakes is
illustrated by the birth of His Son today. (CS Lewis)
The Incarnation moved a saint to say, "His birth
makes me want to kiss the ground because His feet trod the same earth."
It prompted Alexander Smith to write, "Christmas is
a day that hold all time together. "
St Irenaeus summed up this feast well when he
wrote, "God became man so that man might become God."
Pope Gregory XIII in 1584 brought together the
Roman
Martyrology. In that celebrated book, much attention was paid
to the proclamation of the birth of Him who "is the radiant light of
God's glory and the perfect copy of His nature."
This announcement attempts to locate the
arrival of the
King of kings in space and time. It underlines the Catholic
affirmation that the Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is indeed the
Ruler of time and the Lord of history.
"In the five thousandth one hundred and
ninety-ninth
year of the creation from the time when God in the beginning
made the heavens and the earth out of nothing. In the two thousandth
nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood.
In the two thousandth and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham. In
the one thousandth five hundred and tenth year from Moses and the
exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt. In the one thousandth and
thirty-second year from the anointing of David king. In the sixty-fifth
week according to the prophecy of
Daniel. In the one hundredth ninety-fourth Olympiad. In the seven
hundredth and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of
Rome. In the forty-second year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, all
the earth being at peace, in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ,
the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate
the world by His most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy
Spirit and nine months having passed since His conception, was born in
Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, being made man. THIS IS THE
BIRTHDAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE FLESH."
Some dolefully say that they would better have
appreciated the birth of Christ had they lived twenty centuries ago.
Dorothy Day says that is rubbish. Furthermore says Dorothy, "Nor will
those who live at the end of the world have been born too late."
Dorothy Day would endorse the thought of Morton
Kelsey: "I am very glad Jesus was born in a stable because my soul is
very much like a stable filled with strange and unsatisfactory
longings, with guilt and animal-like impulses...tormented by anxiety,
inadequacy, and pain. If Christ could be born in such a place, He can
be born in me also. I am not excluded."
A second Dorothy this one named Smith adds an
addendum. She opined that "Christmas is a gift that we cannot keep
until we give it to someone else. Christ is always with us, always
asking for room in our hearts and the hearts of others."
John Betjeman stresses the same point: "No
love that in a family dwells, no caroling in frosty air, nor all the
steeple-shaking bells, can with this single truth compare, that God was
man in Palestine, and lives today in Bread and Wine."
I wish everyone a Christmas filled with joy
and a life
as gentle as only a four year old can picture it.
Do remember though the sound advice of a sage.
It's easy to think Christmas. It's easy to believe Christmas, but it's
hard to act Christmas. So, care deeply. Give freely. Think kindly. Act
gently and be at peace with the world. But remember peace is much more
than a season. It is a state of mind and a way of life.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
Christmas
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Christmas:
He Is All that Matters
Christmas comes this year as the financial conditions of the country
and much of the world are leading most to recognize that their
lifestyles must change, particularly the lifestyle that buys without
the clear knowledge of having an ability to pay. I do not
have to tell you that many people are suffering from loss of work, the
inability to pay major debts, etc. Most people are cutting
back. Many do not know how much longer they can hold on.
For
the Christian there is a positive facet to even negative financial
events. For the Christian, these events help us to focus in on
the meaning of Christmas. Many may not be able to afford the high
price gifts, the expensive parties, etc, that often clouded the
celebrations in the past. Instead, the Christian is forced to
consider the reality of Christmas.
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word of God, became one of us, assumed a
human nature, through Mary. He was not born in a palace or a
mansion. His parents couldn’t even get themselves into an
Inn. Jesus was born in a dirty stable and placed in the feeding
bin for the animals, a manger. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with
forming the first Nativity Scene. That makes sense. The
saint who saw little value in material possessions was enthralled that
God Himself didn’t just become one of us, but was born as one of the
poorest of us. Francis believed that poverty brought richness.
Through his very poverty St. Francis sensed the richness about him as
he felt the presence of God in all creation, Brother Sun and Sister
Moon, the birds, animals, stars, and particularly the people. The
Eternal Word embraced this same richness, a richness not in stuff, but
a richness that luxuriates in the reflection of the Creator in
His Creation.
