Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest



Been busy this week, but I just wanted to write quick note today.  St. John Bosco lived in the 19th Century and worked very hard for the youth.  In fact he is the patron saint of youth ministers.  His work focused on bringing people closer to God and to building up the Kingdom of God.  Essentially, he was helping it to grow, as Jesus talks about in the parables in the Gospel today.  May the prayers of St. John Bosco help us to continue that work.

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church



St. Thomas Aquinas was actually nicknamed "The Dumb Ox" by his classmates at school because they thought he didn't get what was being taught.  In reality he got it so quickly that his mind would get lost in another thought before the rest of his classmates had finished the original thought.  He was basically a child prodigy.  He used his knowledge for the Church and wrote many books about both theology and philosophy.  Many of his works are still required reading at seminary.  His desire was to teach others about God and to help them increase their faith in Him.  St. Thomas wanted people to be a part of God's family, as Jesus talks about in the Gospel today.  May the prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas help us as we strive to do God's will.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have all, I’m sure, been taught from a very early age that teamwork
is a very important thing. There is the obvious sports reference of
course, but this is true whether we are talking about doing physical
labor, brainstorming ideas, getting the word out to people about
something new, or a variety of other ways in which a group of people
work as a team to get a job done.


As Christians, the idea of teamwork is also applicable to growing in our

faith. Our baptism puts us in a unique relationship with God, the
saints in Heaven, and the whole Church. This is the “team” that
will help us grow in faith. Now consider for a moment what I just
said. All those I just mentioned are helping us get to Heaven. We
know that God is doing this: He gives us all the graces we need. The
saints are praying for us in Heaven and they give us great examples
of how to live a virtuous life, so no surprises there. But have you
ever considered that the Church as a whole is helping us to get to
Heaven? We are talking about everyone who is a part of the Church
Universal, not just those who attend this particular Church. This is
every Catholic throughout the world. This is the people we know, the
people we don’t know, the people we get along with great, and the
people we don't always get along with. This is every member of the
Church. We help each other grow in holiness by praying and
worshiping as a community of faith, and by supporting and encouraging
each other as family, with God as our Father and Jesus our Brother.
My point is that the Church helps us.


I once heard a story about a priest. I think it’s true and I

certainly hope it’s true, but even if it’s not, it gives us
something to think about. A young priest heard about a man in the
parish who used to come quite regularly to Sunday Mass, but was now
very rarely seen at Mass. People had seen him around town, so it
wasn’t because of an injury or physical handicap or anything like
that. He simply wasn’t coming. 


The priest decided to pay a visit to the gentleman, just to meet him and

find out what was happening in his life. They agreed on a time to
meet, and the priest came to his house. The parishioner welcomed the
priest and invited him to sit in an easy chair next to a cozy fire.
The two talked for a bit and exchanged pleasantries. Then the priest
brought up that he hadn’t noticed the man at church recently and
politely asked why that was. The man replied, “Father, I used to
go to church every Sunday, but then I stopped because I didn’t feel
like I was getting much out of it. I’ve found that I feel much
closer to God when I’m out fishing in my boat or out hunting or
hiking in the woods. I pray when I’m out there and just feel like
I get so much more out of being in God’s creation than in sitting
in church. I just don’t feel like I need church.” 


The priest nodded and both men stared at the fire for a moment. A bed of

bright red coals glowed around the burning log. The priest broke the
silence and began a new topic; maybe about sports or a favorite
fishing spot. As he began, he picked up the fire poker, which was
next to his chair and pulled out a single, glowing coal from the fire
so that it sat alone on a brick in front of the hearth. The man
noticed this, but didn’t say anything about it. The two continued
to talk about the weather, favorite pastimes, and things going on in
the news. As they talked, the man would occasionally look down at
the coal the priest had pulled out. Though it had been bright red at
first, the glow slowly dimmed. After a time, coal was nearly all
black with just a faint tint of red. As it looked like it would go
out completely, the priest picked up the poker again and slowly
pushed the coal back into the fire. Almost immediately its former
glow returned with full force, as if being returned to its “brother
and sister coals” had given it new life. They stared at the fire
in silence again, until the gentleman spoke, “I understand, Father.
I’ll be in Church this Sunday.”


