Let Us Be Like the Magi

The Epiphany of the Lord
January 5, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Is 60:1-6 / Ps 72 / Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Mt 2:1-12
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, a significant moment in the liturgical calendar, when we reflect on how Jesus is revealed as the Savior, not only to the Jewish people, but to all nations.  The word epiphany means manifestation or revelation.  This feast reminds us of God’s plan to bring salvation to the entire world and challenges us to respond to His revelation with true worship.

Let us explore today’s readings, how they connect to the feast, and why the Feast of Epiphany is essential for our faith.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem as a city radiant with God’s glory.  The imagery of light overcoming darkness symbolizes the revelation of God’s salvation.  Nations and kings are drawn to this divine light, bringing gifts of gold and frankincense as signs of worship and acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty. This prophecy finds its fulfillment in the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child.  Isaiah’s vision points to a universal salvation where all peoples are invited to encounter the light of Christ.

St. Paul, in our second reading, proclaims the mystery of Christ that Gentiles are co-heirs to the promise of salvation.  This was a radical message for Paul’s time, breaking down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles.  The Feast of the Epiphany underscores this truth.  The Magi, representing the nations, are the first Gentiles to encounter and worship Christ, signaling the inclusivity of God’s plan of salvation.

The gospel recounts the visit of the Magi, wise men from the east who follow a star to find the newborn King.  They bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, each with symbolic meaning:  gold for kingship, frankincense for divinity, and myrrh for sacrifice.  The contrasting responses to Jesus are striking.  The Magi worship Him, while Herod reacts with fear and hostility.  The story challenges us to reflect on our own response to God’s revelation.

The common thread across the readings is the manifestation of Christ to the nations.  Isaiah foretells it. Paul declares its fulfillment.  Matthew narrates the Magi’s response as representatives of the Gentile world.  Together, these readings emphasize that salvation is for all, breaking boundaries of ethnicity and culture.

The Feast of the Epiphany dates back to the third century, celebrated initially in the Eastern Church.  It commemorated not only the visit of the Magi, but also the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana, all moments of divine revelation.  Over time, the Western Church emphasized the Magi’s visit as the primary focus.  The feast is important because it highlights God’s gradual self-revelation, culminating in Jesus Christ.  It calls us to recognize God’s light in our lives and to respond with worship as the Magi did.

At the heart of the Feast of Epiphany is the recognition that at this moment in history, Jesus is revealed to the nations.  This feast acknowledges how God has gradually revealed Himself over time.  First, He called one person, Abraham.  Next, He called Abraham’s family, and eventually all of the people of Israel.  However, at this pivotal moment in history, with the birth of Jesus Christ, God is revealed to the nations in an extraordinary way.  The Feast of the Epiphany, exemplified by the visit of the Magi, is not just about God revealing Himself.  It is also about His revelation being recognized by the nations.

This leads us to the essential question:  When God reveals Himself, what is our response?  Our response could be like Herod’s, rejecting God’s presence, even wanting Him out of the world.  It could also be indifference or ignorance.  The proper response to God, however, is worship.

Worship is the heart of all religions.  It is not just about creeds or moral behavior, though both are important.  At its core, religion is about a relationship with God and the heart of that relationship is worship.  A religion without worship is not a religion, but rather, a philosophy.  Philosophies are valuable, but they are not the same as religion.  Religion calls us to a relationship with the Creator and worship is the expression of that relationship.

When we encounter God, the natural response of the heart is to ask, “What can I give?”  Worship is not for God’s benefit.  He needs nothing from us.  Instead, worship is the only fitting response to the Creator, the source of all being.  Worship stems from justice.  It is about giving God His due.  In every Mass, we acknowledge this when we say, “It is right and just.”  Worship is not only our duty, but also our salvation.  Without worship, we miss the very essence of our relationship with God.

True worship arises from recognizing God’s majesty and offering our best.  The Magi’s gifts symbolize this act of giving.  They teach us to approach God with hearts full of gratitude, justice, and love, offering not leftovers, but our very best.  In the Mass, we participate in the highest form of worship.  The Eucharist is not just a ritual but a representation of Christ’s sacrifice.  It invites us to offer our lives in union with His.

Some people say, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.”  Mass, however, is not about how we feel.  It is about giving God what He is owed.  The essence of the Mass is not about what we get from it.  At the heart of every Mass, we represent the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection, and offer it to the Father.  When we go to Mass, we are participating in this act of justice, giving back to God what He deserves.

Worship, by its nature, is not about receiving, but about giving.  It is about offering ourselves to God, uniting our prayers, our hearts, and our sacrifices with the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Instead of asking, “What can I get out of this?” the better question is, “What can I offer?”  We should think about how we can join our hearts and lives with the sacrifice of Jesus for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.  This shift from receiving to giving deepens our engagement and allows us to experience the Mass as it truly is:  the greatest act of love and worship.

Let us be like the Magi.  Let us seek the light by following the light of Christ, even when the path is uncertain.  Let us also offer our best in worship and in daily life, giving God our finest in our time, talent, and treasure.  Like the bright star that shone on the Magi, let us be the light to others, reflecting Christ’s light to those around us, especially those still searching for meaning and hope.

The Epiphany of the Lord invites us to recognize Christ as the light of the world, worship Him with our whole hearts, and share His light with all nations.  As we celebrate this feast, let us reflect on our response to God’s revelation and renew our commitment to authentic worship.  Let us, like the Magi, approach the altar of the Lord with the best we have, offering our lives as a gift to the One who has revealed Himself to us and the world.  It is right and just.

