Monthly Archives: December 2024

Here we come a-wassailing

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I am sure many (if not all) are familiar with the Christmas carol that begins, “Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green.” If not there is a video below to remind you – or introduce you to the song. But what is a “wassail” and how does one go about “wassailing”? Our friends at Merriam-Webster have the answer to those questions!

To wassail is to sing carols (popular songs or ballads of religious joy) from house to house at Christmas; the verb is usually used in the phrase “go wassailing.” As a noun, wassail can refer to (among other things) a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, as well as spices, sugar, and usually baked apples. Wassail is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime.

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The Arrival of Hope

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The gospel reading for the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass is the genealogy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. For a Mass that is typically preceded by or includes a children’s Christmas pageant, it is not exactly the reading one would naturally select. There is a part of us all that want to attend Christmas Mass and be reminded of angelic choruses, shepherds, and an infant in the manger. But the Nativity is more than a nice Christmas card scene. It is the arrival of Hope. Continue reading →

The Gospels of Christmas

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Did you know that the Church has four different Christmas Masses, each with their own gospels? The four Masses are:

  • The Nativity of the Lord – Vigil Mass
  • The Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Night (aka: The Midnight Mass – which has rules: can not start before 10 pm and must finish by 2 am)
  • The Nativity of the Lord – Mass at Dawn
  • The Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Day
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Anything but ordinary

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We live in a world of email, text messaging, tweets, instagrams, and all manner of connectivity in social and electronic media. It has become all very ordinary. Yet, each day, I am more than a little curious about what comes “old school” via USPS into my mailbox. There is correspondence from the Diocese, advertisements for one thing or another, bills and invoices, catalogues, and “ta-da!”… Christmas cards. Continue reading →

Remembering Fr. Joe Nangle OFM

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My friend, mentor and Franciscan brother, Joe Nangle OFM passed away on December 14th. His funeral was today. Joe requested that I give the homily – and so, here it is….

Funeral Homily for Fr Joseph Nangle OFM

I first encountered Fr. Joe while he was celebrating Mass in a small-town church in Loudoun County – seating capacity 89. What I remember most clearly is him coming down from the altar to stand among the people and to proclaim the gospel as though it was a story – “Hey, did you hear….?” It was clear that this was a story being passed onto each one of us with the expectation that we would share the story, the good news of Jesus Christ. We were to be people who heard the gospel, gossipped it over the back yard fence, lived the gospel and became People of the Word. In the same way as Fr. Joe had in the course of his own life become vir evangelii – a man of the Good News, the Gospel. That was 40 years ago.

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Reflecting on the Visitation

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What mother and father have not waited until the first “kick” of their child in the womb? It is a universal experience of anticipation fulfilled, spontaneous joy, wonderment and so much more. What was already quite “real” has become even more so. There is life in the womb! There were already layers of expectation and now how much more? This was true for Elizabeth and Mary, but they were also aware that their hopes and joys were simply gateways to release divine hope, joy, redemption and more upon a waiting world. All such moments are signs of God’s graciousness, blessedness, waiting on promise, and in the end, a sign of salvation’s approach. Continue reading →

A Woman of the Word

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Today’s gospel is a familiar part of the Christmas story – the Angel Gabriel inviting Mary into the plans of God for redemption and salvation of the world. Given its proximity to Christmas, I suspect we quickly want to jump the 9 months of pregnancy and have our thoughts move quickly to the Nativity of Jesus. But let us put things on “pause” for a moment and savor the scene on its own – as have Da Vinci, Rembrandt, El Greco and countless iconographers over the ages.

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The Visitation

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent. Elizabeth’s joy at her own pregnancy after so many years of barrenness is overshadowed by the joy at Mary’s visit – or rather that the unborn Lord would honor her with his presence. How wonderful it would be if we had that same attitude concerning the presence of our Lord in our gathering together, and in the Word, and in the Supper: “Blessed be God who has come to us this day.” I think that too often we think of worship as our good deed of bringing ourselves to God, when, in fact, it is a time and place where God comes to us. Continue reading →

Two Stories

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Today’s first reading is part of the story of Samson, one of the Judges of Israel in the time before the kings of Israel were established. The account is part of the birth narrative of the last of the Judges, perhaps well described as an “annunciation.” It stands in comparison (or contrast) with today’s gospel, the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets. There have been some writers that hold Samson to be a messianic figure, but today’s reading set seems to compare Samson, not to the Messiah, but to the herald. Granted there are similarities in the accounts, but apart from the stories of notable strength, Samson is not someone upon whom one should model their life. Read the story of Samson and you’ll find he murders 30 men for their garments because he lost a wager. Not exactly your model citizen. Still, the narratives share some notable similarities but also some differences. Perhaps a comparison will reveal a larger purpose at hand.

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