Today the Church acknowledges the unique role given to Mary, not only because she willingly accepted to conceive a baby by the Holy Spirit, becoming pregnant while remaining a virgin. God does not simply use Mary as a means to enter into our world. That would make Mary simply a surrogate. Instead, God the Father trusts Mary with the nurturing, formation and relationship necessary for his Son to receive as any newborn as they grow and mature. In short, Mary is entrusted with divine motherhood.

Try to think of the great significance of this and you will understand the great dignity that Mary is given in the Church. God, the creator of the universe gives Mary human existence. Her baby is God in human form. God entrusts himself, his physical wellbeing to her. He trusts her with himself. He allows himself, small and vulnerable, to be subject to her, influenced by her. God allows himself to be mothered by Mary!

And, in the same manner, this baby that Mary holds close to her, from her perspective this baby is her child, even though she knows herself to be still a virgin. This is still her baby, she is the mother of this baby even though this is the Son of God made flesh and blood. The relationship Mary has with the baby Jesus is that of any mother to her newborn, instinctively close, protective but most of all, a relationship of adorable love she has for her newborn.

And one can think of these two sensations of Mary as she holds the baby close to her. First she knows the child to have no human father. She knows the baby was formed inside of her from the breath of God himself. So as she holds this baby, she knows she holds in her arms a divine child worthy of true adoration and worship. Yet, for nine months she was a mother expecting her baby. Now this baby has been born. In her heart Mary adores and she nurtures. For this reason, she is rightfully called Mother of God.God not only had to suspend the laws of nature that Mary might be a virgin mother, God also became vulnerable, small, dependent on Mary. God gave Mary rights over himself. He had made her his mother and he, himself, he had made himself her Son. God trusted himself and his whole plan of salvation completely to Mary’s motherhood and in doing so allowed her to cooperate in our salvation. The angels of heaven must have stood back and said to each other, ” Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array” (cf. Song of Songs 6:10)

To this end, we can confidently pray, as we do instinctively to her as our mother, Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus…

But the most important and enduring sign of this event is captured in its very name, “Christmas” – the Mass of Christ. Often we will hear the saying, “Keep Christ in Christmas”. I would dare to say “Keep the Mass in Christmas”. If we take Mass out of Christmas, then Christ is far removed from you and me, he is a simple idea, a revered figure from history, a figurine in a nativity set. If we take the Mass out of Christmas, all that is left on the day after is an empty box and a dead tree, – both will probably reflect the state of a human soul, a soul that hungers for the bread of life, True Bread from heaven, a soul calling out to be filled.

Of course, we can pray at home, in secret, throughout our day. But here in this place, our religious imagination is enkindled, our souls are touched at a much deeper level. We make connections, not simply with each other – we make connections with God through the carefully chosen words, the signs and sacred symbols we use when we pray together as a Church. In the Mass there is a language that allows our souls, not only to pray, but also to be opened up to reach into the mystery of God who has humbled himself to share in our humanity. By way of our sacred language in this holy ritual of prayer, we are assured through the Mass, that God has indeed visited his people, not simply as a past event, but also now in the present.

In the past, he placed himself in a stable, a place of food and nourishment, in a village called Bethlehem that literally means “House of Bread”. In our mind, we can think of the baby born to declare the love and peace of God – a child vulnerable, a little lamb. And here we see a cross, a man stretched upon it, still vulnerable – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Prince of Peace, born in a stable, placed in a manger (a feeding trough for cattle). And here at this Mass, reaching across the centuries the King of Kings is placed upon the altar of sacrifice, offering his body and blood as the anecdote of death, his risen and glorified body he offers us as the medicine of immortality.

May the words that we hear tonight/today, the images they suggest and the sights and sounds we notice, stir up the longings of our soul to remind us that we are searching, hungry for the face of God. In the sacrament of the Holy Mass we celebrate here tonight/today and every Sunday, God is with us. And when we hear the bell rung, its language will tell us that Jesus Christ has entered into our world and at this altar, the meeting place between heaven and earth, he is as real to us here this hour as he was to the shepherds of Bethlehem two thousand years ago. May we always have the courage to seek, find and look upon the very face of God and live. We welcome Christ in the Mass. O Come let us adore him – Christ the Lord.

But because of the arrogance of fallen humanity, our history has seen the attempt of man to either play God or capture the divine. Although King David’s intention to build a temple for God is commendable, he is reminded through the prophet Nathan not to rely on a temple made by human hands. A temple made from bricks and cement will be destructible. God’s Presence, the prophet announces, will instead be enfleshed in a future descendant of King David.

CCC 269 Si Dios es Todopoderoso “en el cielo y en la tierra” (Sal 135,6), es porque él los ha hecho. Por tanto, nada ale es imposible (cf. Jr 32,17; Lc 1,37) y dispone a su voluntad de su obra (cf. Jr 27,5); es el Señor del universo, cuyo orden ha establecido, que le permanece enteramente sometido y disponible; es el Señor de la historia: gobierna los corazones y los acontecimientos según su voluntad (cf. Est 4,17b; Pr 21,1; Tb 13,2): “El actuar con inmenso poder siempre está en tu mano. ¿Quién podrá resistir la fuerza de tu brazo?” (Sb 11,21).

And when the fullness of time would come, as recounted in the Gospel, the creative God is seen at work again, building within the womb of the Virgin Mary, using her cells and DNA as the building blocks, the new bricks and cement forming the new body and blood of an individual that through every instance of his existence and development in her womb, a tiny developing temple of the living God, was being built to endure forever. This embryonic baby of Mary will not be the earthly temple of God made by human hands, or out of human initiative. It will be the very presence of the heavenly God dwelling among His people on earth. In Jesus, God walks again among us as He did with Adam and Eve in a restored creation.

