Mary, Mother of God (ABC)

Eight days have passed since we celebrated Christ's birth on Christmas. Most of the world has already left the message of Christmas far behind. But the Church, in its wisdom, has been spending these days in contemplation of this most astonishing event in the entire history of the human family. And the liturgy will continue doing so all the way through the feast of Epiphany. Let's stay in tune with the Church. Let's keep enjoying the message of Christmas, savoring it, living it deeply.

In fact, another New Year's Day would have little meaning if Christ had never been born to give us hope and guidance. One way to activate that hope and make use of that guidance is by following in the Shepherds' footsteps. St Luke paints a beautiful picture of those poor, hardworking shepherds making their way to the stable cave at Bethlehem.

St.Luke chose his words carefully, to make the full meaning come out.
And so, the three verbs that describe the shepherds' actions are not mere coincidence - they are the inspired pattern of how every Christian should live out the message of Christmas.

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First, St Luke tells us that the shepherds "went in haste" to find Christ, to seek him out in the midst of his family, the Church, here represented by Mary and Joseph. They were eager to meet the Savior, to spend time with him, to get to know him, to receive his blessing. That's why Jesus came to earth in the first place - so that we could more easily find him. The history of humanity is the history of a people lost in darkness and searching for meaning, forgiveness, grace, and light.

Jesus is the source of all those things. He is our salvation. That's the significance of the name "Jesus", which means "God saves."

The Jews traditionally had their boy children circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. During the ceremony, the child would also be given his name. St Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary followed this tradition with Jesus. Circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with ancient Israel, and the most important thing about that covenant was God's promise to send a Savior.

Receiving one's name at the same time that the boy was circumcised was a symbolic way of emphasizing that the boy's life, his very identity, was now tied up with that promise. And performing the ceremony on the eighth day was also significant.

God had created the universe in seven days. But that creation was wrecked by original sin. The eighth day is a symbol of the redemption - the first day of the new creation in Christ.

God's promise of blessing, our true identity, redemption and everlasting life - this is what Christ comes to give us, this is why we, like the shepherds, should be eager to go and look for Christ, to "make haste" to find him each day in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments.

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Second, the shepherds "made known the message that had been told them." The news the angels announced to them was too good to keep to themselves. They felt a need to share it, to tell others about the Savior. That is always a sign of an authentic encounter with God. The ancient philosophers had an adage that said, "bonum diffisivum est" [goodness is overflowing]. When we have or discover something wonderful, we can't hold it back, we simply have to share it. Even on a merely human level - if you find a good restaurant or book or Web site, you tell your friends about it. When we truly experience Christ, even just a little bit, something similar happens. Our hearts automatically overflow with a desire to share that experience.

And if we don't feel that desire, it probably means that our friendship with Christ needs some maintenance.
Being committed Christians doesn't make us immune to temptation. If we are not careful, we can fall into routine.
We can come to Mass, say our prayers, keep up appearances - but underneath it all, we can be falling into spiritual mediocrity. An excellent thermometer for mediocrity is precisely this:

1. if we feel an inner urge to spread Christ's Kingdom,
2. to bring others into Christ's friendship,
3. to share our experience of Christ - as the shepherds did, then we know we are spiritually healthy. But if we don't feel that urge - it is a warning sign that our friendship with Christ is growing cold, and that we need to "make haste" to Bethlehem to take a fresh look at our Savior.

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The third verb that Luke used to describe this scene to St Luke is a double verb. St Luke tells us that after the shepherds made haste to come and see Jesus, and after they told their amazing story to everyone who would listen, they "returned glorifying and praising God." When we seek Christ and share Christ, he fills our hearts with a deep, inner joy. The shepherds were so full of this joy that they couldn't hold it in.

Materially and economically nothing had changed. They didn't have more money, a better job, a nicer house, or even a few more Christmas presents. And yet, if while they were walking back to their flocks someone had asked them, "What did you get for Christmas," they would have had a ready answer.

