The Ten Commandments and our impact on future generations

In today’s first reading from the book of Exodus, we hear the familiar Ten Commandments. But, it surprised me that so much of the reading is about the first three commandments which relate to our relationship with God and so little of it is on the last seven commandments which relate to our relationship with each other.

Perhaps there is a message here for us that our relationship with God is extremely important and it impacts how we relate to each other.

After the first commandment, the author says: “I am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their father’s wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.” 

Our sins impact not only us but our children, grandchildren, great –grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.  This is particularly true of sins which involve life – aborting a child, or contracepting to avoid conceiving a child.  How many children of God are not here today because so many have chosen these practices?  And, of course, none of us would be here today if our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents hadn’t chosen  life.

Last Saturday, there was a funeral here for Tom Spellmeyer.  At 59, Tom was the youngest of ten children.  Mary, his mother, at 93 years young, was there for the funeral.  As I looked out at the church with over 300 people present, I couldn’t help but marvel at the many lives that Tom and the other Spellmeyer children have touched over the years.  What a loss it would have been if Mary hadn’t chosen life so many times!

My message today isn’t that everyone should have ten children.  It is a rare person who is called to give life to that many children.  Instead, my message is that everyone should listen to God’s will for them especially regarding having children.  Many families today have two or fewer children and plan their families with no regard for God’s will.  It is very easy to decide to have very few children so that we can have the things - cars, vacations, nice houses - which seem to be more important today. 

If we listen to God’s will in these matters, he opens our hearts to the gift of life.  And he gives us the grace to raise His children following His commandments. He tells us in the first commandment that we are not to have other gods before him.   He is saying that we should not choose things – cars, vacations, houses – over His will for us.  He knows what will ultimately make us happy. 

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of life.  We thank you for the Ten Commandments.  And we pray that we will always choose life and will always follow your commandments so that, someday, we can spend eternal life with you in heaven.

Who do I say that Jesus is?

"Who do the crowds say that I am?" Jesus’ disciples had been with him for a while and had watched and listened as Jesus taught the crowds and responded to attacks. Their first responses to Jesus were drawn from what they had observed and heard others say.  They responded that Jesus was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or an ancient prophet.  As we know, these answers, which were the popular opinions of the time, were all wrong.

Then Jesus fine-tuned his question and asked, "But who do you say that I am?" The question required the disciples to go within, to draw upon their experiences with Jesus and come to their own conclusion. Peter responds: "The Christ of God." 

Just as Jesus asked this question of the apostles, he repeatedly asks this question of each one of us.  Initially, most of us might give a quick answer.  We would say: “You are Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”     Then, Jesus would peer deep into our heart and ask us one more time:  “Who do you say that I am?”  Then, we realize that he is asking us to answer his question not based upon our mind but upon our lives, our actions. 

Do our lives reflect the fact that we know Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God?  This is a difficult question for us as it was for the apostles.  It’s one thing to know Jesus as a great prophet.  It’s quite another to know him as the son of the creator of the universe, the son of God who became man.  We can choose to follow the direction of a prophet or we can ignore him.  But, when the son of God speaks, we had better listen. 

The last two Friday’s, Father John Patterson said mass here and I was on the altar to help him.  Father John graduated from St Francis De Sales grade school in 1984 and then attended Fenwick.  He has cerebral palsy which makes it very difficult for him to walk.  In fact, he normally has to lean on someone to get from one place to another.  But when Father John talks, it’s like listening to Jesus.  During Friday morning’s homily, he commented that leaning on someone’s shoulder when he goes from one place to another is a blessing for him because he feels like he is getting helped by Jesus.  Friday, I was Jesus for Father John as I helped him get around the altar. It was a great blessing for me.  And I know that Father John’s words were a blessing for all those present.    

Our thoughts and our actions say more about who Jesus is for us than our words do.  Hopefully, our actions in this area reflect Jesus such that others know, when they are around us, that we are his followers.  Father John Patterson is Christ-like to his very core.  He knows Christ to such a great extent that when you are in his presence, you feel like you are close to Jesus.

What about us?  Most of us are struggling on our journey to get to know Jesus.  We may know that he is the Messiah, but our lives may not reflect that knowledge.  What can we do to get to know him better?

First of all, we can avoid doing things which will distance ourselves from him.  Whenever we sin, we are separating ourselves from the love of God.  For example, if we use the name of the Lord in vain, by our very words, we are mocking the Lord.  How can we confidently say that we know Jesus as the Son of God, when we use his name in vain?

