Joseph had an interesting twenty-four hour period. First, he learned that his betrothed, Mary, was “with child” and that he was not the biological father. Joseph did not believe the account of Mary and decided to “divorce her quietly.”  Yet before being able to act on that decision, Mary’s story would be confirmed that night by the angel Gabriel. Joseph’s mind and heart were open to the move of the Holy Spirit and so upon awaking, redirected his efforts and quietly cared for Mary and Jesus.

Both Mary and Joseph awaited the coming of the Messiah just as so many of their kinsmen, yet neither could believe the part they were asked to play in being the parents of the Son of God. Once they were clear of the plan that God had for them they faithfully assumed their responsibility.

There are so many anonymous people within and without of the Church who are just like Mary and Joseph. They quietly and diligently go about their daily lives as pencils in God’s hands. They are not only open to hearing the word and direction of the Word of God, but they follow through with their actions to put into practice what they have received. They may not even be aware of the profound effect that their choices have had on others.

Time and again, throughout the Bible, we see God calling those who are not necessarily worthy, but humble and willing to play the part they were given in salvation history. Each one of us is invited to play our part as well. If we are stating or complaining about a particular issue and inquiring why God does not intercede and correct a certain situation, what he may be doing is convicting our conscience. The injustice that tugs at our heartstrings could be just the invitation that the Holy Spirit is giving us to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world today.

Mary and Joseph waited with great expectation for the Messiah, they would play a central role in helping the Savior not only to be born but to have the support and guidance to be who God had called him to be. Yes, Jesus remained fully divine in his incarnation, but he was fully human as well. If it were not for the care, guidance, and support of Mary and Joseph, things could have gone badly for Jesus and for all of us.

May we have the same heart and mind conformed to the movement of the Holy Spirit as Mary and Joseph. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the saints have paved the path of salvation to follow. We are invited to follow and play our part by committing daily to small acts of great love as well.

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Photo: Stain glass of the Holy Family at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, CA.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, December 22, 2019 

Mary “traveled to the hill country in haste” (Lk 1:39) and when she and Elizabeth got together they rejoiced in the gift of new life that God had blessed them both with. We are to rejoice too, as we remember the gift of the conception and birth of Jesus. Jesus invites us to experience a new life. What we are about to celebrate in a few days had never happened before in human history. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, fully divine, became one of us. He became a human being, fully human, just like one of us. That affirms that we are not junk, not someone’s trash to be kicked around. Our life has purpose and meaning because we are loved by God more than we can ever imagine!

We are all invited to be recreated, each and every day. Have you ever wanted a fresh start, a do-over? Well, here you go. Don’t believe the mind noise or other people who will actually tell you in subtle or overt ways that you are worthless or nothing. Not true! Just by our very being, the reality that we exist, says something. We have been created in the image and likeness of God and we have been created by Love to receive and to share the love. We are a living craving hunger and desire to be in communion with God and one another. This is true for the atheist and the believer alike. We are called to will the good of the other as other and as they are, unconditionally. If we haven’t been all that loving lately, today is a new day to take Jesus’ hand and begin anew.

We are about to celebrate a baby’s birth. Not just any baby, but he who has always been, is, and will be, became the most vulnerable, as an embryo, as an unborn fetus, and as an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. Mary’s Son would continue to grow, mature, and thirty-three years later, return to an even more vulnerable position on the Cross, beaten, scourged, naked, and crucified. He was born and tabernacled, made his dwelling, among us, to be one with us, so that when he died he could take our sin upon himself. Original Sin did not destroy us. We were wounded, but by his stripes, the scourging that Jesus endured for us, we have been healed. He conquered even death, that we could have life and have it to the full, now and through all eternity.

Jesus was born for us; he is still with us that we might not only be shown a better way but to know him, who is the Way. Jesus became vulnerable for us, being authentically who God called him to be, even when that meant rejection, time, and time again. May we too be willing to be vulnerable, to risk, to share with others who we are, free of masks and pretense. May we be present, and also walk and accompany one another. Being there for our family and friends is important, and if we take our Christianity seriously, we must come to acknowledge, in concrete ways, person to person, that we are all brothers and sisters. Just as the sun shines on the good and the bad alike, Jesus died for us all. After his Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit, the Love shared between the Father and the Son, to empower us to live as he did, in communion with his Father, to better actualize our communion with one another.

