The First Sunday in Christmastide

This Sunday's sermon is given by The Rev. Jason Tardiff, a Benedictine Father of the AOCC and co-director of the Benedictine House of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bedford/Fort Worth, Texas. Father Tardiff is also the Chancellor of the Diocese of Texas.

The introduction in John is a various recognizable. Most have heard the phrase "In the beginning was the Word..." It reminds us that God has always been and will always be. But little did we realize that the Child heralded and born in a stable would also factor into this famous phrase.

The Word was sent to be one of us, live as one of us to save us from ourselves.

Jesus came to us when we needed him most. He taught us about the way to salvation, how to know God and how to live a good life. He also took in him the sins of the world and those inequities were expunged when he died on the cross. Not anyone could have done what Jesus did.

Christmas isn't just a time to open presents and gorge ourselves on sugary foods. Christmas is much more than that. It is a time for us to reflect on the "gift" God gave us: the Gift that saved us from ourselves.

Christmas is also a time to reflect on how we factor into Gods plan. Have we done all we could to live the way God expects us to? Have we been kind, gentle, compassionate and caring? What can we do different in the year to come?

Christmas is not just one day and then you take your ornaments down and go back to work. No, there are twelve days that we can pray, worship and glorify the Son of God. And in those twelve days we can resolve to live more like him. And the Christmas spirit does not dissolve at midnight on the 25th of December. We need to remember the feeling of giving and helping those in need and do it everyday. We need to make it Christmas every single day of the year.

Amen.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

This Sunday's Sermon is offered by The Rev. Thomas Squiers, BOSA, of Fort Worth. Father Tom is an Oblate Priest and is the Co-Director of Guadalupe House in Bedford of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He is the Chaplain of Integrity Fort Worth and also serves as the Vicar General of the AOCC's Diocese of Texas.

Today's Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Advent comes from Matthew 1:18-25. This group of verses tells about Joseph's reluctance to take Mary as his wife when learns that she is already pregnant. What the verses do not explain is Jewish custom concerning marriage and virginity. It was important to keep the "marriage bed" clean by abstaining from any intercourse prior to marriage.

When Joseph, who abided by these Jewish laws and customs, learned of Mary's pregnancy, his first thought was to shun her as he felt that she had wronged him. That night, after having learned of Mary's disposition, Joseph had a dream in which an angel sent from God explained that Mary has been selected to give birth to the Messiah which the Jews had long awaited and the Torah spoke about - especially according to the Prophet Isaiah. The angel explained how Mary conceived of the Holy Ghost and that Joseph was to name the child Jesus. Following the dream, Joseph followed the angel's instruction by taking Mary as his wife and when the Messiah was born, he was named Jesus.

As we celebrate the last Sunday of Advent, we look for Christ coming as a babe, as the Emmanuel. And yet, I wonder how often do we look at Christmas as an opportunity to ready ourselves for our Second Christmas with Jesus – the day Christ shall return not as a baby but as the Lord of humankind and gather his Church on earth? That is what Advent is all about – preparation. Christmas is to celebrate the coming of Christ. The Second Coming is what Christians hope for. It is even what the Apostles hoped for.

So this Christmas as you open your gifts, sip your eggnog, and gather around the Christmas Tree – take this as a time to reflect upon your relationship with Christ, the Emmanuel, and meditate upon how ready you are should he reappear for that Second Christmas. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.”

While we are captive in our own right to sin and the bondage of this life, we look for Christ to reveal himself soon in Glory when we shall truly take our part seated at His feet of His throne.

Advent Blessings and Have a Merry Christmas!

The Third Sunday of Advent

This Sunday's sermon is offered by The Rev. Thomas Bonaventure Devlin, MGC, of Las Vegas. Father Thomas Bonaventure is also a Francisan in the Mercy of God Community.

What a great gift we are expecting anxiously. The fulfillment of all our Scripture. The gift of God, the gift of God made man.

As in Isaiah, "The wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower!" Our God is on the way to us, and will save us. Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame men and women will leap like deer.

In James we are told, "Wait patiently for the Master's arrival, stay steady and strong, our Master can arrive at any time. What a gift life is to those who stay the course."

Matthew tells us about John the baptizer who is in jail waiting patiently. John had sent his friends to ask Jesus, "Are you the One we have been expecting, or are we still waiting?"

