Do you ever struggle with grasping the full meaning and purpose of God becoming one of us in the person of Jesus Christ?  For many years radio commentator Paul Harvey shared the following story at Christmas to help us understand.

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The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge; he was a kind, decent, mostly good man; generous to his family, and upright in his dealings with other men.  But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas time.  It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise.  He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite.  That he’d much rather stay at home, but that he would wait up for them.  And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall.  He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper.  Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound…then another, and then another.  Sort of a thump or a thud…at first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow.  They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony.  That would provide a warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it.  Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn.  He opened the doors wide and turned on the light, but the birds did not come in.  He figured food would entice them.

So, he hurried back to the house, fetched breadcrumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the barn.  But to his dismay, the birds ignored the breadcrumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow.  He tried catching them…he tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms…instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm lighted barn. 

And then he realized that they were afraid of him.  To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…that I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them.  But how?  Because any move he made tended to frighten them and confuse them, they just would not follow.  They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language.  Then I could tell them not to be afraid.  Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn.  But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”  At that moment the church bells began to ring.  The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind.  And he stood there listening to the bells, listening, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.  And he sank to his knees in the snow.

May you and your loved ones have a blessed Christmas!

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”  (Luke 1:35)

The birth of the baby Jesus and our spiritual birth have a common element.  The source of both is the Holy Spirit.

The conception of Jesus in Mary was brought about by the Holy Spirit.  The same Holy Spirit is the source of our spiritual birth.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.  No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:3, 5)

Both Mary and Nicodemus asked the same question, “How can this be?”  Both Gabriel and Jesus gave the same answer.  It is by the Holy Spirit that these things happen.  As Jesus was born through the power of the Holy Spirit, so too was the Church, and so too, are we.

Ever since I was a young boy growing up in a small town in Iowa, I have experienced a special feeling of God’s presence on Christmas Eve.  It is a feeling of peace and love.  A calm descends; the earth is quiet from all the hurrying and scurrying of Christmas preparations.  It is the Holy Spirit.

When I was old enough to drive, I would often leave the house after our Christmas Eve traditions with family, and drive through the neighborhood of my former paper route.  I knew every family on that route.  Some houses would be dark.  Others would be full of lights with people inside celebrating the coming of the baby Jesus.

The words of the song Silent Night gently echoed: “Silent night, Holy night. All is calm; All is bright.”

As we move closer to the celebration of Christmas this year, let us remember the role of the Holy Spirit – how the creator of all that exists became one of us through the Virgin Mary, and how we can experience God’s presence and saving grace at this very moment.

Do you experience God’s presence through the Holy Spirit?  If not, find a quiet place and invite him in.

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.” (Luke 2:10)

These are the words of the angel who appeared to shepherds in the region of Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to Jesus.  The angel told the shepherds that Jesus had come for all people.

The “good news” was not just for the shepherds or the Jewish people, but for all people.  All people included the unbelieving and pagan world of the Roman and Greek cultures at the time.  It included the Magi, educated and wealthy, and believed to have come from Persia.

Jesus is everyone’s savior. 

The prophet Isaiah says that Jesus came for the lowly, the brokenhearted, the captives, those who mourn and grieve, and those who are in despair and darkness.  He says that Jesus wants to give them a crown of beauty and a garment of praise so that they may become oaks of righteousness. (Is. 61:1-3)

While Jesus walked this earth he did exactly what Isaiah said.  Today, he expects to continue to do this, but through us by the power of his Holy Spirit.

For us, “everyone” includes the check-out clerk in the grocery store, the telephone solicitor who we hang up on, the person at work who is difficult to get along with, the person asking for money at an intersection, the person who talks during church services or the children who can’t sit still.  “Everyone” includes those who think different politically than we do and even the terrorists who wish to do us harm.

