Christmas, Midnight Mass • Shepherds shiver in the cold. Wise men search the night sky for light. A young couple welcomes God's love and brings warmth and light into the world. The shepherds are warmed and the wise men are enlightened. They go home carrying His warmth and light in their hearts and sharing it with all they meet.

We gather to celebrate Christmas in a world that is cold and dark. We need to draw near the stable. We need to let God warm our hearts and enlighten our minds. Then we can sing "Joy to the World" and share his love with all people.

(25 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: Spend some time in front of a nativity scene just basking in the warmth and light of God's love.

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Advent, 4th Sunday (A) When did God first prepare to give us Christmas? Tradition holds that the curse of the serpent in Genesis 3:14-15 is also a prophecy. A descendant of the first woman will one day destroy the power of the Devil.

God then promises King David that one of his descendants will have a kingdom forever. This son of David will also be a son of God (2 Samuel 7:8-17).

Ahaz, a descendant of King David, refuses to ask God for a sign. He is given a sign anyway, the sign of a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:10-14). The Messiah will defeat the Devil, establish a forever kingdom, be the son of God and born of a virgin.

But why does God send us a baby? We ask God for so many gifts, and instead of blessing us with peace or hope or any of those things, he offers us a baby. He wants to be Emmanuel, God with you. We shy away from letting God be with us because we either want to be in control or we are afraid that we are too much of a mess.

Mary and Joseph teach us to respond differently. Mary humbly accepts God's offer of relationship and she lets God take care of the details. One of the details is the fact that Mary happens to be married, and Joseph knows he didn't help make this baby. Joseph stands up and protects Mary and God's child. He is not afraid to take Mary and Jesus into his home.

We often ask for a sign of God's love for us. But we do have a sign: at every Catholic Mass, God becomes Emmanuel in the Eucharist. He is "God with us" in your local parish church. He wants to come live in your heart and in your home. This Christmas, do not be afraid to take Jesus into your home. Welcome a relationship with him, as Mary and Joseph did. Because all he wants for Christmas is you!

(18 Dec 2022) 
 

Going Deeper: It is not fair to receive a gift if you are not willing to also give a gift. You cannot receive the gift of Jesus in Holy Communion unless you are willing to give yourself to him. Prepare yourself to welcome Jesus into your heart and home this Christmas. 
 

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Advent, 3rd Sunday (A) A look around the world tells us that God is both a brilliant engineer and a creative artist. Then we look at ourselves and often see a mess. Did God screw up when he made me? I am unique and that means there is a special place in the universe that only I can fill.

If I fill a spot, then why do I feel empty? We are like kolaches without filling, we are "batteries not included." Only a relationship with God will fulfill us. So why do we keep God at a distance? We might think that I'm not good enough for God. Or we might think that God couldn't possibly be safe or satisfying.

Antigo Area Catholic Churches was featured in America Media's People of God documentary. We don't really want to give God 100%. And consequently, we don't ever really experience the transformative power of the Gospel. We try and fill ourselves but only feel more empty. We need to wait patiently until God comes to meet us and fill us with his love and joy.

Our second reading talks about the farmer being patient between the "early rains" and the "late rains." It gets dry between the rains and we can be tempted to do something to fill the emptiness. Instead, we need to remain patient and trusting. Wait for the Lord to come and fill you with the warmth of his love.

(11 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: When have I experienced the emptiness that only God can fill? How have I tried to fill it myself? What does it feel like to wait for God to come and fill me?

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception • What can the Immaculate Conception teach us? Mary is first a disciple of Jesus. She listened to Jesus, she followed him to the cross, and she was faithful until the end of her life. She gives us an example of discipleship.

God is our Father, Jesus is our savior, and we are surrounded by spiritual brothers and sisters, the saints. There is one thing missing: a mother. God has chosen Mary not only to be the mother of his son, but also to be the mother of all his children.

