Nothing Is Impossible With God! Mary and Elizabeth Rejoice!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

4th Sunday in Advent, Dec. 20, 2015

Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson, AZ

Last Sunday, the Church celebrated “Gaudete Sunday,” where we were invited to rejoice because we had come past the halfway mark of Advent, and Christmas is near. 

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Luke 1:39-45). As we prepare for the Birth of our Lord, this last Sunday of Advent once again gives us a time to rejoice. 

In today’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-45), we hear that Mary, pregnant with Jesus, makes a journey to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, carrying John the Baptist.

Having learned the lesson that nothing is impossible with God, both Mary and Elizabeth rejoice because they  discovered that God had a unique plan for each of them. Even though they did not fully understand God’s plan and purpose, they rejoiced because they recognized that God had called them to participate in His plan of salvation.

By responding to God’s call to holiness, Elizabeth would become the mother of the last prophet, John the Baptist, and Mary would become the Mother of God. 

As we think about today’s Gospel and the gift of Christmas, let us remember that as Elizabeth and Mary rejoiced together, we too are called to rejoice. 

As Mary and Elizabeth were called to share in God’s plan for their lives, each one of us also is called to uniquely participate in God’s plan for our lives.  

Every one of us was born into this world for a special purpose, and today’s celebration calls us to discover what is our purpose. For it is only when we follow God’s will for our lives, that we will share in the same joy that Mary and Elizabeth experienced.  

Every human being has a mission. And, today’s Gospel calls us to reflect on what  mission God has prepared for us. Some of us are called to a vocation of marriage or religious life. Others are called to be fruitful in the single life. Some are called to be fathers or mothers. Some are called to a certain job or profession. Yet, in whatever we do, all of us are called to glorify God! All of us are called to live in God’s grace. Each one of us is called to eternal salvation.

Today’s Gospel teaches us that God is a God of life. In meeting Mary, Elizabeth recognizes this gift of life as she cries out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women! And blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  John the Baptist

recognizes this gift of life even before he took his first breath as he jumped for joy when he heard the voice of Mary -- she,  who was carrying the Seed of the Author of Life within her own body. 

While still growing in his mother’s womb, John knew that he was in the presence of the One who would fulfill the message of the prophecy we hear in today’s first reading from the Prophet Micah. He foretold that from Bethlehem would come forth the “one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from old,” and who “will shepherd His flock by the strength of the Lord.” (Micah 5:1-4). 

Fr. John Paul Shea 

My brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel passage gives us time to rejoice! God has a plan for humanity. He has a plan for each one of us.

The sad part, however, is that many in our world today do not follow God’s plan of life. This is why we so many souls are lost. This is why we see so much sadness and hurt in our world. 

When we stray away from God’s plan for our lives we are missing the mark. We are ignorant of  who God is calling us to be in relation to Him.  When we turn away from this plan, we damage our relationship with God. This damage is eternal because our lives are eternal. But God does not want us to separate ourselves from Him. He wants us to share in His joy!

 
God wants us to experience the same joy that Mary and Elizabeth experienced in today’s Gospel passage. It is a joy that is given by listening to God and following His plan for our lives.

As we celebrate the gift of Christmas this week, let us thank God for the gift of eternal life that He offers us through His Son. Let us reflect on what God may be asking of us -- so that we can become all who He calls us to be and attain the gift of eternal life. 

THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE  

The Word Was Made Flesh...He Lived Among Us

by Edwin Rodrigues 

Edwin Rodrigues of Chandigarh, India, can be found

at @EdwinEd1667 on Twitter

Two sacred realities are most vehemently denied and opposed.

One is that God became man -- the poorest man among poor men. 

And the other is that bread and wine are changed into that same God! He is the source and fullness of all riches! 

Christmas is all about the first reality, that God took on human flesh and came to live among us.  Christ instituted the second reality at the Last Supper. God accepted Christ's All-Consuming Sacrifice --  offered once and for all on Good Friday -- when the Son was  nailed willingly to the cross. 

