last hour

1 john 2:18-21; Psalm 96 Let the heaven be glad and the earth rejoice; john 1:1-18

Today as we read the readings we encounter a paradox.  John in his first letter speaks of the "last hour" and in the gospel he speaks of the "beginning."

Which is it?

Is it the "last hour" or the "beginning?"

Both!

Jesus entering into time and becoming flesh and dwelling among us is the beginning of the end, he marks the last hour of our old existence and the beginning of something new. 

Every end has a beginning and every beginning has an end.  This is the cycle of life. 

As we stand on the precipice of the last day of the year, we also look into the great beyond of the new year that we eagerly anticipate.  As the old draws to an end, the new beckons with delight and surprise and with much in store for the great adventurer of time. 

This day offers us a time to reflect.  As Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that only with time to reflect, in reflecting on the journey of the days we have lived, can we truly gain inner freedom and the patient readiness to move again.

Gaining inner freedom is essential.  Gaining inner freedom is the reason Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.  He comes to set us free.  He comes, as John reminds us, to offer a gift, "to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,"

To be given power means to have the freedom and liberty to finally become who we were meant to be.  This is what the LAST HOUR is about.  It is about accepting the offer laid bare at our feet at the foot of the manger at the foot of the cross. 

Quia amaste me Domine, feciste me amabilem: Because you have loved me, O Lord, you have made me lovable.

Excerpt from St. Leo the Great:

In the very act in which we are reverencing the birth of our Savior, we are also celebrating our own new birth.  For the birth of Christ is the origin of the christian people; and the birthday of the head is also the birthday of the body. 

Sacramental experience

1 John 1:1-4; Psalm 97 Rejoice in the Lord, you just; John 20: 1a, 2-8;

Today we celebrate the feast of John the Evangelist.  He was the one who wrote the gospel of John, considered to be the writer of the letters of John and is known best as the one standing at the foot of the cross with Mary and the one who rushes to the tomb early Easter Morning. 

What was John's formation as a disciple and future apostle? 

He, like the rest of the apostles, was formed by watching one they knew and loved, one they dined with and walked with, one they encountered in a variety of settings, suffer and die.  The formation of the apostles was deeply rooted in experiencing the depth of love of Jesus through his willingness to embrace the cross, to carry the cross, and to be crucified upon the cross. 

John, unlike the rest of the apostles, refused to abandon Jesus.  He refused to live a life of denial; he did not run from the love of Jesus but embraced it head on and stood at the cross and stared it in the face.   John allowed the love of Jesus to penetrate every part of his soul.  It was a truly sacramental experience, an outward sign of inward reality that bestowed grace upon grace.

Thus, at the beginning of the first letter John can write:

"This is what we proclaim to you:

 what was from the beginning,

 what we have heard,

what we have seen with our eyes,

what we have looked upon

and our hands have touched-

we speak of the word of life.  

This life became visible; 

we have seen and bear witness to it,

and we proclaim to you the eternal life 

that was present to the Father

and became visible to us.

what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you

so that you may share life with us.

This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

This is what the Sacraments of the Church are; they give the grace to bestow and deepen that fellowship with the Most Holy Trinity and deepen our fellowship with one another, in Jesus Christ, the one who became sensible to all. 

True fellowship is both with God and with one another; only in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, can this fellowship be realized fully.

Christmas continues

Readings for Dec 26




Looking back over yesterday's celebration, we might have the tendency to be done with Christmas.  We must realize that Christmas continues. We celebrate Christmas up until the Epiphany. 

For eight days, we celebrate the octave of Christmas, the same pomp and reverence as Christmas day.  We must fight the urge to put every thing away but rather keep the festivity alive in our hearts and minds and lives.

Once we celebrate Christmas, we can never go back to the way things were.  We can't get back to our normal routine of living.  Christmas changes things, the normal life has given way to a life filled with wonder and awe. 

This is why today we celebrate the Feast of the St. Stephen, the first Martyr.  He let the Christmas reality be a true encounter and event that changed everything.  He recognized the cost of being awaken to a new life, a new way of doing things and He embraced the gift and received abundant life and courageously lived differently. The above image is the painting of Pietro de Cortona in 17th century of the the stoning of St. Stephen.  He was stoned to death because he chose to make Jesus the corner stone of his life.