If we try to live out our faith on our own, if we try to live it without

the Church, if we try to live it without the Communion of Saints, if
we try to live it without asking for God's help when we need it, we
are going to fail miserably. We need the help of God, Heaven, and
the Church in order to keep the fire within our hearts burning.


Two of our readings today and our psalm use the images of light and

darkness to help illustrate how we need much more than just our own
strength and will-power if we hope one day to be with God for
eternity. Isaiah prophesies that God will be with us and will dwell
among us. This is the Messiah who will come from Nazareth of
Galilee, the District of the Gentiles. This is Jesus, who will come
to be a light to all nations and to bring them back to God. St.
Matthew quotes the same words of Isaiah in the Gospel passage we hear
today. The quote and the original have a few different words, but
that's because of a difference in translation. My point is they are
meant to be the same passage. Matthew is bringing it up because at
this point in his account of Jesus' life, Jesus is beginning His
ministry an is fulfilling that prophesy. He has left His home in
Nazareth and has set up his “home base”, if you will, at
Capernaum along the Sea of Galilee. God is among us.


Jesus, as the Son of God certainly is bringing that light into the world and

that light is most definitely shining where once only darkness and
gloom dwelt. But the readings also show how important it is to have
other people around us to help us. These people also bring light
where there was once only darkness. Jesus begins calling His
disciples in Matthew, starting with Peter, Andrew, James and John.
They ordinary fishermen, called to be fishers of men. We also hear
from St. Paul that we are not to have divisions among ourselves as
member of the Church. We are simply to follow Christ and to support
each other.


To use one more sports analogy: to be a Catholic Christian is not an

individual sport, nor is it a spectator sport. We have to have team
work. We must together and ask the saints to pray for us and the
Holy Spirit to guide us. Only then will we have the light of Heaven.

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church



St. Francis de Sales worked hard as a Bishop in the 17th century to help bring people closer to God.  He wrote many books on spirituality and was a great example to those who knew him.  David is also working to bring someone's mind back to focusing on God in the first reading today.  Saul is in another one of his jealous rages and tries to take out David.  David is able to calmly talk the king out of this and convince him to allow his heart to turn back towards God and what He would want the king to do.  May these be examples for us who to bring others to God as well.

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborm Children

Readings: Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborm Children



Today is the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade.  We pray this day particularly for the unborn and that our leaders will make decisions that support all human life.  With 41 years of abortions being declared constitutional in our country, it can be easy to despair over this.  It is easy to lose hope of every seeing an end to this and let anger towards those in favor of abortions to take the place of that hope.  But our readings today remind us to have faith in God.  Just as David had faith that God would help him win the battle; just as the man in the Gospel had faith that Jesus would make him whole again. 



We won't win this battle with anger and despair.  We will win with trust in God and showing the example of love to our neighbor.  Let us continue to pray.

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr




St. Agnes was one of the virgin martyrs.  She died sometime in the early 4th Century.  St. Ambrose (as Church Father from the 4th Century as well) wrote that she was only twelve years old at the time of her death.  He describes that other girls her age can't stand to have their parents frown at them and will cry at a tiny pin prick as if they received a mortal wound, but Agnes remained faithful and courageous as she faced her tormentors.  No one would have expected that of her at the time, but now we are celebrating her memorial over a thousand years later, honoring her for her great example of faith.



King David didn't seem all that special either.  In the first reading today, Samuel thought for sure the Lord's chosen was one of his older brothers.  God had chosen him to be king though.  Neither David nor Agnes seemed like people we would one day turn to as examples of the faith when they were starting out in life, yet that is precisely what we are doing today.  May their examples of faith help us in our own lives.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Vocations are an important topic to talk about and pray about. While this is true, the idea of having a “vocation” can be a bit of an abstract thought for those who have never considered what a vocation is. What I'm getting at here is that many people, perhaps many of you who are reading this, have no idea what it means to have a vocation; what it is like to be called by God to a specific vocation. I thought I would speak today about my own vocation story and how I discerned that God was calling me to the priesthood.

Sometimes people expect a vocation story to include a booming voice coming from the heavens or some sort of mystical conversation with God that sounds like it belongs in the Bible or out of the Lives of the Saints. My first memory as young boy is of walking up in the middle of the night to find the Archangel Gabriel appearing by my bedside. He pointed at me and proclaimed, “Thus says the Lord: Joseph, son of Thomas and Judith, I have chosen you to become one of my priests. Go now to your parent's bedside, wake them from their deep sleep and tell them of this message from on high!”