It
is easier this year for us to ask ourselves, “What really matters?” It
is easier for us to recognize the one joy that cannot be taken from us,
the joy of the Lord. And it is fundamental for us as Christians to
realize that all people have a right to this joy. We have a
responsibility to sow love where there is hatred, pardon where there is
injury, faith where there is doubt, hope where there is despair, light
where there is darkness, and joy where there is sadness. That, I am
sure you recognize is the Prayer of St. Francis, the poor man who
understood Christmas.
There is a story about an old priest who would fill his church on
Christmas. He always gave the same, very simple sermon. He
would speak for thirty to forty-five minutes and the people would be on
the edge of their seats. He only spoke one sentence, but he
repeated it over and over in various tones, and in various
volumes. The sentence was this: The Wood of the Manger is the
Wood of the Cross. Christ came to sacrifice Himself for us to
restore mankind’s ability to be spiritual. Living a life of sacrificial
love, living as Christians, allows us to fulfill our obligation to
bring the joy of the Lord to the world. The sacrificial love of Jesus
Christ unites us to all that really matters, the Peace of God.
He
came to give us peace. He came to lift our burdens of sin, self
absorption and desperation. He told us to give Him our sins. He
came to assure us that challenges to our health, to our lives and the
lives of those whom we love, and even death are not devastating, just
steps along the way to union with Him. Yes, at Christmas
time we remember our loved ones who have passed away. We
miss them deeply. But we also know that through the Gift of Christmas,
through Jesus Christ, our loved ones remain alive in Christ.
We
need to embrace the meaning of Christmas. We lose so much if we
limit ourselves to being outsiders looking at the decorations, shedding
a tear at the romantic carols, and enjoying giving and expressing love
through material gifts. There are many beautiful aspects to Christmas,
particularly the times of warmth spent with our families, but Christmas
is so much more than even these wonderful moments together.
Christmas is about Jesus Christ. We possess Him. He has
become one of us. And He possesses us. He has given us the
ability to be united to Him. The contemporary Christian composer
Chris Tomlin expressed this so beautifully in his recent song Jesus
Messiah:
Jesus Messiah, Name above all names, Blessed Redeemer Emmanuel, the
rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.
© ccli 2368115
Over
and over Tomlin repeats the words: Love so amazing, love so amazing.
Jesus Christ is real, not just in the world, but in each of our
lives. We need to give Him our sins, our troubles, our concerns,
and trust in Him. We need to be Christians, people who live as He
lived, living in sacrificial love.
Yes, we all want an end to the economic difficulties so many of us are
experiencing, but our hope is not in the economy. Our hope is in Jesus
Christ. Tomlin’s bridge in his song is the bridge of our lives from
material to spiritual: All our hope is in You, Lord, all are hope is in
You. All the glory to You God, the Light of the World.© ccli
2368115
So
we celebrate Christmas this year perhaps in a purer way than in the
past. We celebrate the One who gave Himself to us. We
celebrate the One who calls us to seek Him out in the poor, suffering
and outcast of the world. We celebrate the One who calls us
to give ourselves to Him.
And
shepherds on the hillside heard a sky full of angels crying out, “Glory
to God in the highest and Peace to People of Good Will.” Peace to you.
Peace to your families. Peace to our country. Jesus Christ is all
that matters. Jesus Christ is the One who matters. With
Jesus Christ, we will have peace.
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http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
Christmas
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The
Gift of Freedom
(December 25, 2011 - Christmas Homily)
Bottom line: By his birth Jesus brings the gift of freedom.
Merry Christmas! Don't be afraid to say it. Merry Christmas!
I would like to begin this homily with a Christmas story from Fr. Pete
Byrne - a Maryknoll missionary in Peru. He once observed a nine year
old girl named Juanita selling cookies on a Lima street corner. A car
pulled up to the curb and the girl ran over, hoping for a sale.
However, instead of making a purchase, the woman went to her trunk,
took out a beautiful doll and gave it to the girl. Juanita put down her
cookies and clasped the doll to her heart. Father Byrne remarked, "The
joy on her face as she looked at her doll was beyond words. The
unexpected gift – isn’t that what God gave us in the person of Jesus on
that first Christmas?"
