Latin Mass: Sunday within the Christmas Octave
Beloved in Christ, today during this beautiful Octave of Christmas, the Gospel brings before our eyes this scene of the Child Jesus being brought to the Temple. Simeon is there who speaks words of prophecy; and this woman Anna is there also. It says that she was a widow who prayed day and night in the Temple, she was 84 years old.
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William Barclay, commenting on this passage says, old age often weakens the body, but even worse, it can weaken the life of our hearts, it depends on how we think of God. If we think of God as distant from us, we may become resentful or bitter as we age. But if we think of God as close to us and with us – if we see that his Providence guides everything we do – then old age can make us kinder, more sympathetic, and it can make us feel young.
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Once when I was with Cardinal George he said to me, ‘Old age takes it’s toll on a person, but a Christian is forever young because we live in Christ.’
The measure of a Christian life is not in years, it’s measured in another way. The Book of wisdom says: ‘The age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. (Wis 4:7)
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Today it is not hard to meet a young person – even in their 20’s – who seems to be tired, bitter, even jaded – it is as if he is 95 years old and worn down. What is missing? Like Simeon today, they need to have someone put a Divine Child in their arms: ‘Here, hold him! This is Jesus!’ When Christ is with us, we feel the vigor of a purposeful life.
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Older people sometimes say, ‘I just wish the Lord would take me, I’m tired.’
The Lord rather, wishes that you recover some of that youthfulness of heart; you are on a mission for Christ whether you are 20 or 90. ‘But what can I do, here in my bed?’ Pray. Sacrifice. This world needs intercessors very much, people to pray for this world.
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St. Dorotheus lived to be very old, yet in his heart, he was full of vigor for Christ. He attended the famous Council of Nicea at age 70; attending that great Council, that should be enough to cap off a lifetime; but no, he still had much to do; he wrote several books and then at 97 years of age, persecution forced him into exile. But the spirit of Jesus continued to drive him on; he worked tirelessly to preach the gospel until he was arrested and beaten to death for his Faith – as a martyr. A martyr – at 107 years old.
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A Christian is forever young.
St. Paul worked tirelessly for the Lord, trying to influence everyone he met, to bring them to Christ. Yet he wanted to be in heaven, and rest. ‘I’m torn between two desires’ he says; ‘I long to go and be with Christ, but for your sake, it is better that I continue to live.’ (Phil 1:23)
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In today’s Epistle we read: God sent His Son….that we might receive the adoption of sons. ‘God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: ‘Abba, Father.
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A friend was visiting in Palestine a while back, and he said ‘You will see people walking down the street, fathers with their children, and you hear often ‘Abba,’ ‘Abba.’ It means ‘Daddy,’ or ‘Papa.’ So when we are told in the Scriptures that we should call God our ‘Abba, Father,’ it means that we are really children of God. This is the spirit that will keep us young at heart, whether we are very old, or very young; a life lived in trust of Jesus keeps us from getting jaded or discouraged. We have that virtue of hope, and it will be contagious. St. Peter says: ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that you have.’ (1 Peter 3:15)
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In his book ‘Through Wind and Waves’ Father Fernandez says, our faith should be that of a son or daughter of God; thus one is always cheerful and optimistic, never falling prey to anxiety.’ (p. 78)
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But being a child of God does not mean being ‘childish.’ Immaturity is from a lack of self-discipline. We cannot find simplicity of heart if our life is a tangle of desires and emotions, if we are guided only by our whims and our ego. (p. 81) A child of God is mature and his heart is clear and uncomplicated.
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But how young of a child should we be? Someone asked St. Josemaria that. ‘Be very little, he said, not more than 2 years old, 3 at the most!’ And remember, when you really are a child, you will be almighty – love will make you almighty.[i]
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Blessed Alvaro del Portillo was the kind of saint that always had a twinkle in his eye and a smile for everyone; it was the reason for his enormous influence with many people. When he was celebrating his 80’th birthday; he said, ‘I feel very young. How old you are is not so important, what matters is the youthfulness of sons and daughters of God, it is the youthfulness of lovers, those in love with God.[ii]
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The Gospel shows us today, that as the Holy Family approached the Temple, Jesus was safely carried in the arms of Mary. If we wish to be children of God ourselves, that is where we need to be too, in the arms of our Mother, who will make us just like Jesus.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Dudzik]
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[i] The Way, #875, 863, 868
[ii] Saxum, p. 219
Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. John the Evangelist.
