Follow that Star!

As a celebrant of a 4pm Christmas Eve Mass, even I have to smile for joy at this little pageant. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

H/t to Scott Miller, for pointing me to a new blog, Church Marketing Sucks.

God Shows Up

What is the greatest thing God has ever done? What is the greatest thing God has ever done for you? What is the reason that we celebrate this great feast today?

The answers to these questions are actually all the same.

God showed up.

The greatest thing God has ever done is showing up.

The greatest thing He has ever done for me is to show up.

The reason that we celebrate Christmas is that God shows up. This is not just a simple “birthday” celebration for Jesus. Rather, we are celebrating the fact that Christ has been born – that God has become human and is born in time. In other words, we celebrate the fact that God showed up – not just all those years ago in Bethlehem, but also each and every day in each and every Christian. He is present, here, among us now.

This is the joyful message that the angels brought to those shepherds; it is the same joyful message that Saint Paul sent to his friend, Titus; and it is the same joyful news that I announce to you tonight as the herald of the Gospel at Mass: Jesus Christ is born! He is with us! God showed up!

This presence is the “reason for the season.” Jesus, our “Emmanuel,” God-with-us, enters our world as a humble child. This presence brings with it the fulfillment of all the hopes of humanity – oneness, wholeness, unity with God and with one another. It is all about presence. Ask any child what Christmas is about, and they can tell you: “It’s about the presents!” Well, not that sort of “presents,” but rather “presence,” with an “-nce.”

But this presence is not just some “feel-good” thing. Instead, that presence is an impulse for each of us to go out ourselves and “be present.” The traditional hymn, Adeste, Fideles, commonly translated “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” actually and literally means “Be present, ye faithful.” It’s a command to not only be present and recognize Jesus’ presence here and now in our lives, but also to be present to others.

In other words, we must show up too!

This is Saint Paul’s point in our Second Reading. As he encourages his friend Titus, he writes, “The grace of God has appeared, saving all” – that is, God showed up – but this grace is not something that we hoard, collect or cling to. Rather, we receive that grace and become “eager to do what is good.” That means that we too, taking our example from the marvelous action of God, go out and are present to each other and to all. We bear that presence of Christ, which is itself grace, to the world.

This Christmas, we remember again that Jesus Christ was born in time, in a stable in Bethlehem. We also are reminded that, while this is a significant event in human history, it is not an event confined to history. Jesus comes to us now – each day, in many ways. Here, He comes to us again in humility – not in swaddling clothes, but in the simple form of Bread and Wine.

God shows up here at our altar in the Eucharist. Again, the greatest thing that God has done, the greatest thing that God has ever done for us – that is, the gift of His Son – is again present to us in a real, tangible way as we come forward and present ourselves for Holy Communion.

As we, perhaps, put forth our hands to receive, we say in effect, “Here I am, Lord. I have shown up.” As we receive Christ in the Host and Cup, He says to us, “Here I am as well. I have shown up.” In that intimate, holy moment, we get a taste of what it was like that night in Bethlehem as the shepherds followed the road to the manger.

At this Christmas Mass – indeed, at every Mass – we celebrate this greatest thing that God has ever done: Jesus Christ. Tonight, we remember that he showed up, but not just long ago to a choir of angels and the visit of shepherds. He shows up now, for us; and He calls us to show up as well.

So, “come, all ye faithful.” Come, be present to your God, born in time as a humble child, present here in the Holy Eucharist, and reigning forever in glory in heaven. Rejoice, for our Savior is among us!

God has shown up!

Now, we are sent forth to our world, which eagerly awaits our presents – and our presence. The greatest thing we can do now is exactly what God has done for us.

We can show up for them!

