In addition to serving as a vehicle for the prayer of beings composed of body and spirit, the postures and gestures in which we engage at Mass have another very important function. The Church sees in these common postures and gestures both a symbol of the unity of those who have come together to worship and a means of fostering that unity. We are not free to change these postures to suit our own individual piety, for the Church makes it clear that our unity of posture and gesture is an expression of our participation in the one Body formed by the baptized with Christ, our head. When we stand, kneel, sit, bow and sign ourselves in common action, we given unambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in heart, mind and spirit. Each posture we assume at Mass underlines and reinforces the meaning of the action in which we are taking part at that moment in our worship.

The arrest of St John the Baptist, mentioned at the beginning of this Gospel passage, was a moment of transition for Jesus. Before that point, Jesus had begun gathering his Apostles and preaching, but only on a part-time basis.

As long as John continued preaching and baptizing, Jesus stayed in the wings. But when John was arrested, that was the sign. The last prophet had been silenced, and the moment had come for Jesus, the Messiah whom all the prophets had announced, to take center stage.

St Matthew tells us that when that moment came, Jesus moved to Capernaum [cup-HER-knee-uhm], a more cosmopolitan city than his small hometown of Nazareth.

And then he called his first Apostles. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had all met Jesus before, when they were still disciples of John the Baptist. They had spent time with Jesus. They had seen him perform the miracle at Cana, turning water into wine at the wedding feast. They had started to get to know him - the Gospel of John tells us that they had even come to believe that he was the Messiah.

But that's not enough for Jesus. Jesus has more to show them, and more for them to do. So at this crucial moment, when he is ready to begin his full-time ministry, Jesus goes out to these fishermen as they ply their trade on the Sea of Galilee, calls them by name, and invites them to help build his Kingdom. Jesus didn't start his mission alone, and he doesn't continue it alone.

He established his Church and began his work of salvation with the help of these chosen apostles, and today he continues his work in the same way, calling normal fishermen, folks like you and me, to become his apostles.

Interrupting Our Daily Routine

It is interesting to notice exactly how Jesus issues this invitation. The Apostles are on the lake, fishing - in the middle of their work, their business. Jesus comes to meet them there. He walks out to the lakeshore. He enters into their environment. He walks into their everyday lives.

Up until this point his only contact with them had been in extraordinary circumstances - festal gatherings and holidays. But now he comes right into the warp and woof of their daily lives. He could have dropped by their houses after work. He could have spoken to them after Saturday services in the synagogue. He could have met them in town on one of their days off. That would have been easier on them - less of an interruption, less of an inconvenience.

But he doesn't. He wants to be part of their lives. He doesn't want to be on the fringe - he wants to be involved.

He deals with us the same way. He is always coming out to meet us, walking along the shore of our lives. He is always thinking of us, watching us, and calling out to us through the Church and through our conscience - regardless of convenience.

He wants us to follow him more closely today than yesterday, more passionately tomorrow than today. We just need to listen, to pay attention, and when necessary, to leave behind our nets, our relationships, our boats - anything that hinders us from hearing and heeding the call of our Lord.

How overjoyed Jesus must have been when he saw these men, who had everything to lose, put it all on the line for him! How it must have thrilled his heart to find friends and followers who were willing to trust him completely!

How and Why to Respond to Christ's Call

Jesus doesn't work alone. He calls us to work with him. We respond to that call by following his commandments and obeying the teachings of his Church. We respond by keeping our prayer life in shape and embracing the sacraments.

We respond by looking for opportunities to draw others closer to Christ through our courageous but respectful words and through our tireless example of humility, faith, and selfless concern for our neighbor. We respond by listening for the small inspirations the Holy Spirit sends us each day - inspirations that almost always lead us out of our comfort zones for the sake of our neighbor.

Jesus calls, and we must respond, leaving behind the boat that we love and the nets that we depend on. It is not always easy to respond to Christ's call. Life is already hard. When he asks more of us, our first reaction is usually to hesitate, or even to rebel.

That's when we have to remember why Jesus keeps calling us. It's because he loves us. It's because he wants us to be with him. It's because he knows that only he can fill our hearts with the meaning and purpose we yearn for. Jesus does not call us for selfish reasons - he can't be selfish. He calls us for our sake, and when we respond, he always stays right there at our side.

He will remind us of this today during Mass. It's only because he has called us to be his followers that we will have this remarkable opportunity to receive God himself at Holy Communion.

When we do, let's thank him for not giving up on us, for continuing to call us - and let's promise him that this week we will listen with extra attention. 

Humans are creatures that consist of a body as well as a spirit so that our prayers are not confined to our minds, hearts and voices, but are also expressed by our bodies as well. When our body participates in our prayer, we pray with our whole person. As embodied spirits, this engagement of our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with greater attention.

During Mass we assume different postures: standing, kneeling, sitting, and we are also invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures are not merely ceremonial. They have profound meaning and, when done with understanding, can enhance our personal participation in Mass. In fact, these actions are the way in which we engage our bodies in the prayer that is the Mass. Each posture we assume at Mass underlines and reinforces the meaning of the action in which we are taking part at that moment in our worship.

Kneeling is one of the most distinctive physical gestures of prayer during the celebration of Mass. In fact, for many centuries the lay faithful of the Roman Rite would kneel for almost the entire duration of Mass. Why is that?