The reality of the Holy Sacrifice is made present again during the celebration of every Holy Mass. After the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas, as we journey through Ordinary Time and approach the season of Lent, it would help us if we paused a little and remembered: “And the Word was made Flesh; And dwelt among us.” 

As weak mortals, we tend to say our prayers instead of praying them meditatively. These two phrases are at the core of Salvation history and our Creed. God said to Moses, “I am Who I Am.” (Exodus 3:14). 

Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and that means He is eternal. He always possessed His Divine Nature and lacked nothing. But for our sake, who are made in His image and likeness, Jesus assumed our human nature in all respects except sin. 

In the order of creation, human beings possess a nature that is lower than that of angels. By taking on our human nature, Jesus abased and humbled Himself, and by doing so He exalted us to such a degree that we became perfected in and through Him, who is not ashamed to call us  brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2).

"For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect… .who are being tested”(Heb 2: 16-18). 

This mystery is so profound that we can scarcely begin to scratch its surface; much less plumb its depths or even express it. In such a bid, British pundit and theologian G.K.Chesterton refers to it as “Glory to God in the Lowest!” (Gloria in Profundis)

At the Annunciation, Jesus allowed Himself to be trapped in the temporal realm. He became so tiny, nay, invisible that only 

Mary visits Elizabeth 

through the power of the Holy Spirit, His Real Presence within Mary’s womb was felt by Elizabeth and the unborn John, the future Baptist. 

The King of Kings made Himself so poor that He chose to be born in a stable! The first people to pay Him homage and a visit were poor shepherds, who had no social standing at all in the world. 

Later when the Lord was presented in the temple, Jesus continued to manifest His “dependence” on His Mother, Mary, His foster father, Joseph, and Simeon for the fulfillment of His role. 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”(Heb 13:8). He makes Himself  vulnerable, exposed to rejection and persecution of His Presence in the sacraments and also in His Mystical Body, the Church -- with which He identifies himself in a very personal way (Acts 9:4 and Matthew 25:40-46).

In fact He identifies Himself with every human being. He is so meek and humble that he conceals His glory and omnipotence and asks us to participate in His redemptive plan. 

Mary is foremost among all human beings to co-operate in His redemptive work. She literally carried Him from womb to tomb. What we meditate on in the 4th Joyful Mystery (Jesus' presentation in the temple), was in reality the first of her sorrows. 

Mary, Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix

Our Lady is co-redemptrix of the human race because she is Mother of Sorrows. She became co-redemptrix at the foot of the cross by her participation in Our Lord's Passion, which saved us poor sinners!

Though Jesus remains the one Mediator, Mary is Mediatrix of all graces because “in suffering with Him as He died on the cross, she cooperated in the work of the Savior, in an altogether singular way, by obedience, faith, hope, and burning love, to restore supernatural life to souls. As a result she is our Mother in the order of grace.” (Vatican Council II)

“He (Jesus) is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and ….is more excellent than theirs.”(Heb 1:3-4). The Catholic Church, Saints and mystics have always advocated devotion to Jesus through Mary. 

Jesus -- being the perfect, unblemished (Gentle)Man, God and King -- cannot violate the 4th Commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” Therefore He honors Mary as Queen Mother by crowning her as Queen of Heaven and Earth. 

It pleases Him much when we approach Him in humility through her. Mary, remembering that she is the handmaid of The Lord, always recommends our case and petitions to Jesus, who always listens to our prayers and grants them according to His Divine Wisdom. 

St. Joseph Protector of the
 Body of Christ

At times the answer is, “Yes.” At other times,  “No.” And sometimes, He says, “Wait.” But He always answers them and grants us the best. It wouldn’t be out of place to bring to mind that Jesus honors Joseph, His foster-father as protector and patron of the Universal Church. And Holy Mother Church in her wisdom venerates St Joseph under several other titles too.

