As we gaze upon the manger on this Feast of the Holy Family it is easy to be filled with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and that is not a bad thing, however, let us not forget how difficult the trip, how cold the night and how frightening the circumstances…giving birth in a manger! Let us reflect on the reality that God’s very Self became human and was born into a family, not in a palace grand but in a lowly manger.

When I reflect on the Holy Family my mind turns to the very real and very human struggles they faced…not only having to give birth in a stable but the fact that they had to flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s execution of the children of Bethlehem and the surrounding region. It is almost inconceivable to think that God was made a refugee and had to flee to a foreign country to avoid becoming a victim of genocide. And that ultimately Mary would have her heart pierced when her Son would be executed by the state. And so Mary too understands the suffering of mothers and fathers who have lost children to war, violence and sickness.

So as we celebrate the Holy Family let us know that our God understands the struggles of human families and that “God is with us”… Emmanuel…. in the midst of our struggles. Let us know that God journeys with the migrants, refugees and immigrants of this world, just as we are called to do. So as we draw near to them we draw near to God! As we advocate and work to help our immigrant and refugee sisters and brothers we do so with Christ, who knows first hand their struggles, and who works with us and shares with them on their journey. What struggling families might I be able to reach out to in order to ease their struggles? How might I be Christ to those who struggle in life?

Christmas blessings,
Fr. Tim

​Merry Christmas! Certain images inspire wonder. They are powerful beyond the simple contents that make up the scene. In the nativity scene we have such an image: a serene new mother, a concerned father, and a vulnerable newborn child. Beleaguered travelers, forced to take refuge in a stable, and a child laid in a manger. The rude surroundings leave the new family barely protected from the elements, open to any and all who come their way. And yet this scene inspires wonder and awe! It is meant to open our hearts, to help us to see that there is more to life than we have come to expect. It tells us that Divinity courses through human life and that our God is not distant from us, but Emmanuel...God with us!

The manger scene is both an invitation and a promise. An invitation to leave our pursuit of worldly things behind and instead to enter into the Mystery that lays before us…to be as vulnerable as this child and these parents…to be as open as the shepherds and as generous of heart as the magi. To praise God like the angels and pay attention like the townspeople. The resulting promise is that we meet God. We discover not only that Jesus is God, but that we too share in God’s life—not only in the afterlife, but right here and right now.

And so in the days to come let us open our hearts to the wonder of this Christmas moment. Let us all say a prayer of gratitude for the gift of love that God gives to each and every one of us. Let us not waste this moment of wonder on the commercialism of the season, nor lose it in the turmoil of times but let us ponder for a moment the mystery of the Incarnation of our God, allowing it to change our hearts, to fill us with hope and to give direction to our lives, and the manner in which we live out our discipleship. I pray you have a “wonder-filled” Christmas and come to know ever more fully just how deeply and passionately you are loved by God…just as you are!

Merry Christmas,
 Fr. Tim 

​Today is Gaudete Sunday, we add a new dimension to our waiting….joyfulness !! We hear Mary’s message, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior, because the One Who was, Who is and Who is yet to come is on His way! In Mary’s case she was carrying the long awaited One for his first appearance amongst us as one of us, but for us our spirits rejoice in God our savior for Christ has come and will come again!

But how can we rejoice in the midst of all the problems of our own lives not to mention the immense suffering and tragedies unfolding in the world around us! Joy in the midst of sorrow and suffering? It all seems a bit much! Yet that is precisely what scripture is calling us to, to be joyful in the midst of our anger, in the midst of our fear and trembling, to trust in God, understanding that in the midst of it all God is present with us in the midst of our suffering loving us through it!

John the Baptist proclaims the coming of the Messiah, but not the one they all thought was coming, One much greater, God’s very self, in flesh, Emmanuel, God with us! And for that we rejoice….because in the midst of all of our brokenness and suffering we are deeply and passionately loved by God, just as we are! And so we rejoice in being perfectly loved and perfectly forgiven! How can I share this “good news” with others?

Advent blessings,
Fr. Tim

REPENT! Prepare the way of the Lord! These words of John the Baptist echo down through the centuries…and are as pertinent to us as they were to those who first heard them. John came from the desert crying out to the people, calling them to a moment of “metanoia”…literally “a turning around”. The voice of John the Baptist cries out to us in the midst of the rush and chaos of the Advent season, calling us to a conversion of heart. He announces the breaking forth of the Reign of God in our very midst.

The Scriptures for this Sunday speak of a great hope…a new heavens and a new earth. Jesus preached the breaking forth of the Reign of God…a new world order that is breaking forth in and through his preaching. In this Reign of God, justice and peace will flourish and the wicked and unjust ones will be banished forever. But as we look around it seems as if we are a long way off from the “peaceable kingdom”. Wars rage and rumors of genocide swirl around us like the biting winds of a cold December night. Our sisters and brothers in Syria, Yemen and Sudan, the Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh, all of them continue to suffer and it seems there is no end in sight.

​Where is the Reign of God bursting forth? It is waiting to burst forth from within each one of us! The Reign of God bursts forth every time we respond to a person or a situation in a Christ-like and loving manner. Christ calls us to “be alert”, “to stay watchful” for we know not the time of his return. But the time of the Reign of God is NOW. We need to wake up to be the prophets we were anointed to be, to speak up, to be "silence breakers”, to speak out on behalf of all the women, children and men who are sexually harassed and abused, to speak out against racism and bigotry and white supremacy, to speak up for the ones whose voices are silenced or ignored, to stand up for the immigrant and refugee!

Now is the time . Let us find our prophetic voice, let us not be silent in the face of evil when we see it, let us prepare the way of the Lord by living prophetic lives that call out injustices, war and evil whenever and wherever we see it! Let us be alert, let us prepare the way of the Lord, let us lean into Advent, take up our mantle of prophet and put all the abusers and harassers and war mongers on notice; and proclaim the Reign of God is bursting forth and speak the truth of the Gospel to power! What is the Gospel truth I need to speak? How can I make this Advent more meaningful, more about building up the Reign of God?

Advent Blessings,
 Fr Tim

Happy New Year! ...no, I’ve not lost it…I say it every year as today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent…the beginning of the church’s 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…of the promise of the long awaited savior. For me there is something about staring up at the night sky…something awe inspiring and spiritual in nature, it calls us to look beyond ourselves. Advent is a time to “make time”…in the midst of all the commercialism, in the midst of all of 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 fact that our God so deeply loves us and that God’s very self became human to prove 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 earth itself! This Advent we find ourselves in the midst of one of the largest humanitarian crisis in recent memory, 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 “home”, be taken in. Let us not allow fear to rule our lives, but rather the love of Christ! 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. Let us commit ourselves to not rush into Christmas but to “live Advent” and allow ourselves to become the gift that our sisters and brothers most need, to become people of peace with open hearts for all those who suffer and are in need, able to love them as we love ourselves. Then we will truly be ready to celebrate Christmas when at last it arrives, with hearts full of love for Christ and full of love for the least of our sisters and brothers.

Blessings,
Fr. Tim