Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - January 5, 2025

This weekend we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. An “epiphany” can be defined as an “AHA” moment. It’s when a person suddenly realizes something totally unexpected in the course of his normal life and, as a result, is transformed. To experience an epiphany, a person must be open to new and different possibilities. Each of the apostles had an epiphany when Jesus called him. In the Fall of 1983, I suddenly realized that I was going to marry Rosemary. In the Fall of 2012, I suddenly realized that God was calling me to the priesthood. Both were epiphany moments that transformed me. 

Today, the three magi or “wise men” have an epiphany when they encounter Jesus Christ and they are transformed. They came to Bethlehem searching for the newborn king. They did not know exactly where their journey would take them or what they would see when they got there. Yet they were ready and willing to follow the star. On the other hand, Herod and the Jewish leaders of the day were complacent, comfortable, and satisfied. They were afraid to search for the “newborn king” because they didn’t know who or what they would find. 

What about us? When we journey to Mass each week, what are we seeking? Are we curious? Are we searching? If so, what are we searching for? Are we afraid that finding Jesus will disrupt our comfortable lives? Are we willing to sacrifice to search for Jesus as the magi did? Are we transformed by the Mass? Do we leave here better than when we arrived? Are we more loving, more caring, more compassionate, more patient, and more like Christ or do we get frustrated or irritated before we even leave the parking lot? 

Finding Christ is easier for us than it was for the magi. Yet, finding Him is not really our goal. We must do more than simply find Him here or there. We must have an epiphany when we find Him. We must allow Him to transform us. Like the magi, we must leave Mass always ready to follow a different path and must be determined to stay on that different path. Our lives can never be the same because we have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ - the Light of the World.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - December 29, 2024

Today’s feast of the Holy Family makes me think about my 92-year-old dad who just sold his house. He lived in only three houses during his life: the house he grew up in (25 years), the first house he bought with my mom (5 years), and this house (62 years). Since my mother died in 2020, he’s been lonely. He moved to a place with people around, but he’s still lonely. Neither my brother nor I live near him. I would love for him to move out here to be near me and my son, but he’s not too excited about leaving New York.

I think about what it means for me to honor my father. I call him almost every day, but is that really honoring him? I listen to his stories and try to cheer him up, but I don’t know if that qualifies as “honoring” him. I rationalize that I am doing the best I can. After all, I live in California, I have a pretty demanding job, and I do visit New York at least once or twice a year. However, I’m not sure my best is good enough or that my best is actually honoring him. Sometimes, I’m a little embarrassed that, while I’m pretty decent at holding my own life together, I am not doing enough for him.

We can’t get very far along the narrow path of wisdom without giving up our prideful tendency to do things “own way.” Pride is the toughest of sinful habits to break. That is why religious brothers and sisters take vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. Poverty is the antidote to greed and chastity is the antidote to lust. 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.

If we fail to honor our parents, we risk the breakdown of the family. We also risk the breakdown of our relationship with our Lord. The humble, obedient approach that we take with our parents is exactly the way we should be oriented toward our Lord. If we honor our parents, we are in a great place to honor God.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - Christmas December 24, 2024

On behalf of Father Aristotle, Father Mauro, Mrs. Edwards, and all the dedicated the folks who keep our church and school running so beautifully, may God grant you a joyous, blessed, and faith-filled Christmas! We thank God that He so loved the world that He gave us His Son nearly 2000 years ago!

Today, as we look back at our Savior’s birth and look forward to His return, we might consider how wonderfully disruptive that first Christmas was. Nothing about the Christmas story is normal, natural, or expected. The incarnation completely upended Mary’s and Joseph’s quiet lives and forced them to give up all that they had planned. The angels told the shepherds to go on a journey that they were not planning. An “unexpected” Messiah and a “new” covenant challenged many of the rules and practices of the “chosen people” and their leaders. Since Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Christmas has continued to turn people’s worlds upside down.

As we celebrate Christmas in today’s world, we are also disrupted, not so much by the birth of our Lord, but by the “earthly” priorities of the season. We are consumed with decorating, card sending, shopping, wrapping, entertaining, traveling, cooking, baking, eating, and drinking. As we strive to meet the expectations and priorities of this world, we often fail to take the time to recognize our Lord's presence.

The shepherds, on the other hand, were open to the mysterious and exciting message of the angels that, “today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” They could have easily said that they were too busy minding their sheep to go off on an adventure searching for a newborn infant. Yet, they dropped everything and headed to Bethlehem. Are we willing to drop everything to follow Jesus and to face the disruption that occurs when we make Jesus our priority?

The great gift of Christmas – Jesus Christ – has been causing disruption since He was born in that stable nearly 2000 years ago. This Christmas, long after the tree is down, the relatives have returned home, and the cookies are gone, the joy of the season will remain in us if we allow the infant Jesus to disrupt our lives and we make Him our priority.

Fr. Mike