We are Seekers: The Epiphany of the Lord 2026

                                                              We are Seekers:

The Epiphany of the Lord 2026 

January 4, 2026

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Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-6; Matthew 2:1-12

 

The Christmas picture is complete as the magi from the East come to the crib to pay homage to the Christ child. The Christmas creches have all the pieces in place with these three final figures and their camels. The story is crucial for the Christian faith because it is the moment when all the spiritual seekers of the world are welcomed into God’s realm. Humankind pauses to humbly honor God and to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over existence. For those who are searching, it is a meaningful moment to gaze upon the infant and to know they are with God. 

 

Christians think of Epiphany as the event in which all the nations of the world meet the God of Israel. The magi are depicted as wise men, perhaps astronomers, who show wisdom by seeing through the deception of Herod and choosing not to associate with the man. They do not make a scene. They do not give any power to Herod. They simply disregard Herod and make their own way home. 

 

The story is about us and about all who seek God. We really do want to know if God knows us and remembers us. We all want that God moment when our hearts are overjoyed just as the wise men were when they saw the star. We want to know that God touches our lives, and through this story, we are given a clue. God’s presence is almost undetectable. It is gentle, soft, tender, and is experienced through our senses. God’s voice is spoken through invitations, whispers, nudges, and memories, and when we experience it, our hearts and senses brighten with joy. God came to us through a vulnerable child who needed our love to sustain him and nourish his life. Our lives depend upon this love exchange. 

 

Very many people seek God but might not have the religious language. Those who are weary of religion remain spiritual seekers and they want the same experience that we want and often get. Religion would be more attractive if it paid less attention to rules and teachings and spent more time teaching people who to pray, how to notice God’s presence in one’s life, or how to discern the spirits that guide us through life. People want to know the meaning of life. They want to know that they matter. They want to know that they belong. How can we let people know they matter and that we like them and want to care for them? 

 

          Imagine the good we could do for the world if we recognized that each person we pass by fundamentally wants to know God. People take different paths throughout life and sometimes they are not ready, but our disposition towards them can help them realize they belong. Everyone wants to belong and feel accepted. This is one of the reasons we return home to our families for holidays because they, act like God, even in their dysfunctional state, they will take you in and accept you just because you are one of them, one of us. No one deserves to feel lonely. No one needs to feel alone or on the outside. Epiphany is the moment in which God reveals to us that you matter, you belong, and God becomes very vulnerable to you, and wants your acceptance. God asks, “Will you pick up the child and hold him, please?” By doing this, God wants to hold you and embrace you in all your vulnerabilities. 

 

          Epiphany says to us: God is here. God is here for you. God embraces you as you reach back to God. This is the moment in which thin space that separates humans from the divine is penetrated and blessed with a kiss. Go forth, with your vulnerabilities, and know that the world is full of seekers and that is a place of privilege. When we seek God, we often find God right by our side. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (1 John 3) We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

 

Tuesday: (1 John 4) Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us.

 

Wednesday: (1 John 4) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

 

Thursday: (1 John 4) If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

 

Friday (1 John 5) Who is the victor of this world? The one who believes in Jesus, who came through water and Blood, and the Spirit testifies to him.   

 

Saturday (1 John 5) We have confidence that if we ask anything according to his will, God hears us.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 4) He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

 

Tuesday: (Mark 6) When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late.

 

Wednesday (Mark 6) After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. 

 

Thursday (Luke 4) Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

 

Friday (Luke 5) It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 

 

Saturday (John 3) Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned.

 

Saints of the Week

 

January 4: Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious (1774-1821), was born into an Episcopalian household where she married and had five children. When her husband died, she became a Catholic and founded a girls’ school in Baltimore. She then founded the Sisters of Charity and began the foundation for the parochial school system in the U.S. She is the first native-born American to be canonized.

 

January 5: John Neumann, bishop (1811-1860), emigrated from Bohemia to New York and joined the Redemptorists in Pittsburgh before being named bishop of Philadelphia. He built many churches in the diocese and placed great emphasis on education as the foundation of faith.

 

January 6: Andre Bessette, religious (1845-1937), was born in Quebec, Canada. He joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross and taught for 40 years at the College of Notre Dame. He cared for the sick and was known as a intercessor for miracles. He built St. Joseph’s Oratory, a popular pilgrimage site in Canada.