While it's true that standing during prayer was a common posture of the early Christians (and is currently maintained by many Eastern Christians during the Divine Liturgy), kneeling was also part of early Christian tradition. Ratzinger claimed that, "Kneeling does not come from any culture — it comes from the Bible and its knowledge of God." In particular, "Saint Luke, who in his whole work (both the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles) is in a special way the theologian of kneeling prayer, tells us that Jesus prayed on His knees. This prayer, the prayer by which Jesus enters into His Passion, is an example for us."

Additionally, kneeling is typically seen in the Gospels as a way to express supplication and adoration. Often in the New Testament kneeling is preceded by an act of faith, "I do believe, Lord," and completed by an act of adoration at the majesty of God (cf. John 9:35-38).

Elsewhere, like in many of the healing narratives, the person is presented kneeling in supplication, asking to be healed. For these reasons the Roman Rite instructs the faithful to kneel during Mass specifically when Jesus is made present on the altar.

This physical posture is meant to express a spiritual attitude of adoration before the triune God, truly and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. It is an act of humility, recognizing our own littleness before the Creator of the world. The act of kneeling prepares our hearts to receive God within our souls, striking down our pride with a physical reminder of what our soul should be like spiritually. In this way, kneeling in the context of the Roman liturgy is directly tied to Jesus' presence in the Eucharist. Kneeling during Mass is an ancient posture, one that expresses a deep spiritual truth that is connected to the Real Presence of Jesus on the altar.

At the moment of his baptism, Jesus began his public ministry. From then on, he no longer spent his days in the carpenter shop in Nazareth, as he had for the first thirty years of his life.

Now he sets off on the next stage of his mission. The prophecy from Isaiah, which we heard in the First Reading, summarizes this mission with a very interesting word: "servant."

Isaiah writes that God says to the Messiah, "You are my servant." The Hebrew word translated servant is "ebed", which literally means "slave." In the Old Testament it was often used in the context of "slave of the King." Moses, when addressing Yahweh, called himself, "your slave" as a way to express his humility in God's presence. The Psalms also describe King David with this term, as a title of honour. Yahweh calls him "my servant whom I have chosen." The prophets are also referred to as Yahweh's special, honoured "servants."

But in the passage from Isaiah, the term is not used to refer to just another prophet or king. Rather, it refers to the Messiah, the unique servant who will "restore Israel" and be a "light to the nations," bringing God's salvation "to the ends of the earth."

This term has much to teach us. It tells us much about Christ, but it also tells us much about ourselves.

Christ the Servant

By using this term to refer to the Messiah, Scripture teaches us two things about Jesus.

First of all, he had a unique relationship with God. The "slave of the king" was the one, in Old Testament times, who had special access to the king. He was the one who the king depended on, who advised the king, who the king confided in. He was like the prime minister, the viceroy, the chief of staff. No one else had direct access to the throne - they all had to go through the king's special servant. Moses went up the mountain and into the tent of God's presence, but everyone else waited outside.

Just so, Jesus' relationship to the Father is unique. This is why John the Baptist, whom Jesus himself later called the greatest of all prophets, says that Jesus is "a man who ranks before me, because he existed before me." Jesus Christ was not just a smart, enlightened man who stumbled across some wisdom and became a famous teacher.

Jesus is not just another Socrates. He is the Eternal Son of God made man, the Saviour, the one Mediator between God and man. Here we see Christ's glory. Here we see why St Paul's favourite title for Jesus is "Lord," a word reserved for God alone in the Old Testament.

And yet, at the same time, he is the servant of his Father. He has come to earth to do his Father's will. He has received a mission from his Father, and he is responsible for carrying it out. Here we see Christ's humility. Later in John's Gospel Jesus says that "my food is to do the will of the one who sent me, to accomplish the task he has given me" (John 4:34).

So Christ occupies both a place of supernatural honour, and also a place of complete dependence on his Father. That is what the term "servant" teaches us about Christ.

Christians - Other Christs

But at the same time, every Christian is another Christ. When we were baptized, we received the same Holy Spirit that came upon him at his baptism, and God's grace flowed into our souls, and we became sons with the Son, children of God - not just symbolically, but really.

So we too occupy a double place in the history of salvation. Each one of us is a slave of the king, an intimate companion and collaborator with the Lord. We have direct access to the heavenly throne - access unique to a king's son or daughter. Our true dignity comes from this sharing in the divine nature - not from our intelligence or athleticism or good-looks, but from each one of us having been adopted by God and brought into his intimate circle of friends and collaborators.

But this also means that we, like Christ, have a mission on this earth. We too are called to do God's will, to fulfil his plan for our lives. And that plan consists of continuing Christ's own work, restoring this fallen world, one heart at a time, bringing the salvation of God to the "ends of the earth."

As Christians, we are noble and honoured way beyond anything we can imagine, but we are also dependent - we are "slaves of the King," servants of Yahweh. Like Paul, we can say that we have been "called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" - an apostle, a messenger, an ambassador of Jesus Christ to this world full of darkness and sin.

Conclusion: Heeding the Call

This is who we are. This is who we are called to become more fully. Today, when Jesus renews this call and gives us his own life through Holy Communion, let's renew our commitment to this mission.

