There are no recorded words of Joseph in any of the gospels and yet he has much to say to us about faith. Mary and Joseph were betrothed to one another, which is not the same as in our modern context of being engaged. Betrothal meant that there was already a binding contract between the man and woman and their families. The only distinction was that they had not yet moved into the same home as man and wife. There was no set time for a betrothal, but most lasted up to a year.

This is why, “Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19). They were married, and Joseph, not believing Mary’s account regarding the origin of her pregnancy, which must have been shocking news for him, decided not to stay with Mary. While at the same time, he did not want to make a public spectacle of her either.

Joseph made his decision but wisely waited before acting upon it. That is the only window of time that God and a weary and fallen world needed. God sent his angel to Joseph in a dream who confirmed what Mary had said. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

What may be two of the hardest things for us as human beings to do, is to resist reacting to unexpected and shocking news and once we have reacted and made a decision, to change course. Joseph didn’t believe Mary and reacted, but he also didn’t rush into putting his choice into action.

That Joseph was as open as he was to the angel also points to the fact that Joseph was a man of prayer. That Matthew calls him a righteous man, the term meaning rightly ordered with God and his will, would also support that. Joseph had faith and trusted in God’s plan even though it was hard for him to understand.

Before making any rash decisions, especially when we are still feeling emotional, it is good to step back from the situation and seek God’s guidance. Even when the situation, as one such as Joseph found himself in, seems impossible, it is important to seek the counsel of Joseph’s son, who he named Jesus, Yeshua, One who saves. It is important to trust God’s plan even if at first it does not seem to make any sense.

Jesus can save us from ourselves when we give ourselves some time to calm down, to slow down. He works best with us when we have already established a rhythm of daily prayer and deepened our relationship with him. We will choose best when we have firmly in place the point of discernment that says we are to make no changes while we are angry, distraught, or in a time of desolation. Let us ask for the intercession of  Joseph and Mary today and ask them to help us to trust in God’s plan for our lives, to seek the guidance of his Son, and embrace the love of the Holy Spirit.

Photo: Holy family outside Chapel of St. Mary, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link to the Mass readings for Monday, December 18, 2023

At the beginning of Mass, we lit the candles of our Advent wreath. Some of us may have our own Advent wreaths and family traditions that go with them. Some of us may not. But all of us have an Advent wreath with the candles of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that has been placed within our souls with the purpose to burn brightly.

Just as we need to be attentive to actual candles, the same is true for the ones in our souls, if not the flames can dim and even go out. And where there is no light, there is darkness.

We are in the third week of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means rejoice, so the third candle which is rose in color stands for joy. During this time of year, we can easily slip into feeling overwhelmed, overtired, or overworked; anxious, frazzled, or stressed; sad, lonely, or regretful as well as many other emotions. Each of these can lead to experiences of feeling desolation and our flame of joy can begin to dim.

If we may be feeling any one or all of the above this morning, first we need to realize that in and of themselves, these emotions are not bad. They are actually helpful as long as we identify them, address the needs they are alerting us to, and then discern and decide how best to take care of them.

The first group of being overwhelmed can be the easiest to address if we are aware and willing to step back, take a break a get some rest. Just as a lumber jack needs to stop and sharpen their axe from time to time so as to work more efficiently, taking the time to stop and rest is just as important.

Feeling anxious and stressed as well as sad and lonely, can be a bit trickier to identify, but again when these feelings arise, stopping, breathing and praying about what is going on is a good first step. Talking to someone we trust can help us to get a better perspective.

Often the challenge is that our perception is off. The flame of our candle of joy weakens when we are looking at what we don’t have, what we can’t do, that we don’t measure up, and/or that we don’t think we can accomplish that which is before us. Ultimately, we are believing in lies that isolate us from the truth of who and whose we are.

If you remember, Peter walked on water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. Once he focused on the wind and the storm, he began to sink. Fortunately, he called out to Jesus and Jesus pulled him back up. When Peter was focused on Jesus and not his fear, he was on target.

This perspective is what Advent is all about. Pope Francis wrote in the opening lines of his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospel, that “THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness.”

When we make a firmer intent to watch and pray for the coming of Jesus in our lives, he will strengthen and transform us such that any doubt or depression will be replaced with hope, any anxiety with peace, any sadness with joy, and any indifference with love.

