homilies

on the liturgy of the Sundays and feasts

by albert cylwicki

Prepare the way

1st Sunday of Advent-December 1

"B" Readings: Isa. 63:16-17. 19; 64:2-7 1 Cor. 1:3-9 Mark 13:33-37

Title: Preparing for the Lord's Coming

Purpose: (1) to contrast commercial preparations for Christmas with our spiritual Advent preparations; (2) to encourage prayer, penance, Advent devotions, Bible reading.

n The Friday after Thanksgiving Day is by far the greatest sales day of the year. With Christmas only a month away, customers crowd stores as if driven by some compulsion to get their Christmas shopping done. Of course, carefully designed advertising has conditioned them beforehand in varying degrees to buy everything from computers and cameras to watches and wines to give as Christmas gifts. It seems as if every ad in newspapers and magazines, every commercial on radio and television, and every decoration in stores and shops join together to form one great consumer-oriented chorus of "Buy! Buy! Buy!"

Most of these ads and products have been carefully prepared nearly a year in advance, beginning with studies of last year's sales statistics and then analyzing trends in the market for this year. Review and research are indispensable preparations to insure a successful Christmas shopping-spree in any year. Certainly, all this is good for our country's economic prosperity, especially since numerous people are employed and huge quantities of products are purchased. But if we make such thorough commercial preparations for Christmas for the sake of material gain, should we not apply as much energy to our spiritual preparations for Christmas for the sake of our souls? In fact, the Advent season is designed specifically for this purpose, namely, to prepare us spiritually by means of various practices for the celebration of Christ's birth on Christmas Day.

Today's readings from Scripture focus on the coming (the Advent) of the Lord in two different ways. One is a coming to intervene during a desperate moment in the history of salvation; thus Isaiah cries, "Lord, rend the heavens and come down." The other coming of the Lord is at the end of time. Paul refers to this event as "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" when he will be revealed in glory. Jesus himself speaks of it in today's gospel through the imagery of a master "coming" unexpectedly.

During the Advent season, the Church extends these two momentous comings of the Lord to another: to his coming in a special way at Christmas. What we want to emphasize today is how we should "prepare" during Advent so that we will be "ready" for his coming at Christmas. Thus, the comparison of our spiritual preparations with commercial preparations for Christmas was intended to motivate us to put more energy and imagination into our Advent activities.

In the new Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), special attention is given to this preparation. In the three sections it devotes to the Advent season, the catechism turns first to the Old Testament and then to John the Baptist: "The coming of God's Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the 'First Covenant.' He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel . . . . St. John the Baptist is the Lord's immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way. 'Prophet of the Most High,' John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last . . . . When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming" (CCC 522-524).

Among the time-tested preparations we can make during Advent for Christ's coming at Christmas are public and private prayer, acts of self-denial and sacrifice, reading and reflecting on the Bible, and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. More recent practices we can use are to have an Advent wreath with its candles at home around which we say a family prayer; to set up a Jesse tree on which we place the names of people for whom we wish to pray in a special way; and to collect food and wrap presents for the poor to put under a Christmas tree-indeed, a Giving Tree-in our parish church.

One final note from the CCC comments on "why" we should "prepare" for Christmas. Explaining how the Church's liturgy "manifests, makes present, and communicates Christ's work of salvation" to us here and now, the passage reads: "The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become 'a people well disposed.' The preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers. The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward" (CCC 1098).

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 522-524, 1098.

How to prepare

2nd Sunday of Advent-December 8

"B" Readings: Isa. 40:1-5. 9-11 2 Pet. 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-8

Title: Simplicity and Prayer in Our Lifestyle

Purpose: (1) to describe the desert as the place of simple, quiet, prayerful living; (2) to encourage preparing for the Lord by returning to basic simplicities in living.

A cartoon from the Washington Star showed a mother lamenting to a friend, "I don't know what to get Ethnic for Christmas. He already has every toy his father ever wanted." Another cartoon from the Chicago Tribune showed two homes-one was outlandishly decorated with a Santa Claus motif, the other had a simple manger in front. The couple from the over-decorated house look at their neighbor's manger and remark, "They must be fanatics!"