Lord, when I see the people you put in my life, let me look upon them with the understanding that you came for them just as you came for me.  It doesn’t matter who they are, what their religion, race, position or financial status is.  Your offer of salvation and new life is available to them.  Let me use the occasion to introduce them to you through my conduct and words as you give me the opportunity. 

Do you look on the people you encounter in your life as people Jesus came for?

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” (Luke 1:15) These were the words of the angel Gabriel to Zachariah about the son that was to be born by his wife Elizabeth, whom we know as John the Baptist.  

What is significant about this is that God had not been speaking through prophesy to the people of Israel, nor pouring out his Holy Spirit for several centuries before Christ.  The Book of Joel, the last prophetic work in the Old Testament, was composed around 400 B.C., and foretold the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all people at some future date.    

Gabriel is telling Zachariah that he and Elizabeth will have a son in their “old age” and that the son would immediately be filled with the Holy Spirit at his conception.  With the power of the Holy Spirit, John would prepare the people of Israel for the coming of God’s son, Jesus.

As we begin this season of Advent and Christmas, we should reflect on how privileged we are to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism at an early age, just like John.  This is the same Holy Spirit that gave him the power to speak and bring the people of Israel to repentance, the same Holy Spirit that enabled Peter to bring three thousand people to repentance on the day of Pentecost, and the same Holy Spirit that enabled the apostles, Paul, and the early Christians to spread the faith against unbelievable odds and persecution.

If you are not currently experiencing the Holy Spirit in this way, invite Jesus to come and live in you, and ask him to release the power of the Holy Spirit that is in you through your baptism.  As Gabriel said to Mary, “nothing is impossible for God.”  (Luke 1:37)

Many years ago, I was invited by a priest to ask Jesus to take my sins, accept his forgiveness, and renew the Holy Spirit’s presence in me.  Jesus did, and my life was forever changed. 

As Jesus said to the disciples just before his ascension, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)  

Do you experience the Holy Spirit like John the Baptist, the apostles, and many Christians today?

Ask Jesus to fan into a flame the Holy Spirit that is in you through your baptism.

The Bible encourages us to be thankful to God at all times.  St. Paul encourages us to, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (1Thessalonians 5:16) 

After Nehemiah led an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem following their destruction by the Babylonians, he arranged for an elaborate dedication ceremony “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with music of cymbals, harps and lyres.”  He said, “I assigned two large choirs to give thanks.  One was “to proceed to the top of the wall on the right…and the second choir proceeded in the opposite direction.” (Nehemiah 12:27 – 47)

In a couple of days we will observe a national holiday for the purpose of thanking God for the many blessings he has conferred upon our nation.  This follows a precedent established by some of the earliest Christian settlors to the shores of this continent. 

Why is thanksgiving important to us individually and collectively as a people?

First, it helps us to acknowledge that we are not in complete control, but in fact dependent upon someone other than ourselves for some of the positive things that happen to us in our lives.  Both God and others contribute to many of our blessings.  Even abilities and talents that we may attribute to ourselves are given to us by God, and we should acknowledge their true origins.

Second, it is God’s will for us to acknowledge him and to be thankful for his provision, for as Paul says, giving thanks “is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)   

Third, by acknowledging God and others with thanksgiving for our needs, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds.” (Philippians 4:6)

Being thankful gets us out of ourselves, brings joy and peace to our hearts, and helps align our lives with God’s will.  I continually thank God for the life he has given me, for my wife of sixty years, our children, their spouses, and their children.  This Thanksgiving we are blessed that most of us will be together to share our many blessings from God and each other’s company.     

May we pause from our busyness this week to thank the creator of all that exists for his love and provision. 

On the first day of the week following Jesus’ crucifixion,Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb where Jesus had been laid.  She sees that Jesus’ body is not in the tomb and she is distraught.  She encounters Jesus, but does not recognize him, thinking he is the gardener.  Though she does not recognize him by sight, she does by the way he says her name. “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’” (John 20:16) It was a sound familiar to her and exclusive to their relationship.