Mary and Elizabeth celebrated the joy of new life, they rejoiced together at the announcement that each of them would conceive and bear a son. The other message they share with us because they realized it all too soon, is that life goes by too fast. Each of their sons would die a brutal death, yet God brought about a greater good from their willingness to sacrifice their lives for us. They gave us a new beginning for humanity.

Let us not take the gift of this life we have been given, any moment of it, for granted. Let the people we care about know that we love them. Make that call, send that card, and/or invite that person for a walk and when you are together, be present, be there with each other. Put the phone down, leave work at work, and set the problems aside, and just be present.

May we be respectful, kind, and caring in our interactions with each person we encounter in our daily moments. If you catch the eye of another, smile. In that simple gesture, we say to another that we care enough about them to acknowledge that they exist and that they have worth. Let the joy of Mary and Elizabeth catch like wildfire in us this Advent and let us share with haste the joy of Jesus we have experienced in our life!

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Painting of Elizabeth and Mary in the church of El Sitio, Suchitoto, El Salvador – Accessed from https://walktheway.wordpress.com/2013/12/21/solidarity-mary-with-elizabeth/

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, December 21, 2019

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 (Lk 1:38).

Whether this is the first or thousandth time you have read this verse, the more important question is how many times have you said to God, “May it be done to me according to your word”? How would it be for us to begin each day with this prayer and then at the end of the day reflect on how well we have heard and answered yes to God’s will?

Mary’s yes changed the course of human history. Her willingness to bear the Son of God who dwelt among us in our wounded human condition, was for the purpose to heal and to lead us home to communion with his Father. Jesus is the gift that keeps giving – and we receive his gift each time we say yes to him. When we do so, we become less, as he becomes more, and the kingdom of God continues to expand.

Along with Mary, the yes that we make is not a one-time, yes, but we are to affirm a daily, moment by moment yes. As St Paul wrote to the Church of Thessalonica, we are to: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 16-17). We are able to rejoice always and pray without ceasing when we say, “Yes,” to God by developing and sustaining our relationship with him such that even when we experience pain, suffering, and struggles, we are not overcome or overwhelmed. We can even feel joy in the midst of them because we experience Jesus’ closeness. He does not abandon us to random fate. He is our source, our refuge, and our strength, present to us in all that we experience for ill or for good.

Our prayers of petition for ourselves and intercession for others are another yes to his will because they are an “admission of one’s own helplessness” (Lohfink 2014, 240). Prayer is a, “No,” to pride. Our willingness to ask for help and to help others are also practical ways of saying yes to God. There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto, so they went two by two, as Jesus sent his disciples. Prayer is a yes to our acknowledgment that we need Jesus to guide and help us, also to save us from ourselves! Service is a yes to the love we have received from him and a willingness to share this love with others.

May we rejoice this third week of Advent as we draw ever closer to celebrating the birth of Jesus who is Emmanuel, God with us. This reality was made possible by the handmaid of the Lord. Say yes to Jesus as Mary did and rejoice always!

Photo: Who says that you can’t experience joy in Religion Class?

Lohfink, Gerhard. No Irrelevant Jesus: On Jesus and the Church Today. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, December 20, 2019

The Gospel of Luke and today’s first reading from the Book of Judges both continue the theme of divine intervention through angelic messengers. The message they convey is one of the new life to come. The wife of Manoah, she is not named, and Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth, both receive the message of impending birth. The miraculous claim here is that both women are beyond bearing age.

For women of ancient Israel, this was a tremendous cause for shame; for many women, their worth was defined by their ability to bear children. This was in evidence in the words of Elizabeth. When she conceived she said, “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” (Lk 1:25). Her shame and anguish would now be over, her long period of barrenness was coming to an end.

Many women today feel this same anguish, in that they desire to have a child and are not able to. There may be many reasons why, but there may also be a plan that God has in place that is not readily apparent at the time. One may be God’s timing, for Mary it was too soon! For Manoah’s wife and Elizabeth, it was about time! But in each case, God had his plan and timing in mind. For some women, there may be another way of serving other than being a birth mother.