Jesus told them to go back to John and tell him what is going on: The Blind see, the Lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, the Deaf hear, the Dead are raised to life.

We are in this wilderness like John, prophets of our own age, asking our friends to repent and hear the good news. We are the hands and feet of our God, like John, of whom the prophet Malachi announced, "I am sending a prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you."

The road prepared is straight, no one can get lost on it, it is devoid of ferocious animals. It is a Holy road. It is for God's people exclusively. This is the road to our reward, full of joy and gladness, all our sorrows are taken from us here.

Our Lord is coming, swiftly; stay the course, be strong. We will be healed, we will be taken care of and our desert will be changed into an oasis.

Come Lord Jesus, come.

Second Sunday of Advent

This Sunday's sermon is offered by The Most Rev. Theresa Margaret "Margo" Wilson, BOSA, Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado. She is also the rector of Good Shepherd of the Hills Cathedral in Pueblo.

In the Scripture reading for the second Sunday of Advent (Matthew 3:1-12), we find a picture of John the Baptist as a forerunner of Jesus Christ. He is compared by some to the Old Testament prophets because of the warnings he brought about God’s judgment and because he announced the coming of God’s “chosen one” – the Messiah.

John was born to an elderly couple named Elizabeth and Zechariah after the angel Gabriel told them they would have a son. This son would have special work to do in preparing the way for the Messiah. John is described as a prophet who preached in the desert and warned people that they should get ready for the new thing that God was going to do.

He told the people that they could not count on being accepted by God simply because they were descendents of Abraham. They had to realize how they were disobedient to God and get ready to accept the new powerful messenger that God was going to send to them.

John told everyone that the Messiah would be much more powerful than he was, and that his job was to prepare the people for the Messiah’s coming. This event in history has become known as the First Advent of Christ.

In a pure sense, the season of Advent which we celebrate is a time of preparation; preparation for the remembrance of Our Lord’s First Advent. There are many books available with meditations for each day of this season and many resources online.
In our time, we can look forward to the Second Advent of Our Lord and increase our awareness of this coming event during this season. We can expect to see signs of God’s love and grace and hear His message of salvation during this time.

During this season, let us listen to the promises of hope and take these promises seriously. Look for the signs of God’s grace and mercy all around you. Prepare to be filled with newness of life in our communion with Him. Prepare to be filled with hope, power, and grace abounding.

First Sunday of Advent

Today's sermon is offered by The Most Rev. Joseph J. Raffaele, Archbishop of the American Orthodox Catholic Church, who also oversees the Archdiocese of New York.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. I refer to the Gospel of Luke21:25-33,which is the appointed Gospel of the Mass according to the the traditional one year cycle. (If you are using the three year cycle, your scripture lesson gospel will be Matthew 24:36-44.)

In St.Luke's account, Jesus is telling the disciples to pay attention to the signs and symbols about the Heavens and the Earth. Watch the stars, watch the fig trees,the uneasiness of nations,roaring of the seas etc. Following these various occurrences look to see the Son of Man approaching on a cloud in Triumph and Glory. The kingdom of God is at hand. Our Redemption is assured.

This is the end of the story, it is here for us to get an idea of what the beginning of the story should be. With all these things happening, we need to be ready, be prepared, but not for a Royal Hierarchy with his royal court ready to dish out justice and punishment, but ironically we are getting ourselves prepared for, of all things,a baby...just a baby who is born into such poverty that he has his birthplace in an animal's stall, a cave, a stable...this is what we are supposed to be waiting for?

Israel is waiting for her king. Well, did she miss the boat on this one or what? Israel and all of us await the arrival of a being who will set us free from darkness to the brightness of freedom and light.

Advent is a time where we are called to repentance as we will hear that voice in the wilderness (John the Baptist) proclaim. But more so than repenting, we are called to be ready and prepare. In your parish the priest may wear purple vestments, or the blue vestments, which reflects Advent Preparation. We will see an Advent wreath. Just like one is to observe the signs in the the heavens, watch the advent wreath from week to week - watch the progression from darkness to light as shown through the candles lit on it, and know the Lord Is Near. As Luke's account says: "...when you see these things come to pass,know that the kingdom of God is at hand."