And this week, in our words, example, and decisions, let's strive to be worthy brothers and sisters of our Saviour Jesus Christ, worthy slaves of the King, willing to give up even our very lives in order to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbours as ourselves.

by: FR. JEFFREY KIRBY

As we receive and nurture sanctifying grace in our souls, we are strengthened to follow the way of the Lord Jesus. St. Paul describes this as being "clothed" in Jesus Christ. The figurative language is meant to express not only an external obedient to Jesus Christ, but an internal surrender to the workings of His grace in our lives.

As many of you as were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. —(Galatians 3:27) The imagery is helpful as we reflect upon our Baptism, our status as the children of God, our esteemed name of Christian, and the reliving of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ and the dwelling of His grace within us. Imprisoned and preparing to die for the Lord Jesus, St. Paul reminds us of our Christian vocation:

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. —(Ephesians 4:1–6)

The imagery of being clothed in Jesus Christ and living according to His way of life is also helpful as we seek to understand the pious tradition of the scapular, since a scapular is a piece of clothing (or an abbreviated piece of clothing) that is worn as a sacramental on our bodies.

Outside of our spiritual tradition, the word scapular refers to anything relating to our shoulders or shoulder blades. Within our religious tradition, therefore, the clothing that covers the shoulders has come to traditionally be called a scapular. Full scapulars were initially worn by Carmelite Friars and Sisters (and other religious orders) to cover their habits. Scapulars were worn during times of labor or strenuous work projects so that the habit of the Religious would not be torn or dirtied. Eventually, the scapular itself became acclimated as a part of the habit.

In the course of time, baptised lay Christians saw the spirituality and work of the Carmelite Order and wanted to participate in it. The Carmelite spirituality focuses on an active listening to God, the practice of contemplation, and on a deep love for the Mother of God. These spiritual aspects greatly inspired many Christians to deepen in their own commitment to the Lord Jesus. As such, they sought to follow the Carmelites on the way of the Lord.

Such an accompaniment with the Carmelites led to the laity taking on a small form of the scapular themselves. Such a scapular consists of two small cloth squares joined by shoulder tapes and worn under a person's clothing along their chest and back. It was a small sign of their baptismal consecration to Jesus Christ through His Blessed Mother within the contemplative tradition of the ancient Carmelite way of life.

The Brown Scapular is not jewelry. It is not an accessory to our clothing. It is not a good luck or other magical charm. The Brown Scapular is a sign of our baptismal consecration to Jesus Christ. It is a revered sacramental within the Christian tradition. It symbolises the convictions of our heart and represents the greatest aspirations of our lives: we belong to Christ. We seek to live Christ. We labor to share Christ. These are the messages of the Brown Scapular.

Do I understand that the scapular is a sign of my consecration to Jesus Christ? Do I let the scapular remind and convict me of my responsibilities as a disciple of the Lord Jesus?

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.—Colossians 3:14–17

Introduction

Happy New Year my dear brothers and sisters of St. Anne's Church. Eight days have passed since we celebrated Christ's birth on Christmas. Most of the world has already left the message of Christmas far behind. But the Church, in its wisdom, has been spending these days in unceasing celebration and contemplation of this most astonishing event in the entire history of the human family. And the liturgy will continue doing so all the way through the feast of Epiphany.

Let's stay in tune with the Church. Let's keep enjoying the message of Christmas, savouring it, living it deeply. Unfortunately, there are fewer people here at Mass with us today than there were on Christmas Eve.

Maybe the noise of New Year's Day has distracted them from the true meaning of every year and every day. That's all right - we are here to pray for them, to take their place beside the manger, so Jesus and Mary don't have to celebrate New Year's Day all alone. In fact, another New Year's Day would have little meaning if Christ had never been born to give us hope and guidance.

One way to activate that hope and make use of that guidance is by following in the Shepherds' footsteps. St Luke paints a beautiful picture of those poor, hardworking shepherds making their way to the stable cave at Bethlehem.

Where did St Luke find out about this encounter? He wasn't there. No newspapers covered it. None of the Apostles were there. Only Mary could have told him about it. And when she told him, she chose her words carefully, to make the full meaning come out.

And so, the three verbs that describe the shepherds' actions are not mere coincidence - they are the inspired pattern of how every Christian should live out the message of Christmas.

Making Haste to See Christ

First, St Luke tells us that the shepherds "went in haste" to find Christ, to seek him out in the midst of his family, the Church, here represented by Mary and Joseph.

They were eager to meet the Saviour, to spend time with him, to get to know him, to receive his blessing. That's why Jesus came to earth in the first place - so that we could more easily find him. The history of humanity is the history of a people lost in darkness and searching for meaning, forgiveness, grace, and light. Jesus is the source of all those things. He is our salvation. That's the significance of the name "Jesus", which means "God saves."

The Jews traditionally had their boy children circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. During the ceremony, the child would also be given his name. St Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary followed this tradition with Jesus.

Circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with ancient Israel, and the most important thing about that covenant was God's promise to send a Saviour. Receiving one's name at the same time that the boy was circumcised was a symbolic way of emphasizing that the boy's life, his very identity, was now tied up with that promise. And performing the ceremony on the eighth day was also significant.

God had created the universe in seven days. But that creation was wrecked by original sin. The eighth day is a symbol of the redemption - the first day of the new creation in Christ.

God's promise of blessing, our true identity, redemption and everlasting life - this is what Christ comes to give us, this is why we, like the shepherds, should be eager to go and look for Christ, to "make haste" to find him each day in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments.