It is important to remember that when we acknowledge and recognize any doubt, stress, sadness, desolation, or indifference that this is not an invitation to get down on ourselves. This is the first step to countering and turning our gaze back to Jesus. Once we are aware, we can then make steps to identify what we are feeling, examine the source that may be causing it, and then decide that we want to change and ask Jesus for his help to do so. We need his help to do so.

Another practice that has helped me is to take time each day reading and praying with the Mass readings of the day. You can even just read the readings of Sunday starting on Monday in preparation for the following Sunday. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a short sentence or phrase as you read. When one comes to you, stop there, and begin to prayerfully memorize it. Return to it often during the day. Write it down on an index card or sticky note and carry it with you. Create a file in your Notes app on your iPhone and keep these verses there.

This practice helps our focus to stay on Jesus, and when any thoughts of anxiety, doubt, or stress, begin to arise, we can return to our verse. Be patient, like any practice this will take some time and discipline. But as Mary told me, and now I share with you. “Each time you show up, God will happen.”

The readings of Advent are a good place to start. Each of them is leading to the coming of Jesus into the world his first time. When we spend time reading and praying with these accounts each day through the year, our relationship with him grows so that our flames will be stronger no matter what wind of circumstance comes to blow them out.

Here are three simple but powerful phrases from today’s readings that can be helpful to start with.

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me” (Isaiah 61:1).

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord (Luke 1:46).

“Rejoice always.” (I Thessalonians 5:16)

Let that first verse sink in. “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” Receive that word from God, know that you are a beloved daughter or son as you are right now. Know that he loves you more than you can imagine. Any thought that arises from the contrary is a lie.

I invite you to receive one of these gifts today, rest with one of these verses, or revisit the readings and choose one of your own and see what Jesus may be inviting you to experience. Just as healthy food nourishes our bodies, the words of Scripture nourish our souls. When we meditate upon the word of God and consistently bring a word or phrase to mind often, we are inviting God to dwell with us and to transform us. In the beginning, you may not feel or experience anything, it may be enough just to try to remember a few words to carry with you. If you stay with the practice, you will experience times of consolation and the light from your candle of joy will shine brightly. We can’t force God’s consolation and joy to well up within us, but we can place ourselves in a posture and disposition to receive his grace.

Another powerful way to receive the joy of the Lord and to encounter Jesus is to receive his Body and Blood in the gift of the Eucharist we are about to receive. If there is a particular emotion that has been dimming your flame, bring it to the altar and surrender it to Jesus as you receive him or his blessing. Invite him to begin to transform you with his gentle and loving embrace.

Step by step this Advent, let us raise our candles high and shine the light of Christ in the way we interact with one another. As we receive and grow in his hope, peace, and joy, may we prepare next week to breathe, rest, abide in and share his love. The love of Jesus is the best gift we can receive and give to one another this Christmas.

Photo: Chapel at Bethany Retreat Center, Lutz, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, December 17, 2023

It is interesting that woven into this year’s black Friday that just passed and cyber-Monday that is gathering momentum as the sun rises, is the Gospel account from Luke of the Widow’s might today. The extravagance of getting and grasping is tempered by a poor widow coming to the Temple treasury to give two small copper coins, which does not seem like anything but as Jesus points out to his disciples, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood” (see Luke 21:1-4).

As the final week of the liturgical year draws to a close and we are about to begin the Advent Season and a new liturgical year this Sunday, we may want to give ourselves some time to meditate on this passage and this woman’s generosity. For she, destitute herself, was giving all she had to the poor.

She was not grasping or seeking to get, but to give as Mother Teresa taught, “until it hurts.” For the gospel call is not to give out of our abundance, our “surplus wealth”. Implicit in this teaching and invitation is our reliance and trust on God. If we give all we have, what then will we do? How will we eat, pay our bills, get medical treatment? All valid questions. Do we trust that as we give, God will reply in kind?

The answer to how much we give, will come from each of our own personal dialogues and openness to Jesus. As we pray and open our hearts, what are the causes that move us?

JoAnn was moved by other’s sufferings, especially children. One cause she would give to was St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital because they provided care and hope for children with cancer and their families. After JoAnn died, I felt moved to give them a recurring monthly gift instead of the bi-annual gift we used to give. This decision did not happen overnight, but once I made it, I have continued, even when I was accepted into the seminary and gave up my teaching salary.

I continued to trust God and he has more than provided. Jesus is inviting us to give to those who are in need. Who that is will be different for each of us. There is so much need, the Holy Spirit will touch each of us uniquely as to where we can help. Giving of our time, talent, and treasure is always a good model to follow.

