Gospel, Homily and Coffee

The Birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as a human, reveals true power! Power is love. Power, love, is the capacity and the desire to do good for others, and also the action of doing good for others. God gave of God’s very self to become human. Jesus Christ gave of his very self to forgive, to heal, to welcome. The Son of God gave of his very self to die on the cross. The Father raised him up, not to lord it over us, but to show us Love.  The Father forgives us; for our own good. How mindful are we of this love? This Way of Power and Love that Jesus reveals and calls us to, is the way of that brings true joy into our world, and into our lives. This way of power and love of Jesus brings reconciliation and peace between people and communities. This way of power and love can bring to us freedom from so much that causes suffering in our lives. How mindful are we of this? See, I think this feast of Christmas and this feast of the Holy Family...

There is a great scene in Genesis, after Adam and Eve eat from the tree, and because of their action, they must leave paradise.  If we remember, they had clothed themselves in leaves so as to hide themselves from God. God, after declaring the consequences of their choice, then clothed them in real clothes.   It is a touching scene, that even though these humans broke their relationship with God, God still cared for them and gave them protection. God still protects us.  God gives us new clothes.  Not made from animal skins, the Father gives to us Christ to clothe ourselves in. He is the Light that illumines our lives. Jesus shines the light that Humanity is good, all human life is good and deserves dignity and respect, whether it is the unborn child or someone at approaching a natural death.  Life is good. Jesus illumines the reality that a full life is one in which is always directed outward, towards others.  A full life is one of ...

Have we ever stopped and considered, pondered, contemplated, been amazed at just how we got here or anywhere? I mean, how did a boy, from a very small town in hillbilly Ohio get to here, in Reno, speaking to all of you; many of whom are not from here either? We walk really, a very winding, crooked path.  And the amazing and frightening part...it’s not over yet. The Genealogy and this entire Gospel passage capture this.  God created history, and God directed history, using a whole assortment of people with all kinds of histories, and quirks.  The path was never smooth nor never easy. History reached its high point in Jesus, the Son of God being directly born into history.  Not to end history, but to continue direct it.   I think of the many histories gathered here tonight, not just a boy from Ohio, but people from Korea, Manhattan, Wisconsin, Seattle and so many other places; and of course from Reno and Nevada, and that God has woven us togethe...

The First reading and our Gospel give us a great contrast of characters, and point to a truth of Jesus’ Incarnation and Salvation. King David was the greatest of Israel’s kings.  Yet he began as the lowly seventh son and the shepherd boy, not destined for anything. God raised him up to become the King who would unite all the tribes of Israel. The great King who then got lazy, arrogant, petty.  The man who would go back and forth with God, pious and righteous, and then a bloody man defying all. Isn’t David the archetype of the human condition? Mary, and Joseph, humble people as well, chosen and raised by God to bring forth the promise of God into the world. They remained faithful to the end who endured much. They are the ideal human persons; the potential of us all; the archetype for human nature. Salvation means being truly human. Salvation means being truly as God, since we are created in God’s own image. The incarnation reveals to us that God surr...

It’s dark a lot and it’s cold.   It can seem as if the country, if not the world is all loco. People we know are hurting because of illnesses and depression. People struggle in the cold because they have no decent shelter. We can feel so much pressure to have that “Christmas Spirit” and so we do everything we think we have to. And here we are...Gaudete Sunday, 3rd Sunday of Advent, celebrating Joy! Our Readings call us to this!  To Rejoice! How?  What is this Joy? Consider what we prepare for, Christmas. This is God being born as human.   This is the Son of God being born as human.   This is God’s desire that we know God is with us. God is for us, always.   There is nothing that we can do to lose God’s love and there is nothing we can do to make God love us more. God loves us perfectly. Joy comes when we accept this reality, and to let it sink into our minds and hearts. Joy comes when in the midst hardships, chaos, whe...

Something a little different today...

There is that common sense phrase:  “Don’t run away from, but always run to something...” The idea that it’s not enough simply to stop or leave something behind, we need a goal, a place to grow into, we need to move toward something. It’s in one of my favorite songs by the Avett Brothers  “Weight of Lies” - The weight of lies will bring you down And follow you to every town 'cause Nothing happens here that doesn't happen there When you run make sure you run To something and not away from 'cause Lies don't need an aeroplane to chase you anywhere (btw, christian spirituality is subtly present in many of their songs.) This wisdom exists in our Catholic Faith and I think is deeply connected to Christmas, and to our salvation. We leave behind sin to move towards freedom/salvation, to being truly human. This is John the Baptist and Jesus Christ in our gospel. We are given a prelude into John the Baptist in the gospel today.  He preaches r...