THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

14 DECEMBER 2025

 

            Last Sunday, we met a very confident John the Baptist.  The son of a priest, he was in the desert instead of being in the temple.  He wore clothing made of camel’s hair instead of priestly vestments.  Instead of welcoming worshipers with a ritual water cleansing to enter the temple for sacrifice, he was baptizing huge crowds in the Jordan River.  He was inviting his listeners to pass through the waters of repentance to prepare for a new Exodus into the kingdom of God, like his ancestors had passed through the Jordan in their Exodus.  This Messiah will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire.  He will reward the innocent and banish the wicked.

            We meet the Baptist again today.  But the situation is very different.  Herod has thrown him into a dark prison, where he is alone.  He is clearly not a reed swayed by the wind, looking for approval from others.  Instead, he angered Herod by speaking the truth about his unlawful marriage.  From the darkness of his prison cell, he sends a delegation to ask Jesus if he is the one who is to come.  Or should they look for another?  Apparently, the Messiah has not met his expectations.  Jesus has not been harshly condemning the unjust.  He eats with Pharisees whom John had called a brood of vipers.  He hangs out with sinners and prostitutes.  He has taken no steps to expel the Romans to end their cruel occupation.  Instead of criticizing his cousin for a lack of faith, he tells John’s disciples to tell him what they hear and see.  They see and hear in Jesus what the prophet Isaiah had described.  Isaiah insists that God has the power to overcome a number of deficiencies.  God’s love brings life to barren natural habitats.  God’s love heals human persons, especially individuals with disabilities.  God’s love ransoms prisoners and rejoices with them when they return home.

            This is exactly what Jesus the Messiah is doing.  He has proclaimed that the kingdom of God is at hand.  As signs of that kingdom, Jesus has reached out to individuals with disabilities.  Though his touch, blind people are regaining their sight.  Lame ones are walking.   Lepers are cleansed and returned to their families.  Deaf people are hearing.  Dead people are coming back to life.  Most importantly, the poor have the good news preached to them.

            As we continue to prepare for the Lord’s second coming, this Third Sunday of Advent invites us to rejoice.  The Lord reminds us that even though John the Baptist was the greatest of the prophets, we who are least in the kingdom are greater than he.  Members of that kingdom, we are preparing to celebrate the Lord’s First Coming at Christmas.  We are invited to open our eyes to recognize the ways in which the Lord comes to us, especially when people with disabilities and those who are ransomed realize that they are children of God.

            But sometimes we find ourselves in very dark places, like John the Baptist did.  In these dark places, it is difficult to recognize the Lord’s presence.  In these dark places, many are dreading the Season of Christmas.  That is why Saint James tells us to learn how to wait.  John the Baptist was waiting for Herod to behead him.  Yet, he did not give up, because he trusted that God was with him, and that he had done God’s will.  Even if we are waiting in darkness and dangerous times, we must be patient to trust that the Lord will deliver us. 

            In 1908, Mount Etna erupted with such force that thousands of families lost their lives.  Generations changed.  People migrated to America because of the eruption.  But those who stayed learned some secrets.  Volcanic ash makes excellent fertilizer.  The slow cooling process of the lava, along with the decaying of the ash, produced soil to produce outstanding vineyards.  It just took time and patience.  If God can transform a terrible tragedy into outstanding vineyards that produce fine wine, imagine what the Lord will do for us, who wait for him in joyful hope.

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

7 DECEMBER 2025

 

            When John the Baptist sees many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he calls them a “brood of vipers.”  They are not coming to listen to him or to repent.  Instead, they are coming as investigators.  They are investigating him, because he is the son of Zechariah, a prominent priest in the Temple.  A priest’s son should be in the temple, dressed in the robes of a priest.  Instead, he is in the desert, dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist.  Instead of inviting worshipers to be ritually purified in the water of mikvahs, he is baptizing those who listen to him and choose to repent in the Jordan River.

            The Pharisees and Sadducees see no need for repentance, because they are sons of Abraham.  He insists that being sons of Abraham is not enough for being part of the Kingdom of God, which he is announcing.  Their ancestors had traveled through the desert to cross the Jordan River into freedom.  Now, he invites them go through the waters of the Jordan to be part of a new exodus, the kingdom of God which is at hand.  He wears the clothing of the prophet Elijah.  At the Jordan River, Elijah had departed in a fiery chariot and thrown his cloak on Elisha to name him as his successor.  As the new Elijah, he points to the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, whose sandals John is not worthy to carry.