This may sound like a fascinating tale right there, but it is only a “tall” one I'm afraid. However, I do think there are a lot of Christians in the world today who think that the only way that God communicates with people is through a booming voice or a heavenly messenger like in my little story. Since, most likely, they have not had such an encounter, they come to the conclusion (a false one) that God must not be talking to them and must not have a vocation for them. That is not the truth. God speaks to us in many ways. Here is how God spoke to me.

I didn't always think that I was going to be a priest. I remember thinking of priesthood as a boy in elementary school, but I didn't really think about it all that seriously and I would soon move on to other thoughts of what I wanted to be when I grew up. My mother was quite involved with music at my home parish and would have me in tow around the church as she got music ready for Sunday. Thanks to that, I would get to know the parish priests early on and I was able to see them as normal human beings who I felt very comfortable around.

As I grew up, I helped out with altar serving and being involved as a volunteer at the Church. When I was in junior high school, I was invited to attend a vocation camp the diocese was putting on in the summer. I found out several years later that a elderly parishioner had sent in my name, thinking I would make a good priest some day. That was probably how I was invited. I attended the camp for a couple of years. In the summer after eighth grade, I remember praying in the camp chapel after Mass one day. I had heard several priests and seminarians talk about how they felt called to the priesthood and their experiences of priesthood. We could also hang out, a play games and get to know them. The idea of being called to something by God was exciting to me, and I wanted to know what God was calling me to right away. I prayed to God, “Let me know what you want me to do, Lord. Let me know if you want me to be a priest or to be married. Please let me know”. As I prayed, I began having this feeling of peace; a feeling I often describe to people as feeling like I'm at home. I thought about how I often had this same feeling of peace whenever I was helping at Church, whether I was serving, or helping with music or other tasks at Church. I believed that God was telling me that He wanted me to serve in the Church. I couldn't think of a better way to do that than in the priesthood.

I got up and ran outside to find the vocation director. “Father, Father! I think I'm called to be a priest!” He had to remind me that I was still in middle school and had time before I had to make a decision. I kept praying about it in the years to come. I still thought about marriage and other occupations occasionally, but priesthood still remained in the back of my mind.

My senior year, I finally went to an open house at a seminary in St. Paul. I was nervous because I thought joining a seminary meant throwing away who I was and would no longer be able to have fun. But I discovered that the seminary is a place where the men were normal human beings. I could still be myself. I would be around others, considering doing the same thing I was. I was hooked. I signed up and began my studies the next year.

I would be lying if I said it was smooth sailing after that. It took a lot of work and a lot of prayers. I had times of doubt of whether I was even in the right place. But despite the doubts and stress I had at times, God continued to speak to me in different ways (in prayer; in the people I would meet) letting me know I was on the right track. Now as a priest, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Knowing our vocation and responding to it is not about being 100% sure of what we are doing. It's about being aware of how God is moving in your life and taking that chance. God does not normally speak in booming voices, but more often in small voices that resonate in the heart. We do not always know what we are doing, but we try to respond the best we can.

An important part of living out a vocation, is sacrifice. We all sacrifice in a vocation: whether it is sacrificing for your spouse or children in marriage, or sacrificing for the Church in a religious vocation. The readings today talk about being called and responding to vocations: Isaiah responds to his vocation as a prophet, called from his mother's womb. St. Paul responds to being called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and passes on his knowledge to the people of Corinth. The Gospel mentions both St. John the Baptist who was called to be a prophet and the Messiah's forerunner, and Jesus Himself who was called to be none other than the Lamb of God. Each of them responds to these vocations wholeheartedly and does so with sacrifice. Particularly, Jesus sacrifices His entire self for us all as the Lamb of God who died for us.

Let us pray, this day and every day, for the grace to recognize and respond to the vocation God calls us to. We are not all called to literally die as Jesus did, but we are called to die to self as a personal sacrifice. May our sacrifices be pleasing in His sight.

Memorial of Anthony, Abbot

Memorial of Anthony, Abbot

Memorial of St. Anthony, the Desert Father.  He gave up his inheritance to focus more on Jesus, our savior.  His example reminds us to keep focused on our one true King; to not forget about Him as the Israelites do in the first reading.  St. Anthony, pray for us.