Mary is also queen. The Kingdom of Israel had a tradition that the mother of the king was #2 in the kingdom. When Jesus takes the throne as a descendant of David, he follows the tradition of his native people and makes his mother the Queen. Jesus and Mary work together to bring us to the Kingdom.

We only have one Savior, Jesus. He saved Mary and preserved her from all sin for our sake. It is for your sake that Mary was conceived immaculately.

(8 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: Have you experienced how much Mary loves you? Spend some time talking to your Mother today.

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Advent, 2nd Sunday (A) Every person is unique; each of us is handmade. We bear the fingerprints of God and we each reveal the face of God to the world. God made us for himself. We were meant to be filled with the light of Christ and to shine with the light of Christ. The emptiness we feel is not a sign that there is something wrong with us. We have a hard time remaining empty and trusting the Master to fill us and paint us. The emptiness makes us uncomfortable, so we stuff ourselves.

Tradition speaks of three sources of temptation: 1) The world. People around us aren't content to live simple lives. We think that we need to live overstuffed lives, too. 2) The flesh. Being empty is uncomfortable. 3) The Devil. God isn't the only spirit active in the world. The Enemy tricked our first parents into grasping instead of receiving. "The Tinder Swindler", so-called Simon Leviev, promised his victims a great life but just used them for their money. The Enemy does the same thing in reverse. The Lord of the Universe is already in love with us. But the Enemy tells us, "God doesn't care. There's something wrong with you. He won't fulfill you. You need to fill yourself." In doing so, we draw farther away from the true and only source of happiness.

The Enemy knows full well that only God can satisfy us. The harder we try to fill ourselves, the emptier we feel. Advent reminds us that we can't fill ourselves. The One who can fill us is already on his way. Wait for Him.

(4 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: When and how does that feeling of emptiness manifest itself in my life? What are some of the lies I believe that make my try and fill myself? What people, activities, pleasures and things have I tried to use to fill that emptiness?

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First Sunday of Advent (A) A lot of work goes into welcoming guests for a holiday meal. The whole family needs to help clean, tidy, decorate, prepare food, and dress for success. Advent is a time to prepare, and not just for a family visit, but for a visit from the King himself.

How did Jesus come to be king? He and his Father made everything that is. The whole world that surrounds us belongs to God, and he gave it to his Son as a gift. God chose Jesus to be the King.

Why would the King come to see me? Each of us is entirely unique. We tend to see ourselves as an "oops"; we wonder why we exist. You exist because God wanted you to exist! You are like others but different, not because you are worse or better, but because each of us is handmade. You image God in an entirely unique and unrepeatable way. God wants to visit you because YOU are special to him.

No matter where we look or how hard we try, we never seem to find fulfillment. Am I broken somehow? No! You were made by God and for God. Only God can fulfill you. The yearning that you have for peace, for purpose, for true love, to really matter to someone... those yearnings are really a longing for God. He intends to come to you and bring fulfillment. Advent is about realizing that I can't fulfill myself. Only the King can fulfill me. He is coming to visit me, and I must be ready to welcome him.

(27 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Consider a time recently when you have felt that longing of emptiness or unfulfillment. Pray about that experience.

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Solemnity of Christ the King (C)

God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel, but he felt inadequate. First he ran away and hid. Then he tried to make himself look good. God chose David to be the second king of Israel. David also knew he was unworthy but he trusted God to help him.

A recent survey of US Bishops and priests reveals that many priests think their Bishop is more administrator than shepherd. Perhaps many Bishops feel inadequate so they try to make themselves look good. Others, however, see themselves as humble stewards of a gift they don't deserve.

Parents find themselves in a similar situation. Do they run away and hide, try to make themselves look good, or become humble stewards who trust in God's power? We know that no one is more powerful than Jesus. He doesn't run away and hide. He doesn't try to "save himself." He humbly submits to God's holy will. When we feel inadequate or unworthy, we should humbly serve in our King.

(20 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: When or how have you tried to run away and hide or make yourself look good? What would David have done in the same situation?