 

January 7: Raymond of Penyafort, priest (1175-1275), was trained in philosophy and law and was ordained in 1222 to preach to the Moors and Christians. Though he was appointed bishop of Tarragon, he declined the position. Instead he organized papal decrees into the first form of canon law. He was later elected Master of the Dominican Order. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• January 4, 1619: The English mission is raised to the status of a province. 
• January 5, 1548: Francis Suarez, one of the greatest theologians of the church, was born at Granada. 
• January 6, 1829: Publication of Pope Leo XII's rescript, declaring the Society to be canonically restored in England. 
• January 7, 1566: Cardinal Ghislieri was elected pope as Pius V. He was a great friend of the Francis Borgia and appointed Salmeron and Toletus as apostolic preachers at the Vatican. He desired to impose the office of choir on the Society and even ordered it. He was canonized as St. Pius V. 
• January 8, 1601: Balthasar Gracian was born. A Spanish Jesuit, he wrote on courtly matters. He is the author of "The Compleat Gentleman" and "The Art of Worldly Wisdom." 
• January 9, 1574: Fr. Jasper Haywood died at Naples. He was superior of the English mission. As a boy he was one of the pages of honor to the Princess Elizabeth. After a brilliant career at Oxford, he renounced his fellowship and entered the Society in Rome in 1570. An able Hebrew scholar and theologians, he was for two years professor in the Roman College. 
• January 10, 1581: Queen Elizabeth signed the fifth Penal Statute in England inflicting heavy fines and imprisonment on all who harbored Jesuits and Seminary priests.

Somos Buscadores: La Epifanía del Señor 2026

                                                           Somos Buscadores:

La Epifanía del Señor 2026

4 de enero de 2026

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Isaías 60:1-6; Salmo 72; Efesios 3:2-6; Mateo 2:1-12

 

La imagen navideña se completa cuando los magos de Oriente llegan al pesebre para rendir homenaje al niño Jesús. Los belenes navideños tienen todas las piezas en su lugar con estas tres últimas figuras y sus camellos. La historia es crucial para la fe cristiana porque es el momento en que todos los buscadores espirituales del mundo son bienvenidos al reino de Dios. La humanidad se detiene para honrar humildemente a Dios y reconocer su soberanía sobre la existencia. Para quienes buscan, es un momento significativo contemplar al niño y saber que están con Dios.

 

Los cristianos consideran la Epifanía como el evento en el que todas las naciones del mundo se encuentran con el Dios de Israel. Los magos son representados como sabios, quizás astrónomos, que demuestran sabiduría al ver a través del engaño de Herodes y optar por no asociarse con él. No hacen un escándalo. No le otorgan ningún poder a Herodes. Simplemente lo ignoran y regresan a casa por sus propios medios.

 

La historia trata sobre nosotros y sobre todos los que buscan a Dios. Realmente queremos saber si Dios nos conoce y se acuerda de nosotros. Todos anhelamos ese momento de Dios en el que nuestros corazones se llenen de alegría, como los Reyes Magos al ver la estrella. Queremos saber que Dios toca nuestras vidas, y a través de esta historia, recibimos una pista. La presencia de Dios es casi imperceptible. Es gentil, suave, tierna y se experimenta a través de nuestros sentidos. La voz de Dios se expresa a través de invitaciones, susurros, empujoncitos y recuerdos, y cuando la experimentamos, nuestros corazones y sentidos se llenan de alegría. Dios vino a nosotros a través de un niño vulnerable que necesitaba nuestro amor para sostenerlo y nutrirlo. Nuestras vidas dependen de este intercambio de amor.

 

Mucha gente busca a Dios, pero quizá no domine el lenguaje religioso. Quienes están cansados de la religión siguen siendo buscadores espirituales y desean la misma experiencia que nosotros deseamos y a menudo obtenemos. La religión sería más atractiva si prestara menos atención a las reglas y enseñanzas y dedicara más tiempo a enseñar a la gente a quién rezar, cómo percibir la presencia de Dios en la vida o cómo discernir los espíritus que nos guían. La gente quiere conocer el significado de la vida. Quiere saber que importa. Quiere saber que pertenece. ¿Cómo podemos hacerles saber que importan, que los apreciamos y que queremos cuidarlos?

