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What Is “The Gospel”?

February 17, 2024

1st Sunday of Lent
By Fr. Victor Feltes

God loves us despite our sins. Sin divides people from God and one another. So to forgive our sins, to heal our divisions, and to make us saints, God the Father sends his Eternal Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, suffers, dies, and rises again to achieve our reconciliation. Through baptism into Christ and his Church we can be saved from sin and death, similar to the story of Noah whose family is saved through the Flood inside of the ark. As God the Holy Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert so he guides his Church, forming saints in Christ’s likeness.

This is an expression of what today we call the gospel. God loves us and wants to deliver us from sin and death and to bless us in his Church through Christ’s saving sacrifice. This is our Faith. This is the Good News both you and I are called to share with others. Who will you invite to receive the gifts of God you have known and enjoyed? If you are open to it, the Holy Spirit will arrange opportunities for you to do so.

Today we hear St. Mark recount how “Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment! The Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the gospel!’” This is how Jesus preached at the beginning of his public ministry years before his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We have an idea of what “the gospel” means now, but what was “the gospel of God” that Jesus called people to believe in before his saving sacrifice had happened?

All of the New Testament writers wrote in Greek. The word our English bibles translate as “gospel” is the Greek word “euangelion” (εὐαγγέλιον). Euangelion is a compound word which combines eu which means “good” and angelia meaning “announcement.” In the ancient Greco-Roman world, the news of a new ruler coming to power or of some major military victory were proclaimed as euangelion. In that cultural setting, Jesus proclaims the great announcement that God’s Kingdom is near.

A divine victory was imminent. Time had come for fulfillment of God’s Old Covenant promises. The will of God would soon be done more fully on earth as it’s done in heaven. Jesus says, “This is the time of fulfillment! The Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the gospel!” Jesus is calling his hearers to believe that things can get better.

Pessimists imagine this world is forever getting worse. But if that were true, if things were always becoming worse and worse what good would there remain for any of us to see now? How could any of us still be left alive? Things can get worse or they can get better. In days past, at the beginning of his public ministry, and now, at the start of this season of Lent, Jesus calls for repentance and faith in the gospel. He calls us to believe that we can become more perfectly like himself; to believe this world around us, as a result of grace and cooperation with Christ, can be more fully God’s Kingdom come.

When he came to his hometown, the people of Nazareth were unwilling to believe in Jesus and what he preached. They refused to believe that Jesus could change their lives and change their world. “So,” St. Mark records, Jesus “was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Peoples’ trust and openness was a factor in how much they could receive from Christ.

What could Jesus do in us and in our world beginning in this Lent? Jesus calls you to “repent and believe in the gospel!”

Posted in Christian Perfection, Faith, Homily, Jesus Christ, Sunday Homilies, Trust | Leave a Comment »

Rites of Miraculous Cleansing

February 11, 2024

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The gospels record how a man with some advanced form of skin disease once came to Jesus in one of Israel’s towns. Seeing Jesus, he approaches and kneels and bows beseeching him, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Our Lord, who can read human hearts, probably knows how much this particular miracle will cost him, but he is moved with compassion. Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the leprous man and says, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.

One can imagine that man’s joy and excitement. He wants to tell everyone about his miracle! However, Jesus warns him sternly, “See that you tell no one anything.” Apparently, at this point in his public ministry, Jesus does not want to attract too much attention too quickly. Instead, Jesus tells the cured man, “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” What did this offering prescribed in the Mosaic Law look like?

We read in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus: “This is the law for the victim of leprosy at the time of his purification. He shall be brought to the priest, who is to go outside the camp to examine him.” This reference to ‘going outside of the camp’ dates back to the days when the Hebrews were still wandering in the Sinai desert. “If the priest finds that the sore of leprosy has healed in the leper, he shall order the man who is to be purified, to get two live, clean birds, as well as some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.” So this offering involves a curious collection of items: two birds, some cedar, scarlet yarn, and at least a branch of hyssop plant.

Then Leviticus says, “The priest shall then order him to slay one of the birds over an earthen vessel with spring water in it. Taking the living bird with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, the priest shall dip them all in the blood of the bird that was slain over the spring water, and then sprinkle seven times the man to be purified from his leprosy. When he has thus purified him, he shall let the living bird fly away over the countryside.”

Jesus told the man he cured to perform to this peculiar ritual saying, “that will be proof for them.” But what would it prove? First, it would demonstrate to the Jewish leaders at the Temple that Jesus had not come to transgress God’s Law but to fulfill it. Also, the cured man himself would be living proof of Jesus’ greatness, for the miracle of a leper being suddenly healed is documented only twice in the Old Testament (i.e., the case of Moses’ sister Miriam and that of Naaman the Syrian). Yet ultimately, this ritual provides proof for all people that Jesus Christ’s saving sacrifice had been long-foreseen by God.

The scarlet yarn, the wood, and the hyssop would each have a role in his Passion. The scarlet yarn foreshadows the robe in which they clothed him. That cedar wood points to the Cross connected to his death. And St. John’s Gospel notes how a sprig of hyssop was employed to lift a sponge of sour wine up to Jesus’ lips. The two birds in that purification ritual were of symbolic importance as well. One bird is slain, while the other is spared. That second bird, after being dipped in the water and the blood of its brother, is set free. That spring water, risen from the earth, points to the liberating water of Christian baptism which receives its power from Jesus’ blood.

In addition to its commandments regarding sometimes contagious skin diseases, the Book of Leviticus has rules for evaluating, quarantining, and purifying fungal infections of houses, fabrics, or leather. These commandments were useful in helping protect peoples’ physical health. But these teachings also illustrate, in an allegorical way, lessons about sin in our lives. Mold in your home can harm the health of your whole household. Knowing this, people take black growths on their walls seriously. How seriously do you take diseases in your flesh? How seriously do you take the sins in your soul?

If you had been a leper back then, would you have come to Jesus? Lent begins this week, so decide what you will you do. Go, show yourself to the priest in Confession and faithfully offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Remember and honor the scarlet yarn, the wood, and hyssop of the Innocent One who took your place and through whom you can be cleansed and freed.

