Author: Fr. Peter O'Brien

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Christmas season has officially begun!  For a lot of people, Christmas season seems to have begun much sooner.  I noticed this year that decorations, advertisements and Christmas theme items began to appear the day after Halloween instead of the day after Thanksgiving.  I guess there are a couple of different ways to view that but it seems to me that our world longs for the Christmas season because we long for more of Jesus in our lives.  Although we may complain about commercialism and a loss of the sense of the sacred in our society, to believers it is truly Christmas that we prepare to celebrate!  I have a special attraction to Advent and to Christmas so I don’t mind the extra hype.  To me, it all serves to extend the reminder of Christ’s special presence among us and God’s incomparable gift of redemption, forgiveness bringing peace, reconciliation, joy and salvation to the whole world: That is truly worth some hype and celebration!  In one of the traditional popular songs, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” it mentions that a special gift was received on each day of the Christmas season, which continues to the Baptism of the Lord.  The song reminds me that one way of making Christmas Season special may be to space out our opening of gifts and gift giving through the season.  As you know, the song mentions that the gifts received came from “my true love.”  We offer tokens of love and esteem to each other in the form of presents and this is important because the love we have for each other flows from and points to God who is the source of love within us.  We also know that our most true and lasting gifts are God’s love and mercy!  The Christmas season is interspersed with special feasts: Saint Steven, The Holy Innocents and The Holy Family.  Each of these feast days offers a particular window from which to view the mystery of Christ and his mission to save us.  Let us ponder with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and kings the gift of Christ our true love! Christmas Blessings of peace and joy to you all! +++ Fr Peter

May the nearness of the savior fill you with joy!

There were probably many different ideas of what things would be like when the Messiah would come.  It is probable that Jesus didn’t fulfill the expectations that many people had of the Messiah.  For one thing, the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish was not of this world; it wasn’t focused on power and domination, it wasn’t centered on money and luxury, it wasn’t a display of wealth and finery.  However, his kingdom did become evident in the fields, hillsides and little towns around Galilee.  Many of the people did not recognize the Messiah when he came.  John the Baptist, his herald, even had to ask.  I think it would be good for all of us to be as direct as John and ask ourselves the same question “will I recognize him when he comes?”  “What will the signs be that he is truly the one?”  Jesus’ response to John’s question indicates the fulfillment of the prophet’s words – the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, the mute sing, the ransomed are filled with joy and gladness.  The king was clad in a carpenter’s clothes with worn sandals.  The riches of the Prince of Peace were not in stocks and bonds and safe in a treasury.  They were freely deposited in the hearts and minds of those who came to believe in him.  This Sunday is referred to as Gaudete Sunday, which means “Rejoice.”  We are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus has ransomed us from sin and death and many of us experience being freed from our sins through our communal penance service.  We know and believe that Jesus reaches out to us and it is our joy when we reach out to others.  Jesus entered our world of hate to give us the power to build a world of love. We believe that Jesus understands us, even when we don’t understand ourselves.  We believe that God is always with us, even when we aren’t always with God.  God is our Father because he has treated us as his children in Christ and for this, we do have reason to rejoice!  After all, each one of us is considered greater than John the Baptist!  Share the joy of Christ’s presence in your life with others! +++ Fr. Peter

May the light of Christ fill your hearts and minds!

The Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of joy-filled hope for all people! Mary was conceived without sin!  This reverses the fall of Eve.  Mary is the New Eve born free from sin and Christ is the New Adam!  We remember both of these events at this time of year so as to really understand and enter into the full meaning and joy of Mary’s “yes” to God’s plan of salvation and the birth of Jesus Our Savior!

The first reading from Genesis recalls the sin of Adam and Eve and the results of sin: shame, guilt, disharmony, enmity, and the various forms and degrees of disorder that bring darkness and corruption into the world.  This original sin of not listening to God, took away the true original freedom from all human nature.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a hymn expressing joy, gratitude, and hope for our salvation that we have in Jesus.  Although our human nature is still impeded and burdened by sin, in Jesus we find freedom from the darkness of sin!  We recognize this freedom as God’s plan for us from the beginning of time!

True freedom means being unimpeded and completely open to God’s Word and completely willing to follow God’s plan!

