My goal for the new year: Persistence

It’s that time of year again!  As 2019 ends and we usher in 2020 my thoughts turn to how I might grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually.   I think of things such as what I might avoid—like weight issues, a bad temper, impatience; and what I might add to my daily routines—more prayer, caring for the poor, sacrifices for my loved ones.

The Holy Family is depicted in St. Luke’s Gospel (Luke 2: 22-40) as fulfilling a normal religious obligation in bringing Jesus to Jerusalem for the Jewish ceremony of purification (“Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to God”). There they meet Simeon and Anna, faithful and wise persons who had awaited the coming of the Messiah remaining steady and strong in their faith.

Completing the prescribed purification, Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus return to Galilee, their hometown, and Luke tells us succinctly, “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him.”  There is so much personal history of Jesus and the Holy Family contained in these phrases; but they really don’t shed much direct light on Jesus as He lived the great majority of His life in Nazareth.

We refer to that “growing” and “becoming strong”, being “filled with wisdom” and receiving the “favor of God” as the hidden life of Jesus.  We remember that the public life of Jesus, the part that we are so familiar with because of the Gospels, covered a relatively small part of His whole life.  So what went on during those nearly 30 years Jesus spent with Joseph and Mary?  We can only imagine the incidents of that life as Jesus grew among His immediate family, the townspeople He knew, the skills that were developed in Him as He learned Joseph’s trade, if He caught colds or skinned His knees, and the many other tasks of growing up into His identity as a human person.

What we do know about those “hidden” years is what St. Luke tells us in the gospel passage.  What do those words or reality actually mean for us in our own circumstances today?  If we are to “imitate” Jesus in our lives we are invited to the same kind of growth that He experienced, and that, like Him, we are invited to focus on the source of that growth because indeed the “favor of God” is for us as much as it was for Jesus.

The often-repeated phrase that we hear, and tell others—“God loves you”—is a reality; a promise from God.  We must realize that promise in our own life with its many and varied circumstances.  Each of us is called to grow and become strong and be filled with wisdom because the favor of God rests upon us as it rested on Jesus.

The passage about the prophetess Anna brings home to me how shallow my own prayer life is, especially in light of the examples I’ve had in my life.

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)

The Gospel says that Anna lived seven years with her husband after marriage.  In those days they got married at about 12 or 13 years old.  Let’s assume she was a good catch in her heyday, so she was a bride at 12.  That means she became a widow at 19 years old.  She lived that way until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer for 63 years!  I’m 66 years old.  That would be like me worshipping day and night with fasting and prayer since my 3^rd birthday.  What a testimony to patience!  How many times must she have been frustrated in her search for the Messiah, wondering if He would ever come!  But she persisted in prayer and thanksgiving to the Almighty God day after day, month after month, and year after year, trusting that He would answer her prayers.  What was her reward?  She was allowed to see our Lord while He was still an infant!  I can’t even come close to feeling the joy she must have felt!

Dear God, how many times have I neglected to pray simply because I was too tired or lazy?  This woman persisted for 63 years!  Sounds a lot like my mom, my grandmother, and my aunts Jenny, Teresa, Eileen and Barbara, and my Uncle Bob.  They all survived their spouses for a lot of years, coping with their losses through what seemed to me to be ceaseless and persistent praying, sacrificing for their children and grandchildren, or helping the poor with increased donations to different causes they believed in.  No one could hold a candle to the faith they gave me through their examples, and I will be forever grateful to them for it.

It's so simple, it seems difficult!

The readings for Holy Family Sunday teach us a clear lesson, one that anyone with children or grandchildren should be aware: trusting in the Lord bears fruit.  Children are gifts from God, and they always belong to God.  Parents do not own their children.  They are guardians who are responsible before God for their education and upbringing.

I was (and remain) so overwhelmed by the blessings that are my children, that I felt it was my duty to thank God by "putting the seal of Christ" on them through Baptism.  I specifically remember Alicia’s Baptism preparation class.  We had to have a "pre-baptism" class, followed by the rite a few weeks later.  Marilyn and I were asked to write down why we wanted our child baptized.  I wrote that God blessed us with the gift of a child that we may call our own, but the child really belongs to the One who created her.  

As their parents, Marilyn and I have been given the responsibility to see that our children learned to know and love the Father of us all.  I discovered that the only way I knew was to teach them as I was taught by my parents—by my own faith, hope and love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  

The first (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14) and second (Colossians 3:12-21) readings both give a great recipe for successful family relationships.  What makes a family "holy"?  It's all so simple!  Just love one another and keep the commandments!  The Gospel (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23) reveals the Holy Family’s faith and trust in God’s plans for them.

Of course, simple answers like that are the hardest to accept!  Our families would find their disagreements, stressful relationships, and resentments that spoil the joy of family harmony so much easier to solve by imitating the faith and loving trust of the Holy Family.

The Scripture lessons for family life are made even more important in the light of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).  In it, he teaches that many of our economic, social, and political problems are a result of the absence of strong family life.

Virtues such as honesty, generosity, and loyalty are first learned and practiced in families that are obedient to the Creator's commandments.  The habits thus engrained in individuals flow naturally into the public life of society.

Pope Benedict calls the family "the primary vital cell of society."  We cannot, then, separate the private world of family life from the success or failures of the public life of money and power, the economy, business practices, politics, and the way that nations treat world poverty, joblessness, the environment and immigration.

