In today's Gospel we hear the wonderful and mysterious account of the calling of the first four disciples, all fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The act of fishing has a few essential aspects: attracting, hooking, and reeling in fish. The same holds true with the new vocation of these men, who will become "fishers of men": attracting, hooking, and bringing in for God. But before these men can fish for men, they first must follow. They must go with Jesus everywhere he goes. Through sustained contact with him, they themselves will be transformed into "other Christ's", and then the light of God will shine from them as it shines from Jesus. Then they (and we) will become "fishers of men"!

Every year we celebrate this feast in which we commemorate Jesus receiving the baptism of John, which is a baptism of repentance. Immediately this gets confusing, since Jesus was all-holy; he never committed a personal sin. But yet we see him in the Gospel getting in line with sinners. In doing so, he takes responsibility for and ownership not of his own sins but of mine. He drowns my sins in the baptismal waters, and as he emerges from the water, gives me a new life of grace. May our hearts be moved with love today for this totally generous gift from our Savior!

In today's rich feast day of the Epiphany we see the Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in which the Lord's light shines over Jerusalem, and the foreign nations come and worship the true God of Israel. But we also see in the Gospel how the Magi were not able to reach Jesus their destination on their own -- they needed the assistance of those in Jerusalem. Will we in the Church lead the seekers in our lives to Jesus?

Something we often forget is that the Church teaches that Mary is the mother of Christ but she also mothers Christ in us! As Christ was born of Mary 2000 years ago, she still gives birth to him in me and you. May we turn to our Mother in this New Year, that she will love us into greater openness to Christ, that he will be born anew in us!

Again we hear from the beginning of Matthew's Gospel, and we hear from the perspective of St. Joseph. This holy man never speaks a word in Scripture, but we learn from him many things. He teaches us the need for attentive, silent prayer in order to hear God. And once we have heard God, he teaches us decisive, obedient action. St. Joseph, protector and provider for Jesus and Mary, pray for all men!

In our fallen world, we experience dysfunction on so many levels. There is the obvious dysfunction of violence and oppression. There is the dysfunction of my sinfulness. But daily we also experience our brokenness and poverty. What is God's response to all of this? A helpless baby lies in a trough in poverty, sleeping peacefully under the protective watch of his parents. A poor woman and a poor man, deeply in love, gaze with joy and wonder at their child. Merry Christmas!

In this 4th Sunday of Advent we hear Matthew's account of the announcement of the birth of Jesus, which focuses on the perspective of Joseph. St. Joseph's anguish over what to do in light of Mary's unexpected pregnancy is pretty clear. There is a deep suffering there. What we may forget is what he will need to sacrifice in taking Mary into his home: He tacitly acknowledges that the child is his, and he sacrifices his good reputation. But Joseph is unwavering in his obedience to God, and he receives in return his bride and child.

In today's Gospel, the disciples of John the Baptist, who is in prison, deliver a surprising message to Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?"

All of the saints carried the Cross of Jesus, as he promised they would. St. John the Baptist's was not only suffering imprisonment and martyrdom but also the painful experience of the darkness of doubt.

John shows us what we must do when our soul is suffering: Bring it to Jesus. He will illuminate the darkness, as he does today for John.

On the 2nd Sunday of Advent we are reintroduced to the strange and wonderful figure of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel tells us that people left the Holy City and traveled into the desert wilderness to be baptized by John. Inspired by this pilgrimage to the Jordan River, we reflect on three practical ways we can prepare our hearts to be ready for God.

Our Gospel reading for this 1st Sunday of Advent focuses us on Jesus's Second Coming, and he compares it to the flood of Genesis. He says that people were going about their business, doing their normal tasks, and suddenly they were swept away. This is the mean of when Jesus gives us the image of the two men in the field and the two women grinding at the mill. One is taken and the other is left. There is no external difference between the one taken and the one left. The difference is internal: One was ready for the Lord; one was not. Which one will I be when He comes for me?!