These cartoons caricature how our contemporary culture is converting Christmas into a compulsive buying season and relegating it from a religious event (remembering Christ's birth) into a secular winter festival (honoring Santa Claus). Indirectly, the cartoons question us about our spiritual poverty.

Today's Scriptures, too, compel us to ask questions about how we celebrate Christmas, especially through their desert theme. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear: "In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" In Mark's gospel, Isaiah's text is applied to John the Baptizer, the forerunner of Jesus: "I send my messenger before you to prepare your way: a herald's voice in the desert, crying, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path.' " The gospel then describes John's simple desert lifestyle of wearing camel's hair and a leather belt, and eating grasshoppers and wild honey.

The desert setting of these readings suggests simplicity and prayer as ways to prepare for and celebrate Christmas. Father William McNamara, O.C.D., a popular exponent of desert spirituality, often contrasts the comforts, distractions and noise of the city with the harshness, emptiness and silence of the desert. The city easily captivates our hearts with its attractions to self-indulgence in the use of material goods, pleasures of the senses and positions of power. The desert lends itself to seeking inner riches, experiencing authentic contemplation and depending absolutely on God.

Far from rejecting city life, desert spirituality calls us to a way of life that approaches city life under the light of eternity; it challenges us to simplify our lives in order to expand our capacity for what is spiritual. Moreover, desert spirituality does not demand that we flee from the cities into the nearest desert region. Instead, it invites us to find a symbolic desert wherever we are, such as a quiet prayer corner in our home or a path through the woods. Sacred space is anywhere we can take a journey inward to encounter the living God in solitude and silence.

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages simplicity in order to help the poor in its section on the Seventh Commandment and the use of property: "The Church's love for the poor . . . is a part of her constant tradition . . . . Love for the poor is incompatible with immoderate love of riches or their selfish use . . . . those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin . . . has not ceased to work for their relief, defense, and liberation through numerous works of charity . . . . How can we fail to hear Jesus: 'As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me' (Mt 25:45)?" (CCC 2444-48, 2463).

The catechism also offers this insight on the importance of finding a symbolic desert in order to pray from deep within ourselves: "Where does prayer come from? . . . According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live . . . . The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation" (CCC 2562-3).

In closing, we quote from Charles Lindbergh's diary for December 25, 1940: "It seems to me that Christmas has deviated as much from the birth of Christ as Christianity has from his teachings. The keynote at the birth of Christ was simplicity. The keynote of Christmas today is luxury. The birth and life of Christ were surrounded with things mystical. Christmas today . . . is surrounded with things material. Sometime I would like to have a Christmas . . . pure in its simplicity, akin to the sky and stars, of the mind rather than the body . . . . Christmas should be a day that brings one closer to God . . . ."

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2444-2448, 2463, 2544-2547, 2560-2565, 2697-2699.

Full of grace

The Immaculate Conception of Mary-December 9

Readings: Gen. 3: 9-15. 20 Eph. 1:3-6. 11-12 Luke 1:26-38

Title: The Immaculate Conception

Purpose: to show (1) Mary's unique role in salvation history; (2) as understood from her titles and honors from God.

Barbara Jordan is one of the great women of this century. In 1966, she became the first black woman in the Texas Legislature; later, she became the first Southern black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She left Congress in 1978 to teach a class at the University of Texas on political ethics, despite her multiple sclerosis and leukemia. Shortly before she died last January at age 59, Barbara Jordan argued for the rights of immigrants: "It was immigration that taught us . . . it does not matter where you came from, or who your parents were. What counts is who you are."

Columnist Erma Bombeck paid the following tribute to Barbara Jordan as she reflected on a meeting they had: "In retrospect, I hadn't even thought the woman I was talking with had leukemia and multiple sclerosis . . . . She was a woman who couldn't think about the roll of the dice, the disappointments and the fear of dying. She was too busy living."

Today we remember another great woman, a woman whose greatness transcends the 20th century and spans the history of salvation. She is none other than Mary, the Mother of God. We celebrate, in particular, her unique beginning through her Immaculate Conception. The new Catechism of the Catholic Church says that because Mary would become the mother of the Savior, she "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role" (CCC 490). At the annunciation, Mary was saluted as "full of grace" by the angel Gabriel to introduce her to her role as mother of the Messiah. "Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, 'full of grace' through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception" (CCC 491).

