“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste” (Lk 1:39). Why? Because she was filled with joy. She had just experienced an incredible encounter with the angel Gabriel telling her that she was to bear the “holy, Son of God” (Lk 1:35). She also learned that her relative Elizabeth, who had been barren, was six months pregnant. Who better to understand and appreciate what she had gone through than Elizabeth? When we hear good news we want to share it with someone, especially when we believe another will fully appreciate our experience.

Is there a time when you felt overjoyed about something that you felt like you were going to burst and you couldn’t wait to share your experience? A memory may have already started forming in your mind, a smile and glow may be radiating from your eyes as you re-experience that moment.

One such graced encounter I had was when I was in my early twenties and dealing with a heavy personal issue. I was living in Sharon, Connecticut at the time and had an opportunity to go to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts to participate in a penance service. I walked up hesitantly to a kind looking, elderly, polish Marian priest. His name alludes me now, but not his face. He radiated invitation and mercy. After a few stammering words, I let loose and shared what I had been dealing with. When he offered absolution, I felt the burden physically lift, I felt almost like levitating. Then a surge of joy welled up in me that lasted for days.

There is a great gift in sharing a burden with a trusted friend or family member, being heard and supported. We need to resist the temptation of turning within ourselves, trusting in the lie that we can handle our conflicts, challenges and trials all on our own. I do not often have that emotional of an experience as I described above, when I to confession, but often I have felt a measure of peace and confidence. There is a pearl of great price, God’s healing grace, that is available in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

Many of us are struggling with a lot, and sometimes we are not at our best, nor do we make our best decisions, we react instead of act, we get caught in the momentum of behavior that we know is not acceptable, but we continue to slide. The key is not to beat ourselves up and walk around feeling guilty. There are enough people who would be happy sign up to do that for us. Instead may we choose to practice a healthy sense of guilt, examining our conscience, knowing, and being able to admit when we have done something inappropriate or wrong.

That is the key to reconciliation, embracing the humility to admit our sin, to be contrite – sorry for what we have done, not upset or defensive because we got caught, and confess our sin, so to receive forgiveness and grace, to go and sin no more! For those who are non Catholic, follow the counsel of James: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Then when we have experienced the joy of forgiveness, of reconciliation, may we be like Mary, and go in haste to share with others the wonderful gift we have received and invite them to do the same!

Photo: “Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?” – Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for us!

Link for today’s reading for Tuesday, December, 12, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121218.cfm

Jesus offers in today’s Gospel of Luke the parable of the lost sheep. This parable is another expression of Jesus painting a word picture of God’s abundant and extravagant love. To us, leaving the ninety-nine sheep alone, those who did not stray, to search for the one that was lost, can appear not only unreasonable but unbelievable.

Yet, this is not the feeling to the one who is lost. This extravagant love is a relief. It is the love that we can only experience if we are willing to resist slipping into judgment and pride, as did the elder son who was not willing to forgive his brother who was lost but now found. The father loved him with the same love, but he closed himself off from it.

What God wants is for us to be happy, to be fulfilled, to be fully alive, and he is willing to risk us going astray such that we can come to realize the emptiness in any pursuit that ultimately does not bring us closer to him. God does not seek for any one of us to be lost, but he urges us to fulfill who he created us to be. He guides us along as a parent urging his child to walk. Yet, though he lovingly implores us along, we can be distracted, turn, crawl away, and go in a different direction.

Have we taken our eyes off of our Father? Have we crawled away from his invitation? No matter how far we believe we are from him, he has always been close, following, watching, ready for us to turn back to him. When we do turn back, he is there waiting for us, urging us to rise and walk into his open embrace.

May we remember this Advent that God is eternally present to us, for he loves us more than we can ever mess up, he loves us more than we can ever imagine, and he refuses to define us by our worst choices and moments. Our Father’s hand is extended out to us, let us take his hand and let him lead us.

Photo: Hand in hand with my father.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, December 11, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121118.cfm

Have you ever locked yourself out of your house or car? Have you ever needed to get somewhere and were stuck in traffic? Have you ever needed to mail something at the post office and when you arrived the line was already out of the door? Have you been sick and not been able to get to a doctor? Have you or are you dealing with a chronic or debilitating health condition? Are you aware of a recurring sin, that you just can’t seem to get past?

If you have experienced any or many of the situations above, you may have some empathy for the man in today’s Gospel of Luke who is paralyzed. Word has come to him that Jesus of Nazareth is close by. He heard that Jesus has helped the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. Could he receive a healing? How though could he get to him? Somehow men came forward to bring the man, we don’t know if they were family, friends, or neighbors. In Mark’s account (cf. Mk 2:1-12) he wrote that there were four men. The key point is that they bothered to care, they made the time, carried him on a stretcher, and brought the man to Jesus.