Posted in Confession, Homily, Leper Healing, Repentance, Sunday Homilies, Typology | Leave a Comment »

The Lord’s Prayer — Funeral Homily for Jack Wolf, 87

February 9, 2024

By Fr. Victor Feltes

In Jack’s final months, I regularly encountered him in his room at Dove Nursing Home. I always found his wife, Mary, there at his side. Like our Blessed Mother Mary or St. Mary Magdalene at the Cross, she faithfully supported Jack through his Passion. He was grateful to receive Holy Anointing and Last Rites, grateful for the consolation of prayers and blessings, and most especially grateful for the precious gift of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist I brought him. Jack was peaceful, prayerful, and well-prepared to die, ready to commend his spirit to God.

His wife Mary tells me that on Jack’s final Friday before God took him to himself, they were praying the Rosary together. Jack was too weak by then to speak very much, but he would join in the first words of the Rosary’s greatest prayer: “Our Father… Our Father… Our Father.” The “Our Father” is known as “The Lord’s Prayer” because it is how our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray. Jesus’ prayer models what he wishes us to desire and to ask for.

One Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem, while darkness covered the whole land, Jesus hung dying on his Cross. Before breathing his last breath, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” He prays to God his Father, who is now our Father too. Jesus desires that God’s name would be hallowed; that is, known as holy and loved by all.

Though Jesus is both King of the Jews and the King of Kings, he serves and dies to help the reign of God’s Kingdom come. As Jesus sees and suffers the consequences of our sins, he longs that his Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Christ offers his Body on the Cross as he did at the Last Supper. He once declared, “the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” He gives this Bread to his Church daily at every Holy Mass.

Jesus sacrifices himself to forgive us our trespasses hoping and insisting that we would likewise forgive those who trespass against us. Jesus wants us reconciled vertically to God and horizontally to each other, uniting heaven and earth and East and West in the likeness of the Cross. Jesus faces temptation to save us from temptation. He endures this world’s evil deliver us from evil. So you see, the Our Father prayer Jesus urges us to pray, reflects the great blessings the Lord wills for us.

St. Paul proclaims that “we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.” And “if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” It is right that we should offer prayers for Jack’s soul, that he may be perfectly pure to stand before our holy God with all the saints and angels in heaven. Yet we have a great and calm confidence for Jack, that he who was united to Jesus and devoted to our Father will share in Christ’s resurrection to glory. Amen.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Funeral Homilies, God the Father, Homily, Jesus Christ | Leave a Comment »

Growing In Christ’s Likeness

February 4, 2024

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

This Sunday’s readings feature Job, Paul, and the mother-in-law of Simon Peter. What do these three people have in common? Let’s consider each in turn.

In our first reading we hear from Job who, like Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, suffers greatly despite his innocence. “I have been assigned months of misery,” he says, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. My days [swiftly] come to an end without hope.” At one point, Job’s wife even tells him to “curse God and die!” Yet, despite his painful, honest questions, Job never disobeys. He never renounces the Lord.

Next we hear the Apostle Paul telling the Corinthians how and why he preaches the gospel. Paul insists that preachers have a right to payment for their work, just like others who do valuable labor. He asks, “What then is my recompense?” What is his repayment or reward? “That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” What is Paul saying? How is he repaid by not getting paid? Paul says he makes himself “a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible… All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.”

Lastly, we hear the story from Mark’s Gospel about Simon Peter’s sick mother-in-law. She lays in bed in Capernaum enduring a severe fever. Having just cast out a demon at the synagogue, when Jesus enters the nearby house of Simon Peter and Andrew along with James and John, they immediately tell him about her condition. Jesus approaches her, grasps her hand, and helps her up. The fever leaves her immediately and she waits on them. It seems she had been eager to serve, only her illness had prevented her. Something which Job, and Paul, and Simon Peter’s mother-in-law have in common (besides all appearing in today’s readings) is sharing a likeness to Jesus.

We see Jesus in our gospel driving out demons and curing the sick. If he had been charging fees for his healings, Jesus might have soon become the richest man in Capernaum. If he had announced that he was the Messiah and called men in the region to take up arms with him, Jesus could have soon been seated upon a Jerusalem throne. Instead, though everyone is looking for him, Jesus withdraws alone to a deserted place to pray. Jesus Christ was not called to be great in worldly wealth and power (in the pattern of Herod, or Pilate, or Caesar) but to be a suffering servant. He had not come to be served but to serve, giving his life as a ransom for many.

This is the path to Christ’s glory, which he calls others to share. So the innocent victim Job undergoes a “dark night” when his physical and spiritual consolations are stripped away. Would he still love God and goodness when no longer tasting their rewards? Through Job’s trials his love is purified to become more like Christ’s in his Passion. And St. Paul, like Jesus, does not labor for earthly riches but takes the form of a slave. He ministers for the love of souls and to share in heaven’s reward which this world cannot equal. And Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is eager to serve as she is able, agreeing with Jesus that it more blessed to give than to receive.

It’s too late in time for your name or mine to be written in the Bible, but if in the end our names appear in heaven’s Book of Life, our Christian lives will have shared some likeness to the life of Jesus Christ.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jesus Christ, Job, Redemptive Suffering, Salvation History, St. Paul, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Obey Christ For Abundant Life

January 28, 2024

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The people of Capernaum witnessed the authority and power of Jesus, “He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” The demons are mere creatures, but Jesus Christ is Lord. Will we heed and obey him? According to Catholic exorcists, a good confession is more powerfully effective than an exorcism. This makes sense. It is difficult to root out demonic influence in a person’s life when the person is siding with the demons in rebellions against God through grave sin. But once that person comes to Confession — repentant, seeking to sin no more — they are rejecting those sins and the demons lose some in-roads.

I once received a request from an unmarried, non-Catholic couple to help them with spiritual disturbances occurring in their home. They were hearing strange noises and voices, seeing and finding inanimate objects moving about, and their dogs were behaving strangely. Unless they were lying to me (and I can see no purpose in them lying) the couple sometimes witnessed phenomena together, which rules out the possibility of these being mere hallucinations. I visited and spoke with them, blessed their house, prayed for them, and blessed them.