When I was a young boy, my mother called me, “Billy.”  When I heard her call me, I didn’t have to see her to know that it was her.  My father used to call me “Son.”  Again, I didn’t have to see him when he addressed me to know that it was him.  There was a special relationship and familiarity there.  The same is true with my wife, members of my family and close friends.

This is the kind of relationship Jesus wants to have with us – one that is so close, so familiar, and so intimate, we don’t need to see him to know he is there.  At every moment he stands at the door of our heart waiting to be invited in, ready to embrace us and to offer his friendship, ready to listen to our deepest concerns and offer his wisdom — ready to say our name. “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.”  He says, “I know mine and mine know me.” (John 10:3, 4, 14)

It is easy for me to let the noise and many distractions in my life drown out the gentle whisper of Jesus.  It requires a deliberate choice on my part to stop and listen for his presence. 

How close is your relationship with Jesus?  Do you hear his gentle whisper in your thoughts?  Do you recognize him when he calls your name or seeks to offer guidance to your path?

A few years ago, my son, Steve, son-in-law, Greg, and I were boating down the Atlantic Intercostal Waterway.  On the second day we ran into gale force winds on Chesapeake Bay on our way to Norfolk, Virginia.  The winds were coming out of the northeast generating waves of five to six feet or more.  The Coast Guard had posted two flags which meant that the winds were blowing at 39 to 54 mph.  Because we were heading south and the winds were coming at our stern, it was more difficult to control the steerage of the boat. 

We of course put on our life jackets.  I asked Steve to go down in the cabin for additional ballast, and Greg to stay on the flying bridge with me to monitor our location on the GPS.  The skies were heavily overcast and visibility to shore and the markers designating the channel were marginal.  There weren’t any safe inlets along this portion of the Bay to go for cover, and it would have been too dangerous to turn toward shore with the winds and waves then hitting us broadside.

Never having experienced these conditions before, I found myself learning how to control the boat as we proceeded.  The key was not pulling back on the throttle as the boat accelerated down the front side of a wave to avoid the boat turning sideways and capsizing.  This almost happened to us early on.  It took us over four hours to reach Norfolk, which was not that far.  I was never so happy to see the outlines of an aircraft carrier through the haze at the Norfolk Naval Base. 

Because I was so concentrated on maintaining control of the boat over the entire period, I never even remembered to pray for God’s protection.  Yet we had during all of this, Jesus’ final words and promise to his disciples, “And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20) This promise echoes the birth narrative, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmauel,” meaning “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23) 

What a blessing for those who believe in Jesus, God’s Son, and Messiah, that he, his presence, and protection, are always with us, even when we are preoccupied and not thinking about him.  Thank you, Lord Jesus! 

[The picture includes Steve, son-in-law Ralph who joined us on the return trip, yours truly, and Greg.]

“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” (Luke 22:43) The Gospel of Luke reports that after Jesus submitted to the Father’s will to accept the cup of his passion, God sent him an angel to strengthen him to endure all that he would be facing.  

Our human suffering, however severe, may never equal Jesus’ “agony in the garden.”  Yet, how often have we seen people endure incredible suffering from a terminal illness or the loss of a loved one with determined faith, while still maintaining an unusual peace and joy that can only come from God?   

Sometimes God uses one of his special angelic messengers to bring strength and consolation.  Sometimes he uses family or friends to perform this role.  

This brings to mind an experience I had when I was 15 years old following surgery to correct a defective sternum bone that I was born with.  The lower part of my sternum was bent inward that had the effect of crowding the heart and lungs as I started growing in my teen years.  This apparently caused an enlarged heart, severely impacting my future health and long term survival. 

We were living in Mason City, Iowa, about 120 miles north of Des Moines.  A thoracic surgeon in Des Moines had developed a corrective repair that involved splitting the sternum from the rib cage, inserting a bone strut from one side of the rib cage to the other and laying the sternum back down and wiring everything back together. 