Each Evangelist has a symbol, often seen in stained-glass windows or sometimes on chalices. If you go down to the chapel downstairs, on the old altar there, you will see 4 paintings of the Evangelists and their symbols. The symbol of John is the Eagle. Well the Eagle soars high above the earth, and it is St. John’s gospel that soars high up – it is the gospel that emphasizes the Divinity of Christ.
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St. John was very young, a virgin, and the beloved of Christ. He is usually pictured with no beard, to show his youth and innocence. He also wrote the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John, and tradition believes he wrote the Book of Revelation as well.
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It is worthwhile to consider the change that happened in John by his having met Christ. He was a fisherman; a fisherman back in the first century, surely he had no real education. A man with rough hands, working with his father Zebedee in an old boat on the Sea of Galilee. He meets Christ the Lord, and spends what – 3 years with him. Yet, at the end of his life he writes the most beautiful lines of scripture, writings that one would expect from a master poet and theologian or mystic.
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Like all of us, John had no real life until he met Christ. But in the Lord he met a man who showed him the meaning of his life. He met his Creator. He met Love Himself, born into the world.
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On Mt. Tabor, John was permitted a vision of the Lord’s Divinity. At the Last Supper, it was he who leaned his head on the breast of Christ, who had the deepest friendship with Jesus. It was John, to whom was entrusted the Blessed Mother’s care. We should take note, that John writes the Gospel not using his own name, but referring all the time to ‘the Beloved Disciple, the One Jesus loved. He is saying: this is each of us: you are the Beloved Disciple. Each Christian, when he receives the Lord at the Holy Supper, leans his head on the breast of Christ, to speak to him.
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You know, the emperor Domitian plunged John into a caldron of boiling oil to murder him, but he was unharmed. So he was exiled to the Island of Patmos. Patmos – where on a clear day, he could look across the bay and see the hill, on top of which was the house of Mary his mother. She was there. Praying for him, praying for the beloved disciple, and also for each of us – beloved disciples.
Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. Stephen, and this feast always is the day after Christmas.
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Jesus Christ is born for us, he leads the way for us. We are to follow, and be ‘other christs.’ Well, today Mother Church holds up for us St. Stephen, as the first example of the ideal Christian. He gave his all, even his life for Jesus.
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St. Stephen was the first martyr, and he was also a Deacon. We read in the Book of Acts, that the Apostles needed help in their duties, so that they could spend more time in prayer, for this reason they ordained 7 Deacons, one of whom was Stephen. Stephen was a great leader and because of this, the enemies of the church went after him. They debated with him about the Catholic Faith, brought false witnesses against him, and stoned him to death. While they were killing him, he prayed for his enemies, that God would forgive them. As he died, he said: ‘Lord Jesus receive my spirit.’
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St. Stephen was a solid Christian, who listened to the Holy Spirit, and won every debate he was in. He is an example to us, that we should walk in the Spirit, and not be afraid to speak up about our Faith, no matter the cost, even giving our life if necessary.
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In the book ‘the Golden Legend, it is said so beautifully, that ‘Stephen ‘fell asleep’ – rather than saying that he died. This was a favorite expression of the early Church, and is used still today in Eucharist prayers, and in funeral liturgies: to fall asleep – we say that death is merely to fall asleep, because we believe in our resurrection.
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It is said that in his life, St. Stephen raised 6 persons back to life, and did countless miracles. But these wonders continued on after his death. St. Augustine tells, that flowers which had been laid on the altar of St. Stephen, cured sick persons to whom they were touched. A blind woman recovered her sight when flowers taken from the altar of Stephen were applied to her eyes. In the same book it says, that a man named Martial, an unbeliever, fell gravely ill, but refused to be converted. His son-in-law went to the Church of St. Stephen, took some flowers from the altar, and placed them secretly on the sick man’s bed. The sick man slept on them, and when he awoke, he called for a priest and was baptized. Afterward, as long as he lived, the man kept repeating the words: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; he said this, not knowing that these were the same words of St. Stephen himself.