Maybe this week and as we enter Advent this year, we can spend some time sitting next to Jesus in this scene from today’s Gospel and ask him how much and to whom we can give. Maybe as the widow walks away, we can join her and walk beside her. She who was moved by her heart to give all, would be an excellent guide to lead us on how best to give.

Painting: The Widow’s Might by James Christensen

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, November 27, 2023

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. Jesus is our king. Yet a king like no other. He is a shepherd king, a servant king, a king that loved us so much that he was willing to leave his heavenly throne and not only become one of us in our humanity, he was willing to die for each and every one of us. Every one of us, past, present, and future. Not in some abstract way, but in a very concrete, personal, and intimate way. Jesus died for you and for me.

Jesus, as Paul points out in our second reading, conquered the last enemy, death. In his willingness to die, he was not defeated by but destroyed death for each of us and for all time, so that now “God can be all in all.”

The imagery of our readings shows not only the wonder of who Jesus is for us but who and whose we are and our responsibility as not only his subjects, but his brothers and sisters, for we are all children of God. The God of Jesus Christ, who is his and our Father.

The prophet, Ezekiel, in the first reading, compares God to a shepherd who pastures and tends his flock, gives them rest, will seek them out and bring back the stray, he will bind up the injured and heal the sick, and he will judge between the sheep and the goats.

Jesus makes clear that just as God cares for us, we are to care for each other. In the Gospel of Matthew, he builds on the image of Ezekiel in that not only God cares, be we are to do so as well for one another. We are to provide food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, welcome for the stranger, clothing for the naked, and care for those who are ill and in prison. What we do for each other we do also for Jesus. The opposite is also true (See Matthew 25:31-46).

Jesus is making this point clear in the context regarding how we will be judged. We will be judged on how we treat one another. We are to love one another as Jesus loves us. Just as subjects follow their king, so we are to follow Jesus, the king of the universe.

Jesus wants us to live a life of meaning, fulfillment, and love.

Each and every one of us have been created in the image and likeness of God and have dignity and worth by that very fact and reality. We are loved just as we are by God because we are his beloved children. This is an important truth that we need to ponder and savor and take in. As we do so, and start to really believe that, we will start to realize and live as children of God and be moved to treat each other as brothers and sisters.

This is why when we pray the Our Father together in Mass or even alone, we say Our Father. God is our Father. This is a reminder to all of us who and whose we are. We are his sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, we are the Body of Christ. What we do or do not do, we do to each other and we do to Jesus.

We are interconnected, we are one, whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not. We are at our best as Catholics, as human beings, when we strive to love as we have been loved. We are unique and special. There has never nor will ever be again someone like you or me. We need to receive the message of that truth and share it. Once we believe it and really start living it, our lives will change. We will be transformed by his love. Our insecurities will begin to heal, we will begin to trust more, and be able to breathe because we know we are loved and that we belong.

It is this truth that has made the saints. When experienced and realized God’s love for them, opened their hearts and minds and whole being to, received, and abided in God’s love they would never be the same. They then did the only thing they could do which was to express the love they received in their time and place in their own unique ways.

St. Mother Teresa called Jesus’ teaching from Matthew her five-finger gospel. She would hold out her hand, point to each finger and say, “You did it to me.” That is how she lived her life. Her call was to help the poorest of the poor.

Each of us have our own unique call to help and to be of service to one another in this time, in our place, right where we are. We too are called to be holy, to be saints. Which means to be open and willing to follow the inspiration and lead of the Holy Spirit. The best place to begin is to respect the dignity of each person we encounter and start there. Be open and allow God to touch our hearts and to be moved with compassion. Jesus will let us know what we are to do and how we are to do it. Resist the temptation of looking to do big things. Again, Mother Teresa, guides us here: “Do little things with great love.”

We can start with our present relationships, family members, friends, co-workers, classmates, fellow parishioners, the cashier, waiter or waitress, or the homeless person asking for money on the off-ramp. A few days ago, I gave a gentleman a few dollars and asked his name. He told me it was Luke. Turns out he was confirmed at St. Peter Catholic Church my home parish. He shook my hand and moved on as the light changed. It would have been nice to have a little more time with him.

JoAnn used to make time to get to know the people at Publix, the cashier, people in the deli, bakery, those stocking the shelves. She would simply take a few minutes each time to say hello and get to know them, about their lives and their families.

These small interactions are like pebbles tossed into the pond and the ripples of kindness and caring go out. They counter the madness we see going on all over the world. They matter because that is how we can change our little corner of the world by encountering Jesus in those we meet, and he becomes more realized in our lives.