As St. Irenaeus says, “Being obedient Mary became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” “Maria, por su obediencia fue causa de la salvación propia y de la de todo el género humano”: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.” Comparing her with Eve, we call Mary “the Mother of the living” because “Death came through Eve, life through Mary.” “la muerte vino por Eva, la vida por María”. (LG. 56) .c.f. CCC 494

And as creation having now tasted God’s presence again and cries out for the fullness of salvation, bread and wine from the old order of creation, become now the substance of the new order – Jesus Christ. In Holy Communion, our own body becomes a living temple of God, a tabernacle for the Most High. By responding with total openness to her vocation, Mary was the first disciple to receive Holy Communion from God. For this reason, she is our model for how to prepare ourselves, physically as well as spiritually to receive Holy Communion worthily, to make a room ready, to prepare a place for God to dwell in our bodily lives, so that we, like Mother Mary, can also present the savior of all humanity to a waiting world.

Fourth Sunday of Advent (1962 calendar)

…a Isaías, que manda a los cielos nos envíen al Justo en suave rocío de bendición; a Juan Bautista, que nos exhorta a terminar de preparar el camino del Señor; y a María, llena Ella de gracia y llenas sus entrañas con la carga santísima de Jesús. Y puesto que nuestra Madre la Iglesia da hoy por casi terminada su misión de prepararnos para Navidad, ¡examínate, cristiano, si tú estás ya preparado para salir al encuentro del Salvador!

The introit sung by the choir as the procession began petitioned the heavens to send down rain upon the parched earth. It is therefore our prayer that the seed of faith that often remains dormant, now being watered by the heavens, will grow and from the soil of our lives, the Savior will blossom.

But we cannot force Jesus Christ to come forth. And so the first prayer that the priest makes in the collect, the opening prayer, petitions that that God will come to help us and that our sins might be cleared away in his mercy. But too often when we think of sin, we tend to think of the big sins, the mortal sins, the previous sins against God. Opening prayer seems to have in mind those “Little sins” which we often fail to address.

But the first reading, the epistle, seems to be God’s immediate answer to our prayer. We are reminded that we are “stewards of the mysteries of God”. The whole treasurer of Christ’s life and death and resurrection has been unlocked and given to us. The epistle should cause us to reflect on how well we have used the gifts of God given so freely by him to us. We are reminded that the all-knowing God would really the secret of our hearts.

The Psalm that was sung tonight encourages us, to call upon the Lord with a true heart. And the alleluia verse has us asking the Lord to come without delay to release us from our attachments to sin and to all that would prevent us from recognizing Jesus when he comes.

To help us in our preparation John the Baptist, by way of the Gospel, helps us to focus on the one who is to come and to recognize that Christ comes with saving power.

As we prepare the gifts at the altar, the bread and the wine, the sung offertory antiphon will naturally have us turn to Mary whose body and soul was perfectly free of every earthly attachment. She was the one tabernacle on earth fit for the all holy God to dwell in, for she was, is full of Grace. We naturally we look to her to help us in our detachment of the things which crowd are on minds, body and soul.

In the secret prayer of the priest, in other words, the prayer which the priest will make most intimately to God it is therefore fitting that we pray that these offerings may help us in our devotion and in our salvation in the same way as Mary offered for complete self to the will of God.

And so it makes sense that the Communion antiphon will remind us that “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son”–the fruit of her womb. We are also to conceive Christ spiritually in our souls, the fruit of our faith. And therefore, in our prayer after communion like Mary we must find room in our lives. In the same measure as we have made room for him, will be the same measure his grace will take root in out lives.

“There is one among you whom you do not recognize”. These are the words of St. John the Baptist. He sparks curiosity, even a hint of excitement that the Lord is near, that he is actually here, but he is, for the time being, hidden. “There is one among you whom you do not recognize”. Although, St. John the Baptist, knowing that the Messiah is soon to be revealed, is delighted with this prospect, a number of those whom he shares his joy with, are not very much moved, nor very concerned.

If we were to be informed that the Lord was somewhere in our vicinity, walking among us, in disguise, and was about to stand out from the crowd and lift back his hood and reveal himself – would that generate in us a sense of excitement, joyful anticipation. Or might there be fear, that we are not ready to face our Lord. Rather than welcoming him as our savior, some of us would perhaps fear him as our judge. This would mean that we have not taken to heart the earlier call of St. John the Baptist that we prepare a place for the Lord. The Lord is near. Do you have your place ready? And place is, your soul. Is your soul a good place for the Lord to enter into?

How we answer this question might be best reflected in how we approach Holy Communion. The Lord is near. He is our salvation, he is the one who we ultimately hunger and thirst for. If we recognize him as the one who comes to save us, then we will make our soul a worthy place for our encounter with him. St. John the Baptist has reminded us to “get our household in order”. Through careful preparation, an examination of conscience, confession of grave sins and the priestly assurance of forgiveness – only then will we sense the true joy, not fear, of Christ approaching us, to heal, not to harm – to free us, not to hinder us – to reward us, not to threaten us. He comes to bring a springtime, not a dark winter (c.f. First Reading).

“There is one among you whom you do not recognize”. We know who the One is – the one and only Lord. Some are indifferent, because underneath it all, they really don’t believe that God can approach us and reach out to you and me personally. Some are afraid of God, and maybe rightly so, because of sins committed and commandments broken. But during the time of Holy Communion the Church will chant the words of the prophet Isaiah who reminds us all to liven up, not to be afraid. Yes, the Lord is coming but he does so to save his people and to give himself to them. “Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us.”