            The season of Advent is a time of preparation. We prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at Christmas.  But the Season of Advent is also a time for baptized people to prepare for the Lord’s Second Coming.  We became members of the Body of Christ when we went through the waters of Baptism.  Baptism imparts in us the identity of Jesus Christ which we can never earn on our own.  To prepare for the Lord’s second coming, we must examine how we are living that identity.  If we are failing in any way, we need to repent.  We will recognize the Lord when he comes, not because we are baptized Catholics, but because we understand the importance of sincere repentance.  As we rush around preparing for Christmas, take some time to make a good Confession.  I am here every Sunday from 8:15 to 9:15 to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Take the advice of the Baptist and allow the fire of God’s reconciling love to burn away anything that has separated or damaged our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Allow the Holy Spirit to put Jesus Christ back in the center of our lives, instead of at the corners.

            We do not prepare for the Lord’s Second Coming in fear or anxiety.  Instead, we prepare as Saint Paul recommends to the Romans.  We prepare with hope by embracing two important attitudes.  First, we must endure, be persistent, in choosing to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, especially in the face of adversity.  Second, we need to allow the Scriptures to encourage us.  Saint Paul makes an important promise.  If we listen carefully to the Scriptures at Sunday Mass or in our own individual reflections during Advent, we will grow in greater harmony with each other and grow in a new determination to work for the good of others.

            The Prophet Isaiah gives this hope to his people suffering in adversity.  The tree of Jesse, the kingdom of David, has been destroyed by the Assyrians and cut down to a stump.  From that stump, the spirit of the Lord will cause a shoot to blossom.  The shoot will bring a peace so incredible and profound that natural enemies will live together in perfect harmony.  The wolf will be the guest of the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid.  A baby will play by the cobra’s den.  In preparing to celebrate the Lord’s coming at Christmas, we know that Jesus Christ has fulfilled this prophecy.  The complete fulfillment of this prophecy will happen only when the Lord comes again.  But, as we wait and repent, we can know the peace of Jesus Christ in our hearts, as we recognize him in this Eucharist and in our daily lives.

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

30 NOVEMBER 2025

 

          We tend to think of the Season of Advent as a four-week time period to prepare to celebrate Christmas.  And that is true.  Advent prepares us to celebrate the Lord’s first coming in the flesh.  But Advent also prepares us for the second coming of the Lord at the end of time.  In addition, Advent invites us to recognize the ways in which the Lord comes into our daily lives.  In short, Advent invites us to put together a plan to help us to use our time in valuable ways, and allow God to step into the precious moments of our lives.  As we begin this new Liturgical Year and this Season of Advent, our Scripture readings suggest three ways that we might use our time better this Advent, and in fact throughout the coming year.

            First, is gathering as God’s people for Sunday Mass and learning to use the many prayer opportunities provided by our parish during this Season. Today’s responsorial Psalm insists that we go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.  That is the vision given to us by the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading.  He speaks of the Lord’s house being established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.  The Temple, God’s dwelling, is built on Mount Zion, not the highest physical mountain by any means, but the highest in terms of importance.  He says that all nations will stream toward Mount Zion, where the Lord will instruct people in his ways and bring a peace that will permit people to turn weapons of war into instruments of agriculture and peace.  That is what happens here every Sunday.  Coming together to celebrate the Lord’s presence brings peace to us in the midst of a fast-paced society and crazy busy shopping season.  In our gathering here, we experience the God who breaks into the chaos and discord of our time.

            Second, we hear from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans that now is the time to wake from sleep.  He tells us to put on the armor of light.  Saint Paul reminds us that we were given the gift of a lit candle when we were baptized.  In the darkness of our world, we need to make sure that we wear the armor of light.  We need to throw off the works of darkness and conduct ourselves properly in the day, in which we clearly recognize Christ as our light.  Instead of slipping into promiscuity, we are called to faithfulness.  Instead of giving into rivalry and jealousy, we are called to unity, to recognize the many things that unite us in Christ.  We live out our faith by being people of goodness to others.  If we spend our time putting on the armor of light, then we will not be like the people of Noah’s time who spent their daily lives just going about their business.  We can be men and women taken by the thief in the night of darkness.

