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In the second reading, St. Paul notes his nearness to death. Reflecting on his life, he writes, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). He compares the experience of life as a race with the destination of Heaven.

When it comes to praying during the Mass, Mary at the foot of the cross, fully receiving the sacrifice of Christ, can be a model for us. Seeking to unite our hearts to Mary’s heart can help us enter more deeply into the mystery.

1. Recognize Your Mission is Beyond Your Might 2. Remember the Promise of Power 3. Rely on the Intercession of Mary 4. Receive the Strength From the Holy Spirit & Fulfill the Call 5. Repeat!

Sweet 5-year-old Megan was sent to her room again for mischievous behavior. But this time, I had a plan. I quickly ran back down the stairs and exclaimed, “Mom, God spoke to me!” My mom asked, “Really Megan, what is it that God said to you?” I responded with a deep, thundering voice, “Megan, you do not need to go to your room.” I thought God’s voice would be something unfamiliar and loud. I thought God needed to yell at me from the outside for me to hear Him, as if God was far off or I had seriously impaired hearing. I had failed to discover the generous gift of my Baptism. God is so close to us.

It’s piercing that Thomas lacked faith to believe in the resurrection. He was an apostle. He saw Jesus heal people, raise people from the dead, cast out demons and multiply food. He was with Jesus when Jesus taught in parables and was a part of the select group of people that Jesus explained His parables to. He lived with Jesus for three years. He received the gift of the Eucharist at the last supper. He heard Jesus prophesy about His death and resurrection. He was told the good news of the resurrection from his brother disciples. If anyone should have believed the testimony of the disciples about the resurrection, shouldn’t Thomas have?

In his encyclical Redemptoris Missio, Pope Saint John Paul II writes, “The ultimate purpose of mission is to enable people to share in the communion which exists between the Father and the Son.” [1] There is a communion which exists between the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son live in deep relationship with each other. This communion and relationship of love between them is a person, the Holy Spirit. With the gift of salvation, Jesus enables us to share in His communion with the Father.

In the Old Testament, God reveals Himself as a relationship of giving and receiving love that overflows in a tender love for man that is both fatherly and spousal.

Kierkegaard, in his work about the virtue of faith, writes “There were countless generations who knew the story of Abraham by heart, word for word, but how many did it render sleepless?” [1] The faith of Abraham is absolutely heroic. A pondering of the witness of Abraham is convicting–it can keep one up at night, opening our hearts more and more to receive the fullness of the gift of faith that Jesus has for us.

A powerful prayer can be declaring in faith the truth of who God is through the words of scripture. The devil, through speaking lies, tempts us to doubt and distrust God. By proclaiming in faith the truth of God, lies about Him lose their stronghold in our hearts—trust in God is restored and strengthened. Declaring in faith the truth of God even brings about real transformation in the circumstances of our lives—it aligns us to God’s will and unleashes the truth of God’s promises.

At the end of the gospel today we heard, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil.” (Luke 6:45) From these lines, we see the importance of the interior conversion of the heart. The goodness or evilness of the heart is the determining factor as to whether one’s life will be good or evil.

From the Gospel of Luke, Jesus ends His discussion of love for enemies by saying, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36) In the Gospel of Matthew, it is recorded that Jesus ends this same discussion by saying, “Be perfect, just as your Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) This variance in wording can help us uncover the relationship between mercy and perfection.

This past week, we celebrated the 121st anniversary of Jan Tyranowski’s birth. Although a largely unknown man, I chose Venerable Jan Tyranowski as the Catechist Patron for the St Peter’s Faith Formation Catechists this year.

In the first reading, we heard of a vision from the prophet Isaiah of angels praising God in heaven. We join this heavenly prayer of the angels in the first part of the prayer of the Sanctus at Mass when we pray “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory.”

We heard in the second reading that, “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). This invitation of love includes being patient and kind towards yourself.

Imagine yourself in the synagogue in Nazareth, as one of the people from the town in the crowd. You see Jesus and remember what he was like as a little boy. You know his family as fellow members of your community of worship. You see him diligently searching through the scroll of Isaiah until he begins to read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

As was proclaimed in the Gospel reading, Jesus listened to the voice of the Father say to Him, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Through the gift of baptism, we become adopted children of God – we too become the Father’s beloved.

On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May of 2018, I visited the Church of The Nativity in Bethlehem. This church marks the location of the cave where Jesus was born. For the specific spot of Christ’s birth, there is a golden star engraved on the ground that people reverently kiss.

Mary sought to understand why Jesus remained at the temple rather than returning home to Nazareth. Christ responded, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” (Lk 2:48-49). Christ knows he is a Son of God the Father and labels his relationship as filial. Christ wondered why his parents were searching for him. Of course, he must be in his Father’s house, that is where sons belong. Obviously, he was with his Father at the temple—a place where Joseph and Mary would bring him to partake in the liturgical rituals of offering sacrifice and praise to the Father, a place where Jesus himself was taught to pray to His Father. 

In these last few days of advent, I invite you to reflect on the mystery that Mary “gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

This past confirmation class, we discussed the importance of forgiveness. Forgiveness can be challenging, yet Jesus says, “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these” (Jn 14:12).