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

We have two examples of asking for God's assistance.  In the first reading, the Israelites presume that God is going to automatically come to their help.  They take the Arc of the Covenant along with them into battle.  There is no mention of any prayer, asking if God would help them and be with them against their enemies.  They almost seem to be testing God or trying to force His hand by "dragging" Him along.  The result is the death of thousands.  In the Gospel, the leper asks for healing from Jesus with faith.  He understands that it is up to God's will whether it happens or not.  He says, "If you wish".  Jesus replies, "I do will it".  The leper is made clean.

We are called to ask for God's help with faith as well.  May the grace of God be with us to help us understand His will and to accept it.

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

The first reading is the story about God calling Samuel to be a priest.  Samuel doesn't quite get it at first; he keeps waking Eli up thinking it was him who had called out.  Eventually though, the two figure out what is going on and Samuel is able to recognize that God is the one who is calling him.

We also need to be mindful of how God is calling each of us.  That takes prayer and discernment: is this what God is calling me to, or is this what I would like God to be calling me to?  Discernment is different for each person, but a big part of it is, where do you feel at peace with what your are doing?  That maybe where God is calling you to.  But the point is, keep praying, get a spiritual director if you don't already have one, and keep discerning.  Then one can recognize the voice of God!

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Life is full of beginnings and endings. There is nothing all that revolutionary about this observation, it’s simply one of those things about life that we learn from early on: people come and go, events have a start and a finish. In some cases, when one thing ends, that marks the beginning of something else. For instance, the end of December 31^st, 2013 brought about the beginning of January 1^st, 2014. The end of autumn brings about the beginning of winter, and the end of winter brings about spring. Of course, here in northern Minnesota the end of winter can be a little ambiguous. We can be a bit confused about what season we really are in. We know that eventually though, winter will be over and warmer times of spring and summer will follow close behind.

Our liturgical calendar, the order in which we celebrate the various Church seasons of the year, follows this pattern of the ending of one time of the year and the start of another. Today, with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, ends the season of Christmas. On Monday, we will begin the season of Ordinary. Then Lent will begin in March, and so on. Even the dates in which we celebrate some of these special days were chosen so that the beginning and ending of things in nature can help us learn the significance of our Catholic faith. Part of the reason the Church chose to celebrate Christmas Day in late December was because of its close proximity to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. St. John the Baptist, when he was announcing the coming of Jesus as Messiah, said of Him, “He must increase and I must decrease”. Think about this: from June up until Christmas, the days got steadily shorter. The light was decreasing for us in the northern hemisphere. Since Christmas day, we are slowly but surely seeing longer days: the Sun is increasing. Again, this is all based on the end of one season of the year and the start of another.

The readings for today also speak of an ending and a beginning. Before Christ came, the world was in waiting for a savior. But with the coming of Christ, that time of waiting comes to an end. What the readings speak of is how Christ came to bring salvation to humanity by bringing us all closer to God. It is through Christ’s ministry here on earth that this is possible and that ministry begins with His baptism.

The Gospel from Matthew tells the story of the Baptism of Jesus. If you have ever wondered to yourself, “Wait a minute. Christ is the Son of God, He already has the Holy Spirit with Him because He’s God. He has no sins to be washed away by baptism. Why on Earth is Jesus being baptized by John?” you are not alone. St. John the Baptist even seems baffled by all this. We are told that, “John tried to prevent him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?’” Christ reminds him, however, that God has a bigger plan for all of this. He tells him, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Basically, Jesus is saying that they should do it this way, where John baptizes Jesus, so that they will follow the Father’s will to bring justice for people. The Father’s will is that we will all be baptized and brought closer to Him. By being baptized Himself, Christ gave us an example of what to do. He also sanctified the waters of the earth, making it possible for our baptism to mean so much more. Before this event, baptism simply meant a forgiveness of sins. After the sanctification of the waters, baptism not only forgives sins, but it also brings those who are baptized into God’s family and makes them a part of the Body of Christ. The whole action of baptism becomes so much more holy; it becomes a Sacrament!

