“But they did not understand what he said to them.”
Mary and Joseph have just experienced every parent’s worst nightmare: their son was missing for THREE DAYS, as they searched and asked and retraced the steps of their journey. Imagine their relief when they returned to the Temple and saw him at last. Surely they ran to him with joy and exasperation, only to hear his answer, “Why were you looking for me?” Why? WHY?!
Of course they did not understand what he said to them. Their hearts had gone through the wringer of fear and anxiety, their imaginations had probably thought of worse case scenarios, their minds could not understand why he would separate himself from the ones who loved him and had supplied his every need in every moment of his life up until then. And he seems to give a dismissive answer, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Like a sword to the hearts of Joseph and Mary, his response does not seem to take their anxieties into account.
This is hard to understand, so hard that Mary must store it away to ponder later, as we are told she “kept all these things in her heart.” But he returns to their home in Nazareth, and is obedient to them.
This Holy Family did not have a schedule given to them from Heaven. Yes, they were holy; yes, Jesus was the Incarnate Son of God; yes, Mary was sinless; yes, Joseph was a just man. They were good Jews, subject to the Jewish Law and open to the will of the Father. But they did not know where the will of the Father would take them. It took them to Bethlehem when they should have been preparing at home for the birth of Jesus. It took them to Egypt for several years to flee the murderous rage of Herod when they wanted to return home with their infant. It took them back to Nazareth at last, where they raised a child they knew to be the Messiah. And it took them over a painful journey of three days to find him in the Temple.
What did this require of them? The same thing that it requires of us: loving trust. They are the model for us of a life of love and trust, obedience and patience, great faith and hope and humility, knowing the will of the Father is always for our good, even when it is difficult.
Let us pray for the grace to continue to submit ourselves to the will of the Father, especially when it is hard to understand, when it seems something else would be better, when it costs us. It is then that our trust is deepened and our love grows.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
Today in the Gospel of Matthew we not only read about one of the most faithful men in the Bible, but we read about one of the most devastating events in the Bible. First we hear about St. Joseph’s obedience, and then we remember the Holy Innocents.
St. Joseph was not just the foster father of Christ; he was the faithful husband who took care of Mary when she was expecting Baby Jesus. He supported Mary throughout her pregnancy and through Jesus’ birth. He protected Mary and Jesus when King Herod sought to kill Him. And we can assume that he taught Jesus carpentry and served as a valuable role model for how a father and husband should treat his family. Although we never hear any spoken words of St. Joseph in the Bible, we can discern from his actions that he was obedient, loving, kind, and generous. We know that he was the very epitome of what a father and husband should be.
The Holy Innocents were baby boys under the age of two whom King Herod ordered to be killed after he learned that Baby Jesus was born. Herod felt so threatened by Jesus that he couldn’t stand to let any baby boy within that age range continue to live. This infanticide still shocks and saddens us today.
These two men show us both love and the antithesis of love. Joseph was a compassionate father who cared for his family. Herod was a king who should have had the best interests of his people at heart, but who, in a horrible display of hatred, ordered the slaughter of the innocents.
Though some estimates offer higher numbers, today’s estimates say that about 14,000 babies were killed. Regardless of the actual number, we know that all of those children were senselessly and needlessly killed. The grief the parents felt must have been crushing.
As we think about this model father and these lost babies today, let us reflect on the fathers in our lives, the kind of father we want for our children, and the kind of father you are if you are a father. Let us also think about the holy innocents of our day—the 2,900 babies killed every day in the US through abortion. Let us pray for their souls, for their mothers and fathers, and for the souls of everyone involved in the abortion industry.
Herod is alive and well in abortion clinics today, but we have the power to help stop this modern-day slaughter of the innocents. And so we need the intercession of St. Joseph to pray for families, to give strength to fathers, and to protect all babies who are in danger of abortion. St. Joseph, pray for us!
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season we must stay grounded in Christ. As the days are short, and cold, it is time to embrace the light of Christ and carve out time to cultivate prayer and reflect on this beautiful Saint, John the Apostle and Evangelist. On this day we recall “the one whom Jesus loved.” Tradition holds that he outlived the other Apostles, dying around the year 101 AD, and is the only Apostle who died of natural causes, not martyrdom. He was also the only Apostle of Jesus who had the strength to stand at the foot of the cross during our Lord’s crucifixion and death.