This is indeed a reason to join our hearts to Our Blessed Mother Mary, who, when she found out that the God would visit and save his people, there was no indifference or panic. We have sung this Sunday as our psalm her words and must seek to make them our own, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”.

In the same way, as the beauty of God’s distant universe can be brought closer, so too can the inner universe of the sacred sanctuary of the human body. CAT scans, an MRI and 3D imaging can show the wonderful complexity of the human body, its organs, muscles, blood vessels, the human brain and pumping heart. Incredibly we can now see blood cells, atoms and molecules as we never saw them before.

However, in the unseen universe, the most wonderful and beautiful image captured in amazement is a real life image of the very moment of conception. In that very instant, when a new human life begins, everything about this newly created human being is determined and set in place. Whereas in the field of biology and science, we have only of late come to appreciate this as scientific truth, the Church has always known this and defended the sacredness and beauty of human life, from this first moment. Why? Because at the very beginning, at the moment of conception, not only does a human being exist and their genetic makeup is determined, but God has also determined who this unique person truly is, what kind of person this individual will be, and what their role in the universe will be. At the first moment of conception, regardless, of the circumstances, what the biologist calls fertilization, not even waiting for implantation in the lining of the womb, a unique individual human being has been conceived, and God brings into existence someone who he has loved before time began.

On December 8th, we celebrate the great revealed truth when God brought the universe into existence, millions and millions of years ago, in his divine mind, along with everyone who has walked this earth, you and me, and all future generations – before the first instance of creation, he was especially thinking of the Virgin Mary. Why? She is the one who would, on behalf of all of future humanity signal the readiness of mankind to be saved.

That signal for God to initialize his plan of rescue and salvation of humanity had to be pure, signal, worthy, without any attachment or influence of sin. That signal that announced to the waiting heavens that we were ready for salvation was the very existence of Mary. And when did Mary come into existence? Not when she was born. Not four months before her birth or not even when she was the smallest little embryo. Her existence, her whole complete life, began at the moment of fertilization, the instant she was herself conceived in the body of her own mother.

Unknown to her own parents, when her mother Anne conceived and became pregnant, they were not aware that this small little embryo was resonating perfect holiness. At the first instant of her existence, knowing of the salvation Christ would bring to all creation (including time), God made it so that Mary was brought into existence without being touched by original sin. Her existence was in itself such a delight to God. She was perfect, as Eve was before sin. Mary was brought into existence as the New Eve. And of course, her Son, the new Adam! Paradise lost would be paradise restored. She was in that perfect state of humanity, as if we never had fallen. On our behalf she calls out to God, “come and save your people.” She calls out, because she does so perfectly, and God listens and responds. Her prayer is a perfect prayer. Because of her perfection and perfect prayer, God sent his only Son.

The Immaculate Conception which brought into existence the most prefect and immaculately pure Mary most holy, is a reminder to us of how much we are in need of being cleansed from sin. Of course, when we were baptized we were returned to a state of being sinless. But we know ourselves influenced by sin that we need to be continuously cleansed in order to enter into God’s presence. We beg the most perfect Virgin to pray for us so that the wounds of sin in our own lives will heal and God will find in us a worthy place to reside.

The entrance antiphon, the verse of scripture sung, chanted or even read at the beginning of the Mass, sets the tone of the message the Church asks us to meditate on. “..behold the Lord will come to save the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of his voice hear, in the joy of your heart”

He will come to save the nations. That is something very public – it affects the whole structure of society, the way we conduct our affairs. By calling upon the Lord who will “save the nations”, we are asked to reflect on what our nation needs to be saved from. Only in our arrogance would be maintain that our system of government, our laws and our way of life have been perfected to the point that we do not need God. We are not speaking about what is commonly called, the “separation of church and state”. Instead, we must reflect on how far our nation is willing to abandon the principal, that religious faith and spiritual values should be protected, because they do in fact contribute to the common good of our nation. Our public prayer, during this Holy Season of Advent, wedded to the cries of the prophet Isaiah, cannot ignore that our various values and society at large is in need of salvation.

At that same time, the Entrance Antiphon reminds us, that God will save us all, not simply in a forced destruction of what displeases him. We are told, “the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart”. Here is where the Advent of God begins, in our heart, in our own conversion – in our ability, even in the darkness, to recognize his voice. And even though we may at times feel as if our hands are tied, our mouth is gagged and our eyes are blindfolded, “if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”!

This is how we prepare for the Lord to come and “save the nations”. It begins with a truthful examination of our own conscience and attitudes in the light of the teachings of Christ’s holy Church, what the Collect prayer might call the, ”learning of heavenly wisdom” (cf. CCC 1798). To help us to get our own household in order, the Church’s liturgy offers us the guidance of St. John the Baptist.

St. John the Baptist is given to us as an interior designer! We bring him in as a consultant to help us make a place ready for the King of Kings when he arrives into our home. What does John say when he inspects our interiors? Pointing to this and that, he might say, “this has to go. And, you need to take this down and throw this out. While you are at it, you need to rip this out too. This has to change. You have to update this, replace this and redesign this. You need new wallpaper and a fresh lick of paint, you need better lighting and this here has to be brought up to code. Oh, and here’s how much it will cost!!” It’s easier to judge our society and the state of our nation and the spirit of our elected bodies than it is to assess the state of the union between our own body and soul.

