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          Did you ever play the Game of Why with a three-year-old? It’s a fascinating intellectual endeavor and one which you are not very likely to win. It is also a good reminder to us that we should never stop asking the question, “Why?”, especially then it comes that what really matters. Faith needs to seek understanding. Asking “Why?” helps us get there. 

       Let’s take the Incarnation for example. Last I checked Almighty God could do pretty much anything he wanted.  So why would he become human? That would be like you or me becoming canine to save all of Dogkind. (A totally pointless endeavor, incidentally, since all dogs go to heaven and are not in need of redemption.)

It boils down to the way relationships work and the demands of justice. At the Fall, we humans had seriously injured our relationship with God. So much so, that we were incapable of restoring it on our own. Human nature was marred by sin. Sin is the deliberate separation of oneself from God. God is the source of all life. Thus, separation from God, “sin,” results in death. Not all at once, mind you, but the end result is same. 

Now, since humanity did the sinning, humanity has to pay the price. And this is essentially what went from the Fall right up to the Incarnation. Humanity was subject to sin and death. 

But this was not God’s intention when he created humanity. God had much bigger plans for us. And while sin kept those plans from happening right away, nothing can defeat the will of God in the end. So, if humanity had to pay the price, God who can do anything he wants, would simply become human, pay the price for sin once and for all, and then humanity would be free once again to enter into full communion and eternal beatitude with God. As the saying goes, “Christ paid a debt he did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.”

Of course, the first step in becoming human is to be conceived. In this, Christ is no different from the rest of us. But God never does violence to us; thus, the free cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the special grace she received for her unique vocation as the Mother of God.  After conception, its nine months in the womb, and finally, if we are lucky, birth. 

It’s the birth of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, that we are celebrating today.

Perhaps one of the blessings the pandemic is the absence of much of the noise that comes with “the Holiday Season.” We are less distracted these days and can pay more attention to the true meaning of Christmas.

Come, let us adore him. 

[Deacon Mick hit another one out of the park this weekend. Here’s his homily on the Third Sunday of Advent. Enjoy.]

Welcome to this third Sunday of Advent in the Church’s liturgy

is called “Gaudete Sunday”

or the Sunday to rejoice because

it marks the halfway point of Advent.

The vestments get a little lighter – a little brighter –

and the rose candle on the Advent wreath is lit. 

This Gaudete Sunday celebration goes back to a time when

Advent was a period of deep penance and fasting.

It was a time for spiritual reparation and preparation for Christmas.

So the halfway mark was a relief,

Time to take a break, and a time to rejoice.

So, how do we feel this Sunday? 

Is the nearness of Christmas

a cause for some deep joy in our life or

haven’t we have the time to even think about it? 

Are we anxious about getting everything done in time? 

Getting the Christmas cards out?

Putting up all the decorations? 

Getting everyone just the perfect gift?

Personally, with doing all the Christmas stuff,

I’ve lost sight of what this time of Advent was for.

Today, in our society, in our culture,

Advent is spent sending cards, buying presents,

attending pre-holiday parties even if by Zoom

and then, Christmas Day happens

and suddenly,

the day after Christmas, it’s all over. 

The Christmas carols stop,

the gifts beneath the Christmas tree disappear,

and everything is now geared toward the New Year.

Most probably —— things are already set in motion for this year, but

maybe we should give some thought

to Advent and Christmas of next year,

You know —— to let Advent be Advent

and then let the Christmas season really be a season.

The Christmas season is 12 days in duration

from Christmas Day to the Epiphany

We sing about the 12 days of Christmas 

“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…….”

SO ——— Do all the Christmas cards have to arrive by December 25th? 

Why not throughout the entire Christmas season? 

Do all the gifts have to be given on December 25th? 

Why not throughout the entire Christmas season? 

Do all the Christmas gatherings and celebrations

have to happen by December 25th? 

Why not throughout the entire Christmas season?

So let’s think about it —

Does our personal Advent and Christmas celebration

leave us better off spiritually? 

Is our faith deeper? 

Are the bonds friendship and community with the Church stronger? 

Do we come out of these seasons renewed

or relieved that it’s all over for another year?

The Advent season

doesn’t have to be an exhausting round of frantic activity,

a build up to something that’s gone in one day. 

It can be a glorious time of revival and renewal if

we let Advent be Advent.

On this Gaudete Sunday, or Sunday to rejoice,

there are some deep truths that

might trigger a deep joy in us

despite this frantic Advent season.