When I reached out to them some months later, they said they had been thinking about contacting me again. They said that following the house blessing things had gotten better — quieter, for a time — but then the disturbances resumed and maybe worse than before. So I came back and blessed their house and both of them anew, but I admonished them again, just as I had before, that it was gravely important that they cease fornicating. I told them God’s will for them was either to marry, to live separately, or to live chastely like a brother and sister. Behaving otherwise is to lie with one’s body; simulating a permanent gift of self without vowing that same commitment before God and the world.

That man and woman and I did not know whether spiritual disturbances had occurred in that house before they moved in. However, I can see why the Lord might permit these unsettling signs for the couple’s own good: to deepen their faith in spiritual things, to help them recognize their sin, and to motivate them to change. I believe my first blessings had some effect to reveal to these non-Catholics that such blessings hold power and to validate me as a messenger. Yet these blessings did not make the disturbances go away forever since that would do them little good; making the symptoms disappear without curing the underlying disease. The couple was grateful for my visits, but I do not know what they went on to choose.

Jesus manifests his full authority over demons. “He commands…the unclean spirits and they obey him.” So one might ask, “Why doesn’t Jesus simply constrain all of the demons now, making them completely incapable of doing anything?” I suppose some imagine that without any demons there would be no further evil in the world, but temptations and sins would still remain. As St. James writes in his New Testament letter, “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.” Would our temptations be less if the demons were no more? Quite possibly. So why does Jesus allow them to prowl about the world at all? It must be for our greater good and glory, for “God works all things for the good of those who love him.” Why was Satan allowed to tempt Jesus in the desert if not for Christ’s glory and our greater good? And notice how once Jesus said, “Get away, Satan,” then the devil left him. Jesus Christ offers each of us the grace to do his will, but will we heed and obey him?

Someday, I would like to write a book imagining modern-day America if it suddenly became impossible to commit the vast majority of sins. How would people react to God the Father decreeing that much more of his active will must be done on earth as it is in heaven? My story would describe the initial disruptions for a society in which the markets for immoral things evaporate overnight, and many other goods and jobs (like door locks and security guards) are no longer needed. Then I would tell how much society would benefit from the abolishment of sin. Imagine all of the wealth wasted on sins or on repairing sins’ effects instead being spent more usefully; not to mention the greater peace people would enjoy from never being willfully mistreated anymore. Yet my narrative would also note how much people would complain; for instance, they would insist upon their “rights” to speed or curse or lie, or to misuse their bodies or their money however they desire. They would denounce God for his tyranny, and wail and grind their teeth. For these people, it would be like a hell on earth.

In Deuteronomy, Moses proclaims to the Hebrews, “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.” God declares about that prophet, “[I] will put my words into his mouth… Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.” Jesus is that promised prophet raised up from his own people, the Incarnate Word of God. “People were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

Jesus does not instruct us in order to control us. He does not command us so that he may dominate us. Jesus declares, “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that [you] might have life and have it more abundantly.” In this age, we are free to disobey God like the demons did. But in the age to come, such sins will no longer be permitted. If we die as friends of God, before we can enter heaven our love for sins will need to first be fully purged. God shall not force his enemies into heaven against their will.

Brothers and sisters, Christ is Lord. He is here to help us, not to destroy us. So choose love over sin, end your rebellions, and encounter him in the confessional. Heed his authority, obey his teachings, and embrace the more abundant life Jesus is offering you.

A Protest Against Paradise

Posted in Chastity, Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Culture, Homily, Marriage and Family, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Sunday Homilies, Supernatural Phenomena | Leave a Comment »

We’re Called To Follow Jesus Together

January 20, 2024

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Imagine four teenagers growing up in the same small town. They’re seniors in high school and play on the same varsity football team together. What are the odds of all of them going on to play and eventually being inducted into the Hall of Fame? The odds are tiny. Not many players are drafted by the NFL and fewer still get their names enshrined at Canton, Ohio. This scenario would require an incredible concentration of athletic talent emerging in the same place at the same time.

In today’s gospel, as Jesus passes by the Sea of Galilee, he sees two brothers, Simon and Andrew, casting their fishing nets into the sea. When Jesus says, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men,” they abandon their nets to follow him. Walking along a little farther, Jesus sees James and John, the sons of Zebedee, mending their nets in a boat. Jesus calls them too and they leave to follow him. What were the odds of these four, young, uneducated men, living and laboring together in the same small seaside town, going on to become some of the Church’s greatest saints?

Was this all arranged through divine providence? Had God been gently guiding the course of history to prepare for the day of their calling by Christ? Or, can Jesus do great works with anyone who answers his call? Yes and yes. “God works all things for the good of those who love him,” preparing, and calling, and making them fruitful when they follow him. Look at the Prophet Jonah. Just one day’s preaching in an enormous city accomplished the people of Nineveh’s repentance, delivering them from destruction. Had God been preparing the Ninevites’ minds and hearts for that day, or did God graciously empower Jonah’s words? Yes. God prepares to do great things with us in our free cooperation with him.

There is another interesting reflection found in the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John. These four fishermen already knew each other. They were coworkers in business together, two pairs of biological brothers, and familiar friends. These future-apostles began as Jesus’ disciples already sharing close relationships with one another. Not all twelve apostles knew each other before they followed Jesus, but they came to know each other very well. And when Jesus would send them out on missions he did not send them out alone, he sent them two by two. Jesus understands that such community and friendship is important for Christians to support each other and grow together.

Consider again the Prophet Jonah. At first, he fled alone from doing God’s will. And then, from the dark depths, he feared to die alone. Reluctantly, he came alone to preach at Nineveh, yet he still refused to forgive and pray and hope for the Ninevites’ salvation. After Jonah’s dreams were dashed (that is, when the Ninevites were not destroyed) he became angry and wished to die alone. Imagine if Jonah had had a Christian friend accompanying and supporting him. Someone to caution him to do God’s will. Someone to comfort him as he faces death. Someone to challenge him to forgive his enemies. Someone to encourage him to see the goodness in his own life and in other people. Jonah could have greatly benefited from having a companion like that.