Secondly, we can get to know Jesus by receiving him in Holy Communion.  In Holy Communion, we receive Jesus body, blood, soul, and divinity.  The principal fruit of receiving Holy Communion is an intimate union with Jesus.  Of course, it is important that we be in the state of grace when we receive him.  If we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, we certainly don’t want to be in serious sin when we receive him in Holy Communion.  So, if you are in the state of serious sin, go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.

Next, we get to know Jesus through Scripture.  We have three Scripture readings each Sunday at Mass and these readings repeat every three years.  If you attend Mass every Sunday, over the course of this three year cycle, you will have heard over half of the bible.   If you also attend mass every day for the two year cycle of daily masses, between the Sunday and daily readings, you will have heard about 90% of the bible.  And after hearing these Scripture readings, we should reflect upon them and apply them to our lives.

Finally, Christ has revealed himself to us through his Church.  There is an intimate bond between Christ and his Church.  Not only is she gathered around Him, she is united with Him.  The Church is the Body of Christ in the unity of her members with each other, especially in receiving His body.  Christ is the Head of the Church.  And the Church is the bride of Christ.

Who do you say that I am?  As we reflect upon this question today, let us resolve to get to know Jesus better, through Scripture, through receiving him in Holy Communion, and through his Church.  Then, maybe someone will tell us that our lives image the love of Jesus.  

Baseball and marriage

Baseball is a game and normally the failures of its players are not tragic.  In fact, they can be comical.  Errors, mishaps, bloopers, and bonehead plays have an enduring charm of their own. 

Marv Throneberry symbolized the futility of one of the worst teams in the history of baseball—the 1962 New York Mets—losers of a record 120 games.  In a game against the Chicago Cubs, Marvelous Marv steamed into third base with what he thought was a triple.  Ernie Banks took a relay throw and stepped on first base. The umpire declared Throneberry out because he did not touch first base.  When manager Casey Stengel came out to protest the call, the umpire pointed out that Marv had also failed to touch second base.  Throneberry might as well have stayed home.

Baseball, like life, demands order - first base–second base–then third base.  The game does not abide disorder.  A runner cannot proceed from the batter’s box directly to third base.  In committing a violation of the rules, the runner is called “out”.  Baseball cannot remain an intelligible game unless it prohibits such disordered base running.  Its rules are its lifeblood.

So, it is with marriage.  A successful marriage demands that certain rules must be followed.  Jesus tells us to love one another as he has loved us.  So, the rules of marriage are based upon the love that Jesus has for us.  Jesus’ love for us is free, total, faithful, fruitful, and forever.  The love of husband and wife is also meant to be free, total, fruitful, faithful, and forever.  I’d like to give you examples of love which fits each of these five key characteristics.

Love is free.  We see an example of that freedom in the love of Andrew and Liz this morning.  Clearly each of them freely decided to get married.  They went together for several years before they were engaged and have been engaged for about a year before getting married.  Andrew even carried the engagement ring around in his pocket for about a month before he found the perfect time and place to give it to Liz.  The first reading says: “My lover belongs to me and I to him.”  This belonging is given freely.  One spouse doesn’t possess the other one. Instead each freely gives themselves to the other.

Love is faithful.  Carlene and Gene used to live across the street from here. I didn’t get to know them until their children were grown.  But, I understand that they had some difficult times when their children were growing up.  When I began presiding at the Friday morning communion service several years’ ago, Gene would come up to communion and would ask for a host for Carlene.  Gene visited Carlene each day at the nursing home and took communion to her.  Even after she became so sick that she no longer could receive communion, Gene still visited Carlene each day until her death about a year ago.  Gene’s love for Carlene was truly faithful.  It was a great example of faithful married love to all of their children, their grandchildren, and all of us.  Gene’s love was tested by Carlene’s lengthy illness.  Gene was faithful to the end.

Love is fruitful.  Each Sunday as I look at the congregation from here on the altar, I see many mothers and fathers with their young children.  As I see them patiently caring for their children, it is the perfect example of fruitful love.  Once, several years’ ago, Emily was sitting in the second pew with her young daughter.  At the beginning of Father Rob’s homily, her daughter began to make noise and she took her out.  Later in the homily, her daughter had quieted down and Emily came back in with her.  But, she had no sooner returned to the pew than her daughter began to make noise again.  So, even before Father Rob finished the homily, Emily had to go out again.  For me, Emily is an example of the fruitful and patient love of a mother.

