Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, December 28, 2025

On this Feast of the Holy Family, we reflect on the Fourth Commandment – “Honor your father and your mother.” This instruction appears in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Matthew, Ephesians, and in this weekend’s reading from Sirach. The Book of Sirach teaches us to live according to God’s plan – to walk in the way of wisdom. In this passage, the author instructs us to honor and respect our parents—not just while we are children, but our whole lives long.

While disrespect for parents may be common in our culture, God “sets a father in honor over his children.” In a practical sense, honoring our parents involves four key components: appreciating them, accepting their authority, treating them with respect, and, particularly as they grow older, providing for them. It is not blind compliance, but a due deference and respect, a love that shows itself in obedience. A child’s obedience to his father is different than an adult son’s honor for his. “Respecting” an elderly, infirm parent is different than “respecting” a young, healthy parent.

This attitude of deference is a way to break down the inner workings of pride in our hearts. We can’t get very far along the path of wisdom without giving up our “own way.” Pride, or having our own way, is the toughest of sinful habits to break. That is why one of the three vows that religious brothers and sisters take, is obedience (the other two are poverty and chastity). A vow of obedience is the perfect antidote to pride. Sirach encourages us to embrace the way of obedience, the way of humility, so that we may obtain wisdom not by seeking our own path of self-realization, but by humbly submitting ourselves to our fathers and mothers. Wisdom and obedience go hand-in-hand. True wisdom enables us to defer to another and let go of our pride.

The respect that sons and daughters should have for their fathers and mothers is something the Lord set up to orient us toward Him. If we honor our parents, our hearts will be in a great place to honor God. If we honor our parents, then we too can obtain by grace the “long life in the land which the Lord our God is giving us.” That land, of course, is heaven.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, December 21, 2025

The time of Advent preparation is over! In a few days we will experience the joy of once again celebrating the birth of our Lord.

Some people have a hard time distinguishing happiness and joy. As a result, they are trapped in their anger, frustration, and disappointment, unable to get beyond their own emotional abyss.  They constantly search for that elusive someone or something to make them “happy.” They seek surface happiness instead of inner joy. Yet, their happiness is elusive precisely because they expect it to be provided to them by others.As they look outward, they fail to realize that joy, which they should be seeking, is an inner feeling. While happiness is a temporary feeling in the mind; joy is a long-term feeling in the soul. Pope Francis said, “joy fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”Happiness depends on and reacts to circumstances; joy transcends day-to-day earthly challenges and can exist in a person even when there is difficulty or uncertainty.

Happiness is typically derived from immediate and temporary pleasure often as the result of our selfish pursuit of accomplishments. Pursuit of happiness is not always a good thing. Joy, on the other hand, is internal, selfless, sacrificial, a spiritual connection with God, and is purely good. Joy involves transcending ourselves. Joy endures hardship and trials and connects with meaning and purpose.  Joy comes when our hearts are in others and exists whether we are changing diapers, driving to practice, waiting up at night, dancing in the kitchen, playing in the yard or just sitting quietly together watching TV.

There is no “get joy quick” scheme. It requires regular practice and continued effort. The authors of The Book of Joy outline eight pillars of joy: Acceptance, Compassion, Forgiveness, Generosity, Gratitude, Humility, Humor, and Perspective. Each involves putting others first and recognizing that the world is larger than ourselves. It is the present that life gives us as we give away our gifts.

Luke describes the joyful moment when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who said: “At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” As we celebrate Christ’s loving presence in our lives, may we not only smile, but may we “leap for joy” and feel that joy every day of our lives!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, December 14, 2025

There is a line in a song from 1971 that says,“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign…do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”  In the song, signs were everywhere.  They were easy to spot.  The messages on the signs should have been easy to understand. 

In the Gospel this weekend, we hear that John the Baptist is sitting in prison and is concerned about whether Jesus is the Messiah.  He is having trouble seeing, and possibly, believing, the signs.  He thought that the Messiah would arrive in dramatic fashion.  He would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and He would exercise judgment.  But Jesus fits neither John`s expectations nor those of Jews in general. Jesus comes as one who proclaims the kingdom of God, calls upon people to trust in God, heals the sick, and befriends sinners and tax collectors.  It is little wonder that John is having doubts.  He knows that the end of his life is near and is concerned that all of his work baptizing and preaching repentance has been wasted. 

So, he sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Instead of saying, “Yes! I am the Messiah,” Jesus tells John’s disciples to look around at the signs.  He does not proclaim himself; he proclaims the kingdom of God, breaking in upon the world.  There are signs that Isaiah’s vision of the Messiah is being realized.  Whoever perceives the connections and concludes that Jesus does the work of the coming one is blessed. There are signs EVERYWHERE. You get the sense that Jesus wants to ask them, “Can’t you read the signs?”

We are blessed and fortunate to be living on this side of Jesus’ resurrection and to be a part of His body, the Church. We do not have to rely on signs that may be ambiguous or unclear. We are not people adrift in the world with uncertainty about who we are, how we should live, or where we are going. We belong to His community of believers, dedicated to Him, instructed by Him, and carrying out His ministry. As His disciples, and with mutual support, we align ourselves with His ministry in our witness to the gospel and in our works of mercy and our care for the world. 

Fr. Mike