Mary had to give a response when the Angel Gabriel came and revealed God’s word to her.  We see from her disposition and response that she was somewhat surprised at the encounter with the angel and that she didn’t fully understand what was going to happen.  We also see that she did demonstrate complete openness and total freedom when she recognized that it was truly God’s word and God’s plan!  When Mary declared herself  “the handmaid of the Lord,” she defeated human pride, selfishness and anything that could ever impede the true freedom that God wants us to have.  Mary’s “yes” embraced God’s plan to save human nature by uniting it with God in Jesus who is human and divine.

There were times of sorrow and struggle for Mary but she said “yes” at every moment.  We are invited to be with Mary, to say “yes” when we discern God’s desires for us, desire for our freedom from sin and the sadness and burdens that take away our joy.  One of Mary’s titles in her Litany is “Cause of Our Joy.”  Mary shows the way that we can have the joy of salvation when we say “yes” to God by our words and actions in the little things we do each day in the home, at work, at school and everywhere.  Let everyone bless God by the goodness and joy they see in you! +++ Fr. Peter

May the hope of Christ’s light fill your hearts and minds!

The readings and the Advent season focus on the coming of Christ into the world.  Our ancestors awaited a Messiah with great longing and hope.  They looked for the coming of a Messiah who would free them from the forces of oppression, fear, injustice, poverty, hunger and hardship.  For them, he would be a great, wise and just ruler who would establish peace.  Their hope was based upon promises of the past, the stresses of the present and an enduring faith that in the future God, seeing the longing of their hearts, would fulfill the promises that had been made.  We have the same hopes today!  But what did they do in the mean-time?  They lived just like we do now –with a day to day routine but they watched for God’s activity and signs of his arrival!

Today, it seems like our lives are busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Constant activity with irregular hours can cause problems of fatigue, anxiety, depression, insomnia and stress.  Even those who have regular schedules frequently get over-extended with activities.  Where are such people going to find a space of peace and rest to be refreshed from weariness so they can seek and find God?

For many, Advent is the busiest time of the year.  There is always something to plan, cards to send, gifts to buy, parties to attend, visiting family, friends and neighbors.  For some, it is the most painful time of year due to loss of loved ones, broken relationships, empty promises, and disappointments.  Where do they find a remedy?

In Advent, the Church invites all of us to make a personal interior shift so that we can experience the coming of Christ and his peace that we all long for.  I know that the activities of the season are important, in fact, even life-saving because we do experience Christ’s love through each other.  But it’s also easy to get off track and forget what is really important.  We need to feel freedom from shame, guilt, fear, doubt, sadness, loneliness and longing or any other burdens we may have.  Turning to God with our hearts is the key!  The parish Reconciliation Service provides deliverance from burdens!  Jesus comes to free us; not to judge or condemn us!  Try to set aside some personal time with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  Invite them into your home with a prayer and candles.  Spend time with them in prayer each day and make them feel appreciated and honored as your guests.  If you take the time to truly watch, you will see that God is present and actively coming into your life!  God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and Grace to all!

This Sunday the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King.  It is an appropriate finale to the end of the liturgical year and it reminds us of the principality of Christ and his universal power and authority over all that is: both visible and invisible.  This celebration should have some personal significance for each of us in our relationship with Jesus, who is King of Mercy.

As we celebrate this feast, I recall my visit to the monument known as “Cristo Rey” in Guanajuato, Mexico.  I travelled with some companions to the shrine to pray for special needs and to offer praise and thanks for the many blessings that I had received from God.  I wasn’t expecting anything but the chance to see the 70 foot statue of Jesus, which resembles that of the famous statue overlooking Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  The statue in Guanajuato was erected as part of the reconstruction of this site following the communist persecution and destruction in the 1930’s.  Many Christians were martyred defending the faith as well as this shrine during this period in Mexico.  The recent movie For Greater Glory presents many of the atrocities committed against the Church’s priests, religious and faithful while focusing on a few key historical figures.

The confrontation between Jesus and Pilate in the Gospel depicts worldly power and how it is usually corrupted by selfish interests is paralleled by the characters in the movie.  The heavenly kingdom reaches far beyond the here and now of the worldly view.  It is stronger and more beautiful for it values mercy, truth, justice and peace more than temporal life.  Like the characters in the Gospel and the movie, we must contend with the same forces in our own lives.  We can sink into selfishness, greed, lust, envy, or any other worldly allurement.  Many try to compromise only to find themselves succumbing to corruption—like Pilate.  For Jesus and the characters in the movie, there was no compromising.  Like them, we are called to rise above worldly forces and stand for something far greater and far more glorious.  We are called to take a stand for the heavenly kingdom with its eternal values and rewards with what we say, think and do which is still heroic.  What a great choice to make!