The Baptism of Jesus also marks an important shift in the Gospels. If you look in your Bibles at what happens after the Baptism, we see that after this, Jesus goes into the desert to pray and is tempted by Satan. He then begins His ministry in Galilee. He ends His time of growing up in His hometown and then begins His ministry that will bring salvation. This shows all the more the importance of the Baptism of the Lord.

The other readings we heard today continue with this thought. Both the reading from Isaiah and the reading from the Acts of the Apostles talk about the Jesus doing His ministry and doing the will of God. Of course, Isaiah is in the Old Testament and doesn’t actually mention Jesus by name, only as this servant of God who will do the will of God and bring about justice and salvation for all of God’s people. In the Book of Acts, St. Peter preaches about the Good News of Jesus Christ. He talks about the important ministry that Our Lord provided as He went about healing the oppressed. Again, it was the Baptism of Jesus that we celebrate today that brought Him into this ministry.

So what exactly does this celebration have to do with us? This celebration should tell us about the importance of our own sacrament of Baptism. Just as Christ's Baptism began His preparation in the desert and His ministry, so also we should see our baptism as the beginning of the part we play in Jesus’ ministry.

When we were baptized and when we have our children baptized, we are too little to begin much of any ministry. Think of it as that preparation time in the desert. As we learn about the faith in Sunday School and receive the Sacraments however, we become more prepared to do ministry. That ministry doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds. Part of it is living out our faith, just as we are doing right now in Church. We let others see that we are taking an hour out of our busy lives to spend time in Church. This can also include how we interact with others; being kind to others, not engaging in gossip or slandering others; not engaging in crude jokes or speech with others. These are just a few examples of how we can encourage others to live a good Christian life. Even though your baptism may have taken place a while back, let it remind you that you are called to ministry and to help bring others to Christ. Let it be a new beginning for you.

Friday after Epiphany

Friday after Epiphany

Believe in God.  Believe that God is able to heal us of our infirmities and make us whole once more.  The leper in the Gospel today believed, he asked Jesus to do it for him, at it happened.  Notice too that he said "If you wish it".  He knew it wasn't just up to him to tell Jesus what to do.  Jesus had to will it.  God had to will it.  It's important for us to keep in mind as well that what we ask for is up to God's will.  Sometimes we ask for something, but God knows what is best.  He might say, "I'll give it to you, but not yet".  Or He might say, "I have something else in mind for you".  It is all His will.  Let us not be afraid to ask things of God and always remember it is through His gracious will that it happens.

Thursday after Epiphany

Thursday after Epiphany

We continue hearing St. John's explanation of God is love in his first letter.  Today the focus is on how we are to love those around us just as God loves us.  In fact, it is impossible to love God if we do not love our neighbors.  So, exactly how are we to love?  We are to love like Christ did.  It isn't that we have to die a horrific death on a cross like  Jesus did.  We are simply called to love.  Christ quotes Isaiah today and describes people like the poor and captives and the blind who he will help with his ministry.  These are people who one might expect have been forsaken by God, but here is God offering to help them and to die for them.  We are called to love as well.  Loving isn't always easy, but we can always ask for the grace to help us. 

Tuesday after Epiphany

Tuesday after Epiphany

God is love.  This is proven by the fact that Jesus Christ lays down His life for all of us on Good Friday.  The Mass, which is foreshadowed in the account of the "Feeding of the Five Thousand" in today's Gospel" calls us to remember that.  It is because of this love that we can rejoice in this Christmas Season.  May God continue to bless all of you in this Christmas Season.

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

I have noticed something about birthdays. It seems that for most people, the older you get the less you really want to make a big deal about your birthday. Of course when you're very little, you might not even realize that it is your birthday. But not very long after that, you get into that age range where your birthday is a very big deal. You want to have the big party and you want to invite as many people as you can, and, if you're like me when I was a kid, you want each one to be bearing gifts.

I remember a birthday that I had when I was is fourth or fifth grade. I wanted to have a blowout of a party and I think I ended up inviting all the boys in my classroom and a few others in my grade. I think it was about a dozen or so. I wish I could say that my desire for a big party was driven by pure motives; that I wanted my friends to just have fun on this day and to share in the joys that I felt. Alas, but as is typical of our fallen human state, my motives were much more selfish. I wanted to be the popular kid. I wanted this party to blow my popularity scale at the school through the roof. I also wanted to be showered with gifts. I wanted to have the dilemma of not knowing where I was going to put all of these toys. Both of these lofty goals required, no, they demanded, that I invite as many people as I could to ensure my success.

