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.

 

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.

 

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

12 OCTOBER 2025

 

          Naaman is an important and powerful leader in the Kingdom of Aram.  However, he has a huge problem.  He has the disease of leprosy.  Not only is it incurable in the ancient world, but it is also contagious.  As a result, lepers not only are afflicted with terrible physical pain.  But they are also kept apart from their community.  He learns from his Jewish slave girl that there is a healer in the Kingdom of Israel, an enemy of his own country.  Hoping against hope, he goes to see the holy man, Elisha.  When Elisha tells him to bathe in the River Jordan, he balks.  The rivers of his kingdom are much grander!  But, he is so desperate that he obeys and emerges healed.  His response to his healing is threefold.  He returns to give thanks to Elisha.  In doing so, he recognizes that the power does not come from the holy man, but from God.  Because he sees that the land on which he is standing is holy, he takes two mule loads of that earth back to Aram.  In other words, he recognizes the power of the one true God, and not his former pagan gods.

            We do not know the names of the ten lepers in today’s Gospel.  But they have the same problem that Naaman did.  They have an incurable and contagious disease that separates them from their loved ones.  Like Naaman, they have heard of a healer who might help.  Standing at a distance, they cry out to Jesus, calling him “Master” and asking him to have pity on them.  Just as Elisha had given Naaman a simple instruction, Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests.  They are healed on their way.  Odds are pretty good that nine of the lepers focus on the Law of Moses requiring healed lepers to be inspected by the priests.  They are so happy that they throw away their filthy garments and run home to their families.  But the Samaritan is a foreigner, like Naaman.  He glorifies God and returns to give thanks to Jesus, falling at his feet.  That action suggests that he seen the truth about this healer.  He does not carry away two mule loads of earth.  He leaves with a deep and abiding faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the source of his salvation.

            We come here today, because we are like Naaman and the Samaritan leper.  We recognize God’s power and love in our lives.  We express our deepest gratitude by celebrating the Eucharist together.  That Greek word literally means to give thanks.  We gather every Sunday to express our deepest gratitude to God, acknowledging that all that we have is a gift from God.  We are grateful for our families, all the good things in our lives, our parish community, and countless other blessings which we often take for granted.  I am grateful for my successful visits to Ireland and Rome in the last two weeks.  But we are especially grateful for what we are doing at this Altar.  In the Eucharistic Prayer, we give thanks to the Father for the sacrifice of Jesus made present on this Altar in our liturgical remembering.  That Mystery is the source of our salvation and the ultimate hope that all of us share.

            Saint Paul reminds us, as he does Timothy, that we must be grateful for this central Mystery of our faith in Jesus Christ, which brings us salvation.  In this Mystery, we share in his dying, confident that we will share in his rising.  Saint Paul acknowledges that this is a difficult Mystery to live.  Sometimes we fail to share in the Lord’s dying.  At other times, the difficulties of life tempt us to wonder whether the Lord is truly present in our suffering.  When we fail to live this mystery, we deny him.  But he remains faithful, even when we are unfaithful.  We don’t need to take two mule loads of earth with us from this Mass.  Saint Paul insists that this Mystery is trustworthy.  It is the conviction that God has breathed life into us and is with us at every step in our journey.  We do not need to scoop up two mule loads of dirt from the ground of this church.  We just need to take our Gospel-centered gratitude with us as a daily practice. 

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

21 SEPTEMBER 2025

 

          In his parables, Jesus gets the attention of his listeners.  Those who heard this parable in person were ordinary people – peasants, tenant farmers, day laborers, and slaves.  They worked very hard, trying their best to provide for their families from day to day.  In their world, very few people were rich.  People were rich because they inherited their wealth.  They did not work and tended to ignore the plight of those who did.  Jesus got their attention, and they probably cheered for the ingenuity of the steward who got back at his rich master.

            Jesus gets our attention today.  This parable is probably his most challenging and difficult to understand.  The master commends the steward for acting prudently.  How should we understand this parable?  Is Jesus encouraging us to be dishonest with those whom we think do not deserve our honest dealings?  The key lies in what Jesus describes as “dishonest wealth,” which is the wealth we need to sustain ourselves and our families in this world.

The prophet Amos criticizes the people of his day for their misuse of “dishonest wealth”.  Too many of them are greedy and spend their energies filling their homes with nice furniture and adorning them with ivory.  He criticizes the farmers who go to the market to find ways of cheating the poor, robbing them, and trampling on them instead of charging a fair price.  Instead, Jesus says to make friends with “dishonest wealth.” When it fails, as all “dishonest fair” will fail with death, we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

When Saint Paul writes, he knows that Timothy’s community handles “dishonest wealth” very well.  They work together, live nearby one another, and come together after work to share a life centered on the confession of Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a “ransom for all”.  He tells Timothy and his community to offer supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving for everyone, especially those in authority.  He tells us to do the same.