When they arrived they could not find “a way to bring him in because of the crowds” (Lk 5:19). Unfortunately, “the crowds” could not be bothered to move, to adjust their positions, or to make a way for them to get through. We can imagine the man’s anguish. He had come this far, but would be able to get no closer. Maybe some of his bearers were getting frustrated with the lack of willingness of others to make way. Yet, one of the five, maybe even the man himself, was able to think outside of the box.

They maneuvered the man, still on the stretcher, up to the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down before Jesus. Jesus witnessing their faith said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven” (Lk 5:20). Before the man could even fully take in the wonderful gift of mercy he had received, the scribes and Pharisees challenged Jesus’ words, accusing him of blasphemy. Only God could forgive sins. Jesus not missing a beat doubled down: “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home” (Lk 5:23-24).

The man, who, with the aid of four others, met every obstacle placed before him to get to Jesus. Then he faced his last obstacle, the one that put him in this position in the first place, his sins. He was ready, willing, and able to face his sins and relinquish them in the healing words of Jesus. Just to be clear, not everyone who is dealing with a physical or chronic condition does so because of sin. This man had, for it was so deep in his being, and for how long we do not know but, he was paralyzed by them. We can beat ourselves up pretty bad, and be so unforgiving of others and ourselves, that sin often has debilitating effects.

The passage regarding the Healing of the Paralytic is a wonderful account to meditate on. I invite you to read it through a couple of times. Who do we at the moment of our reading see ourselves to be in the story? Are we the four men that offer help to the paralyzed man, the many onlookers in the crowd who prevent access to Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees, or are we the man paralyzed by sin? Is there something that is preventing us from getting to Jesus, is there a recurring sin that we keep repeating, are we are unwilling to forgive someone, are there particular attachments we cling to?

Let nothing prevent you from coming to Jesus. There may be those blocking access to him. You may have gone in the past to Confession and had a horrible experience with a priest who may have actually berated you, or the opposite. You may have had a sin that was totally discounted or brushed over. You may have even encountered an indifferent priest who appeared not to give you the time of day. Those are unfortunate experiences, hurtful, and inexcusable. You may have had others say to you or you may say to yourself, I do not need to go to a priest, I can just go to God. This is true you can, and a daily practice of examining your conscience and doing that is a wonderful spiritual discipline. I would encourage you to continue!

Come to Jesus. He is present in the sacrament of Reconciliation as he is in all the sacraments. This is a personal encounter with Christ. As the paralyzed man needed aid getting to Jesus, so do we. The priest is a minister of God’s mercy and grace, present to us so that we can hear the words of Christ: “Your sins are forgiven” and “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” There is something about hearing those words that is freeing and healing. Just as the man heard Jesus say he was forgiven and left praising God, so too may we come to Jesus so that we may also encounter his mercy, and also leave healed, filled with joy, and praising God!

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If you happen to be in the Jupiter area, this Wednesday, December 19, we will have priests available at 9:00 am to hear your confessions and also two communal penance services at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Both services will be held in our chapel. There will be signs posted to direct you. St. Peter Catholic Church is located on 1701 Indian Creek Parkway, Jupiter, FL 33458. Our priests are also available for confession every Saturday at 3:15 in our chapel. If you are reading this from afar, access a parish near you this Advent. If you are not Catholic, you can still reach out to God and one another!

Photo: Pope Francis giving absolution to a young teen, link where I accessed it from:
http://thecatholiccatalogue.com/in-surprise-appearance-pope-francis-hears-confessions-of-teens-in-vatican-square/

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, December 10, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121018.cfm

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee… (Lk 3:1).

This may be an odd verse to focus on in Advent, or anytime when sharing a reflection, but there is a point to this historical piece of information that Luke presents to us in his Gospel today. The point is that Jesus, the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was born in time, he was born in a place. The Gospels are not myths.

The Son of God came among us as one of us. This means he experienced what we experience as human beings. He caught colds, he stubbed his toes, he was misunderstood, he felt sad, he cried, yet he also laughed and experienced the simple joys of food and drink, fellowship and conversation, as well as familial and religious celebrations.

Let us continue this Advent, as the Baptist implores us, to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” In doing so, may we remember that Jesus did not run from his humanity, but embraced it. He understands what our challenges are and what we are going through in our daily lives. Jesus meets us where we are in our present condition and loves us as we are with understanding and compassion.

We can let go of compartmentalizing, allocating Jesus to only one hour a week, and instead invite Jesus into all aspects of our lives. As we walk with him and embrace our humanity, we come to see his presence in all we do.