It might help to take a pause and reflect on what the meaning is of being made “In His own image and likeness.”  A simple answer is that beginning with Adam, God has created every individual member of humankind with a soul, which is in the image and likeness of God since God is a Pure Spirit. "In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear." (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Through the Incarnation, Jesus assumed a human nature without ceasing to be God. Thus, the Second Person of The Trinity is fully God and fully human (albeit without the blemish of sin). He is one Person; a Divine Person with two natures; a Divine Nature and simultaneously a human nature. Through his Sacred Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, Jesus has redeemed, restored, and sanctified human nature; elevating what was lost at The Fall of our first parents to that which rightfully could have been exclusively His own. And so we can dare to cry, “Abba! Father”…. and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…… if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8: 14-17)

Jesus, Mary And Joseph epitomize hope for pro-lifers!!!

If Jesus reflects the Father, Mary reflects The Son because she is always pregnant with Her Divine Spouse, the Holy Spirit. So unique and beautiful is her vocation that she is ever Virgin, Mother, and the faithful wife of St. Joseph. 

From all accounts it is amply evident that under the custody of St Joseph, the Holy Family always prevailed over all attempts and assaults on their sacred union as a human family. It wouldn’t be incongruent to say that St. Joseph received grace and strength from Jesus through Mary and gave it back to them.

To begin with, in his righteousness Joseph overcame the first “hurdle of comprehending” the mysterious nature of Mary’s pregnancy and all else that ensued. This he did by co-operating with grace and through TRUST --True Resolve Under Severe Testing (Johnnette Benkovic,Women of Grace Live). He responded positively to the messages of the angel and did as he was told. He lived,

The angel came to Joseph in a dream

worked hard and provided for Jesus and Mary. He verily defended Life itself. (Jn 11:25)

As we witness the vicious attack on the sacredness of life in its various ugly forms -- abortion, euthanasia, contraception, pornography, substance and drug-abuse, same-sex-unions etc, we have reasons for faith and hope even when all appears bleak in the face of this onslaught.

In our day and time, we have so many pro-lifers who stand up for the unborn, the victims of sexual abuse, the elderly and the defenseless. This Gospel of Life is written on the hearts of every human being who follows his well-formed conscience. 

The stalwart of heroes of our times -- especially Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Saint John Paul II, Mother Angelica and all who speak for the little ones using modern means of communication -- are aggressively taking on the culture of death. Through intense prayer, beginning with Holy Mass, the sacraments, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Rosary and other pious activities, we can reclaim lost ground.

That is the redemptive power that emanates from Jesus Christ. He always has the victory -- even when all seems over. He alone knows how to bring life out of death…. So much so that there is great power in powerlessness, as exemplified and demonstrated from His Cross. 

So today, under the tutelage of Joseph, we can say that a true man is one who honors, upholds and protects every woman. He is indeed a man of grace! 

Conversely, every woman who emulates Mary is a woman of grace!! And The Holy Family is the most pro-life family of all time!!!

Gloria in Profundis

There has fallen on earth for a token 

A god too great for the sky. 

He has burst out of all things and broken 

The bounds of eternity: 

Into time and the terminal land 

He has strayed like a thief or a lover, 

For the wine of the world brims over, 

Its splendour is spilt on the sand. 

Who is proud when the heavens are humble, 

Who mounts if the mountains fall, 

If the fixed stars topple and tumble 

And a deluge of love drowns all- 

Who rears up his head for a crown, 

Who holds up his will for a warrant, 

Who strives with the starry torrent, 

When all that is good goes down? 

For in dread of such falling and failing 

The fallen angels fell 

Inverted in insolence, scaling 

The hanging mountain of hell: 

But unmeasured of plummet and rod 

Too deep for their sight to scan, 

Outrushing the fall of man 

Is the height of the fall of God. 

Glory to God in the Lowest 

The spout of the stars in spate- 

Where thunderbolt thinks to be slowest 

And the lightning fears to be late: 

As men dive for sunken gem 

Pursuing, we hunt and hound it, 

The fallen star has found it 

In the cavern of Bethlehem.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

REJOICE! Our Lord is Coming Again Soon!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

3rd Sunday in Advent, Dec.13, 2015

Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson, AZ

Rejoice! Our Lord is coming again soon! 