The description of John the Baptist, living in the desert, clothed in animal skins, living on locusts and wild honey might seem at first extreme – in comparisons to our own standards of living. (St. John Chrysostom here allows us to reflect the depiction.) But if we allow the eyes of our soul to see through the dust, St. John the Baptist becomes strangely symbolic of what humanity will be restored back to, with advent of Christ.

In a way, like Adam and Eve before their fall, John does not till or plough the earth, or from the sweat of his brow, he does not work for his food. It is easily sought and prepared. “From his garments he might teach us that we free ourselves of human needs, and need not be bound to this earth, but that we may return to the pristine dignity in which Adam first lived, before he had need of garments or of clothing.” This might be what our Collect Prayer alludes to when we pray that no earthly undertaking will hinder us from setting out in hast to meet Christ.

The Gospel message does not push us or force us onto a pathway that takes us to God. As with Abraham, Moses and the Chosen People, God points us, guides and gently moves us without force or coercion, helping us to leave behind the sins that weigh us down and to find the right path and to help us make it straight, so that it will ultimately lead us out of the desert wastelands on a journey that will purify our mind, body and soul so as to look upon the face of God. May this sacred liturgy that we now celebrate give us a taste of our journey’s end and sense of the beginning of eternity Christ invites us into.

Advent also moves us to look forward with a renewed hope that the Lord will come a second time, this time – to bring the eternal plan of salvation to fulfillment.

We are also reminded that the Lord will come to each one of us at the hour of death – this fact we know for certain, but we do not know the hour.

This service of confession, reconciliation and penance is to make us ready in mind, heart and soul for the coming of Christ, which we will soon celebrate in the Mass of Christmas.

Let us pray that when he comes, he might find us awake and ready to receive him.

Lord our God, maker of the heavens, as we look forward to the coming of our redeemer, grant us the forgiveness of sins.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings

Romans 13:11-14 Luke 21: 25-33

Homily

The season of Advent is our immediate preparation for Christmas — the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, when God became seen and recognizable to the naked eye. Our faith tells us that he will come again and will be finally visible in all his glory. When he came to us in Bethlehem, he was like a tender lamb. When he returns to us on the clouds of heaven at the end of time, he will be like a powerful lion. His first arrival 2000 years ago was humble and quiet. His coming at the end of time will be majestic and terrifying.

During our celebration of Advent, we find ourselves caught in the middle of his two public interventions in our world’s history. His first coming would have been in vain and his final coming fruitless unless he could be found in the here and now — coming to us in his “invisible” presence, assuring us of his friendship, sharing his life with us still. We there cannot take this friendship for granted.

This is why, even though the days become shorter and, what the Church calls, the “Day of Wrath” approaches, we need not be afraid if we are in a true relationship with Jesus as our Savior. He is the bridegroom who visits the Church, his bride. He never abandons his loved one.

But we also call the Church “mother”. And during this time of Advent, Mother Church offers us through the liturgy, selections of Scripture passages which are meant to “perk” us up, to awake him from sleepiness. When you come across someone injured, you tell them to “stay with me”, “don’t fall asleep”. Our instinct is to keep talking with them so that they do not fall into unconsciousness and slip way into the darkness and the false comfort of death. Likewise, Mother Church shakes us a little at times. These are opportunities to stay awake, not to slip into sleep — the sleep induced by sin which, if ignored easily becomes vice, and if left unchecked can become habitual – leading to the eventual destruction of mind, body and soul.

For this reason, the practice of the sacrament of confession is encouraged especially in our preparation for the Arrival of the Lord as we go fort to meet him, especially in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

When we confess our sins, we do so to a friend — we do so to Jesus. The priest is simply a stand-in for Christ. As in any friendship worth its salt, we don’t try to explain all the details of our life, or justify our behavior with excuses or by pointing the finger at someone else. In that sacred moment of friendship with Christ, all it takes is the acknowledgment of particular sins we be know we have committed, an apology for the sin, and the commitment to mend and strengthen the sacred relationship is given.

Even though there are similarities in the spiritual practices, one feature of this season of Advent that distinguishes it from Lent, is a word of gladness and joy which we do not refrain from saying or singing — “hallelujah”. Even though the vestments and colors are purple and the nights are longer, we do not forget that Christ is already here, even in the darkness, that the invisible Christ waits for us in the visible sacraments. Christ sees through the darkness. indeed , he was born in a dark place, and on a holy night – a night brighter than any midday sun. In the Sacrament of Confession, we welcome our friend divine, into the darkness of our lives. Come, Lord Jesus Come!

Silent Meditation

Act of Repentance

Christ our Lord came to call sinners in his father’s kingdom. Let us now make an act of sorrow in our hearts and resolve to avoid sin in the future.

Give us the strength to turn away from sin. Lord have mercy.
Help us to be sorry for our sins and to keep our resolutions. Lord have mercy.
Forgive our sins and have pity on our weakness. Lord have mercy.
Give us trust in your goodness and make us generous in serving you. Lord have mercy.
Help us to be true followers of your Son and living members of his Church. Lord have mercy.

God does not want the sinner to die, but to turn to him and live. May he be pleased that we have confessed our sinfulness, and may he show us his mercy as we pray in obedience to his Son the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father…

(As we move in the direction of individual Confession, the examination of conscience printed and provided by the parish may be helpful.)

However, God, who knows the past, present and future, secures his plan for our salvation by sending, at the appointed time, his Son to teach us, among other things, to “run again” towards our heavenly goal. For hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, God sent messengers to coach and prepare humanity for his arrival. Preparation for the advent of God would be threefold.

1. Be cleansed of sin so that, when God approaches, we might be able to approach him.

2. We must desire to be saved and wish with all our heart to be rescued from sin and corruption.

3. We are duty-bound to provide the right environment for God, not just in our souls, but also in our lives and in the life of our society and culture.