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St. Stephen is the patron saint of Deacons, of casket makers, of horses, and headaches.
Christmas Day
Beloved in the Lord Jesus, today is Christmas. It is the day when we celebrate the birth of Our Savior into the world.
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Jesus came into the world for one purpose: to save us from our sins, so that we may go to heaven.
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I saw a man in the hospital the other day, he was not sure he would make it home for Christmas, but he said, ‘Father, if Jesus had not come, we would all end in hell.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’
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Since the Original Sin had alienated us from God, the world had been waiting for the promised Savior. Our first parents chose to follow the Devil, instead of their Creator, and so we were under the rule of sin and Satan.
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But as the time was nearing for the Son of God to come down from heaven, the prophecies of the Old Testament were being fulfilled, and those who were seeking God felt that something – was happening.
A great Impulse of grace was about to push into the world. This world, and the heavenly world were mixing, touching.
Shepherds observe a tear in the fabric of space, momentarily revealing angels on the other side;
those supernatural beings, unable to contain themselves, break through to this world singing, ‘Glory to God in the highest.’
God is preparing to renew the world, to save us.
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But as Divinity is preparing to enter the world of Man, as the Son of God prepares to begin his mission to take back the earth, an uncomfortable silence is felt in the world of the demons. That satanic being, Lucifer, is very old. When he tricked Adam and Eve, and took them from the heart of God, he knew God would come some day to win them back. And now there was a sense that he was losing his grip on humanity. One can almost hear Lucifer say ‘I sense that he is coming, the Promised One, there is danger.
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Today the demons tremble. The God of Armies enters the world as a helpless infant. A sense of dread has infected the demonic channels. The battle is enjoined; God’s invasion of the earth is about to begin, to win it back. ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, says Zechariah, for he has come to his people to set them free to save us from our enemies.’
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Brothers and sisters, how many people out there are walking in the darkness, lost in their sins? So many, are in the shadow of death. Caught in an empty life of despair, not knowing the call of the Savior. In our own circles we know those who are trying to fill their heart with THINGS – materialism; or yet another relationship – giving their body away outside of marriage, killing the pain of loneliness in drunkenness or drugs or pornography or gambling or adultery – and the endless ways that lives are dissipated away in despair.
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There are many who say to themselves: ‘I should stop this way of living, it’s destructive, but it will have to be later.’
You know, for St. Augustine, before his conversion, he cried out to God, ‘Lord, make me chaste, but not yet!’
I’ll turn back to God – later. The devil uses this thought to drug these poor souls and hold them in their mess.
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But Jesus says, ‘I have come to wash you clean in my blood, to cure you, and take away all your sins. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven. You can begin again.’
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Christ once told a parable about a shepherd who lost one of his sheep. He went out carefully looking for that sheep, and when he finds it, does he scold it and say, ‘why have you wandered away? No. He is very happy, and he puts it on his shoulders and carries it home. ‘I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.’
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This is why Jesus came down from heaven. He is the shepherd who has left heaven, to come down to search for his lost sheep: you and I. And everyone.
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‘But my sins are too great; it’s too late for me; my lifestyle I can’t change,’ they say. Really? Do you know how many saints in the Catholic church we honor, who lived lives – I guarantee you – worse than yours? St. Cammilus, St. Margaret of Cortona, Mary of Egypt, St. Augustine, Bartolo Longo, thousands who knew that they could not get out of their sinful life without the power of Christ. But with his grace, following him – Yes. A new life is possible.
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You know, there was a custom[i] at the time of Our Lord that when a child was born, musicians would go gather at the house to play music welcoming the family’s new child. Well, Jesus’ arrival was not greeted by some simple musicians, but by a choir of angels from heaven. They sang the message out: We proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.’
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We don’t need to go to hell. And we should tell our friends.
One drop of the blood of Jesus Christ has the power to take away all our sins. And then we begin again, we begin a new life, but not a lonely or empty one, chasing lies of the devil; we begin a new life in the Lord.