            Finally, we can use the time we have to sow hope.  Pope Francis declared this Jubilee Year as the Year of Hope, because he knew that the virtue of hope is sorely lacking in our world.  Reading today’s Gospel can remind us a lot of the twenty-four-hour news cycle that bombards us daily – signs of doom and gloom, terror and fear and sadness.  The Advent candle we light today and the other candles we will light during this season dispel the darkness of our world and point us to the glory of Christmas.  

            All our Scripture readings insist that we remain “awake.”  If we spend our time in Advent doing what they tell us to do, then we can be more attentive to the goodness, and not just the darkness, in our world.  Christ has already come in the most marvelous way anyone could have imagined.  He became light for us by taking on our humanity without losing his divinity.  Spending time in Advent makes us more attentive to the ways Christ is already present, not only in Word and Sacrament, but also in our daily lives.  If we are intentional about using our time well during this Season, we will prepare ourselves and others for the ultimate hope in Jesus Christ.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.

 

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST KING OF THE UNIVERSE

23 NOVEMBER 2025

 

          Since the revolt of the thirteen colonies against King George of England, we Americans have had an ambiguous relationship with kings.  Even if we are not big on kings, we can have a proper understanding of the true identity of Jesus Christ as king by hearing the wonderful hymn about Jesus Christ in Saint Paul’s second letter to the Colossians.  In giving thanks to the Father for the gift of Jesus Christ, he proclaims that the Lord was present at the creation of the world and that he continues to preserve the world through his death and resurrection.  Although Saint Paul does not mention the word “king,” he points out the attributes of a king in Jesus Christ.  He unifies everything in creation and provides a dwelling place.  The one who sheds his blood on the cross reconciles and is the source of ultimate peace.

            However, today’s Gospel gives a very different perspective of Jesus as king.  As he hangs dying on the most horrible instrument of death that the Romans could invent, three groups of people verbally abuse him.  The leaders of the people sneer at him, making fun of his claim to be the Messiah.  If he is the chosen one of God, they insist, he can save himself.  The soldiers who crucified him and divided his garments jeer at him.  They defy him to come down from the cross and save himself, if he truly is the king of the Jews.  Ironically, Jesus never claimed that title for himself.  Pilate had put the inscription on the cross to defend himself from the charges that the crowds had forced him.  He was protecting Roman authority.  He also uses the title to mock this peasant from Galilee.  He intends it as a warning to anyone who would rebel against the Roman Empire.  One of the criminals reviles him, repeating the charges made against him by the leaders of the people and the soldiers.  If he really is the Christ, then he must save himself and those criminals crucified with him.

            Ironically, those three groups mocking the crucified Christ are also speaking the ultimate truth about him.  The leaders of the people speak the truth without knowing it.  He truly is the chosen one of God.  But the Father had chosen him, not to defeat the enemies of Israel, but to defeat the power of death by entering into death himself.  The soldiers speak the truth about the power of Jesus to save.  But, he has spent his entire life saving everyone else, including them, and not himself.  The criminal dying with him makes the same claim, arguing that Jesus should save himself and the other criminal.

            However, the other criminal, whom we know as the good thief, understands.  He knows that Jesus is completely innocent, unlike himself and the other criminal.  They have been justly condemned because of their crimes.  He acknowledges the true and authentic kingship of Jesus and asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom.  Of all the participants on that terrible day, he alone makes a profound profession of faith.

            Just before today’s Gospel passage, Saint Luke says that the people stood there watching.  That is what Saint Luke is inviting us to do.  We are painfully aware that our world’s kingdoms are built on power, wealth, and prestige.  Those are not the foundations of the kingdom of God.  On this final Sunday of this Liturgical year and November when we remember those who have died, we know that the kingdoms of our world will not last.  We know that the world’s leaders are limited and sinful.  The Second Book of Samuel offers the example of David as the ideal king of Israel, knowing that he was guilty of adultery, murder, and deceit.  We are invited to stand and contemplate the ultimate victory won for us by Jesus Christ, the chosen one, the king, and the messiah.  He reigns not from a magnificent throne, but from a cross.  He promises to remember us when he comes into his kingdom, as he promised the good thief on that fateful day.