 

          Imagina el bien que podríamos hacer por el mundo si reconociéramos que cada persona con la que nos cruzamos desea fundamentalmente conocer a Dios. Cada persona toma caminos diferentes a lo largo de la vida y a veces no está lista, pero nuestra disposición hacia ella puede ayudarla a darse cuenta de que pertenece. Todos desean pertenecer y sentirse aceptados. Esta es una de las razones por las que volvemos a casa con nuestras familias para las vacaciones, porque ellas, actuando como Dios, incluso en su estado disfuncional, te acogerán y te aceptarán solo porque eres uno de ellos, uno de nosotros. Nadie merece sentirse solo. Nadie necesita sentirse solo o excluido. La epifanía es el momento en que Dios nos revela que importas, que perteneces, y Dios se vuelve muy vulnerable a ti y desea tu aceptación. Dios pregunta: "¿Podrías cargar al niño y sostenerlo, por favor?". Al hacer esto, Dios quiere sostenerte y abrazarte en todas tus vulnerabilidades.

 

          La Epifanía nos dice: Dios está aquí. Dios está aquí para ti. Dios te abraza cuando te acercas a Él. Este es el momento en que el tenue espacio que separa a los humanos de lo divino es penetrado y bendecido con un beso. Avanza, con tus vulnerabilidades, y recuerda que el mundo está lleno de buscadores y que ese es un lugar privilegiado. Cuando buscamos a Dios, a menudo lo encontramos a nuestro lado.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Lunes: (1 Juan 3) Pertenecemos a Dios, y quien conoce a Dios nos escucha, mientras que quien no pertenece a Dios se niega a escucharnos. Así es como conocemos el espíritu de la verdad y el espíritu del engaño.

 

Martes: (1 Juan 4) Amados, amémonos unos a otros, porque el amor es de Dios; todo el que ama es engendrado por Dios y conoce a Dios. Quien no ama no conoce a Dios, porque Dios es amor. Así se nos reveló el amor de Dios.

 

Miércoles: (1 Juan 4) Amados, si Dios nos amó así, también nosotros debemos amarnos unos a otros. Nadie ha visto jamás a Dios. Sin embargo, si nos amamos unos a otros, Dios permanece en nosotros y su amor se perfecciona en nosotros.

 

Jueves: (1 Juan 4) Si alguno dice: «Yo amo a Dios», pero odia a su hermano, es mentiroso. Pues el que no ama a su hermano a quien ve, ¿cómo puede amar a Dios a quien no ha visto?

 

Viernes (1 Juan 5) ¿Quién es el vencedor de este mundo? El que cree en Jesús, que viene por el agua y la sangre, y el Espíritu lo prueba.

 

Sábado (1 Juan 5) Tenemos confianza en que si pedimos alguna cosa conforme a su voluntad, Dios nos oye.

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Mateo 4) Recorrió Jesús toda Galilea, enseñando en las sinagogas de ellos, y predicando el evangelio del reino, y sanando toda enfermedad y toda dolencia en el pueblo.

 

Martes: (Marcos 6) Al ver la multitud, Jesús sintió compasión por ellos, pues eran como ovejas sin pastor; y comenzó a enseñarles muchas cosas. Ya era tarde, y sus discípulos se acercaron y le dijeron: «Este lugar está desierto y ya es muy tarde».

 

Miércoles (Marcos 6) Después de que los cinco mil comieron y se saciaron, Jesús hizo que sus discípulos subieran a la barca y lo precedieran a la otra orilla, hacia Betsaida, mientras él despedía a la multitud. Y después de despedirse de ellos, se fue al monte a orar.

 

Jueves (Lucas 4) Jesús regresó a Galilea con el poder del Espíritu, y su fama se extendió por toda la región. Enseñó en las sinagogas y fue alabado por todos.

 

Viernes (Lucas 5) Sucedió que en uno de los pueblos donde estaba Jesús había un hombre lleno de lepra; y cuando vio a Jesús, cayó sobre sus pies, le suplicó y dijo: «Señor, si quieres, puedes limpiarme».

 

Sábado (Juan 3) Jesús y sus discípulos fueron a la región de Judea, donde pasó un tiempo con ellos bautizando. Juan también bautizaba en Enón, cerca de Salim, porque allí había abundancia de agua, y la gente acudía a bautizarse, pues Juan aún no había sido encarcelado.