The first truth is that

Christmas can be a time when we realize that

the most important things in our life are spiritual ones —

things like

the assurance of God’s love

and his ready forgiveness that

comes to us in Jesus Christ

and the mass is the assurance of that love and forgiveness. 

And that there are friendships, loyal associates,

a faithful spouse, loving children,

caring people we know who are the

real assets, the real joys in a person’s life.

There is a second truth that

should lead to a deep joy at this time of year. 

The power of Christmas centers in the truth that

not only has redemption occurred but that

it has continuing power in our life

as Christ calls us to begin again,

to awaken to his grace,

to open our eyes and ears to his presence.  (pause)

What has been in our life;

does not have to be in our future. 

A new life,

a new way of living is available to us in Jesus Christ.

The power of his cross and Resurrection is never exhausted;

it never runs out of steam.  

And it’s always summoning us to new life. 

As Isaiah says in today’s first reading,

“the Lord comes to set us free,”

to bring liberty and release from everything that

binds us emotionally, spiritually, personally.

A third truth, a third reason to rejoice

is the number of people in RCIA programs

who are preparing to join the Church at Easter. 

It shows us that

we are not part of an historical preservation society

but of a community of faith that

is growing each day, each week, each year.

There are many reasons to rejoice this Sunday

but they can get lost

in the frantic preparations for Christmas. 

John the Baptist say’s in today’s Gospel reading that

the Messiah is one among us

who is not recognized. 

It can be a real tragedy,

with all the colored lights around us,

to miss the true light. 

Advent is the time of year when

we can learn once more to see,

to appreciate, to recognize

the ways the Lord is present among us

even in this time of Covid-19.

If we use the Advent season

to learn once more

to see the things of God among us, then

the Christmas season

will be a time to celebrate Christ’s grand presence

and glorious power at work among us. 

I will be a time to celebrate family:

a time to celebrate friendships;

a time to celebrate the joy of God’s presence in our life.

My brothers and sisters,

take the time to let Advent be Advent

and then Christmas will truly be Christmas ——

not only for a day but for a season of rebirth

and renewal in Christ.

    John the Baptist is an interesting figure. He is at once frightening and compelling. Frightening certainly in his appearance. He must have been quite a sight with his disheveled locks, camel hair shirt. His diet was a bit odd as well, although I suppose honey-covered locusts could be tasty given enough hunger.

       He was compelling in that people may have recognized in him the figure described in Isaiah, as the voice that “cries out: in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord!” (Is. 40:3). It’s important to remember that there was great expectation in the land in those days of the coming of the Messiah. People had their “Messiah goggles” on. They were primed. They also knew their scripture well enough to recognize John for what he was. The herald of the Messiah who called people to repentance before he arrived to deliver them from oppression.

       In a way, it is not all that different for us today. Since March we have been living under the specter of the corona virus. It has altered almost every aspect of life and brought fear and uncertainty in its wake. Now, as it seems to be at its worst, the prophet Fauci has heralded salvation in the advent of not one, but three effective vaccines. (Incidentally, all of which are morally acceptable for Catholics to receive.) Once again, all the people are filled with great expectation. Salvation, and perhaps a return to normalcy, is at hand.

       I guess my point is this. The coming of one or more vaccines and salvation from the current pandemic is nothing compared to the coming of Christ in glory at the end of the age. As excited as we might be for a vaccine, we should be filled with even greater expectation for when Christ returns with salvation for his people and the renewal of all creation. What need have we of vaccines then? 

       We await relief from the pandemic. We await even more the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

(Right this very minute!)

     I could use a little Advent right now. 2020 has been a bit rough on us all. Any chance for a fresh beginning is most welcome. That’s exactly what Advent gives us. 

       The word itself comes from the Latin advenire, meaning “to reach, to arrive”.  In recent decades the penitential nature of Advent has faded a bit in favor of a more general sense of “preparing the way of the Lord.” This is not such a bad thing as long as we remember that prayer and penance are an essential part of doing just that.

       The rhythm of the season helps us. It’s a lot like getting the house ready for Christmas.  You have to clean the home and get things in order before you can put up the decorations.

       For the first three weeks of Advent, we are encouraged to meditate of the coming of the Lord at the end of time. The readings and prayers of the Liturgy help us in this regard. In this sense, Advent should be a time of simplification, of purging the physical and spiritual clutter out of our lives. An easy place to start is by tidying things up around the house. Clutter is bad. What are you holding onto that needs to be out of your house and out of your life. The advertisement is right: “Less junk—more happiness!” (I wonder if they are Catholic?) I suggest starting small, perhaps with the “junk drawer” and moving on from there.