Live With Gratitude and Confidence

Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2024 — Year C
Readings: Bar 5:1-9 / Ps 126 / Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 / Lk 3:1-6
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today we light the second candle on the Advent wreath, known as the “Bethlehem candle.” It symbolizes peace, preparation, and faith. The Bethlehem candle reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, a journey marked by faith and trust in God’s plan. It points to the peace that Jesus’ birth brings to the world, a peace that is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of God’s love and salvation.

As we light the candle, we are invited to reflect on how we are preparing our hearts for Christ’s coming. Are we making straight paths in our lives for Him? Are we embracing the peace that His birth promises? Just as Mary and Joseph trusted God’s plan amidst uncertainty, we too are called to walk in faith and prepare ourselves to receive the Prince of Peace.

The Second Sunday of Advent invites us to embrace the hopeful preparation that Advent entails, a season that bridges the promise of the past with the fulfillment of the future.  The readings today converge on the themes of restoration, preparation, and hope in the Lord. They call us to live in the present, as a place of encounter between what God has done and what He’s about to do.

The reading from Baruch paints a picture of Jerusalem being restored to its former glory. The people are urged to cast off their sorrow and wear robes of righteousness, for the Lord is leading them in joy. This restoration is not just physical but spiritual, signaling God’s unyielding faithfulness. This is a song of hope and restoration. Baruch encourages Jerusalem to rejoice, because God is about to deliver His people from exile and lead them back home in glory.

The imagery of God leveling mountains and filling valleys symbolizes His power to remove obstacles in our lives, making a straight path for His salvation. It reminds us that Advent is a time to trust in God’s promise to bring about renewal and joy.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians complements this, with an invitation to gratitude and confidence. Paul, writing from a prison cell, radiates joy as he reflects on the Philippians’ faith journey. He reminds them of their faithfulness and asks that God, who began a good work in us, will bring it to completion. Paul’s letter reflects his gratitude and a deep affection for the Philippians. He is confident that the good work God has begun in them will be completed.

This reading emphasizes the themes of growth in love, knowledge, and righteousness. It calls us to trust in God’s ongoing work in our lives and to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Christ.

In the gospel, John the Baptist’s voice cries out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. He calls for repentance and readiness to receive the salvation that God is bringing. The gospel introduces John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ. His call to prepare the way of the Lord echoes Isaiah’s prophecy and challenges us to repentance and renewal. John’s message is a reminder that Advent is a time to clear the obstacles of sin and indifference in our hearts, so that we can fully receive the Lord.

Together, these readings remind us that God’s salvation is both a promise fulfilled and a work in progress. We are called to prepare our hearts and lives for His ongoing work of restoration.

Reflecting on Paul’s imprisonment, we see a profound example of living in the present as a convergence of past gratitude and future hope. Despite being in a Roman jail, Paul’s letter is filled with joy. He’s grateful for the Philippians’ faith and confident in God’s plan for their future.

Christmas is only three weeks away. Hospital workers report that hospital wards are practically empty at Christmas time. No one wants to spend Christmas in the hospital, much less in jail. Christmas is a time of joy, and there’s no fun in a hospital bed or in a prison cell. Yet, Paul’s most cheerful letter to the Philippians was written from a prison cell. Paul was in detention in Rome, awaiting trial. Neither the uncomfortable conditions in the prison cell or the uncertainty of the outcome of the trial was enough to rob Paul of his joyful and cheerful disposition.

What was the secret of Paul’s unflagging optimism? No doubt, it was his faith in Christ. This faith is expressed in important attitudes: an attitude of gratitude in regard to the past and an attitude of confidence in regard to the future. This was the key to Paul’s cheerfulness even in the face of the present predicament.

We often talk about the virtue of living in the present, but what do we mean by the present? Is it this year, this week, this day, or this minute? The fact of the matter is that the present is a fleeting split second such that, before we get to think of it or mention it, is already passed into the past. We cannot freeze the present in order to live in it, because the present is always passing us by.

Maybe it is better to think of the present as the meeting point between the past and the future. Then we shall begin to realize that the way to seize the moment and to discover happiness in the present is to cultivate a positive attitude toward the past and toward the future.

Paul’s optimism resonates with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s insight, when he said, “Act as if everything depended on you. Trust as if everything depended on God.” Paul acted in faith, encouraging, teaching, and praying, while trusting entirely in God’s providence. This is the balance Advent calls us to: preparing actively while trusting fully.

Today’s world is filled with its own wilderness, uncertainty, divisions, and challenges. Like Jerusalem in Baruch’s prophecy, we long for restoration and peace. John’s call to prepare the way of the Lord is as urgent as ever. It invites us to clear the obstacles of sin and indifference, making room for God’s grace.

Like Paul, many find themselves in circumstances that seem to contradict joy. How can we be joyful in such moments? By embracing the attitudes Paul exemplified: gratitude for God’s past faithfulness and confidence in His future promises.

To live in the present means to recognize it as the meeting point of God’s past deeds and future promises. Gratitude connects us to the past, anchoring us in the moment, in the memory of God’s goodness. Confidence connects us to the future, trusting that He who began a good work in us will complete it. Together, these attitudes cultivate a joy that transcends circumstances: the joy of the Lord, which is our strength.

As we journey through Advent, let us heed John’s call to prepare the way. This preparation involves repentance, yes, but also active gratitude and hope. Let us, like Paul, find joy in the midst of our wilderness. Let us, like Jerusalem, cast off sorrow and wear the robe of righteousness. And let us, in the spirit of St. Ignatius, act with faith while trusting in God.