 

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

16 NOVEMBER 2025

 

            Herod the Great had led a massive decades-long rebuilding and beautification project of the temple in Jerusalem.  Its white marble foundation and gold-plated walls looked like snow-covered mountains lit by the sun, blinding viewers who gawked at its beauty.  It was the center of Jewish worship, where God dwelled and revealed himself.  In that magnificent structure, God’s ways were taught, and God received people’s worship.  However, in the year 70 AD, some twenty-five years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this prophecy of Jesus about the temple was fulfilled.  Roman armies completely destroyed the magnificent Temple and changed the course of Judaism forever.  Faithful Jews were driven from their homeland.  With their identity threatened, they had to explore other ways to worship God and keep their faith alive, as they were dispersed around the known world.

            The destruction of the temple served as a warning for disciples of Jesus Christ that he would come again and with him bring the Parousia, the end of the world as we know it.  Like those original hearers in today’s Gospel, we want to know when that will happen.  However, he says the same thing to us that he said to them.  We do not know the time of the end – either the end of our individual lives or the end of the world.  Over the centuries, many people have tried to predict that time, but were fooled by wars, natural disasters, and false prophets.  Jesus even warns that disciples will be persecuted.  The Greek word meaning “persecute” carries with it the idea of chasing someone.  Persecuted people have been detained, incarcerated, deported or receive death sentences.  We can be persecuted when we are harassed, falsely accused, betrayed by relatives and dear friends, lose jobs, friends, and security.  In the face of all of this, Jesus tells us to preserver and not lose hope.

            We hear this same message every year at this time, as the current liturgical year comes to an end with the Solemnity of Christ the King next Sunday.  Jesus does not remind us of the end to frighten us or make us completely paranoid.  He is telling us that we need to be mindful and remember that our ultimate destiny depends on our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Reflecting on the end encourages us to reflect on the strength of that relationship now, and to change whatever we need to improve it.

            In writing to the Thessalonians, Saint Paul addresses some members of the community who thought that the end would be very near.  So, they quit their jobs and sat around waiting for the end.  Paul chastises them and tells them to get back to work.  He argues that sitting around and doing nothing leads them to being busybodies and minding the business of everyone else.  He tells them to do what he had done – to be active in proclaiming the Gospel in action and serving the needs of those most vulnerable in their community.

            He gives the same message to us.  Instead of sitting around worrying about the end of our lives or the end of the world, we need to be very active in working on our relationship with Jesus Christ and evangelize those around us by being humble servants.  Even if we suffer any kind of persecution for our active living out of the Gospel, Jesus Christ is with us and we have the support of this parish community.  Living our lives with an awareness that there will someday be an end encourages us to accept each day as a gift from God and make the most of it.  We know that the opposite of love is fear, and not hate.  We can love God, one another, and even our enemies without fear, because we trust in the love of God and the presence of Jesus Christ, who faced his own death with complete trust in the Father’s love for him.

 

 

THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERIAN BASILICA

9 NOVEMBER 2025

 

          The Prophet Ezekiel says that the angel brought him to view the Temple.  Looking from the Mount of Olives, Ezekiel is aware that there is no Temple in Jerusalem.  The Babylonians had destroyed it and carried most of the people into Exile.  But Ezekiel is given a vision of the reconstructed Temple, which is central to the faith of the people.  It is God’s House, where God makes himself known.  God instructs people from the Temple and receives their worship there.  Using water as a symbol, Ezekiel sees the water streaming from the Temple as God’s power to engender fruitfulness, nourishment, and healing.  Out of God’s dwelling in the Temple, God has the power to change everything, including the lifeless Dead Sea into a source of life.

            Centuries later, Jesus enters the reconstructed Temple.  He has just changed water into wine, the first of his signs in the Gospel according to Saint John.  Jesus has shown that he has the power to turn the ordinary water of human life into the divine wine of God’s love.  Now he enters the Temple at the beginning of his public ministry at the Feast of Passover.  Knowing the theological significance of the Temple, Jesus drives out the money changers and merchants.  He insists that they are making his Father’s House a marketplace.  When asked to show a sign, he answers, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  Saint John is reminding us of the Mystery of the Incarnation, God dwelling in our midst.  Jesus is speaking about the temple of his human body, which will be destroyed on the cross and raised up three days later.  Through this sign, he is indicating that he is the source of our life.  As the resurrected Lord, he invites us to worship him not in a temple designed for animal sacrifices, but in spirit and in truth.