When we attend Mass, we are given a special gift in that Jesus, the King of the Universe is made present to us again. As we receive him, in the word proclaimed, in the Eucharist, as well as in our times of personal prayer in and outside of Mass, let us open our hearts and minds to allow him to love us in that moment of encounter, and let us ask him how he would like us to share his love today and with whom. This is how we can help to bring God’s kingdom to earth, prayer by prayer and person to person.

As Thomas Merton wrote: “For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God’s will, to be what God wants us to be.”

Photo: Rosary walk, St. Peter Catholic Church, Jupiter, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, November 26, 2023

“Something very deep and mysterious, very holy and sacred, is taking place in our lives right where we are, and the more attentive we become the more we will begin to see and hear it. The more our spiritual sensitivities come to the surface of our daily lives, the more we will discover—uncover—a new presence in our lives.”

• Henri Nouwen

God quietly, gently, patiently, and steadily offers to us his healing and guidance. We need to be open to and continue to be patient, persistent, and participate in his love and trust in him. He knows what he is doing in our lives even when sometimes we don’t and sometimes when we think we do but we really don’t! We need to resist walking too far ahead, or dragging our feet and lingering behind. Instead we will be better when w remember to breathe, rest, receive, and abide in his love. 

From this place of experiencing and abiding in his love, may we entertain our thoughts, make our decisions, speak, and act. 

Photo: Rosary walk, Egret Landing, Jupiter, FL.

“God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:9).

God is faithful. He never gives up on us and continues to invite us to experience a deeper reality of our humanity. Often, we may not feel his presence even though he is always present. This is true because he is the ground, the foundation of our very being. We only have life and exist because God has willed us to be. We are not an accident or a mistake. We are present here and now in this time and place because God has a plan and purpose for our lives.

In our struggles or challenges, and when we pray and see no change, we might believe he does not hear our prayers, or even be tempted by the lie that he does not exist. God is and God hears our prayers because he loves us before we even pray. We and all creation exist because of an outpouring of the excess and infinite expression of his love.

God hears our prayers because he is actually the author of our prayers. Our very desire to pray in the first place is a sensing of the invitation to pray given to us by God. Feeling the closeness of God is a consolation we will receive that God gives as a gift of his grace. We can’t will it though. We can only place ourselves in a posture to receive him and that posture is one of surrender. We open our hearts and minds to God’s will, and he reveals himself to us not our terms but his.

This is not God playing mind games, this is God helping to restore our relationship to what he always intended it to be. We are his beloved children and created to receive and share his love. We are not to grasp at and take his love on our own terms. God is God and we are not. When we get that simple reality in the proper order, we will experience God more.

As Paul wrote, “we are called to fellowship with his Son.” Jesus came to model, guide, and lead us back into right relationship with his Father. He who is God’s Son did not grasp at his divinity as Son, but became human fully, to experience the fullness of our humanity, even our capacity to weep. As we trust Jesus, grow in our relationship with him, we will experience the love of the Holy Spirit and come to know his Father. As we grow in our relationship, we experience the wonderful gift of love that is shared between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As we then share this wonderful gift with others, our relationship with God grows, we become God through our participation in the life of Jesus and the love of the Holy Spirit. We are transformed and can invite others to be as well, because, as Pope Francis said, “God’s Word consoles and encourages us, it challenges us, frees us from the bondage of our selfishness and summons us to conversion; because it has the power to change lives and to lead us out of darkness into the light.”

The love of God, his invitation to prayer, relationship, and unity is a wonderful gift to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. May we make some time today to be still and thank God for his presence for he has, is, and always will be with us to love and guide us. Let us thank him for what he has done, is doing, and will do for us. Let us breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love so that we can begin to dwell there more often than not.

Photo: Rosary walk St. Peter Catholic Church Rosary Garden, Jupiter, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, November 23, 2023

“Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them” (2 Maccabees 7:29).

This unnamed mother speaking to her youngest son even as she had already witnessed the death of her other six sons is not pleading for his life but encouraging him to “accept death.” Did she do so because she saw or experienced something from God that assured her that this life is not all there is. Her confidence shows as she says to her son that “I may receive you again with them.”

As we read about Eleazar yesterday, we witness again today with this family, that death did not have the same hold on them that it has on most of us. We have an innate desire in our humanity to want to preserve our lives which God imparted within us as he himself is not the author of death but of life.