 

Santos de la semana

 

4 de enero: Elizabeth Ann Seton, religiosa (1774-1821), nació en un hogar episcopaliano, donde se casó y tuvo cinco hijos. Al fallecer su esposo, se convirtió al catolicismo y fundó una escuela para niñas en Baltimore. Posteriormente, fundó las Hermanas de la Caridad e inició la fundación del sistema escolar parroquial en Estados Unidos. Es la primera estadounidense de nacimiento en ser canonizada.

 

5 de enero: John Neumann, obispo (1811-1860), emigró de Bohemia a Nueva York y se unió a los Redentoristas en Pittsburgh antes de ser nombrado obispo de Filadelfia. Construyó numerosas iglesias en la diócesis y dio gran importancia a la educación como fundamento de la fe.

 

6 de enero: André Bessette, religioso (1845-1937) , nació en Quebec, Canadá. Se unió a la Congregación de la Santa Cruz y enseñó durante 40 años en el Colegio de Notre Dame. Atendió a los enfermos y fue conocido como intercesor de milagros. Construyó el Oratorio de San José, un popular lugar de peregrinación en Canadá.

 

7 de enero : Raimundo de Peñafort , sacerdote (1175-1275), se formó en filosofía y derecho y fue ordenado sacerdote en 1222 para predicar a moros y cristianos. Aunque fue nombrado obispo de Estragón, declinó el cargo. En su lugar, organizó los decretos papales en la primera forma del derecho canónico. Posteriormente fue elegido Maestro de la Orden de los Dominicos.

 

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 4 de enero de 1619: La misión inglesa es elevada a la categoría de provincia.
• 5 de enero de 1548: Nace en Granada Francisco Suárez, uno de los más grandes teólogos de la Iglesia.
• 6 de enero de 1829: Publicación del rescripto del Papa León XII, declarando que la Compañía queda canónicamente restaurada en Inglaterra.
• 7 de enero de 1566: El cardenal Ghislieri fue elegido papa con el nombre de Pío V. Fue un gran amigo de Francisco de Borja y nombró a Salmerón y a Toletus predicadores apostólicos en el Vaticano. Deseaba imponer el oficio de coro en la Compañía e incluso lo ordenó. Fue canonizado con el nombre de San Pío V.
• 8 de enero de 1601: Nació Baltasar Gracián. Jesuita español, escribió sobre asuntos cortesanos. Es autor de "El caballero perfecto" y "El arte de la sabiduría mundana".
• 9 de enero de 1574: El hermano Jasper Haywood falleció en Nápoles. Era superior de la misión inglesa. De niño, fue paje de honor de la princesa Isabel. Tras una brillante carrera en Oxford, renunció a su membresía e ingresó en la Compañía de Jesús en Roma en 1570. Hábil erudito hebreo y teólogo, fue profesor del Colegio Romano durante dos años.
• 10 de enero de 1581: La reina Isabel firmó el quinto Estatuto Penal de Inglaterra, que imponía fuertes multas y prisión a todos los que albergaran a jesuitas y sacerdotes del seminario.

Photo: St. Theresa Church, West Roxbury

 

Poem:“The Promised One, the Expected One, the Messiah” by Ann Weems

 We’ve heard that the people of the time 

had certain ideas about the Promised One, 

thought the Expected One would be born in a palace 

or come down from Heaven on a cloud, 

never expected the Messiah 

would be sent as a baby to people like Mary and Joseph …

Our question is this:

What is our expectation?

What promise do we hold in our hearts?

Who is this Messiah born to us?

Photo: festivities at St. Cecilia Church

 

Poem: “The Time of No Room” By: Thomas Merton

 Into this world, this demented inn, 

in which there is no room for God at all, 

Christ has come uninvited. 

But because Christ cannot be at home in it, 

because Christ is out of place in it, 

Christ’s place is with those others 

for whom there is no room.

 

God’s place is with those who do not belong, 

who are rejected by power 

because they are regarded as weak,

those who are discredited, 

who are denied the status of person, 

who are tortured, bombed, and exterminated.

 

With those for whom there is no room, 

Christ is present in the world. 

Christ is mysteriously present in those for whom 

there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst … 

it is in these that God is hidden 

for whom there is no room.