Take the time to remember

On the fourth day after Christmas, through remembering the Holy Innocents (Matthew 2:13-18), the Church reminds us that though some may not even know or be aware of Christ, God still loves us.  While Stephen is remembered as the first martyr for the new Church, I think it’s worth noting that these very young boys didn’t even know Christ was among them, as St. Stephen did.  But God found them worthy enough to be sacrificed for His Church to come into existence and He rewarded them by bringing them Home.

“The only thing God can’t do is change the past.  The only thing man can do is change the future.”  I heard this years ago.  What it means is that we can learn lessons from the past, but we can’t change it; no one can.  What we can do is strive to look harder for our Lord in our daily lives and let Him be our GPS to Heaven.

Today, let us take some time to remember the innocent who still suffer.  We can take time to remember those whose lives seem to be devalued by today’s society; the unborn, who are the most innocent of all and slaughtered because they are ‘inconvenient’; the immigrant, who is only looking for a better, safer environment but restricted by partisan politics from do so ‘legally’; the poor, who we generally look upon with distrust and scorn, as though they are poor by ‘choice’.  We can take time to be thankful that Jesus was spared, for things would be very different had He been killed in Herod’s rage of envy and fear.  And, we can take time to remember and to pray for peace, and dignity for all mankind.

A tale of two races

“They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter...” (John 20: 1-8)

When I heard this line at the reading of the Gospel at Mass yesterday morning, I almost laughed out loud at a memory from about 35 years ago.

I was an assistant manager at the now-defunct Thrifty Drug store in downtown Stockton.  I was discussing something with the pharmacist on duty, John Ota.  We both happened to observe an individual who was lingering over by the fragrance department steal a bottle of fairly expensive perfume and put it in his pocket.  The thief noticed us watching him, so he bolted for the front door and out into the street.  I was young and stupid back then, so without a second thought I took off after him.  After chasing him for two blocks I was starting to slow down until John, who was at least 30 years older than me, passed me like I was standing still!  He caught up to the shoplifter just as he was entering one of the flea-bag hotels in the middle of the next block.  The thief went through the doors, but John didn’t follow; he looked back at me as I was just getting there and said, “I’m afraid to go in. You don’t know if he’s got friends waiting in there!”

Like I said, I was young and stupid.  So I crashed through the door, hoping to see where he went.  Our adversary must have been just as stupid as I was, because he had stopped to catch his breath, thinking we gave up our chase!  When he saw me, he made a mad dash for the stairs to try and get away again.  His foot slipped about the 5th step up and I got my hands on his jacket, then pulled him back down the stairs, where I saw that John had decided to follow me in anyway, despite his fears, to make sure I was OK.

Since there was now a crowd forming around us—some of whom I recognized as “regulars”, or known shoplifters—I decided it might be difficult to get him out of there and back to the store to call the police (this was years before cellphones!), so I said in a voice loud and threatening enough for everybody to hear, “Just give me back what you stole, and I won’t drag your sorry butt down to the police station, but let you go, instead!”  As he handed the perfume back to me, I again stated (for the rest of the crowd), “I’m sick and tired of people stealing from us!  We’re always watching now, and as you can see, we’re faster than you!  So do me a favor, and stay away from Thrifty, and I won’t have you arrested!”  John and I put on our best “brave” face and high-tailed it back to the store, where we both shook our heads in disbelief at our lack of common sense!

When I heard the Gospel yesterday, what made me chuckle was the similarity of the stories.  There were 2 men (one named John) running to a scene where they didn’t know what to expect.  The stories were dissimilar in that the man named John in the Gospel story was the younger (however both deferred to the ‘superior’ before entering the unknown), and in the latter story of course, Jesus had not risen from the dead (although I did invoke His name before I entered, asking for His protection!).  And while the Apostles’ story has been shared over and over again for more than 2,000 years, my story has never been told.  John and I didn’t want to get in trouble for risking our lives for a $15 bottle of perfume.

As I think back on it after reading the Gospel anew, the most glaring difference was that Peter and John were running with thoughts of fear and sadness, ending with hope and joy; Steve and John were running with thoughts of hate and revenge, ending in embarrassment and fear of losing their jobs.  The Apostles certainly got the better result by placing their trust in God.

Last year's promise to myself: the 12 Days of Christmas

A commercial I saw tonight for a “12 days of Christmas” sale that is going to be ‘extended’ reminded me of a promise I made to myself last year at this time; to post something here on Facebook and possibly my blog about the TRUE 12 days of Christmas that BEGIN on Christmas Day and END on January 5—the Epiphany of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I’m glad that the Holy Spirit used that commercial this evening to prod me into remembering my promise.

Although the precise origins of the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” are unclear, the first published version appeared in England in 1780.  That first version was printed in a children’s book as a rhyme, without music, that scholars say was intended as a memory game.  Others think that the song was actually written as a religious song with “hidden meanings”.  In the late 20th century, two published works suggested that.  In 1982, Fr. Hal Stockert, a priest from Granville, N.Y., wrote an article claiming that the song had originally been used to teach children the true meaning of Christmas at a time when practicing Catholicism was illegal in Britain (1558-1829).  Hugh D. McKellar, a Canadian musicologist, published a similar thesis, “How to Decode the Twelve Days of Christmas,” in 1994.  But no one knows for sure.  I personally think it was simply a memory game that someone put to music and put it in the ‘lineup’ of songs that carolers sang during the Advent Season, sending out the misconception that the 12 days started on December 13 and ran to the 25^th—And why most people these days get their Christmas trees out to the curb as early as December 26^th, when good old tradition with a small “t” for centuries was to put the tree up on December 24^th and take it down on January 5^th.