This awareness eventually led to the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 by Pope Pius IX: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."

The catechism goes on to explain: " The 'splendor of an entirely unique holiness' by which Mary is 'enriched from the first instant of her conception' comes wholly from Christ: she is 'redeemed in a more exalted fashion by reason of the merits of her Son.' The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person 'in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' and chose her 'in Christ before the foundations of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love' " (CCC 492). In a later section, the catechism states: "The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by divine grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom 'the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily' should herself be 'full of grace' " (CCC 722).

In his edited, abridged and modern edition of St. Alphonsus Ligouri's book The Glories of Mary, Msgr. Charles Dollen makes a spiritual classic available to many who might otherwise find the length and flowery vocabulary of the original an obstacle. St. Alphonsus approaches Mary's Immaculate Conception with arguments of fittingness.

First, it was fitting that God the Father should preserve Mary from the stain of original sin, because he destined her to have a part through his Son in restoring a lost world. He created her this way for the honor of his Son. Second, it was becoming that the Son should preserve Mary from sin, as being his Mother. "No man can choose his own mother, but if such a thing were ever granted, would he not choose a most noble lady? . . . A most pure God should have a Mother pure from all sin." Third, it was fitting that the Holy Spirit preserve Mary free from sin as his Spouse. St. Alphonsus quotes St. Anselm to say that the Holy Spirit "came corporally into Mary" and "reposed in her and made her His Spouse" in order to form of her immaculate body the immaculate body of Jesus Christ.

It may be argued by some that the Immaculate Conception makes Mary seem unreal in a world where sin is sensationalized. Quite the contrary is true. Mary was just as fully human as we are. She suffered physical pain, emotional stress and spiritual darkness just as we do. However, she experienced all these human conditions without sin because of a special exemption from God. In this sense, Mary's humanity was most real. From the very first moment of her existence she was already "full of grace," though not yet glorified. According to the Preface for the Feast, Mary's privilege at her conception is God's promise to us of the perfection we will attain through our resurrection. Her special place in God's plan of salvation is God's pledge that participation in divine grace and glory is a real possibility for us.

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 490-493, 722; St. Alphonsus, The Glories of Mary, edited and abridged by Msgr. Charles Dollen (Alba House, 1990) pp. 107-113.

Christ in our lives

3rd Sunday of Advent-December 15

"B" Readings: Isa. 61:1-2. 10-11 1 Thes. 5:16-24 John 1:6-8. 19-28

Title: How Christ Comes into Our Lives

Purpose: (1) to show that Jesus Christ comes to us in many ways: through the Word; and especially through the Sacraments of the Church; (2) to encourage Penance and Communion as essential for a holy Christmas and a true Christian life.

Dead Man Walking is a powerful film about a convicted murderer on death row and a nun who counsels him before he dies. Sean Penn plays the role of the hardened killer-rapist, Matthew Poncelet, while Susan Sarandon plays the role of a real-life Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean. Film critic Jack Garner wrote: "This is a rare and finely crafted film whose intense drama hinges on the seldom-explored issue of spiritual redemption. Fighting the human temptation to provide simple comfort to a condemned man, the normally timid Sister Helen decides that the volatile Poncelet must accept responsibility for his actions and must seek forgiveness." Throughout the film, Sister Helen's faith in the goodness hidden deep within Poncelet is sorely tested, but in the end God's grace triumphs.

God comes into our lives in many ways. His coming in human form in the Person of Jesus is, of course, the supreme way he came into our lives and is the source of all other ways in which he continues to come. For example, he comes every time we hear or read his Word in Scripture, whether in a liturgy or by ourselves.

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body. In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, 'but as what it really is, the word of God.' In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them" (CCC 103-4).

Another important way Christ comes into our lives is through the Sacraments. The new catechism says: "To accomplish so great a work-the dispensation or communication of his work of salvation-Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister . . . but especially in the Eucharistic species. By his power he is present in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes, it is really Christ himself who baptizes. He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings . . ." (CCC 1088).

The movie Dead Man Walking illustrates how God comes to us through other people. The Lord used Sister Helen to touch Poncelet's soul with remorse and sorrow before he was executed. How many times have we heard people say that when they were depressed a friend called on the phone to say hello, or when they needed help a neighbor volunteered? Any time we extend to each other a helping hand, express an encouraging word or reach out to touch someone with kindness, we act as the Lord's "instruments of his peace and presence."