Adoption or foster parenting of children who are in desperate need of safe, stable homes are options. Some more indirect ways could be assisting in caring for nieces and nephews, cousins, teaching catechesis, or working with youth groups. Other ways to serve could be through more time consuming active ministries, vocations, or jobs. I cannot imagine wanting to give birth to my own child and not be able to do so, nor can I imagine the inner anguish that may cause. I do believe God has a plan for each of us and when we align ourselves with his will we will truly be happy and fulfilled.

Though I am not the birth father of any of my own children, I have been blessed with the gift of being a step-father to JoAnn’s three children, Mia, Jack, and Christy. This was not necessarily the plan I thought about. In fact, about a year before we met, I was in a consignment shop and saw a jean jacket for an infant. I bought it thinking it would look good on my future daughter or son. When JoAnn and I were married the kids were no longer infants, so, I guessed the jacket would look good on a future granddaughter or grandson, God’s timing! 

I am truly thankful to have been married to JoAnn and journeyed alongside Mia, Jack, and Christy, and although we are now facing our greatest challenge thus far, learning to live without JoAnn, I would marry her all over again. It is too soon to see how God will bring about a greater good from her too early departure from this life, but I trust that not only he but JoAnn will reveal to us the steps we are to take as we need to know them.

Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. There are periods of waiting in all of our lives and we can certainly be impatient with God and ourselves. We have certain plans and intentions that we want to accomplish but often are not capable of seeing far enough down the road to notice if those plans are apparent or actual goods. The light at the end of a tunnel could actually be a train!

When we remain faithful like Manoah’s wife, Elizabeth, and Mary, and resist the temptation to go off on our own, while seeking to understand his will or ignoring it altogether, we will find fulfillment and joy. Each of us is called to be a Christ-bearer to a worn and weary world desperately in need of new life! We will also enjoy the time of waiting more when we are trusting that God is preparing us for what we seek or something even greater than we can ever imagine!

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Photo: Our first Christmas together!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, December 19

Joseph heard the news that Mary, his betrothed, was with child. He clearly knew the child was not biologically his. Scripture does not account for the thoughts or emotions of Joseph, but whatever inner turmoil he did have, he came to a decision that would not expose Mary to shame. He was not going to make a public spectacle of Mary, but divorce her quietly. Before he made his final decision though, Joseph made an excellent choice when discerning serious matters. He slept on the idea before acting.

During Joseph’s sleep, the angel of the Lord delivered a message. “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” (Mt 1:20-21). When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home (Mt 1:24). From their encounter with God’s messengers, both Mary and Joseph trusted in God’s will, and “that has made all the difference” to quote Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” Because of Mary and Joseph’s yes to God and to family, the Son of God became man and opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.

God often works in the same way when dealing with us. What may appear to be absurd, unimaginable, or downright impossible, is indeed possible when we align our will with God. This is the week of Joy in Advent. Joy is more than pleasure or happiness. Pleasure ends when the sensate experience ends. Happiness is experienced with pleasure and can last longer, in that we can recall the pleasurable experiences for a time, but happiness too will fade. Joy, though, like hope, is a gift of the Holy Spirit that wells up from within, from the depths of our soul.

The source of joy does not come from external experiences, but from an encounter with and acceptance of God’s invitation. Joy is an experience of communion with the love of God. This has been given to us in greater measure because Jesus became one with us, and so upon his ascension into heaven, we too can experience the loving communion he experiences with his Father. We also experience the love of the Holy Spirit in our encounter with family and friends, this exchange of giving and receiving of ourselves in conversation, shared experiences, and in resolving challenges and conflicts together.

Mary and Joseph both received incredible news, that neither of them fully comprehended. They could have easily responded in a different way, but they trusted in God, they chose family, and because they did so, we can rejoice not this week but all of our days!

Mary and Joseph trusted in God and were willing to allow their unborn child, Jesus, to come to full term. Because they risked public ridicule and worse, Jesus entered into our human condition. Even in the midst of our trials we can rejoice, not in the fact that we suffer or face uncertainties in this life, but because we are not alone. We may feel on our own, see no way out, and/or no help on the horizon, but God will make a way and reveal it to us through his Son. We may not understand either, but like Mary and Joseph, may we trust in God and one another.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, please intercede on our behalf this Advent Season such that we may better be able to resist the temptation of taking each of our family members for granted, but instead choose to be thankful for one another. Help us to react less and breathe deeply more. Help us to be more understanding, patient, and willing to forgive, such that even though we have experienced past hurts, conflicts, disagreements, and different perspectives, we may ultimately experience time and again the joy of being there for one another, through thick and thin.

