3/25/2015 – The Annunciation of the Lord – Luke 1:26-38

      Today, we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, a solemnity that falls in the last weeks of our commemoration of the holy season of Lent.  We might have some questions about today’s solemnity in which our liturgical color is white, in contrast to the purple color of Lent.

       First of all, where do we get the word “Annunciation”?  It comes from the root words as the verb “announce”.  The Angel Gabriel makes an announcement today to the Virgin Mary herself about the upcoming birth of Jesus. The annunciation is normally celebrated on March 25, 9 months before Christmas day, but when March 25 falls during Holy Week, as it did in 2013, the date of the solemnity is moved, since Holy Week takes precedence, and then it is moved to the Monday after the second Sunday of Easter according to liturgical norms in our Church.  As you know, we in the Catholic Church have laws, norms, and rules that address many different things.

        Why is the Annunciation so important to us in our faith and why would we celebrate it as a solemnity?  Perhaps the importance of the annunciation, of God being born as man, can be found in Mary’s answer to the Angel.  Doctor of the Church Bernard of Clairvaux explains that Mary is in a sense the new Eve.  After Adam and Eve had rejected God’s friendship, the world became clouded in darkness and sin.  God sought to enter the world in a new way through the birth of Jesus.  Salvation is offered to humanity through Jesus the son, and through Mary’s free will, she said yes to her role in becoming the Mother of our Savior.  The humble Mary made a bold, daring move and said yes, changing the history of salvation forever! Mary answers the answer from the depths of her heart and soul: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  Through that affirmation to the message conveyed to her by the Angel, Mary become not only the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church, Mary not only become our Beloved Mother, but she becomes the first Disciple, the first one who believe in Him.  May the example of Mary in the Annunciation breathe new life in our faith.  May it give us strength and encouragement on our Lenten journey. 

3/24/2015 – Tuesday of fifth week of Lent – Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 102

      We had a rough snow storm that shut down Tupelo at the end of February.  It was tough on us here in the South because we don’t have a lot of snow removal equipment down here.  I have siblings that live in Boston and Chicago.  I think of the rough winters they’ve had there these past two winters.  I remember living in Chicago and Winnipeg and dealing with the revere winters there.  In fact, for two years in a row, the Great Lakes have frozen over; it has to be really, really cold for that to happen. 

       Putting up with a rough winter is tough.  But try to imagine how the Israelites felt in the middle of their journey.  They’re tired, hungry, thirsty, and downright grumpy.  They give up hope in the middle of a desert journey that seems to never end.  They’re fed up with their situation.  They complain against God and against Moses for bringing them into this barren desert wilderness.  Looking back nostalgically, their life of bondage in Egypt seems good in comparison to what they are enduring now.  What they don’t understand is that God is still with them. 

         It’s easy for us to become hopeless and desperate in the midst of a crisis or a difficult situation.  We can look for someone else to blame for our misery and agony.  When a loved one is sick or dies, when we cannot find a job, when we fail at sometime we put our heart into, when our lives seem to fall apart at the seams – we wonder where do we find hope in the midst of the darkness and despair.

          For those living up in the Midwest and the Northeast this year, the winter can seem endless, but spring and summer will finally come. For that, we can be filled with hope and joy

          How do we open ourselves to God’s presence in our lives?  “O God, hear my prayer and let my cry come to you” – that is what the psalmist prays in today’s psalm.  Just as Moses and Jesus were able to bring God’s presence to his people in that difficult moment in their desert, we are also called to bring God’s presence to others in the midst of their reality, to bring God’s presence as we currently experience him in our lives.  
         As we continue our journey in these final days of Lent, may we never fail to turn to God, finding him in the reality of our lives. May we open ourselves and open others to the love and life of God that is present to us. Let us find hope in the Lord no matter where that reality finds us.

3/23/2015 – Monday of fifth week of Lent – Daniel 13:41c-62

      Today, in our first reading, we hear the story of Susanna from the book of Daniel.   Daniel is a popular figure in the Old Testament.  Most of us can probably remember the story of Daniel from our childhood religious education classes, of Daniel being thrown in the lion’s den for having disobeyed the law enacted by King Darius of Persia that no one was to offer a prayer to any god or any man except him for 40 days.  Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, but God rescued Daniel for his faithfulness, with the lion instead devouring Daniel’s enemies. The book of Daniel is a part of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Protestant version of the Bible, but today’s story of Susanna is omitted from these Scriptures, but is included in our Catholic Old Testament. Today, we heard the short version of the reading, and even that shortened version is quite long.  In this story, the prophet and seer Daniel rescues Susanna from a stoning after she is falsely accused of adultery by two corrupt judges.  God, through Daniel, defends her and exposes the evil of these two judges.  God uses both Susanna as a tool to rectify the evil of the two judges who oppressed many innocent people through unjust judgments.