       Next, get working on the spiritual clutter. Step 1: get to confession. This year, in addition to regular confession times and in order to make it easier and more safe, we are having three little penance services on December 15,16, and 17. Pick a time that works for you.

     Once we have gotten our physical and spiritual house in order, so that we are ready to welcome the second coming of Christ in glory, then we can begin to prepare to celebrate his first coming in humility. You’ll note that the emphasis of the Liturgy does just that

       We could all use a little Advent right now. It couldn’t come at a better time. Maranathá! Come, Lord Jesus

          There is a spirit in Alaska, less prevalent today, where our first reaction is to look out for one another. Perhaps it is the spirit of the land itself or the practical reality of the environment in which we choose to live, but it is there. It may be as simple as stopping by the side of the road to assist the occupants of a vehicle in distress, or helping out at the Thanksgiving Blessing. 

However it finds its way into your life, this identification with, and desire for the good of the other is a fundamental aspect of Solidarity. Solidarity finds its roots in the fact that we are all created by God and redeemed by Christ. As such, we are connected to one another at a fundamental level. Solidarity does not allow one to dismiss another as insignificant or unworthy of attention or respect.  Like the spokes of a wheel, with Christ at the center, the closer we get to Christ, the closer we get to one another.

As the unseemly drama of the national and local elections grinds on to its nebulous conclusion, there may be a temptation demonize those who may not share your affiliation or point of view. We must be careful of this and take practical steps to change the acrimonious atmosphere created by recent political discourse. May I suggest that we each start in our own backyard. If you have not already done so, now is a good time to reach out to those in your neighborhood. With the onset of the cold and the dark, not to mention the isolation imposed by the pandemic, it’s an especially good time to change the atmosphere by random acts of kindness and reckless beauty. Be a positive agent of change and dialogue on your street. Our town needs this right now.

To learn more about Solidarity in Catholic Social teaching, please watch this short three-minute video.

Then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/solidarity

We are all in this together. Let us work with those around us to create an atmosphere of solidarity and positive change.

 – Fr. Leo

It is an interesting experience to travel by air these days. In truth I did not find it all that unpleasant.  Planes and airports are a little less crowded.  Airline staff and passengers seem to be very prudent in their actions. Folks are being vigilant.

It’s easy to be prudent and vigilant in the midst of a pandemic when the consequences are more immediate.  Much less so at other times. We get lazy.  So in her wisdom, as we near the end of Ordinary Time, the Church asks us to contemplate the end of all time, when at the end of the age, Christ will come to judge the living and the dead.  Make no mistake about it, Christ is coming.  We need to be ready.  Paul

       This weekend, we are invited to contemplate virtues of wisdom, prudence and vigilance. 

Let’s talk about wisdom first. 

First of all, what is it? 

In short, Wisdom is insight gained from experience,

So how does one become wise?  A couple of ways, I think.

       1.  Live long enough to gain lots of experience, pay attention and learn from it, so that it may be useful in the future, or

       2. Seek out wise people, either in person or in literature and learn from them. 

Now there are two cautions here. 

First, experience of itself does not necessarily impart wisdom. As the writer of the Book of Wisdom tells us, very plainly.  Wisdom is readily available to those who seek her…but you have to seek her!   

       Here is where contemplation and self-reflection comes into the equation if one is to learn from experience and become truly wise. 

This is perhaps one of big mistakes we make as a society today in raising our children. I can’t count how many times I have heard a parent say to me, “I want my kid to experience this, or experience that.”  That’s fine, I suppose, but we have to realize that their job is only half complete.  How do we help our children reflect on their experiences and learn from them. In my experience, our young people are so busy getting all these experiences that they don’t have time to learn anything from them.  The result is exhausted, frustrated young people. 

       Teach your children values first, and then the experiences they have will have a context that will allow them to grow in wisdom.   

Second caution, wisdom should not be confused with knowledge; by this I mean the simple accumulation of information. The world is full of educated, unreflected fools.

       As the saying goes, knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 

       Wisdom needs to be sought. It should be the goal of education because it leads to the second virtue in our meditation today, namely prudence. 

       Simply put, prudence is being able to do the right thing at the right time.  

       Don’t you wish you had perfect prudence- to always do the right thing at the right time?     

