Shawn The Baptist - Sunday Scriptures

Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about? Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas knows. Do you?

Sometimes people speak of the Old and New Testaments as if they are different stories. The baby Jesus of Bethlehem is the same I AM of Sinai.

St. Paul is not telling us to be happy in the face of evil, but rather to rejoice. Joy and peace are possible even in the darkest times.

Today's homily helps answer some important questions and alleviate unnecessary fear of confession.

For our Jewish ancestors, the time waiting for the Messiah was focused not on a tree, but on a stump and on a shoot that was to spout from it.

Viva Cristo Rey

What does it mean to say that Christ is King? Today's homily discusses how the faithful in Mexico help us to answer this question. During the 1920'2 and 30's a severe persecution of the Church was being carried out by those in power in the Mexican government. It was essentially made illegal to be Catholic and thousands of priests and faithful were rounded up, tortured, and killed. In self defense the faithful banded together in a resistance army composed of what came to be known as "Cristeros." Their famous battle cry was "Viva Cristo Rey...Long Live Christ the King."

One of the most well-known priests at this time was Fr. Miguel Pro. He is now Blessed Miguel Pro and is one step away from being canonized a saint. Today's homily shares his dramatic story which culminated in his execution as a martyr for Christ. In the seconds before he died he was able to yell once more "Viva Cristo Rey." On this Solemnity of Christ the King may all of us take up this battle cry and truly make Christ the King of our lives.

  

Blessed Miguel Pro, Pray for Us

Four!

At Bishop Miege High School where I am the chaplain, the football players have the tradition at the end of the 3rd quarter of raising their hands showing four fingers and going up and down the sideline yelling "Four!" This is to remind everyone of the importance of the 4th quarter about to begin. This is the last quarter. The game will end soon. As we come to the end of our liturgical year, the Church does something similar by focusing our attention on the end of our lives and the "four last things."

Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell...these four things are put before us today to remind us that life does not go on forever. In the end there are clear winners and losers...heaven or hell...those are the only options. Probably everyone would say they want to go to heaven and sadly some people today even question the existence of hell. The hell there is! Ultimately God will give us what we want. If we say with our lives that we want God then we will have God for all eternity and this we call heaven. If we say with our lives that we want our way and ourselves and not God, we will have just ourselves and not God for all eternity and this we call hell.

The kids at school are all caught up in whether the world might be about to end because of the so-called "Mayan calendar." Jesus tells us plainly in the gospel today that no one knows the hour of the ending of the world, not even the Mayans. The Mayans are dead and the Church is alive. Yet, if the thought of the world ending soon scares us, then maybe that's good.

We would do well to assume we're living in the 4th quarter of life. If we're behind in some way, there's time to rally and catch up. If we're winning in some areas, don't give up now; press on to the finish. The Church at this time of year is reminding us that life does not go on forever. Remember death, judgement, heaven, and hell. It's as if the Church is running up and down the sideline of our lives yelling "Four!" Let's not be afraid. This is our quarter. Let's go out and win!

The Temple and the Mass

Today's 2nd reading continues from the the Letter to the Hebrews. It was written by Christians to a Jewish audience attempting to explain how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything God had promised his chosen people throughout history. One of the most significant aspects of Jewish life at the time of Jesus was the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem. Today's homily looks at the history and meaning of the Jewish Temple and the worship that went on there. The Temple provides an important key in understanding what happens at Mass today.

Something Beautiful for God

This is the first in a series of homilies explaining various elements of the Mass and Catholic worship in honor of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II. Today's homily focuses on some aspects of  the role of Sacred Music in the liturgy. It is also an answer to a question that comes up from time to time with regard to the role of the priest celebrant. I hope this homily is both informative and clears up some confusion.

In today's Gospel Jesus calls a young man to follow him. It is the greatest moment in his life, and yet we are told he goes away sad.