A Word of Hope

Jesus is the light of the world, not like Christmas lights shining in the dark, but like the sun revealing the true beauty of the world. Open your eyes to see the world in the light of Christ.

On this Feast of the Holy Innocents, remembering when King Herod had all of the young boys in Bethlehem murdered, we are challenged to stand against the violence and injustice that we encounter in our world today.

On this Feast of St. John the Apostle, we turn from Jesus' birth to his Resurrection, being reminded on that in both instances, what was needed was trust in God. Evelyn is a nurse who calms her patients by reminding them to trust their faith.

On this Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we pray for young Christians who will undoubtedly have their faith tested, that we might help them to grow through this towards a deeper more mature faith, and that we can let them know that they are signs of hope for us.

Christmas has finally come, where we celebrate the birth of the savior bursting forth like the sunrise, with a promise of a new day, a new season, new life, and renewed hope.

In the readings for Midnight Mass we hear the story of the savior being born in a little town, laid quietly in a manger, noticed only by his parents and shepherds brought there by the proclamation of angels—God not coming with trumpet blasts, but unfolding over time from this quiet beginning.

The holidays can be stressful for families, but the prophet Malachai assures us that God will "To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers."

In the Magnificat, Mary says, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." We could acclaim that every day id we could perceive the graces given to us in each new day.

In the Visitation, when Elizabeth sees Mary, she says, "Blessed are you." Mary was indeed blessed because she trusted God. We are called to trust God, and can be blessed in that as well.

The Angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary and declared, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" If we had eyes to see, we would know that the Lord is with us as well, every moment of every day.

Zechariah learns that he and Elizabeth are going to have a child in their old age and he doubts the angel Gabriel. Can believe and maintain hope and faith in God even when it seems impossible?

To fulfil the demands of righteousness and mercy, Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly. Instead, God showed him a deeper justice and mercy. It is through our deeper commitment to justice that we can find a deeper mercy.

On this Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded that our truest joy comes when we recognise that the greatest joy we come to know it that of the joy of Christ, which can never be taken away from us.

As we approach Christmas, the Gospel today reminds us of Jesus' death, underscoring that his birth is connected to his death in the great circle of God's plan. May we see arc of our own lives, birth to death, circumscribed into this story as well.

Jesus revealed new insights into God's plan for the world, but many in his day were not open to hearing anything new, believing they already had the complete truth. Are we open to hearing God today, and learning something new?

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us that John the Baptist is Elijah, calling people to repentance so that the Messiah could arrive, and we could build a universal brotherhood.

Jesus tells us "Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." The prophet Isaiah proclaims that with God's help "they will run and not grow weary." Let us welcome God's healing, renewing grace into our lives so that we can extend this grace to others.

On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrating an apparition of Mary in 16th century Mexico in which Mary appeared to Juan Diego as an indigenous woman, let us inculturate our own faith and make it more a part of our own modern American experience.

In the Gospel today, Jesus performs an astonishing miracle. But every day, God is ready to astonish us, so let us open our hearts so that we might see and hear God's astonishing work in our lives.

John the Baptist is preparing for the coming of the Lord as he waits for it. Each of us must find that balance between being ready and watchful and working to help the world to be ready when God comes.

In our Gospel today, Jesus passes his healing ministry on to his disciples. Are we willing to pass along our own ministries to the next generation, or do we think that we are more irreplaceable than Jesus?

On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we ponder the conception of Mary, the Mother of God, an event that was so tiny it could not have been seen or apprehended when it happened, and yet haad enormous consequences for the world, and we open our eyes to try to apprehend the many ways God still works marvels in our world through tiny events.

On this Memorial of St. Ambrose, whose words were as sweet as honey, we are challenged to look at our own use of words. Do they reflect the Word Incarnate? Can we speak more clearly and charitably to others, so that our words have a greater positive effect?

As Jesus cured the deaf and the mute, at baptism we pray the "ephratah", blessing the ears that they might receive the Word of God and the mouth that is might proclaim it. After baptism, we never lose this intimate connection to God.