Photo: The Hearth

 

This is Our Family: The Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus 2025

This is Our Family:

The Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus 2025 

December 28, 2025

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

 

I am certain that many homilies today are in support of refugees, displaced persons, and immigrants, and rightly so. Our care for our brothers and sisters is of paramount importance, and they comprise our holy family, which is the reason for today’s feast. I want to first comment of the underlying systems that cause displacement. We first must start with Herod, the man whose kingship felt threatened by the birth on a child, and I ask this question: What could love have done if we had loved in time? 

Herod grew into an insecure man who consolidated his tenuous power, and because of his self-doubt, killed thousands of innocent children in the hopes of eradicating all enemies and sent many into exile. In his childhood development, what happened? Did he not receive the proper love to settle his anxious ambition? I think of the inseparable relationship between love, power, and justice. Without love, power becomes tyranny; justice is rule for the strong. Without power, love is reduced to sentimentality. Without justice, love is an odd dance of domination. 

The question stands: What could have happened to Herod if he had been sufficiently loved to settle his anger? And today, who are the Herods in our lives that we need to love so fully to calm one’s rage or insecurity? Love is the only power in this world to halt the progress of evil in its tracks. This is hard work to do, especially when those Herods enrage us. The lives of many people hang in the balance.

The church asks us to see one another as brother and sister, especially the poor and those in great need, like immigrants. This is the holy family. Our Christian love, truly lived, breaks down every barrier, unites strangers, reconciles enemies, and brings close those who were distant. This is awesome. Our love has the power to convert the hearts of the Herods of our time, even if it seems impossible. We need our love to be without limits. We are the church, and the Church that sets no limits to love produces miracles.

God’s gift to us at Christmas is God’s very presence: Emmanuel. God is with us. No one is excluded from that love. Not a soul. God does not divide people into categories. It is time for us to break down our divisions, move away from rigidity and idealism, and find our common humanity in one another. There is not a person who is not saved already. Christ already saved us when he accepted the Cross. There is nothing we can do to change the course of salvation history. God’s consciousness is much bigger than you can ever imagine. You are in God’s heart, mind, and memory – forever – and ever – and ever. I hope you can fully receive that felt knowledge of God’s personal love for you – the one that beholds you with joy, that admires you for all the good you have done, that honors you for touching the lives of so many people. Because we belong to God, we belong to one another – as gifts to be cherished and honored and shared – with great dignity. 

We must be God’s love in action. We must be the love that reconciles, the invites, that affirms and even converts the hearts of our Herods. We must bring love to places where love has been absent. We must bring love to places where love once existed and now is no more – in broken relationships. We must be the love that leaves the church walls and sanctuaries to encounter those who hunger – those who do not have faith, those who have left because of disappointment, those whose hearts are heavy or damaged, those who are blinded by power. I must examine my consciousness to see if I have sufficiently received the love of God and the love of others. I don’t want to be a Herod. Is there a place in my life where I need to transform anger and judgment and replace it with love? Do I have the courage to give love a chance? It may indeed save lives; it will certainly save souls. 

We are invited to be God’s presence to those who seek greater meaning. We are to harness the power of God’s love and set this world on fire, and we shall know, with deep assurances, that God is truly with us. We shall know that God more than sufficiently loves us. 

Poem: Somehow not only for Christmas, John Greenleaf Whittier

 Somehow not only for Christmas

But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad.

Photo: Old Tyme Christmas Tree

 

Poem: Christmas Prayer (Moonless darkness stands between) by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

 Moonless darkness stands between.

Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem star may lead me
To the sight of Him who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and always,
Now begin, on Christmas day.

Photo: Merry Christmas

 

Spirituality: Joan Chittister, OSB in Becoming Fully Human

Jesus came to us as a child so that we might come to understand not only that nothing we do is insignificant, but that every small thing we do has within it the power to change the world.

Bethlehem-Bound: An Advent of Connection and Conversion

 by John Predmore, SJ

During Advent, it is easy to see ourselves as pilgrims on a journey to Bethlehem. We vicariously walk with Joseph and Mary as they take part in their civic duty. Instinctively, we have an impulse to slow down and to keep life simple while a frenetic world swirls around us. We yearn for silence and stillness in subdued moments so we can raise our awareness of the deeper story that unfolds in our faith.

