St. Luke begins this particular scene: “the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem.” Of course they did. The angel told them to. They wanted to get to the action. But that is not the whole story. They can’t stay in Bethlehem. They can’t bask in the glorifying and praising. They can’t remain in amazement. No,… Read More »

Long time Catholics will remember that in the pre-Vatican II Mass there was something called “the Last Gospel.” At the conclusion of all of the prayers and post-communion the priest would recite the prologue to St. John’s Gospel at every mass. Obviously the Church thought that this reading needed lots of attention. The prologue itself… Read More »

The octave of Christmas is celebrated as one great feast. During these eight days the first reading is taken from the first epistle of St. John. The epistle opens with St. John reminding his readers that he is talking about what he has seen, what he had heard, what he has touched. The presence of… Read More »

The Sunday between Christmas and New Year (if there is one) is celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Family. Pope Paul VI visited Nazareth in 1964 and spoke of the lessons we can learn in Nazareth. The first is the value of silence. We know virtually nothing of the life of the Holy Family… Read More »

“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.” The Holy Family became immigrants to a foreign land because of a hostile government lead by King Herod that threatened their welfare. Sounds alot like the first pilgrims to what is now the United States who came to… Read More »

What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life — for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it. Being a Christian relies on eye witnesses. St. John begins his epistle by saying the… Read More »

One of the cliches you near nowadays is that “Christmas is for children.” That is certainly not the way the Bible or the liturgy of the Church looks at the feast. One of the great Biblical scholars of our era even wrote a book “An adult Christ at Christmas.” The liturgy comments on the meaning… Read More »

Christmas is special. The “most wonderful time of year” according to the song. Even those who don’t ordinarily notice things religious feel the tug of the season. For one thing it’s got some fantastic images – away in a manger, angels we have heard on high, we three kings of Orient are. But at its… Read More »

King David wanted to build “a house for the Lord.” He had united the tribes of Israel under one king. He had established a capital that all could pay allegiance to, Jerusalem. Now he wanted to centralize worship in a temple in that capital. He frames it as doing something for God, as if he… Read More »

“What, then, will this child be?” That question raised about John the Baptist could be asked of any child. Every child has a vast potential to live out their identity as beloved of God if only given the chance. However, when parents feel their child imperiled the question become even more urgent. Parents in the… Read More »