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How do we keep living it? How do we walk through a perverse world keeping our joy? Well, we here know: daily we pray.
St. Alphonsus says that if we don’t pray we can’t be saved. We pray when we rise. We pray at meals, and thank the Lord at the end of the day. And even more, we speak words to Jesus who is with us in our work and in our play. ‘Lord help me now.’ ‘Help me to love you.’ ‘Forgive me again.’
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And when the spirit of sadness tempts us, we say: ‘Lord, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me that you hear me, that you are with me.’ And in this, we are walking daily, not our own life any more, but Jesus’ life in us.
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Many go to daily Mass, and monthly confession, spiritual reading, pray the family Rosary. Walking daily with the Lord. Jesus said, ‘I will be with you all days, even to the end of the world. He is with us spiritually in our souls all day, and he is with us bodily – we touch him – at Holy Communion,[ii] in which he builds us up. He is still with us.
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St. Paul was once an enemy of Christ, but he changed. He left his former ways. Of the destructive life he led before, he says ‘I count all that as rubbish!’[iii] Leaving it all, he found happiness. The renewed St. Paul says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; Rejoice! Have no anxiety….and may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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May the prayers of Mary, the Mother of God help us all to walk with Jesus in our life, and find the joy and the peace of Christmas.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Dudzik]
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[i] The Gospel of Luke, William Barclay, p. 17
[ii] In the Latin Mass, at the end of nearly every Mass the priest recites the beginning of John’s gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word……and the Word was made flesh.’ This reminds us that this is what just happened at Mass.
[iii] Phil 3:8
Friends in Christ, we stand here at the threshold of Christmas. Without Jesus’ coming on that first Christmas, our human race would be lost. Lost in sin and destined to hell for all eternity. Having chosen the path of sin and separation from the love of God, our first parents were cast forth from paradise. The gate to heaven has been closed and guarded by a cherubim with a flaming sword The Redeemer alone is able to open this door and enter in, to lead us into Paradise, which is heaven.
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Jesus was made Man for one purpose: to suffer and die. From his infancy he began to endure the greatest sorrows that anyone ever suffered. By his divine mind, that infant knew well the malice of every sin, and he also knew the infinite goodness of his Father and how deserving he is to be honored and loved.
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Upon entering the world, this Savior saw arrayed before him the innumerable sins which were to be committed by us: the lies, the hate, the the cruelty – for which he was to suffer and die. All those secret sins of ours, which we would not want our own mother to know – he saw them all, which grieved his Sacred Heart.
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Our Lord once showed to St. Catherine of Sienna the hideousness of a single venial sin; Seeing this before her eyes, she was filled with such dread and sadness, that she fell senseless to the ground.
What then must have been the sorrow of that infant Jesus, when upon his entrance into the world, he saw before him the immense array of all the crimes of our race, for which he was to make satisfaction, so that we might be made holy and enter into Paradise forever.
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O Jesus, how wonderful your coming for us. How much are we now convinced of your love, that you should do this for us. We are your lost sheep, and you come to seek us out. We are ready for your coming. All is prepared.
Friends in Christ, as we approach the Nativity of the Lord, Mother Church has been giving us readings from Scripture to show us how Christ fulfills the entire Old Testament. The readings for December 21st and today cover Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth. Let us today see another important sign revealed here.
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If you remember in the Old Testament, the holiest object of the Jewish religion, was the ark. This is not Noah’s ark, rather, it is the golden box which was in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem. The ark was the place where God himself came to dwell with his people. Incidentally, since the golden Ark held the presence of God, that is why our tabernacle has two angels by it – to recall the ark of the Old Testament.
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When King David brought the Ark up to Jerusalem, this important event is described in the book of kings, and if we look closely, we will see many parallels between the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, and Mary visiting Elizabeth. For example, it says, that David ‘arose and set out for Judah.’ The gospel says, Mary arose, and set out.’
For David, this took place in the hill country of Judah, for Mary it says that she set out for the hill-country of Judah.
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It is written: ‘David leaped and danced before the ark; but we also see that John the Baptist ‘leaped in the womb of Elizabeth.’
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David asks, ‘how can the ark of the Lord come to me? as if he was not worthy. Elizabeth asks, ‘how can the mother of my Lord come to me?’ she felt unworthy.