Making Known the Message

Second, the shepherds "made known the message that had been told them." The news the angels announced to them was too good to keep to themselves. They felt a need to share it, to tell others about the Savior. That is always a sign of an authentic encounter with God.

The ancient philosophers had an adage that said, "bonum diffisivum est" [goodness is overflowing]. When we have or discover something wonderful, we can't hold it back, we simply have to share it. Even on a merely human level - if you find a great golf club or book or Web site, you tell your friends about it.

When we truly experience Christ, even just a little bit, something similar happens. Our hearts automatically overflow with a desire to share that experience. And if we don't feel that desire, it probably means that our friendship with Christ needs some maintenance.

Being committed Christians doesn't make us immune to temptation. If we are not careful, we can fall into routine. We can come to Mass, say our prayers, keep up appearances - but underneath it all, we can be falling into spiritual mediocrity.

An excellent thermometer for mediocrity is precisely this: if we feel an inner urge to spread Christ's Kingdom, to bring others into Christ's friendship, to share our experience of Christ - as the shepherds did, then we know we are spiritually healthy.

But if we don't feel that urge - it is a warning sign that our friendship with Christ is growing cold, and that we need to "make haste" to Bethlehem to take a fresh look at our Savior.

Letting Loose Christmas Joy

The third verb that Mary used to describe this scene to St Luke is a double verb. St Luke tells us that after the shepherds made haste to come and see Jesus, and after they told their amazing story to everyone who would listen, they "returned glorifying and praising God." When we seek Christ and share Christ, he fills our hearts with a deep, inner joy.

The shepherds were so full of this joy that they couldn't hold it in. Materially and economically nothing had changed. They didn't have more money, a better job, a nicer house, or even a few more Christmas presents. And yet, if while they were walking back to their flocks someone had asked them, "What did you get for Christmas," they would have had a ready answer.

They would have said, "We have seen God, our Saviour, and we have seen his Mother, our Queen. And now we know that God loves us more than we could ever have imagined." Their bank accounts weren't affected by their encounter with the new-born Christ, but they were immeasurably richer on Christmas Day than they had been the day before.

And if we follow in the shepherds' footsteps this year, actively seeking Christ in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments, and bringing Christ's grace and presence to those around us, we too will experience the true joy of Christmas - all year round.

Conclusion: Mary's Secret

The shepherds are models for every Christian. They clarify what's most important in life: seeking Christ, sharing Christ, and rejoicing in Christ. But life for the shepherds didn't end on Christmas. They had to return to the humdrum of the daily grind. And after today, we will too.

How can we keep the meaning and lessons of Christmas shining in our hearts even after we take down the Christmas lights? Mary, whose motherhood we remember in a special way today, gives us the secret. Mary didn't let life's hustle and bustle drown out the beauty and wonder of Christmas.

St Luke tells us that "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." God did not tell Mary his entire plan. We know much more than she did about how everything was going to work out.

She had to walk in the dim light of faith, one step at a time, trusting in God, witnessing his action, and seconding it whenever she could. But she paid attention. She pondered in her heart all of God's gifts to her, all of his words and deeds.

Today in Holy Communion we will receive the Body of Christ, which was formed in the womb of Mary. When we do, let's ask our spiritual Mother, the Mother of God and of all Christians, to teach us how to take care of the precious faith we have received and renewed during these days, just as she took care of the baby Jesus. 

The image of Mary as Queen Mother is directly related to the first official Marian dogma defined by the Church: Mary's status as Mother of God. The Greek word for the title is Theotokos, which literally means "God-bearer." That title is one of the oldest and most commonly used titles for Mary, with Christians using it in the very first centuries of the Church. The title also appears in one of the oldest known Christian prayers, the Sub Tuum Praesidium ("Beneath Your Protection"), an early form of the Memorare that dates to the third century.

The first Christians called Mary the "Mother of God" without hesitation. There was scriptural precedent, and it seemed logical. If Jesus was God, and Mary was his mother, then that made her the Mother of God. That sort of logic depends on a principle called the "Communication of Idioms." According to that principle, whatever one says about either of Christ's natures can be truly said of Christ himself. That's because His two natures, the divine nature and the human nature, were united in Him. He is one divine person.

In the fifth century, however, some people raised the same objections to the title that many non-Catholics raise today: They argued that the title "Mother of God" implied that Mary was the "originator of God." Those objectors said that they could accept the title "Mother of Christ," but not "Mother of God." At the heart of those objections, however, was an objection to the unity of Christ's two natures. Mary, they claimed, gave birth only to Christ's human nature, not his divine nature. The Church, led by Pope Celestine I and St. Cyril of Alexandria, disagreed. As St. Cyril pointed out, a mother gives birth to a person, not a nature. Accordingly, Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, who was and is a divine person. Although Mary did not "originate" or "generate" God, she did bear Him in her womb and give birth to Him. She was God's mother.

The controversy over Mary's title as "Mother of God" was addressed in 431 A.D. at the Council of Ephesus. There, more was at stake than simply defending Mary's title. The Christian teaching about Christ's two natures was the real issue. The Church wanted to settle one question: Was Jesus one person or two? Rejecting the teaching of the heretic Nestorius, the Church declared that Jesus is one divine person, with two natures—his mother's human nature and his Father's divine nature. Mary did not give Jesus his divine nature or his divine personhood—those He possessed from all eternity as the only begotten Son of the Father. But she also didn't just give Him His flesh: She gave birth to the whole person. She gave birth to Jesus Christ, both God and man. That is what we confess every time we say the Apostles' Creed.

