“When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.  All who heard it were amazed at what had been told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2: 17-18)

God chose shepherds, one of the humblest of occupations, to be the news media to spread the word of Jesus’ birth.  They were told by an angel that a Savior, the long awaited Messiah, had been born. They were told where they could find him and how they would recognize him — in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in an animal’s feeding trough. 

We can only imagine the reaction of Mary and Joseph to having some shepherds, complete strangers, visit them and share a story that confirmed what they, too, had been told by an angel – that the son born to Mary was the son of God, Savior, and Messiah. 

The news of a savior of the world being born is of course pretty amazing stuff.  The good news the Shepherds first proclaimed 2000 years ago is just as important to the world today as it was then.   

A savior has been born!  The creator has become one of his created!  God has become one of us through the cooperation of an unknown teenage girl in a remote area of the world under the most humbling of circumstances.  The anointed one has come and is present to reconcile God and humankind, and humankind with one another.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, this savior offers to dwell in us, to be present to us and enable us to be and bring his presence to the people and circumstances in our lives.   

Like the shepherds, we may consider ourselves unlikely heralds that Jesus is still present in the world today.  He is present to all who accept his offer to dwell in them.

Are we spreading the word about Jesus in what we have seen, heard, and experienced so that all who hear are amazed? 

A cabinet maker does not become a cabinet, a cobbler does not become a shoe, but God, the creator of all that exists, became one of us. Little wonder that history’s calendar is measured in terms of before and after this event.

After hearing the Christmas story over and over, year after year, its meaning and impact may fade against the backdrop of today’s culture. Yet if we think about it, God’s willingness to become one of us is the greatest act of humility and love in all of history.

Here we have God, the Father, creator of all that exists, creator of the millions of galaxies and the billions of stars whose distances are measured in light years. Here we have God who created the atom and molecule whose size is measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter). This God, who created the human person with a body, soul, and mind, different from all other creatures, became one of his created to show us how to live and to free each of us from our sins and the world from its bondage to sin – to reconcile us to him and one another. 

Father William Barry, in his book, A Friendship Like No Other, says, “God took humanity seriously enough to become one of us, and we do God no service if we downplay what God has done in becoming human.”

It seems like it is easier for us to view Jesus in his divinity than to accept fully his humanity. But God in Jesus was a real human person, born of Mary, in the humblest of circumstances. He had to be toilet trained, learn a language, and be raised from childhood to an adult just like all of us. We can be sure that Jesus’ humanity felt the sting of the whip and piercing pain of the nails at his crucifixion. God is no stranger to suffering. God knows what human life is like from the inside. His desire for friendship with us knows no bounds.

Genesis tells us we were created in the image of God, but from the very beginning we have failed to live up to that expectation. God chose to show us how to be his image by becoming one of us. Just as Mary conceived and brought forth Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, so may we through the power of the same Holy Spirit, bring forth the presence of Jesus in our words, actions and thoughts to the people and circumstances of our lives.

A blessed Christmas to all!

“She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) How ironic!  Jesus experienced rejection even before he was born. There was no room for Jesus in the inn, so Mary and Joseph settled for a cave used as a stable for animals. 

While this may have served God’s purpose in taking on our humanity in the humblest of settings, you have to wonder what the innkeeper might have done had he known who Mary and Joseph were and what was about to happen.

We should not be too harsh in judging the innkeeper, for how often have we failed to make room for Jesus in our lives?  There have been times when I made more room for my career than I did for Jesus.  There have been other times, when I did not recognize Jesus in a colleague looking for someone to talk with or a street person looking for help.    

When I worked in New York I would sometimes attend daily mass at St. Matthews Catholic Church just a half block east of Grand Central station.  Since my train arrived about the same time mass started, I was always rushing to get there by the first reading.  One day as I was rushing into the church, a man on the church steps asked me to help him, but because I was so programed to hurry into the church, I rushed right by him. 