When my companions and I rounded a bend and stood before the statue at the summit of the hill, I was compelled within to kneel, while my eyes began to swell with tears—I can’t explain why.  Before my companions and I stood the large figure of Jesus standing upon the globe with his arms outstretched as if he were calming the sea.  I had the sensation that Jesus wanted me to feel his power and peace calming my soul.  As I glanced at my companions, I realized from the tears in their eyes that Jesus was giving them the same gift of this experience.  After some moments passed, we smiled at each other through tears in acknowledgement of the experience we each had.  At such times, words are of no use so we remained silent, kneeling in awe and gratitude before Jesus, our true King!  As Christians, we can be so glad and proud that we know God as a loving, merciful and tender ruler!  Although we journey in a world torn with sin and chaos, Jesus preserves our hearts in peace.  May God bless you all! +++ Fr Peter

May the peace of Christ preserve you from all fear!

In this weekend’s readings we hear about things that will happen before Christ returns in glory.  In the first reading the prophet warns that those who do evil will be like dry stubble and consumed by fire, while the just will have reason to rejoice in their deliverance.  St. Paul encourages the community at Thessalonica to focus on implementing Gospel values in their personal daily lives as a means to avoid becoming vexed about what others are doing.  In the Gospel, Jesus gives the disciples a glimpse of the future and what to expect: wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, disease and signs in the sky.  Jesus also tells them not to worry for he will be present to help and save those who persevere.

In just a brief perusal of the news headlines, one can easily identify all the elements enumerated by Jesus.  There have been over 10, 436 earthquakes in the world so far in 2019, 48 occurred in one day: October 17.  The people of the areas where the largest earthquakes occurred are experiencing the ravages of the aftermath: struggles for clean water, medical supplies, rebuilding sewer, water, gas and electric supply lines and restoring stable communications.  Meanwhile war-torn areas in the Middle East are still trying to rise from the rubble of war and civil revolt.  ISIS, though subdued by US and international efforts, is expected to rise again through the current Turkish invasion of Northern Syria. ISIS’ previous murderous rampage displaced millions and killed thousands resulting in over 40 million refugees in the world.  To us who live in the Western World, it doesn’t seem that there will ever be a just and stable government in those areas.  There are a host of other violent hot spots around the globe, not to mention the continuing concern over nuclear developments in North Korea and Iran.  Here in the United States, it looks like we are anything but united.  The predominant news we get is filled with personal attacks and vicious battling over party-line agendas.  Too much drama.

There are those who would like to have us all believe that these are definite signs that Jesus is about to return but no one knows the day or the hour.  It would be easy to get caught up in that kind of fear if you didn’t have faith and a prayer life.  Fear can distort our outlook on the world, it can become like a prison that disables us from the freedom to act with love.  Fear can prevent us from focusing on what’s really important: a daily life filled with light, love and meaning.  As Christian believers, our focus and efforts are always the same: we strive to bring the Good News into the world.  Google “Medical Miracles” and be amazed at all the entries of miracles going on around us.  The blind see, the deaf hear, the dead rise to new life, the lame walk.  God is always present and working in our midst!  We just have to look!    If we focus on Jesus and trust him, we can avoid sinking into fear filled living.  In living each day in faith, we can be confident that we will be ready whenever he comes, because he is already here!

May God bless you with peace and good health! +++ Fr Peter

May the light of Christ dwell within you!

The readings this weekend highlight the fact of life after death and the reward or punishment merited by our actions during our earthly sojourn.  The first reading from the book of Maccabees gives a stirring account of the seven brothers and their mother enduring torture and death rather than violate the laws of God.  They believed that by remaining faithful, they would be raised up in the resurrection of the just to receive a reward from God but their persecutors would be condemned.  In the second reading, St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to truly live the faith despite the challenges of non-believers and evil forces around them.  The solid grounds that he uses for his encouragement is the reality of the resurrection to eternal life that they all hope for.  In the Gospel, Jesus teaches his hearers something about what the resurrection will be like.  The Sadducees doubted a resurrection, but pose a supposition that things in the afterlife will be similar or the same as they are presently in this world but Jesus informs them that such is not the case.  He says that there is in fact a resurrection and that those who are worthy to rise to eternal life will be like angels.