Love is forever.  Kathleen and I have been married almost forty five years.  When we were married, Kathleen gave me a rosary on which was inscribed the word “Forever” and the date July 6, 1968.  Kathleen clearly understood that marriage is forever.   In 1982, Kathleen and I attended a marriage encounter weekend.  At the time, Kathleen was pregnant with our fifth child, Ann.  On that weekend, one couple gave a talk about their relationship with God.  They said that a strong marriage is like a tripod with three legs: the husband, the wife and God.  For a marriage to last forever, strong communication between all three, husband, wife and God, is needed.  Kathleen and I commented that we communicated pretty well with each other but had little communication with God except for mass on Sunday.  We each resolved to improve our communication with God.  Over the years, each of us has improved our prayer life and our marriage has grown stronger.  We pray that Andrew and Liz, during the difficult times, will lean on God and His grace, so that their marriage will last forever.

Love is total.  Christ’s love for us is the perfect example of total love.  He loved us so much that he willingly gave his life for us on the cross.  Jesus’ crucifixion and death is depicted in the beautiful stations that we see around this church.  It is not likely that any of us will be tested to the extent that Christ was.  But, eventually each of us will find our love tested.  Suffering and sacrifice is the true test of love.  John’s Gospel tells us:  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. “  Sometimes love hurts.  Total love involves suffering.

As I was preparing to write this homily, I asked Andrew and Liz a few questions to give me a sense of their love for each other.  One question I asked was: What quality of your fiancée made you fall in love with him or her?  Andrew responded that Liz’s unconditional love made him fall in love with her.  Wow!   What a great quality!  We’re all looking for that unconditional love.  Andrew and Liz, we pray that you will still see that unconditional love in each other, a love which is free, total, faithful, fruitful, and forever, as you celebrate your twentieth, thirtieth, fortieth, and even fiftieth wedding anniversaries.  We pray for all married couples here today as we joyfully witness the marriage of Andrew and Liz.  We pray that all married couples can hit a home run and lead each other to the heavenly marriage feast and, to the eternal, unconditional love of the Father.  God bless.

Mothers - a great example of love and sacrifice

Last year, Publix supermarkets aired a commercial that shows the role of a mother both before and after her child is born.  The ad features a young girl helping her pregnant mother in the kitchen.  The little girl asks, “Can the baby hear me?” to which the mother responds, “I think so!”  When prompted by her mother to tell the baby a secret, the little girl embraces her mother’s pregnant belly and says, “You’re really going to love mom.”

The cartoon character Dennis the Menace told his friend Joey, "I don't know what I'll do when my mom gets too old to tie my shoes." 

A wise man once said: “To become a mother is not so difficult; on the other hand, being a mother is very difficult!"   

Who was the greatest influence in your life?  Has a teacher or a professor been your greatest influence? Perhaps you would say that a friend or maybe your spouse has influenced you the most. A recent poll asked that question to more than 4,000 adults. The results were revealing.  According to the poll, the person with the greatest influence was their mother: 42% of men and 53% of woman said that their mother was the most influential person in their life.

For all its stumbling blocks and pitfalls, motherhood is a natural part of God's creative order to bring love and caring to others. Motherhood as God planned it is a wonderful thing. We should honor it and lift it up is a beautiful example of love and sacrifice.  And we should teach the highest ideals of motherhood by words and example to our children.

The second reading mentions the hope and faithfulness of Jesus as it says:  “Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.”  Christ is always faithful. Most of our mothers were faithful and unwavering in passing the faith to us by their words and example.

Most of us here today were baptized when we were a very young.  Our parents, especially our mother, gave us the gift of our faith in baptism and then taught us our faith as we grew up.  I suspect that many of us wouldn’t be here today if not for the unwavering faith of our mother.  I probably wouldn’t be a practicing Catholic if it weren’t for the faith of my mother and I wouldn’t be a deacon if not for the faith and support of my wife. 

 Last Sunday, during mass, I saw a young mother in the back foyer watching her toddler.  During the consecration, this mother knelt right in the middle of the foyer.  This was a great example of faith to me.  I’m sure it was difficult to keep track of her toddler while she knelt.  But, in faith, she continued to kneel all during the consecration. 