Once we are Bethlehem-bound, we cannot let ourselves engage in the world’s turbulent pace. We know we must look up at the stars and ponder the Advent mysteries. We want to follow the star that leads to our Savior’s nativity. We are impelled to kneel at times to acknowledge the hardships of that first perilous journey of a young pregnant woman and her husband to the City of David. We seek to connect with the God who makes all things possible.

Advent is a season of connections. Joseph connects with his tribe in Bethlehem, Elizabeth greets Mary; the wise sages travel to see this soon-to-be born king; and John the Baptist leaps for joy. We, too, experience the expectation that Advent brings. Christmas comes every time we see God in other persons. We know that the human and the divine meet in Bethlehem, but also with the greetings of baristas in the coffee shops, the chance encounters with friends in the department store, and in the smiles from the stranger who wishes us goodwill.

We also seek profound connections in the retelling of stories of conversion and metanoia, a transformative change of heart. This is the season of Ebenezer Scrooge really seeing Tiny Tim Cratchit as a person of dignity for the first time, and the green Grinch learning from the poor, but wise, Cindy-Lou Who. We, too, know people who need their hearts softened and enlarged. We know others who cannot even see the poor and the suffering. And we know still others who, unhappy in their lives, cannot see a path forward, people who are miserable and need hope, redemption, and reformed worldviews. In this season of heart-softening tenderness, we prepare to hold the infant in our arms anew.

As much as it is a time of solemn joy, many do not share this. Yet Christmas is determined to come. It comes in the face of hatred, war, and violence. It comes despite prejudice and discrimination. It comes amid hurt, betrayal, and rejection. We know that there is no disaster that is shocking enough, shattering enough to stop Christmas from arriving. No, Herod cannot stop Christmas. No malice or ill-will, nor any force on earth, can halt the progress of this saving event.

There will always be a Tiny Tim, a Cindy-Lou Who, a little drummer boy who can look up and see the guiding star. Someone will hear the angels’ voices and will believe. A young man may let go of a grudge and come to know peace and goodwill. A little boy may sense a mystery during a spell-binding train ride, while a young woman may sit silently in grateful tears as she realizes that somehow, in ways she cannot explain, Christ knows her and cares for her. God will come for us. Christ will be born.

Advent opens for us a night of promise, a night of welcome, gathering us into a circle of love in which we welcome an infant, held in a mother’s embrace and guarded by a father’s protection. This boy gives us a gift: ourselves. He gives us ourselves to enjoy, with pride and honor, and calls on us to generously share who we are with others. He gives us a community where our hearts can soften enough to hold joy — even leap for joy.

Photo: Christmas Presents

 

Poem: Advent Poem, by John of the Cross, O. Carm.

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the Holy and say,
“I need shelter for the night.
Please take me inside your heart, my time is so close.”
Then, under the roof of your soul,
you will witness the sublime intimacy,
the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever,
as she grasps your hand for help,
for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us.
Yes, there, under the dome of your being,
does creation come into existence eternally,
through your womb, dear pilgrim,
the sacred womb of your soul,
as God grasps our arms for help:
for each of us is His beloved servant never far.
If you want, the virgin will come walking down the street,

pregnant with Light, and sing! 

Photo: Christmas Letters

 

Poem: “Listen, Daughter” Visigothic Prayer; 7th century

 Listen, daughter, and behold: 

you have become a daughter of your Son, 

handmaiden of your Child, 

mother of your Creator, 

bearer of the most high Redeemer.

The King has fallen in love 

with the splendor of your beauty 

and has deigned to prepare for himself 

a most pure dwelling in his world.

Obtain for us, therefore, from him 

who, taken by longing for you, made you his mother, 

to pour into us the wondrous sweetness of desire for him,            

so that we remain dedicated to his service in this life,

and our journey o’er, without chaos, we arrive   

with him who was born of you.

Photo: Christimas Choral Singing

 

Poem: “For the Time Being” by W. H. Auden

 Since Adam, being free to choose,

Chose to imagine he was free

To choose his own necessity,

Lost in his freedom, Man pursues

The shadow of his images:

Today the Unknown seeks the known;

What I am willed to ask, your own

Will has to answer; child, it lies

Within your power of choosing to

Conceive the Child who chooses you.