As I list the 12 days as they are celebrated in the Catholic Church below, the ‘gifts’ and the hidden meanings that Father Stockert proposed will be in parentheses.

The First Day of Christmas (1 partridge in a pear tree: Jesus Christ, the Son of God)

December 25th

The First Day of Christmas is, of course, Christmas Day, the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In the Gospels, you can read about the birth of Jesus in the 1^st Chapter of Matthew, and the 2^nd Chapter of Luke.

The Second Day of Christmas (2 turtledoves: The Old and New Testaments)

December 26th

We celebrate the feast of Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, the first Christian to die for his faith in Christ.  For that reason, he is often called protomartyr (the first martyr).  Likewise, he is often called protodeacon, because he is the first of the deacons mentioned in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

The Third Day of Christmas (3 French hens: the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity)

December 27th

This day celebrates the life of Saint John the Evangelist, “the disciple whom Christ loved,” and the only one of the Apostles not to die a martyr’s death.  But he nonetheless is honored as a martyr for the incidents that he suffered while proclaiming the Faith of Christ.

The Fourth Day of Christmas (4 calling birds: the four gospels and/or the four evangelists [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John])

December 28th

The fourth day of Christmas honors the memory of the Holy Innocents, all of the young boys slaughtered at the command of King Herod when he hoped to kill the newborn Jesus.

The Fifth Day of Christmas (5 golden rings: the first five books of the Old Testament)

December 29th

On this day, the Catholic Church celebrates the faith of St. Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, who was martyred for his defense of the rights of the Church against King Henry II.

The Sixth Day of Christmas (6 geese a-laying: the six days of creation)

December 30th

On this day, the faithful celebrate the Holy Family—the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus; Saint Joseph, His foster father; and Christ Himself. Together, they form the model for all Christian families.

The Seventh Day of Christmas (7 swans a-swimming: the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and/or the seven sacraments)

December 31st

The seventh day of Christmas celebrates the life of Saint Sylvester, the pope who reigned during the incredibly tumultuous times of the Donatist schism and the Arian heresy in the fourth century A.D.

The Eighth Day of Christmas (8 maids a-milking: the eight Beatitudes)

January 1st

We honor the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  Faithful worshippers recite special prayers to honor the role that the Blessed Virgin Mary played in Christian salvation and devotion to Jesus Christ.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics and observed just as if it were a Sunday, no matter what day of the week it falls on.

The Ninth Day of Christmas (9 ladies dancing: the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit) In the Catholic Church, we use the Latin translation of the Bible, which lists 12 fruits….

January 2nd

On the ninth day of Christmas, the faithful celebrate two of the original Eastern Doctors of the Church: Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen.  Both bore witness to the orthodox Christian teaching in the face of the Arian heresy.

The Tenth Day of Christmas (10 lords a-leaping: the 10 Commandments)

January 3rd

Today, Catholics venerate the Holy Name of Jesus, at which “every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

The Eleventh Day of Christmas (11 pipers piping: the 11 faithful disciples [minus Judas, who betrayed Christ])

January 4th

This day is set aside to honor Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), or Mother Seton as she is often known, who was the first native-born American saint to be canonized.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas (12 drummers drumming: the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed)

January 5^th

On the final day of Christmas, the faithful celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord, the day on which Christ’s divinity was revealed to the Gentiles in the form of the Three Wise Men.

I hope Jesus stands for me!

In the reading from Acts, Stephen is “... filled with the Holy Spirit, witnessing his belief in Jesus, sent by God and now standing at the right hand of God” and, “...working great wonders and signs among the people”. (Acts 7:55)   However, some of the listeners were infuriated by Stephen’s proclamations and challenges to the people, regarding their lack of living out the call of the prophets to turn to God and live out their belief.  Their anger and frustration resulted in stoning Stephen to death.

We read in the gospels and we recite in our creed about Jesus being seated at the right hand of the Father, but in this instance, He is standing and not seated.  What a glorious image that the King of kings stands to welcome His first martyr and I wonder if He has stood every time that He has received one who gave it all for the kingdom.

I am reminded of the time my mom visited my sister-in-law Marilyn shortly after my brother Bob passed away and went to confession with the priest who was also Bob’s pastor.  When she sat down in front of Father, he stated he recognized her, but he didn’t think she was a member of his parish.  She told him that she was Bob’s mother.  He told her that he would never forget Bob, and that Bob was a big help to him when he first arrived as the pastor and whenever anything was needed, my brother was right there, whether he could walk that day or not.  He would find a way to serve his church community in any way he could.  Mom said it was great for a parent to hear such good things about a child of theirs.  I know the feeling.  She said that Marilyn cried when she heard the story.  I must admit I did, too.  It makes me wonder if Jesus stood to welcome Bob, as well.  We can hope.

The Gospel (Matthew 10:17-22) continues the theme of violence, as Jesus warns his followers, “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the parents their children; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name.”

Global peace is something for which we all fervently pray and hope yet how do our national and international policies promote the building of the kinship of God?

Where and when is each of us called to announce, through our day-to-day actions, as Bob did, that God is in our midst...and how do we respond when challenged by the perspectives of others?