Jesus knows Christian friendship and fellowship helps us become saints together. So cultivate such community. If you lack it, pray for it and actively pursue it. Reach out to people, have phone or video chats, invite them out to lunch, or have them over for coffee. Find fellowship in “That Man Is You,” or with our Knights of Columbus, or in our parish ladies’ group. Stick around after Masses to chat with people in our vestibule. If you see someone new at church, please make them feel welcome. Christ calls every one of us and plans to make us fruitful as we cooperate with him, but it is unlikely Jesus is asking you to follow him all by yourself. He calls us to follow him together.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jonah, Saintly People, St. Andrew, St. John the Evangelist, St. Peter, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

His Stations of the Cross — Funeral Homily for Roger “Andy” Anderson, 91

January 14, 2024

By Deacon Dick Kostner

The Trailer of the Story of Human Life: Producer God- Actors- Andy, Jesus and Us. We lost a great member of the Holy Family on the Feast of the Holy Family. He was a quiet person in Spirit but a wonderful mentor for us in teaching us how to live a full life of happiness living out and experiencing the Stations of the Cross, of Life. Andy loved attending Mass with his faith family and loved attending our Stations of the Cross during our Lenten Season. He understood the directive from the Father that the doors to heaven are only unlocked for those who experience in their lives the Passion and Death of Life in our lives. So I thought he would like me to share with you what I saw as his personal Stations of the Cross:

The First Station: He is condemned to Die. We all know that at some point we must experience death of our body. Andy knew this but he never complained to anyone I know that this should stop us from enjoying life with our family, friends and God. He enjoyed every day that he was allowed to care for his family, friends, gardens, and lawn and never willingly failed to give thanks on Saturday Evenings and First Friday Liturgy with his Parish family.

The Second Station: He accepts and carries the Cross. Earthy life requires us to bear our crosses. Andy experienced many crosses in life from divorce to replaced knees, to bladder cancer, to death of friends, and yes family with the death of his wife Carol, and son Michael just prior to his passing. One of the greatest crosses one has to carry in living a long life is having to bury ones friends and family. I remember Father Hugh telling me at his 90th birthday party, when he had just been told he was dying, that one of the hardest things he had to experience in living so long was the fact that he lived so long that he had to be there to comfort and bury all of his dying friends.

The Third Station: The First Fall. As we grow older our bodies begin to fall apart. Andy was not a person who would ask for help. It was not in his nature to expect anyone to come to his aid he would just do the best he could to get along even when things were hurting. Most of us, like Andy, do not want anyone to know we are having problems. That’s why God gifts us with family, friends, and spouse. These special people know better then we do what is best for us. I remember Carol sneaking over to ask if I would mow his lawn for him while he was recuperating from his cancer treatments as she was suffering herself with her rheumatism, this I gladly did without his knowledge.

The Fourth Station: Meeting His Mother. I remember when I would get hurt the first person I would run to for help was my mom. Andy was a person of faith and knowing he was a prayerful person I would guess that the first person he would pray too for help and support when he found out that he was dying was our heavenly mother Mary. I witnessed many times Andy praying the rosary with his parish friends before Mass began. Mom’s don’t want their children to experience pain and suffering even when they are not the cause of the suffering and pain.

The Fifth Station: Simon helps Carry the Cross. Andy did not want to ask for help but friends and neighbors don’t need to be asked. Many times when Andy was not able to complete tasks his friends and neighbors knew that this would bother him. I witnessed his neighbors removing snow, fixing railings and painting things that needed attention, as well as raking and removing leaves when he was unable to do the same. He might not of been blood family to us but he was still thought of as being family.

The Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Stations: He falls two more time, is comforted by “Veronica’s”, Speaks to the Women and his friends, and is Stripped of his Garments. Andy continues to get worse and is cared for by Paul and Michelle at their home. He receives the Sacrament of the Sick by his Pastor, Holy Communion weekly by the Deacons and Deacon wives, and prayed for by his Parish Family. The illness progresses and he is now in need of 24 /7 care requiring him to be moved to the nursing home.

The Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth Stations: The Cross and his Body become one for him, on the Feast of the Holy Family he Dies, and he is taken down from the Cross and Duried. His journey has ended and his Spirit is now able to meet in person Jesus, Mary and Joseph along with Carol, and other saints and friends he spent his life with and who he will spend eternity with.

Andy and Carol were not only our neighbors but our friends. Barb and I were able to witness their marriage on Christmas Eve in 1989. Both of them wished to have that special day as their wedding anniversary day. Last year Barb and I with the assistance of Fr. Chinnappan, had a Mass said for the two of them as our Christmas present to them. The good news is that This Faith Family will be able to continue to experience the Anderson’s presence in spirit as members of God’s Holy Family at every celebration of the Holy Mass at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. So, On behalf of this assembly of Holy Family and friends I would like to wish Andy and Carol a Happy Easter Sunday and Anniversary! We all hope to see you in heaven after we complete our own “Stations of the Cross”!

Posted in Funeral Homilies, Homily, Passion, Redemptive Suffering | Leave a Comment »

Lessons from the Magi

January 7, 2024

Feast of the Epiphany
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The city of Bethlehem was the birthplace and hometown of King David, the place where the sheep offered at the Temple were raised, a place whose name means “House of Bread.” There is where the Magi found Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Lamb of God, and the Bread that came down from heaven. The Magi came from the east, perhaps responding to some sign the Prophet Daniel had foretold centuries before during his Babylonian Captivity. They arrived in Jerusalem saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

King Herod and all of Jerusalem heard about this and Herod took the rumor seriously. He asked the chief priests and the scribes where the Christ (or Messiah) would be born. They answered with the prophesy of Micah: “in Bethlehem of Judea.” So King Herod sent the Magi to search there, using them as his unwitting spies. The Magi found the home of the Holy Family and showed homage to Jesus with his mother Mary, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; gold for our King, frankincense for our Priest and God, and myrrh, an ancient-world embalming resin, for him who would die and rise again.

