A New Year's Blessing

Deacon Tom Writes,

“A New Year’s Blessing”

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Year A

God blesses his people as they journey through the desert heading for the Promised Land. His blessing renews the promises God made to his chosen ones on Mt. Sinai and reminds these weary travelers of his unending kindness, his ever presence, and his generosity.

As we celebrate this wonderful feast of the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God today we are reminded that God, in his goodness and mercy, was not satisfied to remain simply an abstract image or a verbal expression on the lips of his chosen ones. God planned from the very beginning of time to become one with his creation by assuming our nature and sharing all aspects of our humanity. We are blessed because God reveals himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ who came to live among us and teach us his ways.

Today we honor Mary, the Mother of God in whom we find all the virtues of motherhood, discipleship, and witness of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Today we celebrate what was declared dogma by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 that Mary is the Mother of God, Theotokos. From the earliest days of our faith, people have turned to Mary and sought her intercession. The Council confirmed what the people already knew, that Mary was honored the one chosen by God to be our advocate and refuge for all peoples throughout all eternity.  

As we turn the page to a new year, we are profoundly aware of our many needs and those of our families and our world. Mary, whose love, sacrifice, and willing acceptance of God’s Will enabled her to nurture the Holy Family now stands to intercede on behalf of all who turn to her. There is no favor her Son will not grant her, for, since the beginning of time, it has been upon her that his favor rests.

Through the intercessions of Mary, may…

The Lord bless you and keep you!

The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Wishing you and your families a

     Healthy, Holy, and Happy New Year‼!

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

When Heaven Came Down To Earth

Deacon Tom Write

“When Heaven Came Down To Earth…”

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass at Dawn, Year A

In the stillness of the night in a remote village, the sound of a newborn baby’s cry interrupts the silence. No ordinary child by heritage, his ancestors include Abraham, Jesse, David, Solomon and Amos, towering figures who had safeguarded the promises given to them by Yahweh that one day he would come down from heaven and live among his people. All creation celebrates this moment in time. Stars in the sky light the way. Angelic Beings sing with joy. Wise men set their course to find him. Nothing in the history of the world before or after this singular moment has had a greater impact on our lives than when heaven came down to earth.

We look back two thousand years and celebrate this joyful event today as we look forward to the dawning of this new day and the promises it has in store for us… the promises of hope that we have for our children, grandchildren and, for some of us, our great grandchildren…. the promises we have that our loved ones who are suffering will find comfort and rest…..the promises that our broken world may find some peace and that all that divides will be reconciled.

The world that Jesus was born into was not much different than the world we find ourselves living in today. There are evil rulers who destroy the innocent as Herod did. Vast numbers of people lack the basic necessities of life and they fear for their children; there is uncertainty about "What is truth?” Many are worried of what tomorrow will bring.

This is similar to the way things were when Jesus was born. Yet, In the quiet of the evening he came into the world that he created to be its light. But,  "the world received him not". In celebrating the birth of the Christ Child we have made our choice to follow him and his ways. It is by the choices that we make throughout the day that provide the surest evidence that we have chosen to receive him into our lives even though he is still rejected by the world. We do so...when we choose forgiveness instead of resentment… when we choose the good of the other over our own self interest…when we choose to do what is right and virtuous instead of pleasing the crowd…when we choose the Eucharist over (____) [fill in the blank], when we choose to be the light in the darkness around us. And, at the same time, Jesus chooses too; he chooses to come again and again into our broken lives, into our fractured world, peddling his goods… peace, justice, purity, love. One day we’ll get it right… That’s the promise. That’s our hope.

May the joy of the Holy Family be with you and your families this Christmas and may the Christ Child grant us the deepest desires within our hearts.

Merry Christmas

AND

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Deacon Tom

Enjoy this special day!

Show Me A Sign

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Show Me A Sign”

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A

How would we answer the Lord if He asked us to, “Ask for a sign”? There are many things that I can think of right off the top of my head, but I’m sure that anything I could possibly imagine would fall far short of what Isaiah comes up with given Ahaz’s silence. Never in a million years would anyone but a Prophet of God think of the sign we read about today, “that the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”. Yet this is exactly what God does. And so Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Mary.

Today’s readings remind us that Jesus began his ministry in the security and safety of a family with Joseph and Mary to guide and teach him how to live a virtuous life. Joseph, as we know from the little we read of him in scripture, was a man of courage as shown by his willingness to accept what the angel had revealed to him. He was also a protector of his family, doing all that was necessary to keep them safe. Mary was a woman of strong faith and trust in God. All of their daily decisions, conversations around the supper table, interactions with their neighbors, relatives, merchants, fellow Jews, and even Roman occupation forces exposed Jesus to day to day life and helped shape his understanding of the world. We know that soon after the child’s birth, the holy family became fugitives, seeking safety by traveling to Egypt. The love and care that Jesus received from Mom and Dad helped strongly influenced his human nature as he grew in wisdom and understanding of his divinity.

By situating himself within a family environment, Jesus gives us insight into his divine family – the Trinity. Family for us is the visible sign of the relationship we have with one another, a relationship of mutual love, affirmation and support. Within the family, each member is nurtured and nourished by the common shared experiences of all. Indeed, any good that we see as essential for a wholesome and balanced family life can be attributed to the Trinity wherein these attributes exist in their perfection.

As we draw closer to this great Feast of the Nativity, let’s be mindful that we are all part of God’s family. Indeed, we are all his Children. Let us thank God for the gift of our families and ask him to guard, guide, and protect us all in the days and years to come.

May you find God’s joy and peace in these closing days of Advent.

Deacon Tom

Rejoice in the Lord Always!

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Rejoice in the Lord Always!”

Third Sunday of Advent, Year A

Today is known as Gaudete Sunday. The word Gaudete is the first word of the Entrance Antiphon for today’s Liturgy. "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! The Lord is near". One of the symbols of this Joy is the lighting of the rose candle on our Advent wreath.

In our first reading the Prophet Isaiah tells us that a day will come when God's kingdom will break forth like a highway in the wilderness or crocuses blooming in the parched desert. This isn’t some delusional imagination at work. When their time comes even deserts produce profound beauty. And so it will be in God’s time Isaiah insists. The day will come when the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, and the dumb will shout for joy. Water will gush in the desert, burning sand will transform into a bubbling spring. For all those who are twisted, bent, and bowed down by their burdens and harsh realities of life, Isaiah prophesies that one day "gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away".  

Today’s readings prompt us to be people of expectant hope, to be a people who claim God’s promise as if we already possessed it, as if we were already living in this ultimate reality! Today we all claim as our own the gladness and joy Isaiah tells us will chase away our sorrows and sadness. Look closely at our readings today. Look around today at the litany of people who, although cast aside by the world, marginalized by poverty and ignorance, sadness and disease, refugees from war and famine; these are the very one who have a special claim on God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Look carefully at those Isaiah says have a very special reason to rejoice today: those with feeble hands and weak knees, those with frightened hearts, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, the oppressed, the hungry, the captives, the bowed down, the strangers, the orphans, the widows, the poor, the lepers, and the dead. To be numbered among them…. is to be specially chosen by God!!!!! To be number among those who serve these little ones is to be faithful to Christ’s call to serve these, the least of our sisters and brothers.

On this day of Rejoicing, it is good to recall the times in our lives when we have been the forgotten, the alienated or hungry one. Let us resolve this Advent to be a source of strength, encouragement, and support to those who have yet to claim God’s promise of gladness and joy.

Make this a joy-filled day!

Deacon Tom

Image credit: REJOICE! By Sarah Brush, Discipleship Ministries