On this Feast Day dedicated to my namesake St. Stephen, I pray might live a life more like his; a life focused on sharing the message of salvation and love extended to us by our heavenly Father.  A life that keeps Jesus at the center, a life that isn’t dictated by my perceived comforts and discomforts.  My prayer is that I would be granted the grace and courage necessary to share Jesus’ message of love, hope and salvation with all those I am blessed to encounter throughout this life.

Thoughts on Christmas Eve

Christmas is Light blessing the now.  

Christmas is not the end of the Advent waiting and journeying.

It is the dawn of Advent.

It is Light blessing and sanctifying the journey, the waiting itself.



Who waits for whom?  Who blesses whom?

Parents, siblings, buddies and lovers pensively wait for those who are engaged in the military or the ministry, on a mission or in service to others to come home.

Parents eager with anticipation wait for the infant soon to be born.

Parents, friends and strangers compassionately journey with the lost and forsaken.

Longingly families and friends wait for the estranged; the outcasts in yearning wait for welcome.

The hungry in trust wait for the cook.

The homeless in hope wait for the host.

The jobless in faith wait for the employers.

The imprisoned desiring freedom waits for the visitor.

And children everywhere joyfully wait for the anticipated delight.



And so I walk, and I knock, and I wait.

At times I sleep.  At times I awake.

At times I am cold.  At times I am warmed.

At times I am hungry.  At times I am nourished and nurtured.



In the hush of Christmas 
I am invited to witness the gift of the Light that shines in the now.

I am invited to notice and to receive the sanctifying presence within my journey, my waiting.

I am invited to sing Alleluias to the Christ in my life.  To Jesus; Who walks with me in the now.

Christmas is for all of God’s children.  Alleluia, Alleluia!

My family and I want to wish all of you—our friends and family—a most Blessed Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

The Prayer of Santa Claus

There’s a lot of talk about the ‘war on Christmas’ every year.  Some would rather think of Christmas as the time when “Jolly Old Saint Nick” travels the world in one night to deliver toys to all the good children of the world, than to recognize it as the moment that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, so as not to ‘offend’ anyone.  This is ironic, because the same ‘Santa Claus’ these folks celebrate on December 25th was very aware of the meaning of the Holy Day, and he wrote a prayer that Catholics use each and every Sunday to profess their faith!

St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (now in Turkey) and among the interesting things about him is the fact that he is the first saint canonized in the Church who was not a martyr.  In the early years of the Church it was the tremendous heroism and courage of the martyrs, willing to die for the faith, that received the most attention and veneration of the faithful.  But, Nicholas, living in the third century after most persecution of Christians had ceased was the first to be officially recognized not for dying for the faith, but for living heroically and faithfully the Christian life.

There are many stories and legends that surround this saint and come down to us over the centuries, but they all have one common factor - his incredible charity.

St. Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara.  At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey.  His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.  Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor" (Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22, Mark 10:21) Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.  He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man.  Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

St. Nicholas was one of the bishops who attended the Council of Nicea in the year 325; one of the great Christological Councils of the early Church.

It was St. Nicholas who wrote the text of the great Symbol of Faith of that Council, a prayer that we Catholics pray each and every Sunday; known as the Nicene Creed.  So, the Nicene Creed is, in fact, the Prayer of Santa Claus.

I invite you to pray it with me now:

I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son He is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

St. Nicholas, pray for us!

Merry Christmas!

Be open!

There are references in scripture that God's works and designs are unknown to man [Ecclesiastes 3:11].

But occasionally as I read the bible there are plenty of times when I find Him strikingly predictable.  Throughout both the Old and the New Testaments we find repeated methods that God uses to do His work.  For instance, the theme that the last shall be first as found in the story of Esau and Jacob [Genesis 25:23] and as our Lord taught His disciples [Matthew 19:30 and 20:16].

There are quite a few stories of how God is found in the desert and in the isolated places as in the case of Moses on Sinai.  The numbers 7, 12 and 40 appear again and again.  When an elderly couple with no children shows up in scripture, you can be certain that a miracle is on the way and a new child is soon to be born and that child is meant for something special in God's plan for our salvation.

Consider the birth of John the Baptist, the son of the childless and elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth [Luke 1:57-66].  John came to foretell the coming of the Messiah and like Isaac [Genesis 21: 1-7], Samuel [1Samuel 1: 1-28], and Jacob [Genesis 25: 19-26] he came from a barren mother.  God uses these women, even in their later years to give birth to those He needs to do His work.

My point is that anyone can and will be used by God if He sees the need.  None of us are too old, too young, too poor, too rich or in any way exempt from this.  The common theme throughout the Bible (and the entire history of Salvation) however, is that those who have been called to do His work were open to His word and followed where He led.  It is no different for us.  If we are open to Him, we may be surprised in what He asks us to do.

No Room at the Inn....

The Gospel for the 4^th Sunday of Advent begins, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.” (Matthew 1:18-24)

When reading my mom’s blog a couple of days ago, I saw a meditation she had written in her blog about 10 years ago, and I remember us discussing it the next day when I visited her.  This Gospel brought that memory back for me, so I thought I would share it.  Again, I apologize to my mom for editing her post for simple grammatical errors, but the “meat” of the meditation is still there.