       The wise person is prudent. 

       This implies that we must be able to discern the signs of the times.

       And to know what is right, so that we may do it.            

Do you see now how prudence is born of wisdom?

       Become wise, so that you may not act foolishly. 

So now let’s look at the wise and foolish virgins that Our Lord tells us about in today’s gospel. 

The parable is set at the city gates as the maidens await the arrival of the groom with his bride for the wedding feast. 

       What’s that all about? 

       In ancient semitic culture, the customs surrounding marriage had four stages.

       1.  the contract

       2. the betrothal

       3. the transfer of the bride to the house of the groom

       4. the wedding feast

First of all, you seldom married someone from your own village.  This for the simple reason that they found that if they did so, eventually the kids would not turn out right as the gene pool was just too small. 

The contract was pounded out between the heads of the two households.  This could happen when the children were infants, but usually before puberty. It was done with much fanfare and ritual arguing. Then they had a party to celebrate.

The betrothal usually came in mid-adolescence.  A rabbi or synagogue official would bless the anticipated union with formulary prayers of anticipation, blessing the future union.  And then they would have a party. (Do you see a pattern developing here?)

Then at the appropriate time some years later, the bridegroom would travel to the village of the bride and bring her back to his own house. The bride was dressed in the finest her family could afford and presented with great pomp and circumstance.  Travel being what it was in those days, it might take several hours or several days to get back to the bridegroom’s village.  In the meantime, the bridal party would prepare to receive the couple with great fanfare. In the day, it would mean flower laurels, juniper branches, and a huge procession from the gates of the town to his house.  If at light, it would involve torches and lamps, such as the ten virgins were carrying. He could show up at any time and you had to be ready to receive him and his bride. 

And that’s the point. 

When the Kingdom of Heaven arrives, it is expected, but you are not quite sure when that will be.

Thus, the wise and prudent person is vigilant. He or she is prepared, like the wise virgins who brought the extra oil. 

So we too need to be prepared.  But how?

       It’s important to remember that the Kingdom comes in two ways,

       1. In the ordinariness of everyday life

       2. definitively at the end of the age, when all things are consummated in Christ.

So we have to be prepared for both ways.

       The Kingdom of Heaven may come to us in prayer, or in the kindness or keen insight of another person.

If we are wise, we will be vigilant, and act prudently.

       It may come to us in the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, those who mourn, or the poor. (Yes, those are the corporal works of mercy.)

       If we are wise, we will be vigilant, and act prudently.

       It may come to us in the ignorant, the doubtful, the sinner, those who do us harm or offend us, in the afflicted, or any who need our prayers, both living dead. (the spiritual works of mercy)

       If we are wise, we will be vigilant, and act prudently.

If we are prepared to recognize Christ in the midst in the ordinariness of everyday life, how much more will we be prepared for his coming at the end of the age, and be recognized by him.

Wisdom, prudence and vigilance.  These are the virtues by which we prepare for the coming of the kingdom.  Like those wise ones who await the bridegroom with their lamps alight, let us keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts “as we await the blessed hope, and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

     I saw a bumper sticker the other day: “Alaska—Land of the individual and other endangered species.”  Indeed, here in the Great Land, we have always admired the guys like Dick Proenneke who can go into the wilderness, chop down trees, build a cabin, and live in it for years, hunting and trapping and whatnot. The self-reliant individual is one of our great cultural myths. I say “myth” because in reality, there is no such thing as a completely self-reliant individual. As impressive as these guys are, we have to also admit that there is something a bit eccentric about them. As John Donne said so well in his 17th century poem, “No Man is an Island.”  Eventually, even Dick Proenneke had to come into town for supplies.

To be human is to be a social being.  We are born into a family, we grow up in our neighborhood, our school, our town.  We identify ourselves within the context of a nation, a people…a Church.

The laws of society and the public policies that enact them must first protect and the defend the rights of the nuclear family.  Perhaps at no time in our nation’s history have the unintended negative consequences of well-meaning, but poorly conceived public policy had such a devastating effect on the most basic unit of human society, the nuclear family.

Similarly, we have an obligation and a right to form communal ties with others as a Church, in fraternal and charitable organizations, even political parties, that help to build up a just society.

Finally, a just society must allow for all citizens to participate in the political process that will determine the course of civil society at the local, state, and national levels.  It is not enough simply to provide the legal right to participate, but people must also have the practical means by which they can actually do so. 