During the course of the next four weeks, the Church assigns us special mentors to help us, with God’s help, realize these goals. Our first guide is the prophet Isaiah. He spoke up against the corruption of society and culture and the loss of the sense of the sacred. The prophet Isaiah’s words are to help us build up an appetite for the holy, the divine and the sacred and recognize it in our midst.
We are reminded that God comes into the darkness of this world and the darkness does not understand him. Yet even if we find ourselves entangled by sin, our own darkness must reach out to the gentle light of the new dawn, and surrender to its rays. But this is not only an interior awakening of the soul. Christ comes to set free everyone, all society, from the chains and compulsions of sin and fear.

The Church, the Bride of Christ, begins a new year even as the days become darker. Our first prayer, the Collect, sums it all up. We prayed for the resolve to move more and more the direction of Christ. We do so, when our actions reflect truth in all our relationships. The more we initiate, with the help of God’s grace, good works in our lives, the more become compatible to the things of heaven. The more we let go of darkness our lives, the more the eyes of our soul are adjusted to the approaching light of heaven.

Advent teaches us not afraid to say to God, “Come”, come closer and guide our steps “as we walk amid passing things,” This Holy Season teaches us “to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures”. Once we have completed our journey through the shadows of the night, let our hope joyfully point us recognize our savior when we see him face to face when the final day does come.

The first thing we are aware of is our sense of unworthiness. Previously we had confessed our unworthiness before each other with the words, “I have sinned through my own fault.” Yes, we know we are sinners and we do in fact sin– but when we say this, we risk easily taking it for granted.

But when we stand before our sovereign God, in His light, His purifying light, we see all our sins we see every sin, big and small and recognize the ugliness of every sin. (You presume your kitchen is hygienic and your carpet is clean. Look at it under ultraviolet light and prepared to be shocked!)

In the same way, lets not be superficial about our souls. To stand in God’s light, everything is shown up, the smallest sin casts a deep shadow. In the new translation I will acknowledge therefore, that I have “greatly sinned.” And as if to waken us up to our senses, three times I will say, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”

Is this an attempt to rub our noises into our sins and wrongdoing – an exercise in catholic guilt? No! When I repeat, “through my fault” three times, it is good to recall that I sin, not against a generic, impersonal God. Instead, I have wounded my relationship with my heavenly Father – my fault. I have wounded my relationship with Jesus Christ, my savior – my fault. I have wounded my relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Lord the Giver of Life, my very breath – my fault, big time!

The Creed

After listening carefully to the Scriptures, and the explanation of our faith and religion as extolled in the sermon, our King asks us to state our allegiance. We respond by declaring our faith.

Whereas we used to say, “we believe,” now, based on a simple translation of the verb “Credo,” you and I will say, “I believe.”

Although most Christians share a common faith together (“we believe”), it is also crucially important that each of us be given the opportunity to declare our own personal conviction to the tenets of the Christian faith.

When it comes to our Christian Faith, we do not, and should never hide in the crowd. We should never be afraid to say, “I believe,” and mean it.

Notice in the creed some other examples of the new translation. Previously we had said that God, the Father almighty, he was the maker of heaven and earth of all that was seen and unseen. Now we have translated it to declare, he is the maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

Think about it. I have never seen Australia. As far as I am concerned it is unseen. I have never seen that other side of the moon. What God has created does not depend of whether I have seen it or not. His creation is either visible, such as the universe (even though we have not seen all of it) or his creation is invisible, such as angels and the saints of heaven.

Notice also, we will be describing Christ as “the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.” The Son of God was born before all ages, born before time had begun. He became visible 2000 years ago. So, how can Christ be born “before” time began? – This is why we use the word “begotten.”

The Son of God is of the same substance as God the Father. The word we describe Jesus with is consubstantial. He is not a human person, but a divine person. And this divine person who existed eternally before time began – when did the Son of Man become the visible Jesus? When he was born? No. Nine months before – at the moment of conception. In Mary’s womb, God the Holy Spirit entered into the “stuff” of what humans are made of. We call this, the “incarnation” – another word we shall get use to saying – “that the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”

You’ll also notice in the creed we say after professing belief in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, we use the word confess – “I confess one baptism.” To confess something, is to declare publicly the truth. Baptism is not a private and secret affair. Do not be ashamed of acknowledging, confessing publicly by your actions that you are a baptized Christian. In other words prove it by your actions!

And nearly in the same breath in the creed, you and I will also say, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead.” That is a bold statement of faith, that I am not afraid of death and that I live my life in the direction of my final goal of reaching heaven.

Invitation to prayer

Once the gifts of bread and wine have been set aside and offered to God, the priest will say, “Pray brothers and sisters, that MY Sacrifice and Yours will be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” Although you and I enter into the one, eternal sacrifice of Christ – we do so differently.

Remember the prayer “the Lord be with you – and with your spirit.” The ordained priest must enter into the sacrifice of Christ in such a way that his own hands become Christ’s, his very life becomes Christ’s, that the priest must embody in his own life the sacrifice of Christ the Bridegroom who gives his life for the Church his Bride. That’s my sacrifice.

Your sacrifice is as a people set apart, to offer your lives to Christ allowing him to use you as agents of the kingdom of God, to sacrifice your lives to transform this world we all live in.

And notice, your response to this invitation – by acknowledging that the Church is holy. Yes we are all sinners, but the Church is holy – the Church is the “sea worthy” vessel – she needs to be holy to get us sinners to heaven.