As I sat down I thought to myself, “What did I just do?”  Someone was asking for help, and I blew right by him in my haste to get into the church.  I was just like the innkeeper.  I had no room or time for this guy.  When I went back outside he was leaning over the front bumper of a car, vomiting.  I asked if he wanted some breakfast, and we went into a little diner next to the church. 

His name was Richard.  He had been a trumpet player for a band, got fired, started drinking, got rolled, and lost everything.  After connecting him up with the Salvation Army, I saw him a week later.  He was all cleaned up with new clothes and had a suitcase.  He said he was going home to Hartford, Connecticut.   

A couple of days later, there he was again, all beat up, his clothes torn, looking awful.  I asked, “Richard, what happened?”  He just looked at me with hollow eyes and shook his head.  I told him that I was going to buy him a train ticket to Hartford and asked him to meet me at 43^rd and Lexington.  I bought him the ticket, went to 43^rd and Lexington, but Richard never showed up and I never saw him again. 

God never ceases to give us opportunities to make room for him through his son, Jesus.  He is always inviting us to open the door of our hearts to love, to forgive, to serve — to build his Kingdom in the daily circumstances of our lives. 

Are you making room for Jesus today in how you relate to people?

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  (Luke 1:45)

These are the words of Elizabeth to Mary upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s house.  We might wonder how Elizabeth knew to commend Mary for her decision to accept Gabriel’s message before Mary told her.  The Gospel of Luke says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at Mary’s greeting.  By the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth commended Mary for believing what she was told.

Elizabeth was also aware that her husband, in contrast to Mary, was rendered mute when he questioned the angel’s message that Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist in her advanced age.

So, here we have the Holy Spirit in Mary giving rise to the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth, and the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth commending Mary for her faithful acceptance of God’s will to give birth to Jesus.      

Surely, Mary’s statement to the angel Gabriel, “May it be done to me according to your word,” has provided the example of true and humble faith in accepting God’s will for every generation since Jesus’ birth. 

Seeking and fulfilling God’s will should be a primary objective for all of us in our walk of faith. This can involve significant life decisions such as our vocation, where we go to school, what our occupation will be, who we will marry, how we will raise our children, where we will live, to daily choices such as how we relate to others, share our faith, and pray.

One area in which I have tried to follow God’s will is listening to his prompting to pray with someone when they share a health issue or other significant challenge.  I will offer to say a prayer with them for Jesus to act on whatever their need may be.  Sometimes I pray in an email or text response.  I have never received a negative reaction.    

Are you asking God what he wants you to do with a significant decision or a daily choice? 

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15)

These were the words of the angel Gabriel to Zachariah about the son that was to be born to his wife Elizabeth, whom we know as John the Baptist.  

What is significant about this is that God had not been speaking much to the people of Israel, nor pouring out his Holy Spirit for several centuries before Christ.  Malachi, the last prophet appearing in the Old Testament, composed his work before 445 B.C.  The Book of Daniel was written in the period of 167 to 164 B.C. 

But now Gabriel is telling Zachariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son in their “old age” and that the son would immediately be filled with the Holy Spirit.  After a long absence, God would be anointing John the Baptist at his conception.  God would “go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

With the power of the Holy Spirit, John would prepare the people of Israel for God’s son, Jesus.

As we begin this season of Advent and Christmas, perhaps we could 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 — the same Holy Spirit that gave him the power to bring the people of Israel to repentance, the same Holy Spirit that enabled Peter to bring three thousand to repentance on the day of Pentecost, and the same Holy Spirit that enabled the apostles, Paul and all of the early Christians to spread the faith against unbelievable odds and persecution.

If you are not currently experiencing the Holy Spirit in this way, ask the Lord to renew the Holy Spirit that is within you through your baptism.  Ask Jesus to ignite the spark that never goes out, but is waiting to be fanned into a flame to live for God and to do his work.  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. 

Do you experience the Holy Spirit like John the Baptist, the apostles, and many Christians today?  If not, ask Jesus to fan into a flame the Holy Spirit that is in you through your baptism.