Now the town of Bethlehem is only a two hour walk from Jerusalem, but there is no record of any others who heard the rumor going there in search of the infant Christ. If they had gone and asked around, some locals would likely know the shepherds who had joyfully proclaimed the birth of the Messiah on Christmas night. “All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds,” so it would have left an impression. With a little grace, an encounter with Jesus and his Holy Family would have been found by anyone who had bothered to look. The Magi traveled hundreds of miles to find him yet many priests and scribes neglected to go a mere six miles. In your life, beware of practicing your Christian faith so feebly that you forego making the simplest sacrifices in service of Christ. Consider what simple steps—in prayer or with the sacraments, in penance or in study—you could take in this new year to draw closer to Jesus Christ.

Matthew’s gospel tells us that “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [the Magi] departed for their country by another way.” Recall again how Bethlehem was not far at all from Jerusalem or from Herod’s nearby palaces, so it seems the Magi had this dream before departing from the Holy Family. If the Magi had sensed that the Holy Family were in danger they would have warned them before embarking for home. The Magi either informed them, or — not sensing danger — did not.

Maybe they did warn the Holy Family of possible danger but Joseph and Mary simply did not know what to do next. Sometimes, even when trying our best, we won’t know what to do. Trust the Lord to guide your way. If the path you choose is important in God’s plan he will help you go in the right direction. Previously, when Joseph had been about to make a mistake by separating himself from Mary, God sent him an angelic message in a dream. Here again, “when [the Magi] had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, [and] flee to Egypt…’” God is supremely brilliant and resourceful. He can send you signs if you need them but, to receive God’s promptings, cultivating a heart which is open to God’s will (like St. Joseph’s was) is essential.

What if the Magi were told in the dream not to return to Herod, and perhaps even mentioned this to the Holy Family, without anyone perceiving the active threat which Herod posed? That too would contain a valuable lesson for us. If the Magi obeyed God before fully understanding his purposes, through trusting him and following his instructions their lives were saved from Herod’s sword and the Holy Family had time to escape.

Jesus Christ and his Church teach us many things about what we must or must not do, or what we should or should not do. People can be challenged by and may not yet fully understand Catholic teachings about the Sacraments, human sexuality, the beginning and end of human life, social justice, or other topics. There are good reasons behind all these teachings and it is good to explore them by researching and asking questions to understand them better, but there will be times in your life when you are called to be faithfully obedient even before you fully understand. The obedience of the Magi served Christ and likely saved their lives. Your obedience to God will bless you as well, and more than you may realize.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Epiphany, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Sacrifice, Sunday Homilies, The Magi | Leave a Comment »

Let Us Be Like the Magi

January 6, 2024

Feast of the Epiphany
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Today we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. The word epiphany means revelation or manifestation. This feast is the revelation of God’s love for his people in the birth of Jesus Christ, who is Emmanuel: God is with us. For centuries, the prophets had proclaimed God’s love for his people, and now that love has been revealed to his people. God himself has been born into the world as a human child. He is with us, close to us in each moment, sharing his life with us. Jesus came into our human condition to seek out what was lost, and to bring us back into union with God and to himself. This is the good news for everyone: no one is excluded. Today’s psalm makes this clear. “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

In the gospel, we see two kinds of people. On the one hand, the Gentile ‘Magi from the East’ seek out the newborn king of the Jews to do him homage. On the other hand, Herod and his court seek the Messiah not to do him homage but to destroy him. Let us focus our attention on the Magi; the actions of the Magi in the presence of Jesus give us a beautiful example of divine worship. The Gospel tells us: “They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Their first gift was gold. Among ancient people, gold was regarded as the king of metals. It was therefore the ideal gift for a king. The Magi gave Jesus all their love as pure, solid, lasting, and purified from selfish motives. They wanted to love Jesus with all their heart and mind. Their love was sincere. The second gift was frankincense. Ancient people used incense in their religious worship. The aroma and smoke, spiraling upward to heaven, spoke to them of gods and divinity. The gift of incense, therefore, is a symbol of the divinity of Jesus. It tells us that Jesus always had the nature of God but became a man and appeared in human likeness. The magi adored Jesus as God. Even today, we use incense in the liturgy as a sign of worship. We incense the gospel in which Jesus is present, the altar representing Christ, and the gifts of bread and wine on the altar, which will become the Body and Blood of Christ. The third gift was myrrh. Myrrh was used to prepare the dead for burial. Later in the Gospel, we see that the women brought myrrh to the tomb of Jesus. This gift of the Magi made an ideal symbol of human vulnerability and foreshadowed the Lord’s death. Jesus experienced sorrows, joys, fears, frustrations, loneliness, and all human emotions. He was like us in all things but sin.

The Magi also teach us how to proceed on our journey. They do not return the way they came, which would have taken them back to Herod. Their experience of being with Jesus has enlightened them. They have an inner light, a new gift of discernment and wisdom. When we meet Jesus and worship him, we do not have to return to Herod, back to the darkness, fear, and selfishness of our past and our sinful nature. The Lord gives us the grace to walk a new way. It is the way that is love: love of God and love of our neighbor.

Just as the Magi did, let us prostrate ourselves before the Lord, offering him our love, praise, and gratitude. Our “gold” is everything we have, all that we possess, and all that we consider most precious; we offer it all to him. Our “frankincense” is our prayer, devotion, zeal, contrition, thanksgiving, and all our petitions. Our “myrrh” is our sacrifices and sufferings which we offer in union with Jesus’ Passion, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. We know our gifts are imperfect and they certainly seem meager as we set them before him. However, his humility as he reveals himself before us as a poor, helpless infant strengthens our humility, and therefore makes us bold enough to give whatever we have, knowing that our every gift comes from his generosity to us.

Posted in Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Epiphany, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Sunday Homilies, The Magi | Leave a Comment »

From Creation to this Cradle

December 24, 2023

Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Before all time’s beginning,
before creation’s making,
was our Lord, who is living.

Omnipotent, all-knowing,
unlimited, all-loving,
the self-existent Being.

This eternal deity
was not solely unity,
but divine community.

Father and Son, self-giving,
Spirit from both, proceeding,
Trinity, ever-living.

Though God could not be more great,
goodness loves to propagate,
so he opted to create.