The variety of ways in which God comes into our lives is so vast we could never count them. Not only does the Lord use nature, books, plays, movies, dreams and fortuitous events to reveal his presence in our lives, but also illness, disappointments, hurts, accidents, failures and even death. When God comes in good times, it is easy to see this and give thanks. But when God comes in the form of a cross, it takes strong faith to trust in his loving presence.

In today's Scripture, Paul writes: "Do not stifle the spirit . . . . Test everything; retain what is good." Might we interpret this to mean that if we are open to the Lord's spirit and look for his presence in everything, then we will appreciate more the good things that happen and find some good even when we have bad experiences? In the gospel, John the Baptist says to the crowd: "There is one among you whom you do not recognize." Too often these words apply to us when the Lord comes to us in one way or another, but we "do not recognize him" because we are too distracted, or preoccupied, or even rebellious.

During these final days of Advent, may we welcome Christ as he comes to us in various ways, especially in the liturgy through the Sacraments and in life through our neighbor. We might reflect on these words of the Jesuit poet Dimitri Michaelides: "The newly born is in his cradle not only near the side of the main altar or under our Christmas tree; you find him also in mud holes, cradles of the disowned, in the slums where filth is the crib for the newly born, on the litters upon which lies human misery . . . Christmas is the birth of God in your neighbor."

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 103-4, 131, 1088, 1111, 1131.

Jesus the Messiah

4th Sunday of Advent-December 22

"B" Readings: 2 Sam. 7:1-5. 8-11. 16 Rom. 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38

Title: The Meaning of Messiah

Purpose: (1) to explain the word Messiah and the messianic prophecies; (2) to show Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies.

Why are modern fictional characters such as Superman, Batman, and Spiderman so popular? Why have some of the cowboy characters played by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood become legends? It is partly because they represent mythical heroes, who risk their lives and vanquish villains. In that sense, they are messiah figures who have been "anointed" with special gifts to overcome evil and deliver the oppressed.

Psychologist Carl G. Jung's final work, before he died in 1961, is a book called Man and his Symbols. In a section on "Heroes and Hero Makers," Jung shows that the myth of the hero is universal: it is found not only in the classical mythology of ancient Greece and Rome and of the Middle Ages, but even in our dreams. Jung writes: "Over and over again one hears a tale describing a hero's miraculous but humble birth, his early proof of superhuman strength, his rapid rise to prominence or power, his triumphant struggle with the forces of evil, his fallibility to the sin of pride (hybris), and his fall through betrayal or a 'heroic' sacrifice that ends in his death."

According to Jung, these godlike figures are symbolic representatives of the collective human psyche's desire for the strengths that an individual lacks: "Their special role," Jung says, "suggests that the essential function of the heroic myth is the development of the individual's ego-consciousness-his awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses-in a manner that will equip him for the arduous tasks with which life confronts him." These "arduous tasks" include overcoming our weak tendencies and accepting responsibility, learning to live with both the good and the bad, striving for integration between action and reflection, and becoming a mature and free person.

In Jesus Christ, the Messiah, this archetypal myth of the hero is not only fully realized but is transcended. Jesus not only made the supreme sacrifice of death, but he also rose from the dead and thus vanquished death itself. He saved us from death that ends everything-our worst fear. As Messiah, he summed up all heroic archetypes. He surpassed them. This is not fiction, but revelation. Jesus is not just the highest among heroic archetypes: he is the only-begotten Son of God who won for us eternal life.

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the background and development of the Lord's title as Messiah: "The word 'Christ' comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means 'anointed.' It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that 'Christ' signifies. In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for priests and, in rare instances, for prophets" (CCC 436).

Consequently, when Jesus came as the long-expected Messiah, he fulfilled Old Testament hopes by being anointed by the Spirit as king, priest and prophet. In the first reading from the second book of Samuel, we read of the messianic promise God made with King David: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever." The fulfillment of this messianic promise is featured in the gospel. The angel Gabriel tells Mary that the Lord will give her son "the throne of David his father" and that "his reign will be without end."