In the Gospel, Jesus told his apostles that they would be clothed with power from on high.  Mothers, by their baptism and their confirmation, are clothed with power from on high when they give birth to a child.  This power gives them the strength and the courage to raise their children in the faith.  Mothers are often the glue that holds the family together.  And the family is the glue that holds our Church and our nation together.

On this Mother's Day we pause to honor mothers and to reflect on the important contribution they have made to our lives and to society.  For most of us, our lives would have been empty without them.  

Let us pray:  Most Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank You for our mothers to whom You have entrusted the care of every precious human life from its very beginning in the womb.
You have given women the capacity of participating with You in the creation of new life. Grant that every woman may come to understand the full meaning of that blessing, which gives her a capacity for selfless love for every child she may be privileged to bear, and for all Your children.

To mothers You have given the great privilege and responsibility of being a child's first teacher and spiritual guide. Grant that all mothers may foster the faith of their children. Help mothers to grow daily in the knowledge and understanding of Your Son, and grant them the wisdom to impart this knowledge faithfully to their children and to all who depend upon them.

We ask your blessing on all those to whom You have entrusted motherhood. May Your Holy Spirit constantly inspire and strengthen them. May they follow the example of Mary, mother of Our Lord, and imitate her fidelity, her humility, and her self-giving love. May all mothers receive Your Grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy.  We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Love makes it possible

In many ways, the story played out in today’s Gospel is the story of our own lives.  It is the story of recognizing Jesus on the shoreline of our lives, and following Jesus wherever he may lead us.

Peter recently had a few bad days- accusing voices in the courtyard,  three denials, a cock crowing, and the horrible death of the one whom he had promised to never deny or desert.  And, then, the empty tomb and the awful uncertainty and questioning it had brought.

If you listen carefully to the Gospel, you can almost hear a long sigh of relief just before Peter says to the other disciples, “I am going fishing”.  And fish he did - all night in the dark, his labor helping him to forget for a brief time the voices, the fears, and the doubts.  Peter was going back to the ordinary, the familiar part of his life.  And can we really blame him?  We do the same.  After all the passion of Holy Week, we too are exhausted; we want to turn back to the ordinary things of our lives; perhaps we too would like to go fishing.  But then something unexpected happens.  We see this figure on the shoreline of our lives and we are reminded of Jesus.  Jesus is present in every moment of our lives, every day, but we often do not recognize him. 

What inspired Peter to leap into the waters of the Sea of Tiberias and wade to shore?  Love!  Love yanked Peter out of the boat that morning.  Love in the heart of Jesus calling out to this impetuous man, Simon Peter. 

Our lives follow the same pattern as that of Peter in today’s Gospel.  Our Lord calls to us from the shoreline of our lives and we, standing in our unique little boats, exhausted from laboring on our own in the darkness, respond.  We take the plunge.  Love calls to us in our daily lives.  Love calls us from the workplace: Follow me in everything you do at work today; be patient with that irritating employee; reach out to someone who is alienated.  And we take the plunge.  Love calls to us in our family: call or write a letter to one of your siblings or your parents, tell your children you love them.  And we take the plunge.  Love calls out to us in our parish; try a new ministry, get to know a stranger.  And we take the plunge.

But love is not content with superficial displays of enthusiasm.  Love probes.  Love tests those who take the plunge.  And so our Lord cross-examines Peter –“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Do you love me more than fishing?  Do you love me more than your former way of life?

Jesus draws Peter into this uncomfortable conversation that calls to mind his triple denial. Still, Peter doesn’t drop out of the conversation, nor does Jesus wash his hands of Peter and the rest and walk away. If we stay around, remember and confess our failures, Jesus is ready to forgive and send us out again. Peter has nothing to be puffed up about.  Perhaps, in the light of our performance, neither do we.  Jesus calls Peter back to his servant role, “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep.”

Then Jesus says: ”When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted”; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you were you do not want to go.”

Sometimes all of us must go places where we don’t want to go.  On Easter Sunday, after the 11:00 mass, one of my children told me that my granddaughter, Julia Bissell, a seventh grader at St Francis, collapsed when she was getting ready for mass that morning and was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital.  Later in the day, we found out that Julia had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball.  It was bleeding and would have to be removed.

The next Thursday, Julia was in surgery for about ten hours as they removed the tumor.  She was lifted up by the prayers of many in this community and by others we don’t even know. Many helped out by bringing dinners to the house.  It was a blessing to experience the prayers and support of so many.