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Photo: Our first Christmas picture together as a family about twenty-three years ago, actually taken in late summer so it would be ready for our first Christmas card!

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, December 18, 2019

Today’s Gospel account is from Matthew’s record of the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, is fully divine, while at the same time he is also fully human. Here Matthew presents the lineage of Jesus’ human line from Abraham to his foster father Joseph and his mother Mary. Jesus is part of a people and a family. If you go through this genealogy with a fine-tooth comb, there are gaps, but Matthew is more concerned with the line of faith than a strict historical account. Matthew also includes women in this listing, which is not common in ancient patriarchal societies. Looking at their stories in Scripture will also show that they were not at all the most virtuous, but more importantly, they played a significant part in God’s plan of salvation.

This is our heritage as well. We are spiritual Semites. Genealogies have become more popular in recent years as can be seen by the different advertisements for DNA test kits. The draw for these is that we want to belong, to be a part of. To understand who we are, we seek to understand where we have come from. To be able to go forward, we need to reach behind. Jesus was born in time, to the people of Judah, and is a part of the succession from Abraham and his clan, to the twelve tribes of Jacob, to the unified nation of Israel under David. Jesus continues to bring God’s movement of grace beyond a nation to a universal invitation for all.

Through our Baptism, we are part of the lineage of Jesus. We are not alone, no longer estranged, no longer separate, or on the peripheries. Yet many, even those who profess their belief in Christ, are missing his greatest gift of faith, which is developing a relationship with him now. Too many of us are Christian in name only.

We are now in the final two weeks of Advent. It would be a good practice to spend time drawing close to Jesus who made himself close to us in becoming one of us. Pope Francis can help. The Pope encountered a young man who told him that he didn’t believe in anything. He said, “I don’t have the gift of faith! What do you have to say to me?”

“Don’t be discouraged,” I said. “God loves you. Let yourself be gazed upon by him! Nothing else.”

May we too be willing to receive the gift of Jesus: “What is important is to find the way best suited for you to be with the Lord, and this everyone can do; it is possible for every state of life.” Pope Francis also offered these two questions to ponder: “Do I find time to remain in his presence, in silence, to be looked upon by him? Do I let his fire warm my heart” (Francis 2014, 16)?

We are never alone if we remember Jesus is present in our everyday experiences. We just need to be aware of his loving gaze and to return ours. Practicing in this way, we become more open to the gift of his presence in our lives, and when we allow him to lead us to encounter one another and support each other in our weaknesses, we too will experience the love of the Holy Spirit.

Photo: Rainbow we saw day after Thanksgiving.

Francis, Pope. The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2014.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, December 17, 2019

The question raised by “the chief priests and the elders of the people” regarding what authority Jesus was teaching was not an uncommon question. Rabbis and teachers often began their presentations by sharing with their listeners who was their teacher. It would have been from the authority they received from them that they taught.

Jesus did not do so for his authority came directly from God. Those questioning Jesus knew this and wanted Jesus to say it publicly so as to charge him with blasphemy by putting himself on the same level as God. Jesus did not give them the satisfaction. Instead of answering their question, Jesus asked one of his own. “Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin” (Mt: 21:24)?

The answer given by the chief priests and elders to the question posed by Jesus showed their weakness. They were the shepherds of the people of Israel, yet they would not speak the truth. Instead, they offered an answer that was calculated and weighed out by taking a quick opinion poll among themselves. Their answer was lukewarm, “We do not know.”

In answering this way, their authority as leaders was diminished. For if they were the religious guardians and guides, why could they not answer the simple question regarding the origin of John’s baptism?

Do we weigh out our answers based on a projected response or do we speak the truth? We want to be liked, respected, we want to belong and to fit in. Sometimes we feel uncomfortable speaking what we know we ought for fear of another’s reactions. If we are to be people of integrity, if we are to live out our baptismal call as prophets, there will be times that we need to resist the perceived and real pressures we feel, face the conflicts that arise, and speak what we know God would have us say at the moment.

Jesus, please forgive us for the times when we have not been honest because we have given into anxieties and fears. Help us to call on you to guide us and give us the courage and words to speak with charity no matter what pressures we face.

