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In the first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear of Cyrus, a pagan emperor who vowed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem for the Jews who had been carried captive into the land of Babylon. In the second reading, Paul recognizes the wonderful gift of new life given to us by a gracious God. In the Gospel, we hear of the messenger that God sent into the world to show us how much he cares for us. The bright light of his divine love pierces the darkness of our human frailty.

Old Testament prophets often met with resistance because people didn’t like their calls to repentance. It’s possible that some of those who first heard Isaiah’s words in today’s first reading resisted for the opposite reason. They may not have liked his message of consolation.

Advent is the season of waiting. And, yes, at the deepest level of my being, I wait for a new celebration of Jesus’s birth in Nazareth so many years ago and for an ever-deepening consciousness of the presence of the Cosmic Christ in our hearts and in our universe (John1:1- 8).

The parable in this Gospel from Matthew calls us to be always prepared to live responsibly before God. We hear of an invitation to join a wedding party, that is, an invitation to participate in the eternal joy of heaven.

When God led Israelite slaves out of Egypt, some 3,000 years ago, they had very little idea what he was about. He guided them in the wilderness of Sinai, provided for their needs in remarkable ways, then told them that he wanted to establish a permanent relationship with them as a group. “Listen to my voice,” he said, “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Who could have known?

In the first reading, a wise teacher encourages us to be merciful. When we forgive, we reflect the gracious love and merciful character of God. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we belong to Christ.

“We do not know how to pray as we ought,” St. Paul tells us today. But where’s the problem? There are so many prayers – the Hail Mary, the Book of Psalms, novenas, countless prayer books and, most basic of all, the Lord’s Prayer. When we don’t know how to pray, we can use those.

We live in a crazy mixed-up-world, yet it is still God’s world. He is still in control. Confident of this, we can face life as it is, knowing that someday life will become what it ought to be. Until that day comes, may we establish our hearts in the unshakeable faith of Christ.   

A friend of mine liked to quote a saint – I don’t remember which one – who said that food is God’s love made edible. In our first reading, the biblical authors indicate that water is God’s love made drinkable. When the Israelites become dehydrated during their journey through a broiling desert, God pulls them back from the brink of death with a miraculous supply of water.

Lovely melodies have been written for today’s responsorial psalm (the response is “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will”), which make for pleasant congregational singing.

Our shortcomings need not lead to disappointment or self-doubt. Rather, the beginning of a new year is a graced opportunity to remember our absolute dependence on God.

On the last Sunday of the calendar year, the word of God invites us to a spiritual year in review. We join the church in celebrating the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph who lead us to the heart of God’s love made visible in the Christ Child of Bethlehem.

At Christmas, we are dealing with incomprehensibles.

Among the items on the menu of the Passover meal are flat bread, made without leaven, and wine. In the course of the meal, the host prays blessings over them.

Today is designated "Sunday of Divine Mercy." We could also call it "Sunday of Jesus' Presence in the Church." Because he is so present, we who live centuries after his resurrection can encounter him, receive his forgiveness and healing, and be strengthened to meet our difficulties in the power of his Spirit.

Today’s Gospel contains one of the most realistic statements in Scripture: “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?” Jesus tells his disciples how to set their priorities with regard to material possessions, inviting them to learn dependence on God from the birds in the sky, the flowers in the field.

Even though it came out a while ago, I recently found myself watching the very popular movie called “The Hunger Games.”

“Pay It Forward,” a movie which came out several years ago, tells the story of a seventh grader who receives the unusual assignment to go out and change the world.

At age 16, Carlos had a hard time articulating what he felt inside. He was trying to explain what inspired him to become the lead teacher of the fifth-grade class in his parish’s Christian formation program.