As we prepare for Christmas, may we clear the paths of our hearts, so that God’s glory may shine through us, for the God who began a good work in us is faithful and will see it through to completion.

May Jesus Christ be praised.

Living the Values of the Eucharist

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 2, 2024 — Year B
Readings: Ex 24:3-8 / Ps 116 / Heb 9:11-15 / Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, is a profound celebration in the liturgical calendar that invites us to reflect deeply on the mystery of the Eucharist.  This feast reminds us of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, a mystery that is central to the Catholic faith.  As we contemplate this Solemnity, several key reflections emerge.

At the heart of Corpus Christi is the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  This doctrine teaches that in the consecrated elements of bread and wine, Jesus Christ is truly present:  body, blood, soul, and divinity.  This mystery transcends human understanding, inviting us to approach it with faith and reverence.  The Eucharist is not a symbol, but a profound encounter with the living Christ who comes to nourish us and transform us.  The Eucharist is a manifestation of Jesus’ immense love and His ultimate sacrifice for humanity.

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist as a perpetual memorial of His passion, death, and resurrection.  Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are invited to enter into the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, to remember His love for us and to respond with our own love and gratitude.  The Eucharist is a call to live a life of self-giving love, mirroring the example of Jesus.

The celebration of the Eucharist also underscores the unity of the Church.  In receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we are united not only with Jesus, but also with one another.  The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity, drawing us together as the body of Christ.  It challenges us to overcome divisions, to live in harmony, and to work for the common good.  In a world often marked by fragmentation and discord, the Eucharist calls us to be instruments of peace and reconciliation.  As we receive Communion, we are united with Christ and with one another.  We become His body, His Church, His presence in the world.  We are called to be broken and poured out for others, just as Jesus was.

The second Vatican Council described the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life.  This means that all other sacraments and works of the Church are oriented towards the Eucharist, and from it they draw their meaning.  The Eucharist is the high point of our spiritual life, where we encounter Christ most intimately.  It nourishes us spiritually, strengthens us in our journey of faith, and sends us forth to live out the Gospel in our daily lives.

As we reflect on the Eucharist, let us ask ourselves, do we receive Communion with reverence and gratitude?  Do we recognize the presence of Christ in those around us?  Do we share our own lives, like the Bread of Life, to nourish others?

There is a story of a young woman who took care of her elderly aunt.  The aunt had inherited a fair amount of money from her deceased brother, but never mentioned it to anyone.  On her deathbed, she summoned her niece and said, “You have been so good to me, I want to reward you.  Take this frayed sweater of mine and wear it until you become rich.”  The niece expressed gratitude but was disappointed.  She felt her aunt could have at least left her a watch or a ring.  She buried the sweater in the bottom drawer of her bureau.  The aunt died.  A year later, the niece put on the sweater while she did some yard work.  She felt something in the sweater pocket.  She found a key wrapped in a note.  In the box unlocked by the key, she found that her aunt had given her legal title to a fortune of three hundred million dollars.

The moral of the story is that we often miss the treasures that are passed on to us, because we do not take time to look.  The application of this story to the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is the same.  We may miss the treasure of the Eucharist, because we do not take the time to look or reflect on this mystery.

Each year, the Church pauses to meditate on the Eucharist itself.  Though we celebrate the Eucharist each Lord’s Day, on this day we are drawn to ponder events and teachings about Christ.  We may not always pay attention sufficiently to the Sacrament dwelling at the core of our weekly experience.

Finally, the celebration of Corpus Christi is a call to live “Eucharistic-ly.”  This means that our lives should reflect the values of the Eucharist:  gratitude, self-giving, unity, and love.  We are called to be a Eucharistic people, living in constant thanksgiving for the gift of Christ and striving to embody His love in our interactions with others.  Our participation in the Eucharist should inspire us to be more Christ-like, to serve those in need, and to build a more just and compassionate world.

The Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ invites us to a deep reflection on the mystery of the Eucharist.  It is a celebration that renews our faith, strengthens our unity, and inspires us to live more fully in the love of Christ.  As we partake in the Eucharist, let us do so with reverence and gratitude, allowing this profound sacrament to transform us and guide us in our Christian journey.

Using Our Freedom

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 8, 2023 — Year A
Readings: Is 5:1-7 / Ps 80 / Phil 4:6-9 / Mt 21:33-43
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

The gospel this Sunday gives us the parable of the vineyard.  It is actually a disturbing parable because it refers to the rejection of the prophets and the Son of God by the people of Israel, the chosen people of God.  This ultimately led to the death of Jesus on the cross.

As the gospel suggests, the history of Christianity is a history of rejection.  It is a story filled with rejection.  If you look back through our history of salvation, God first sent prophets to be His servants in His vineyard, but they were killed by the so-called tenants of the Lord’s vineyard.  Later, God sent His only son thinking that the tenants might respect His son, but again, Jesus was hunted by the elders and the chief priests and was killed.

In 1978, a man flew to Cincinnati to attend the funeral of a man named Max.  For the past twenty years, Max had been like a father figure to this man.  There was nothing out of the ordinary about this except for the fact that as a fifteen-year-old, this man stole his mother’s car and killed Max’s five-year-old son just a few weeks before Christmas.

A shocked judge heard Max’s request that the charges be dropped soon after the accident. Instead, he wished to employ the death-car driver and assist him with his schooling.  Max accomplished all of this and more by essentially adopting the fifteen-year-old youth into his household.  Max opened his home, time, and compassion to the disturbed adolescent.  How could Max do this?  Why would someone befriend a youngster who had just murdered his five-year-old son?  Max must have been insane to go out of his way to become a father figure in this way.