Jesus cleanse our hearts, so to reveal to us more clearly those choices we make and that which we bring into our life that are false truths, apparent goods, and substitutes that separate us from your Father. Help us to let them go so to embrace that which is for our highest hope and good, that which is True, and Good, and Beautiful.

Painting: “Jesus Lauging”, by Ralph Kozak 1976

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, December 9, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120918.cfm

Mary, full of grace and the model of discipleship, is on display in today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel. In a mystical encounter, the angel Gabriel shared with Mary that she would bear the “Son of the Most High” (Lk 1:32). Mary heard clearly what Gabriel said though she did not fully comprehend. Who would? So Mary asked, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man” (Lk 1:34)?

This is a different question than what Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, asked of Gabriel in a similar situation: “How shall I know” (Lk 1:18)? Zechariah was looking for a sign, he sought proof. Mary, through her faith in God, sought to understand what God required of her, so she combined her faith and her reason. While she pondered Gabriel’s response, the whole of the cosmos held its breath for her response.

When Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), a weary world, wounded by sin exhaled with relief for the long awaited savior could now come to redeem what had been lost. Mary, in her obedience, undid the Sin of Origin committed by Adam and Eve in their disobedience.

Mary, help us to ponder your yes, your willingness to follow the will of God and to give birth to our savior. Help us to ponder what this reality means to us and our lives. Help us to be disciples like you, resisting a knee jerk reaction of rejecting outright what we do not understand and choose instead to be open to the possibilities available to us that are beyond the realm of our senses and limitations. May we too, like you, seek understanding instead of demanding proof. Help us to understand that this surrender is not a practice in limiting ourselves to mere superstition but an embracing of the fullness of what it means to be human, so to embrace the reality of our physical as well as our spiritual natures, and allowing ourselves to be expanded by God beyond our finite limitations.

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Photo: Grotto at Rosary Garden, St Peter Catholic Church, Jupiter, FL

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, December 8, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120818.cfm

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is followed by two blind men asking him to heal them. They continued to follow even after Jesus entered the house. When they had done so, Jesus turned and said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this” (Mt 9:28)? The pair said in unison that they did. Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith” ((Mt 9:29). Both men were healed.

Though the pair were blind physically, they had faith that Jesus was the Son of David. This term was a title for the Messiah. The two blind men believed that Jesus was who he said he was and then collaborated in their healing, for as Jesus touched their eyes, they had faith and believed that Jesus could heal them and they were healed.

Though we may have eyes to see and ears to hear, do we see and hear with the faith of these two blind men in today’s Gospel? Jesus came into the world just over two thousand years ago as the visible reality of the embodiment of God’s Love. Jesus calls us to be conformed to this same love. No easy task, for more often than not, we are blind and deaf to this gift.

The saints are those who followed through the narrow gate as did the two blind men. They encountered Jesus, had faith in him and believed. Will we follow the same path? Do we believe that Jesus is truly who he said he is, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity who became one with us so that we can become one with him? Let us pray together:

Jesus, this Advent, I choose to walk on your path of love. Free me from my blindness such that I may experience the grace of your Father, so to know the safety and security of your presence. I believe and have faith that you will provide for my every need and will be present through my pain and struggles, the everyday moments, as well as my joys and successes. Expand my heart and mind that I may more fully experience your love so to have the courage to surrender the false self of my ego, my fears, prejudices, pride and indifference. Help me to begin anew in small ways to love others as you love me, recognizing that your Love is not an emotion, but a conscious act of the will. As I participate in your life and love, help me to be more present to those people I encounter and give me the courage to will their good, without conditions.

Photo from pexels.com

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, December 7, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120718.cfm

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21).

I have written quite often, paraphrasing one of my favorite quotes from St. Irenaeus, that Jesus came to be one with us so that we can be one with him and that his invitation is for everyone, no one is excluded. You may be thinking, readying to write a response, or muttering under your breath that, “If everyone is invited, how can Jesus say that not everyone will enter the Kingdom of heaven?”

The answer to that question is in the line that follows. The one who will enter heaven is, “the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” If this verse does not help, then it might be helpful to understand a little about heaven, as best as we can as, the mere mortal, finite beings that we are.

Heaven is not so much a place but a state of being in relation to God. Heaven is the state of being in which we are privileged to share communion, a deeper intimacy with God for all eternity. We will still not know everything about God because God is infinite and we will still be finite in heaven. God is without limit, we are limited. We will never exhaust our relationship, never get bored with God.