I think all of us try to imagine what heaven will be like.  I used to ask my parents about it frequently when I was young and they encouraged me to use my imagination.  It was fun to think about– it still is!  In fact, many of us need to remind ourselves that our efforts to live the Christian life will have a reward beyond our dreams.  A thought like that can give us the courage and strength to endure the day’s difficulties and save us from temptations to doubt.  As in every age, we are bombarded by worldly influences that draw us to focus on power, wealth, self-satisfaction and material possessions.  The Maccabees family were severely pressured to recant their beliefs to gain worldly things but they chose heavenly rewards over anything their torturers could offer.  Their faith was such that they could not live with the burden of having denied their God and their conscience.  Let us pray that we may always encourage one another in our Catholic faith through word and example of life and death.

God bless you all! +++ Fr Peter

Peace and Grace to you!

This time of year is very special!  The days are shortening and the weather is getting cooler if not cold at times.  The leaves on the trees and shrubs are changing color and the harvest has been over.  It is a time of change, the end of a season, a time of transition, it is a time of dying.  It all happens so quickly!  We are reminded of the brevity of our lives.

This week we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints and the feast of All souls.  These two celebrations point to the heart of our Christian faith: eternal life!

In our celebration of All Saints, we remember our great dignity and the gift of a great destiny as God’s holy people.  Our great Saints’ lives were dedicated to living completely for God, even in the smallest detail.  These Saints understood the relationship of complete communion with God and one another that all the baptized are invited to.  They struggled against sin for a greater prize—the living love of God in time and eternity!

Through the feast of all souls the Church remembers all those who have completed their earthly sojourn.  Some of them led holy lives, others didn’t but many of them are no doubt living in God’s presence.  Some are undergoing purification.  Sadly, some others may have lost the gift of eternal life by rejecting God—we hope and pray that no one may be lost but it is possible that some are.

At the center of our reflection is the great gift and mystery of the sacramental life of the Church.  This is what the Gospel story of Jesus and Zacchaeus tells us.

We can never forget that Jesus always calls us to a deeper, personal relationship with God and share the indwelling of God’s Spirit. It is friendship!  It is communion! It is a living and abiding love!

Zacchaeus represents the one who longs for the relationship and is willing to go out of his way to find it—even climb up a tree!  Jesus’ response to those who are like Zacchaeus is the same: “today I must stay at your house!”  No matter if that person was a sinner until that moment, Jesus is watchful for the opportunity to come into your heart!  Notice that the encounter with Jesus breaks open Zacchaeus’ heart and immediately, joy, peace, charity and desire for justice spring forth from him!  Zacchaeus is really happy!

In contrast, the crowd represents all those who do not desire or go out of their way to build a personal relationship with Jesus.  Instead of turning their heart to seek him in sincerity, they do their usual thing.  They grumble, criticize, complain and judge Zacchaeus, Jesus and probably everyone else.  They have no joy because they have not experienced the salvation that Jesus brings!  In the story, Jesus is a human being.  Zacchaeus was open to that.  If you were Jesus, would you want to stay with someone who was critical and judgmental toward you?  Or would you rather stay with someone who really wanted to know you and appreciate you?  Hopefully we can all be open to a new encounter with Jesus and grow in the joy of his communion!

God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace to you!

Last weekend we contemplated the qualities of persistence and insistence in the continual activity of our prayer.  This weekend, Jesus calls us to reflect on two inner qualities of our prayer: humility and pride.

In your own life of prayer, which figure do you most resemble?  Are you more like the Pharisee who ignores God by relishing your own vainglory?  Or are you more like the tax collector, who’s punctured heart is all too aware of his own unworthiness as he begs for mercy?  Are you aware of how you approach God in prayer?

The Pharisee practiced tithing and fasting, which are commendable religious practices but these became a source of personal pride—his downfall.  We get the sense that he became stagnant and hardened in his heart judging other people without compassion.  He could not see his own faults but could readily identify others’ shortcomings.  How does God respond to the prayers of the prideful and the arrogant?

The tax collector isn’t depicted as glorying in himself.  Rather he is someone who is deeply aware of his own failures.  The tax collector appears completely honest and vulnerable before God.  His prayer is in humble truth.  How do you suppose God answers the prayer of this sinner—who is humble?