       Sometimes the humble and the just are the heroes of the story, like Susanna and Daniel.  But sometimes life isn’t fair, is it?  We look at the person who breaks the rules or breaks God commandments, and sometimes we don’t see any consequences to that, and we think: “Well, maybe I should go ahead and do that, too.”  That doesn’t excuse us.  That is not an invitation for us to sin.  All the little things add up.  John of the Cross once said: “The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”

       Susanna and Daniel are just two of many examples in Sacred Scripture for those who had the courage to stand up for what was right.   May we have the courage to do the matter, in all matters, both big and small.  As we continue in the last couple weeks of our Lenten journey, may we feel the Lord encouraging us to live out our faith in virtue and humility.

3/22/2015 – quinto domingo de Cuaresma – Jeremías 32, 31-34; Salmo 51

      Estamos caminando con Jesús en el desierto a su cruz durante los cuarenta días de Cuaresma.  La Iglesia nos llama a practicar las disciplinas de oración, ayuno, y obras de caridad para tener una experiencia profunda en este viaje con Jesús.  Tal vez, en estas semanas de Cuaresma, podemos tener una experiencia muy eficaz y muy edificante.   Pero, muchos de nosotros estamos en un lugar en nuestra vida donde estamos perdidos, donde estamos buscando la presencia de Cristo en nuestra vida, y no podemos encontrarlo en ningún lugar.  Es un lugar de frustración y confusión.

       Dios está con nosotros en la realidad de nuestra vida – es seguro.  En esta realidad, escuchamos el mensaje del profeta Jeremías esta tarde.  El profeta Jeremías nos habla de la nueva alianza que tenemos con Dios, de la nueva alianza que Dios establecería con su pueblo de Israel.  El Señor pondría su Ley en la totalidad de nuestras vidas – El va a escribirla en la profundidad de nuestros corazones.  Por Jeremías, Dios nos dice: “Todos me van a conocer, desde el más pequeño hasta el mayor de todos, cuando yo les perdone sus culpas y olvide para siempre sus pecados”.  Dios va a perdonarnos de nuestros pecados. Dios no habla sobre el castigo, sino por el perdón. 

       Jeremías profetizaba en Israel durante una época muy dura en su historia. En este momento de su camino, el pueblo de Israel no escuchaba la voz de Dios.  Era desobediente y rebelde.  El pueblo ha abandonado la ley y los mandamientos de Dios.   El pueblo ha escuchado los profetas falsas de su sociedad.   Y en los 52 capítulos de Jeremías, el profeta hablaba mucho sobre la ira de Dios contra su pueblo.  Pero, también, en las palabras del profeta, Dios habla hoy sobre su amor infinito, un amor que puede perdonar y olvidar todo nuestro mal, todo nuestros pecados. 

       Pero, necesitamos una respuesta a este mensaje que Dios nos da.  El salmista contesta – “Dios, crea en mí un corazón puro, renuévame por dentro con espíritu firme; no me arrojes lejos de tu rostro, no me quites tu santo espíritu.”  El salmista es humilde y arrepentido.   El reconoce la autoridad de Dios en su vida.  El reconoce sus culpas y quiere su perdón.  El quiere cambiar su vida – cambiar su manera de vivir.  Podemos orar las palabras de este salmo cuando queremos arrepentir de nuestros pecados, de nuestros delitos.  Podemos orar estas palabras para pedir una conversión al Señor, para implorar su misericordia y su compasión.

        En la realidad de nuestra vida, en la realidad de nuestros pecados y nuestros sufrimientos, no podemos olvidar la realidad de Cristo en estas semanas de cuaresma.  No podemos olvidar nuestro Señor, que se hizo hombre, que vivió y sufrió y murió y resucitó para salvarnos y redimirnos.  En la luz que Cristo llevó a nuestra vida, tenemos una participación en su resurrección y en su vida eterna.

3/20/2015 – Friday of the fourth week of Lent – John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

        Some inhabitants of Jerusalem judge Jesus today.  Their reasoning: Well, we know where he is from – we know that he is from that backward province, Galilee – so there is no way he can be the Messiah.  In the Gospels, we hear a lot about how people judge him and condemn him and try to harm him.   But, still there are others who make that big leap and believe.  And many of those who believe are not the well-educated and the powerful, but rather the outcast and those on the margins.

        Our modern faith calls us to look back to the faith of the Apostles and the Early Church, from which the faith was passed down to us.  I recently came across a quote from the Early Church Father Cyril of Alexandria, who was the Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, an important city in the ancient world, in the first half of the fifth century.  Cyril had this to say about the Eucharist: "If the poison of pride swells up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, which is our God humbling himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread, and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, go to the Bread of Angels and charity will blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance within you, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life, and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly food and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels and the spotless flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste."  What a difference in what Cyril of Alexandria sees in Christ compared to what those inhabitants of Jerusalem saw in the Gospel today.

