Happy New Year! ...no, I’ve not lost it…I say it every year as we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent…which is the beginning of a new church liturgical year.

Advent is truly a “wonder-filled” season. We look to the deep blue night sky…shimmering with a million stars, each one a reminder of the dawn of creation…and of the promise of the long-awaited savior.

For me there is something sacred about staring up at the night sky…something awe inspiring and spiritual in nature. It calls us to look beyond ourselves…to look more deeply into the miracle of creation, to look more deeply into the miracle of human life and of this planet we live on, and the awe inspiring, ever expanding universe that this little blue planet spins within.

Advent is a time to “make time”…in the midst of all the commercialism, in the midst of all of the chaos that we call “the holiday rush,” a time to slow down, to stand back and to reflect…to take time to allow the wonder of the Great Christmas Event to settle into our souls…to shake us loose from the ordinariness of our daily lives and allow ourselves to be wrapped up in the awe and wonder of the Incarnation.

The Incarnation, the fact that our God so deeply loves us and that God’s very self became human to manifest that love to us. That love is for you…just as you are! This amazing love is for all of God’s creation, for all peoples of the earth and for the very earth itself!

This Advent we find ourselves in the midst of enormous multiple humanitarian crises, as our sisters and brothers flee war and terror around the globe they wander the earth in search of a home. As we reflect on the wonder and awe of God’s amazing love for the earth and all humanity, let us raise our voices and work to make sure that these immigrants and refugees, and all who wander the earth in search of finding safety and finding “home,” that they will be taken in.
Let us not allow fear to rule our lives but rather let the love of Christ rule our lives! Let us together make our Advent preparation time a time of work and prayer for peace, for an  end to all forms of violence and assaults on human dignity, that are all around us.

Let us commit ourselves to not rush into Christmas but to “live Advent” and allow ourselves to become the gift that others most need, to become people of peace with open hearts for all those who suffer and are in need, called and able, by Christ’s grace, to love them as our sisters and brothers. Then we will truly be ready to celebrate Christmas when at last it arrives, with hearts full of love for Christ and hearts full of love for all our sisters and brothers.

Just as the Holy Family was made refugee by the tyrant Herod, so too, people of Palestine and Israel, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan and Ukraine, all sisters and brothers of ours, fleeing violence and war…let us work to make sure they find peace and a free homeland! How can I make sure my voice is heard amidst all the vitriolic anti-immigrant hyperbole?

Let us not allow the immensity of the current political crisis to paralyze us and convince us we can do nothing, for in Christ we can do all things. Let us ask ourselves, what can I do this Advent to help those most in need?

As I open my heart to the love of God this Advent season can I also open it to the hungry and the unhoused and speak up on their behalf? How can I reach out to the lonely and those who are forgotten and who have no one to care for them or help them?

This year let our Advent gift to the world be a promise to work for and pray for peace. What could be of greater value for a world plagued by religious and political divisions and torn apart by terrorism and war. Through prayer and action on behalf of the poor, the suffering and the least among us, let us “prepare the way of the Lord”! And in this Advent season let us pray for the grace of Christ to become a more loving, kind and generous nation, seeking to accept others as they are, just as God accepts them. And let us seek to become instruments of healing in our families, our community, our schools and our nation and our world.

Advent Blessings!
Fr. Tim

As our scriptures speak to the end of times, it can be scary or cause us to be fearful, but that is not the goal of the readings. The goal is always to point to God being in power, even when we cannot see it or understand how He is guiding the world.

I have always been a bit taken aback by the Gospel that we hear on this feast day of Sovereignty of Christ of the Universe…we encounter Christ on the cross…a crucified Sovereign of the Universe! For years we referred to this as the “Feast of Christ the King” but it was and is a “Solemnity” making it holier, or more important than “just” a feast day, like say the feast day of any number of saints. And what used to be the feast of Christ the King has become the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe! Taking on a much more cosmic nature and referring to the role of Christ in the creation of all things, seen and unseen.

Given the current state of our national politics as well as the state of politics around the globe we may be filled with anxiety and fear, not sure what to do or where to turn. It seems like the far-right factions are gaining power in an ever-growing number of countries around the world, as well as here in the United States. Our sisters and brothers of color, Muslims, immigrants, refuges and women and many others all feel vulnerable and at risk in this environment of racist, misogynistic and bigoted violence and rhetoric aimed at holding them down and keeping them from their rightful place in society.

