Christmas Day (Vigil) Luke 2:1-14

“Glory to God in the highest heaven!”

Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord. This account of his birth from Luke shows Jesus being born into a situation of total oppression. Luke reminds us of the political regime which controls the land and the effect this has on the people. Mary must still travel to Bethlehem even though she is about to give birth. The shepherds, only found in Luke’s account, are social outcasts due to their profession. It is not a romantic or tranquil setting as the shepherds would have suffered all kinds of deprivations and dangers. Everything about this story is provocative and uneasy. Into this ‘mess’ God is born; this saviour, the Lord, a homeless child, is one who will turn the situations of people upside down, who promises release to captives and sight to the blind. The angels rejoice with the Shepherds, the ‘highest’ and the ‘lowest’. The poor and marginalised will be the first to experience the abundance of God’s hospitality and the shepherds come in their name.

We are invited to Bethlehem today, to open up our hearts to the One who has come. We return, like the shepherds ‘glorifying and praising God for all they have seen and heard’. All are welcome to the manger. May we welcome all as God does, with compassion and love. Shalom.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, come forth from deep within me with Christmas luminous beauty. For my heart has become the sacred crib, the birthing place of God-among-us.”(Edward Hays)

Fourth Sunday of Advent 2017

The situation into which Jesus was born was one of huge stigma with dangerous consequences. God’s physical birth into this world was condemned socially; Jesus was marginalised from the moment of his conception. Imagine God choosing to be involved so intimately in this world and in such a shocking way. Even the town of Galilee is problematic for this news as Galileans were considered by the religious leaders of the time to be ‘second-class Jews’. So the fact that God would send his messenger there with the good news of all time is controversial in itself. Galilean Jews were considered to be less faithful than others, so it is ironic that in this particular situation Mary’s response is the exact opposite of that, a most faithful ‘Yes’. God surprises. God stands with the marginalised. 
God is present in the most hidden places at times. On the first Sunday of Advent we were invited to ‘Keep Awake’. As we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, what have you noticed this advent? What has your waiting been like? How have you prepared?  Where have you seen God present this Advent? Where have you seen God being born around you? In the most unexpected places? In the most marginalised? Is your heart more open to receive a new birth of God again? Like Mary, we too are told that 'nothing is impossible with God'. What impossible situation do you want God to be born into this Christmas? 

“Quiet me within, clothe my body in peacefulness, that your Word once again may take flesh – this time, within me – as once it did in holy Mary; long Advent days ago.” (Edward Hays)

An Attitude of Gratitude Christmas Carol Service 2017 - St. Dominic's Ballyfermot

You’ve heard the phrase ‘an attitude of gratitude’. Being grateful. We’re very good at complaining, aren’t we, but how about gratitude? What are you grateful for? You’re probably grateful that tomorrow you are on your Christmas holidays? Or maybe you are sad that you won’t see your teachers and school staff for two whole weeks. I’m sure they are all sad too! 

Gratitude is an emotion that we choose to feel at any time. It’s like tapping in to this FREE happy energy source. You actually make a decision to focus your mind on feeling grateful and you decide to make time for it. As an emotion, gratitude is good for the soul. Much research has been carried out on the links between gratitude and wellbeing. Psychologists have found that cultivating an attitude of gratitude brings about an increase in happiness and can reduce anxiety and feelings of depression. They have found that gratitude impacts positively on physical health as it lowers blood pressure, strengthens a person’s immune system & promotes a healthy heart. It can decrease stress & helps us sleep better – so if you’re having trouble sleeping instead of counting sheep, count your blessings. There are many health benefits to gratitude – it’s actually physical good for you!

Gratitude also promotes a healthy mind; it changes our perspective by clearing away most of the petty, day-to-day things that annoy us and that we give so much of our time to: the “small stuff”. Think of situations that bring up feelings of impatience or anger. Gratitude can help calm all of those things and make us aware that we are part of something bigger, something beyond ourselves, a connection to others, as well as to the world. Gratitude strengthens our relationships and encourages us to pay it forward. It helps us to be more generous and compassionate towards others. So, what’s not to like about gratitude?