Voting Green

I am a fan of all things green (go figure). One of our local churches here in Baltimore is trying to go green as well. St. Mary, Star of the Sea, is one of our historic parish churches that was built to nurture the faith of Irish immigrants as they settled in Baltimore in the mid 19th century. The church stands in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, and its spire rises to a blue beacon that has long signaled safe harbor to sailors arriving in Charm City. My sister lives in this parish, and I got to celebrate her wedding here, as well as baptize my niece here. As parishes in many dioceses are starting to face the tough reality of shifting demographics and the possibility of closing or consolidation, we need to also see the good that is going on there still. This "green roof" is an example that even in the city we can show our concern and stewardship for God's creation.

The parish is part of a campaign to win a green roof for their school building. Right now, they are a distant second to a horse farm (isn't there plenty of grass there anyway?), but you can help by voting and encouraging your friends to vote. One can vote each day, and there are 11 days left in the campaign. So, share this message and the link.

Faith has an impact on life only if we put it into practice. Otherwise, it sits dormant. Care for the environment is a relevant way to put our faith into action. God gave care of this earth over to us, and our stewardship of that creation says much about how we view our role as cooperators with the Father.

UPDATE:

Seems there's more to the greening trend in Baltimore. Another parish here in the Archdiocese, St. Paul in Ellicott City, is planning an evangelization center with its own green roof. They're inching to third in a tight race for second. I'd love to see one of our parishes get this roof - donated by a company that is looking to make a difference. Check them out too.

"I Hope Someday You'll Join Us..."

This week, many will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, who was shot outside his New York hotel on the evening of December 8, 1980. I can remember being at Skateland in Columbia, Maryland, that following Friday evening and the DJ honoring the fallen singer - "For those who remember him, remember him well." - and he played John's song, "Imagine."

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

The song speaks of hope, of peace and of longing – longing for what we are all capable of – unity and wholeness. To the jaded, the song is a naïve dream – and unrealizable goal that will only leave us disappointed. But to an eight-year-old kid skating in circles that Friday night at the rink, it made complete sense – even if I had no idea who John Lennon was.

This Second Sunday of Advent offers us the same sort of dream – one rooted in who we are as the People of God. Isaiah, speaking for God, tells of the coming Messiah, who will bring peace and unity to the world. All those things that divide us will be as nothing, and “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.”

You may say Isaiah’s a dreamer, but he’s not the only one. Saint Paul knows the power and hope that his faith offers him: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We continue St. Paul’s prayer even to this day, as we join together at Mass, praising God and offering ourselves to His service and the service of all.

As Vocations Director now, I also can seem naïve and overoptimistic when I visit our parishes and tell them that I am certain that God continues to call young men and women to this same service in the Church. I know that there are potential priests sitting here in these pews, week after week – right next to you perhaps (and maybe even you!). I know that these same young men and women can find true fulfillment and happiness in following that vocation, if only we would open ourselves to God and encourage them.

And so, I am here asking you all to imagine. Imagine those people whom you know who you think would make a good priest or religious. What are the qualities you admire in them? How do they let you know God’s goodness? Imagine talking to them about the possibility that God has called them to the Priesthood or religious life. Imagine them stopping and saying that they had thought about it but no one had ever said anything. Imagine that your comment or invitation was all it took for them to seriously explore a vocation to Priesthood or the convent.

And then, imagine a young man – sitting in these pews now – returning to this altar and offering Holy Mass for you and your children and your grandchildren. Imagine him, just like John the Baptist, calling us again to “prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.” Imagine the love of God being made tangible through his gift to the Church. It isn’t hard to do.

And finally, imagine a Church in which we all were convinced that God loves us and has a real purpose for each one of us; and that in embracing that purpose, we discover profound joy. That is what “vocation” is all about. That is what we are all about. Our God is intimately involved with us and even calls us to happiness through the person He made us to be – priest, sister, husband, wife, mother, father, disciple.

Thank you all for your prayers for Priestly vocations and vocations to the consecrated life. Please, continue to pray that God raise up from these pews – here at St. Pius X – good, holy and energetic priests and brothers and sisters who will continue to remind us that living out our lives in service to God and the Church is not just some dream but a reality that brings true happiness to us and those around us.

Just imagine!

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one