In today’s gospel story, God is portrayed as a landowner who created a magnificent vineyard for His people to manage.  When harvest time arrived, He dispatched His servants twice, but they were all slaughtered.  The people wanted the entire harvest, not just a portion of it.  Again, the vineyard is Israel.  The planters are the Jews. The messengers, prophets, and leaders were meant to lead God’s people back to Him, but they were sometimes rejected and slaughtered.

Finally, He sent His son because He assumed they would respect Him, but they also killed Him.  He understood what was going on, but regardless, He sent His son.  God’s love for us is without condition, but as a consequence, the Jews lost their vineyard, and it was given to the pagans (us) who have received the faith in Jesus.

This parable is also a warning to all Christians, and to each of us personally.  Is being a Christian just fulfilling minimum obligations like going to Mass on Sunday, receiving Holy Communion?  This parable is also a warning to us Christians because we must accept God’s messengers: prophets, teachers, the hierarchy itself, the pope, and anyone who helps us read the signs of the times and see in them the loving hand of God who urges us to produce good fruits.

Heeding such messengers will immediately pinpoint areas of deep trouble in our weak faith:  immorality in the family, corruption in the government, and the scandalous injustices from top to bottom in our society today.  We cannot afford to become complacent and rest on our traditional forms of piety, hoping that being Christians will give us salvation.  The Jewish people were deeply religious too, and yet lost the kingdom, because their fruits were nowhere to be found.

The parable also teaches us a lot about God and how He relates to us.  First, we see the providence of God: “There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.” (Mt 21: 33a) Before God entrusts a responsibility to us, He makes provisions for all that we will need to carry out that responsibility.

The parable continues, “Then He leased it to tenants and went on a journey.” (Mt 21:33b) This shows God’s trust in us.  God does not stand looking over our shoulder, policing us and making sure we do the right thing.  He leaves the job to us and goes on vacation to a far country.  God trusts that we will do the right thing.  Unfortunately, many of us do not.

The story also highlights God’s patience with us.  God sends messenger after messenger to the rebellious managers who would not render to God His due.  With each messenger, God provides another chance for us to put an end to rebellion and to do the right thing.

Finally, there comes a last chance.  God plays His trump card, and He sends His only begotten son.  If we miss this last chance, we miss it for good.  In the end, we see God’s judgement in which rebellious humanity loses their very lives, and their privileges are transferred to others who are more promising.  The picture is that of a providing, trusting, patient, but also just, God.

From this we can learn about ourselves and how we stand in relation to God.  First, we see human privilege.  Like the managers of the vineyard, everything that we have is a privilege and not a merit.  This is what we mean when we say that everything is God’s grace.  Grace is an unmerited favor.  Life itself is a privilege which can be taken away from any of us at any time.  Privilege comes, however, with responsibility.  We are ultimately responsible and accountable to God for the way we use or abuse our God-given privileges.  God has given us all we need to make a judicious use of all our privileges, yet we retain the ability to abuse it.  This is called freedom.

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, as this parable is sometimes called, is a parable on the misuse of human freedom.  Let us today pray for the wisdom and courage never to abuse our privileges, but rather to make good use of all the privileges and opportunities that God gives us.

The Woman at the Well

Third Sunday of Lent
March 12, 2023 — Year A
Readings: Ex 17:3-7 / Ps 95 / Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 / Jn 4:5-42
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

For a few moments I’d like for you to put yourself in the place of the woman at the well in today’s story.  Imagine you’re her and you’re there.  It’s dusty and it’s hot, even in the shade.  The dust and the wind are hot, and they’re sticking to you because you’re sweaty.  You’re a long walk from the village. You’re alone.  The jars are heavy even when empty.

I am the woman at the well, and I swim in dirty waters.  I exist and I swim in the waters of this world, this culture. It can be a cesspool really. The world doesn’t love me; it doesn’t care about me. Society, the culture, they wish for my power as their own. I’m worth what I produce for it. My dignity is ambiguous, my morality is ambiguous, dependent on what others might see in me or gain from me, so I behave the same. This culture that corrupts me by bombarding me with its messages: consume, it’s your truth, love whomever you’d like, if it feels good do it, the baby is not a person, the old man is a burden. This culture that has shaped me is the same that will condemn me, shun me, ignore me, separate me whenever it seems helpful to it. Governments, business, academics, art, media, these can’t save me. I am the woman at the well, and I swim in dirty waters.

I am the woman at the well, and I am a cast away, rejected, shunned, alone with my sin and my pain. There’s a reason I’m at the well far outside of town, alone with the sun at its peak and the heat. I am a cast away. That’s because no one will be there, no one carries heavy containers of water in the heat of the day; they go in the early morning or the late evening when it’s cool. But me, I go when no one will be there, no one to deride me, no one to judge me, no one to make me feel worse about myself than I already do. No one can help me, no one cares, no one loves me. Do I even deserve love anyway? I just need to exist. I just need to get by. I am the woman at the well and I am a cast away.

I am the woman at the well and I doubt Him. Why talk to me? Why care about me? I am a woman, I am from Samaria, I’m a pagan. You don’t know me; You can’t know me. Everything about me is the antithesis of what someone like You would value. I float in sin. I doubt You can help me. You don’t even have a vessel, a container for the water, and my darkness is deep, too deep for You to reach. How could You sustain me for even a few moments, let alone eternally? No, this doesn’t make sense, this must be some trick. You must want something from me or wish to gain something by this encounter. I am the woman at the well and I doubt Him.