Another reason to try to cultivate an attitude of gratitude during this Advent season is the story that we are about to celebrate in a few days: the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is an extraordinary story, a simple yet bizarre story; a story which gives hope to billions of people 2,017 years later all over the world. The story which we celebrate this Christmas and every Christmas is a story where we are told that God is with us – summed up, that is the message of Christmas – God is with us. God is involved in the messiness of this world. Where is God born? Not in a fancy palace surrounded by royalty and people who were considered important. God, Jesus Christ, is born in a stable! It’s mad, but it happened. Jesus is born into a situation that is totally dangerous; Jesus is born into a homeless family, a homeless family that would soon afterwards become a refugee family. Jesus is not born into a fancy mansion with all the trimmings, Jesus, God on earth, is born into a dangerous mess. And the message of this story is that God is with us in the mess. It’s not Princesses or politicians who come to welcome Jesus into this world, there were shepherds, people who were considered ‘not worthy’, outcasts, the poor and the ‘unimportant’. God is especially born for them. The message of the Gospel begins at the crib: God is on the side of the poor, the lonely, the homeless, the refugee, the outcast. And throughout Jesus’ life on this earth, he continued to live that message, always siding with those that society did not want to know about. His message was peace, hope & love. So this year when I think of gratitude – I think about how grateful I am to hear that message, that God is with us in the mess of this world, in the mess of our own lives, God is with us in our broken friendships, in our family problems, in the homeless person on the street, with the homeless family. 

You might ask – where? I don’t see God! But I invite you to look around at the goodness of those who are working tirelessly to help others in need, look at the generosity of people, the love that is shared by people especially during this season. I know your own school does so much charity work and here also we have had so many generous donations to foodbanks, Vincent de Paul, Crosscare – people are so so generous. For that, this year, I am very grateful and it also says to me - God is with us in those generous people.

I invite you this Christmas to write a list – not a wishlist for presents or whatever, but a list of things you are grateful for. Look back over your year, try to write a list of ten things you are grateful for – not presents or gadgets, go deeper than that. You might even hang your list on your Christmas tree or put your list in the crib if you have one at home. Write a letter to someone telling them how grateful you are for them, because let’s face it – these are the real gifts, the real blessings. And on Christmas day, in the middle of the madness, take a few minutes, pause, thank God for all that you have, pray for those who don’t have anything, if you don’t do it for God,  think of all the health benefits I mentioned at the beginning – it’s actually good for you, for your mind, body and spirit. You might visit our crib – say a prayer of thanks – tell someone you love how grateful you are for them in your life.

What are you most grateful for over the last 12 months of your life? God is with us also in those moments of joy.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas, I hope it is full of joy, time with family and friends, and I hope it cultivates in you an attitude of gratitude.

Third Sunday of Advent - JOY

Last week we were introduced to John the Baptist as part of our Advent journey. We hear his story again today and in this account, from the fourth Gospel, we hear John’s voice and his testimony about Jesus. Light and darkness is a key theme of the fourth Gospel and in its opening verses proclaims that this light has always shone in the dark; the darkness cannot overpower it. The evangelist goes on to tell us that John the Baptist’s mission is that he has been sent by God to ‘speak for the light’. John is a light bearer, he is not the light, but he points to the light. He is a witness to the light of God in our world, a light that cannot be put out.

We celebrate this light today on Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete which means ‘rejoice’, we light the pink candle and we celebrate with joy. It might be a good opportunity to ask today ‘who have been the light bearers on your own faith journey’? Who testified to the Light of God and passed the torch on to you? We thank God for them.