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Photo: Let us pray for one another that we may speak and act in each situation as God directs us.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, December 16, 2019

John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him whether or not he was the Messiah. Jesus answered their inquiry with the concrete expressions of what was happening. “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me” (Mt 11:4-5).

The ministry of Jesus was and continues to be today one of personal contact. Christianity is not merely a philosophical idea or even a particular theology. It is a faith tradition of an encounter with the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God. We are walking through Advent to remember again that a light has shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (cf. Jn 1:5).

Sometimes we can be weighed down by the darkness, the negativity, horror, and destruction we see all around us. The world certainly appears to be in a real mess at times. One of the most common critiques and a valid one at that is if there is a loving God, why does he allow such horrible things to happen, especially to the innocent? 

The Scriptures are clear, all that God has created is good. Evil is a deprivation of the good. It is an absence or distortion of the good that God has made, like a cavity in a tooth. The healings and miracles of Jesus we read about, as he himself describes in today’s Gospel, are the beginning overture of the restoration of that which was lost. God comes to us in our everyday lives and circumstances with the intent to save us, to make things right again for everyone. 

No matter what darkness we may be experiencing or witnessing this Advent, let us look for the light of Jesus shining in the midst of it. I can’t offer you a sufficient answer as to why God allows some bad things to happen or why he heals some and not others. 

My heart still aches with the loss of JoAnn, I can’t stop thinking about her, and I have no answer as to why she is no longer with us. I also know that my sight is limited and that in God’s plan he, as he did with allowing his Son to die on the Cross, will bring about a greater good in the fullness of time. I also know that he has not left me to suffer alone. I have felt his comforting presence through the support and prayers of family and friends, his closeness, and gentle touches from JoAnn.

This Advent we are not to only look for that light in the darkness, but be that light in the darkness for others. We are to allow Jesus to shine through us, to allow his love to be present in each encounter we experience. We are just passing through this world and need to remember this is not all there is, but there is a life of fulfillment to come. What we see now is just but a hazy image of what is to come in the fullness of the height, depth, and breadth of God’s plan.

The healings in today’s reading, as well as those throughout the gospels, are but a foreshadowing of the victory to come that has been won for us in Christ. As we continue to live in the in-between time of the first coming of Jesus at his birth and his second coming again, let us continue to resist the temptation of despair and be hopeful, let us not give in to doubt but be faithful, and let us refuse to allow fear to be our guide and instead be people who radiate God’s love. This is what Advent is all about!

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Photo: Flower that bloomed in the meditation garden outside our LA apartment the week before I returned home to Florida.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, December 15, 2019

The disciples who asked the question, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (Mt 17:10) were Peter, James, and John, who had just witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. They were walking down from the Mount of Transfiguration, tradition identifying this mountain as Mt. Tabor, and the context of the question had to do with, Moses and Elijah, who they saw with Jesus as he revealed to them his divinity.

As the disciples were attempting to digest this Mystery of the Transfiguration that they had just witnessed, they were drawn back to what they knew, the interpretations of the scribes. Most likely what they were referring to were the accounts in the Books of Sirach and Malachi. In Sirach 48:10 we too can read that, “You [Elijah] are destined, it is written, in times to come to put an end to the wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of the fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.” In the last chapter of the Book of Malachi, which is incidentally the last lines of the Christian Old Testament ordering of the canon, are the words: “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I enjoined upon him on Horeb, the Statutes and ordinances for all Israel. Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day” (3:22-23).

Moses in this encounter represents the Torah, the Law or Teachings, and Elijah represents the line of prophets. Elijah also, as we can read in 2 Kings 2:11, was taken up by God into heaven, amid “a flaming chariot and flaming horses… and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind”, and, it was believed, that he was to return again at the appointed time when the Messiah would come. Jesus clarified for his disciples that John was indeed the new Elijah. In the revealing of his divinity to Peter, James, and John, Jesus showed that he was the fulfillment of the salvific paths forged by Moses, Elijah, the line of prophets, and John the Baptist.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, and he is our fulfillment as well. We are invited to prepare the Way of the Lord in our hearts and minds, to become less so that Jesus can become more, as well as to help prepare the way for others. When I began to attend church again in my late teens, I went to the Congregational Church that was about a half-mile walk from our home. At the end of that first service I attended, the interim pastor made an appeal for Sunday School teachers. One of the things he said was that we do not know who Jesus’ Sunday School teacher was and he referenced that we could be teaching Jesus and not be aware.