The Lord said, “Let there be light,”
“earth” and “sky” and “day” and “night,”
“man” and “woman” in his sight
and in each did he delight.

Blessing us was his concern,
gifting gifts we did not earn,
minds to know and hearts to yearn
so we’d love him in return.

Like all things, he made us good,
yet, as God, he understood
human beings sadly would
freely choose to sin;
distaining the divine,
disturbing our domain.

Dissolution, desolation.
Division and dismay.
Despair and death.

Behold how in our world and lives,
sins stab and slice and scar like knives.
But our Lord lowers his lifeline,
a long thread throughout our timeline.

After the Flood and Babel’s tower,
God’s plan was launched with Abraham.
Summoned by the Higher-Power,
he journeyed to the Holy Land.

God vowed to him to give that earth,
to bless all peoples through his name,
and cause his barren wife to birth
a boy who would extend his fame.

Isaac was that wondrous son,
received back as from the dead.
His sacrifice was left undone;
as God supplied a ram instead.

(Note in Abraham’s descendants,
the Messianic lineage,
persons presenting precedents
repeated on the Gospel page.)

Next, from Isaac, Jacob came,
and suffered much from sinful deeds.
To “Israel” God changed his name,
and through twelve sons a kingdom seeds.

This tribe then west to Egypt fled
and grew up becoming many,
until from slavery God led
to “the land of milk and honey.”

For this nation, God appointed
from Bethlehem to kingly throne,
shepherd David, God’s anointed,
one with a heart after his own.

He was betrayed, mistreated,
but overcame each enemy.
God pledged there’d always be seated
a true son of his dynasty.

King Solomon, the peaceful one,
built with wisdom beyond compare
God’s temple in Jerusalem
for everyone from everywhere.

Isaiah’s prophesies foretold
and his consoling words record
how every nation would behold
salvation from our bridegroom Lord.

Then Babylon’s empire came
and took the Jews captive by sword.
But God removed his people’s shame
when to their homeland he restored.

These ups and downs had set the stage
for one night prepped thousands of years.
Between the old and current age,
the Son of God on earth appears.

It’s simple for our little ones,
the way in which our Savior comes.

A stable full of yellow hay?
Kids see a perfect place to stay.

Tiny Jesus is in his box,
asleep beside the sheep and ox.

His mom and dad on Christmas day,
as still as statues, kneel and pray.

That manger scene lit by a star
draws friends to Christ from near and far.

Our children lack experience
but maintain pure, sweet innocence.

They see with awe and gentle joy
our God become a baby boy.

Now that you and I are older,
we recognize complexity;
what Christ’s parents had to shoulder,
the burdens of humanity.

Joseph and Mary were displeased
when turned away from that hotel
and then unpleasant odors breathed
while giving birth where livestock dwell.

Stress-filled was that nativity,
mixed with their joys, feelings of dread,
as they combatted poverty
and unseen forces wished them dead.

The way of Christianity
is not promised to be easy,
but life with Christ, our deity,
has mercy, grace, and great beauty.

Our little ones are right in this,
though much in our world is amiss,
it’s right and wise to reminisce
on Christmas Day and feel great bliss.

Now to conclude, let us review:
God’s great goodness is real and true,
an ancient love that’s ever new
and through Christ’s birth comes into view.

So come to Mass — yes, please do!
His family’s less when lacking you.

Posted in Creation, Feast Day Homilies, Holy Trinity, Homily, Incarnation, Jesus Christ, Joy, Nativity, O.T. Figures, Redemptive Suffering, Salvation History, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

The Divine Master Plan

December 23, 2023

4th Sunday of Advent
Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

On this last Sunday before Christmas, the Liturgical readings speak about the preparations that God made for His Son to be born among us, and one of us. We wait for his coming into the world and into our lives. During this advent, we have been thinking of Mary bearing Jesus in her womb. We remember Jesus growing silently and invisibly in Mary’s womb.

The first reading from the second Samuel, speaks of King David, the peace and comfort he had found in Jerusalem, and how he wanted to build a temple for the Ark of God. The Lord spoke to Nathan the prophet and told him that David did not need to be in charge of everything, but was reminded that God himself had been with him every step of the way to peace. God himself will take care of his house, like everything else that David had succeeded in doing. We too, are not in charge of our successes, we should let the Lord lead us and prepare us for the work in his house.

In the Second reading, St. Paul reminds us that each one of us is the temple of God. Through his teaching, God makes known to us His mysteries. God spiritually prepares the minds of the believers who hear the proclamation of Jesus. It is Jesus who revealed God’s mystery that was kept secret for centuries and which has now been revealed to His people.

In the Gospel, Mother Mary is described as “full of grace,” filled with God’s favor and graciousness, something which she has in no way earned. God prepared her to be a worthy dwelling place for His Son. At the same time, Mary exercises her right to freedom of choice. A request was made of her and she freely responded with a wholehearted “Yes!” “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.” Mother Mary’s “Yes” changed the world. Her obedience to God’s call changed the lives of all of us.

Obedience is not popular in today’s world. When people want to be independent, obedience is understood wrongly: the word obedience is associated with weakness. True obedience requires courage because it can involve going against social expectations. When Mary said yes and desired that God’s will be fulfilled in her, a great event took place in history. The Son of God took human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. The Angel had told her that it would be the savior of the world. He would be the King but the nature of kingship was not clear to her. However, she understood one thing clearly: the person whom she would carry in her womb would change the world.

With courage and generosity, we need to say “yes” to God. True obedience comes from the choice we make to follow God’s will. We need the courage to be obedient because sometimes it can go against social expectations. True obedience also aims at putting oneself in the service of God.

We need to learn God’s plan for our lives. The Good News in today’s Scripture message is not only that God is making provision for the salvation of His people, but also that He has a plan for each person. In many cases, our work for God seems rather ordinary, but each ordinary task that we carry out fits into God’s plan in a way that we cannot yet understand. God desires not only the skill of our hands and talents but also the love of our hearts. The Babe in the Manger reminds us of what God has done and is still doing for us. What are we doing for Him in return? Let us show our gratitude to God by living as true followers of Christ.