By his birth Jesus gives us beautiful - and unexpected gifts: hope in
the face of despair, light in a world of darkness, comfort for troubled
hearts and forgiveness of sins. This Christmas I would like focus on a
specific and important gift: freedom. Jesus came to bring true freedom.
You know, there is a difference between superficial freedom and
profound freedom. It might surprise you, but someone who understood
this was Steve Jobs. When he introduced the IPad, he made the decision
not to include access to pornography. A man challenged him by quoting
Bob Dylan and saying that "Revolutions are about freedom." Steve Jobs
shot back:
"Yep, freedom from programs that steal your private data. Freedom from
programs that trash your battery. Freedom from porn. Yep, freedom. The
times they are a changin', and some traditional PC folks feel like
their world is slipping away. It is."
Steve Jobs was no saint, but he understood that freedom does not mean
doing whatever you want, whenever you want.* Freedom means the capacity
to become the person you were meant to be. That's the freedom Jesus
came to bring.
To illustrate this freedom I would tell you about an incident from who
is now a canonized saint: Terese of Liseux. Maybe you saw her in the
Catholicism Series, which has been on public TV (as well as EWTN). Fr.
Bob Barron tells about how her childhood was shattered when her mother
died. Terese was only four years old. She was the youngest of nine
children, her father babied her. Therese became hypersensitive – at the
slightest setback or criticism, she would burst into tears. If she even
imagined someone was criticizing her, she would start to cry. Then she
would cry because she had cried! In spite of her extraordinary
intelligence, it seemed she would always be emotionally crippled. She
prayed to Jesus, but there was no answer.
Finally on Christmas Eve 1886, when Therese was almost 14 years old,
the answer came. Shortly after saying a prayer to the Infant Jesus, she
overheard a comment by her dad. Normally any negative word from her
father would cause her to break into tears. But she didn’t. In an
instant God made her more sensitive to her father’s feelings than her
own. This was the turning point in Therese’s life. Here is how she
described that moment in her autobiography:
"On that blessed night the sweet infant Jesus, scarcely an hour old,
filled the darkness of my soul with floods of light. By becoming weak
and little, for love of me, He made me strong and brave: He put His own
weapons into my hands so that I went on from strength to strength,
beginning, if I may say so, 'to run as a giant.'"
The Holy Child, she said, had healed her of undue sensitivity and
"girded her with His weapons." It was by reason of this vision that she
became known as "Therese of the Child Jesus."
St. Terese of Liseux experienced true freedom: Freedom from fear,
freedom from anxiety, the freedom to become the person God meant her to
be. She spent the next ten years of her life in a Carmelite Convent. To
some this seems like a narrow, restricted environment. As she was dying
of tuberculosis, however, she wrote a book that has influenced,
literally, millions of people: The Story of Soul. Here is a great New
Year's resolution - to read (or re-read) that amazing book. It speak
about the profound freedom that Jesus came to bring.
Our Christmas carols often take up the theme of freedom. On one level
they are charming songs about the baby Jesus. But if you listen more
carefully, you will hear some challenging words. For example, we have
all heard the Christmas hymn, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." It has
lovely images of angels with "harps of gold." But, then, it addresses
the darkness and misery of our world - and speaks about the hope that
Jesus. I would like to conclude with a stanza from that hymn. (Don't
worry, I won't sing it.):
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.
Amen.
**********
*And perhaps because he was an orphan, he had a greater sensitive to
family - and recognized that porn is destroying our families and making
our young unfit for marriage.
General Intercessions for the Christmas Day - Cycle B (from Priests for
Life)
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
Christmas
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December
25th, 2011 A.D.
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
Christmas Day
Background:
Christmas is a festival of light, of the light of the world who
came into the world and that the darkness could never put it out. It
was a festival of light in ancient Rome, the Saturnalia (or Lupercalia
as it was often called). But it’s roots are much deeper in human
history.
Humans had figured out long before they kept any records that this was
the day when there was a little more light in the sky, winter as bad as
it is, had not won, darkness was fading and light was returning. So it
is not an accident that the early Christians decided that it was a
perfect time to celebrate the coming of he true light of the world, of
which the sun was only a pale symbol – for all its mighty power and our
utter dependence on it.