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” (1 Ch. 16:8)

What are the chances that 102 pilgrims sailing from Plymouth, England in 1620 would encounter two English speaking Indians on the North American continent?  These Indians, named Samoset and Squanto, became instrumental in the pilgrims’ survival.  They helped the pilgrims learn how to plant corn, catch fish, and trade with friendly Indian tribes. 

Was God looking out for the pilgrims?  Apparently the pilgrims thought so.  At the end of the summer of 1621, after building new dwellings, planting and harvesting food to get them through the next winter, the pilgrims were “brimming over with gratitude” and Governor Bradford declared a day of public thanksgiving in October.  (The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.)

As our National Day of Thanksgiving approaches this week, I pause to reflect on some of the blessings for which I am deeply thankful: God the Father and his son Jesus Christ who love me and offer to dwell in me through the Holy Spirit and give me purpose in loving and serving the people in my life; a loving wife of 61 years and a mutual love that grows deeper each year; a family of five children and their families that include 13 grandchildren who are believing Christians and enjoy one another’s company; an adult daughter with Down syndrome whose bright smile, hugs, and inclination to love shows the rest of us the face of God; and Christian friends from the People of Praise community, Christians in Commerce, St. Mark Catholic Church, and our neighborhood who would take a call at 3:00 A.M. if the need arose.

This list does not mean we are exempt from trials and temptations, for who can escape them in this world.  But we share the God of the pilgrims who calls us, strengthens us, and upholds us.

What are you thankful for?  Make a list and offer it up to God in thanksgiving.

“What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51)

This was Jesus’ question to Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who was sitting beside the road as Jesus was passing by.  Bartimaeus had cried out to Jesus despite efforts by the crowd to shut him up.  When Jesus heard his cries for help, the Gospel of Mark tells us that he stopped and called Bartimaeus to him and asked the above question.  Bartimaeus said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”  Jesus said, “’Go, your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”  (Mark 10:46-52)

How would you respond if Jesus asked you the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

Over the years I have asked Jesus for guidance in making decisions, for healing for others and myself, and for his blessings on our family and friends.  This has included a major career decision impacting both my career and family; the healing of an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer and its subsequent recurrence; post-career decisions on what activities and ministries to participate in upon retirement; and the day-to-day response to life’s challenges and opportunities. 

Sometimes the response is not as quick as Jesus’ healing of Bartimaeus.   Marilynn and I prayed for each of our children to marry Christian spouses and raise Christian families.  While his response evolved over time, he certainly answered our prayers.  We asked Jesus to bless our daughter, Emily born with Down syndrome, so she could be a source of joy and love to our family and others.  A couple of years ago he gave her a ministry of serving coffee and cookies after weekday masses.  She loves greeting people with a hug and handing them a cup, and they love her in return.

Jesus is always available.  Sometimes I mess up and forget to ask him, and the result usually reflects my lapse.    

How would you respond if Jesus asked you what he could do for you?     

A large crowd had gathered to listen to Jesus, but as evening approached the disciples suggested that Jesus send them away to get something to eat.   Instead, Jesus took five loaves and two fish that the disciples had and multiplied them to feed a crowd of more than five thousand. (Mt. 14:13-21)

This was not the first time that the disciples’ actions had the unintended effect of separating people from Jesus.  On another occasion, the disciples tried to protect Jesus by preventing people from bringing their little children to him, but he said, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16) In another incident, the disciples rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet as he shouted out to Jesus to heal his blindness. Jesus ignored their efforts, called Bartimaeus to him, and healed him.  (Mark 10:46-52) And yet again, the disciples told Jairus, who had asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter, not to bother Jesus after word had come that his daughter had died.  But Jesus went on to raise his daughter to life.  (Luke 8:49-50)

How often do we unwittingly seek to separate others or ourselves from Jesus?  The possibilities are numerous — letting our kid’s soccer game or an invitation to play golf on Sunday morning get in the way of attending church; sleeping in and missing a time we had set aside for prayer; being a bad example to our children on an issue of integrity; holding on to anger and refusing to forgive another for some slight or wrong.  Even though we may not realize it, all these examples tend to build separation between God and us or others.  Any kind of sin tends to drive a wedge between us and God. 

