In today's Gospel we see Mary going immediately from the astonishing message of the angel announcing her virginal motherhood to her traveling to care for her elderly & pregnant cousin Elizabeth. How was it possible for her to be so unselfish at such a dramatic time for her personally? It's because she was filled with God and thus emptied of self. As a result, her heart was wide open to receive others. 

On this "Gaudete Sunday" -- named for the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, which is "Gaudete", "Rejoice!" and symbolized by its rose liturgical color -- our second reading today echoes this them of joy. Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always!" This is a command for the Christian, and because we cannot "command" the way that we feel, he is communicating to us that joy is not a feeling but an act of the will, a result of our trust and confidence that God is good and that we are loved -- in good times and in bad!

Today we are introduced to the great Advent figure, St. John the Baptist, whose vocation was to prepare the way of the Lord as Isaiah had prophesied: "Every valley shall be filled and hill made low." To prepare the people to receive Jesus into their hearts, what did he do? He had the people come to confess their sins and receive a baptism of repentance. If we want Jesus to find our home in our hearts, we too have to acknowledge, repent, and be forgiven for our sins -- this reconciliation always proceeds communion. Like in human relationships, t is impossible to have communion with God without there first being reconciliation.

The readings on the 1st Sunday of Advent are always taken from the apocalyptic sections of the Scriptures, having to do with the Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgment. Maybe we will live long enough to see these fearsome events that Jesus describes, which will precede his second coming in glory: the sun, moon, and stars failing and nations in great turmoil. But, in any case, we will live long enough to die, and the Lord, in his merciful love, will be trying to shake us out of our neglectfulness and complacence. He desires that all souls be prepared to meet him when he comes. May we attend to this Advent responsibility of watchfulness and vigilance so we are ready when he comes for us!

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the King who comes as the New Adam, to restore what was lost in the garden. He will not be like the first Adam, who allowed evil in the garden and allowed his bride to dialog with that malicious presence. Instead, he will be true steward and protector of the garden, as God intended the first Adam to be, and he will restore in us through grace what has been lost to us through sin.

As we reach the end of the liturgical year, our Scripture readings are taken from the apocalyptic sections of the Bible. The sections dealing with the "Apocalypse" have to do with the "unveiling" of reality to show the truth behind the surface. It would be a mistake for us to think that these passages are describing something in the future and thus irrelevant for us. In today's Gospel, after predicting the failure and collapse of the sun and moon and stars, Jesus says,  "This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." All of the orientation points of our own life, everything upon which will have relied in this life, save God, is going away. We will lose everything! But, "when you see these things happening, know that he, the Lord, is near, at the gates."

Today's Scriptures are about two women -- both poor widows -- widows being one of the most vulnerable groups in Israel -- who have nothing to give. Both women end up giving even the nothing they have, and both women are praised for their trust in God, who will give us everything when we're willing to give even the nothing that we have.

Why do we have priests? As we continue our reading through the Letter to the Hebrews in our Sunday readings, it is clear that the theme of the Priesthood of Christ is so important to the author. Christ's Priesthood, which was perfect, fulfilled and brought to completion the Old Testament priesthood. The Last Supper, then, was the institution of the New Testament priesthood, which is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ.

The veneration of the saints has been a constant tradition in the Christian Church. In this homily we explore the reasons given to us by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Our second reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews has this important comment regarding the priesthood: "No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God." A man does not choose the priesthood. God chooses the man to be ordained a priest. May our reflection help us to treasure more and more the gift that he gives to the world in the priesthood!