Society is at its best when it promotes and protects healthy families, healthy communities, and the participation in civic life of all members of society.

To learn more about the call to Family, Community and Participation, please watch this 3-minute video:

then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/call-to-family-community-and-participation

This is a critical time in our society. Voting with an informed conscience is everybody’s responsibility.               – Fr. Leo

The Catholic Church has seen every empire, kingdom and government come and go for the last 2100 years. In that time, we’ve learned a thing or two.

     As we prepare for the upcoming election, it is our moral obligation to vote with a well-formed conscience. No matter where you might see yourself on the political spectrum, to ignore the wisdom of the one institution that has survived history would be patently irresponsible.

The first thing that makes for a just society is a healthy respect and the protection of the law for the life and dignity of the human person. All other rights are predicated on this fundamental principle. Without the right to life and protection of the dignity of one’s person, no other civil rights are possible.

The essential question here is: WHO is considered a full participant in civil society?  What is the standard by which one is considered a “person” in civil law so that they may exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations within society? 

The Church has always maintained that one is considered a human person from the moment of conception. But it does not stop there. It is not enough simply to be “Pro-conception” or “Pro-birth.” Life is sacred AND social. Thus, we all have a continuing obligation to promote the dignity of every person in society at every stage of life from conception to natural death. This includes attention to such things as affordable housing, access to health care, a living wage, participation in civic life, equal justice under the law, and the right to one’s life and dignity as he or she nears the end of life. In a nutshell, as a society, we are judged on how we treat our most vulnerable members, as well as who we consider to be members in the first place.

To learn more about the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, please watch this 3-minute video:

then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/life-and-dignity-of-the-human-person

This is a critical time in our society. Voting with an informed conscience is everybody’s responsibility.               – Fr. Leo

I have mentioned that I have found at least three ways that we are made in the image and likeness of God – 1. We can love as God loves.  2.  We can create, taking what God has given us and helping the world become what he has intended it to be.  And 3. We can forgive as God forgives. 

       The second two flow from the first.  Love by its very nature creates and when creation goes astray, love by its very nature restores. Today, the Lord is very clear that we must forgive if we are to enter the kingdom of God.

       Love is an interesting thing. Love intends what is good for the other, not what is evil. If I am a loving person, I want what will make you whole, not what will diminish or destroy you. The desire and the absolute human need for love is part of the human condition. Yet, one must experience being loved before he or she can authentically love another. It’s a learned phenomenon. It’s very tough to love someone else if you have never experienced what love looks like and feels like. Forgiveness finds its origin in love. It’s easy when you are doing what is right. It gets a little harder when you are doing something that is hurting others. 

       And here is where the parable of the unforgiving servant helps us out.  Peter was being quite benevolent when he suggested forgiving another seven times. Seven is a perfect number symbolizing completeness.  It seems to make sense and there were probably nods of agreement from the other disciples when he said it.  But Jesus is insistent that it is not even close.

       The meaning of the parable is clear.  We can only forgive others to the degree that we ourselves have been forgiven. The point of the story here is that just like the this servant, we have been forgiven a HUGE debt.  Every sin we have ever committed or will commit has been forgiven by Christ in his one perfect sacrifice on the cross. Yet, we have to experience the enormity of that forgiveness.  Otherwise, we will not be able to give that same gift to others. 

       That is why the sacrament of reconciliation is so important.  It’s one thing to know intellectually that one’s sins are forgiven.  It’s quite another to experience that definitively in the confessional.

       I always encourage folks to get to confession about once a month.  I don’t know about you, I can’t go a month without sinning.  In the sacraments we kneel at the foot of the cross and sometimes the best we can do is say, Lord be merciful to me, a sinner. 

       Confession is good for the soul, and frequent confession is the source of grace we need to forgive others.  In a way, it’s like making frequent adjustments to the steering wheel.  If you do it often enough, the adjustments are pretty minor.  But if you wait too long then the adjustment is much more severe. If we wait too long, our negligence can have eternal consequences.  Don’t delay.

       Christ has forgiven you everything.  Should you not do the same for those who sin against you?  Love wants what is best for the other.  Should not you who have been loved and forgiven, love and forgive the one who sins against you?  It is not easy, but if the Cross teaches us anything, it is that it is possible. 

       As I said, I have found three ways in which we are made in the image and likeness of God. 1.  We can love.  2. We can create and 3.  We can forgive.  Let us forgive one another as we ourselves have been forgiven.