Feast of the Holy Family

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This coming Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family with the gospel taken from Luke 2:41-52. There are major feast days dedicated to each member of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph – but the Feast of the Holy Family commemorates their life together, and the celebration focuses on religious life within the family. It is a Feast that seeks to portray the Holy Family of Nazareth as the “true model of life” (cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass) from which our families can draw inspiration and know where to find help and comfort.

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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 →