“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.”

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Søren Kierkegaard

Gospel Text: (MT 17:9A, 10-13)

As they were coming down from the mountain,

the disciples asked Jesus,

“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;

but I tell you that Elijah has already come,

and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.

So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood

that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

A new way of looking and “new heart” are necessary if the ways of God are to be recognized, and if we are to respond with cheerfulness and generosity to the demanding calls of the gospel. Not everybody is willing to understand it, let alone live it. What's more, the way we live our lives and our plans might be in opposition to God's will. An opposition that could turn into a struggle against, and a rejection of, Our Father in Heaven.



We need to discover the intense love that informs God's plans for us and, if we are to be consistent with the faith and morality that Jesus reveals to us, we can't be surprised by the bad treatment, the slander and the persecutions of this world. Being on the right track doesn't stop there from being difficulties in life and He, despite the suffering, teaches us to keep on going.

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

We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.

An "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature, adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit from truth." - Pope Benedict XVI

Gospel text: (MT 11:16-19)
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the difficult reality of the world we live in. No matter what we do or say, we cannot make everyone happy. One look at politics in America is enough to demonstrate this. It seems that no matter what one political party does, it is never enough (or it is too much!) for the likings of the other party. Jesus really drives this point home when he says that John was called possessed by a demon for his meager diet and hermit ways, while Jesus himself is called a drunkard and glutton because he eats and drinks at the table of sinners.

Sometimes I have to remind myself of this reality. Even Jesus, Son of God and Lord of the universe did not make everyone happy. In fact, some of the things he did made a lot of people really upset most of the time! As Christians, we are called to serve our brothers and sisters and to strive to lead all souls to heaven, but sometimes there are those people in our lives that we cannot seem to make happy, no matter what we do. How do we deal with these frustrating moments where we are called to love, but to what seems to be no effect?

We get our answer in the first reading today from Isaiah. “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go” (Is. 48:17). Jesus teaches us how to live rightly, even when that right living upsets and even angers those around us. There are some things we do and believe as Christians that unfortunately will always make certain people upset. Jesus knew this, and rather than trying to bend away from what was right, he preached and lived the Father’s will, and through his infinite love, converted sinners to his heart. It can be the same for us today. When we see people that are seemingly never satisfied with Christianity, do we sacrifice our Christian life for their “happiness”? Or, do we instead love them all the more and try to bring them to Christ and His Church by the example of our day to day living?

“The presence of brothers and sisters from different cultures should be celebrated as a gift to the Church.”

Our common dignity as human beings calls us to respect the alien among us, regardless of their status or social position. A preferential love for the poor and disenfranchised is a sure sign of one's Christian identity. – Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch, (Bishop of St. Petersburg, Fla),

Gospel Text: (Lk 1:26-38)
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

In December of 1531, God sent his special messenger, the Virgin Mary, to the native peoples of what is now Mexico and to the Spanish colonizers who found it so easy to exploit them. She appeared in a familiar form, as a pregnant native woman dressed in everyday native garb. And because of her appearance and the miracles that followed, the peoples of yet another nation and another culture bound themselves to the Lord.

But there’s more to the story of Guadalupe than dramatic conversions. Missionaries from Western Europe have sometimes been tempted to impose their culture on peoples with very different ways. Of course, accepting the gospel means changing your life. You can’t become a Christian and continue to practice polygamy or engage in drunken brawls. But you don’t have to sing Gregorian chant or celebrate Mass in a grand cathedral. Jesus came to liberate people from sin, but he also came to set them free so that they could express their worship in their own way, in line with their own culture.

Have you ever gone to Mass with people from a different background than your own? This can be a powerful experience of how our Church is both local and universal. You may not understand the language. You may find the hymns unfamiliar. But you will still be able to follow along with everyone there—with your brothers and sisters.

Try to grab opportunities like this whenever they present themselves. It may be a televised liturgy. It may be as you are traveling. Perhaps there is a church in your city where Mass is celebrated in a different language or in Latin or according to the Byzantine or Coptic rite. Or perhaps you can expand your horizons through music or art. For example, you can research the many different ways Our Lady has been portrayed in paintings and sculptures, from Nairobi to Nagasaki, from Czestochowa to Chechnya.

God is so much bigger than we think. And he has called us into a family that is spread throughout the world.

“Humble and suffering prayer prevails over God Himself.”

“There are some people who, in order not to pray, use an excuse. The fact that life is so hectic that it prevents them from praying. This cannot be…Prayer does not demand that we interrupt our work, but that we continue working as if it were a prayer…It is not necessary to always be meditating, nor to consciously experience the sensation that we are talking to God, no matter how nice this would be….What matters is being with Him, living in Him, in His will. To love with a pure heart, to love everybody, especially to love the poor, is a twenty-four hour prayer.” – Mother Teresa

Gospel text: (MT 11:28-30)
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

I am frequently asked what I think is the greatest need in the Church today. People presume to know how I will answer. They expect my answer to be action oriented. My answer is simple. "The greatest need in the Church today is people who pray", I respond.