In the end, the party was fun, but I didn't become any more popular. The toys and gifts were great, but they didn't bring the happiness that I thought they would. I realized that really, I preferred to have a smaller party where I invited my closest friends and I could actually enjoy their company and friendship. After that, I kept my parties much smaller. I still wished I could be the popular kid at school, but I enjoyed celebrating a special day with my closest friends most of all. Even today, I prefer a simple get-together with a few friends or family members, rather than a huge blow-out when it comes to celebrations.

Today's Feast of the Epiphany reminds us of the story of the Three Wise Men who traveled from the East, following a star the lead them to Bethlehem. One thing that I like to reflect on during the Christmas season is contrast of today's story from the Gospel according to St. Matthew and the Nativity Story from St. Luke's account. Luke tells us about the shepherds who heard about the birth from an angel and went to see Him on that first Christmas night. Take a moment to consider these two groups of visitors. The shepherds are local people; presumably Jewish in ancestry and in their religion. They are poor. They may have brought all their worldly possessions with them when they came to the stable, and they probably weren't carrying any huge containers either. They live off of the land and the conditions of their faces, hands, and feet probably reflected the harsh environment there. They would have smelled just like the sheep that they were in charge of, and maybe even worse.

The Magi, on the other hand, were very rich. They had to have been rich to have made the perilous journey from the East and to afford such fine gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They were obviously well educated for their day: they were very likely astronomers because they knew that the star was significant and knew to follow it. They also knew that it meant the birth of a Jewish king, even though they themselves were not Jewish. The fact that they are not Jewish is also quite significant. Scholars figure the Magi's country of origin to be Persia, in modern day Iran. One of the Magi is often depicted in artwork with darker features, suggesting he comes from Africa, though he may have been living in Persia when he began this journey.

So, when you look at both of the accounts of the Nativity, you find both Jews and Gentiles visiting the baby; both locals and those who had to travel a great distance. You have both rich and poor; those who can offer expensive gifts and those who have just enough to feed their families. This is significant because it is symbolic of the fact that all peoples are invited to come forward to see this child with their own eyes. All are invited to come before the manger and to kneel in adoration. WE are all invited to know Christ better.

This brings us to yet another important fact. Why aren’t our churches full to overflowing? Shouldn’t there be more here since all are invited?

Going back to my original image, imagine if we invited many people from many different groups of people that we have interacted with in our day to day lives. Maybe this is one of those birthday parties growing up, or maybe even a significant occasion that happens as an adult. Now imagine if only a small group of those people show up. And I’m not just talking about people unable to show up because of cold or snowy weather. What if people just didn’t show up? How heartbroken would we be, especially if this happened when we were kids and having everyone there would be our biggest worry?

God wants all of us to be here, to celebrate His birthday, and we are still celebrating for another week yet. He does not want us for selfish reasons, like when I wanted all my classmates at my party. He wants us because of love of us. We are asked to respond. All of us here are responding, obviously, but what about the others? What about our friends and family who are not going? We can’t make those others go, but can we do more to invite? Maybe in this New Year, one of our resolutions should be to invite those around us to come. Let us invite others to come in adoration.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

The First Letter of St. John tells us that we need to confess who Jesus is.  That is, we truly must acknowledge who He is; that He is the Christ.  When we do, we will have God the Father with us as well.  If we deny Christ, then we will not have God with us.  John the Baptist, as we hear in the Gospel, is a big voice in telling others about Christ.  In a way, today's Gospel sounds almost like a TV advertisement for the next show: "Stay Tuned!"  Jesus is coming!  I'm just baptizing with water.  He's going to baptize with the Holy Spirit.  Today's saints also taught about who Christ is for all of us.  Both St. Basil and St. Gregory fought against Arianism, which was a heresy of the early Church that denied the Divinity of Christ.  Many Church leaders, including Basil and Gregory, had to work very hard to teach that Christ was the Son of God and therefore was of the same substance (literally made of the same "stuff") as the Father.  They weren't martyred, but they had their own struggles try to convince people of this.  My point is, they worked to confess who Jesus is as well.