Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - Year B

 

The readings for Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph may be found at:  

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123123.cfm

This weekend, we prepare for the coming of a new year.

We also celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph with this week’s gospel passage recounting the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

You may also recognize this scene as the Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.

As I prepared to preach this weekend, I wanted to focus on the holy family and how we are all part of a family and how we are all called to holiness.

But, instead I kept coming back to Simeon.  Who was this guy?

Someone so central to our Lord’s presentation in the temple and yet a bit of a mystery.

As St. Luke tells us, Simeon came into the temple in the Spirit, took Jesus in his arms and blessed God, saying,

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”

Who was Simeon, that after holding this baby - 

who at that time only Joseph and Mary recognized as the son of God - 

How is it that this guy sees Jesus, holds Him up to the Father and basically says, 

I’m ok to die now.  Take me.

In and of itself this is remarkable, but tradition tells us more.

Tradition says Simeon was one of the seventy translators of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek which began around the third century before Christ and was completed a little more than 130 years before Christ was born. 

Simeon was one of those translators.

We also just heard that Simeon was at the temple for the presentation of Jesus.

I’m not the best at math, but that means Simeon was really old!

Tradition says Simeon was 270 years old when Jesus was presented in the temple and that he lived to 370.

But let’s not focus on how Simeon could possibly live to that old age.

I think the better question is, What does it mean for us that Simeon was that old? 

What is tradition trying to tell us? 

I think it says that Simeon had been made a promise that he would see the messiah.

And that promise was fulfilled. Nearly three hundred years later. 

Three hundred years!

Simeon must have lived those days, years, decades and centuries with hope, trust, expectation, and anticipation. 

Every day - left waiting and wondering. 

Is this the day? 

Is this the day I will see salvation?

Is this the day I will give up hope? 

Is this the day it happens?

Is this the day I despair that it didn’t?

After waiting 270 years to see Jesus and uttering the words “You may let your servant go in peace”, 

Simeon waited another 100 years to die.

Now, we all know what it’s like to wait – 

waiting for life to change, for the grief to go away, 

for a prayer to be answered, for joy to return, 

for forgiveness and reconciliation, for clarity about a decision, 

for healing and new life. 

We all wait and hope for things.

And we place many of these hopes and expectations on God. 

I think we all come here with some hope, some need, some expectation. 

We come here trusting and anticipating the promise that God is present and working in our lives 

even if we can’t see it or clearly understand what He is doing day over day.

That’s why they call it faith.

It’s been said that 90% of success in life is just showing up.

Like Simeon at the temple, it’s important we continue to show up for God.

Especially, when it is hard to do it.

With New Years Day almost here, I thought it might be useful to offer up a few resolutions for consideration on how we can continue to show up for God:

• Commit to Daily Prayer.  Dedicate some time each day to prayer or reciting the Rosary to deepen our relationship with God.

• Go to the Saints.  Learn about the lives of the saints and their examples of faith, and consider how their experiences can inspire and guide us.

• Consider following a one-year Bible reading plan, like the one from Father Mike Schmitz on YouTube to engage and reflect on God's word throughout the year for just a few minutes a day.

• Watch the TV show “The Chosen” to be reminded that Jesus was a real person and that those he told to follow him were regular, broken people just like us.

• Go back to Confession.  Commit to a regular examination of conscience and sacramental confession, especially if you go to communion regularly.

• Go to Jesus.  Spend a few minutes with Jesus in the Eucharist at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each Wednesday here at St. Gabriel’s between 3pm and 7pm.  

What Simeon experienced can be ours too - 

The fulfillment of God’s promise to us - 

if we keep at it, don’t give up and continue each day to show up for God. 

First Sunday of Advent - Year B

The readings for First Sunday of Advent may be found at:  

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120323.cfm

On this first weekend of Advent, we are reminded to be watchful!  

Be alert!

Five times in this short gospel passage from the evangelist Saint Mark, 

Jesus tells us to be watchful, to stay awake.  

Because He is coming.

Jesus first comes to earth - His first coming, in the Incarnation, 

When he was born, becoming true God and true man.

That is what we begin preparing for this first weekend of Advent, 

that in a few weeks we will rejoice at our Savior’s birth at Christmas. 

Jesus will also come a second time at the end of the world. 

Closing out all chances for us to repent of our sins and to be saved. 

Definitely not as cheery as how we are feeling with Christmas coming.

That’s probably because while all of us want to go to heaven when Jesus does come,

Few of us are entirely sure we’d get in,  if He were to show up right here, right now.

Maybe we’re not in a state of grace and in full command of the work He gave us to do.

Now, Jesus wants what’s best for us,

So He gives us plenty of time between His first coming and His second to make things right, 

to make sure we are prepared.

And since none of us have any idea when Jesus will return,

we need to watch and be alert.

But if we think about it, 

Jesus is already here and likely comes to us many times each day. 

He comes to us in every opportunity to choose him, 

to love Him, 

to do his will by doing good to others, especially those in most need,

in the opportunity to honestly face him, 

to confess when we have missed opportunities to welcome him, 

when we choose to do what we want to do, rather than what He asks of us.

Jesus tells us to see Him with the eyes of faith, 

not feeling. 

Because it doesn’t matter what we feel. 

