Whenever someone makes a plan of action, the first thing that is thought of is the goal. Once one knows the goal, a plan can be made to reach that goal. Today’s feast is a celebration of one of the steps in God’s plan of salvation. The goal of that plan, as we all know, was the Incarnation.
The Incarnation was not simply static event, something that is often referred to as...
When we are healthy, prosperous, self-confident, even simply young, calling the Lord our rock may seem interesting but hardly relevant. We’re more likely to think of ourselves as indestructible, able to do whatever and whenever we wish. In such periods it is easy to forget how radical our dependence on God is, even though we may actually pray it in words. To genuinely know what it means...
The text from the prophet Isaiah for today speaks of a God who destroys death, wipes away the guilt of the people, and saves the people who have deliberately turned away and embraced false gods. To some this would seem an absurd notion, to our human understanding that God – the Lord of lords, would still be faithful to us after all we have done - why would God come to us, again and...
One of the seven Great Antiphons chanted in the Church in the last days of Advent is, “O Radix Jesse.” O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples, before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer. Come and deliver us, and delay no longer. This ancient prayer addresses Jesus using a Messianic title found in the writings of the prophets of...
The season of Advent is actually divided into two distinct parts. The first part begins with the First Sunday of Advent and comes to an end on December 16th at which time we start preparing ourselves for the celebration of Christmas. During the first part of Advent, the Church concentrates our attention on what is often referred to as the Second coming of Christ. We are led through the...