Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

It is fitting that on the Octave of Christmas we should celebrate the motherhood of Mary. The Octave feasts always tease out the implications of the mystery that has been celebrated, for example, the Octave of Easter speaks of the Divine Mercy and the Octave of the Assumption the Queenship of Mary. If Jesus is the Son of God and MAry is his mother then she is the Mother of God. This simultaneously asserts both the divine and human natures of Christ. It is this mystery into which we are born in baptism: "So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God." (Gal. 4: 7) Through this process of adoption we can claim Mary as our mother, too. The Second vatican Council states: "Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin was in this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord. She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ. she presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him by compassion as He died on the Cross. In this singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Saviour in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace." (LG 61) In a sense today's feast is a celebration of our own nativity in baptism. 

Feast of the Holy Family

The Gospel tells us: "When Mary and Joseph had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him." (Lk 2: 39-40) This brief reference provides a cultural, geographical and religious context for the Jesus as well as the pre-conditions for the development of a healthy child. He did not grow up in a vacuum. How many children today are born to a law abiding couple (in the religious sense of the term) who have the stability  of relationship, place and cultural identity? So many are prey to uncertainty and a lack of even a basic sense of the patrimony passed on at great cost by their ancestors? Even the spelling of their names shows forth a rootless and shallow milieu with no real connection to the past and little thought as to what is required for the future. Does no one think about the child trying to fit their name on a passport application or being burdened with the obligation to spell their name every time they say it!? More and more priests and believing grandparents feel aghast and helpless as they see the precious Catholic heritage tossed out to make way for "bread and the circus." The writer of the letter to the Hebrews warns us: "See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears." (Heb. 12: 16-17). The advice to the Colossians still holds good: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in he name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3: 16-17)

  

Christmas Message

One of my cherished memories of Christmas, growing up and still today, has been listening to the list of titles given for the long awaited Messiah, in the reading from the prophet Isaiah from our First Reading at the night Mass: "For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests on his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Is. 9: 6) People then, as for today, were afflicted with all manner of threats to their safety and prosperity. Life has changed and so has its challenges but we are still in need of the same love and reassurance. The message of Christmas is just the tonic we need. Christ is our redeemer! As victor over sin and death in his resurrection he answered all our needs and desires super-abundantly. Christmas is the dawn of God's love shining on a darkened and anxious world with the promise of endless day. This we taste in sacrament as already reigning in our hearts: "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry ''Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.." (Rom 8: 15-16)  We rejoice in God's love today and its that love which overflows to our families, friends, fellow parishioners and strangers in the street or waiting in line at the supermarket. Whatever our situation let the joy of Christmas fill our hearts since: "You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, a people exult when dividing the plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian." (Is. 9: 3-4) Happy Christmas everyone! 

4th Sunday of Advent

Today we hear the beautiful story of the Annunciation. The dialogue between the archangel Gabriel and a virgin called Mary stirs our hearts. Would she not have been so young to make such a momentous decision? Yet, she is humble and courageous in her response. She knows that what the angel is saying is amazing yet she is able to take the message on board and say: "Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." (Lk 1: 38) This can be contrasted with Zechariah's defiance when the same angel brought him good news which answered his prayers over so many years. Gabriel tells him: "But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur." (Lk 1: 20) The priest is shown up by the teenager for lack of faith! Let us imitate the Blessed Virgin in her holiness, obedience and courage: "By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, by which she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with His singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrose taught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ. For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother. By her belief and obedience, not knowing man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, as the new Eve she brought forth on earth the very Son of the Father, showing an undefiled faith, not in the word of the ancient serpent, but in that of God's messenger. The Son whom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren, namely the faithful, in whose birth and education she cooperates with a maternal love." (Lumen gentium, 63)

3rd Sunday of Advent

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near." (Phil. 4: 4) This is the entrance antiphon for Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent which gives us the reference for the expression Gaudete Sunday, taken from the Latin word, second person plural imperative,  for "rejoice!" I like to think of joy as being the fulfillment of hope. Our hope is that not only we receive of the benefits of the Lord in this life but we will be with him forever in the next. We rejoice to see that the birthday of the Lord is near since the Incarnation was a new birth for humanity. In our baptism we were born into the relationship with God enjoyed by Christ as of right. As adopted children we anticipate a share in his inheritance. Throughout Advent we have been looking to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming feast: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and  if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may be glorified with him." (Romans 8: 14-17) Advent then speaks not only to birth but also to suffering and death since we share in his Passion as well as his Nativity.

2nd Sunday of Advent

Today we hear the exhortation of St John the Baptist: "'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight'." (Mark 1: 4) In New Zealand we constantly see work being done on motorways to straighten them so as to make travel by motor vehicles quicker, safer and easier. By analogy, Advent is a time when we seek to straighten out the twists and turns in our spiritual and moral life so as to make the movement of the Holy Spirit easier and more effective in our lives. When I am distracted by anger, frustration, hurt feelings, resentment and bitterness I am less able to receive the Lord in my heart. Let us not emulate the secular world for whom the celebration of Christmas concludes on Christmas Day. We have the whole of Christmastide to rejoice in the birth of our Saviour and enter into the mystery of the Incarnation through the great feasts of that season. For us Advent is a time of spiritual reflection and preparation for anticipating the Second Coming and celebrating the First Coming even  if we have secular obligations to attend to. Integral to our spiritual preparation is the sacrament of penance. It is an ideal way to enact the spiritual roadworks that open up my soul to the Lord who loved us so much that he not only became human like us but also died for us while we were still sinners: "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person - although perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 6-8)