A little bit of explanation for any readers who don’t pray the Rosary or know how it is prayed properly:  The prayer is divided into 20 “Mysteries”, or episodes in the life of Jesus and His mother that we meditate upon while saying 10 Hail Marys.  Sometimes the meditations are simple, while other times they can be quite deep and personal reflections on our own lives, as Mom did here. 

Here then, is her entry from December 26, 2008:  

‘I was in my room saying my Rosary and came to the Nativity Mystery [The 3^rd Joyful Mystery].  Then I got to thinking, “Here the God of Gods & Lord of Lords was born in a cave because there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the Inn!”  And then I was thinking how I never really had a "grand" house, but I never had to live in a cave; yet my Lord came to earth as an infant in a cave, or barn where animals were kept!  When I had my first "knowledge" of a house, it was in Wawawai, Washington and I must have been two or three.  This house, even though it was a farmhouse, had ten rooms.  It was a two-story building and to me, it seemed to be spread out.  On the ground floor were two bedrooms, a large living room, a dining room, and a kitchen.  The bathroom was outside in a small building with a crescent moon on the door.  The top story had three big bedrooms which were off a hall and then over the dining room and kitchen was quite a large room that was used for storage of things like our winter supply of flour, sugar, dried beans, rice, and more.  There was no plumbing or electricity, and the stoves for cooking and heating were wood burning.  An aunt and uncle lived there, too.  They had one boy at the time and my father and uncle had purchased the house together.  My uncle passed away and somehow or another Dad lost his "half" of the house.  I then remember living in Everett, Washington in a two-story but smaller house.  My mother's father and mother lived with us [she could have just written,  “My maternal grandparents”, but that’s my mom!], and a cousin of mine who was older and working at the time shared one bedroom with a co-worker and they paid rent for the room.  We had a couch that folded down and made a bed in the dining for some of us.  Of course there we did have electricity and indoor plumbing.  One night a young 17-year-old boy in our area was setting fires and everyone was evacuated at that time for several hours.  Now whether that was the reason or not, we moved out into the country again to Beverly Park, Washington.  Again, we were pretty well crowded in a small house, and again my grandparents were us.  By this time there were five children in the family, and my brother Gerald was born there.  We heard from my aunt in Wawawai that Dad could have the big house again, as she was deeply in debt and could not pay the bank payments on the house.  We returned; and this was really at the start of the Depression.  Mom and Dad had one more child while living there, and then the bank took over the house.  Another aunt of mine had a small house adjoining this property, and so she let us move into that.  It had one bedroom, a living room, and of course the usual outdoor toilet.  My father built a large room at the back of the house and most of us children slept there, the boys on one side of the room with a curtain down the middle; and since there was three of us girls and four boys, the boys got the bigger half.  I was in the eighth grade while we still lived there and Barbara, the last of the girls, was born while we lived there.  I went away to Spokane and boarded my first year of high school and then my aunt had to get someone in her house to pay rent or lose it.  So by this time my maternal grandmother had died, and my grandfather was living in the family "homestead" with my Aunt Josie. They told us to come to Couer d' Alene, Idaho and move in with them.  This was O.K. with me because there was a Catholic high school there and a Catholic grammar school, which delighted Mother and Dad.  This house was another small place; two bedrooms, living room, dining room and a kitchen.  So Dad built a bedroom on the front porch for he and Mother and walled it off from the dining room.  Then he built a murphy bed in the living room for us older two girls.  My Aunt Jo took one of the children with her in her bed and my grandfather had one of the boys with him in his bed.  Now this still left a few children with no beds, so with a small bed in their (porch) room they took the youngest, and then in the back yard we had a big woodshed where Dad finished off a nice room for the bigger boys.  They had a kerosene heater for heat, and he put a window in the room for light that could also be opened for air in the summer.  They had electricity out there.  And actually, if I remember right, it looked quite comfy!  We lived there until after Genevieve and I graduated from high school and Mother had two more boys.  Then Dad got a job in California.  It was there that we lived in the tent houses and then a rough lumber house from which I was married.  Some of these places were palaces compared to some of the places I lived after I was married!  Even so, all of these places were roofs over our heads, and we were warm and well-fed; AND NOT A STABLE WITH THE WARM BREATH OF ANIMALS FOR HEAT!’

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

The meaning of Christmas is summed up in His name, Emmanuel—that is, God is with us—to destroy our fears and make us ambassadors of the Light.  Advent has been all about waiting.  And now we know what the waiting was all about; to live our lives, consoled in the midst of our frustration with wars, corruption in politics, impeachments and accusations, rampant crime, and evidence of unbridled hate everywhere among the Body of Christ, as well as with our own personal failures.

God is with us, making sense of all the suffering, all the misery, helping us believe that we are in a much larger plan; waiting for Love to be born for the last time when all those prophecies we heard read to us in the last few weeks are brought to fulfillment.  It's a question of that mysterious presence in our hearts that calls forth from us faith and hope and love.

If we can only say a simple, unqualified "yes" to the call from God as Mary did (Luke 1:26-38), life could be so simple, and God would be so pleased with us!

It's so important that all of us confess our sinfulness before Christmas and be absolved of anything that could keep Jesus out of our hearts.  Advent ends in just 4 days and Christmas is just around the corner, when Jesus will be born again in hearts that are prepared to receive Him.

Trust in the Goodness of God

When God sheds His light of truth on a situation in our lives, He usually reveals only the next step we should take.  We're on a long, important journey in an awesome plan of God, and because we can’t see the whole route, we doubt.  We worry about what might go wrong.  We analyze it logically and come up with reasons why it couldn't possibly be the Lord's will.  Or we let previous hardships trigger emotional reactions that warn us to go no farther.

