THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

4 JANUARY 2026

 

          The English word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word which means “to manifest.”   The Prophet Isaiah describes how God is manifesting himself.  His people have just returned from their fifty-year captivity in Babylon.  As they rebuild their temple, God’s light will shine through it, because God dwells in his holy temple.  The Lord will be the light that clarifies right paths.  Along with foreigners, wayward children will find a way home.  This light will enable them to navigate life’s hardships and obstacles as though walking on a path at midday.  They will bring wealth to God’s Holy City.  The once devastated Jerusalem now appears with joy, pride, and blessing.  The greatest wealth in that city is the Lord’s light that shines within her.

            Saint Matthew sees Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled in today’s Gospel.  Educated men from the East (magi in Greek) are attracted by a bright light in the heavens.  So, they embark on a long and difficult journey to find the source of the light in Jerusalem.  When they lose the heavenly light, the foreigners seek an audience with King Herod to find the source of the light, the newborn king of the Jews.  Herod consults the chief priests and the scribes of the people, who inform him that the magi are nine miles off.  The source of the light is born in Bethlehem.  Herod has no desire to travel nine miles to find a potential rival.  Instead, he tells the magi to search diligently for the child and to return to him, so that he could go and do homage to the child.

            Guided by the Scriptural advice of the chief priests and scribes, the magi regain the light of the star and come to the place where the real light is shining.  It is shining in a newborn child wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger.  Unlike Herod, who had absolutely no intention of venerating a potential rival, they do homage and give the infant and his parents valuable gifts.  Their gifts describe the identity of this child.  The gift of gold identifies him as a king.  Pilate will mock him and write “the king of the Jews” on the cross of his execution.  Frankincense reveals him as God.  Myrrh refers to his role as the Suffering Servant who will give his life to defeat the powers of sin and death.  His body will be anointed with myrrh when he is laid in his tomb.  We know almost nothing about these foreigners who bring lavish gifts.  We count them as three, because they give three gifts.  Later legends will give each of them a name:  Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar.  They will be told in a dream not to return to Herod.  Instead, they will depart for their country by another way.  In other words, Matthew tells us that they have been profoundly changed by their encounter with this newborn king, God, and Suffering Servant.

            We celebrate the Epiphany today to better understand the Mystery we encounter at this Season.  In the worldwide liturgical calendar, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, the twelfth day of Christmas.  In the United States, we celebrate this Solemnity on the closest Sunday to the twelfth day of Christmas.  God has revealed to us a great light.  The Savior of the world, the Messiah, the Christ, has been born to us.  In every artistic rendering of this scene, the light is radiated from the newborn child.  In the Mystery of the Incarnation, God has taken on human flesh in Jesus Christ and has pitched his tent, dwelling in our midst.  In the darkness of our wounded and dangerous world, the Light of Christ invites us to pay homage to him, as the magi did.  We may face many obstacles in this new year.  We will endure many hardships.  But that light will enable us to walk with confidence, inviting other people to join us in our pilgrimage of faith, as we walk together to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  The Lord invites us to bring him gifts.  We do not bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Instead, we bring the gifts of our faith, our love, and our service.  In doing so, we will allow the light of Christ to shine brightly through us, no matter how dark the world around us may be.

 

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH

28 DECEMBER 2025

 

          In the first reading, Sirach says that a family is more than a social reality.  It is a fundamental theological reality inviting its members to make the Law of Moses an integral part of their daily lives.  He describes four theological concepts that are central to the Covenant mediated through Moses.  When children honor their parents, they exhibit the virtue of right living.  They also open themselves to God’s gift of children of their own.  When conflicts arise in the family, members need to give the gift that God had given to them – the gift of forgiveness.  In living these theological realities, members understand the saving power of God.

            In his letter to the Colossians, Saint Paul reflects the wisdom of Sirach.  But, he takes those theological realities and applies them to the person of Jesus Christ.  Because the Colossians have been baptized into Jesus Christ, they have been chosen to love one another as he has loved them.  In living their baptismal promises as members of a family, they are holy and beloved.  Just as they were clothed in a white garment when they emerged from the waters of baptism, now they need to put on the virtues of Jesus Christ:  heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  They need to bear with one another and forgive one another.  Over all these garments, they must put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  Wearing that love, the peace of Christ can control their hearts as members of the Body of Christ.