Posted in Blessed Virgin Mary, Christian Perfection, Homily, Sunday Homilies, Trust | Leave a Comment »

Repentance & Humility

December 10, 2023

2nd Sunday of Advent
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

The season of Advent is a time of grace for us. It is a time of grace given to us to prepare our hearts so that we are ready to receive Christ at Christmas. Advent is a time of grace to remind us that Jesus is the reason for Christmas. We have just heard the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, which reminded us of the prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled in John the Baptist. “Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. The voice of one crying out in the desert. Prepare the way of the Lord make straight his paths.” (Mark 1:2-3)

The call to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord is urgent and strong. The voice of the prophets calls out to us today; make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God. We tend to avoid the message and the urgency of the prophets. For thousands of years, people have been saying that the Lord will come, but it has not happened. Why should I bother about his coming? St. Peter tells us why in our second reading today. What looks to us like “delay” is divine patience; He “delays” only because he sees our need for repentance. For Him, a thousand years are like one day. Whether He comes in one day or a thousand years, the prophetic message remains the same.

John the Baptist gives us two essential elements of our Advent preparation: repentance and humility. When he appears in the desert, his main message is the proclamation of “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. This shows us that sin is the main obstacle to a proper welcoming of the Lord. We cannot, on our own, do anything about the problem of sin, but when we repent, we deliberately turn away from sin and express our sorrow. This opens the way for the Lord to restore us. The great sacrament of repentance is Confession. In the season of Advent, we should prepare the way by making a thorough, thoughtful, prayerful examination of conscience and then make a worthy Confession.

Humility is the other lesson we learn from John the Baptist. A powerful preacher and forceful witness, he is at the same time an extraordinarily humble man, well aware that he was not worthy even to stoop before the Messiah and loosen the thongs of his sandals. We are even less worthy than John the Baptist and are called to humble ourselves before the Lord. When we do, we welcome the voice of the prophets who call us to repentance, and we open our hearts to the Lord’s power to heal us and care for us. When we acknowledge our dependence on God and dedicate time to be alone with him in prayer, He can speak to our hearts and change them from rough and rugged to smooth and open. As we continue to prepare for the Christmas festivities, let us prepare space in our hearts for the birth of our Savior by taking time in prayer and by repenting of our sins.

Since we are blessed with this Advent time of mercy, we should want to receive as much grace as we can from God. The Lord has no limits on what He can grant to us; it is we who put limits on what he wants to give us. The Lord is waiting to receive you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to take you in his arms and hold you close to his heart.

Christmas will lack its full meaning if we do not prepare in our hearts a way for the Lord. It is in our hearts that we need to make a straight highway for God. It is the valleys of sin in our hearts that are to be filled with God’s mercy and healing, and the mountains and hills of pride in our hearts that are to become low.

Posted in Homily, Humility, Repentance, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

A Little Time Remains

December 10, 2023

2nd Sunday of Advent
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Unlike the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mark’s Gospel does not start with stories of Christ’s Nativity. This gospel begins with the ministry of St. John the Baptist. John’s mission was to “prepare the way of the Lord (and) make straight his paths.” In ancient times, before a king or emperor would journey to a region, his heralds or messengers would be sent out ahead of him to announce how people were to prepare for his coming. One practical part of these preparations was to improve and repair the roads; filling in the potholes and smoothing the ruts, clearing branches and removing rocks. Isaiah the Prophet speaks of a herald crying out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together…”

Of course, this readying of the way for the Lord is not done with shovels and wheelbarrows on country roads. St. John the Baptist, the “voice of one crying out in the desert,” preaches conversion and washes people with a baptism of repentance as they confess and renounce their sins. The way of the Lord we must prepare passes through ourselves.

This Advent is a season to prepare for the God, but time is running short. Christmas is coming. Because December 25th falls on a Monday, this year’s Advent is the shortest-possible length of days. The good news is that now is not too late. An unfaithful life can still be reformed. A sacramental Confession can still be arranged. Delayed good deeds can still be done. A life of daily prayer can begin today. There is still some time remaining for you; before Christmas, before Christ’s Second Coming, and before the end of your earthly life.

This world and its people are broken and we can see many sins and evils. Imagine how much better our world would be if everyone sincerely turned to Jesus. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I doubt that everyone will do so, but the ongoing conversions of you and me to Christ can bless our families, friends, and neighbors, joyfully transforming the world around us for the better.

And here is some more good news… Even if not everyone turns to Christ, just as this Christmas, December 25th, is coming no matter what we do, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped. St. Peter writes of how our Lord’s patience, his wish that none should parish but all come to repentance, has permitted the world to continue to our day. God does not tire of waiting; since for him “a thousand years is like one day.” “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief… and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.”

We are encouraged to do our part to prepare a highway for God, lowering mountains and hills, smoothing rough lands and valleys, within ourselves and in our society. But Scriptures declare how at his coming “the mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.” (Psalm 97:5) “The eternal mountains are shattered, the age-old hills bow low, along his ancient ways.” (Habakkuk 3:6) “The mountains melt under him… like wax before the fire, like water poured down a slope.” (Micah 1:4) “The earth melts when he lifts his voice.” (Psalm 46:6)

Our returning Lord will not allow the sins of the world to go on forever. When his Kingdom fully comes, God’s will shall be fully done, on earth as it is in Heaven. So when you witness the many evils caused by misused human freedom, do not grieve as those who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Mourn as the blessed, whom Jesus promises will be consoled. (Matthew 5:4) “According to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, (and always be) at peace.”

Posted in Christian Perfection, Culture, Homily, Jesus Christ, Last Judgment, Last Things, Repentance, Salvation History, Second Coming, St. John the Baptist, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

The Fearfulness & Faithfulness of Mary & Joseph

December 8, 2023

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By Fr. Victor Feltes

After our first parents ate the forbidden fruit, when they heard the sound of God walking about in the Garden of Eden, they hid themselves among the trees. The Lord God called to Adam and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Did Blessed Mary the New Eve or St. Joseph her husband ever feel afraid? Indeed, Scripture records several such occasions.