On this feast day 351 years ago Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and invited her to be the Disciple of the Sacred Heart. St. Margaret wrote, “He made me rest for a long time on His divine breast, where He discovered to me the wonders of His love and the inexplicable secrets of His Sacred Heart.” He allowed her to encounter the same Heart that St. John the Apostle encountered as he rested his head on the chest of Christ at the Last Supper. On this day in the 12 Century, Jesus also invited St. Gertrude to rest her head on His chest and listen to the heartbeat of the Lord.
In today’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene panicked as she didn’t know where Jesus’ body was. Her heart must have been breaking as she had just watched the bloody and horrific crucifixion, and now his body had gone missing! This Gospel stresses the importance of staying close to the Lord, trusting the Lord, and allowing the Lord to lead us, even when life is very difficult. This Scripture reveals the importance of obedience and trust. It reveals that shortly after the triumph of the cross comes the power of the empty tomb. Our Lord was born to die and open the gates of eternal life for us through His resurrection.
Imagine the joy that came in knowing that His body had not been taken, but rather that He had resurrected from the dead. Jesus wants to calm our hearts and give us the joy of following His path and plan. In the midst of this joyful season after Christmas, may we carve out time to reflect on our faith and how the Lord desires to bring us peace and joy within our hearts.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
It’s always been odd to me to have a feast of the first martyr the day after Christmas. Yes, as Christians, we know difficult things will be required of us, but does that mean we have to have a reminder right after we celebrate Jesus coming into the world? Can we just have joy for a little bit?
Based on my research, the reason this day was chosen as the feast of St. Stephen was because on this day in the 5th century, the relics of St. Stephen were discovered after having been forgotten for centuries. But, as I’ve often discovered in my own life, the reasons and ways of God are subject to multiple interpretations, and life is often both/and, not either/or.
While on this date God did restore the relics of the first martyr to us, it’s also a stark reminder to us that, amid our Christmas joy, Jesus came to us to die. God’s plan was beyond anything we ever could have imagined, but it involved sorrow and death.
But as we already know, sorrow and death weren’t the final answer. Everlasting joy and the beauty of Heaven wait for us who believe and live as we believe. I think that’s another reason why we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen on this day: Christ coming to the earth only prefigured the sorrow he would experience on the Cross, and the sorrow of the martyrs who would give their lives for the sake of the Gospel. On the other side of death, however, is everlasting life.
So is the Feast of St. Stephen on December 26th a stark reminder of what we are called to as Christians? Absolutely. But it is also a reminder of the promise of Heaven. That is why, even as we commemorate St. Stephen’s martyrdom, our joy is complete.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
Midnight Christmas Mass was always my favorite as a kid. We would get all dressed up and enter the beautiful Church with all the decorations and the nativity scene. It’s like I can still smell the pine trees and see the glow of the Christmas lights. I think we probably all have memories that bring us back to the Christmas season. Whether it is the smell of freshly baked cookies or the Christmas ham roasting for hours, these physical signs point us back to memories and experiences that we have enjoyed.
The Gospel from the Christmas Mass during the Night proclaims, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you.” This has me thinking about the importance of physical signs. Wedding rings are exchanged as a sign of commitment. Gifts are exchanged as a sign of love or friendship. In today’s Gospel we have the signs of the manger and the swaddling clothes that are communicating to us that God has become flesh. Signs are important for us.
The beautiful thing about the signs we have in the Catholic Church is that they go beyond mere symbols. Today we commemorate not just a sign of God’s love in clothes and a structure, but we commemorate God literally taking on flesh to be a physical and effective sign of his love. Not just a sign in the sense of symbolic representation, but a sign that is so real and so effective that it literally becomes what it signifies.
We see this played out in every Mass. We start with the Liturgy of the Word where we read from Scripture. But that Word, throughout the course of the Mass, becomes so living, so real, so physical, so effective, that the Word of God literally becomes flesh for us on the altar. This is the very thing we celebrate this Christmas season. We can think back to all the great symbols that plunge us deeply into beautiful memories of family life, but let’s set aside some special time today to focus on the fact that God transcends all earthly signs and literally becomes one of us. He wants to be one with you and with me. If there is nothing else we take out of our celebrations today, I think it would do us well to focus on that reality. God loves you enough that he was born in a manger to have a relationship with you and one day be with you forever in paradise.
From all of us here at Diocesan, Merry Christmas and God bless!
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
I have to begin by sharing with you one of my pet peeves: the jingle “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Jesus is not the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason for everything. Jesus is the center of all things and of all time, and through him we are brought into communion with God for all eternity. It is absolutely too small for Jesus to simply be the reason for the Christmas season, as if we were trying really hard to keep the Christmas celebrations focused on their real meaning. We need to keep reminding ourselves that Jesus is the reason for the season only when we don’t live centered around him as our ultimate reason for existence at every moment of the year. If we did, Christmas would be an intensification of the glory we give Christ every day of the year.