Calling Mary "Mother of God" states a truth that must be stated in order to protect an essential truth about Christ. In a similar way, that's what all Mary's queenly predecessors did for their sons. One of the three essential tasks of the Queen Mother was to be a sign of her son's legitimacy. She was the link between his father, the former rightful king, and her son, the present rightful king. Likewise, Mary as the virginal "Mother of God" is the link between her Son's humanity and divinity. She is the sign that He is both God and man.

https://stpaulcenter.com/why-do-we-call-mary-the-mother-of-god-2/ 

Dear brothers and sisters of St. Anne's Church, I wish you a blessed Christmas. May his peace be poured upon you. Today we learn how the word became flesh from St. John.He wrote his Gospel towards the end of his long life and wrote for two different audiences.

Primarily, he was thinking of people coming from a Hellenistic (Pagan-Greek) background. Secondarily, he was thinking of his fellow Jews. By calling Jesus the "Word of God made flesh," John wields a term familiar to both groups, but he gives it a shockingly new meaning.

For the Hellenistic Greeks, "Logos," here translated as "Word," referred to the one, unifying force that linked together and put order in the entire cosmos. For Jewish readers, the phrase "Word of God" meant the wisdom of God, often personified in the Old Testament, which informs and directs all his works, including the creation and sustenance of the universe.

St John uses those understandings of this term as a starting place, but by identifying Christ with "the Word," he takes the concept to a whole new level. In proclaiming that through the Word "all things were made," he reveals that the Hellenistic concept of Logos as a cosmic force had missed the mark.

The unity of the cosmos, its order, beauty, and glory, is not drawn from some impersonal force within itself, but from a transcendent, personal, creating God.

Then by asserting that "the Word became flesh," he challenges his fellow Jews to broaden their conception of the Messiah from a merely human king to God himself taking on human nature.

On Christmas day, the Church offers us this tightly-packed biography of our Saviour: all of God's infinite power and majesty wrapped in a few strips of swaddling cloth, sleeping helplessly in his mother's arms; this is Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, come gently to walk by our sides.

It is popular nowadays to say that all religions are basically the same.

You may have heard the example of people who say that God is like a mountain, and the different religions are the different paths up the mountain. But to say that all religions are the same is neither respectful nor tolerant - it is either arrogant or ignorant.

Religions do have some things in common, but they also have substantial differences. The human family was created for the purpose of living in relationship with God. And so there is a God-shaped void in the centre of our human nature. Before original sin, it was filled with God. But with original sin, our first parents broke away from God. Since then, human beings have been trying to fill that void up again.

This is the common origin of all religions, and it gives them an appearance of similarity; they all start from human nature's built-in, but frustrated, desire to re-establish a stable relationship with God. But the similarity stops there.

When it comes to questions like "What is God like?" and "How exactly can we rebuild our relationship with him?" different religions give different answers. Don't take my word for it - take the time to look them up. All religions start with the same questions, but they give a variety of different answers.

And there's only one religion in which mankind's effort to climb back up to heaven is met by the unimaginable event of God himself deciding to climb down into human nature.

Christmas is one thing that makes Christianity entirely unique among all the world religions. Only we Christians have the privilege of saying, "The Word became flesh, and lived among us."

Today Jesus will come to us again in the Eucharist. Just as he came into the world on the first Christmas; quietly, gently, helplessly, entrusting himself to Mary's care, so he comes to us in Holy Communion, quietly, gently, helplessly, entrusting himself to our care.

God wants to rule our hearts, because he knows that he is a better king than we are. But he is not a tyrant - he won't force his way in.

Instead, he invites us, he reaches out to us, he trusts us, he makes himself weak so as to become our strength. Whenever we receive him in Holy Communion, he looks at us with the same generous and eager eyes that he used to look at his mother Mary on the first Christmas.

He wants to conquer the world, but he refuses to do it alone. He wants to give forgiveness, hope, and meaning to everyone around us who is suffering and searching, but he refuses to do it alone.

Instead, today, just like 2000 years ago, he puts himself into our care. He entrusts us with the task of bringing him into the world. Not because we're so great, but because he is so great that he lets us share his all-important, everlasting mission.

He is glad that we are here today to celebrate his birthday, and he is hoping that we will give him the only present he really wants: our renewed commitment to spread the Good News of salvation to everyone around us - a commitment that we fulfil in our everyday activities, through our way of life, words, and works.

He is eager for us to give him that gift because he loves us without limits, and he knows that if we give happiness to others, we will receive much more happiness ourselves.

As a closing I want to say one more, Merry Christmas, everyone. May the Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope of Christmas be with you always. 

St. Francis of Assisi established the first Nativity scene in 1223 in Grecio, a small town in Italy. As he was preparing for Christmas Eve Mass, St. Francis was trying to think of a way to remind people that Jesus came not as a wealthy king but as a poor child born among animals. So he wrote to Pope Honorius III and obtained permission to create a living Nativity scene.

In a cave near town, Francis set up an altar. He brought in a manger filled with hay as well as a live ox and a donkey. He invited the townspeople to come, and he preached about the humble beginnings of the Christ Child.

St. Francis of Assisi created the Nativity scene in an effort to promote the true meaning of Christmas and worship of Jesus Christ. With the simplicity of that sign, Saint Francis carried out a great work of evangelization. His teaching touched the hearts of Christians and continues today to offer a simple yet authentic means of portraying the beauty of our faith.