May we keep the manger scene always before our eyes and begin to experience Christmas anew, living a life of wonder and awe before all.

Prayer from Christmas Mass at dawn:

Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us and a son is given to us.  

Your eternal Word leaped down from heaven 

in the silent watches of the night, and 

now your Church is filled with wonder 

at the nearness of her God. 

Open our hearts to receive his life 

and increase our vision with the rising of dawn, 

that our lives may be filled with his glory and peace.

Christmas Tree

Readings for Wed Dec 24 and Christmas Vigil

Message from John Paul II Dec 19, 2004 

"Next to the crib, as in St. Peter's Square, we find the traditional "Christmas tree".  This too is an ancient tradition that exalts the value of life, for in the winter season the evergreen fir becomes a sign of undying life.

Christmas gifts are usually placed on the tree or arranged at its base.  The symbol thus also becomes eloquent in a typically Christians sense: it calls to mind the tree of life, a figure of Christ, God' supreme gif to humanity.

The message of the Christmas tree is consequently that life stays "evergreen" if we make a gift of it: not so much of material things, but of life itself: in friendship and sincere affection, in fraternal help and forgiveness, in time shared and reciprocal listening."

As we ponder the christmas tree arrayed in the splendor of light and filled with gifts; as we ponder the manger scene, with Mary and Joseph and the child laying on the hay; may we remember, lest we forget, that the Child born comes to make us friends of God and friends of each other, "I no longer call you servants but friends."

Christmas is about being awaken to our universal call of deep friendship with all in Christ.

What then will this child be?

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25 Lift up your head and see your redemption is at hand; Luke 1:57-66

The gospel writer gazes toward the coming of Christ but first recognizes the birth of John the Baptizer. 

"When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son."

It is interesting to note that the gospel speaks of the time arriving when John is born.  A natural progression unfolds, first she conceived then she gives birth. 

Yet, when St. Paul speaks of the birth of Jesus his terminology is a little different. In Galatians 4:4 St. Paul writes, "When the time had fully come, God sent forth his son." 

John comes but Jesus is sent.  John arrives on time but Jesus comes in the fullness of time.  Time, when the history of salvation is concerned, is filled with many events, but its center and summit is the mystery of Christ. 

It is the mystery of Christ, the one who is to come in the fullness of time, that gives meaning to all the rest. 

John arrives on time but Jesus comes to fill time with a new dimension, a new dawn "from on high that will shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and guide our feet to the way of peace" as the Canticle of Zechariah reminds us each morning, a canticle proclaimed when the the time had arrived and John the Baptist was born, the child who was to prepare the way for the fullness of time.  

Magnificat

1 samuel 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2 My heart exults in the Lord, my savior; Luke 1:46-56

Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

Excerpt from G.K. Chesterton:

"Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief is superficial.  Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame  of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul"

"The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them."

May Mary's praise become our praise and may our hearts magnify the Lord!

Yes

Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 89 For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

"Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you."

The greeting of the angel to Mary has echoed through the ages.  On the wings of the wind, in the depths of heart of every believer, on the lips of those who proclaim, the greeting summarizes the principle message of Christianity.  "Rejoice!"  The very first word that inaugurates Jesus into history is that of Joy.

Joy descends from the heavens and rises from the earth as God's plan for all is set in motion with Mary's "yes".  Joy is not a feeling but a gift given and a gift received.

In Mary's  "Yes" God is given a dwelling place.  In her "yes" something changes, for the better, for the good, for all, for eternity, for his "Kingdom will have no end".  

God waits on Mary.  He desires her humanity so that he can fill the earth with his divinity.   This kingdom is not built on control or manipulation but on simple freedom to say "yes."

The power of a "yes" should never be taken lightly. 

In Mary we discover  our purpose; we are born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, but in all of us.

When we say "yes" something changes for the better, for the good, for all, for eternity, for his kingdom will have no end.  

Let us not delay, let us not keep God waiting.  Let us hasten to greet him, not with a bow or kiss but with a "yes", be it done unto me according to thy word.

Excerpt from St. Bernard:

"Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive.  Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident.  There is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence.  In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous.  Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary.  Open your heart to faith, O Blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.  See, the desired of all nations  is at your door, knocking to enter...Arise, hasten, open.  Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word."