Christ offers himself for our embrace – Luke 2:22-40

 Holy Family, Year B; St. Adalbert's and St. Casimir's.

Video (Homily starts at 17:40).

Ordinarily, the times that bring families together are often the happiest times and the saddest times. We gather for weddings, baptisms, graduations, holidays. We gather for funerals, or for crises. More and more these days, of course, we “gather” remotely. What brings us together in these times, what leads us to tolerate imperfect technology, is the conviction that at the most important times in one another’s lives, it’s important for family to support one another and show that support in some real, tangible way. That’s true of the Church as one big family, that’s true of each of our families, that’s true also of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the religious family to which I and Fathers Ryan and Zach belong. And one way we learn to do that is from the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. 

God is with us – Isa 62:1-5; Matt 1:18-25

 Christmas (Vigil Mass); Christ the King parish.

Video (homily begins at 13:30)

Our readings tonight started with a statement of protest. “I will not be silent; I will not keep quiet.” Our lector brought to us the Spirit-inspired proclamation of a prophet who wrote around 2,500 years ago, over 500 years before the birth of Christ, a prophet who refused to sit down and shut up, a prophet whose words were a rebellion against hopelessness and despair, a prophet who had good news to proclaim. You might be thinking, “aren’t we here to talk about the baby Jesus?” Well, we are. But we’re here to talk about the baby Jesus not as someone cute or tame, but as God’s daring proclamation of good news, God’s protest against human despair. And we get to hear what God is saying in the baby Jesus more clearly if we spend a little time first with the words we opened with from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

 

Dios crea un hogar con la gente común – 2 Sam 7:1-16, Lc 1:26-38

 4o Domingo de Adviento, Año B; San Adalberto y San Casimiro.

Video (homilía a 44:30).

Dios le da a David el descanso. Dios le da a David el pastor un palacio, le da el reinado, mucha riqueza, pero, tal vez lo más importante es que dios le da a David el descanso. Digo que el descanso es lo más importante porque la mayoría de nosotros no queremos ni palacio ni reinado. Pero creo que hay muchos que estamos cansados y cansadas, cuyas vidas parecen estar llenas de luchas, contra el virus, y contra muchísimas más cosas. Dios le concede a David descansar y un día vendrá cuando dios nos ofrezca lo mismo.