Promise of Suffering

“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:34-35

Merry Christmas again brothers and sisters! Today we celebrate the Fifth Day within the Octave of Christmas, so it is again Christmas Day!

When Joseph and Mary present Jesus in the Temple the prophet Simeon praises God in the words that we pray daily at night prayer, “Lord now You let Your servant go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which You have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal You to the nations and the glory of Your people Israel.” Simeon recognized, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that the Child brought to him is indeed the Savior, the Messiah, the Christ, the Light of the world. Also, Simeon told Mary that this Child will be a sign that will be contradicted and that she herself a sword will pierce. The sufferings of Christ is joined by the sufferings of Mary. And we too are invited to join our sufferings with Jesus’ and Mary’s, a suffering that is redemptive and not without meaning.

As we continue with our walk of life and journey of faith, we will battle struggles and endure hardships, but we never do it alone — we don’t have to because Jesus walks with us, if we want Him to. When we join our sufferings to the Cross we know that it will bear fruit, fruit, as Christ said, that will last. Fruits that we might never know its effects, how it might free a soul from purgatory, strengthen a fellow brother or sister, or even save someone’s soul at the moment of death. The worth of our sufferings, brother and sisters, is invaluable. It is known to God alone, and we are told what we do in secret God will repay in secret.

Being Christian in 2021 and soon 2022 means that we will be persecuted. We will be mocked and laughed at because we believe in a God who seems fictional and useless in a world that has become estranged from God. And that is why we must continue to bear this light, the Light of Christ, in this world so that all might come to know Him, who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Yes, as Christians we are promised sufferings but even more than that we are promised life, a life that is eternal, a life that makes all the suffering worth it. Don’t lose hope. Keep the faith. Embrace the suffering. And live the Life!

The Presentation of the Temple, 1648, Philippe de Champaigne

The Meaning of Family

I forgot when exactly it was when I adapted the tradition of drawing a cross with “JMJ” under it on the top of every piece of paper I write on, but it is something that reminds me that whatever I am doing or writing, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are with me, and that all that I think, write, and ultimately do should reflect that which binds the Holy Family together: love.

What does family mean to you? Perhaps for some it is the biology that ties them together. For others maybe the relationships, without necessarily needing to be blood related. We each belong to a nuclear, biological family that is bound by blood in our DNA, but we also belong to a family that is not by DNA, but very much so by blood. We are one family in Christ because of the blood of Christ. Through Jesus we become sons and daughters of God. We to are then adopted into the Holy Family.

Brothers and sisters, let us never forget that we are part of God’s family! We call Him Father! For us Christians, family is so much more than just who we live with or who we like or get along with. For us, to be a family means to know that no matter how difficult things may be in life, we will never be alone because we have a whole family in heaven praying for us, cheering us on. To be a family means to know that we have been so loved that we are given the grace to share in the very life of God, to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.

The Holy Family reminds us of this truth. The Holy Family reminds us that we are worth it and that we are truly precious in the eyes of God, so much so that He wants to be one with us. May we allow the docility of Mary, the righteousness of Joseph, and the obedience of Jesus to teach us and to move us to a greater awareness of our identity and so live a life that embodies it.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us!

Gift of God Himself

“All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:22-23

Merry Christmas, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

What a great joy it is today, the day we remember and celebrate the gift of God Himself. God chose to take on human flesh to become one of us so that He can save us from death and eternal damnation. But God did not just choose to become man, He chose to do so in the most unbelievable of ways. Our God chose to enter into human history in the form an innocent, vulnerable baby. The King of kings and Lord of lords did not choose to be born into a rich ruling dynasty or in a warm palace, but rather into the family He had promised our forefathers — the line of David, a family as we know by the genealogy that included both good and bad kings — and in a stable, amidst the animals, a place that the world will not recognize as being a place of a king. Our God has come to be in solidarity with the people, from the least to the greatest.

God’s Kingdom is not restricted to nations, tribes, or languages. God came for all peoples. God came for YOU and for me. God came to give us the gift of Himself. This Christmas know that you are not alone and that no darkness can overcome you because Emmanuel, God with us, is here and that the Light of the World has come into the world to cast out the darkness that holds us back. We no longer need to be afraid or feel alone because our God has drawn close to us, entered into our world, and has made His dwelling among us. God has given to us the gift of Himself.

Merry Christmas!