Hence in the three masses of Christmas there are twenty references to
light.
Story:
Once there was a little girl named Henrietta, Hety for short. She
hated Christmas.
There was too much noise, too much disorder, too much excitement.
She didn’t like the Christmas tree lights which often didn’t
work, she didn’t like the mess of Christmas wrappings all around the
floor, she didn’t exactly like all the Christmas carols, or the snow
and mud tramped into the house and, or the disappointment with the
Christmas presents, even though she usually received all she had asked
for or that her parents and brothers and sisters lost their tempers
very quickly (Hety never lost her temper, well not very often anyhow.).
Why, she demanded, did Jesus have to come at Christmas time.
Couldn’t he chosen a day when everyone is more relaxed? Why did
he not come a time when it was easy to pray and not a time when
everyone was running around like crazy people. But, her mother said,
Hety, Christmas means Christ Mass, the Mass on Our Lord’s birthday?
Oh, said Hety pondering this truth.
Well, she said OK, but then why does it have to be during the
holidays. Her mother admitted that it was a very good question.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/sunday_homily
Christmas
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Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Luke 2: 1-14
Cycle B
Gospel Summary
In the gospel passage for Mass at Midnight we hear the Christmas story
from the Gospel of Luke. It is a story so simple that even a child can
grasp it; yet, even after 2000 years it is a mystery so profound that
the richness of its meaning remains inexhaustible. We are reminded
again of God's providential care which makes all history sacred
history. The powerful rulers of the world, whether an Egyptian pharaoh
or a Roman emperor, may have their armies and issue their decrees, but
through the odd coincidences of history, God's own purposes are
ultimately achieved. As foretold by the prophet, Mary gives birth to a
savior, who is Christ and Lord, in Bethlehem, the city of David.
Caesar Augustus, regarded by the Romans as a god who would bring peace
and salvation to the world, is now only the unwitting instrument in the
divine plan to bring God's peace and salvation through this child born
of a young Jewish woman. Mary is the faithful, willing agent of God's
loving care. After giving birth to her son, she wraps him in swaddling
clothes and lays him in a manger. Jesus is cared for in the manger of
the Lord (Is 1:3), not in an over-crowded lodging among strangers.
Already in the Christmas story, we have an intimation that divine-human
love (now as a child in a manger, in a few short years as a young man
dying on a cross) offers itself to us in vulnerability. Who can be
afraid of such a God? Love cannot force itself, and can suffer the pain
of rejection or indifference.
In the gospel passage for Mass at Dawn (Lk 2:15-20), Luke continues the
Christmas story by having shepherds go to Bethlehem and relate the
divine message they had received. Mary keeps and reflects upon all
these things in her heart. Then the shepherds, like the faithful to
this day, join the heavenly, angelic liturgy in glorifying God for all
that has happened.
Life Implications
The meaning for us of Luke's Christmas story is completed by the
prologue of John's gospel read at Mass During the Day (Jn 1:1-18).
Christ is born of Mary so that he might be born and live in us. Those
who accept the Word who became flesh become the children of God, not by
natural generation, but by divine grace. The good news of Christmas
will not be fully realized until we can say with Saint Paul: "I live,
no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20).
The Church constantly proclaims the truth, which may well be the hope
and the challenge of the new millennium: the mystery of the Incarnation
sanctifies all human life. The Lord, by accepting a share of our common
humanity from his mother, has identified himself with all humanity,
even the least of his brothers and sisters (Mt 25: 31-46). The good
news of Christmas will not be fully realized until the dignity of every
human being is respected and made secure in terms of the right to live,
religious and political freedom, social and economic justice. Mary, in
the loving care of her child, becomes the icon of the care that God
wants us to extend to every human being, even the most vulnerable. In
truth, it is care extended to Christ himself.
In a special way at Christmas we might treasure in our hearts the
prayer said by the priest at every Mass in preparation for the
Eucharistic Liturgy: "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come
to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our
humanity."