        Some Christians see in the Body in Blood of Christ as mere symbol, a mere remembrance.  To them, it is not a real presence.  Yet, we look to the writings of the Early Church Fathers such as Cyril of Alexandria, writings more than 1,500 years old, and we see the foundation of the love and loyalty we have to the Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of Christ.  Lord, may your true presences continue to accompany us on these last weeks of our Lenten journey as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mysteries.  Lord Jesus, may your Body and Blood nourish us and strengthen us today. 

3/19/2015 – Solemnity of St Joseph – Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

       Our Happy Hearts group has the tradition of celebrating the solemnity of St Joseph on the Friday closest to his feast day – March 19.  So this Friday, March 20, we will celebrate St Joseph and will have a lunch of Italian food following the mass and the midday stations of the cross in keeping with the tradition that is celebrated by many faithful Italian American Catholics on this special day.

        It is in the midst of our holy season of Lent.  In fact, in little more than a week, we will celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and then move into our commemoration of Holy Week.  But, today, we celebrate the celebration of St Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We hear a reading about Joseph from the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel today.  Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant during their engagement but before they lived together; he was unwilling to expose her to shame, so he decided to divorce her quietly. Although Joseph was a devout Jew and dedicated follower of God’s holy law, he was not rigid or dogmatic about his adherence to the law.  Joseph realized that God’s law must be applied with kindness and compassion, that it must be interpreted with love, and that the very spirit of God’s law must not be violated. So, following the instructions of the angel, he takes Mary into his home and raises Jesus as his child.  I bet we all wish at times in our life we can have an angel whispering instructions in our ear or coming to us in a dream. Yet, the proper formation of our conscience, regular attendance at mass, and full participation in our community of faith we help us discern how God is leading us and guiding us in our decisions.  This is particularly instructive to us in our Lenten journey, as we examine our live to really see how we are trying to live as Christ’s disciples.

      I always associate the solemnity of St Joseph with the Italian American Catholic community; this day is as much a part of their identity as St Patrick’s Day is for Irish Americans.  In Sicily and in Italian American communities, the practice is to set the Table of Saint Joseph for this special day in his honor.  Pasta, vegetables, fish, eggs, pastries, fruit and wine are prepared and the poor are invited into the home to share in this special meal.  According to tradition, on the island of Sicily, there was a drought that destroyed the harvest and created a great famine.  The Sicilians prayed to Saint Joseph, the Patron Saint of the Family.  The prayers were answered when the famine and the drought receded. This great banquet of the Table of St Joseph remembers his intercessions for these Sicilian families in time of need and continues to gives thanks to him.

       Our Catholic traditions are an important part of our faith.  And here in Mississippi, especially in the Delta, Italian Americans who immigrated from Sicily have had a great influence on the development of Catholicism in our diocese and for the Catholic traditions we continue to observed.  We give thanks for that heritage, for the faith and steadfastness of those Italian Catholic families to continue in their faith despite great discrimination and hardship.  And we give thanks for St Joseph and for his intercessions. 

3/18/2015 – Wednesday of the fourth week in Lent - St Cyril of Jerusalem – Doctor of the Church – Isaiah 49:8-15

      Scholars believe that the 49^th chapter of Isaiah was written after the first phase of refugees from Babylon relocated back to Jerusalem in 539 BCE after being in exile for 70 years.  I can’t imagine the abandonment and pain the people Israel felt after having been in exile from their promised land. The Lord gives the people encouragement and hope through the prophet Isaiah.  The Lord tells the prisoners to come out.  He tells those in darkness to come into the light.  He tells them that they will no longer be hungry and thirsty.  Like a mother who does not abandon her baby, God will not abandon his people. Although these words would have been very welcome to the people of Israel, I am sure they were rather skeptical based on the experience they had in exile.

       As we hear these words of encouragement and hope during our Lenten journey, we celebrate the memorial of Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church. Cyril also lived in a very difficult time in the history of the Early Church. The heresy of Arianism, denying the divinity of Jesus and his one in being with the Father, was gaining popularity during Cyril’s lifetime. Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem during the 4^th century. One of the most valuable things he left behind was his work Catecheses, which was used in the Lenten season in preparing adults for baptism at Eastertime.  It is a great example of theology and liturgy in the Early Church.  Cyril was exiled several times as Bishop in his defense of the Church and of the faith.  And yet in the midst of his difficult life, he leaves us these encouraging and comforting words about how the Holy Spirit works in our lives: “The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.”

        Some of us may be going through difficult circumstances in our lives right now.  Lent may be a particularly difficult time for us right now.  We might be struggling in belief and faith.  Let us feel comfort and encouragement in our faith.  Let us feel hope as we continue on our Lenten journey toward the celebration of the paschal mystery.