Month: December 2019

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Holy Family, Our Family

Holy Family (A)

 

It is not easy to come up with a homily for the feast of the Holy Family! One challenge is that, as a Catholic priest, I do not have a wife or children of my own. Nevertheless, I grew up in a family and still have lots of relatives here and there.  Moreover, in my ministry over the years, I have encountered members of many families, and many kinds of families, and have heard many family-related stories.  Besides, I have the teaching of the Church on family life to draw from as a resource.  Being celibate, then, is not an insurmountable problem when it comes to preaching about this feast. Continue reading “Holy Family, Our Family”

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Dreams of Christmas

 

Christmas 2019

In 1942, the Hollywood musical Holiday Inn premiered, featuring two of the biggest stars of the time, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  Everyone who was involved with the movie thought that its song “Be Careful, That’s My Heart” would be the big musical moment.  How many of us remember that song? It was released as a single and did well. But it was the second single from the movie, released that fall, that would become its best-known moment.  A song that everyone making the movie liked but that no one thought of as very special.

White Christmas. Continue reading “Dreams of Christmas”

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Surrender

Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)

And I don’t know what the future is holdin’ in store
I don’t know where I’m goin’, I’m not sure where I’ve been
There’s a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me
My life is worth the livin’, I don’t need to see the end

Sweet, sweet surrender
Live, live without care
Like a fish in the water
Like a bird in the air

– from the song Sweet Surrender, by John Denver

Surrender.

How does that word make you feel?

For most people, it is not a pleasant or a desirable thing, at least at first glance.  It evokes feelings of defeat, failure, disgrace.  It may evoke the fear of being defenseless before one’s foes, or something that is dangerous. It may evoke the shame that comes from feeling powerless over compulsions or addictions, bad habits or sins.

On the other hand, surrender can be a positive thing: the dropping of one’s defenses, in trust, in the presence of one’s beloved. The sense of feeling safe, loved, and accepted as one is.  Such a surrender is not easy to achieve, though, because any surrender feels risky and generates fear and anxiety. Continue reading “Surrender”

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Visions of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent (A)

 

Have you ever visited Washington, DC?

Whether we have or haven’t been there, the very name evokes a series of images and feelings in our minds.  For some people, Washington means distant bureaucrats who haven’t a clue about how ordinary Americans live or the problems they face.  For others, Washington is a symbol of corruption and partisan strife.  For still others, it is a place where nothing of substance is ever accomplished, and where politicians are more interested in placing the blame than in repairing the game. Continue reading “Visions of Advent”