A Nativity scene is probably one of the most recognizable symbols of the Christmas season. The word "nativity" is taken from the Latin nativus, which means "innate" or "imparted from birth." Nativities are art, models, carvings or live demonstrations depicting the night of Jesus' birth. These scenes generally contain the same elements: the Christ child in a manger, his mother, Mary, his earthly father, Joseph, shepherds, angels, various barn animals, and sometimes, three wise men.

The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman. We come to realize that so great is his love for us that he became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with him. At the same time, its portrayal in Nativity scenes helps us to imagine the scene. It touches our hearts and makes us enter into salvation history as contemporaries of an event that is living and real in a broad gamut of historical and cultural contexts.

Many of us enter church on Christmas Eve and see, up near the sanctuary, a beautiful Nativity scene. There is not a specific place where a manger scene should be placed. The only guideline is that the manger scene should not be placed directly in front of the altar. (Off to either side of the altar would be fine.) However, if the church is exceptionally small and the manger can only fit in front of the altar, an exception can be made.

The Nativity scene is an object of devotion. Where you place the scene should foster intimate prayer. Ideally, the scene should be placed where people, especially families with children, can draw near. The Nativity scene is there to remind us that the child — who was born to Mary and laid in a manger — would one day grow up to die on a cross and rise again so each and every person who believes in him may receive eternal life. The nativity scene shows God as he came into our world, but it also makes us reflect on how our life is part of God's own life. It invites us to become his disciples if we want to attain ultimate meaning in life.

As we contemplate this aspect of the nativity scene, we are called to reflect on the responsibility of every Christian to spread the Gospel. Each of us is called to bear glad tidings to all, testifying by our practical works of mercy to the joy of knowing Jesus and his love. 

My dear brothers and sisters, Advent is about newness. God acts, and he does something absolutely new. Both the first reading and the gospel today refer to this newness. And they refer to it by reference to something that's a core teaching of our Catholic Faith – the Virgin Birth of Christ.

In the book of Isaiah, King Ahaz is in dire straits. Enemies are besieging him, and God wants to help him out. He says, "Ask for a sign – any sign." But Ahaz doesn't really trust God, so he says "I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!" Rather strange since God explicitly told him to ask. But Ahaz doesn't want to rely on God.

And so, God takes matters into his own hands. He inspires Isaiah to say: "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God with us.'" Why is this important? Because for a virgin to conceive means that God has done something outside the normal course of nature. It means that he will do something new.

St Augustine wrote that God makes himself a debtor to us, not because he receives anything but because he promises us so much. And in the gospel, he fulfills the promise made to Ahaz 600 years earlier.

The angel tells Joseph that it was through the Holy Spirit that Mary conceived. "She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins." Jesus was born of a virgin, and that means that God has done something new. God has acted to save us.

This child is truly God and truly one of us. He would die to save us from our sins and restore us to friendship with God. He would give us hope, peace, and joy. God has done something absolutely new.

St Therese and the Supreme Irritation

St Therese of Lisieux described a cantankerous nun in her convent. "She had the faculty of displeasing me in almost everything, in her ways, her words, her character, everything seems very disagreeable to me."

The other nuns all felt the same way about this particular sister. However, St Therese decided to do something new. She decided to love this person as much as she loved the person she liked the most.

She prayed for her often. She also tried to serve her in every possible way. When tempted to snap at her she tried to give her most agreeable smile and change the subject.

St Therese's efforts to make this sister feel loved paid off, and one day she asked Therese: "What attracts you so much towards me? Every time you look at me I see you smile."

St Therese concluded that "what attracted me was Jesus, hidden in the depths of her soul; Jesus, who makes sweet what is most bitter." St Therese cooperated with God in doing something new, and she changed the convent.

Making all things new through love

How can we cooperate with God in bringing the newness of his saving love to our homes and our workplaces?

Let's follow St Therese's lead. Who's that person who irritates me the most? God is asking me to love that person. Not to like – to love. Our spontaneous feelings are beyond our control. But love is a choice to will the good of the other person. We can pray for that person. We can try to smile at that person. We can listen.

God's power, given to us in the Mass, will enable us to do that. Let's sincerely ask him now. 

As we approach Christmas, the Church invites us to reflect on Mary and Joseph and their courageous faith. I can think of no better models for us to welcome Our Savior than our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph. Their example invites us to accept, with openness of spirit, Jesus who is Emmanuel, God-among-us.

The Gospel tells us about two annunciations. One is the Annunciation to Joseph, and the other is the Annunciation to Mary. These two "Annunciations" are amazing announcements of the Incarnation delivered by heavenly messengers. They also involve the amazing responses, one spoken and the other unspoken, which express the obedient faith of Mary and Joseph to God's will and plan for our salvation.

The angel appeared to Mary when she was awake, and the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. In both Annunciations, the angel said: "Do not be afraid." In the case of Mary, she was troubled by the greeting of the angel, not knowing what it meant. In the case of Joseph, he was in turmoil because of Mary's pregnancy and having decided "to divorce her quietly" since he was "unwilling to expose her to shame." They were both afraid and confused, but God's revelation, which they accepted with obedient faith, filled them with peace. It was the revelation of the Incarnation, that the Son conceived by Mary is of the Holy Spirit.