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David shouts in the presence of the ark, Elizabeth exclaims with a loud cry in the presence of Mary.
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God came down when the glory cloud overshadowed the ark; and it was the Holy Spirit, that overshadowed Mary.
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The ark remained in the house of Obededom 3 months, and St. Luke tells us: Mary remained with Elizabeth for 3 months.
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So by the parallel way he describes the Visitation, St. Luke tells us, that Mary is the ark of the New Law.
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The ark contained 3 things: the 10 commandments, that is, the Law, it contained Aaron’s miraculous staff which proved who was the true high priest, and the ark also contained some of the manna from the desert.
Each of these, kept inside the Ark, anticipated Christ: The Law, was fulfilled by Christ himself. the Staff proves that Jesus is the True High Priest. And the manna – well, Jesus called himself the True Manna, the Bread from heaven.
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So Mary is the ark of the New Covenant. In her womb is the Law, the Priest, and the Bread of Life, and in just 3 days, all these signs will be reality: The Savior will arrive.
4th Sunday of Advent
Beloved in the Lord Jesus, the foundation of the entire structure of the Christian Faith, is the divinity of it’s Founder.[i] Our religion is not made by man, but was given to us by God who walked the earth. Everything we believe and teach, the sacraments, rituals the moral way of life we lead – all of this is for the very reason that it was given to us by a Divine Voice.
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If we look at the solar system, we see that all things are dependent and centered on the sun; the sun’s gravity keeps the planets in orbit, the sun’s light and heat keep our planet alive.
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Just as the solar system would fail if the sun were not there, so the doctrines and teachings of our faith would be worthless unless they are centered on Christ’s divinity.
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In the Nicene Creed, we say that Christ is born of the Father before all ages. He is true God from true God, consubstantial with the Father. Our Founder, Jesus Christ, is Divine.
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But in the creed, we then speak of the other foundational mystery of the Faith: ‘For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became Man.’
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Here is the important mystery that we are preparing to celebrate this week, the Incarnation. Some say that God became ‘a man,’ or a ‘human being.’ But this is not such a good way of speaking; rather we say, that the Son of God ‘took humanity to himself;’ ‘he took on our flesh,’ or God ‘assumed human nature.’ We speak this way because God has united all of humanity to himself in the Person of Christ.
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Some say that the Son of God became a ‘human person,’ but this is incorrect. Jesus is a Divine Person, he is the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity, who always was and always will be.
Jesus has two natures: human and Divine, but he has one Person – he is not a split-personality. When St. Peter spoke to Christ, he was speaking to the one Person, Jesus. So we can really say, that St. Peter was speaking to God in the Flesh.
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The Holy Scriptures tell us: ‘Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is of God.’ On the contrary, those who deny that Jesus has come in the flesh are of the anti-christ.[ii]
So belief in the Incarnation is the distinctive sign of the Christian Faith.[iii]
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On the stairs going up to the choir loft you will see there a large statue of St. Anthony of Padua. Almost every statue of St. Anthony shows him holding the Child Jesus, why?
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Well, once while traveling, Anthony stayed at a man’s house; during the night, the man heard voices coming from Anthony’s room, he got up, and saw a stream of brilliant light coming from under the door. In those days, there were only candles, no electricity, so what was the cause? He took a peek into the room. There he saw Anthony speaking in a familiar way with the Christ Child – the source of the brilliant light. And so this is the reason St. Anthony is often depicted holding the Infant Jesus.
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But notice in these statues, that the Infant is standing not firstly in the arms of St. Anthony, but on the Bible – almost as if he is stepping out of the page. Jesus is the Word, made flesh, and a favorite subject of St Anthony’s preaching was the Incarnation: God has become Man.
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So the Nativity of the Lord for which we are preparing – this is the great event of the Incarnation when God united his divine nature to human nature. The union in Christ of the divine nature with human nature is called the Hypostatic Union. This is the moment when God entered his own creation. St. John describes it at the beginning of his Gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ So here he refers to Christ as the the eternal Word which proceeds from the Father. And then he says, ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory.’