More messianic expectations are fulfilled as the gospel story of Jesus unfolds: an angel announces his birth as Messiah to the shepherds; he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism; during his public ministry, demoniacs recognize his messiaship, Peter confesses it at Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus himself introduces it with his predictions of the Passion. Jesus ordered his disciples not to speak openly of his messiahship because of the strong political and military implications this title implied. But his messianic role was not to reestablish a visible political kingdom in Israel, but an invisible spiritual kingdom in the hearts of all people. Moreover, his means would not be military might, but rather sacrificial love, suffering, and service.

May sacrifice and service mark our final days of Advent preparations for Christmas. May the heroic messianic role Jesus assumed at his birth challenge and inspire us to take the heroic way. Whether in our quest for psychological maturity or for a deeper spiritual life, whether in times of unavoidable suffering or when opportunities appear for helping people, may we choose the heroic way, the noble way, the Christ-like way.

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 436-440, 695, 712-716; The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, (Prentice Hall, N.J., 1990) 77:152-156.

Light of the world

Christmas-December 25

Readings: Isa. 62:11-12 Tit. 3:4-7 Luke 2:15-20

Title: Christ the Light of the World

Purpose: (1) to describe the lights of the first Christmas: in the cave, of the angels, of the star; (2) to describe this child as the Light of the World, our guide through life.

Have you ever driven without warning through a white-out caused by swirling snow or through a dense fog on a highway? If you have, then you know the helpless feeling of finding yourself in a very hazardous situation because you and other motorists suddenly cannot see. Last February, more than three hundred cars piled up when a thick fog covered a highway in Italy, killing eleven people. Without adequate physical light, driving is very dangerous, and, without adequate spiritual light, journeying through life is equally perilous.

This is one of the reasons why Jesus was born: "I am the light of the world. No follower of mine shall ever walk in darkness; no, he shall possess the light of life" (John 8:12). The new Catechism of the Catholic Church lists four main reasons why "the Word became flesh": to save us by reconciling us with God, to reveal God's love to us, to be our model for holiness, and to make us partakers of the divine nature (CCC 457-460).

Light is a significant Christmas theme, especially since the feast occurs at the darkest time of the year. Because pagans celebrated the birth of a new sun in December, Christians adopted this festival and gave it a new and deeper meaning to dramatize the coming of Christ as the true light of the world. Moreover, our Jewish brethren had already established Hanukkah as their own eight-day festival of lights to bring hope to this darkest time of the year.

Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabean overthrow of their Syrian oppressors in 165 B.C. and the rededication of their sacred Temple in Jerusalem when one small jar of oil burned miraculously for eight days. This wondrous event is symbolized during Hanukkah by lighting the menorah, an eight-branched candelabrum. Rabbi Samuel E. Karff of Houston comments:

The greatest miracle of Hanukkah is not that Judah the Maccabee was able to gain control of Jerusalem, or that the pure oil in the ancient Temple lasted for eight days, but rather that the light of Jewish faith is still radiant after 2,000 years. When Frederick the Great asked his adviser, "Show me a miracle," the adviser replied, "The Jews."

Christians not only respect this ancient Jewish light festival of Hanukkah, but have incorporated its meaning into their deeper understanding of Jesus as "the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God . . ." (Nicene Creed).

The theme of light appears several times in the liturgy for the Christmas Mass at Dawn: "A light will shine on us this day, the Lord is born for us" (Entrance Antiphon and Responsorial Psalm); "Father, we are filled with the new light by the coming of your Word among us. May the light of faith shine in our words and actions" (Opening Prayer); "The angel of the Lord appeared to them [the shepherds] as the glory of the Lord shone around them" (Luke 2:9 ). Later during Christmas, we will read of the light of the star that led the Magi to Christ and of Simeon's prophecy of Jesus as a revealing light to the Gentiles and the glory of God's people Israel.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia sums up the uses of light in Scripture and in the Church's liturgy in these words: "Generally speaking, light is a symbol of truth, faith, wisdom, virtue, grace, the divine life, charity, the ardor of prayer, a sacred presence, the radiation of apostolic zeal, the Beatific Vision, etc. In a particular way, it usually signifies, in one sense or another, the presence of Christ" (vol. 8, pp. 753-4).