If we don't know how to recognize what our spirit is telling us in its divine connection to the Holy Spirit, we won't believe the truth even if comes to us in the form of an angel.  This is why so many people fail to believe in the actual presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist or in the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.  It's not that they don't want to believe; they just want it to make sense in their personal worldview.  Their inner spirit is speaking a language that they don't understand.

When Gabriel told him that he and Elizabeth were going to have a child, Zechariah said, "How shall I know this?" (Luke 1:5-25)   He wanted proof.  Of course God can provide enough proof to convert the entire world, but then we'd have faith based on logic, not trust.  Without trust, there is no desire to stretch our spiritual growth and perfect our dependence on God.  Without trust, there's no room for surprises.  God enjoys surprising us!  Surprises "prove" how awesome He is while delighting us with a divine form of entertainment.

The next time God sheds light on something that doesn't make sense to you, instead of waiting for proof or an understandable explanation, tell yourself: "Oh yeah! A new surprise!"  It will be like waking up on Christmas morning to discover gifts that you had not expected, gifts that are better than what you had hoped for or requested.

If you’re like me, whenever scriptures or Church teachings or a homily or a friend reveals something that I don't like, it feels unpleasant.  That's because we don't know how wonderfully awesome God's plan truly is.  In the darkness of our unknowing, we can’t see the wonderful surprise that awaits us.  But when we extend to God our trust, we discover a hidden goodness.  It's like looking at Christmas gifts that are wrapped in the paper of unpaid bills.  The paper is unpleasant, and we won't discover the true gift inside until we look past it to see what God wants to give us.

And then guess what!  More surprises!  This gift is incomplete, because there are more surprises to unwrap, and Christmas morning lasts for a very long time.

Are we going to be like Zechariah, who was dissatisfied with the nonsensical gift that the angel gave him (and suffered the consequence)?   Or will we choose to trust in the goodness of God (like Mary did) [Luke 1: 26-38] and look forward to what He's going to surprise us with next?

I read a quote today that sums all of this up: “Trust is the midwife that enables us to give birth to Jesus in every situation.”

Faith, Hope, and Charity--the currency of Heaven

I love reading about the dream of St. Joseph this time of year.  When you realize the time in which Mary and Joseph lived and the rules and norms, it is quite remarkable for Joseph to act the way he did. (Matthew 1:18-25)   Imagine this honorable and good man who does not see his beloved betrothed for a while.  And then he sees her, and she is obviously pregnant.  Of course he knows he is not the father; he has been totally respectful of her and never laid with her.  What must be going through his head – she has been untrue – his sweet Mary – untrue to him.  Even by today’s more liberal thinking, most would say, “I’m done – I will let everyone know what this woman has done.”  In that day, a man could easily call the woman out as an adulteress and the punishment was clear: stoning!  Yet Joseph somehow did not even consider that route.  He thought that he could go on and then quietly divorce Mary – he was concerned with her well-being even though it appeared that her behavior was less than acceptable.  Joseph was clearly an exceptionally kind, compassionate man.  We all know the story did not end there.

When Joseph receives the angel in a dream, he totally accepts that this is the word of God and is obedient to all that is asked of him.  He doesn’t hesitate or falter.  This is what God expects of him and this is what he will do.  Oh, that I could always be so unwavering in my faith!  Joseph never stopped to think of how that changed his plans for his life; he trusted in God’s plan for him and his family.  Mary and Joseph are such wonderful examples of those who trust without question.  Their faith sustained them throughout their lives.  They believed and allowed God’s will to direct their lives and when angels spoke, they listened.

I am nowhere near as holy or unwavering in my faith as Joseph was, but several times in my life I have had dreams that really shook me to my core.  I sometimes wonder if it is my guardian angel placing these dreams in my subconscious to steer me in the right direction.  

Years and years ago, I had a dream of watching nearly transparent people boarding commercial airliners; and angels, recognizable by their pure white robes and halos, were helping them board and acting as flight attendants.  Because dreams are strange and sometimes wonderful, I was able to hear the people talking with one another with great joy, and I understood that the final destination of the airliner and the passengers was Heaven.  Some were bound for a brief stopover in Purgatory, but it didn’t seem to damper their joy.  It occurred to me that I recognized the passengers as the souls of my family and friends; past, present, and future.

In my dream, I was frustrated and saddened because I felt deep in my soul that I was supposed to be with my family and friends on their way to Heaven, but I had no ticket.  I was despondent because I was found unworthy to have a ticket.  I wondered what the ‘catch’ was, and why I wasn’t able to go with the rest of my family and friends.  I got close enough to ask one of those boarding how he got his ticket, and he told me that he didn’t know, he just knew he had one, and was full of joy and gratitude.  I began to wail in great despair.

One of the angels noticed my anguish and asked me why I was so sad and not on the plane.  When I explained that I didn’t have a ticket, he laughed and said, “Don’t you remember?  You don’t need a ticket!  Your flight is free!  You even had enough to currency to help pay for some of the other tickets!”  I said, “How is it that I paid for these tickets?  With what currency?  I’m confused!”   The angel laughed again, and with a great howl replied, “In Heaven, faith and prayers are currency!  Keeping your faith through good times and bad and the prayers that you have said petitioning Our Lord Jesus Christ for mercy have purchased all the tickets you and everyone you prayed for ever needed to share a life everlasting with Our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit in the company of our Queen and the saints!  Welcome aboard!”  I can’t begin to explain the sheer ecstasy I felt from the depths of my soul when I heard his words!  In fact, I think that feeling of unbounded joy is what jarred me awake.

