Jesus's appearance as a child contains valuable lessons for our life.  Dependence, sincerity, humility and trust are all luminously revealed by the infant God.  Christ's whole life is a "master class" on how to live, including his apparent inaction in the manger.  

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Joseph welcomes Mary into his home and thus welcomes Jesus with her.  Jesus is Emmanuel, "God with us", and the "God who saves."  Jesus's presence in the world is a spur to our own spirit of service.  He is in us and among us as "one who serves."

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A meditation on trust, patience, and God's power and love.  

Originally published 12/8/2020:

The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady is a wonderful occasion for prayer.  Our Lady's special favor with God is a reflection of his generosity and love for us.  Bernadette of Lourdes' encounter with Mary helps us to deal personally with our Lady as she truly is: a loving mother and a teacher of prayer.  

Isaiah foresees the absolute peace that Christ will eventually establish.  Until then, Christ's peace is ours to develop and folster.  Christ brings us peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with others.   To foster and enjoy this peace is a beautiful task and privilege of all Christians.   

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Originally published Advent 2020 

John the Baptist is a key figure in Advent.  His call to penance prepares us for the coming of Christ, our redeemer and savior.   A key to being redeemed and saved is our recognition of our own sinfulness.  Only by admitting our need for Christ will we truly encounter him come Christmas time.  

"By your patience you will save your souls."   Jesus's words highlight the importance of patience in the Christian life.  Patience is the ability to suffer well.   Suffering well entails freely embracing suffering which cannot or should not be avoided.  The deepest truth about patience is its connection to charity, to love.  "Love is patient.  ... Love endures all things."   To love God, others, and ourselves rightly, we must learn to practice patience with God, with others, and also with ourselves. 

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The martyrdom of the seven sons and their mother in the second book of Maccabees helps us to reflect on our own relationship with God.  All martyrs and saints detest sin so much that they would rather die than offend God in a serious way.  Their trust and hope in God's providence and in eternal life strengthens their resolve against sin.  God is worth living for and dying for.  This is exactly how God loves us.  On the Cross Jesus showed the "greatest love" when he "laid down his life for his friends." 

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All Souls Day is a special occasion to pray for all the faithful departed, especially for those closest to us. 

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Our call to holiness is clearly revealed in the New Testament.   St. Peter tells us, "as he who called you is holy, be holy in all your conduct."   This is clearly a call to action.  At the same time, however, we must realize that holiness is more something done to us-- and in us--than something done by us.  "To be filled with the fullness of God", as St. Paul puts it, is a divine initiative.  This takes great courage and trust on our part, because to be filled with God is also to die once and again to ourselves.  

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