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Ordinary Time, 33rd Sunday (C) Three little piggies all built homes. But only one home was built to last. God called us into the covenant. He will always be faithful to us. Will we be faithful to Him even when faith us inconvenient or unpopular?

Pottery is thrown and then fired in a kiln. Can we take the heat? A loaf of bread gets kneaded and left to proof. Then it gets punched down and kneaded again. The bread must rise again so it can stand tall in the heat of the oven.

The Thessalonians lived a good Christian life for a little while, but some were now becoming soft. Is your virtue solid? Do trials strengthen your faith or do they cause your faith to fall?

(13 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: In what way did you experience trials this past week? How did you respond to those trials?

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Ordinary Time, 32nd Sunday (C) November is a month dedicated to praying for the dead. Where does praying for the dead come from? Above our world is another dimension or plane of existence, what ancient people called the Spirit World. It is separate from the physical dimension but interacts with us. Modern people have gotten so focused on the physical world that they have lost almost all sense of this other dimension. Ask any group of people, though, and at least half of them can report a spiritual experience, something not explainable only by physical interactions. If does not take faith to believe that at death, people transition from this plane of existence to the spiritual plane. It's simply the most reasonable hypothesis for the available evidence.

It does, however, take faith to believe in the Resurrection of the dead. Where does this belief come from? Jews believed if they were faithful, God would bless them. But they were faithful unto death (see 2 Maccabees 7) and did not see the promised rewards. It must be coming, then, in a kind of second life. They offered sacrifices so the dead who had not been faithful would be forgiven and join in the resurrection (2 Maccabees 12:32-45).

Jesus tells us that he himself is the resurrection, and that he will personally raise the dead (John 5:24-29). He then rose from the dead as proof of his power and to show us our plan for the future. If we have died with Christ, we will also rise with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). That means if we want to experience Easter, we have to join Jesus on Good Friday. We are probably not going to be crucified so how can we die with Christ? Here are three ideas:

1. Embrace your crosses. When we realize what a huge blessing our crosses were, we will wish we had even more of them, and that we had born our crosses with more joy and gratitude.
2. Offer sacrifices. Every Catholic is required to offer some sacrifice on Friday, either giving up meat or alcohol or some other sacrifice. We should fast on Friday and feast on Sunday. Willingly suffer for Jesus, who suffered for you.
3. Die every night and rise in the morning. Before bed, repent of your sins, make an Act of Contrition, and put your life into God's hands. If he gives you another day, rise to new life in Christ.

These are three simple ways to embrace the Paschal mystery every day and every week. If you want to share in the Resurrection, you must also share in the Cross.

(6 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Read the scripture references quoted above and reflect on what they mean to your every day life. Have you had any "spiritual experiences?" Share in the comments. Poll a group of people about their experiences with the spiritual realm.

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All Saints • The term "Saint" refers to those who have officially been approved for public veneration by a Vatican process, which is referred to a "canonization." The word "saint" also comes from the French word for holy. It refers to all the "holy ones" who have arrived in heaven with God forever. Even though they are out of sight, we are still connected with them.

Let's try and picture us from the point of view of the saints. They are like the fans in the stadium seats as we fight on the field. They are like older brothers and sisters waiting for their little siblings to be born into eternity.

We were made by Love and for Love. The saints just did what they were made to do; they were the best at loving God and their neighbor. Some were very mean and selfish at first but then they changed. Some changed suddenly and others changed slowly. Eventually they were ready to enter heaven.

There is no bullying, lying, or cheating in heaven. So if you bully, lie, and cheat, you can't get into heaven. Because there is no evil in heaven, we have to be free of evil before you can enter heaven. You have to be a saint to go to heaven! The Holy Spirit helps us become what we were made to be. Just say Yes to God and No to the enemy, and one day some Catholic School student will be dressing like you for All Saints Day!

(1 Nov 2022)

Going Deeper: Picture your daily life from the point of view of the saints. Do some worries and troubles look a little smaller? Do some insignificant things suddenly matter more?

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