We are called to reach out to and to raise up all those who feel threatened. It is our Baptismal call. Just as Jesus went to the margins, so too we must guard the most vulnerable in every way we can. We need to make known our stance and we need to do so bravely and peaceably. Whether we do this through public protest, through advocacy, through legal actions, through prayer or through personal reaching out to those who are being targeted, we must, each one of us, as disciples of Christ, find ways to stand up and against all forms of racism, bigotry, xenophobia and misogyny.

Today we celebrate Jesus Christ as the Sovereign of the Universe. So let us not despair, let us recall that regardless of how corrupt the world around us is, how many nations are at war or threatening war, Christ is at work in the world…and that Christ works in and through US! Let us take his earthly life as the model for our lives and follow his command to build up the Reign of God by loving and protecting all of our sisters and brothers, as well as the earth itself!

Filled with the Holy Spirit what concrete actions can I take this week to show my support for all those who are feeling fearful and vulnerable? What movement or organization can I join with to fight against racism, bigotry, misogyny and xenophobia? How will I live my discipleship of Jesus Christ, Sovereign of the Universe, this week? What words will I speak? What actions will I take to resist and stand against the chaos and hatred that swirls around us, knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells within me, strengthening me and guiding me in the struggle for true equity, justice and peace for all?

Fr. Tim

As we are careening towards the end of the liturgical year, our readings look towards the end times. The first reading, the Prophet Malachi warns that the proud and evildoers will be set on fire and turned to stubble! The same prophet also warns doom and destruction to those who turn their backs on widows, orphans and aliens and those who refuse to pay a just wage to their workers. And while it all sounds like bad news, he also says that the sun of justice will arise with “healing rays” for those who fear the Lord.

In the Gospel, Jesus clearly tells his disciples that it will not be easy for them…nor for us! Jesus tells them that they need to be prepared because some of them will be hated and handed over and some put to death, all because of his name! But he will secure them! And he said to them that by perseverance they would secure their lives! So, Jesus tells the disciples that they have an active role to play…they have to preserver in the struggle of their discipleship and their proclamation of the Good News! Jesus makes it clear that it is no easy thing to be a disciple! The costs are great…even one’s life may be demanded of them!

He warns of hard times to come, and we now live in hard times: wars and civil unrest rage, tyrants rule with iron fists and cruel hearts bent on building up their personal wealth at the cost of their people’s welfare and very lives.

Here, we worry about food insecurity, access to healthcare and affordable housing in one of the richest countries in the world…1 out of 5 children go to bed hungry, and so very many of our elected politicians seem not to care at all, only interested in pet projects that keep them in office. 

All of these readings that tell of the evils that will befall the nations in the end times are meant as a warning, telling us to be on guard against greed and cruelty and lack of love of neighbor. But they also tell of the sun of justice coming with it healing rays.

Jesus promises to be with us until the end of time, never leaving us abandoned. So in the midst of all the suffering and chaos this is hope that comes to us through our faith in God’s desire that we continue to build up the Reign of God…by living our discipleship through our words and actions in our daily lives; by who and what we stand with and who and what we stand against; by choosing kindness and compassion over cruelty and hate.

Sacred scripture tells us that in the end, God’s ways always prevails, and we are not alone in the struggle for what is good and right and just, for the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of us and guides us and guards us as we move forward. 

Fr. Tim

To begin, a few words on the Feast of the Dedication of The Basilica of St. John Lateran: it was dedicated in 324 CE and was the residence of the Pope, Pope Sylvester I….and, still remains the seat of the Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, it even outranks St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. It is considered to be the mother of all churches, the highest ranking church in the world, the only Archbasilica in the world. And as it is so revered it is given a special feast day and remembered and celebrated each year throughout the world. So today we celebrate this holy place of pilgrimage where the faithful have gathered for centuries to pray and to celebrate Eucharist and to join in with all of the untold masses of faithful who have done so before them.

I would like to focus on Paul’s words in today’s second reading, reminding us that the Spirit of God dwells within each one of us. And that we are holy beings as the temples of God.

And in John’s Gospel, Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance, their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them that they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.

Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of
Christ. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”.

These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples, as he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically. He tells them that they will be able to continue on, and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples were human: they argued and disagreed, and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human and failures, Christ’s indwelling presence has the power to save us from ourselves, and help us to do amazing things!

Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more selfish and cruel times. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable violence and hatred. Ongoing law enforcement using uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown sisters and brothers and shocking violence towards our immigrants and refugees as well as other minorities and women.

And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to the very core, and certainly does not reflect Gospel values nor the words and actions of Jesus Christ!

There is so much discord in our world, in our country and in our personal and familial lives. For many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?

I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of the chaos swirling around us, Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.

Our discipleship calls us to stand up and speak out against the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused, those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ, who has promised to remain with us for all time.

How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?

Fr. Tim