Julia is recovering.  She came home from the hospital last Tuesday.  Things are gradually returning to normal for her grateful parents and grandparents.  We relied on the mercy and love of God in our time of helplessness and despair.  And we felt the love of God through the love of our community.  Thank you for your prayers and for your support.

When we are young we experience a kind of freedom that we think will never end.  It seems life will never end.  But as we gradually become adults, we relinquish some of that youthful freedom.  Love compels us to do so, to go sometimes where we do not want to go.  Life forces us to stretch out our hands and be led where we may not want to go. 

Love makes it possible for us to go there.  Love enables us to make the sacrifices that our adult life demands of each one of us.

The source of that love is standing always on the shore of our lives.  In a few minutes, this altar will become that little charcoal fire by the Sea of Tiberias.  Jesus will be standing there with food prepared- his body and blood.  Take the plunge this morning.  Take the plunge into the love God offers you and find the freedom that comes from following Christ.

Our new church reveals the glory of God

In today’s Gospel, the miraculous transformation of water into wine is certainly an important part of the story.  But there is more.  We should not overlook the fact that there would have been no wine, if Mary, the mother of Jesus, had not acted.  Mary saw the problem, recognized the gift that Jesus had, and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”

By converting the water into wine, Jesus “revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”  The revealing of Christ’s glory would not have happened without human involvement.  This marvelous sign of Christ’s glory did not take place in a vacuum.  It was precipitated by human action.  It required Mary, of course.  But, the servers also needed to follow Jesus’ direction by filling the water jars and taking some to the head waiter.  I imagine that they felt foolish when they drew from these jars, which they had just filled with water, to give to the headwaiter to taste.  And yet they did it and the glory of Christ was revealed in the excellent wine.

In our lives, our families, our parish, and our community the glory of Christ remains hidden, dormant, unrevealed, unless we become involved.  Grapes would not become wine and wine would not become the blood of Christ without human action.  The glory of Christ revealed in our world today depends upon our actions.

Today we see a visible expression of the glory of Christ being revealed in our beautiful new church.  We have waited a long time for this church.  And, certainly, it was worth the wait.  As many of you know, there have been several false starts over the past fifteen years.  On several occasions, we started the process of building a new church, only to discover that the time was not right for it.  I was on the steering committee in 1998 through 2001 when we made the first attempt.  At that time, our pastor received many of these stained glass windows from Archbishop Pilarczyk.  We proceeded to conduct a survey, hire an architect and develop plans for a church.  But, Father Hohlmayer had to retire due to poor health and the project was shelved.

A few years’ later, a building committee was formed and an architect was hired under the direction of our pastor, Father Schmitz.  But, once again, the timing wasn’t right for building a church or any other structure here.

Father Bernie started the process again a few years’ ago and proceeded through fundraising, hiring an architect and developing plans for the church.  But, when these plans were sent out for bids, all of the bids were much higher than the funds available.   Father Bernie with the assistance of Mike Perkins and Don Hinkle, was able to revise the plans to fit within our budget so our church could finally be built. 

There are several key lessons to be learned from this effort.  First, it teaches us the importance of perseverance.  Although we were disappointed by the first two efforts, our parishioners didn’t give up on the goal to build a new church.

Secondly, it shows us that God is always in charge and that what he wants for us is better than we can imagine.  We could not have built a traditional church like this in either 2000 or 2003.  At that time, all churches were being built in the round and often the tabernacle was located outside of the worship space.  By waiting several years, we were able to build a church which is more traditional with this beautiful tabernacle at its center for all to see. 

Finally, we see the importance of our efforts, working together in revealing the glory of God.  We have been blessed with a pastor, several advisors, and a builder who worked together extremely well to build an attractive, yet economical church.  Also, as a congregation, we responded to the fundraising efforts and pledged the funds necessary to build this church.  And then, when additional funds were needed for the interior furnishings, we again responded generously so that these beautiful statues, stations, organ, piano, and stained glass windows could be purchased or restored.  It has truly been a community effort and we have every reason to be proud. 