Through prayer we can recover the capacity for an intimate communion of love with the living God and plunge ourselves into its embrace. Prayer is a process of Love exchanged for love. In its classroom we learn how to live in this communion throughout the day and in all circumstances.

Prayer is not about doing or getting but rather about being, receiving, giving, and loving. Prayer is the path to communion through Jesus Christ with the Father, in Jesus Christ with one another, and in the Trinitarian God with the world which He created and is recreating and redeeming in Christ.

All of this is made possible through the Holy Spirit who invites us - right now - into to the very inner life of the Trinity, through prayer.

We need “impractical” people, who pray. Let us hear the invitation this day and Come to Jesus. Let us take His yoke upon ourselves and find the meaning of His promise. Freedom and self surrender are not at odds.

“There are many things which a person can do alone, but being a Christian is not one of them.”

“Our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring democracy the tolerance it requires to survive” - Ronald Reagan the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)

Scripture Text: (IS 40:1-11)
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
In the desert 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;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

A voice says, “Cry out!”
I answer, “What shall I cry out?”
“All flesh is grass,
and all their glory like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever.”

Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Even when we enjoy many creature comforts, our need for deliverance is really never very far from us. We like to fool ourselves into believing we have created a zone of safety, but the trappings of material comfort offer little protection when things get really tough. They are like thin gauze when cold winds blow. The words “all flesh is grass” resonate strongly when the earth becomes like iron and the grass grows no more. What sustains us then?

The sustenance we draw from our stores of good things (even in sharing them with others) is ultimately not enough. Such comfort is only temporary and cannot meet our deeper needs. We need God. We are glad to hear that we belong to him, that he loves us, and that he comes to find us. Such faith, love, and hope make this world habitable and draw us toward the path of life with God that extends beyond what we can see, but which we know to be there.

In Isaiah’s prophecy, a voice cries out for dramatic preparations. The imagery of filling in valleys, bringing down mountains, and smoothing rugged land in an era before Caterpillar tractors seems daunting indeed. With technology of hand shovels and picks (or less), it would have required a group effort, to be sure. Notice the good news of what happens after this preparation: “Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” I think this is an important message to consider in our Advent journey: the glory of the Lord will be revealed in a community of faith. This is not a solitary event, but one which should be experienced with others.

Will she obey, or will she choose her own way?

"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal." - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

Gospel text: ( Luke 1: 26 - 38 )
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

In the pristine beauty of the Garden of Eden, Eve chose to disobey God, and with her choice, sin entered the world. In Nazareth, Mary chose to obey. With her “yes” to God, she became the new Eve and began the undoing of Eve’s disobedience, ushering in God’s grace and redemption. Her yes reversed Eve’s no.

Choices...............................................!

Each of us is presented with a myriad of choices throughout the day. They can bring grace into the world, or they can bring discord. Of course, we don’t have the benefit of being born without original sin, like Mary. But we are redeemed! When we were baptized, we were cleansed of original sin. Through Christ we have also been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Ephesians 1:3). So we have all the resources we need to make the right choices.

As Mary did, so can we do. In each yes or no we choose, we can bring forth grace into our lives and the lives of those around us, or we can allow sin to damage us. Will we mess up, and will we say no sometimes? Of course. But that doesn’t mean we should give up! If we say no or if we fail even to see the choice in the first place, we can still receive God’s forgiveness and restoration. God will always give us another chance. And with every yes that we say to him, his Spirit will strengthen us further for the next choice. And the next one. And the next one.

Maybe the “angel” who presents you with a choice today will come disguised as a co-worker or as a child asking for your help in the middle of a busy day. Maybe the angel will wear the distressing disguise of the poor or a disagreeable neighbor. Recognize your choice: will you say yes to God and give of yourself to this person? Will you become a bearer of grace to that person?

Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.

”God wishes us not to rest upon anything but His infinite goodness; do not let us expect anything, hope anything, or desire anything but from Him, and let us put our trust and confidence in Him alone.” - Saint Charles Borromeo

Gospel Text: (MT 3:1-12)

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea

and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice of one crying out in the desert,

Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair

and had a leather belt around his waist.

His food was locusts and wild honey.

At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,

and the whole region around the Jordan

were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees

coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.

And do not presume to say to yourselves,

‘We have Abraham as our father.’

For I tell you,

God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.

Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,

but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.

I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand.

He will clear his threshing floor

and gather his wheat into his barn,

but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

We are in a time of waiting, of anticipation, of hope. A world where the poor and afflicted are judged with justice. Where we won’t be judged by our appearances and the world will be infused with a spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength.  We all want to see a world where “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” (IS 11:1-10) These beautiful words instill hope in all of us that the world could be a better place.

The images we envision seem beyond our control. What can I do to infuse my own corner of the world with a spirit of wisdom, peace, and understanding? How can I show a spirit of counsel and strength?

We all are afflicted and need the grace of God and each other. We need to look beyond ourselves to others.