The angel told Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Holy Spirit will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." The angel told Joseph: "It is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her." The angel told both Mary and Joseph that the child should be named "Jesus," a name which means "God saves."

Mary is our exemplar and model of faith in her response to the message of the angel: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Though we have no spoken words of Saint Joseph at the Annunciation to him, the Gospel tells us that "when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." Both Mary and Joseph responded positively to the word of God. Saint John Paul II wrote that "Joseph is the first to share in the faith of the Mother of God, the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary's pilgrimage of faith." We are called to walk that pilgrimage of faith, to walk with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem in these final days of Advent.

I invite you in your prayer during these final days of Advent to contemplate the mystery we prepare to celebrate, maybe even having a little spiritual conversation with Mary and Joseph. Ask them to help you to live the true spirit of Christmas, to be close to their Son. I encourage you to find some quiet time for prayer during these noisy and busy days before Christmas. There is an aura of silence around Saint Joseph. Yet, that silence speaks eloquently to us of the interior life of Joseph, who, like Mary, is a model of humility and prayer. If we desire to experience the true joy of Christmas, we can learn from Mary and Joseph the secret of silence and reflection on the great mystery of the Incarnation.

Mary and Joseph teach us that the true gift of Christmas is Jesus. The best gifts we can give to others at Christmas are not expensive presents. The best gift we can share is the love, joy, and peace of the Lord. We do so by our prayers for others, kind words and gestures, forgiveness, a welcoming home, and joyful witness. Material gifts have value too when they are expressions of love and generosity. And let us not forget the poor in our gift-giving at Christmas! It is a wonderful custom in our diocese to take up a special collection for Catholic Charities at all our Christmas Masses, an opportunity to support the charitable works of the Church in our diocese, to share with our brothers and sisters in need.

I encourage you to prepare for Christmas by contemplating Mary and Joseph: "Mary, the woman full of grace who had the courage to entrust herself totally to the Word of God; and Joseph, the faithful and just man who chose to believe the Lord rather than to listen to the voices of doubt and human pride. With them, let us walk together toward Bethlehem" (Pope Francis).

May this final week of Advent be a prayerful time of joyful preparation for Christmas! Through the intercession of Mary and Joseph, may we be free of all worldliness and ready to welcome our Savior! 

Things are not going well for John the Baptist in today's gospel. We're in the middle of Advent, joy is everywhere, and what are the first lines of today's gospel? "From prison, John the Baptist heard of the works of Christ."

John the Baptist had given everything to God. He had left his home and his family. He lived in total poverty – we can get used to hearing that that he wore clothes made of camel's hair and he ate locusts and wild honey, but imagine what a camel's hair shirt would feel like… It's not exactly an Armani suit. And even if you eat them with honey, locusts are still bugs.

John the Baptist had preached the Kingdom of God; he had given everything to prepare the way for Jesus. And what's his apparent reward? He's in prison. It seems that God is hidden from him. He hears about the miracles that Jesus is doing, and yet he remains in prison.

He sends his friends to ask the most important question; everything hinges on this question. He asks Jesus: "Who are you?" "Are you the meaning of my life? Are you the mercy of God made visible? I have given everything – even my freedom – for God. Are you his face among us?"

And the answer that Jesus gives to John's question can seem a bit cryptic. He doesn't say, "Obviously… Of course, I'm the one who is to come. All your difficulties and sufferings are over!"

Jesus is not a toothpaste advertisement - he doesn't say "buy my product and all your problems will disappear." Instead, he says something rather strange. He says: "Tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed…"

Jesus is telling John, "You don't have to understand everything. You're not God. All I ask is that you listen and look at what I've done and continue to do in your life and in the lives of others."

We all have our John the Baptist moments, when nothing seems clear, when Christmas may seem far away. And in those moments, Jesus is telling us, "Look, and listen."

St John of the Cross

On December 14 we celebrate the feast of St John of the Cross, a Carmelite Spanish saint from the 16th century.

Towards the end of his life, some members of his Carmelite religious order were unhappy with the reforms he was bringing about. They kidnapped him and put him in a dungeon for almost a year.

One of his spiritual directors found out about it and wrote him a letter to express her horror. And St John's answer embodies someone who had learned to look and listen.

"Do not let what is happening to me, daughter, cause you any grief, for it does not cause me any… Men do not do these things, but God, who knows what is suitable for us and arranges things for our own good. Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love."

Learning to See

Here's one vital way to learn to look and listen to what God is doing in our lives. Thank him.

Each night before we go to bed, let's commit to thanking God for at least one thing that day.

Let's make it serious, not just "Thanks for creating Starbucks…" But let's thank him for at least one way that he acted in our lives through an event or through another person.

Christ is reminding each one of us to remember what we have seen and heard. Thanking him each day, from our hearts, will help us to grow in that. 

Throughout the year, the liturgy reminds us of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin on behalf of all the faithful, and the season of Advent is no exception. The Blessed Virgin shines on our path as "a sign of sure hope and comfort" to make Advent a true preparation for receiving the Child Jesus.

It is no coincidence that the commemoration of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, falls during the second week of Advent. This feast reminds us that the Blessed Virgin is the image of what we are called to be: "holy and spotless" (Eph 1:4). Being conceived without original sin, Mary reflects the beauty of a life in grace, of union with God, free from sin. That beauty is an attraction that moves us to lead a clean life, detached from sin and open to grace. As Pope Francis expressed, "what was for Mary at the beginning, will be for us at the end" (Pope Francis, Angelus December 8, 2020). In this way Our Lady assists her children in the Church to follow the path of conversion to which Advent invites them.