Maybe there is something for us to ponder in facing our own death. Not the most pleasant topic but in doing so we might live our lives a little better because we may be less apt to take the precious life that we do have for granted.

In reflecting upon our death, we realize that we are mortal, and that this life will come to an end. Acknowledging that our days are numbered instead of living with the illusion we have unlimited time, we might make some different decisions.

Dr. Leo Buscaglia, used to give an assignment to his college students at USC. He said, “Imagine you found out you had one week to live. Make a list of what you would do this week.” When the students turned in their assignments the following class, he gathered the papers together, held them up, and said, “Don’t wait until it is too late, do the items on your list now!”

Knowing that our time is limited, we can appreciate those in our lives more. JoAnn’s diagnosis came sometime in March of 2019 and she was gone September 2 of the same year. I appreciated every second of those six months with her. I have been blessed by our twenty-three years together. If I had known we would only have twenty-three years at the beginning, I would still ask her to marry me again in a heartbeat, but might have made some different decisions. We can’t go back but we can learn from our mistakes.

Thanksgiving as well as holiday get togethers can be bumpy sometimes. If we imagine this might be our last one together, might we do it a bit different? Might we resist some arguments, and instead spend more time appreciating and enjoying each other and our time together? Might we thank God for the gift of the life he has given us and those we are blessed to share it with and let those we love know that we love them?

You could be reading this knowing this will be the last Thanksgiving with someone or as it was with me and JoAnn, you will not know. All of us will at some point face that holiday that will be our’s or another’s last, may we draw strength from Eleazar, the mother and her seven sons, and St. Cecilia, whose memorial it is today, who saw that this life is not the end, but that with God there is another one promised for us where we will all be together again. As JoAnn, told us, “I am just changing my address.”

Photo: Our last Thanksgiving together. A wonderful day!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, November 22, 2023

“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion” (Maccabees 6:24).

Eleazar made this announcement to those who were attempting to save his life by giving him meat acceptable for him to eat so that he could pretend that he was eating the pork that he refused. Eleazar’s faithfulness to God and witness to the youth meant more to him than even saving his own life.

This was no mere boast of Eleazar either, he was not looking for attention or his fifteen minutes of fame. He showed himself to be a man of integrity and courage in the face of oppression. Many of his own people gave in to the pressures of Greek culture and religion either outright or under the same pretense. He did not want to be remembered that way and he wanted to inspire those following him.

We may not be called to give our lives for our faith as Eleazar did. But we can still ask ourselves, is there anything or anyone we are willing to give our lives for, are we willing to be a witness for our faith, do we believe and practice our faith in such a way that what we believe distinguishes us from anybody else in society, and/or does the culture or the gospel shape us? Put another way, if we were brought to court and charged with being a Catholic, could the prosecutor bring forward sufficient evidence to convict us?

If we are willing to be a witness, are we doing so for our own benefit? Are we putting ourselves first instead of God? Are we promoting an agenda or ideology and just cloaking it in a Christian disguise?

Zacchaeus must have wondered about his life up to the point where he found himself sitting up in a tree just so he could get a look at Jesus. He received more than a look and his encounter with Jesus changed everything. Eleazar and Zacchaeus had an encounter with the living God and that made a difference in their lives. Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary, did too. God promised Anna that, although she was barren, she would deliver a child.

Today we also celebrate the presentation of Mary. Though not canonical or historically provable, from the Protoevangelium of James, we learn that Mary, at three years old, was dedicated to God by her parents. God was faithful to them in giving them a daughter and they in turn returned Mary to God.

The good news for us is that we are invited today to encounter the living God and dedicate our lives to him as well. Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Mary, comes to each of us in each Mass through his word proclaimed and his Body and Blood offered. When we are willing to open our minds and hearts to him in prayer, as well as in our daily activities and encounters, and when we follow his guidance, then our decisions, lives, and we ourselves will change. We become better, we become more human.

St. Mother Teresa put it very well in a talk she gave in 1978:

“Our vocation is to belong to Jesus so completely that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. What you and I must do is nothing less than putting our love for Christ into practice. The important thing is not how much we accomplish, but how much love we put into our deeds everyday. That is the measure of our love for God.”

Eleazar, Zacchaeus, Joachim, Anna, and Mary, made a choice about who they were going to surrender their lives to. Who are we going to live for? How much love are we going to put into what we are going to do today and who we are going to serve?

Photo: Mary leads us to experience the light of Christ. St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, November 21, 2023