This was considered experimental surgery in the mid-1950s, when they were not quite as good at pain management as they are today.  As a result, I was in a lot of pain from the surgery and discomfort with all of the tubes continuously pumping fluids from my chest cavity.  I remember telling my parents, to their consternation, that I would not have done this if I knew it was going to be so bad. 

On the fourth day, Father John from our parish in Mason City visited me.  We had become close friends during the course of his weekly instructions for me to join the Catholic Church a couple of years earlier.  To make this visit, he had to drive two hours after Sunday morning masses from Mason City to Des Moines, and then two hours back in time to say a Sunday evening mass. 

He talked with me, encouraged me and prayed with me.  He was like the visitation of an angel lifting my spirits.   I didn’t complain any more to my parents about the surgery, and spent the rest of the summer recuperating.  I have always remembered how his visit turned things around for me, along with the sacrifice it took for him to make it happen.   

Like Father John, may we be inspired to serve as angels to others in their time of need. 

“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” (Luke 22:43) The Gospel of Luke reports that after Jesus submitted to the Father’s will to accept the cup of his passion, God sent him an angel to strengthen him to endure all that he would be facing.  

Our human suffering, however severe, may never equal Jesus’ “agony in the garden.”  Yet, how often have we seen people endure incredible suffering from a terminal illness or the loss of a loved one with determined faith, while still maintaining an unusual peace and joy that can only come from God?   

Sometimes God uses one of his special angelic messengers to bring strength and consolation.  Sometimes he uses family or friends to perform this role.  

This brings to mind an experience I had when I was 15 years old following surgery to correct a defective sternum bone that I was born with.  The lower part of my sternum was bent inward that had the effect of crowding the heart and lungs as I started growing in my teen years.  This apparently caused an enlarged heart, severely impacting my future health and long term survival. 

We were living in Mason City, Iowa, about 120 miles north of Des Moines.  A thoracic surgeon in Des Moines had developed a corrective repair that involved splitting the sternum from the rib cage, inserting a bone strut from one side of the rib cage to the other and laying the sternum back down and wiring everything back together. 

This was considered experimental surgery in the mid-1950s, when they were not quite as good at pain management as they are today.  As a result, I was in a lot of pain from the surgery and discomfort with all of the tubes continuously pumping fluids from my chest cavity.  I remember telling my parents, to their consternation, that I would not have done this if I knew it was going to be so bad. 

On the fourth day, Father John from our parish in Mason City visited me.  We had become close friends during the course of his weekly instructions for me to join the Catholic Church a couple of years earlier.  To make this visit, he had to drive two hours after Sunday morning masses from Mason City to Des Moines, and then two hours back in time to say a Sunday evening mass. 

He talked with me, encouraged me and prayed with me.  He was like the visitation of an angel lifting my spirits.   I didn’t complain any more to my parents about the surgery, and spent the rest of the summer recuperating.  I have always remembered how his visit turned things around for me, along with the sacrifice it took for him to make it happen.   

Like Father John, may we be inspired to serve as angels to others in their time of need. 

“You Fool! This very night, your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20) 

This is what God said to the person in the Parable of the Rich Fool who built bigger barns for his abundant crops, thinking he could relax, “take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” It was part of Jesus’ message to “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance in his possessions.” He went on to warn, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15, 21) 

I am reminded of a conversation I had many years ago with a good friend and spiritual mentor. We were talking about tithing, and I asked since a portion of our income was taken in taxes that we never get to control, should I tithe based on my net or gross income?  He responded by asking a different question, “Did I want to experience God’s presence and blessings in a net or gross manner?”  We decided that we wanted to experience all that God had for us in in his most gross presence and blessings.    

We have learned that you cannot outgive God.  There have been times in the past when we wondered whether we could respond to a certain request, only to have an unexpected insurance refund show up in the mail following our response. 

After this parable, Jesus goes on to encourage us not to worry about our circumstances. He says, “But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:31)

How do you respond to Jesus’s admonition and encouragement?