Notice also, that in the Holy, Holy, Holy, prayer, which reflects a vision of heaven, we describe God as the “Lord God of hosts.” One of the meanings of the word “host” is “a great company, a crowd, a multitude” – We can imagine God and the great hosts of angels and saints around him.

Finally!

Notice that the priest will say “Behold the Lamb of God” not “this is.” When we lift something up and say, “This is…. ,“ Our attention is naturally drawn to the shape, the color, the dimensions of what we see, what this is. By lifting up the Most Blessed Sacrament and proclaiming “Behold the Lamb of God,” behold is bigger than “this.” To behold something is to step back and see the whole big picture in context. We behold the Lamb of God, Christ Passover lamb, the Lamb of the wedding banquet of heaven. In other words, we pull back a curtain and “behold” heaven and at its center, the glorified and Risen Christ. And, our response to this vision of Christ in all his glory that we behold with the eyes of faith? Humility. Recalling the words of the pagan officer who approached Jesus requesting a cure for his servant, “only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” We are never worthy and often embarrassed that Christ should walk into our messy homes and lives. What would he see?

Today the Last Sunday of the church’s calendar year, the Gospel reminds us that we stand in the hallway of heaven, where we meet the King of Kings. In his presence we know our place, our actions and words reflect this.

Other reflections on Christ as king take us to the time when he was imprisoned, naked and hungry. When the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate belittled the King of Kings with words of sarcasm. And while our Lord was enthroned upon the cross, wearing his crown of thorns, words of scorn and bitterness were hurled at him. Now Christ has taken his throne of glory as the King of Kings. As we enter into his presence, let us choose our words carefully, speak them reverently and appreciate the beauty of a language fit for a King.

(1962 Calendar) 24th Sunday after Pentecost – Last Sunday of the Church Year

Se cierra el Ciclo litúrgico con la semana última del año eclesiástico y, con él, la historia del mundo, que se nos ha ido recordando desde sus comienzos (en el Adviento), hasta su fin postrero (en el Domingo 24º después de Pentecostés).
En ese día venturoso, por medio de nuestro Senor Jesús, rendiremos un culto eterno a la Santísima Trinidad, diciendo: ¡Gloria al Padre, y al Hijo, y al Espíritu Santo! Como en el principio, y ahora y siempre, y en los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

On this last Sunday of the church’s calendar year, the rich prayers of the mass and the Scriptures provide for us a kind of real personal view of the final event that brings to a close, eventually, not only our own lives but the life of this world. All things are truly passing.

In the same way that the day will come when we must return to our Creator, the liturgy of the church prepares us in mind and soul, to enter into the one and eternal sacrifice of Christ, and that’s to actually return to our Redeemer. In this holy Mass he comes to us to save us lest he might return unannounced, and unprepared he will condemn us. So in a way we prepare for his return by wheat harvesting, in so many words, the scene of the final judgment – while we do have time, and before time runs out.

It would be natural to be afraid to approach God as our judge. But surprisingly, while the priest and the altar boys ready themselves at the foot of the sanctuary to make the prayers in preparation to approach the altar, the words of the choir for the introit, the entrance hymn, reassured us with the words “the Lord says, I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction you shall call upon me, and I will hear you call him and I will bring back your captive people from all places.”

It would be well to remember that the Mass assures us of mercy all the time. As an example, before the priest ascends to the altar of God, he confesses his sins to the ministers around him. But then the tables are turned. Having heard my appeal for mercy, the ministers do not accuse me or point fingers at me -they defend me, even before God, and tell Him in so many words, “if you’re going to take him, you’ll have to take us to.”

Fear is replaced by faith. And St. Paul assures us in the epistle, we have been redeemed, snatched out of the power of darkness by Christ our Savior at the cost of his own blood. The liturgy of this final Sunday in the Church’s year assures us of final victory, but more important, because of the Mass, we are assured of present victory -for this is where we meet God and stand on the shores of eternity itself. We have not only glimpsed, but through the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the redemption won for us by Christ, we experience in anticipation, the coming of Christ our judge. Let us not be afraid -he comes to save us and take us home.

As the darkness deepens, let us pray for the Souls of the Faithful Departed.

Here is a question? Can we have two different versions of English, one for common conversations we would have with each other, and the other, a distinct version of English used as a sacred language we talk to God in? In short, yes. And we have already been doing so.

Take for example the prayer we are all familiar with, the “Our Father”. We say “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”. Who do you know in your circle of friends who uses in their casual conversations the words “art”, “hallowed” or even “Thy”? (Unless you are part of a drama club practicing Shakespeare!!)

Interestingly, if we were to translate the “Our Father” from its Latin – ” Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum”, into our everyday English, we would say, “Our Father, who is in heaven, your name is sanctified, your kingdom is to come…”

But, somehow, it’s just too casual – and it would take a very long time to get used to this. Yet, when we say, “Hallowed be thy name”, we know instinctively what these rarely used English words mean when we pray them, even though we would have difficultly giving the dictionary definition. In other words, particular words give us a “sense of the sacred”, even though we cannot fully nail it down! (Cf. St. Augustine in answering the question about what is time. He replied, “I know what it is until you ask me!)

Here is another example of us already using English phrases in the Mass that we do not use in common conversations. During the course of the Mass, five times the priest calls out “The Lord be with you”. Why not “The Lord is with you”? The reason is very simple! There is only one time in the New Testament when someone is told, “The Lord is with you.” The words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, “Hail, Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee”.