            Because Christmas is such an incredible Mystery, we celebrate it as an Octave – eight days that are the equivalent of Christmas Day.  As part of that Octave, we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family today.  We continue to focus on the Mystery of the Incarnation, of God taking on human flesh in Jesus Christ and continuing to dwell in our midst.  Saint Paul reminds us that the best way of embodying Emmanuel, God with us, is to live the virtues that he describes to the Colossians.  The Christmas stories tell us how Joseph and Mary embody those virtues in their marriage.  Their heartfelt compassion and kindness are obvious.  They are humble enough to recognize what they cannot control.  They must become refugees and immigrants in a strange land to avoid the murderous threats of Herod.  With gentleness and patience, they care for their child in Egypt and continue that care when it is safe to return to Nazareth.

            We admire those virtues in the Holy Family.  But we might also ask ourselves:  How can we possibly compete with a family where God speaks to the father in dreams, where the mother has never sinned, and where the Son is divine himself?  We do not need to compete.  Those virtues are needed in any family structure in which we find ourselves.  Our family structures are different from the family structures at the time of Saint Paul.  In that day, the father is clearly the absolute head of the family.  That pattern continued well into the sixteenth century.  In any of William Shakespeare’s plays, the wife always refers to her husband as “my lord”.  That may not be the structure of marriages today.  But even in that structure, Paul insists that Christ’s love can be embodied in a way that makes a difference in the social setting of the day.  He tells husbands to love their wives, knowing that the love of Jesus himself is best seen in his total gift on the cross.  Husbands must be subordinate to Christ.  That love is transformative.

            No matter how our family may be structured, all families are imperfect.  I remember dreading this Feast as a kid.  The priest would always paint a picture of the perfect holy family.  I was convinced that our family could never be a holy family, as our Dad would threaten to stop the car unless we behaved us on the way home from Mass.  So, no matter what your family may look like, no matter how dysfunctional is may be, the Lord dwells in your midst.  The Lord graces you with the courage to live that list of virtues to make a difference in our society today. 

 

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

25 DECEMBER 2025

 

          As we reflect on the Christmas story, Saint Joseph can teach us how to enter into it today, and how to live it in our daily lives.  As he was preparing for marriage, he must have developing his own plans and dreams about what it would be like to live as a husband with Mary.  But those plans and dreams were unexpectedly destroyed when he discovered that his betrothed was pregnant.  We can’t imagine his feelings:  betrayal, horror, anger, and countless other emotions.  Even though the law allowed him to have his betrothed stoned to death for her infidelity, Joseph was a righteous man who decided to show mercy.  One definition of mercy is to enter into the chaos of another person.  In deciding to divorce Mary quietly, he would enter into the chaos of her life by allowing the real father to come forward and take care of his betrothed and her child.

            When Joseph went to bed, he had a dream.  God had spoken in a dream to his ancestor, Joseph, and told him how to handle food insecurity in Egypt.  Now, he speaks to Joseph in Nazareth to tell him the truth.  Mary has been chosen to be the Mother of God, and she has conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Joseph immediately abandoned his own dreams and embraced God’s dream in a way that completely changed his life.  He would accompany Mary on a long journey to Bethlehem to be counted in the Roman census.  Because they could not find a room in the inn, Mary will deliver her child in a stable with animals.  Joseph will be amazed by the visitors:  shepherds who heard the news from angels, and Magi from the east.  He obeyed his next dream and became a refugee in Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous wrath.  In returning, he would search for their 12-year-old child for three days until they would find him in the temple.  He may not have understood what his son was talking about.  But he took him back to Nazareth to continue to care for this remarkable teenager.

            Joseph has a very important role in the Christmas story, because he abandons his own plans and dreams and enters into God’s dream.  Joseph invites us to do the same.  All of us have our own plans and dreams for the year ahead.  And that is fine.  We can leave our celebration of Christmas to pursue them.  But we never know what will happen to us in the future. Events beyond our control can change our lives in unexpected ways.  We can suffer the loss of someone we love very much.  Injuries and illnesses and tragedies can always affect us.  Job losses and financial disasters can have devastating effects.  Instead of cringing in fear and worry about what might happen, we can follow the example of Joseph.  Because he abandoned his own dreams and plans, he was instrumental in making the Incarnation a reality.  Joseph never said one word in all of Scripture.  But because of his trust and willingness to trust God’s dreams, instead of his own, he became an integral part of the Incarnation, of God dwelling in our midst.