“Lord there is much darkness in society and in our church… We become cynical and settle for mediocrity. We thank you that someone always comes on the scene, sent by you as a witness to speak for the light….teachers, community leaders, grandparents, children, a friend….they bear witness to the rest of us that somewhere in the dark a light shines that darkness cannot overcome.”(Michel de Verteuil)

Second Sunday of Advent - Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news…

The second Sunday of Advent turns our attention to John the Baptist. John was an interesting individual. We are told he dressed a bit strangely, had an odd diet and spent a lot of time in the desert. Yet it seems he was very popular with the whole of Judaea and ‘all the people of Jerusalem’ went out to hear him. John must have been a dynamic speaker and one in whom people found hope and inspiration. Who are these attractive messengers for us today? Who brings us good news and hope? Whose message makes sense for us? Who do we flock to hear?

Today we might also reflect on the messengers in our own lives. Who did God send to you while you were in your own wilderness? Perhaps they brought with them a moment of grace reassuring you that you would not be drifting aimlessly forever. Perhaps the evidence at that moment in your own life stated the contrary, yet these words of encouragement or comfort gave you reason to hope and to hang in there. These ‘John the Baptists’ are messengers of the light. They are all around us. Sometimes we are the ones called upon to be a messenger of light for someone else. The good news of the Gospel today is that even in times of desolation there is a hope, a promise that urges us on. How we prepare for this journey determines our experience. “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you…”

December 8th - Feast of the Immaculate Conception

When have you felt God’s presence in someone you met or someone who visited you? The Gospel today is a reminder of God continuously present in our lives. We, like Mary, are invited to welcome those whom God sends us, even if we are amazed and alarmed by their message. We can ask ourselves: who brings us good news?

Advent is a season of hope, a season where we are reminded that God is present even when God appears to be hidden. God present in Mary’s womb speaks to us of God’s hidden presence in the world. We were reminded last Sunday to ‘keep awake’ and today this beautiful feast invites us to be more aware of God’s presence, through the messengers he send us; in the most hidden parts of ourselves and the most hidden parts of society.

Perhaps at the end of each day you can glance back over the day and see the moments where God was present, the light, the joys, the gestures, the words. Where was there hope in your day? Was anything revealed to you today? Who were the messengers for you today? Keep alert in these days of Advent and watch for God’s presence in your daily life. 

December 8th - Feast of the Immaculate Conception

When have you felt God’s presence in someone you met or someone who visited you? The Gospel today is a reminder of God continuously present in our lives. We, like Mary, are invited to welcome those whom God sends us, even if we are amazed and alarmed by their message. We can ask ourselves: who brings us good news?

Advent is a season of hope, a season where we are reminded that God is present even when God appears to be hidden. God present in Mary’s womb speaks to us of God’s hidden presence in the world. We were reminded last Sunday to ‘keep awake’ and today this beautiful feast invites us to be more aware of God’s presence, through the messengers he send us; in the most hidden parts of ourselves and the most hidden parts of society.

Perhaps at the end of each day you can glance back over the day and see the moments where God was present, the light, the joys, the gestures, the words. Where was there hope in your day? Was anything revealed to you today? Who were the messengers for you today? Keep alert in these days of Advent and watch for God’s presence in your daily life. 

First Sunday of Advent ~ 2nd Dec 2017

"Keep Awake"

We are surrounded these days by the commercial ‘circus’ of Christmas shopping and ‘getting ready’? It might seem far removed from the story that we are celebrating; the story of a poor refugee family 2,000 years ago who had a very special delivery. The story of God choosing to intervene in human history in such an intimate and shocking way; God choosing to be born into a situation of poverty and danger. It is good to ask ourselves at this time of year, what are we getting ready for? Advent is a wonderful season which invites us to use our waiting to grow spiritually. We are invited to make space for ourselves and for God in the midst of the rushing. Can we stop and be still and ask ourselves: ‘Where do I see God being born around me today?’ In those I meet? In kind words and gestures, in my community, in my own heart? 

Have a more ‘aware’ advent. Be mindful in all you do. Be aware in your rushing, be aware as you stand in that queue, be aware as you eat, be aware of your feelings, be aware of your thoughts. By watching all of this we become more awake, more able to recognise our true selves and more able to see God being born continuously each day within us and around us. Our awe and wonder grows and we can be prepared for the coming of the Gift himself. How we prepare determines what will be.