Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” The unclean spirit of Sunday’s Gospel passage speaks truth. He knows enough of Jesus’ power to be afraid of Him, yet not enough to serve Him. Jesus drives out the spirit with authority. Is this how we treat Jesus? Do we recognize His authority, but refuse to let it apply to us? We might be guilty of treating Jesus as just another prophet, or just another teacher. Jesus is not only these things but also our God! We should let Him speak to us as Prophet, we should listen to and absorb His words as Teacher, but we should first
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, We often hear cries of: “the world is ending!” This scare tactic is often meant to stir us to action in one regard or another. Predictions of doom seem to be a common way for people to sway public opinion and get a desired response from the crowd. Yet for Christians the end of this world is not a prophesy of doom but a fulfillment of God’s promise. The end of this world of sin is the beginning of the Kingdom of God. We can speak of the coming of God’s kingdom with the same call to conversion as above, just as St. Paul said to the Corinthians: “the time is running out.” Paul is encouraging them to repent from their sins and prepare their hearts
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, As we return to Ordinary Time this week, let us bear in mind the order intended by the name of this liturgical season. Ordinary Time should not be boring or mundane. Ordinary Time is measured time as well as being time that is ordered toward God. The Sundays of Ordinary Time are numbered so that we may keep track of our progress through the year. Do we reflect upon our spiritual progress as we go through the year? Take Ordinary Time this year as an invitation to meditate on your own progress in holiness. Maybe you can work on increasing your daily private prayer time by 2 minutes each week of Ordinary Time. By next Advent you will be making a Holy Hour
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, The Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ gives us opportunity to reflect on the light of Jesus Christ as the light for all nations. The magi from the east represent the pagan cultures surrounding the People of God. They come seeking a newborn king, whom they expect through their charting of the stars in the sky. They have used their human reason to approach Jesus without truly knowing Who He Is. Imperfect as their desire may be, they do seek the Christ. And He Who Is their true God and King receives them on the throne of His Blessed Mother’s lap. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh prefigure Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and death—powerful
