The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.” (Lk 2:15-18) Christmas can carry with it a lot of nostalgia for many of us. The season brings back memories of past Christmases, and might be particularly difficult for those who've recently lost loved ones. We might remember the happy times that we had, and we might be filled with a little heartache. It's interesting that the word “nostalgia” is formed by two Greek words, νόστος … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2011
From the Pastor – December 18, 2011
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1:31-32a) A few Saturdays back I was praying the Rosary with a small group at 11:00am in front of the abortion clinic on St. Charles Avenue near Louisiana (in what was once a Protestant church), and I got yelled at by a Fundamentalist. Although I'm used to experiencing taunting while I'm praying there, I'm not used to being yelled at by a fellow “Christian” because I'm praying the Rosary. One would think we could take a moment to set aside differences in a mutual effort to pray for an end to abortion. The point of the man's rant was that I was “glorifying” Mary by saying the “Hail Mary.” He was yelling at us “Mary is dead. Why are you … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – December 11, 2011
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23) As I looked at the readings for Mass this weekend, I had a little sense of “déjà vu.” They seem to be very similar to the readings from last Sunday. Both Sundays have readings from Isaiah, and both have Gospels about John the Baptist. It shouldn't really be a “surprise” since this is a season when are remembering the first coming and preparing for the second coming. The coming of the Messiah was something eagerly anticipated by the Jewish people. His coming was to be a time of great rejoicing (Gaudete!) It represented the intervention of God into the affairs of men. No longer would they be hungry or thirsty or … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – December 4, 2011
[John the Baptist said:] “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mk. 1:7-8) One of my favorite books by Archbishop Fulton Sheen is called “Life of Christ.” It's a book that explores the life of Jesus using a great deal of reason and human history. As a seminarian I recall being taken in by the first words: History is full of men who have claimed that they came from God, or that they were gods, or that they bore messages from God - -Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Christ, Lao-tze, and thousands of others, right down to the person who founded a new religion this very day. Each of them has a right to be heard and considered. But as a yardstick … [Read more...]
