O come, o come, who?

Advent is a time of preparation. But just what are we preparing for? Are we preparing for December 25, a period of 24 hours when we exchange presents, spend time with family and friends, go to church, and overeat? Or are we preparing for a person, the second Person in the Trinity?

Is Christmas about gifts, fun, or Christ, the Word incarnate? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16). Are the gifts evil? No. But do we let them get into the way of our preparation for Christ? The gifts will only last so long. The food will only fill us for so long. But Christ will be here for eternity.

Many times this season we will sing, “O come, O come, Emanuel”. But where are we asking him to come to? Are we “captive Israel” that is calling to be ransomed for? If so, what is it that is keeping us captive? What is it that we need Christ to save us from, so that he can come in all the more?

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I am going to Nicaragua tomorrow until the following Saturday, Dec 16. Please pray for those of us from the seminary going. I hear there is an internet cafe in the area of our hotel, so I will post updates as I can...

Have a happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!!

Immaculate Conception

December 8, 2006

Feast of the Immaculate Conception
A Holy Day of Obligation

A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the eleventh century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the eighteenth century it became a feast of the universal Church.

In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

Comment:

In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.

Quote:

“[Mary] gave to the world the Life that renews all things, and she was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.

“It is no wonder, then, that the usage prevailed among the holy Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature. Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the splendors of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is, on God’s command, greeted by an angel messenger as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

from: http://americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1223

Whooooaaaaaa... you're going too fast...

The only place that we will ever find God is right here. Fr Mark Toupes

In seminary, it is so easy for the priesthood to become your goal. That day of your ordination becomes a dream just like one’s marriage does when he or she finds love. Years ahead of time, the day is already planned—the place, the people, the words to be said, etc. But in doing so, we can so easily get caught up in a time that does not exist. Of this, Fr Toupes told us at the seminary that God will be present on the day at your ordination, but he is not there yet. That day does not yet exist. What does exist is the here and now. And that is precisely where God is. But if you are not “present in the present moment”, how can you ever notice God.

At the Annunciation, Mary had to have been “present in the present moment.” She was visited by an angel unexpectedly and told that she was to become the Mother of God. What Gabriel did not say was, “think it over and let me know when you decide.” Rather, she answered right then and there saying yes.

With that “Yes”, Mary was able to overlook any dreams and aspirations she had for herself. She had to forget about any troubles that she had or that she knew she would have due to becoming the Mother of God. She had to be willing to give up everything at the drop of a dime.

What is it that we have holding us back from being “present in the present moment”? What do we need to lose so that we may slow down and find God where he is? Is God going too fast for us, or are we going to fast for God? All he is asking of us is to simply slow down and pay attention. If you drive too fast on the highway, you may miss the State Trooper on the side of the road. Yet, if you slow down, you will see him. But what’s the worry then since you won’t have anything to settle with him. Just slow down and say, “Here I am Lord”. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

SEARCH emotions...

So this weekend was SEARCH. It was my second one ever (both times being on staff as a seminarian). But I must say that this one was by far better than the first.

However, the effects didn’t really set in until evening prayer Sunday night. While sitting in adoration before prayer began, I finally read my affirmation cards from the weekend. This was when the emotions came out. That’s right, I had some teary eyes as I found out just how much of a role model I truly am to some of them, affirming a reason for me being at SEARCH—to witness to the love of God through the celibate life (simply put, seminarians can have fun too!).

So yeah, anyone here at the seminary who saw me Sunday night may have thought I was a basket case (or at least something rough has happened) due to my emotions every time I seriously begin to reflect back on this past weekend’s SEARCH retreat. But I guess right now I can echo the words of Janet Self, a first time “searcher”, who said, “I am one of them now”.

But could I really ask for a better way to have ended this weekend? I returned to seminary for a night of silence and reflection on the coming Advent Season. Brooke Engle, another first time “searcher” said, “Today is a new day.” This is so true because with the beginning of Advent, not only do we start a new season, one recalling the incarnation of the Word, but we also start a new Liturgical year. This really is a restart, a reboot. No, I didn’t go into the weekend looking for a new start, like many probably were. Rather, I was merely looking for a reboot or preparation for my finals this week. But I ended up finding so much more, thanks to the many who participated.

Am I on a spiritual high right now? Probably. Will it last? Who knows… All I can do is, as Fr Mark Toupes said tonight, shut up and “be present in the present moment”.