After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Lk. 3:21-22) Last week we celebrated “Epiphany Sunday,” which has been moved by the U.S. Bishops from its traditional date on January 6 to promote more active participation in the Feast. It's a bit confusing to us in New Orleans because we still mark “Twelfth Night” as the beginning of the Carnival Season and the first day that we can eat king cakes. Rousse's must be following the revised liturgical schedule since they had a huge king cake display last Saturday night! We know that Epiphany is marked by the appearance of … [Read more...]

“And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” (Mt. 2:9-11) Why were the “wise men” wise? Were they wise because they knew the movements of the stars in the sky? Were they wise because they understood the seasons of the year or the movements of nature? What made them wise? The word for “wise men” is a Greek word that we transliterate as “magi.” The magi were interested in trying to understand the created world, but they searched for more. The magi might have been smart because of all of their knowledge of the physical world, but wisdom is … [Read more...]

They shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the LORD, and you shall be called “Frequented,” a city that is not forsaken. (Is. 62:11-1) As we celebrate both Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Family this weekend, it is good to reflect upon our family lives, and to examine whether we're being good family members. When we contemplate the Holy Family, we note the fact that when the God became man, He came as a little child within a family. That was a divine choice; Jesus could have chosen any way he wanted to manifest Himself. God's plan for redeeming the human race began in the family because the family is the cornerstone of society. In today's modern world there are many unmarried people living together and many children born outside of wedlock. And this weakens our society. … [Read more...]

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him.  As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Lk 23:35-38) How many times have we gazed at a crucifix and seen that inscription: “I.N.R.I.” We know it means something about Jesus being “King of the Jews,” even if we don't remember that it comes from the first letters of the Latin inscription meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum. The key is understanding what's behind that inscription. Is it just a “mocking” inscription provided by Pontius Pilate? Was it … [Read more...]

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. (Is. 7:14) She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21) In William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers have a dialogue about their own names. It begins with Romeo hearing Juliet call his name: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” Later in the dialogue, Romeo responds: “It is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!” This quote has been paraphrased to something like: “there's nothing so sweet as the sound of one's own name.” And even if we don't read Shakespeare or understand poetry, we can … [Read more...]

Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. (Is. 35:4b-6) 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 oppressed or crippled. They would be delivered from the difficulties of this life and live in a new reality without fear. God would be with them, according to the promises of His Covenant. However, the appearance of the Messiah was disputed. Would he be a great king, … [Read more...]

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. (Mt 3:1-3) The Christmas Season can often be a time of anxiety for us. There's so much to do, so much to prepare. We have cards to write, homes to decorate, presents to buy, parties to attend, year-end reports to finish, etc. etc. etc. And when it's all over, we let out a big sigh and enjoy ourselves. Then we clean up. And then we prepare for the next holiday, whether it's New Year's, Mardi Gras, or perhaps a Superbowl party”¦ Sometimes it seems like it never ends. Surely, we know that we're called to prepare … [Read more...]

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. (Mt 24:42-44) A lot of times, the analogies of Jesus are just that – analogies. But sometimes they hit closer to home. Recently, we have had some problems with security at St. Stephen Church. We have had incidents where people have tried to break into the church by breaking door handles and even using pry-bars. We have had someone break into the area below the church. Although we're not aware of anything actually being stolen, there has been damage that … [Read more...]

“They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.” (Lk 21:12-13) What does it mean when Christ tells us that “they will persecute you”? We can easily look at the history of the Church, and see persecution. The first persecutions began in 1st century Rome, and were conducted by the Emperor Nero. Those early persecutions led to the Great Persecution of the 3rd century by the Roman Empire, which didn't end until Christianity was legalized in 313 A.D. We can look at the persecutions of Christians by Moslem invasion in North Africa, which led to the Christians Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land. Skipping ahead, we recall the French … [Read more...]

"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.'” (Lk 20:37-38) By tradition, the Church dedicates November to prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, those faithful Christians who have died and gone before us but who still must atone for their sins. The time they spend in Purgatory cleanses them so that they may enter Heaven free from the effects of the sin they might have committed in life. Church doctrine on purgatory is based on the Old Testament reading in 2 Maccabees 12:40-46, where prayers were offered for those who had died in battle. Praying for the dead has been a constant practice of … [Read more...]