            I often think of Joseph.  When I retired, I had my own plans and my own dreams about how to live as a very old retired priest.  But at this time a year ago, I received a call from Bishop Rhoades.  It was not exactly a dream.  But he asked me to take care of Saint Augustine Parish on the west side of South Bend until assignments could be made in June.  So, I abandoned my own plans and agreed to do it.  In June, he appointed Deacon Mel Tardy as administrator and asked me to stay on as canonical pastor.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined moving from a suburban parish of 3,000 families and being part of an urban parish with 150 families.

But, I am fine with it, precisely because of what we celebrate today.  Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, “God with us.”  Be sure to trust that the Lord will be with you, no matter how you may have to abandon your own plans and dreams.  He will be with us, no matter what happens.  And that is what Christmas is all about.

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

21 DECEMBER 2025

 

          In the first reading, we meet King Ahaz, who is faced a difficult decision in the 8^th century BC.  Syria and Israel, the two kingdoms north of the kingdom of Judah, were trying to subdue Judah and redeploy their troops to do battle against an unstoppable Assyrian army.  Ahaz must decide.  Should he align Judah with Syria and Israel, or should he join forces with Assyria?  Isaiah approaches the king to offer him what prophets had always done:  to help him ascertain God’s will in engaging in military action.  Isaiah tells the king that God wants him to do nothing.  And he even offers a sign to the king.  But Ahaz refuses a sign, piously insisting that he does not want to tempt the Lord.  He does not want a sign, because he has already made up his mind.  Isaiah gives him a sign anyway.  As a Davidic king, Ahaz should side with no one.  Instead, he must trust that God would be with his People in the time it takes for a woman to conceive, bear, and name a male child.  According to Biblical custom, this would have been forty weeks plus eight days.  The young Jewish woman would name the child “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”  Isaiah’s prophecy became a timeless challenge to God’s Chosen People to trust in God’s abiding presence, especially amid hardship.

            In the Gospel, we meet Joseph, another descendant of King David.  He also faces a difficult situation.  He has discovered that the young woman to whom he is betrothed is pregnant.  He knows that he is not the father and must decide.  Should he have her stoned, as the law allows?  Or should he divorce her quietly and step aside so that the real father can take her into his home?  He decides to divorce her quietly.  But then God speaks to him in a dream, as God has called the young Samuel in a dream to be a prophet.  God had spoken to Joseph in Egypt to interpret the choices for Pharaoh to proceed in a famine.  Now God speaks to Joseph in a dream to tell him that Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz has been fulfilled in an extraordinary and incredible way.  God has entered into the human race through the humble consent of his betrothed.  Joseph follows the instructions of the angel and takes Mary into his home. 

            Because Joseph trusts in God’s abiding presence, his life is changed.  He and his wife will embark on a long journey to Bethlehem to participate in a census.  Finding no room in an Inn, he takes his wife to a stable, where she gives birth to a son. He is amazed with visits from angels and shepherds.  He obeys another dream and tells the Magi not to return to Herod.  Then he saves his family by fleeing to Egypt as immigrants and refugees.  Later, he and his wife will find their 12-year-old child in the temple and will return to Nazareth to raise him.  In all of these actions, Joseph completely trusts in God’s abiding presence.  Joseph speaks no words in the New Testament.  His actions speak loudly of his trust in God’s abiding presence.

            As we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s birth this Thursday, Joseph invites us to trust in God’s abiding presence in our lives.  Christmas reminds us that God is involved in our daily lives and speaks to us to make significant changes.  Sometimes, our lives are suddenly changed by a tragedy, or a death, or an illness.  Widowed people know how their lives are changed.  The same thing happens to families when they must care for loved ones who can no longer function on their own.  At other times, God speaks to us in unexpected changes.  I am convinced that the Lord spoke to me in retirement and spoke through Bishop Rhoades to let go of a suburban parish of 3,000 families to become part of a very different parish of 150 families in the inner city.  When our dreams are interrupted, we are lost.  We ask for the intercession of Saint Joseph.  In following God’s command, he had to let go of whatever dreams he may have had for a more normal family to embrace God’s dream.  We can do the same.

 

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.