They would have said, "We have seen God, our Savior, and we have seen his Mother, our Queen. And now we know that God loves us more than we could ever have imagined." Their bank accounts weren't affected by their encounter with the newborn Christ, but they were immeasurably richer on Christmas Day than they had been the day before. And if we follow in the shepherds' footsteps this year, actively seeking Christ in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments, and bringing Christ's grace and presence to those around us, we too will experience the true joy of Christmas - all year round.

The shepherds are models for every Christian. They clarify what's most important in life: seeking Christ, sharing Christ, and rejoicing in Christ. But life for the shepherds didn't end on Christmas. They had to return to the humdrum of the daily grind. And after today, we will too. How can we keep the meaning and lessons of Christmas shining in our hearts even after we take down the Christmas lights?

Mary, whose motherhood we remember in a special way today, gives us the secret.  Mary didn't let life's hustle and bustle drown out the beauty and wonder of Christmas. St Luke tells us that "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."  God did not tell Mary his entire plan. We know much more than she did about how everything was going to work out. She had to walk in the dim light of faith, one step at a time, trusting in God, witnessing his action, and seconding it whenever she could. But she paid attention. She pondered in her heart all of God's gifts to her, all of his words and deeds.

Today in Holy Communion we will receive the Body of Christ, which was formed in the womb of Mary.
When we do, let's ask our spiritual Mother, the Mother of God and of all Christians, to teach us how to take care of the precious faith we have received and renewed during these days, just as she took care of the baby Jesus.

The Chicken and the Ewe

Things are pretty quiet on the farm these days. We are just waiting for the first snowfall and then we can do some logging. We will cut next years firewood too. Oh yes.. I almost forgot .....Merry Christmas to every one and have a happy new year!

Homily for Solemnity of Christ the King year A

Today is the solemnity of Christ the King. Some of us may ask.... “Why in today's world do we need a king? Why... when we live in a country with a democratic government that looks after us. Why when the world tells us we have everything we need right at our finger tips. Why when the poor and sick are looked after by the state?”

One would suppose that we live in a perfect world.

Well... I guess you know that these are true statements... but probably you also know that all these things are only ideas and not the reality.

Because we are told these things are real and complete is precisely why we need Christ the King. None of the things I mentioned are based on Love. In other words... the world we live in is not oriented to be relative to God... but it is oriented relative to personal comfort, to money, and power. None of witch can bring us to a place of being that has no anxiety, no pain, no worries and no fear.

It is only through living life relative to Christ the King that these things can truly be overcome. When we live life relative to Christ we can begin to focus on the reality of the kingdom of God. Then and only then does life make sense. We were not created to become our own little gods with our own little earthly kingdoms We were created so that we can make our way to Gods kingdom and to become friends of His.

How can we do this is the next question many might have. Well... we can look to the saints and learn what they learned. St. Mark the monk tells us... “In spite of all of life's distractions call to mind daily who Christ is and what he became for our sakes.

Reflect on the light that his divinity revealed and glorified in the holy kingdom by all spiritual beings: angels, archangels, cherubim and serphim and all the spiritual powers whose names we do not know. Then think to what depth of human humiliation He descended in. His unselfish goodness, becoming in all respects like us who are dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, captives through the transgression of Adam and dominated by the enemy through the activity of our passions.

When we were in this harsh captivity, ruled by invisible and bitter death, the master of all invisible and visible creation was not ashamed to humble himself to take upon himself our human nature. He became like us in all things except he was without sin.

All the penalties imposed upon us by divine judgement upon Adam for that first transgression such as death, toil, hunger, thirst and so on... He took on himself, becoming what we are, so that we might become what He is. Being rich he became poor for our sakes, so that through his poverty we might become rich. In His great love for us he became like us, so that through every virtue we might become like Him.