I am the woman at the well and I accept Him. Wait, He does know me. He really, truly, knows me. He knows my heart, hardened and despairing as it is. I’ve never met Him, and yet He softly identifies everything about my darkness. He dips deeply into my well of shame and loathing and somehow accepts it, accepts me. He accepts who I am. His grace is bigger than my past, much bigger. He’s met me in the dark and barren places of my heart where I am and offered me His love without requiring anything. And yet, I feel I want to return to Him somehow. I want to acknowledge this immense gift. I welcome His gift. It’s what I’ve unknowingly been seeking. He has risen me to pure living water. I’m unsinkable. I live. I am the woman at the well and I accept Him.

I am the woman at the well and I know Him. I’m not even going to haul the water back or the containers. I’m lighter than air now. I’m restored. My burdens lifted. My guilt and shame washed away. I’m floating. But what about the others? They don’t know, they can’t know. They swim in dirty waters. They are castaways. They doubt love. If they knew Him, they might be light. I must share. I must let them know, because even me, and all my darkness and brokenness and doubt, even me He loves and wants to save. You’ve got to meet Him. There’s nothing greater, nothing more important, nothing more beautiful. He is the living water, salvation, the Christ. I am the woman at the well and I want you to know Him.

His Coming in Gentleness

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
December 25, 2022 — Year A
Readings: Is 52:5-10 / Ps 98 / Heb 1:1-6 / Jn 1:1-18
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There was an inquisitive 4-year-old who happened to be rooted strongly to the “why” and “tell me” stage of life. The little boy was helping to sort out ornaments and said, “Daddy, what does ‘ignore’ mean?” The father explained, “Ignore means not to pay attention to people when they talk to you.”

Immediately, the little boy looked up at his father and said, “I don’t think we should ignore Jesus.” Puzzled, the father knelt closer to his animated son and replied, “I don’t think we should ignore Jesus either, son. I think we should give Him our full attention. So why do you say that we ignore Him?” “But daddy, that’s what the Christmas carol says: O come let us ignore Him.”

Kids sure say the darnedest things sometimes. But you know, brothers and sisters, often we actually get so caught up in the frenzy of preparations — parties, shopping, and decorating — that we appear to ignore the true meaning of Christmas and fail to prepare a place in our hearts to come and adore Him.

Let us adore the baby Jesus in the manger. A baby easily wins the heart and love of anyone with human feelings, but how much more does this baby win our heart and love? Imagine Jesus, the son of God and our savior, born in a stable and placed in a manger instead of a crib. When God comes, He usually comes in humility, silently and peacefully, without causing a great disturbance.

God’s humble coming in Jesus would not surprise us if we knew God better, but of course we will never know God sufficiently to understand. So, no matter how much we try to understand God becoming human in Jesus, we will not be able to comprehend. It will remain a mystery. The best reaction is that of the shepherds, simply to praise God.

So let us praise God now in our own words. As we look at the baby Jesus, we think of the mystery of God’s love for us, and ask ourselves: Why did God, who is almighty and all powerful, become small and powerless as a baby? Quite simply out of love for us. God became human so that we might become more like God. If Jesus had not come as a human like us, we might have had difficulty in believing God really loved us, but now we know for sure.

John the Evangelist says this is the revelation of God’s love for us: that God sent His only son into the world that we might have life through Him. This Christmas, brothers and sisters, let us thank God for revealing His love for us in Jesus, that He who is so big and powerful became so small and weak for us, that He became one of us to help us be more like Him, to have life through Him.

So, as we see baby Jesus in the manger, we reflect on God’s way being a way of gentleness and tenderness. God’s way is not one of violence, but gentleness. There’s a lot of goodness and love in the world but God is always tender and loving. As we look at baby Jesus in the manger, we see that He is the answer to today’s problems.

Instead of violence, in baby Jesus in the manger we see gentleness. Instead of hatred, in baby Jesus in the manger we see tenderness. Instead of selfishness, in baby Jesus in the manger we see love for us. So let us ask baby Jesus to help us to be gentle, tender, and loving with those around us, as He was in the manger.

Jesus in the manger gave us hope. In the darkness of our world His light has shone. His coming in gentleness encourages us to hold out the hand of reconciliation, to help one another, to work for peace. And we remember the message of the angels: Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace!

Gratitude Completes the Gift

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 9, 2022 — Year C
Readings: 2 Kgs 5:14-17 / Ps 98 / 2 Tm 2:8-13 / Lk 17:11-19
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

A story is told about a magical horse owned by a priest.  The horse would run only if the phrase, “Thanks be to God,” was uttered, and the horse would stop when it heard, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”  One day, a Protestant man borrowed the horse, and he was instructed in the magic words that were needed to make it run or stop.  The man said, “Thanks be to God,” and sure enough, the horse started to run, and when it was about to bump a tree, he said, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” and the horse stopped abruptly.  Then he let it run again, by saying, “Thanks be to God.”  He was enjoying the ride until he came near a cliff.  Unfortunately, he forgot the magic words to stop the horse.  He tried, “Our Father” – it did not stop.  “Amazing Grace” – the horse continued to gallop.  When the horse was almost to the edge of the cliff, he suddenly remembered the words, and cried out, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”  The horse stopped just in time.  The man sighed in relief, “Thanks be to God.”