So, now and for many years to come, God’s glory will be revealed in this beautiful church.  We will look at the tabernacle and meditate upon the glory of God and the gift of the Eucharist.   We will look at the stained glass windows and reflect upon the glory of God in those events which they represent.  And we will listen to this beautiful organ as it lifts us up in song to experience just a glimpse of the glory of God.   So, we give thanks for all who played a role in making this beautiful church a reality and for their patience, perseverance, faith, and  inspiration in making this possible.  And now it is time to use this church as it is intended to be used – for the glory of God.  It is time to celebrate one of the first of many, many liturgies in this holy place.  We can all look forward to celebrations of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and of course, Eucharist for many years here. 

Lord, bless us in this beautiful church.  Grant that we may persevere in the teaching of the apostles, in the breaking of the bread, and in unceasing prayer, and so be built into the heavenly Jerusalem. 

Rejoicing with Josie

On this third Sunday of Advent we are urged and even commanded to rejoice.  The first reading from the prophet Zephaniah and the second reading from St Paul both speak of rejoicing.  But we need to ask ourselves honestly:  Have we developed a sort of immunity to rejoicing?  And what keeps us from rejoicing in the Lord always?

 Time is a powerful force in our lives.  It tugs at us constantly, pushing and pulling us, like the movement of a powerful tide, now to the past, then to the future.  The force of time makes it difficult for us to remain in the present, which is where we need to be if we are to rejoice in the Lord.

Sometimes, during Mass my mind wanders.  It may wander to what I will be doing later that day.  Or I may begin thinking about what happened to me the day before.  Let me tell you, this is not a good thing when you are up on the altar.  On more than one occasion I have almost missed saying or doing something because I was daydreaming. 

Does this ever happen to you?  I suspect it does.  It is natural to be reminded of other things that we need to do:  that perfect gift we still have not found, that party we have to prepare for.  Or we may be thinking of something that happened to us.  Maybe we are replaying an event over in our minds and wishing that we had done things differently. 

Right now, nine days before the coming of the Lord on Christmas Day, we need to focus on the present, not the past or the future. This season of Advent is all about staying in the present and waiting.  The people that John the Baptist preached to in today’s Gospel knew all about waiting.  And St Luke says that they were filled with great expectation, thinking that John himself might be the long expected Messiah.  And then Christ did arrive but for many it was as though the waiting had not ended.  And two thousand years later, many still live as though Christ had never come. 

We say that Advent is about the coming of Christ.  And we think that means just the coming of Christ on Christmas Day.  But in truth Advent has more to do with experiencing the reality that Christ has already come.  It is the experience that Christ has been born in us.  For what good is it for the Creator to give birth to his Son, if we don’t also give birth to him in our families, our parish, and our nation?

Last Sunday we had a birthday party for my youngest grandchild, Josie.  Well, Josie was all excited when she was opening the presents.  After she opened each one she would tell us all what it was.  She would say “ a pair of pants” or “ princess doll”.  Then she took one gift from the gift bag and she didn’t know what it was.  She said:  “It’s oh, oh, oh, something!”  And we all laughed at her excitement at receiving something.  Then, Lynn, her mother, told her that it was a jewelry box and she opened it for her.  And Josie was even more excited as she opened the jewelry box and it played a tune.

When it comes to the gifts that we receive from God, we are sort of like Josie.  We know that we are receiving something but we can’t really appreciate it until someone explains it to us.  And even then we can’t fully understand what we have received.

This is why we aren’t as joyful as we should be as we await the coming of the Lord at Christmas.  We may know that we are receiving some great gift, but cannot comprehend how important that gift is for us.  Of course, we have our Church, who can unwrap and explain the gift of the Son of God becoming man to us. 

We can be too busy to find the only gift which really matters this Christmas.  We can be checking our email, texting, Christmas shopping, watching some sporting event on TV, or just getting lost in our day to day tasks.  When that happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to experience the reality of Christ having already come.  We don’t have time to just be, to spend some time in prayer or in reflecting on the many blessings in our lives, or maybe even writing a letter to a family member telling them that we love them. 

There is often increased tension and anxiety in households as we prepare for Christmas. The season of Advent is a beautiful counter to anxiety and busy-ness by providing us an opportunity again each year to make sure we are on the right path to draw closer to God. And it’s also an opportunity to help those most dear to us draw closer to God as well.

 And what do you suppose God is doing during Advent?  The answer is found in the first reading: “The Lord, your God is in your midst, rejoicing over you with gladness, renewing you in his love, singing joyfully because of you.”   Even if we do not have time to rejoice, God does.  Why not rejoice with God this day and just listen to His joyful singing as you patiently wait to unwrap the precious gift of the Baby Jesus?