That dream had me upset for a long time, because it seemed that my subconscious, (where dreams come from, and psychologists say reflect your true “id”) was telling me I was responsible for the salvation of those souls and my own because of my prayers and my faithful ‘practice’ as a Catholic man.  After all, I was attending daily Mass; I was praying my rosary every night; I was receiving the Eucharist. 

What I have come to realize though, is that I focused more on the “Angel’s” praise of my faith and my prayers rather than on the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus.  That is, after all, what all of our prayers and obedience to God’s commandments lead us to.  So I will continue to pray, to attend mass as often as possible (every Sunday, of course), and to try and live a life pleasing to God.  I can use your prayers, as well, to help me purchase my ticket to Heaven through the mercy of Christ.

The family historian

Every family has one.  A family’s history, the good and the sad, is what holds us together and keeps us as one.  Woven into my family are members who influenced their generation as well as those who came after them. Individuals who were there to lead by example, support the family in the good times and the bad times, who kept alive the memories of family members no longer with us and more importantly, who shared their faith with us and brought us into the church through the sacraments.

But in addition to our earthly families, we are also part of the largest family of all, God’s family.   And as it is with our earthly families, we have an active role to play not only to sustain God’s family, but to see it grow in strength and importance.   As Jesus says in Matthew 12:49, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

As we head into the final week of Advent ready to celebrate the most wondrous event for all families, the birth of a child, and for us the birth of our Savior, let’s be thankful for not only being a part of our earthly family, but also a part of God’s family.   And as members of God’s family we need to look at the person in the pew next to us at church, ahead of us at the grocery store checkout line, or shuffling to the homeless shelter, as part of our family, for we – all of us – are children of God.  Let us love, respect, obey, and imitate all that is good not only among our earthly families, but among our heavenly family.

A confident faith will recognize Him

Have you ever been told, “You wouldn’t know a good deal if it came up and bit you in the butt!”?  I know I have.  It was usually because I was being hesitant in making the deal out of fear that it was a scam or because the deal was simply too unbelievably good to be true.  Then, if I rejected the deal and later found out it was on the up and up, I was devastated!  The readings for today reminded me of this adage.

(Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11)

What an amazing and vibrant image we have of Elijah!   His words are on fire!  He actually brought down fire from the heavens by the power of God.  His zeal was inspiring.  He was destined to put an end to wrath and enmity so people could accept Jesus when He came.  He was a harbinger of the Lord and a necessary step in the coming.  Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.  How could anyone fail to recognize his importance, especially with all that fire surrounding him?



(Matthew 17:9a, 10-13)

But later, in the gospel, we find out that people did not recognize him.  Despite all the fire, the people did not recognize him or his importance.   When the disciples say it is written that Elijah must come first, Jesus says Elijah has already come, but was not recognized.  Elijah was destined to restore all things in preparation for Jesus, and came in all his fire and glory, but was not recognized as the harbinger he was.  John the Baptist came to prepare the way, but the people didn’t recognize his importance or heed his words.   And when Jesus did come, both Elijah and John were not recognized and not heeded, and Jesus Himself was not recognized, despite His glory.   And He suffered at the hands of men who did not recognize the signs, did not heed the harbingers, and did not recognize the Lord in their midst.



Psalm 80

The Psalm begs, “Lord, let us see your face and we shall be saved”.   But when we saw Elijah, we didn’t recognize him.  When we saw John the Baptist, we didn’t recognize him.  When we saw Jesus, we didn’t recognize Him.  Jesus says that Elijah has come in John the Baptist, and was not recognized, and the importance of his words was not heeded, so the men will not recognize Jesus or realize His importance.



We’re in Advent now, preparing for the arrival of the Lord.  And what will happen when He comes again? Is Elijah already here, speaking fire, preparing the way, but unheeded and unrecognized? Will we recognize the signs?

Not if our relativistic, ‘feel good’ society has a say in it!  I saw a commercial last night (it was more of a ‘message’ for kids) telling us by way of a ‘jingle’ that Christmas isn’t about “things”, and I thought, “OK, that’s good, that’s right.” But the next lines are “Christmas is about ‘feelings’, and that “it doesn’t matter what your beliefs are, as long as you share good feelings during the holiday season.”  Excuse me???  To my mind, this ‘harmless’ ad diverts our attention from recognizing that Jesus has come and will come again.   Christmas is about God humbling Himself and becoming one like us in all things except sin.  So it’s not about feelings, but rather an awareness that God is with us. 

Will we recognize Jesus when He comes?  Not if we’re deceived by these seemingly harmless children’s ads that deliberately fail to mention Christ, but if we’re looking with the eyes of our confident faith, the answer is YES.

Never satisfied

We are still like the people of Israel.  Jesus tells us that we're like children who sitting in the marketplace say, "We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge, but you did not mourn." (Matthew 11: 16-19)   In other words, we are happy with nothing.