Maybe a more three dimensional, earthly example may be of help. If we were invited to play a sport, an instrument, or to act in a play, with the end goal being that we would play in the upcoming game, concert, or performance, we might feel pretty excited about the offer. We tell the coach, conductor, or director “That’s great news!” Yet, in the days that follow, we do not attend any of the practices, we do not practice the skills required to play the position, instrument, or role and we don’t return any of the follow up invitations by phone, email, or text. The day of the big game, concert, or performance comes, we gather our self together and head on over to the arena or hall. We arrive to see the coach, conductor, or director but are denied entrance. You might say, “I don’t understand, you invited me to play!” The reply is, “Not everyone who says to me coach, coach (conductor, conductor, or director, director) is ready and prepared.”

Jesus indeed invites us to be in relationship with him, yes everyone. Some say yes and some say no. Some say yes, and then don’t do anything, some say yes and do some things, some say yes and dive in. Most of us take a few steps forward and a step or two back. Just like preparing to play in the big game or perform in the big concert, or play, we need to be committed, disciplined, and persistent with our faith life. Unlike a missed opportunity to participate in a game or performance, that we can correct and make another attempt down the road, we don’t want to miss the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.

The above analogy does not imply in any way that we earn our way to heaven, or we can do so on our own effort and will power. The bottom line is that Jesus gave his life for all of us and through his grace we have been saved. This is a free gift. Yet, we have to be willing to receive and open the gift. Our time here on earth is time we are given to work out our salvation and be about building a relationship with Jesus, being conformed to him, so that we can come to know his Father as he does.

If we want to know God’s will, we need to come to know God. Advent is a time of preparation, to place ourselves in a position before God so we can come to know him and his will. Jesus helps us to recognize that we are off the target when we attempt to conform God’s will to our small reality. Instead we need to reorient ourselves such that we allow our minds and hearts to be opened by his love.

This happens when we are quiet and still, through prayer, spending time in his word, spending time in worship and fellowship, and in doing so we will be more open to be led by the Holy Spirit to step out of our comfort zone and reach out to others in an act of service for another’s sake and not just our own. For we are here not only to actualize the grace we have been given for our salvation, we are to help others to do the same.

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Photo: Icon, “Lakota Jesus and children”, by Fr. John Giuliani

Link for the Mass reading for Thursday, December 6, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120618.cfm

“Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them” (Mt 15:29-30).

There is a key yet subtle point before Jesus began to heal that might be missed. Before great crowds came to him, Jesus “went up on the mountain, and sat down there.” This is no insignificant sentence. The posture of sitting on the mountain would have been recognized right away by the people of Jesus’ time. This was the posture of the teacher and sitting on the mountain a reference to Moses. Prior to the healing in this setting, as he did throughout the Gospels, Jesus most likely taught about the reign of God. In fact time and again, Jesus’ “works of healing took place in this context of his preaching of the kingdom of God” (Lohfink 2014, 58).

A great multitude of people came to Jesus to hear his message and also with a full range of needs. Jesus made himself available, restored, and healed those who were brought to him. He encountered them as they were in their present condition of need. There is no record in this Gospel account that Jesus asked for any identification, that he discussed their belief system before healing them, nor did he ask if they were Jewish or Gentile, and nowhere in this account did Jesus deny anyone who came to him. The response of those to being healed and restored was that “they glorified the God of Israel“. This is because, “where God is master, there is salvation and healing” (Lohfink 2014, 62).

These recorded accounts of mass healings, are but a foretaste of the heavenly realm of eternal communion with the Father. Jesus is the kingdom of heaven at hand, for as St Irenaeus wrote, “Jesus opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.” Jesus though was not done. The whole process took some time, which is probably an understatement, and as people were getting ready to leave, Jesus showed compassion yet again. He sought the assistance of the disciples because he did not want to send the people away hungry.

The disciples of course are taken aback because of the reality of the undertaking Jesus proposed. Jesus asked what they had with them and they shared just some bread and fish. Jesus took “the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full” (Mt 15:36-37).

This Advent let us surrender our will to God. May we pray with and meditate on the Gospels such that they become relevant in our lives, so we can serve God as Jesus did. Not stopping to ask for identification, religion, race, gender, creed, or political affiliation, but to see each person before us as a human being with dignity and worth.

Let us also not be dismayed with how little we might have, but let us give what we do have to Jesus in solidarity for his purpose, as did the disciples with the seven loaves and fish, so to experience with those we serve, the abundance, love, and grace of our loving God and Father.

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Photo by David Bartus from Pexels

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

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, December 5, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120518.cfm

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him” (Lk 10:22).