            Today, we celebrate the dedication of another important religious structure.  After the Emperor Constantine declared that Christians were free to practice their religion in the Roman Empire in 313, Pope Sylvester dedicated the Basilica of Saint John Lateran as the “mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world.”  Although it has been rebuilt many times over the centuries, the Basilica has remained the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Rome.  Just as Bishop Rhoades has his chair, or cathedra, in the Cathedrals of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Fort Wayne and Saint Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, Pope Leo’s chair is in Saint John Lateran.  This Feast reminds us that our Catholic Church is bigger than the parish of Saint Augustine or even the Church of Fort Wayne-South Bend.  We are part of a universal Church connected to the Bishop of Rome through the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

            It is in this sacred building and in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran that we worship Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth.  These sacred buildings are important.  They are God’s House, where Jesus Christ makes himself known.  Jesus Christ instructs us in these buildings and receives our worship.  Even more importantly, Saint Paul reminds us that we who gather in these physical structures are living stones of God’s Temple.  We became those living stones when we were baptized, and we are being built on the foundation of Jesus Christ himself.

            Today, we give thanks for the beautiful Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome.  We give thanks for our physical building here at Saint Augustine.  We are reminded of our connection with the Bishop of Rome and all Catholics around the world.  Most importantly, we who worship here in spirit and in truth must allow the Holy Spirit to continue to form us as the temple of God.  We must be open to the ways in which the Lord drives out the greed, jealousy, anger, lust, and all that defiles our Temple, the Body of Christ.  Purified by the Lord’s love, we are sent from this Mass to make a difference in our divided, war-torn, and dangerous world.

 

COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

2 NOVEMBER 2025

 

          Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints – not only the well-known men and women officially canonized by the Catholic Church, but also all those people counted among the 144,000 surrounding the throne of God.  Today’s Commemoration of All The Faithful Departed celebrates our connection with the faithful departed as members of the Communion of Saints.  All of us can tell stories of examples of holiness we have encountered in people close to us who have died.  In this Black Catholic History month, we recognize signs of holiness in humble people like Julia Greeley.           

            Julia was born into slavery somewhere between 1833 and 1848 in Hannibal, Missouri.  When she was young, she lost an eye, either because her master whipped her, or because she was trying to protect her mother from a whipping.  After the Civil War, she was freed and settled in Denver.  There she was baptized and began the practice of attending daily Mass.  For many years, she worked for the wife of Colorado’s first territorial governor.  She cleaned their house, cooked meals, and cared for their daughter.  She became a familiar sight around town, known for her floppy hat, her simple clothes, and the red wagon she pulled to transport the many things she bought for the poor.  What she could not afford to buy, she begged for.  She was well known at the 20 different scattered across Denver, where she left behind tracts and encouraged those in this dangerous profession.  She constantly dabbed her ruined eye with a handkerchief.  She told no one that she was illiterate and say, “My glasses don’t work so well,” and recruited them to write things in her record book.  When she died, hundreds came to her funeral, recognizing in this poor former slave genuine marks of holiness that affected many people, black and white.

            The only photograph of her shows her holding a young white child.  This was the child that Julia had promised to a couple who had just lost another child to death.  Much of her face is hidden by her hat.  We have an artistic representation of that photograph in our parish center.

            We Catholics have a strong tradition of praying for the dead, a tradition that marks the month of November.  As the farmers are harvesting the crops that they had planted in the spring, we remember and pray for our loved ones whom the Lord has harvested through death.  We need to pray for them, so that we do not forget them and they ways in which they enriched our lives.  That is why I encourage you to schedule Masses for your deceased loved ones, either on an important day in their lives, or on a day close to their birth or death or other important dates.  The offering for each Mass is $10, and Lisa will be glad to work with you to schedule the Mass.

            But we also pray for the dead to ask for the Lord’s mercy.  When we die, there are always obstacles separating us from God and other people.  That is the purpose of our Catholic concept of Purgatory.  The Latin word, purgare, means “to purify,” with fire as an image.  Our deceased loved ones are being purified by the fire of God’s love, so that they can join the Communion of Saints where there is no separation whatsoever.  That is why artists depict the saints with haloes.  In their absolute transparency, the fire of God’s love shines through them. We pray for our loved ones who have been harvested in death, so that the fire of God’s merciful love burns away whatever may be separating them from the Lord or each other.

            Death cannot separate us from the love of God.  In November, we count on the Saints to intercede for us on our pilgrimage to the new and eternal Jerusalem.  We are not walking alone.  Those being purified by the merciful love of God count on us to pray for them.  If we can trust that our prayers for one another are effective now, why can’t they be effective for those who have died?  We form one Communion of love, engulfed in the merciful fire of God’s love.