Whatever happened to the other nine?  The nine lepers were cured and did not return to thank the Lord.  Leprosy was a terrible disease; terrible not only because it destroyed the body, but also because its victims were separated from their families and society.  There were very strict laws that prohibited lepers from mixing with healthy people.  Imagine the sufferings of the lepers.  I bet the cured lepers ran home to their families. They must have been thrilled beyond description.  There must have been some grand celebrations.

But why did only one return?  I’m sure all intended to return and thank the Lord.  Perhaps we can understand if we put it in modern day language, so here it goes.  Mary had to return home and clean the house; there were only men living there and the place was a mess.  Aaron arrived home just in time to save the harvest; he worked day and night.  Martha had to catch up on her favorite TV series.  David found his business in crisis and dedicated himself to getting it in order.  Amos returned to find his wife had remarried and moved away; he drank his pain away.  Peter lost his old job and was looking for a new one.  Anna headed back to thank the Lord but could not resist that sale sign in the shopping mall.  And so on.

So, there you go, brothers and sisters – excuses, excuses, excuses, all except Simon the Samaritan.  Jesus had given the sick the gift of life, and like any gift, it cannot be complete without a thank you.  Yes, we teach our children to say thank you.  We celebrate Thanksgiving each year as a national holiday.  We have a need to say thanks.

We celebrate the Eucharist each week, and the word Eucharist means thanksgiving.  A gift requires a thank you, not so much for the giver, but for the receiver.  The poet George Herbert wrote, “Oh God, you have given us so much.  Give us one more thing – a grateful heart.”  We see miracles all the time.  We have seen how many times people have been cured of diseases, sometimes with no logical medical explanation.  When people are sick or dying, they take their relationship with the Lord seriously.  Many return to the sacraments and change their priorities in life.  But when the crisis is over, some of them are never seen again in the church.

If we examine our lives, we can see God’s hand in so many instances and close calls.  We all have been touched by Jesus.  This Sunday, let us ask ourselves, “Have our lives changed as a result of the encounter?”  Are we like one of the nine, superficial in our relationship with Christ, except when we think we really need Him?  Or have we responded like the Samaritan?  Today we are reminded to be grateful for everything.  Gratitude is something that we cannot ignore at the expense of our decency and integrity.

The first reading, according the Second Book of Kings and the gospel of today, presents to us an attitude of gratitude. Naaman after being cured of leprosy and the Samaritan after being healed by Jesus.  Why is an attitude of gratitude to God crucial to the wholeness of mind, body, and spirit?  Apparently, to be made well, we must add thanksgiving to our faith.  The person who makes such acknowledgement experiences a salvation that goes beyond the merely physical cure.  It is a reorientation of the inner life.

How is our impulse to thank others related to our impulse to thank God?  What does gratitude contribute to our being made well in body, mind, and soul?  Why is it so important that Jesus would chastise those who didn’t value it?  Gratitude keeps us connected to the giver of the gift.  It helps us recognize the source of a gift.  Furthermore, it keeps us grounded in the value of the gift as we take it into new pursuits and places.  All good gifts come from God.

The attitude of gratitude keeps us focused on the source of life, love, and each new day.  Maybe when we acknowledge the source of love, we are more likely to share it with others.  Maybe that is why it is important enough for Jesus to lament its lack from the other nine.  So, brothers and sisters, we will not forget to thank the Lord for all the blessings that we have received in our lives.

May Jesus Christ be praised.

True Wealth

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 31, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Ecc 1:2, 2:21-23 / Ps 90 / Col 3:1-5, 9-11 / Lk 12:13-21
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp.  He picked it up, and a genie appeared.  “Because you have freed me,” the genie said, “I will grant you a wish.”  The man thought for a moment, and then responded, “My brother and I had a fight thirty years ago, and he hasn’t spoken to me since.  I wish that he would finally forgive me.”  There was a thunderclap, and the genie declared, “Your wish has been granted.”  The genie continued, “You know, most men would ask for wealth or fame, but you only wanted the love of your brother.  Is it because you are old and dying?”  “No way!” the man cried, “But my brother is, and he’s worth about sixty million dollars.” 

Brothers and sisters, in the gospel, a man asks Jesus to interfere and to help settle a problem in the family concerning the division of ancestral property.  He says, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”  In Jewish culture, as well as in many other cultures, to be chosen as mediator is something honorable.  Normally, people would ask someone to mediate because of the person’s good standing in the community.  Jesus appears to decline the invitation and gives the reason for His refusal when He says, “Take care to guard against all greed.  For though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”  The Lord suspects that this conflict about the inheritance is driven by greed, and He does not want to take part in it. 

Brothers and sisters, up through today, many family feuds are caused by a selfish interest in inheritance.   Because of a piece of land or property, siblings give silent treatment to one another, file civil lawsuits against each other, and in some situations, harm or even kill one another. 

To show his disgust with greediness, the Lord tells the parable of the man with the bumper crop, the man who built bigger barns to store up his harvest and secure his comfortable future.  He is called a fool by God.  Why?  What did this farmer do to displease God?  There is no sign that the man is dishonest or that he cheats others in order to gain more. 

However, if we read between the lines of the parable, we can tell that the farmer is wrong on at least two counts.  Number one, he celebrates bountiful harvests without being grateful.  He believes that he is successful in farming because of his own efforts.  Thus, he does not feel beholden to anybody, not even to God.  And second, he depends solely on material possessions for his security and happiness.  He believes that by becoming wealthy, his future is guaranteed.  The farmer in the parable is a fool, because he forgets that all of creation is from God. 

There is nothing that we can claim as our own in this world.  Even personal achievements cannot come without God’s grace.  We should remain grateful to God, because He is the reason for all our being and becoming.  The person who thinks he succeeds through his own effort only tends to become proud and selfish, while he who recognizes that every blessing comes from God tends to become humble and generous. 