Could these words be addressed to you and me with the same certainty? Of course not! When addressed to you and me by an ordained minister, the words “The Lord be with you” are not the words of a greeting. It is a prayer. Because we are sinners, and “fall short of the glory of God”, the priest’s first prayer in the Mass is a prayer for the people before him, and he prays it numerous times, that the Lord will be with you. And be with you more and more and more!

The present response to this prayer, (that we have become so accustomed to) has been “And also with you”. However, the response of the people of God for over a thousand years to the ancient prayer of the priest, “The Lord be with you”, or as it was called out in Latin, “Dominus vobiscum”, was “Et cum spiritu tuo”. This does not translate into “And also with you”, but “And with your spirit”. And is a change we will be responding with in a couple of weeks time – “The Lord be with you – And with your spirit”.

What does this mean? Why will the people respond to the ordained minister with the words “and with your spirit”, and not with the words, “and also with you”?

Simply put, it’s not about “me”. I, myself, my personality, my likes and dislikes, my mannerism and accent, my style or appearance – this is not what the Mass is based on. It is founded on the stability of the Christ’s priesthood, His priesthood, his sacrifice. It is the priesthood of Christ that is exercised here in this Mass. It is in the spirit of his priesthood that I preside over this Holy Eucharist. I pray that “the Lord be with you” – that his presence will increase in your life. You respond praying, “And with your Spirit” – that the spirit of Christ’s priestly sacrifice will increase more and more in my life so that, configured to Christ I may be able to say that “It is not I who live, by Christ you lives in me”. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.

Of course, again when the ordained minister calls out, “The peace of the Lord be with you also”, this is also a prayer. It is the prayer of Christ that his gift of peace, a peace of mind, body and soul, be able to grow stronger and stronger in your lives. And again, the response is “And with your spirit”. The spirit of Christ’s priestly sacrifice that offers to the world true peace and reconciliation – this is the spirit in which the peace of the Lord is expressed.

Here my friends are the greatest challenge to the art of communication – what we do with our hands! An illustration. In the older form of the Mass, before the priest said to the people “the Lord be with you”, or “peace be with you”, he would place his hands on the altar and kiss it. He would then join his hands together, turn to face the people, and as he said, “The Lord be with you” or “Peace be with you”, he would open his hands, as if opening a curtain! But interestingly, as he does so he avoids eye contact with the people. Why? Is he being impolite?

No. The priest is not communicating himself. He is communicating God’s heavenly presence. As Christ’s priest, his hands have been consecrated, configured to Christ’s hands and as such he can pull apart the curtain that separates the people from God (Remember the curtain of the temple being pulled apart when Christ died on the cross). Hence he opens his consecrated hands to send forth the Lord’s peace and presence.

(I would therefore suggest that instead of the mimicking the priest’s anointed hands which communicate the heavens being opened, that everyone assembled might simply bow your head in acknowledgement of “receiving”. In a way, if someone blew you a kiss, you would not send it back to the sender. Instead, you would symbolically embrace it with joy!!)

Let’s not get too personal with these simple words least we begin to distract each other with our own unworthiness and sinfulness. Instead, let us see in these gentle words of prayer a communication between heaven and earth. The words of Christ the Good Shepherd to his flock, from the Bridegroom to his beloved Bride, words from Christ the High Priest spoken to the people he has redeemed with his own blood.

“The Lord be with you”

“And with your spirit.”

22nd Sunday after Pentecost (1962 Calendar)

Es estos últimos domingos del año litúrgico evoca la Iglesia el día de Cristo, que será el del fin del mundo, cuando vuelva a juzgar. Nos invita a esperarle con confianza, no apoyándonos en nuestros méritos, pues el hombre ante Dios no es más que miseria, sino asiéndonos a la misericordia divina, y recordando que no cesa el Omnipotente de proseguir hasta su consumación la obra salvífica que ha comenzado en nosotros.

Next week will see the last Sunday of the Church’s year. It is typical that the themes of the Mass correlate to the natural seasons of the year. As the days become shorted and the storms pass by, the Church reminds us about the spiritual conflicts and battles of life, not just in our personal lives, but even the spiritual combats that takes place for the very soul of man.

This is very apparent in the Gospel this Sunday. Navigating through a dangerous minefield we follow Christ. He leads the way. He demonstrates that he is the ultimate judge over human affairs and in the gospel, not even his enemies can lure him into their trap.

As we bring our soul to the judge of all humanity, we must allow Our Blessed Lord to inspect it closely and ask us “whose image is this likeness?” Will he see is own face reflected in the coin or some worldly image?

We must first recognize that from our baptism our souls have been imprinted with the image and likeness of God and that the face of Christ must be reflected in our lives. As we examine our conscience in the light of God, we should not be afraid of giving back to Caesar “only” what belongs to Caesar, and to God “everything” that belongs to God.

Tonight’s Gospel, indeed all the prayers and readings, if meditated on in this light, will provide good preparation for us all to stand before the Judge of our souls.

It might be a surprise to many of our younger parishioners to know that in the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church, the Mass prayed in our own language is relatively recent phenomenon. Before 1962 everything you heard the priest say at Mass was in the ancient language of Latin. And all the responses to the prayers were also in the Latin language. Although not used as much today in the typical parish as it used to be, Latin has and is still the Church’s unique and sacred language for prayer.

If you walked into a parish before 1970, it was seldom you would find books in the seat. Instead, many Catholics owned their own prayer book and brought it to Mass every Sunday. Even though the Mass was prayed in Latin, some of the old prayer books used by families would be completely in English. But because Catholics are so familiar with how the Mass visibly unfolds, even though the Mass was in Latin, one could easily follow it with the help of an English prayer book.