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Why did God do this, taken on our human flesh? The catechism tells us:
460 [The Son of God] became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature. What’s that again? [The Son of God] became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature. This was God’s plan all along. He wants us to literally share in his own divine life.
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But can a finite being like ourselves be united to the Infinite God? Actually, yes.
Our nature is finite – we are created beings with limits;[iv] human nature could not be united with another finite nature, such as that of an angel; an angel exists in a definite way that excludes other ways of existing, including the human way. So a man could not become an angel without negating himself.
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But to be united to God, to divine nature, is simpler, because God is ‘being itself.’ His nature is not finite. The Holy Scriptures tell us that the Son of God became Man so that we might become sons of God: ‘To as many as received him, he gave the power of becoming sons of God, to those who believe in his name. John 1:12
The early fathers of the church never tired of saying: ‘God became man, that man might become God.’
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Father Goodier in his book on Jesus Christ – he tries to understand how is was that the apostles followed Jesus so quickly. It is because their Maker had come for them. Take the case of St. Philip meeting Christ.[v] Philip looks at Jesus; as their eyes met, they were the eyes of – his Creator. A friend meeting a friend. In only a glance, he shows that he knew Philip, and Jesus said follow me. The same with Matthew the tax collector:[vi] At the customs table, Matthew looks up at Jesus, his Creator, and at a glance they knew each other: ‘follow me!,’ he said. And he left everything.
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Our Creator has joined himself to us in the Incarnation; our Maker seeks us, to bring us to himself. All he needs from us is Faith.
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When someone shows love for us, we instinctively respond with affection. In the Incarnation, our Creator has shown us this great love, So what is our response?
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St. Alphonsus asks, ‘Do you not desire God?[vii] If you do not desire God, then desire something better, go ahead, seek something better, find someone who is better qualified than God to make you happy. There is no one.
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Let us conclude today by going to the Blessed Virgin.
Mary, your Son who came down from heaven has shown his great love for us. As we prepare for his Nativity, help us to really love him in return; help us to have the grace of really loving God.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Alphonsus]
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[i] See Parochial Course of Instructions, Vol 1, p. 76
[ii] 1 John 4:3
[iii] Catechism, #463
[iv] This is explained in ‘Theology of the Mystical Body, by Mersch, p. 218.
[v] The Public LIfe of Jesus Christ, Goodier, vol 1, p. 41.
[vi] The Public LIfe of Jesus Christ, Goodier, vol 1, p. 184.
[vii] Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ, p. 29
Friends in Christ, we often ponder the events of Jesus’ birth, of Mary’s encounter with the Angel, her ‘Fiat,’ her ‘yes’ to God’s plan; we think of these events often.
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But at the same time, there was someone else who had an important role to play in God’s plan, and that was St. Joseph.
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When Joseph heard that his betrothed was with child, what was his reaction? Was he angry, as if he thought she had sinned? No.[i] The angel told him, ‘don’t be afraid Joseph.’ So he was not angry, rather, he was afraid.
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What was he afraid of? He was afraid that he was not worthy to be part of this great Mystery. God had before brought about remarkable conceptions, such as with Sarah who was old, and Hannah who was sterile; and Joseph had recently learned that God was doing something new, in that Elizabeth had conceived, who was very old.
So Joseph saw this event with Mary as something also of God, and felt that he should break off the engagement and get out of God’s way. But the angel assured him that he should proceed. And so he did.
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St. Joseph is a model for us, in our approach to Christ in our life. He was a man of a deep interior life. He was a man of few words; not one word of Joseph is recorded in the Holy Gospels.
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St. John Paul II[ii] tells us that Joseph would be in daily contact with the Mystery of God-made-Man under his own roof, at his kitchen table, with the God-made-Man. As we see today, St. Joseph surrendered all his plans; he calmly took a new path, along with all the challenges of welcoming the Son of God into his home. His actions can only be understood in light of his profound interior life, his life of prayer. Nothing can explain Joseph’s quiet ability to make difficult decisions with the courage of a simple soul, except his interior life of devotion.
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But the Word was made flesh, not only 2000 years ago, but still today at every Mass. Christ comes down from heaven to us daily, to be a part of our own life. Would that our own interior life of prayer be as ready to welcome Jesus, as was that of St. Joseph.