Poem: “They’ve Come to Sing in Your Honor” by William F. Jabusch. (Our Lady of Guadelupe)

They’ve come to sing in your honor 

from the desert and the forest,

From valleys deep in the mountains, 

they make a joyful chorus.

They’ve brought their drums and their dances, 

ancient ways their parents taught them;

Their village saints and their banners, 

ev’ry group made sure they brought them.

 

O Mother dark and lovely, 

hear the poor who come with their song;

Lead them into Jesus’ kingdom 

where they truly do belong.

 

From Vera Cruz and Nogales,              

from old Taxco with its fountains,

Tehuantepec, Zacatecas, 

and Durango in the mountains;

They come from humid Tampico, 

Matamoros near the river,

From ranchos deep in Sonora 

where the cottonwoods still quiver.

They dance to show they love you, 

out of faith and deep emotion,

They offer flowers and candles 

as a sign of their devotion.

The children run and are laughing; 

all are sure that you still love them,

While parents weep out of gladness, 

                                for your picture’s there above them. 

Spirituality: Henry David Thoreau in Walking

...So we saunter toward the Holy Land, till one day the sun shall shine more brightly than ever... shall perchance shine into our minds and hearts, and light up our whole lives with a great awakening light, as warm and serene and golden as on a bank-side in autumn.

Do the Right Thing: The Fourth Sunday in Advent 2025

                                                      Do the Right Thing:

The Fourth Sunday in Advent 2025 

December 21, 2025

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Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

 

This Gospel passage features the importance of Joseph’s role in salvation history. He is portrayed as a righteous man who did the right thing. He said “yes” just as Mary said “yes,” and the events of the incarnation could unfold. Joseph could have been virtuous by quietly divorcing Mary and saving his own family’s dignity. He would have been justified and upheld as a virtuous man. He knew by faith that he could not reject Mary because our faith does not allow us to reject those in great need. Joseph learned that he had to be obedient to God. 

 

St. Paul in the second reading tells us that Jesus Christ saved us through the obedience of faith, and he had to learn it somewhere. Jesus learned it from Joseph of Nazareth, a man in the line of David. It was right that Jesus was born into Joseph’s family because he was the right man to teach him the obedience necessary for salvation. This obedience is learned by being in relationship to the God of Israel. This obedience calls for the importance of heeding one’s own conscience.

 

We have seen in life that fear begets more fear, and the opposite is true. Courage is contagious. We are emboldened when we see someone act heroically because we are then more likely to act courageously. It merely takes one person to do the right thing, and others will come along. Think about the U.S. Bishops Conference coming together as a unified body to represent the situation of immigrants. Courage is contagious. Doing what is right is fulfilling the obedience of one’s faith. What might you do to help correct a wrong in society or within your family?

 

          This week we have seen abhorrent killings: Jews in Sydney who were enjoying Hanukkah, students at Brown University studying for exams, an influential movie director and his wife, an MIT professor, and a local man convicted of his wife’s murder. These are tragic and gut-wrenching. It is difficult to enjoy the lightness of Advent with the sobriety of these tragic events. In the face of these challenges, we need people to rise with courage and do the right thing. We need the average person who will say “enough” and become our hero. The world is filled with too much violence. We need a culture of encounter. We need a culture of peace. We need the energy of love to rise that will halt the progress of evil in its tracks. 

 

          We therefore look to Joseph as a model. In the face of honor or shame, he chose honor. He took the more difficult route because it was the right way to go. He looked with understanding upon Mary and her unborn child and had a heart large enough to care for them both. The mystery of love means that the more we love, the more we can love and the more we have to give. It cannot be exhausted. It is exponential. We have an enormous capacity to love and this ability allows us to do the right thing. We need to tap into this potential when we find ourselves in stress or tension or in situations that seem dark. This love will lead us to a brighter day. Just ask Joseph. My friends, my prayer for you is: May you have courage. The world needs your good heart. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Judges 13) A barren woman was visited by an angel to receive the message that she would bear a son. She named him Samson and he spirit of the Lord stirred within him.  

 

Tuesday: (Isaiah 7) This is the sign that you will be given: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be named Emmanuel.

 

Wednesday: (Song of Songs 2) My lover come, springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a young stag. Arise my beautiful one. Come.  