Moreover, the farmer is foolish to think that his wealth alone would make him happy.  The experience of so many lonely, rich people is proof that possessions do not guarantee life and happiness.  In fact, there’s more to life than money and material things.  Love, friendship, intimacy, and other Christian values are essential for joyful and meaningful living.

In the days of King Solomon, there lived two brothers who reaped wheat in the fields of Zion.  One night, in the dark of the moon, the elder brother gathered several sheaves of his harvest and left them in his brother’s field, saying to himself, “My brother has seven children.  With so many mouths to feed, he could use some of my bounty.”  And then he went home.  A short time later, the younger brother slipped out of his house, gathered several sheaves of his wheat and carried it into his brother’s field, saying to himself, “My brother is all alone, with no one to help him harvest, so I’ll share some of my wheat with him.”  When the sun rose, each brother was amazed to find that he had just as much wheat as before. 

The next night they paid each other the same kindness, and they awoke and found their stores still full.  But on the third night, they met each other as they carried their gifts into each other’s field.  Each threw his arms around the other and shed tears of joy for his goodness.  And when King Solomon heard of their love, he built the temple of Israel there on the place of brotherhood. 

Brothers and sisters, what does it matter if you have all the riches in the world, but have no real friends?  What does it profit if you manage to get the bigger share of an inheritance, but lose a brother or a sister in the process?  Would not love and intimacy in the family be more important than a piece of property? 

In the first reading, the book of Ecclesiastes tells us that all things are vanity.  When death comes, all of our human achievements, including material possessions and honorific titles, will be left behind.  St. Paul, in the second reading, wisely admonishes that it is better to set our hearts on what pertains to higher realms and not on things of Earth.  What are these higher things that St. Paul is talking about?  What else, but the virtues that Christ our Lord would like us to have, such as love, compassion, generosity, mercy, and forgiveness.  These virtues will accompany us to Heaven, not our earthly honors or possessions. 

A New Day, a New Life

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 26, 2022 – Year C
Readings: 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21 / Ps 16 / Gal 5:1, 13-18 / Lk 9:51-62
by Rev. Jay Biber, Guest Celebrant

This was a week like no other, with the big elephant in the little living room: major cultural shifts.  And to many of us, what came down from the courts is not necessarily friendly.

There were three decisions that came down from the high court.  The first one was about the second amendment. The second sort of gets blocked out, about faith in education.  It was a case brought from the state of Maine, in which the county agreed to pay for public or private schools, as long as there was no religion involved.   Parents challenged the decision that no religion could be involved.  The court’s ruling stated that as long as a full education was offered, public funding could be used regardless.  So, we’ve all learned that it’s very important for Catholic parents to keep a close eye on education.

The third one on Friday has to do with the whole culture of life.  I think of all of your prayers that have been going up for these forty-nine years since January of 1973, for an end to abortion and to respect the dignity of every human being from moment of conception to moment of natural death.  That’s the first right, after which all other rights follow.

The Supreme Court decision does not mean an end to abortion.  It was more of a judicial thing that says we took a case forty-nine years ago that was not settled law.  In fact, it overturned state law for most of the states in the country and almost guaranteed an ongoing controversy.  And so it returns to the states, for those of us who consciously wish to establish that culture of life in which every life is welcomed.

When I visit the nursing home and see the person whom I once knew in the prime of life, ranting and incontinent – no, you’re not a vegetable!  You’re never a vegetable; you’re a human all the way to the end of your natural life.  We don’t interfere with that.  And you are human from the moment of your conception.

So, it’s up to us going forward, because in Virginia nothing has changed between Thursday and Saturday.  To work for that right to life is still what lies before us.  It has just been brought back to the state level now.  The feeling was that the judiciary had been too activist – they had taken too active a role in what should have been up to the people at the polls to decide, not the unelected judge, so it wasn’t a constitutional issue.

I have the sense that you are probably getting hammered by those who know you are Catholic, because not everybody out there is friendly to what we stand for.  Like in the early Church, in some ways we stand alone.  I hope to give you a couple of things that you can say, because I don’t want to see you unequipped or defenseless.  I want to see you with some words that you can believe in.

Long ago, as early Christians, we separated ourselves, often at the cost of life and limb, from the Roman Empire, and it was remarked upon by commentators and historians, that all these Christians don’t want to abort their children and they don’t expose their children.

What was common under the Roman Empire was that children who weren’t wanted were put out where the animals were, or in the forest, or on the roof overnight.  Of course, many of them didn’t survive.  That was called exposing, and if they survived, the family would often take them back.  Christians didn’t do that.

And I suspect that it was because we were taken from all walks of society, and we recognized that since Christ came for all, and since all were made in the image and likeness of God, and that since Christ had taken on flesh, that means that I have to treat their lives with enormous respect.

I always love first confessions.  You know when the kids come in, and some of them have very keen consciences, and some not so much.  But I always remind them that God loves you and that you are not here by accident.  You’re not some cosmic waste; you’re here for a reason (although they may not know it yet), but you’re not here by accident.  And so, it opens us up early on, hopefully.  From the beginning we stood apart, regardless of how the empire went, and regardless of how the empire goes now.

This is in the future and I don’t have a crystal ball for you.  Whatever happens, we’ll stay the same.  Now we think it’s a great way to live.  It is profoundly liberal, because it says there’s room for you.  We don’t know how we’re going to put that extra plate at the table, but there’s room for you.  That’s the best of the word “liberal” – an openness to the unexpected, an openness to what God’s doing that I may not be completely in touch with.