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[i] If Joseph were a ‘just man’ as it says, he would want justice to be done, and not disobey the Law, which would require stoning of an unfaithful woman. A ‘just man’ would not skirt the Law.
[ii] 1989 apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph, Redemptoris Custos.
Friends in Christ, in the 4th century, there lived a young woman named Paesia whose parents had died, leaving her their large home. For a while she made her home available for the local priests as a place for them to pray and live, but in the course of time her resources were exhausted.
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Some wicked men came to see her and turned her from the Godly way, and she began to live an evil life to the point of becoming a prostitute. The fathers, learning of this, were deeply saddened and so they consulted a holy priest they knew named John the Dwarf. To him they said ‘We have learned that this sister is living an evil life. While she could, she gave us charity, so now it is our turn to help her.’
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So abba John went to see her and said to the doorkeeper, ‘Tell your mistress I am here.’ At first she told him to go away, but he said that he has something that will be very helpful to her. The old woman went up and told her, and Paesia said, ‘yes, bring him to me.’
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Entering and sitting beside her, abba John looked into her eyes and said, ‘What have you got against Jesus?’ When she heard this she became completely rigid, then abba John began to weep profusely. ‘Why are you crying father, she asked. ‘Because I see Satan playing in your face, how should I not weep?’
Hearing this she said, ‘Father, is it possible to repent?’ He replied, ‘yes.’ ‘Then take me wherever you wish.’
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Without hesitation, she went with him, and when they reached the desert and night was near, he made a little pillow in the sand and marked it with a cross, saying, ‘Sleep here.’ Then he did the same for himself further on.
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That night, he saw a shining path reaching from heaven to Paesia, and angels bearing away her soul. He saw that she was dead, and then he heard this: ‘One single hour of true repentance has brought her more than the penances of many others.’
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Friends, today Jesus tells us a parable that warns us about those who start with good intentions, but end badly. He also tells us that even those who started badly, if they change their mind and follow the Lord, they can become saints.
‘Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you.’
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As long as we live, it is never too late to follow Christ, to give him our whole heart. This is the season to begin again, to follow Him.
Friends in Christ, we have seen before how Jesus’ coming fulfilled the so-many-hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament.
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Today we encounter something quite unique. In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we meet a man named Balaam, who knew nothing of the True God of Israel nor of any Messiah. Yet God uses even this pagan man as a prophet to predict Jesus’ coming.
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During the journey of Israel through the desert, they came to the land of Moab. The King of Moab was afraid of them; he had heard that their God had done miracles, they had passed through the Red Sea, and others – and so he wanted to put a curse on them. For this reason, he called his expert soothsayer and asked him to put a curse against Israel. This seer, or magi, or some kind of astrologer, was named Balaam. Now Balaam had felt that God did not want him to curse Israel, but nevertheless, the King had offered him good money if he did, and so he planned to do it.
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As Balaam was riding on his donkey, his donkey suddenly stopped. ‘What is wrong with you? he said, and he began to beat him, ‘go! go!’ but he would not. Now the donkey would not move because an angel stood in front, blocking the way. The donkey was able to see the angel, but Balaam could not. ‘If I had a sword I would kill you, said Balaam.’ Then suddenly, the donkey talked ! ‘What have I ever done to you Balaam? I have been your good donkey all these years, why do you beat me?’ This is the only case I know of – of a talking donkey!
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Now at that moment, God allowed Balaam to see the angel, and then he repented of his foolish ways. When he arrived to meet the King, despite having been ordered by the king to curse Israel, this pagan man Balaam, made a remarkable prophecy: He predicted that a great leader would come out of Israel, and that a Star will signal his coming.
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This prediction of the Star of Bethlehem was made therefore, not by a religious person, but by a pagan man, Balaam. It was remarkable prophecies such as this and a thousand others, that led the early Christians to conclude that the Messiah had arrived.
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It is also interesting to note, that according to an ancient tradition, the 3 Kings, or astrologers who came to visit the newborn Savior – they knew about the Star; it is said that they knew about it, because they were descendants of Balaam.