In today’s gospel, at the Annunciation the Archangel Gabriel comes to Mary saying, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” “But she was greatly troubled at what was said…” Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’”

Later, when Joseph learned of Mary’s unprecedented pregnancy, he either suspected her and feared she was unworthy of him, or he believed her and feared he himself was unworthy of her and this holy child. “Since (Joseph) was a righteous man and not wanting to expose her to shame, (he) decided to divorce her quietly.” Such was his intention when an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.”

After the birth of Christ and the visit of the magi, Joseph was told by God’s angel in dream to flee with Mary and Jesus into Egypt. Once the murderous King Herod had died, the angel told Joseph in another dream to return to the land of Israel. “But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee” and resettled his Holy Family in the town of Nazareth.

In another episode from the Gospels, when Jesus was 12 years old Mary and Joseph lost track of him during their family pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. They found him on the third day engaging with the religious teachers at the temple. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

That’s four incidents of fearfulness in Mary, Joseph, or both, which are clearly referenced in the Gospels. What are we to make of this?

Jesus Christ had holy parents on earth. At this Mass we celebrate how Mary was sinless from the moment of her Immaculate Conception and full of grace throughout her life. Joseph her husband was a righteous and virtuous man. However, both Mary and Joseph sometimes experienced fear. This shows us that feeling fear is not the same as sin or lacking in faith.

Realize and remember that faith is not primarily a feeling. Though it is nice when our feelings line up with our beliefs, sometimes they won’t match. You can believe one thing while feeling something else and still choose to act faithfully. For example, you can believe that commercial air travel is safe. Perhaps you have seen the data showing that flying compared to other modes of ground-based travel is, mile-for-mile, safer by far. When the moment comes for you to board your important flight, you might feel natural anxiety. But if you get on that airplane anyway, your faith in flight is on display. You trust in the pilots, in the aircraft, and in what you know, and this trusting faith enables you to reach your good destination.

Mary had such trusting, loving faith in Joseph. One night, her husband woke from sleep and told her he had received another message from God’s angel in a dream; they were in danger from King Herod and must quickly escape to Egypt. Mary had not beheld Joseph’s dream, but whatever she was feeling she trusted him and took the flight with him into Egypt, and her acceptance of this hard thing enabled their salvation.

Mary also had trusting, loving faith in God. St. Elizabeth praises her faith at the Visitation. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cries out, “Most blessed are you among women… Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled!” Years later, during Jesus’ public ministry, a woman in a crowd called out to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed!” Jesus replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” The Blessed Virgin Mary can be called “most blessed among women” because of her enduring faithfulness — she hears God’s word and keeps it.

It is essential that we not only hear God’s word but also faithfully obey it. Jesus declares, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.”

Mary and Joseph loved and trusted God and each other, and God loved and trusted them to raise our Lord. Their faithfulness on earth is now rewarded with heavenly glory. God has entrusted them with shares in the spiritual care of his people on earth today. St. Joseph is the patron and protector of the entire Church, and St. Mary is the spiritual mother of every Christian. Ask Mary and Joseph to pray for you and ask Jesus to give you his grace to be always faithful despite whatever you might feel. For faith in Christ is not so much about feelings but about loving and trusting Jesus enough to be faithful to him.

Posted in Adam and Eve, Blessed Virgin Mary, Chrisitian Virtues, Christian Perfection, Courage, Faith, Feast Day Homilies, Homily, Saintly People, St. Joseph | 1 Comment »

Watching & Waiting

December 3, 2023

1st Sunday of Advent
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

The season of Advent always calls us to a sense of hope, that God loves us, has sent his Son to redeem us, and that no one is excluded from God’s loving care and protection. That is the heart of our belief in God: He knows us by name, cares for us, and never abandons us. That does not negate the fact of our free will, the ability to choose what is right and good, to heed God’s voice and God’s grace in our lives. We are always free to choose the good, since God never forces us, but always lovingly invites us.

The first reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and the second reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthian Church, give us examples of looking forward in hope for the Lord’s coming. The people confessed their guilt and admitted that God was indeed right to punish them. They understand that they have given Yahweh their God plenty of reason to stay away. They feel that they are sinful, unclean, and full of guilt. And yet, for those who are awake and waiting in faith, the second coming is a joyful event.

In the gospel, Jesus encourages us to be prepared, to stay awake. If we fall asleep and forget the need to wait in hope, then we risk that the Lord comes at a time we do not expect. In that case, we would not be ready to welcome him and celebrate with him. (cf. Mt 15:1-13) The Lord uses the example of a man who leaves his servants in charge while he travels abroad. He warns the gatekeeper to stay on the watch because he does not know the day and hour of his master’s return. Jesus specifically mentions all four watches of the night. The Lord of the house may come in the evening, at midnight, at dawn (“cockcrow”), or in the morning.

Jesus is going to come in glory to judge all people and take the righteous to their reward. The first Sunday of Advent invites us to be ready to receive the Lord who is going to come. This is the time of waiting and we await the one who is certain to come to us. We must be ever alert and ready so that the coming of the Son does not find us unprepared. Advent is a season for us to renew our hope because of the coming of Christ. As we reflect upon the period of waiting for the first coming of Jesus at Bethlehem, and as we begin to prepare for his coming at Christmas, we also await his final coming into our lives.

In addition, the Readings remind us that while Heaven and Earth shall pass away, the Word of the Lord shall not pass away. Every promise that He has made shall be fulfilled. Thus, Jesus gives us the warning: The Christian who listens to the words of Jesus lives in permanent expectation of his coming and will welcome him as the long-awaited Master arrives from his journey. To be on watch is to be aware each day, through prayer and reflection, that the ‘today’ of salvation is here and now.

We should live in the living presence of Jesus every day waiting for his Second Coming. We can experience Christ’s living presence in the Holy Eucharist, in the Holy Bible, in our worshiping community in our parish, in our family, in our souls, and everyone around us. The early Christians experienced it, and that is why the mutual greeting among Christians was “Maran Atha” which means “Come, Lord Jesus.” This greeting acknowledged Jesus present in each of them and about to return. May God bless you and keep you ever-prepared for Christ’s second coming.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Second Coming, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

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