Rather, our actions should be like the friends of the paralytic who carried him on a mat and tried to lay him before Jesus so he could heal him.  When they could not break through the crowd to get to Jesus, they carried the paralytic up on the roof, removed the tiles and lowered him down on his mat in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith and the efforts to which they had gone, he healed the paralytic and forgave him his sins. (Luke 5:17-26)  

One of our prime responsibilities as Christian parents is to introduce our children to Jesus.  We should encourage them by our word and example to grow in their faith so that they will be able to live out that faith in their own lives.

How often do we unwittingly seek to separate others or ourselves from Jesus? 

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

St. Paul made this statement after being dragged out of the city of Lystra and stoned.  He and Barnabas had been preaching the good news there when Paul saw a man who had been crippled from birth.  Paul perceived that the man had faith to be healed and asked him to stand up.  He did and started walking and jumping around.  The people were amazed, but then some people came from Antioch who were jealous of Paul and won over the crowd.  They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking him dead. 

Paul recovered from his stoning and returned to Lystra, strengthening the disciples, encouraging them to remain true to the faith, and making the above statement. (Acts 14:8-20)

There was resistance to building the kingdom of God in Paul’s day and there is resistance in our day.  Christians around the world are encountering ever increasing resistance and persecution in the Middle East, Africa, China, and parts of what was once considered Christendom.  In our country, we find increasing hostility to God’s natural law and scripture-based beliefs in traditional marriage and life, including the life of unborn babies.      

We should not be surprised by these trends for Jesus warned, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20) But he also said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:10)

The Holy Spirit took this small group of apostles, who ran in fear at Jesus’ arrest, and turned them into bold spokesmen for Jesus and the kingdom of God.  They and their successors overcame one of the most powerful and longest lasting empires the world has ever seen and brought the kingdom of God to millions of people in most of the known world. 

This same Holy Spirit is available to us today.  Perhaps we and our circumstances are different from the first disciples, but the Holy Spirit is not.  The same power to build and advance the kingdom of God is available to us just like it was to Paul and the first disciples.  Yes, there will likely be hardships as Paul mentions, and perhaps even persecution. 

But this is what the love that is central to the kingdom of God is all about – sacrifice, the giving of self, and the laying down of one’s desires for the love of God and others.  It may run counter to our nature, but it is a higher calling that God has for each of us – building God’s kingdom with the people and circumstances in our lives here and now. 

Are you willing to experience persecution to advance God’s kingdom?

How often do we sell God short in minimizing the effect of our prayer or actions?

St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians declares, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.”  (Eph. 3:20-21) Paul is praising Jesus for doing more in and through us than we can ever imagine if we will only rely on him in our prayers and actions with the people and circumstances in our lives.

After experiencing a personal encounter with Jesus and the renewal of my Catholic faith in my late 30’s, I shared my experience with Pete, a work colleague and friend.  We had worked together a couple of years on a few projects and then he moved on to become a vice president in our company.  While we saw each other occasionally, we didn’t work together after that point. 

Fifteen years later he called me one day and asked if I could come up to his office.  It turns out that he had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and was given about six weeks to live.  He was very distraught and lamented that because of his work, he had not spent much time with his daughters while they were growing up.  After listening for a while, I asked if I could pray with him.  He said yes.  I walked around his desk, put a hand on his shoulder, and prayed that God would bless his remaining weeks and give him some special time with his daughters and wife.  His wife shared with me at his funeral that he did indeed do that, and it was a blessing for Pete and all of them in spite of his eventual death.

We never know what God is going to do with our witness.  Fifteen years had passed since I related my story of meeting Jesus in a new way with Pete, but he still called me to share his personal crisis and his anguish over not spending more time with his family in recent years.  As St. Paul says, God can do immeasurably more than we can imagine with our words and actions.  May we reach out as the Holy Spirit leads us in sharing God’s presence with others.   

Do you sell God short, or do you have faith that he will act on your words and actions according to his good purpose?