Zechariah had spent nine long months waiting for his son’s birth. He had spent them in silence since the day he had been struck dumb by the Angel Gabriel when he wanted to know how he could be sure that what was promised to him would actually come to pass. He had nine whole months to silently ponder the Scriptures and the words of the angel about his son: “Many will rejoice at his birth…. He will be great in the sight of the Lord…. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit…. He will go before the Lord in the spirit of power of Elijah to prepare a people fit for the Lord….” The silence whispered through his soul and ever so gradually he came to see that his whole life and that of his son revolved around the Messiah.
When his lips were opened after the birth of his son, Zechariah burst forth in a canticle that proclaimed that Jesus was the reason for his child’s whole life. Jesus is the daybreak from on high who has visited his people and brought them redemption. “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”
Jesus is not the reason for the Christmas season. Zechariah shows us that Jesus is the reason for everything. The day after Christmas the world will get bored, Christmas songs will vanish from the radio, and retail stores will turn over quickly to the next commercial feast day. But you, do not forget that Jesus is the reason for your very life, the purpose of your existence, and He offers you the promise of eternal glory, every moment of every day, next year and every year after that. With Zechariah cry out all year: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.”
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
Have you ever thought about how many inspirations we may reject in one day because we don’t believe they were from God. The next question is, are we really listening to the Lord for His council, advice or daily inspirations? If you have never considered that, I invite you to retune your brain to a station that tunes into the Lord. In other words, make room for some quiet time and really try to hear what the Lord is speaking to you. You will be surprised! It took me a while to learn how to do this. The world teaches, especially men, to be fixers and providers. If you’re married, how many times has your wife told you something and you responded by telling her how to fix it? And she responds with: “I don’t want you to fix it, I just want you to listen!” I must confess I have been there. I’m trying to get better.
Zechariah heard the angel’s message but he didn’t believe it. It was a big moment in salvation history. How can you tell? By the fact that Zechariah became mute and could no longer speak. Why? Because he didn’t believe the message that his wife would bear a son. Some say that Elizabeth was around 80 years old. So, how could that be possible? Humanly, it is not possible. But remember that God can do anything. There are several instances in Scripture where an elderly woman conceived and bore a child. Eventually, Zechariah caught on. We know this, because family members we’re trying to name him Zechariah or some other family member’s name. He asked for a tablet and wrote: “His name is John.”
Zechariah paid the price for not believing God’s message. I shudder to think how many times I have not responded to God’s message. He often tells us what we should do in our life. Very often we blow it off. Why? Because we are not thinking supernaturally. We are thinking humanly, which is not always the best. I used to give talks to men’s groups and I asked this question several times: How many believe that God would speak to you through your wife? A hush would come over the group. Some were squirming in their chairs. They had never thought of such a thing. Hopefully, they do now.
Remember, God can do anything. Sometimes it is something that you didn’t ask for. The Lord always has a reason for everything that happens. Our job is to find out what that reason is. There is also an easier way to find out. Set out on a journey to get closer to God. Guess what happens then? His voice gets a little louder. Then we can be proactive and do what He asks of us. Amen?
Serving with joy!
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
Most of us would like it if God would make it super clear to us what He wanted us to do. Even Mary at the Annunciation clearly knew what God was asking of her through the angel Gabriel’s message.
However, when Mary traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth directly after the Annunciation during the first days of her pregnancy, she went on a hint. She was a fifteen-year-old girl going to assist an elderly cousin and perhaps seek her advice simply because the angel Gabriel mentioned that Elizabeth, her cousin, was pregnant and was in her sixth month. There was nothing about Elizabeth being the mother of the forerunner of the Messiah. There was no clear-cut, can’t-be-missed declaration that it was God’s will that Mary go and visit her. There was just a mention. In the English translation, the mention is just about 20 words out of the 200 words she heard that morning.
Such an announcement would have left most of us wondering and worrying and scurrying about in concern for ourselves. Mary instead went in haste, putting her cousin first. Mary dropped everything and left, not because she was commanded to, but because she got the hint.
There are certain times when we make formal discernments as we seek the will of God in our lives. I’ve learned that most of the time, however, we discover God’s call to us by picking up on the hints He is dropping all around us.
