That very first Christmas has a little bit of detective work built into it. It’s not a “who did it?” as much as it is a treasure hunt. The treasure is, obviously, Jesus. He is not playing hard-to-get, but the shepherds still have to unravel the clues the Angel of the Lord gave them if they are to find the Messiah. At this point, they don’t know that their lives and the life of the world will be forever changed. ...
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The traditional Christmas, as I remember, was very family focused when I grew up. Christmas was for children when Santa came once a year, bringing toys for boys and girls to play with and to be happy. It was a very peaceful and joyous time.
As time went on, it became that gift exchanging was a tradition, gifts were giving to everyone in the family and to your friends. We also started to expect gifts from family and friends. Gifts were expected and who would ...
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Once again, the first reading is interesting. The Prophet Isaiah has something to offer us on our faith journey, but like all Old Testament readings, this reading needs some explaining, some context.
It’s a story about Ahaz, the king of Judah, and it take place about 730 years before the birth of Jesus. Israel to the north and Judah to the south (where Ahaz is king) are sister countries. Between these two countries is where you find God’s Chosen People, the Jews, living. The archenemy ...
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(This reflection comes from Sr. Ilia Delio a Franciscan sister, a scientist, a theologian, and one of the great spiritual minds of our time. I don’t dare redact a single word. Enjoy.) Fr. Phil
We moderns love Christmas with all the lights, gifts and good cheer of friends and family. It has become, in a sense, the ‘Feast of Relational Holism.’ To celebrate Christmas is to share life with another, for that is what God has done, shared divine life with created ...
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Back in 14th century Persia (Iran today), there was a famous poet named Hafiz. Not only was he a poet, but he was also a very well-respected man because of his wisdom. Although he lived 700 years ago, his poetry has once again become popular. This is my favorite Hafiz poem, and it reminds me of John the Baptist who is perishing in prison. It reminds me even more of Jesus, the liberator of everything that imprisons us. It goes like this. “The ...
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Last Sunday we were introduced to John the Baptist through Matthew’s gospel and his description of how John was baptizing any-and-all comers in the river Jordan. In reading Matthew’s description of John, his clothing, his dietary choices and his no nonsense, in-your-face method of bringing people to God, I can see why so many people went to see what all the fuss was about. I think for many who went to see him, they were already entrenched in their own religion; their ...
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There are a number of spiritual masters who see that there is clearly a spirituality for the first half of our lives and a spirituality for the second half of our lives. But it’s not necessarily chronological. In other words, just because you hit the midway point in your life (and we never know when that will be), doesn’t mean you automatically transition into a second half of life spirituality. I’ve met some young people who, because of suffering or ...
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In the second reading for today it states, “Brothers and sisters, whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE.” That word ‘HOPE’ seems to be what we need to have in these difficult days, in the days leading up to Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. To be a person who lives HOPE in life, it is likely that one has ...
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Here we are in Advent once again. One of the characteristics of this season is that it invites us to look forward, to imagine a new world, and then to offer ourselves to God as co-creators of that new world. Advent also gets us looking forward to the Parousia, the return of Jesus signaling the end of time. Jesus told his followers—and by extension, us—that the return of the Son of Man will happen, but the timeline is only known by the ...
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Violence seems to be everywhere. The war in Ukraine continues; almost 8 million refugees have fled the country since February of this year. The war in Yemen is in its eighth year, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In Canada, the number of women murdered by a partner or ex-partner has increased every year over the past 5 years reaching a rate of 1 murder every 2 days. Hate crimes in Canada have increased 72% over the past two years … ...
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