In the first reading from Sirach we hear that God has no favorites and is not partial.  Sirach also tells us that God is attentive to the call of the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, the poor and lowly.  God is also attentive to the prayer of the just; that is those who may not be poor, orphaned or widowed but are concerned about serving God rightly with their lives.  We are told that their prayer “reaches the heavens.”

We know that God loves all people everywhere all the time and responds generously to the just and the unjust alike.  The Pharisee who extols himself will be humbled eventually but in the meantime, will remain stuck, blinded and impoverished by his pride, unaware of the great richness of God’s love and mercy.  Those who are introspective and aware of their own sin and weakness that come before God in simple honesty asking for mercy, like the tax collector, will receive God’s mercy.  God does not wish that the sinner should die, but that they turn to him and live.  God lifts them up and helps them.

The religious practices of the Pharisee are good, for such exercises help us remain vibrant.  The humility of the sinful tax collector is good, for it reminds us that none of us are equal to God in our love.

In today’s prayer over the offerings, we pray that whatever we do in service of the Lord may be done above all to the Glory of God.  This is the mark we aim for in all things.

God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace to you! I thought you might enjoy something from my friend Fr. Boly.

What is prayer? Prayer is awareness of God, engagement with God, abandonment to God. Prayer is as natural as breathing, as spontaneous as wonder. Prayer is holding your breath at the beauty of fall leaves, is breaking your heart at the pain of a child. Prayer begins when God’s Spirit lifts your mind and heart to pay attention to the Divine Majesty.

All three scripture readings today deal with the attitude of insistence and persistence. In the reading from Exodus, Moses trusts God even when attacked by a superior army. Aaron and Hur help Moses keep his drooping hands aloft to assure Israel’s victory against Amalek. This is persistence.

In the second reading, Paul urges his young disciple Timothy to learn and proclaim the good news both when it is convenient and inconvenient. What does insistence in learning mean today? It means educating ourselves in practical wisdom about current issues. October is the month dedicated to our prophetic witness to the sanctity of life. This is a good season to refresh our understanding of the entire range of life issues.

In the gospel, Luke’s community had a question. When will the Risen Jesus return to establish the final reign of God? In response to the question, Jesus assures his hearers that it is necessary to persist in prayer and never give up hope that justice will prevail over unfairness. He then tells the parable about the widow and the unjust judge.

Luke introduces the parable with an editorial explanation so that everyone will be clear about meaning of the parable. He says that constant prayer and confidence in God’s promises are necessary in the spiritual life.

The story unfolds about two figures. One is a widow, among the most vulnerable in society, who has been wronged and seeks justice.

The other is a judge, powerful and respected. Jewish law obligates him to protect “widows and orphans” in a special way. The judge refuses to do his job, proclaiming neither respect for God nor for the community.

It is only when the widow continues to bother him and threatens his status that he relents. The message is clear. Just as the widow is persistent, so also are God’s chosen ones to beseech God and to await God’s justice. The time of justice is coming even though it seems delayed.

When people are treated unfairly, they are tempted to take the law into their own hands and retaliate against violators of their respectability. Jesus teaches his followers to turn the other cheek, to pray for those who persecute them. The role of disciples is to treat oppressors with kindness, and to trust that the role of God is to punish the defilers of justice in God’s mysterious way – by allowing the violent to suffer the consequences of their violence (Gen. 9.6; Exodus 21:12; Mt. 26.52).

Today’s readings urge patience and persistence in dealing with injustice. Patience and persistence. They seem to be at odds with one another. The first requires what seems like inactivity. The other involves active insistence, a holy indignation at inaction. For the Christian the message is this: Wait for God. But don’t stop asking or trusting God. God always will give you what you need for your journey home to God.

It is difficult to understand how you and I can persevere in prayer so that prayer becomes unceasing. One suggestion is the traditional prayer called “The Jesus Prayer.” You pray the phrase, “Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God” while inhaling a breath. And then you pray the phrase “have mercy on me” while exhaling.

In this form of prayer, inhale the sacred name of Jesus and exhale a plea for mercy. At first, begin by sitting quietly and concentrating on your breathing. When you are persistent, every breath will become a prayer and every moment of life – when while sleeping – an offering of praise.

What does it mean for us to be stewards of prayer? It means to embrace our identity as contemplatives in action. Pray for the grace “to be contemplatives in action.” Fr. Craig Boly, S.J.