"The world being unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, he gave his Son to Mary for the world to receive him from her."

“The day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a day of universal joy, because through the Mother of God, the entire human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother, Eve, was transformed into joy.” - Saint John Damascene: (675 – 749: was a Syrian monk and priest)

Gospel Text: (Mt 1:1-16, 18-2)

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar.

Perez became the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz,

whose mother was Rahab.

Boaz became the father of Obed,

whose mother was Ruth.

Obed became the father of Jesse,

Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,

whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.

Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asaph.

Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah.

Uzziah became the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amos,

Amos the father of Josiah.

Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.

Abiud became the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok.

Zadok became the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud the father of Eleazar.

Eleazar became the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Matthew's genealogy of Jesus tells a story involving long and complicated names with less-than-noble pedigrees. We might expect to hear how Jesus, the King of Kings, descended from a long line of upright and virtuous kings. It starts off promising with the familiar and popular Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But we soon hear about less familiar Gentile women – the wily Tamar, the prostitute Rahab and the loyal Ruth. Why mention Gentile women in the genealogy of the King of Jews? Then Matthew mentions Uriah, reminding us of how David sent him to his death after impregnating his wife, Bathsheba. Why reference such an ugly incident when relating the genealogy of the Light of the World?

The short answer is because Matthew is telling the truth. And sometimes the truth is unpopular or ugly. This is especially true when the truth deals with our past, our family (or evolutionary) histories. But then Matthew concludes his genealogy on a note of hope. He writes, "they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'" and so reminds us of a greater truth – that despite our less-than-noble lineages and pasts, God has been and is with us. St. Paul knew this when he wrote that all things work for good for those who love God. Our messy and ugly pasts have shaped and formed who we are now. Can we rejoice in the Lord knowing that God has been and is with us now? As we celebrate the birth of Mary, we find new hope in our often messy and ugly world while being reminded of God's presence among us.

“Possessions themselves are not the problem, its our relationship with possessing.”

Give me ten truly detached men. and I will convert the world with them. - St. Philip Neri: (1515 –1595: known as the Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of the Oratory)

Gospel Text: (LK 14:25-33)

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,

and he turned and addressed them,

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,

wife and children, brothers and sisters,

and even his own life,

he cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me

cannot be my disciple.

Which of you wishing to construct a tower

does not first sit down and calculate the cost

to see if there is enough for its completion?

Otherwise, after laying the foundation

and finding himself unable to finish the work

the onlookers should laugh at him and say,

‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’

Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down

and decide whether with ten thousand troops

he can successfully oppose another king

advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?

But if not, while he is still far away,

he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.

In the same way,

anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions

cannot be my disciple.”

What about Christianity and family values?

Jesus says that whoever comes to him to be a disciple should hate his own family and even himself. But I do not hate my family.

I think what Jesus is really saying is that putting anything before God is the wrong answer.  Putting your family before God or putting your own interests before God is not going to get you where you want to go. 

Jesus says in today’s gospel reading that a builder calculates his plan and expenses to make sure he can accomplish his construction. A king has a battle plan and calculates his chances of success. Our goal is not a building or a battle victory. Our goal is heaven. And to get to heaven, we need the focus of a site manager or a battle general. The manager who gets distracted and does not keep focused on the building might not have a construction that will be sturdy and stand. The king who gets distracted and does not focus on his goals will lose his battle. If we get distracted and lose this battle, the ramifications are eternal. If we put anything before God, our edifice might crumble; we will not gain our victory. Our goal will slip away.

“Getters generally don’t get happiness; givers get it.”

“Dearest lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost.” — Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), Jesuit founder

Scripture Text: (1 COR 4:6B-15)

Brothers and sisters:

Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,

so that none of you will be inflated with pride

in favor of one person over against another.

Who confers distinction upon you?

What do you possess that you have not received?

But if you have received it,

why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?

You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;

you have become kings without us!

Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,

so that we also might become kings with you.