When we offer supplications, we maintain a mindset of continual prayer.  In offering them, we are reminded to be faithful stewards ourselves, making sure that we manage our “dishonest wealth” to support our families, without cheating or taking advantage of anyone else.  He challenges us to realize what is honest wealth – the mercy, justice, and peace of God’s eternal kingdom.  Honest wealth will continue when “dishonest wealth” comes to an end.

When we offer prayers, we make specific requests to God for ourselves.  In offering these prayers, we ask God to make sure that we do not focus on our own needs at the expense of others.  In offering prayers, we want to do God’s will, and not our own.  We want to make sure that the decisions we make today will please God in the years ahead.

When we offer petitions, we make specific requests to God for someone else.  In light of what we learn about the needs of others in our prayers, we know that we can share a generous portion of our “dishonest wealth” with those who have much less.  We avoid the sinful greed of the people whom Amos criticizes.

Finally, when we offer thanksgiving, we express our gratitude and acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God.  In gratitude, we share a generous portion of that gift with others in time, talent, and treasure.

When we center our lives on prayer, we avoid corruption and over-consumption.  This kind of prayer helps end arguments and anger.  It helps us to treat leaders and those with whom we disagree with respect.  It opens our eyes to see the needs of others and share generously with them.  We are God’s prudent stewards who are called to use our “dishonest wealth” as a way of embracing a true wealth that cannot be destroyed.  So, let us pray!

 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

7 SEPTEMBER 2025

 

          As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, huge crowds are following him.  They have listened to his preaching, especially about the Kingdom of God already in their midst.  They have been impressed with his miracles and the many ways he has expressed the love of his Father to them.  However, he thins the crowd today with his warnings.  He makes it very clear what it means to be an authentic disciple.  He tells them that they cannot be his disciple without “hating” the closest members of their families and even their own lives.  In using that strong word “hate,” Jesus is not talking about an emotion that would tear apart family relationships.  Rather, he uses that word as a hyperbole to indicate one’s preference.  Disciples must put their relationship with him first and love the members of his or her family less.  Knowing that he will be crucified in Jerusalem, he insists that his disciples must carry their crosses.  He uses two metaphors to underline the conditions of discipleship.  A disciple needs to be like a builder, who carefully calculates the costs required for constructing a tower.  Or a disciple needs to be like a king marching into battle, making sure that he or she is prepared for the consequences.  Authentic disciples must be prepared for the costs of discipleship, willing to put the following of Jesus Christ ahead of all possessions.

As we walk with Jesus Christ on our own pilgrimage to the new and eternal Jerusalem, he gives us this same message.  As disciples, we must put our relationship with him at the center of our lives, even above our closest family members and friends.  But we also know from our own experiences that putting our relationship with Jesus Christ as a first priority will transform our other relationships and make them more precious.  We must be prepared to carry difficult crosses as a result of making these preferences and trust Jesus to be the center of our lives.     

Philemon was a disciple.  He was a close enough friend that Saint Paul took the time to write him a letter.  Philemon owned Onesimus as a slave.  The slave’s name spoke of his worth, because the name means “useful.”  We do not know why Onesimus ran away from Philemon’s household.  But we do know that he was breaking the law in running to Saint Paul.  He not only proved to be useful to the old man in prison.  He became a disciple of Jesus Christ when Saint Paul baptized him.  Through Baptism, Onesimus not only became a sacred child of God.  He also became a brother in Christ to all the other baptized members of the Body of Christ.

Saint Paul now sends him back to Philemon with this letter.  He asks Philemon to receive Onesimus no longer as a slave, but as a brother, beloved to both Paul and his owner as a man in the Lord.  He asks Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would welcome Paul.

We have no idea what Philemon did when his slave returned.  Did he punish him for running away without permission?  Did he beat him in front of the rest of the slaves to warn them not to attempt this same trick?  Or did he accept the request of Saint Paul to welcome him back as a brother in the Lord?  If he did this, he would be carrying the cross of renouncing one of his possessions and even inviting the rest of the slaves to go to Paul and get baptized themselves.  He would be carrying the cross of losing revenue and security.

We might ask the question:  why did Saint Paul not denounce the cruel and inhumane system of slavery?  Even worse, we are horrified at slave owners in this country using Paul as an excuse to continue to enslave human beings.  The truth is that slavery was such an ingrained part of the ancient world that Paul did not challenge it.  Instead, he focused on the transformation of relationships within the unjust system of slavery.  Within the many unjust situations in our society, we too can focus on ways to transform relationships by being disciples of Jesus Christ.