God the Father knows God the Son and God the Son knows God the Father. They do not just know about each other, they know each other with a deep intimacy that is far beyond our human comprehension. Contemplating this reality can fill us with hope especially when we come to realize that Jesus is the Son of God who has come into our lives so that we can participate in the trinitarian communion of the Father and the Son and the love shared between them, the Holy Spirit!

Jesus has come as an agent of reconciliation, to restore our relationship with God, to undo the effects of the sin of separation that has so ruptured and wounded our relationship with God our Father. This is our hope this Advent, that we can come not just to a better understanding about God, but to intimately know and restore our relationship with God through our participation in the life of his Son.

Advent provides us this wonderful opportunity of a season to remember that Jesus, the Son of God came to be with us in time, and in history, as well as a time to prepare for his coming again. While at the same time, Advent is a time to prepare each day to open our heart and mind to Jesus who wants to rekindle our relationship with God the Father, who knit us together in our mother’s womb, who knows us better than we know ourselves!

May the Advent season not get away from us before it even starts because of the material, commercial, and busyness that threatens to take over. A good practice is to embrace the wonder of God’s creation, to enter into its natural rhythm, the wonder and vast expanse of it all.

This morning before dawn I saw the crescent moon rising near Venus in the eastern sky. Last night, JoAnn and I enjoyed a walk together at sunset. All of creation echoes the wonder and adoration of the gift that the season of Advent offers: the wonder of wonders is that Jesus comes to us each day to invite us to participate in a deeper walk with his Father, the creator of heaven and earth.

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Photo of buffalo I took while driving in South Dakota in between Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations around 1990 – a moment of quiet wonder, God’s creation on full display as the buffalo appeared to be walking right out of the sun.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, December 4, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120418.cfm

“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 8:10-13).

The one to whom Jesus is referring to is a Roman centurion who approached Jesus seeking healing for his servant. I imagine that Jesus was not only amazed with the man’s humility, recognizing his sinfulness, not only that he believed that Jesus could heal from a distance with simply his word, but also that he was aware of the need and suffering of his slave and willingness to do something about it. This Roman centurion, an occupying presence in Israel, clearly embodied the teachings of Jesus! It is from the centurion’s words that we speak before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist during each Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

The chosen people of Israel, were called not to be saved in and of themselves alone, but to be a light to the nations. As Isaiah said, all nations shall stream toward mount Zion and “from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (see Isaiah 2:1-5). Jesus echoes Isaiah’s prophetic words as is recorded in today’s Gospel: “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 8:11). The centurion’s act of faith is the beginning movement, like a drop of water that is the beginning of a waterfall.

The first point we can learn from the centurion is that he was aware of the need of his slave. The slave, in the present culture of Jesus and the centurion held no dignity, yet, he was not invisible to the centurion. The centurion was not indifferent to his suffering and pain. We also need to be aware of those who are in need among us. We need to resist the temptation to walk around, over, or by others that are different in any way. We need to embrace the gift of our diversity, not stiff arm and keep those who are different at arm’s length.

Second, like the centurion, we need to embrace humility and acknowledge our own sinfulness, and when we do so, we are better able to see other’s needs. None of us are perfect. No one person is above any other. We all have gifts as well as shortcomings. We need each other because we complement one another. When we engage in dialogue and cooperation we are stronger.

Third we cannot stand on our own. The centurion recognized his limitations. He acknowledged that he needed help. He needed Jesus. As do we. We cannot accomplish our salvation on our own merit or will power. We need a savior, for apart from Jesus, who we prepare to encounter this Advent season, we can do nothing, but with Jesus all things are possible.

Jesus is the Truth and the Fulfillment that we seek. He has sent out a universal invitation of communion for all, to Israel first and then to all from east and west, north and south. Our yes comes in the form of the Roman Centurion who recognized his own sinfulness, acknowledged it before Jesus, was aware of his need for help for the healing of his slave and moved to seek aid when he knew he was helpless. The centurion had faith and hope in the one who would provide healing.

This Advent may we take time to examine our conscience, have the humility to confess our sins, to acknowledge that we need help from Jesus and others. May we be willing to seek forgiveness and be willing to forgive. May we be willing to resist the temptation to embrace fear and close ourselves off and be indifferent to the plight and needs of others, but instead assume a posture of openness to the gift of the rich diversity of our humanity.

We have so much to offer one another when we are willing to work together instead of apart from or against one another. May we who have received the forgiveness and grace of Jesus and felt the embrace of his love, reach out to provide hope and to empower those who have been dehumanized, kept apart, or labeled as other.

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Painting: Sebastiano Ricci – Christ Heals the Centurion’s Servant, 1726-1729

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, December 3, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120318.cfm