For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all,

like people sentenced to death,

since we have become a spectacle to the world,

to angels and men alike.

We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ;

we are weak, but you are strong;

you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,

we are poorly clad and roughly treated,

we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.

When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;

when slandered, we respond gently.

We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all,

to this very moment.

I am writing you this not to shame you,

but to admonish you as my beloved children.

Even if you should have countless guides to Christ,

yet you do not have many fathers,

for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

In today’s First Reading from Mass St. Paul preaches on the topic of stewardship, noting that everything in our life is a “given”. But if this is so, he rhetorically asks the Corinthians, why are they “boasting as if [they] did not receive it?” In fact, the “givenness” of our lives and everything in them calls for humility from us.

Our call to Stewardship encourages us to share our GIFTEDNESS. Our special talents and abilities, things that we feel passionate about, things that might be used to describe our personalities, such as being compassionate, hospitable, organized, having patience or wisdom are all part of our unique giftedness. Our gifts are given to be used in service to our families, for those around us, for those in need and for our many ministries within the Church.

Each of us has received grace and a unique set of gifts from God.

Remember – Those who have been given much, much will be expected.

“People can and will judge us everyday but God will only judge us ONCE and His judgment is the ONLY one that matters.”

"It is not with the club of judgment that we will bring back the lost sheep to the fold, but with the holiness of life that is the principle of renewal and reform in the church…Holiness is nourished by love and knows how to bring upon itself the weight of those who are weaker. A missionary of mercy takes the sinner on his shoulders, and consoles him or her with the power of compassion." – Pope Francis

Scripture Text: (1 COR 4:1-5)

Brothers and sisters:

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ

and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Now it is of course required of stewards

that they be found trustworthy.

It does not concern me in the least

that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;

I do not even pass judgment on myself;

I am not conscious of anything against me,

but I do not thereby stand acquitted;

the one who judges me is the Lord.

Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,

until the Lord comes,

for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness

and will manifest the motives of our hearts,

and then everyone will receive praise from God.

St. Paul speaks of his indifference to “judgment”, whether by individuals or by institutions. The ultimate act of judgment, in Paul’s text, is that which will be given by the Lord at His coming.

“What will the Lord ask us on that day?

Did you go to Mass? Have you prepared a good catechesis?” the Pope in November of 2015 asked the general audience in St. Peter's Square. While these things are important, the deeper questions will be on the poor.

It’s the choice we will be faced with when we meet Jesus face to face:

“Did you use your life for yourself or to serve? To defend yourself from others with walls, or to welcome with love? This will be the final decision of Jesus.”

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."

“Impossible is just a small word that is thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they’ve been given to explore the power they have, to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It is a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing!” – Muhammad Ali: (1942 –2016: was an American Olympic and professional boxer)

Gospel Text: (LK 5:1-11)

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,

he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

He saw two boats there alongside the lake;

the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,

he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.

Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,

“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

Simon said in reply,

“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,

but at your command I will lower the nets.”

When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish

and their nets were tearing.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat

to come to help them.

They came and filled both boats

so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,

“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him

and all those with him,

and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,

who were partners of Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;

from now on you will be catching men.”

When they brought their boats to the shore,

they left everything and followed him.

Peter is a professional fisherman, and a tired one at that, and his first response to the Lord shows what he thinks will happen; nevertheless, he puts himself and his crew into the Lord's hands and very simply does what the Lord asks him to do. 

This is trust and humility, but at root it is also and primarily faith.  An English Protestant evangelist of the 19th century, Oswald Chambers, once stated that “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”  That is what is happening here, and it is at the root of why Jesus takes Peter to be one of those closest to him in his work and even in his passion.  Peter will love Jesus, will continually fail even after Pentecost, and yet will be the leader of the Twelve and of the Church. 

Can we have the same faith, the same love of the Lord?  Are we able to let our sins and our sinfulness not hold us back from doing what good we can in Jesus' Name --- or from turning back to him again and again when we fail?