It matters what is true, what we believe and what we love. 

Because He will return.

And we have our mandate.

To watch for Him.

In those we serve, in our work, in our struggles, in our prayer, and, 

ultimately, someday, in our death. 

And since we do not know when the Lord will come, we must be prepared.  

And what are some ways we can prepare during these weeks of Advent?

We can consider ways to simplify and focus on the spiritual aspects of the season, 

rather than getting caught up in busyness and secular things that don’t matter.

We can take time for self-examination and confession, 

Participating in the Sacrament of Penance to bring us renewal and spiritual readiness.

We can spend time praying with the Scriptures, allowing the Word of God to guide and inspire us during this season of preparation.

We can engage in Advent traditions, like the Advent wreath, that give us reminders of the real reason we celebrate,

So as to help us to stay focused on Christ.

We can display a nativity in a prominent location of our home, 

to provide a visual reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, 

helping to keep our focus squarely on Christ.

We can prepare for Christmas with daily Advent Scripture readings available online, using the Hallow app or the Magnificat Advent Companion

to help us better understand and reflect on the significance of Jesus' birth, 

providing us a way to stay spiritually aware and focused.

We can take a few minutes to reflect and pray before Jesus in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament here at St. Gabriel’s each Wednesday between the hours of 3pm and 7pm.

Or even more simply, we can just speak the words “Come, Lord Jesus”, silently at various points during our day.

Come, Lord Jesus.  

To keep Him present in our minds and part of the things we do.

By incorporating some of these practices into our lives during Advent, 

We can cultivate a spirit of watchfulness and readiness, 

allowing the true meaning of the season to come alive in our hearts and minds.

To keep us awake and ready.

Because the time will come when the Lord will arrive.

May He not come suddenly and find us sleeping.

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

The readings for Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:  

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111223.cfm

We prepare for all sorts of things, don’t we?  

My wife and I just returned from a trip to Florida.

We booked our hotel accommodations eleven months ago, 

flights and rental car six months ago 

and all our dining reservations sixty days in advance.  

Yep - we picked what we wanted to eat and where on what day two months ago.

Why so much preparation?

Because our time off together was important to us and we wanted to have a fun and carefree vacation.

But we all prepare for all sorts of things, don’t we? 

Sporting events, emergencies, going to work, even going to the store and a whole other long list.

We prepare because preparing increases the chances that we’ll have a good experience.  

And what we prepare for, and how we prepare, reveals our priorities, what we think matters most to us. 

Today, the evangelist Saint Matthew retells Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps out to meet the bridegroom.

Five had enough oil for their lamps and were ready for the bridegroom when he came.

Five were unprepared and had to go off to buy oil at the last minute.

And when they returned, the door to the bridegroom and the wedding feast had been locked.

And they were on the wrong side of the door.

Like them, there are so many times in life when we find ourselves unprepared.  

And in those times, we try to make the best of a bad situation.

Now, it is worth noting that in most cases it isn’t because we were incapable of being prepared, but rather that we had chosen to focus on other things instead.

Playing the odds that we’d be able to make up for it later.

Today's Gospel reading reminds us of the importance of being vigilant and preparing for the coming of the Lord. 

That we must be ready to meet the Lord at any time, even if His coming seems a long time away.

Because none of us knows when He will come.

Do we spend our time and effort in ways that put more oil in our lamps?

Or do we let our lamps run dry and in a way fall asleep, increasing the odds that we will wake up to the words of the Lord, 

"Amen, I say to you, I do not know you."

 

These words should serve as a warning to us not to become complacent in our faith life.

We always think we will have more time before the bridegroom comes.

All of us become distracted by the cares of this world and lose sight of our ultimate goal - to be with the Lord forever in heaven. 

We must avoid complacency by staying vigilant and focused on the Lord each day.

This doesn’t mean we have to dress in horse hair clothing or join a religious order or stand on the sidewalk with a big sign warning everyone to repent because the end is near.

No.  We can prepare by staying connected to God through prayer throughout our day - some ideas -

thanking God when we wake up and put our feet on the floor in the morning, 

saying grace before meals, 

making the sign of the cross when we pass by a Catholic Church, 

attending daily Mass when we can,

praying the Liturgy of the Hours, 

Taking part in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 

reading the Bible, 

and actively participating in the sacraments. 

This includes making a regular examination of conscience and good, sacramental confession where you receive absolution from Jesus through a priest acting in Persona Christi - in the person of Christ.

Prayer, reading sacred scripture, participating in the sacraments, participating in the practice of regular sacramental confession - these practices help us stay connected to God. 

Our ultimate goal should be heaven and we need to prepare for it.  

It doesn’t just happen.

Unlike the vacation my wife and I planned for, where we picked the location and the dates,

In today’s parable, we can think of Jesus simply saying, 

you are going on a trip, 

you don’t know when you will be making this trip, 

but you must consider where you are going 

and what you will need for a successful journey. 

What makes this difficult? 

It’s not knowing when we will make the trip.

That’s why we need to stay vigilant, to be alert and to be prepared.

With certainty, the bridegroom is coming.

The last thing any of us will want to hear when He does is 

“Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.”

Therefore, we all need to be prepared - for none of us know neither the day nor the hour.