Following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin last year, Rabbi Alan Katz of Rochester, N.Y., wrote of the menorah: "The glow of the candles is there to remind us of miracles of the past and our purpose in the present . . . . Let us increase light in the world by

kindling our Hanukkah menorahs, or whatever other lights each of us use in our own cultures and traditions. May these warm glowing sparks of illumination remind us that by acting kindly and justly we are all able to bring God's spirit of peace and healing into our troubled community and world."

Katz's words challenge Christians to see an even deeper meaning in the "light" that Jesus brings to the world. Without the light of our Lord's teachings, we find ourselves surrounded by darkness and headed for moral destruction through such things as legalized abortions and medically assisted suicides. Without the wisdom of Jesus to show us the way to true human fulfillment, we find ourselves blinded by the swirling snows of uncontrolled power, pleasure, and possessions. In today's world, we must be the Lord's messengers to proclaim his presence in the world and to overpower the darkness of the world with his light.

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 457-463, 525-526; New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 8, pp. 747-755; Sacramentum Verbi: An Encyclopedia of Biblical Theology, (Herder & Herder, 1970), vol. 2, pp. 503-509.

A domestic church

Holy Family-December 29

"B" Readings: Sir. 3:2-6. 12-14 Col. 3:12-21 Luke 2:22-40

Title: Strengthening Your Various Families

Purpose: (1) to list our various families: natural, parish, church, civic, human; (2) to discourage isolation and apathy in any of them.

During a game in the National Basketball Association, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and referee Steve Javie may sometimes disagree about a call, but one thing they do agree on is the importance and value of family life. Of necessity, the professional careers of both men take them away from their home lives for long stretches of time during the NBA season. Nonetheless, Riley and Javie find ways to keep their families in focus on road trips and make sure that the time they have with their families is quality time.

Today's liturgy features the Holy Family. The first reading from the book of Sirach emphasizes the reverence children should have for their parents. The second reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians outlines the virtues which should mark the Christian home: kindness and patience, mutual forbearance and forgiveness, and, above all, love.

In the gospel, Mary and Joseph bring the child Jesus to the temple in order to present him to the Lord. The good news in this gospel is that their child will bring glory to Israel and light to the Gentiles; the bad news is that he will be opposed and a sword of sorrow will pierce Mary's heart. The story shows how the holy family was certainly holy, but still human; it would experience the same joys and sorrows that every family goes through.

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church has much to say about family life, not only in its ordinary form of a father, mother and their children, but also in its other forms such as extended families, single-parent families, and merged families through second marriages. Moreover, the CCC widens the circle of family life to include our local parish, work groups, civic organizations, and school associations. Whatever form of "family life" we focus on, the challenge is always the same: on the one hand, to avoid selfishness, irresponsibility, isolation, and apathy and, on the other hand, to contribute to the common good through generous service, personal responsibility, active involvement, and real caring.

In a section under Matrimony, the CCC cites several documents in describing the family as a domestic church: "It is in the bosom of the family that parents are by word and example . . . the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children . . . . It is here that all members of the family exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active charity" (CCC 1656-57).

In the light of today's contemporary problems such as poverty, addictions, immigration, unwanted children, and health care, the CCC challenges all believers to see to it that no one remains without a human family. Both "domestic churches" and "ecclesiastical churches" (parishes) must open their doors to provide a home for those in need. This radical and revolutionary principle may indeed "afflict the comfortable" who are called to "comfort the afflicted." Nonetheless, unless this principle is put into practice through some form of service, our faith will be nothing more than spiritual selfishness (CCC 1658).

In a section under the Fourth Commandment, the CCC views the human family as an image of the communion of persons in the divine family: the procreation and education of children reflect the Father's work of creation; the family's daily prayer and sacrifices partake of Christ's; the love between all the members symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit (CCC 2204-2206).

The family does not live in isolation from society. It is the "original cell of social life." The authority, stability, and relationships within the family "constitute the foundation for freedom, security, and fraternity within society." Historian-philosopher Will Durant once said:

"If you get rid of the state, the family can maintain order. But get rid of the family and you have nothing" (CCC 2207-2211).

We conclude with the following summary paragraph: "The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called 'our Father.' In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a 'unit' in the human collective; he is 'someone' who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect" (CCC 2212).

Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1655-1658, 2201-2233.