Like the people of Israel, our complete freedom from the tyranny of our self and our desires has been bought at enormous price.  And like the Children of Israel we look upon the gift and say, "Send us back to the fleshpots of Egypt where we at least had enough to eat." (Exodus 16:3)

People are never satisfied with what they have.  There is never enough, or it isn't the right color, or the right texture, or the right temperature.  There is always something wrong, something “missing” with whatever is presented.  If only we could recognize this restlessness for what it really is; an expression of desire for God.  And then we could turn to Him more fully and invite Him in.

The Gospel recalls the amusing modern-day story of a man who, after seeing pictures and speaking to some of its residents believed they'd lied and that there was no city named Cincinnati.  Such an attitude illustrates the mindset of Israel's hierarchy in Christ's time.  Both John the Baptist preaching repentance of sin followed by Jesus who promised forgiveness and a new, transformed life were dismissed.  They attributed Jesus' miracles to Satan and rejected God's messages by finding fault with the messengers.

Today's world demonstrates the same attitudes as those of two thousand years ago.  We are suffering from a succession of destructive events—wars, political upheavals, unmitigated hatred for one another, famines, plagues, and natural disasters; yet it seldom occurs to anyone that such calamities stem from our separation from God, our ignoring His sovereignty over us and disregarding His law based upon His love and those truths inherent in His love.  When God made man and entrusted this world to our care, He did so in expectation that we would remain in an intimate, loving relationship with Him, governed by His wisdom.  Instead we seized power from Him and used our fallen natures to greedily exploit the land and one another.

We seem unaware that our so-called "civilization" has taken a suicidal course because we refuse to admit that our survival depends wholly on our remaining true to God's laws.  If mankind is growing more hostile toward one another, if nature has bursts of cataclysmic madness, we can blame ourselves for having broken the "chain of command" between ourselves and our Creator.  Only a humanity that allows itself to be formed anew in God's goodness and holiness can restore peace, justice and calm order to this world.

Listening and Choice

Imagine an older, modern woman – gray haired, wearing slacks and a sweater, calm, wise and compassionate.  Over coffee she’s explaining how she has survived her life.

Her life really started the day that an angel turned her life upside down and asked her to say yes to having God’s child (Luke 1: 26-38).  It was a terrifying decision, nothing like the piously overblown Renaissance paintings depict it.

She knew people would gossip that she was either a liar or a nut case.  Just picture what the ladies at her synagogue had to say about that explanation.  At least Joe believed her after he got the word from an angel – what a sweetheart! (Matthew 1: 18-21)   And her cousin Elizabeth was pretty supportive, too (Luke 1: 39-45).

Maybe it was good that the Romans ordered them out of town for the census before the baby was born but she can still remember every bump on that donkey ride.  Bethlehem looked pretty good until they found out that all the motels were full.  The stable was dirty, and it smelled.  What a place to have your child (Luke 2: 1-38)!

After pausing a couple of minutes (to collect her thoughts again) she continues by telling you about the flight to Egypt with a baby followed by the hardships of living in a foreign country (Matthew 2: 15-18). She can really identify with today’s immigrants. Then there was the time her 12-year-old kid decided to disappear for three days during a trip just so He could show the elders in the Temple how smart He was. How “Junior high” of Him!!! (Luke 2: 41-49)

She had to be tough to raise Him and stand up to Him on occasion like she did at Cana (John 2: 1-12).  Of course she was there when the going was roughest, and His friends deserted Him.  Suddenly she was the mother of a felon dying a horrible death. (Matthew 26:1 to 27:56, Mark 14:1 to 15:41, Luke 22:1 to 23:49, and John 18:1 to 19:37)

Now realize that you have been sharing that cup of coffee with Mary—a real woman—smart, tough and loving – who made many hard choices, beginning with that first “yes.”   No wonder all generations have called her “blessed!”


As we progress through this Advent season, I am finding it easy to reflect on two issues that are of importance in the next few weeks leading to Christmas.

The first is listening and the second is choice.  In Genesis (Genesis 3:9-15, 20), we read about Adam and Eve and their inability to listen to God’s command regarding the eating of the forbidden fruit and the consequences associated with not doing so.  In Ephesians (Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12), Paul has listened to God and has become an authority to speak on His behalf; and as such, Paul asks us to listen to his words as he writes about God’s great love for us.  In fact, God loves us so much that He adopts us through Jesus Christ.  In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26-38), we see that although Mary was initially alarmed and troubled by the appearance of Gabriel, she listened to and was open to his message from God as Gabriel announced Jesus’ upcoming birth.

Then, there is choice.  In Genesis, both Adam and Even make the choice not to listen to God and, instead, they act based on love of self, versus love of God.  In Ephesians, Paul chooses to be God’s messenger and then notes that we are all chosen by God to live holy lives without the blemish of sin.  And finally, in Luke we see a Mary who not only listens to God but chooses to accept His will by being the “handmaid of the Lord.”

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us, it's far too easy for consumerism, the love of self over others (i.e., “I want… I want…”), and other stresses that are so common this time of year to distract us from the true meaning of the Christmas season.  Maybe it would helpful for all of us to avoid such temptations and, instead, set aside quiet time each day when we can truly listen to the words of God and reflect on the importance of following His words.  My hunch is that as we open ourselves to God’s words of grace and love we will not only find in ourselves an inner peace, but a willingness to spread God’s words, much like Paul, through our acts of good will and charity toward others.  In doing this, we are truly and genuinely choosing to be “handmaids of the Lord” and “who exist for the praise of His glory.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us sinners; now, and at the hour of our death.  Amen.