On the other hand, Our Lady is also an example of hope: a persevering trust in God that is poured out in service to others. At the Angel's announcement, Mary responds, "Fiat! Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38), confidently accepting God's will: to be the mother of the Messiah for the redemption of all people. She then set out to help her relative Elizabeth who was in her sixth month of pregnancy (cf. Lk 1:39). Then, shortly before giving birth to the Child, she had to move from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and it can be inferred that she had prepared what was necessary to have everything ready when the time came (cf. Lk 2:1-7).

These are just a few scenes that delineate the hope of Holy Mary and that Advent invites us to imitate: an active hope. "So, we are in that 'sacred exchange' between God and man, between man and man, in which everything belongs to all in the 'communion of saints.' This Gospel calls us to enter the door of the fiat: that is its invitation, that is the hand of grace that the Lord extends to us in this hour of Advent." Therefore, devotion to the Blessed Virgin helps us to maintain an active hope, to say with her, "Fiat!"

Advent Customs

Popular piety manifests itself in different ways in each culture. As soon as Advent begins, the faithful put into practice various customs that help them prepare to meditate on the mysteries of this liturgical season.

One custom that is widespread is the Advent wreath. It consists of pine branches in the shape of a wreath with four candles, three purple and one pink, which are lit every Sunday of Advent. The purple ones represent the spirit of penance, conversion and vigilance that is encouraged during this liturgical season in preparation for the coming of Christ. The pink one is reserved for the third Sunday of Advent and represents the joy at the approaching birth of the Lord. In churches, the wreath is lit during the celebration of the Holy Mass. In homes, they are lit with the whole family, often with prayers or songs related to Advent.

Another way to prepare for the birth of the Lord is to put up a nativity scene. Christian families preserve the tradition of representing in their homes the mystery of the nativity of Jesus through figures. "The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of Sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman" (Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter Admirabile Signum). In front of these scenes, families gather to pray and sing carols and it becomes the setting for other acts of piety.

"Advent is a time of preparation and an impulse for the encounter with Christ. Our journey towards Bethlehem has to be a search for Jesus in all the dimensions of our ordinary life. But to achieve this we have to 'make his paths straight.' What does it mean to 'make his paths straight'? It means, for us, removing obstacles to our Lord's coming to us, to our souls, and to our lives" (Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, December 7, 2020). 

Christ sent John the Baptist to announce his first coming 2000 years ago, because he wanted the people of Israel to be ready to receive him. He was coming to bring them new hope, forgiveness, joy, interior peace, meaning and fruitfulness - all the benefits of Redemption and grace. In Advent, we remember that first coming, in order to thank God for it.

But we also re-live that coming in the "today" of our own lives. This Christmas, Christ wants to make a new surge of grace in the world, in the Church, and in each one of our lives. He wants to keep pouring out those benefits of Redemption. And he wants us to be ready to receive this year's new surge of grace - he doesn't want us to miss out on it. And so, through the liturgy, he sends his messenger once again to teach us how to get ready.

Clearing the way for Christ to enter more deeply into our society and our lives means, first of all, repenting. To repent is to turn away from selfish behavior patterns. To repent means to acknowledge our sins. After all, how can we have room in our hearts for the coming of a Savior unless we are aware of our need to be saved?

But that's only the first step. Preparing for Christ's coming also involves positive action, it means "bearing good fruit." Active, self-forgetful service towards our neighbor shows that our repentance is real. What good is acknowledging our selfishness and sin unless we also decide to leave that sin behind, and then make concrete actions to carry out that decision?

If we do these two things, repent and reform, we will be ready to experience the joys of the coming Kingdom in a fresh way this Christmas, just as Christ wants us to.

Benefits of His Coming - St Lawrence and Interior Peace

The First Reading reminds us of all the blessings that God has in store when we stay close to him. It uses vivid language to describe the perfect justice, peace and harmony of life in the Kingdom of God. It shows wolves and lambs entertaining each other, lions eating hay and living in peace with cattle, the utter destruction of ruthless and wicked people... These are descriptions of the world as it will be when Christ's redemption reaches its fulfilment. But it is also a description of what happens inside our souls when we let Christ rule there, as all the saints have done so well. When we look at their example, we are amazed again and again by their uncanny ability to maintain interior peace in the midst of the most stressful situations.

Take St Lawrence, for instance, a deacon in Rome in the 200's, when it was still illegal to be a Christian. During one of the waves of persecution, the emperor arrested the pope and had him put to death. Then he arrested St. Lawrence and ordered him to give all the Church's wealth to the imperial treasury.

The next day St Lawrence showed up with the poor, the widows and the orphans who the Church was supporting, and said, "Here are our treasures." The emperor, who had been expecting golden vessels and jewel- studded chalices, was furious.

He sent St Lawrence to death by being roasted alive. But even while he was burning on the grill, his heart was at peace. Eyewitnesses actually recorded him as saying to the guards soon after his torture had begun, "This side is done now; I think you can turn me over."

When we let Christ rule in our hearts, his strength, peace and wisdom become our strength, peace and wisdom.

(By the way, this is why St Lawrence is the official patron saint of football players; he died on the gridiron.)