Mary “got the hint” when she heard the mention of Elizabeth being with child, because she was ever seeking to please the Lord, attuned to the way God works in the world, and because her heart was full of compassion and kindness for others, putting their needs before her own. As we prepare for Christmas we are immersed in all three of these qualities of Mary’s heart: seeking, waiting and loving; being attuned to both God and others; putting others’ needs before our own.
In these remaining days of Advent and through the Christmas season, keep your eyes and ears and heart open to pick up on all the hints God is dropping. These hints are the way He indicates what He desires of you. If you do so, then your Christmas celebration will truly be joyous.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
Prior to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis last July, communities across the nation participated in Eucharistic processions in the streets, where priests carried our Lord out in the open for all to see. After one of these processions, a friend of mine shared with me that along the way, they passed a herd of sheep, who began walking alongside them. Further down the road, they passed some cows who were out to pasture. The cows looked at them quizzically at first, and then also began walking alongside them in procession. How incredible!!
As I imagined what it would be like to witness how even the animals sensed the presence of Jesus and followed along, it reminded me of the first Christmas. In that rugged semi-outdoor atmosphere, the sheep and cows knelt before our newborn Lord in adoration and kept him warm with their breath. Several years ago, our parish hosted a display of Eucharistic miracles, and many of them also recounted the uncharacteristic behavior of animals in the presence of the consecrated host.
If even cattle recognize our beloved Lord and follow Him, how much more so should we! The birthday of Christ our King is in just four days. Are we ready to bow down before him in homage and offer Him the gift of ourselves? Are our hearts filled with praise as our first reading proclaims? “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!…The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior…”
I can’t even imagine how the people of that time felt, those who had been waiting for centuries for His arrival. He was really here, just as He promised! The time had come! I’m sure the hearts of each and every shepherd, magi, and visitor burned within them, just being in the presence of the Almighty. Heaven had come to earth!
And the same happens to us at every Mass when Jesus comes to us, comes into our very bodies to abide in us. Does your heart burn within you? Do you shout for joy? If not, now is the perfect time to examine why, and to make a change in order to celebrate the most joyful Christmas ever.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.
The Gospel scene of the Annunciation can be seen as a summary of the entire Gospel. It shows the mystery of God becoming man, but also the mystery of man freely cooperating in the saving action of God. Mary stands in place of all of us, modeling the proper response of the creature to her Creator. At God’s invitation she answers humbly that she is the handmaid of the Lord, accepting whatever He wills. It is this answer that allows our Redeemer to come to save us, that is the means by which the Word was made flesh to dwell among us, and that changes all of history. Gabriel has come to present God’s invitation and receive Mary’s response; as soon as she assents, the angel departs from her.
Mary’s yes to God reverses Eve’s no; her humility begins the undoing of the effects of Eve’s pride; her patient waiting for the unfolding of the details of God’s will is the counter-move to Eve’s reaching for what was not hers to take. Because of Mary’s proper response to God’s invitation we see the glorious result: God with us, God within us, God among us, God at work in the world.
Mary doesn’t receive in order to enrich herself or to hide away enjoying the Gift in secret – she receives the Lord so that she can bring Him to others, and the first thing she does is go “in haste” to her cousin Elizabeth. She is the first “Christ-bearer,” and she carries the Light into the darkness, carries Love into the indifference, carries Life into a world deadened by sin. She brings forth from her own body the Food that will sustain us on our journey Home, the Truth that guides our way.
We are right in the middle of the seven “O Antiphons,” those verses prayed at Evening Prayer every Advent since the 700’s, which we all know from the hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: “O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!” The Annunciation shows us the very beginning of this freedom, the coming of the Key that will open the gates sealed against sinful humanity since Adam and Eve, the coming of the Light that conquers every darkness. But the Messiah comes to win the victory not with violent clashing of swords and mighty trumpets, but with humility, obedience, and absolute steadfastness – He wins the victory by refusing to take any shortcuts or back down, by teaching and serving, all the way to the utter outpouring of Himself. He conquers all, one heart at a time, by giving Himself.
And it all begins right here, in the womb of the sinless young maiden, who will give birth quietly, in the dark, in the cold, unnoticed. Her yes to the angel reaches all the way to that abject poverty and humility, and all the way to the Cross, the throne of the Redeemer King born for us on Christmas.
Daily Reading
Wednesday after Epiphany
Reading I 1 John 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God…
Saint of the Day
Saint Apollinaris
Saint Apollinaris (d. 175), a renowned 2nd-century bishop, defended Christianity through an “Apology” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius after a Quadi victory.
The post Saint Apollinaris appeared first on uCatholic.