 

Thursday: (1 Samuel 1) Hannah presented her son, Samuel, to the Lord. She left Samuel to grow as a servant of God.     

 

Thursday: (Isaiah 54) Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear, break forth in jubilant song you who were not in labor.    

 

Friday: (Acts 6) Stephen worked great wonders among the people and adversaries debated with him fiercely. They threw hit out of the city, stoned him, and laid him at Saul’s feet.  

 

Saturday: (1 John) What we heard, and saw with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands, concerns the Word of life.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 1) Zechariah, on priestly duty, and his wife, Elizabeth, prayed fervently. An angel visited them to announce that they would bear a son, who was to be named John. 

 

Tuesday: (Luke 1) The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a son who would become the savior of the world. He shall be named Emmanuel.

 

Wednesday (Luke 1) Mary set out to the hill country to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah. When she entered the house, Elizabeth recognized that Mary was pregnant with the Lord.

 

Thursday (Luke 7) Jesus asked: Why did you go out to see the Baptist? He is the greatest of men born to women.   

 

Monday: (Matthew 10) Jesus said, “Beware of men who will hand you over to their courts and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be led before governors and kings.  

 

Tuesday: (John 20) Magdalene ran to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciples to tell the news that Jesus has been removed from the tomb. In fear, they ran to see the tomb.

 

Saints of the Week

 

December 21 - O radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.

 

December 21: Peter Canisius, S.J., priest and religious (1521-1597), was sent to Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, and Switzerland during the time of the Protestant Reformation to reinvigorate the Catholic faith. He directed many through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. He is a doctor of the church for his work in bringing many people back to the faith.

 

December 22 - O King of all nations, and their desire, and keystone of the church: come and save us, whom you formed from the dust.

 

December 23 - O Emmanuel, our king and giver of the Law, the hope of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, Lord our God.

 

December 24: ERO CRAS

In the Roman Catholic tradition, on December 23, the last of the seven “O Antiphons” is sung with the “Alleluia” verse before the Gospel reading at Mass and at Vespers – Evening Prayer in the Divine Office/Breviary. Most ordinary Catholics, however, are more accustomed to hearing these antiphons as verses in the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

But the literary construction of these wonderful antiphons is arranged in a unique and surprising way: The order of the seven Messianic titles of the “O Antiphons” (and the seven verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”) was fixed with a definite purpose. 

In Latin, the initial letters of the antiphons – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia – form a reverse acrostic – a play on words – ERO CRAS, which translates into English as “Tomorrow, I will be.”

So, in the silence of Christmas Eve, we look back on the previous seven days, and we hear the voice of the One whose coming we have prepared for – Jesus Christ – speak to us: “I will be here tomorrow.”

 

December 26: Stephen, the first Martyr (d. 35), was one of the seven original deacons chose to minister to the Greek-speaking Christians. The Jews accused him of blasphemy. Though he was eloquent in his defense, Saul of Tarsus condoned his death sentence. 

 

December 27: John, Apostle and Evangelist (d. 100), was the brother of James and one of the three disciples to be in the inner circle. He left fishing to follow Jesus and was with him at the major events: the transfiguration, raising of Jairus' daughter, and the agony in the garden. He is also thought to be the author of the fourth gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• December 21, 1577. In Rome, Fr. Juan de Polanco, secretary to the Society and very dear to Ignatius, died. 
• December 22, 1649. At Cork, Fr. David Glawey, a missionary in the Inner and Lower Hebrides, Islay, Oronsay, Colonsay, and Arran, died. 
• December 23, 1549. Francis Xavier was appointed provincial of the newly erected Indian Province. 
• December 24, 1587. Fr. Claude Matthe died at Ancona. He was a Frenchman of humble birth, highly esteemed by King Henry III and the Duke of Guise. He foretold that Fr. Acquaviva would be General and hold that office for a long period. 
• December 25, 1545. Isabel Roser pronounced her vows as a Jesuit together with Lucrezia di Brandine and Francisca Cruyllas in the presence of Ignatius at the church of Sta. Maria della Strada in Rome. 
• December 26, 1978. The assassination of Gerhard Pieper, a librarian, who was shot to death in Zimbabwe. 
• December 27, 1618. Henry Morse entered the English College at Rome.