These prayer books were called Missals (from the Latin word for the Mass, Missa). Some missals, would have Latin on one side and English on the other. Some would even have pictures of that was happening at various parts of the Mass.

With the help of a prayer book, and because it was also important to be attentive to what was going on at the altar in order to participate interiorly in the spiritual dynamics of the Mass, using a prayer book as an aid to worship meant there was less opportunities to allow the mind to wander too far away or become distracted unnecessarily as can happen to the best of us.

When the Mass is celebrated in another language, you have to be very perceptive and use all the senses to discern what the priest and the Mass are communicating. This takes a bit of work, it takes time and effort (the word ‘liturgy” comes from a Greek word denoting “the fulfillment of an obligation to to perform a pubic duty). It’s not on our terms it involves effort- in a way we have a duty to learn the unique unspoken language of the Mass which points us towards communion with God.

Even though, in the past, the majority of Catholics throughout the world attended Mass in a language they did not necessarily speak, with time and effort however, like getting used to wearing new glasses, the missal prayer book was a great tool to help understand, appreciate, pray and meditate on the meaning of the sacred words and actions of the Holy Mass.

When in 1962, the bishops of the world gathered in Rome with the pope for a General Council (commonly called Vatican II), among many other things, they recommended greater use of native languages in some of the parts of the older Mass in addition to the sacred language of Latin. By 1965, parts of the Mass were now spoken for the first time in English, especially the Scripture readings and some other parts such as the Creed, the Holy, Holy, Holy and the Our Father. However, the central part of the Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer (which includes the consecration of the bread and wine to become the heavenly Body and Blood of Christ) was still prayed quietly and intimately in the Church’s traditional sacred language of Latin.

It wasn’t until 1970 that a new order of Mass, completely in English which we use today, was presented to Catholics. Not only had various elements and parts of the older Mass used in the1960′s been removed, some of the ancient prayers were replaced with new compositions. Within this new template, the modern Mass could now be, as needed, spoken by the priest and the people in the common language of modern English.

However, because we were celebrating a new Mass for the first time in our own common language, it has taken us a good thirty years to understand the complexities of translating from the ancient and sacred language of Church Latin into the modern common language of the home, street and coffeehouse. As an illustration, when you translate poetry from one language to another, not only can you change its meaning unintentionally, but you can also loose the rhythm and the poetic flow of the words. Sometimes, words from one language do not translate at all! Translated from an ancient language to a modern one, a poem, like a prayer, can arrive at your doorstep flat, uninspiring and even misinterpreted.

Put this in the context of worship. The English language is a living language. Because particular words are used constantly in everyday circumstances, over time words they can change their meaning and evolve according to fads, fashions and needs. Because the official language of the Church is Latin, a dead language – (and this is not necessarily a bad thing!) it no longer evolves, the meanings of its words do not really change, their meaning is somewhat fixed. In a way, the flavor is “locked in”!

So, how do you translate an ancient Latin word which has a fixed meaning, into modern English which is spoken differently, not only from coast to coast, but has different rules and meanings in American as it has in Australia and is spoken differently in Ireland as it is in the United Kingdom? How do you translate ancient sacred prayers from Latin that have remained the same for hundreds and hundreds of years into a modern language that changes and grows with every generation? In short, very carefully!

Next week, we will take a look at some examples of the new English translations we will be using soon!

Why is this important? The more fully we understand the meaning of the prayers of the Mass and allow their words to inspire us to look towards heaven, the more confidently can we unite ourselves with our Catholic brothers and sisters throughout the whole world, together professing the one true faith that has been handed down to us intact, generation after generation from the time of the apostles, and by the Church through every century.

Saint Diego, Patron of the Diocese, City and County

St. Diego is living proof that God “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

As a young man in Spain, Diego joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Diego became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity.
Diego volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and labored there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there.

In 1450 he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of St. Bernardine of Siena. When many friars gathered for that celebration fell sick, Diego stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God’s ways.

As he was dying, Diego looked at a crucifix and said: “O faithful wood, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven” (Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 834).

The city and the Diocese of San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588.

21st Sunday after Pentecost (1962 Calendar)

La ley de la caridad y de la misericordia, que nos recuerda el evangelio es de una exigencia absoluta: “¿No debías haber tenido compasión de tu compañero como la he tenido yo de ti?” El perdón de las ofensas y el amor al prójimo son la réplica necesaria y como la prolongación en nuestra vida del magnánimo perdón que nos otorga Dios.
En Dios encuentra el cristiano la ley de su vida: “Sed buenos porque yo soy buen. Sed perfectos como lo es el Padre celestial. Amaos los unos a los otros como yo os he amado.

Our Lord teaches us in the Pater Noster: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Also, Our Lord reminds us to “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect”. How is God perfect? He is perfect in love and mercy, which is everlasting. It is with this love and mercy, radiated out to us by God, that we in turn pass on.

The gospel reminds us of the absolute requirement to show mercy and charity at all times. “Should you not have had mercy on the one who offended you in the same way as I forgive you?” is asked in the Gospel. If it is our Christian nature to forgive, then the Kingdom of God’s mercy is extended. Forgiveness does not mean we forget the wounds of past offenses. Forgiveness means not holding the offender responsible for ones present suffering.

To know God, not as a concept or idea, but as our heavenly Father to reaches out to us in tender kindness and merciful love, allows us be formed in a new manner of interacting with the world, not based on simple practical standards. Instead, our standard is modeled on a real live person the God the Son, Jesus Christ, through his Sacred Heart, his teachings, his life, his death, his resurrection and his merciful and loving intercession to God the Father, he still pleads, intercedes for you and me sinners. We owe him nothing but humble gratitude.