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
Christmas
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CHRISTMAS
Mass at Midnight, YEAR B
Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 95; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14
The joy and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, born for us this night, be
with you! The customary reading for Christmas from the Roman
Martyrology, often proclaimed prior to the celebration of Christmas
Mass at Midnight:
In the year 5199 since the creation of the world, when God made heaven
and earth;
in the year 2759 since the flood;
in the year 2015 since Abraham's birth;
in the year 1510 since the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt
under the guidance of Moses;
in the year 1032 since David was anointed king.
In the 65th week of the year according to Daniel's prophecy;
in the 194th Olympiad, in the year 732 after the building of Rome;
in the 42nd year of the reign of Octavian Augustus, when there was
peace in the whole world;
in the 6th era of the world's history;
Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desired to
sanctify the world by His gracious coming.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and now after nine
months (all kneel)
He is born at Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah as Man from the Virgin
Mary.
THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE FLESH.
Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because
he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: 'The first man
was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.' (1
Cor 15:45, 47) From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with
the Holy Spirit, for God 'gives him the Spirit without measure.' (Jn
3:34) From 'his fullness' as the head of redeemed humanity 'we have all
received, grace upon grace.' (Jn 1:16) (CCC 504)
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy" - Father Cusick
(See also CCC 333, 437, 448, 486, 515, 525, 559, 695, 725.)
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
Christmas
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Christmas Day
The first thing that struck me when I took a look at the readings
chosen for Christmas was that the birth of Jesus took place in
Bethlehem because there was a census being taken which obliged Joseph
to return to his ancestral home to be registered.
A census is all about counting people and you might ask yourself why
Caesar Augustus went to all that effort to count populations right
across the vast Roman Empire.
Well the answer is simple it was principally done for taxation
purposes. In order to know whether the full amount of tax receipts are
coming in it is necessary to know how many people you have got and
precisely who they are and how much land and resources they have.
Caesar Augustus initiated many building projects during his term and in
particular he restored almost a hundred Temples in the city of Rome
itself. He did this because he believed that faith in the traditional
Roman and Greek Gods was declining. The new philosophy of scepticism
was becoming popular and esoteric religions were popping up everywhere.
Besides these special projects he needed a steady income to provide for
the upkeep of his army and to ensure that the bureaucracy of the Empire
could run smoothly.
He was also very concerned about the number of people in his vast
territory, since it was thought that the birth rate was declining and
that this too would have a negative impact on the Empire’s prosperity.
He therefore introduced a number of policies to encourage marriage and
in fact went so far as to penalise bachelors by depriving them of the
right to inherit property.
Caesar Augustus was so preoccupied with these matters that in all he
initiated three censuses during his reign so that he could keep track
of the growth or otherwise of the population.
We don’t know any of the actual details about how Joseph and his family
were registered but I suppose that Jesus’ birth must have been recorded
somewhere since there was such an interest in whether the population
was going up or down.
But, of course, this new born infant was no mere extra child to be
counted in with all the others. This new baby is no extra head to be
registered and cannot be regarded as simply another mouth to feed,
another person to ultimately pay his taxes.
No, here in the obscure setting of an innkeeper’s stable the Son of God
was born into our world. Here was a child whose impact on the world was
greater than that of any Emperor or Prince. Here was one whose
significance could not be counted. Here was a child who affects the
destiny of every single person past, present or future.
Here was a child who himself would conduct the one census that really
matters, that great tallying up of the citizens of the Kingdom of God
that will occur on the last day.
For in that draughty outhouse the Saviour of the World was born and it
is that most singular event that we have gathered here in the middle of
the night to celebrate. It is this that causes us to sing with joy and
to celebrate this solemn liturgy. It is this that causes us to look
into our hearts and resolve to become better people, more worthy
citizens of his Kingdom.
In this beautiful liturgy we are united to that holy infant because he
is present among us in a most mysterious and yet accessible way.
Through our sharing in the elements of bread and wine prepared on this
altar we become one with him in his birth, in his death and in his
resurrection.
On this most Holy Night let it be our earnest prayer that the whole of
humanity will be eventually united with Christ our Saviour in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
I came across a Christmas poem by the local poet UA Fanthorpe entitled
BC : AD on the theme of which we have been talking and with which I’d
like to conclude:
This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future's
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.
This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth.
This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.
And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect.
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.
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