Pope Benedict XVI in rose-colored

Gaudete Sunday vestments

Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent. The Church uses the rose color as a sign of rejoicing. We have come past the halfway mark of Advent, and now we enter into the final stretch, and so we rejoice because the celebration of Christmas is on our doorstep!

Much of the world does not rejoice in the days in which we live today. We turn on the news and we see shooting after shooting -- another  terrorist attack. Many want to destroy life. Meanwhile, more and more fall into deep immorality and sin.

However, despite the darkness of the times in which we live, today’s celebration gives us a time to rejoice. 

As we see the immorality of our days descend as a dark cloud over the societies of the world, we rejoice because we know that this darkness has been overcome, and this increasing darkness in our world today will soon be extinguished when Our Lord comes again in His glory. 

Our part is to be prepared. Our Lord will come again, and He means business. As John the Baptist says in today’s Gospel (Luke 3:10-18): "His [Our Lord’s] winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat

Michelangelo's Last Judgment scene from the Sistine Chapel

into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

John the Baptist knew the power of the One who was coming and has come into our world. John the Baptist says, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

My brothers and sisters, although John the Baptist prepared the people for Our Lord’s first coming, it is Jesus' Second Coming that awaits the fulfillment of John the Baptist’s ministry.

 

Our Lord is coming again, and He will baptize the world with the Holy Spirit and fire! Those who accept God’s grace will be given the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Those who reject God’s grace will be cast into everlasting fire. We need not to fear the times in which we live today as long as we are prepared. 

In today’s Gospel the crowds ask John the Baptist, “What should we do?” 

Then we hear John addresses each of them according to their own circumstance of life. He tells the tax collectors to “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” He tells the soldiers to not practice extortion. He says those who have more should share with those who have less. John the Baptist exhorted the people in many other ways, and he preached the good news.

 The bottom line of today’s Gospel is that Our Lord is coming again and that we need to change direction! 

As you are aware, Pope Francis has called for a year of mercy. This is the year to ask for the mercy of God upon our societies and world today. We need conversion. We need change of hearts because the world is at a critical moment in history. Things are going to continue to get worse, and in these last days God wants to save as many souls as possible.

Most of you are aware of the life of Saint Faustina, who was asked by Jesus to spread the devotion to His Divine Mercy. Saint Faustina was a young uneducated nun who lived in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s. She came from a poor family that struggled during the years of World War I.

She had little education. However, she received extraordinary revelations — or messages — from Jesus. She was told that we are approaching a difficult time in human

St. Faustina Kowalska,

The Apostle of Divine Mercy

history and we need to seek God’s mercy. Therefore this message of mercy was not given to our Church without reason. No! Our Lord gave us His message of mercy to prepare us for His final coming. 

My brothers and sisters, we are living in the last days of this present world, and Our Lord is coming again to judge heaven and earth. He will gather the wheat into his barn and the chaff He will burn in a fire that will never go out.

God doesn’t want to bring judgment upon the world. In fact, He doesn’t bring judgment. We bring judgment upon ourselves. God sent His Son to save those who answer His call to repentance. That is God's merciful love. 

Repentance is the key to mercy. There are many in our Church today who follow a false mercy. They think that God will have mercy on us even though we continue to live a sinful lifestyle that contradicts God’s teaching and the teaching of the Church He has given to us. Do not follow this lie, brothers and sisters. Do not presume to receive God’s mercy! 

Whoever lives a lifestyle that is not of God cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven. As Catholics, God calls us to separate ourselves from the world. We live in the world but not of the world.

Our Lord is coming again, and we need to prepare. Until our Lord comes, we will have more difficulties. Things will get worse, and they will get worse quickly! We will struggle as the darkness of this world becomes darker. 

But, as long as we are seeking Our Lord’s mercy by striving for truth and reconciliation, He will take care of us. Let us not fall into the trappings of the world of today. But let us prepare for the new world that is to come. Let us rejoice! For our Lord is coming again soon!

Who is Fr. John Paul Shea? From Mormon to Catholic Priest