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.

 

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

26 OCTOBER 2025

 

          When we hear this parable, we tend to think negatively of the Pharisee.  We know from Scripture that Pharisees argued with Jesus, who sometimes accused them of being too concerned with laws and traditions.  Our English word, pharisaical, means “hypocritic.”  However, there is another side to the Pharisees.  The Pharisees were a lay group who helped ordinary people live out the Covenant of Moses in their ordinary homes and lives.  They were popular with the people of that time.  While they may have argued with Jesus, the only Pharisee known to want to murder people was Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee who became Saint Paul the Apostle.

            In today’s parable, the Pharisee praying in the Temple is probably a good and decent person.  He more than likely is not greedy, or dishonest, or adulterous, because he knows and respects the Law of Moses.  He exceeds the religious requirement to fast once a week by fasting twice a week.  He pays tithes on his whole income without hiding a portion of it.

            He is correct about his assessment of the tax collector.  Tax collectors grew rich by working for the hated Roman occupiers.  They overcharged their own people, keeping generous portions beyond the Romans’ demands.  If you have seen The Chosen, you can understand why Matthew the tax collector wanted some kind of protection from his neighbors.  They loathed him for making choices to become rich with the Romans instead of being with his own people.

            However, this tax collector goes home justified, or considered righteous by God, and not the Pharisee.  In his prayer, the Pharisee takes all the credit for his righteousness, without realizing that he can be considered righteous only by God’s grace.  Even worse, he builds his himself up by comparing himself to the lowly tax collector.  He is so filled with his own sense of holiness that he allows no room for conversion for the tax collector.  And that is exactly what is happening to the tax collector.  He realizes his sinfulness and asks for God’s mercy.  In beating his breast, he knows the truth about his sins and intends to respond to God’s mercy by repenting.

            Jesus directs this parable to us, because we have more in common with the Pharisee than with the tax collector.  Like the Pharisee, we gather here every Sunday, because we are trying to live decent lives.  We perform religious actions to express our faith, and we fast and give a portion of our wealth away.  But, there is always a danger of growing in faith.  We tend to notice those who do not seem to have as much faith as we do.  Like the Pharisee, we can make the mistake of seeing our growth in faith as a result of our own initiative, instead of admitting that our growth in faith is a result of our response to God’s loving grace in our lives.  We also need to admit that even with a deep faith, we still have much room to grow and admit that we are sinners.  That is why we begin every Mass with the Penitential Act.  We know that we have not fully lived the commandment of the Lord to love ourselves and others.  We ask for mercy.

            When Saint Paul writes to Timothy, he is in prison waiting for his execution in Rome.  He is being poured out like a libation.  Libations were part of Temple sacrifice.  The person offered a sacrifice as an external manifestation of a desire to be in union with God.  Then, the one who offered the sacrifice poured fine wine or oil over the holocaust, signifying that the sacrifice is not a waste.  In prison, Saint Paul expresses his faith that God continues to be with him, even in his confinement.  The Lord had stood by him in his ministry as he ran the race of spreading the Gospel.  Now, he is confident that the Lord will be with him and give him the crown of victory in the end.  We can share Paul’s confidence if we avoid the mistake of the Pharisee and embrace the humility of the tax collector.  We advance in faith in response to the Lord’s grace, and leave all judgments about other people to God. 

 

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

19 OCTOBER 2025

 

          On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus continues to teach his disciples how to nurture their faith.  He knows that their faith will be sorely trusted when he will be betrayed, unjustly condemned, and crucified like a common criminal.  So, he insists that they must learn to be persistent.  He not only tells them that they will need to be persistent.  He also tells us that we need to be persistent, as we walk together on our pilgrimage to the new and eternal Jerusalem.

            Our Scripture readings provide three examples of persistence.  One is from the battlefield.  As long as Moses persists in holding up his staff for his warriors to see, they are successful in their battle with the Amalekites.  The second is from a church setting.  Saint Paul addresses Timothy.  As a new pastor, Timothy faces an unknown situation that requires him to be ready.  He must be persistent in preaching, rebuking, correcting, and instructing.  The third example is from a courtroom.  A poor widow who has no power or public standing appears before an unjust judge.  The judge ignores her.  But because she is persistent in arguing her case, he finally relents.  Jesus insists that if a widow can get what she needs from an unjust judge, how much more will we receive from a just God who loves us unconditionally. 

            Persistent faith has four qualities.  Persistent faith relies on God’s power.  The widow has no power whatsoever.  But that does not stop her from pestering the unjust judge.  Like her, we have so little power over what happens to us in our lives.  We must rely on God’s power and grace.  Persistent faith works with others.  Moses must rely on Aaron and Hur to be persistent in holding up the staff.  Persistent faith involves inconvenience.  If we persist in faith, we need to throw out the calendar.  God acts in his own time, not on our time or convenience.  Persistent faith permits us to be inconvenient to others.  We can be inconvenient to others when we are determined to take care of the poor, widows, refugees, and those at the edges of our society.

            Last week, the Lord gave me an unexpected encounter with persistent faith.  Bishop
Rhoades had announced that our annual Continuing Education Days would be dedicated to the upcoming Diocesan Synod.  I didn’t want to go and was tempted to play the “I’m a retired priest” card.  But, I relented and went reluctantly as pastor of this Parish.  As the oldest priest in the group, I felt out of place.  My expectations were very low, and I wanted out.

            But, I was pleasantly surprised.  We were divided into groups of ten and assigned to a particular table.  In my group were priests to whom I rarely talked or with whom I disagree.  Some were priests of a very different generation.  Another was a priest of a religious order whose name I did not know.  There were three sessions.  Each session began with a prayer.  Then each of us were given two minutes to share our thoughts about what is positive about our parishes and the Diocese.  Then we had three minutes of prayer.  Next, each of us had a minute and a half to share what we had heard others say.  Again, there were three minutes of prayer.  Finally, each of us had a minute and a half to speak about what we heard the Spirit saying through us.  On Thursday morning, we received the results of our sessions.  All of us priests agreed that this had been a very positive experience.  I was glad for my persistence in going to the sessions.  And that is the great thing about low expectations.  It is impossible to be disappointed!

            What we did is exactly we as a parish will do.  We have scheduled five sessions on the Tuesdays of November on the themes of the Synod:  Evangelization, Catechesis, Spirituality and Liturgy, Vocations, and Social Outreach to the poor and suffering.  We will have two Consultation Sessions on the first two Sundays of December.  Please be persistent in faith and be part of this process.  Based on my own experience, you will not be disappointed.