From the time that Christ came to dwell with us, man, created in his own image and likeness, is truly renewed through the grace and power of the Spirit, attaining to the perfect love which casts out fear... the love which is no longer able to fail, for love never fails. Love says St. John, is God... and he who dwells in love dwells in God. The apostles ( who are us today ) were granted this love, and so, were the ones who practised virtue as they did, offering themselves completely to the Lord, and following Christ with all their heart throughout their lifetimes.

So you too... should continually keep in mind the great King who took human nature upon Himself.”

This teaching by St.Mark the Hermit Tells us how to think of Christ the King on a daily basis. Not only do we remember these things daily but we learn that Christ is the King of love and that none of our problems are greater than His love.

Christ is the King who lived with us so that we can forever more live our lives relative to a God that cares that much. He came so that He cannot be called just an abstract idea. He came so that we no longer have to live in a world of distractions and empty promises. In Christ the King we have a way to live our lives relative to God who is Love.

There is no greater gift any King could give.

the sheep on a frosty morning

Icons

Take a look at the icons I got in the mail from Todd and Jenny! They got a good home on my fireplace mantle!

My Mom and dad visit the farm.

And they took some pictures...

Me and Mom

Me and the ewes...

And the new building.. still in progress.

Homily for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Here is an oldie but a goody.... A man fell over a cliff. As he fell he was able to grab a branch. Hanging on to the branch, he yelled out for help, “Help! is anyone up there who can help me?” Then he heard a voice saying, “ Here I am.... I will help you.” “Who is that?” he asked. The voice said “I am the Lord, I will help you. All you have to do is trust me.” The man said “I trust you... just tell me what to do.” The Lord replies “All right... just let go of the branch.” There was silence for a while, as the man thought about it. Then he asked, “ Is there anyone else up there?”

Today's Gospel is about God’s vineyard. It is not a parable, which makes a single point. Rather it is an allegory, in which all the elements are important. In this gospel story we hear a description of all of salvation history.

Thus the vineyard is Israel... the tenants are the religious leaders of the Jews;

the slaves sent by the land owner are the old testament prophets;

the son is Jesus, the Messiah; his murder is the Crucifixion.

The other tenants that will produce fruit are the Gentiles. The rich harvest refers at least partially to the last judgement.

One point needs further explanation.. the tenants say to one another, “this is the heir... let us kill him and get his inheritance”.

But is this a realistic plan? Consider this.... foreign landlords owned much of Galilee. They hired out tenants to care for their farms. But if the owner died without an heir.... the property became ownerless and could be claimed by anyone, and.... the tenants could easily claim it first. So in Jesus’ day, the allegory was quite realistic and readily understood by the hearers.

Jesus directed this story to the leaders of the Jews who rejected him. Because of their rejection, the kingdom would be given to the Gentiles, as the concluding verse indicates.

The point of this story is not so apparent to us, for we do not reject Jesus. Rather our failure is similar to the man in the story who fell over a cliff and held on to a branch. We do believe and trust God, but only half heartedly.

In varying degrees, we hold onto human ways, and our superficial Christianity.

Are we willing to trust God completely and commit ourselves to him whole heartedly.... or do want to hang on to the branch.

But is it realistic to let go of the branch?

Not if we mean that we have to let go of every human support.... every security for our selves and our families. I do not believe that God expects that of us.

But if it means that Jesus becomes our standard for understanding lifes meaning, then yes, we should let go.

If it means that we are willing to accept all that happens to us in the spirit of Jesus... as we say in the Lords prayer “thy will be done”. Then we should let go.

Jesus assures us that we are children of a loving God, that his love never fails us, that even “the hairs on our head have all been counted”.

His love does not keep our hairs from falling out (as some of us know better than others) (Father John is the only one I know that doesn’t have to worry about that!).

Gods providence does not keep suffering away from us. He only assures us that no matter what happens, his grace will enable us to accept it in the spirit of Jesus.

All this brings us to Jesus’ final words in the Gospel... “the kingdom of God will be.. given to a people that will produce its fruit. The harvest Jesus refers to is not a worldly one , the harvest Jesus wants is us putting our lives in his hands.

Amen