We were not to take him literally, but his point was that we had the responsibility to continue to pass on the Greatest Story ever told. Also, his appeal was an avenue for the Holy Spirit to speak through him to me, and although I refused the invitation the first week, I returned and accepted the invitation the following week. What might Jesus be inviting you to do this Advent? Trust his invitation.

My yes to teaching Sunday School, not knowing the first thing about what I was doing, thinking I was too young and way too inexperienced, would eventually, through different twists and turns, lead me back home to the Catholic Church, to becoming a teacher, a deacon, and me writing you today and continuing to share the message of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15).
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Photo: First Congregational Church of East Windsor, one of the early stepping stones that led me to where I am today. Accessed from: http://fcceastwindsor.com/

Link for the Mass readings for today, Saturday, December 14, 2019

Jesus compared “this generation” to children who could not be satisfied. For when the flute was played for them they did not dance, when the dirge was played they did not mourn. There was no pleasing them no matter what. Jesus drew the parallel to the present bystanders who acted as fickle as the children. They criticized John as being possessed for practicing fasting and asceticism. They then criticized Jesus as a glutton and a drunkard for his table fellowship with all who were willing.

In today’s Gospel account, Jesus could have been addressing his detractors as well as his disciples. He encouraged his followers to be wary not to wallow in the mud of fickleness, but also to be clear that their preaching and teaching was to be based on being a dispenser of his truth and the will of his Father and not the reaction of the people, for “wisdom is vindicated by her works” (Mt 11:19). Just as Jesus taught that false prophets would be revealed over time by their fruits (cf. Mt 7:16), so those who were true to his teachings would be vindicated, if not fully in this life, certainly then in the next.

Pope Francis said that “The first thing for a disciple is to be with the Master, to listen to him and learn from him” (Francis 2014, 15). May we pray for open hearts and minds eager and willing to hear the word of Jesus our Master and the courage to act upon his leading in our everyday circumstances. To do so, we must first slow down our pace and quiet our minds sufficiently enough so that we can even hear his word. We also need to discern the difference between his voice, our own, and the many other distractions, diversions, and temptations we hear. God himself speaks to us in so many ways; directly in the silence of the heart, through others, spiritual direction, small groups, fellowship, through the Bible, as well as our culture, and influences, as well as through his creation.

More often than not, we may not definitively know if what we hear and how we are being moved is coming from God. Yet, remaining paralyzed and doing nothing is not an option. We can find support and confirmation from Scripture and Tradition, others who are wise and practiced in following God, then we can reassess our guidance and then act. If we are wrong, we learn from our mistakes and begin again. If we are on the mark, this helps us to build our confidence in recognizing God’s voice. What we do not want to do is remain indecisive out of fear or anxiety, from the perceived reaction that will come. Nor do we want to remain indifferent to action.

Another important step in discipleship is that we are not to seek to impress, but to express. Adulation and acclaim for ourselves are not what we are about. Our firm intent is to become less so that Christ becomes more. We are also to resist moralizing and condemning others while instead be willing to meet people where they are, accompany and break open the word in practical ways so they see the benefits of having God in their lives. The invitation and life of a disciple of Jesus is not an easy one. Will we follow?

We need not be afraid that we don’t have what it takes, because we don’t at the start. Just as in learning to walk, our beginning attempts more often than not ended with a thud and us sitting on the floor or ground looking up. Yet, we got up, and with continued practice, we gained strength, balance, made corrections, and so began to gain confidence and the ability to move forward upright, step by wobbly step. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. put it more eloquently when he spoke to students at Spelman College in April of 1960. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” So it is in anything we do, but especially in the spiritual life. If we are not moving ahead we are falling behind.

Jesus, please help us to know you and your voice so we may follow the will of God. Grant us the courage to walk with you, that we may risk whatever the reaction of others may be as we offer your truth with love and mercy.  Set a spark in our soul so that above all we begin, one step at a time, hand in hand with you to serve those you bring to us. Help us move forward and allow God to happen in our interactions with one another.

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Photo: Day of installation as Lector with my classmates Pete and Hank. During the service we were told: “Take this book of holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people.” – from the Rites, Volume Two.

Francis, Pope. The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2014.

Link for today’s Mass readings for Friday, December 13, 2019