So, not only do I go back to the beginnings of things, I go back to when my own life began, which wasn’t the day that I appeared to the world in August of 1947.  I’m guessing it was around Thanksgiving time the year before when my life first began inside my mom.  She didn’t know I was there.  Dad didn’t know; I guess God was the only one who knew.  But what I know now that I didn’t know then is that even at that point, I was a person.  I had a right to life.  I was a human being.  And now we know scientifically that I even had my own DNA.  My mother was the one who carried me, but I wasn’t her, I wasn’t a part of her in that sense.  I was dependent on her, but I was not her; I was somebody different.  And that’s what we keep saying – the baby is somebody different, and the baby deserves that protection.  We speak of the baby because maybe our first experience of faith was to think of a baby, because babies are voiceless.

A number of different numbers come to mind as I reflect back.  The number 49.  The number 43.  The number 95.  Forty-nine years ago, when I had just quit the seminary, I had been in for ten years – high school, college in Rhode Island, where I am from, and then over to Belgium for my graduate work for three years.  Times were sort of wild in 1972; it was a crazy, crazy time.  I said to myself that I had too many reservations, so I left the seminary, stayed in Europe after being in Belgium for three years where it was always cloudy and gray.  I needed to clear out the cobwebs, so I hitchhiked down to the south of Spain and worked there for six months, got some sun, and then hitchhiked up to Switzerland where I waited on tables in the Alps and was a ski bum for six months before coming back to the states.

It was during that time that the Roe ruling came down.  Of course, it was not on my radar, so I knew nothing about it.  I only heard about it later on, and life has a way of coming full circle. After a business career I was drawn back to the priesthood, and I moved from Boston down to Virginia and was ordained here.  There I became involved in the Pro-Life movement, because once I began to think about it, I said, “This can’t be.”

And on a day like today, I think of those in parishes throughout the world who are praying.  I think of all those Marches for Life rarely covered by the news media and the longest peaceful protest in history.  All those people who said, “This ain’t right.”  In a culture that doesn’t have an attention span of 49 seconds, this is 49 years and that March for Life becomes like a great family reunion every year.  It’s sort of like Woodstock without the dope – it’s the same average age as Woodstock was.  There’s a sense of ‘we need to be here.’  And of course, now that is reversed and sent back.  I think of all the people who have gone before us during those forty-nine years and those whose prayers, in this respect, have been answered.

Think of the number 43.  There was no long history, no constitutional right to abortion.  It was a very activist decision because the laws of 43 states were changed by this, overnight.  And that was hard to swallow.  So, this time around, the court says it is not constitutional – it must be taken back to the people.

I think of the number 95, for it was 95 years ago, not far from here in Amherst and Charlottesville – that the Supreme Court case was Buck v. Bell, dealing with involuntary sterilization of imbeciles, feebleminded, and people who were ‘less.’  It was the eugenics movement.  It eventually got exported to the Third Reich.  The eugenics movement – some lives are worth more than others – who would breed and who wouldn’t.  And that Supreme Court, perhaps the most illustrious of all time, came down to permit it.

All the way up to the 60s, thousands were victims of involuntary sterilization, and that Supreme Court consisted of luminaries.  Former President Taft was on it, and perhaps the most well-known of all Supreme Court justices, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis Brandeis.  This is a list of the greats, and they came out 8 to 1 in favor of eugenics.  Now it had to get overturned and was overturned in the 1940s, when we saw what it wrought.  But the one dissenter, which sort of struck me, was the one Catholic justice.  He was raised not in the lap of luxury, not with a silver spoon, but in a log cabin in Minnesota with ten other kids in the family.  Somehow, he knew.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I feel very inadequate.  The first time around we didn’t have the words; we didn’t know what to say.  Perhaps when you get confronted, maybe we can begin to get the words now.  What I always ask is if a baby is a baby is a baby, and I was who I was before my mom knew I was there.  Science tells me that.  I wasn’t part of Mom in that sense.  I was who I was.  The other thing I say is when you look at much of this back and forth is that nobody talks about Baby.  And I simply say, “Who speaks for Baby?”  You’d expect Mom to be the one to speak for Baby, but if not, we will.  Keep Baby at the center of the conversation.

Listening to today’s gospel, I would say put this on my tombstone.  Where he says to Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go.  And Jesus says, “Foxes have dens and the birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head.”  That to me, is the great romance of the priesthood, or trying to follow Christ, I think for all of us.  To eventually let go of all the little props and little securities that I need, and to turn myself over completely to Him.  Where the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head, there is no security but Him.

This is a chance for us to move forth, to say no, we think a culture of life is a great thing, and yes, we may have to revise the whole sexual revolution.  We may have to revisit that and say that it was not such a great idea.  Look at a lot of the results.  Now we may have to go back and do a lot of work, but the battle is always Christ’s, and so may we be graced with all the fruits of the spirit in going forth.

Gratitude and Confidence

Second Sunday of Advent
December 5, 2021 — Year C
Readings: Bar 5:1-9 / Ps 126 / Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 / Lk 3:1-6
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

The season of Advent is a time for us to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  In our gospel today, on this second Sunday of Advent, we hear John the Baptist preparing the people for the coming of Jesus, a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.  Make his path straight.” (Lk 3:4). We hear these familiar words of John the Baptist calling all people to conversion.

Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians in our second reading today, reminds us of three wonderful things.  First, Saint Paul reminds us of the joy of the Lord. (more…)