Holy Wordcast

The King is coming Back (7:30)

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:32:50 PDT

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Yes, I believe in the End of the World, but I don't think it will be soon enough! At the end of the World, Christ will be revealed as the true King. He is already the King and he owns everything from the stars and galaxies to the tiniest blades of grass. But for now He is content to work quietly in the background. If you want to persecute someone or abuse your power or ignore Him, you can do that, and it is highly unlikely that God will smite you. Why is that?
Because Jesus owns everything, absolutely everything, except your heart. He refuses to take our hearts by force. He wants us to choose to accept Him as king. The fact is though, we don't get to vote on the Lord of the Universe. And Jesus doesn't have to fight the Devil to try and win this world. He already owns it; He's already the king. Those who reject His kingship now will be sorry when He is revealed as the true King, and they have rejected Him. Those who accept Him will begin already to experience the peace of God's Kingdom, and will rejoice when He is revealed as true King. This is what the Ascension means: Christ is the true King, and He's already on His way back here!
(20 May 2012)

Easter6 - How to know it's really Love (Mother's Day)

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:18:51 PDT

Easter, 6th Sunday. Anyone can say, "I love you" -- but how do we know it is really love?

Loving feelings? They leave us after a while.
They put up with us? No, they may just be making sure the money keeps coming.
Patience? We can be patient waiting for our spouse to die!

Those are all signs of love, but they aren't sure. The surest sign of love is Sacrifice. If someone loves you, they are willing to sacrifice for you. Previous cultures had to sacrifice daily, but our culture thinks that a happy life comes from not having to sacrifice. As we try to avoid sacrifice, we end up avoiding love. On Mother's Day we see what love really is. Love happens when you get up in the middle of the night with your children, love happens when you sacrifice for your family, or when you struggle every day to keep a relationship working. Sacrifice is the surest sign of love.

Mother's Day is a day to realize that too often, we take others' sacrifices for granted. Perhaps no one is taken for granted as much as God himself. If we looked at Sacrifice, we would realize how loved we really were.

Once there was a young boy who hated how twisted and ugly his mom's hands looked. One day she finally explained why her hands looked that way: because she loved him. Jesus loves us that much -- and He has the wounds to prove it.

(13 May 2012)

East5 - Sharing Divine Life

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:19:44 PDT

Easter, 5th Sunday. Being a Christian is about being in union with God; God shares His divine life with us so that we can be in Communion with God. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We receive His life as a gift and we put out good fruits. We stay connected to Jesus so that we can receive His life (believe in Him), and then we pass it on to others (love one another).

What does this look like in practice? In the book, The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands, Dr. Laura Schlessinger tells women her secret to how to get what you want from a man: You pay attention to his needs. It seems opposite but it is true that when we stop worrying about our happiness or joy, and start looking out for others, we discover the happiness and joy we have been missing. Receive God's love, and pass it on!

(6 May 2012)

Easter4 - He lays down his Life

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:19:55 PDT

Easter, 4th Sunday. The image of the Good Shepherd still inspires and consoles us. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." Jesus tells us that he doesn't just take good care of the sheep, He lays down His life for them. Only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would love his sheep so much that he would die for us.
"...We shall be like Him..." says our 2nd reading. If our Good Shepherd lays down His life for us, we have to do the same. So many marriages fail precisely because we misunderstand this point. If his #1 is himself, and her #1 is herself, they eventually get tired of living with a selfish person. The recipe for a successful marriage is for him to put his wife first, and for her to put her husband first. It's easy to say but it's hard to do, because we do not realize how selfish we really are.
Every day we feel that our life is being taken away from us by all the demands that other people place upon us. This makes us feel imposed upon. We choose to give but we do so resentfully, and that resentment starts to grow inside of us, until it begins to destroy all our relationships. Selfishness takes life away from others, until we feel lifeless.
The truth is that no one takes my life from me. If I choose to give freely, and lay my own life down, that sacrifice is life-giving. Every day we have opportunities to lay down our lives. If we give of ourselves freely, we imitate the Good Shepherd who daily lays down His own life so that we might have life. These little choices matter. They slowly shape our lives into one of two great directions:

Either we choose to love God so much that we end up denying ourselves
Or we choose love ourselves so much that we end up denying God

The Lord is my Shepherd... who lays down His life for the sheep.
(29 Apr 2012)

East3 - Leave your Baggage in the Tomb

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:24:54 PDT

Easter, 3rd Sunday.
On our pilgrimage through life, we drag all kinds of baggage around with us. But the physical "stuff" is nothing compared to the spiritual baggage that we carry around with us. The disciples were no different. They had fears, expectations, sins and guilt, that they carried around with them as they followed Jesus. When Jesus rises from the dead they discover that they don't need all their baggage; all they need is Jesus. He conquers sin and death -- our past and our future!
In Acts 3 we discover two things:

Jesus is risen from the dead, because He is still working miracles when he cures the cripple.
Jesus can heal us too.

All we need is Jesus; leave your baggage in the tomb.
(22 Apr 2012)

East2 - Open your Heart to Jesus (First Communion)

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:44:39 PDT

Easter, Second Sunday
Even though the door is locked, Jesus appears in the middle of the disciples. They are all shocked, then overjoyed. All except Thomas, because Thomas was missing that Sunday. The next week Thomas joins the disciples and he too comes to see and believe in Jesus. Our Lord can go through any locked door except one: the door to our heart. Jesus will only come into our heart if we let Him. Just like Jesus being present in the locked room, so too Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. Even though we cannot see or taste Him there, we believe. The gift that Jesus brings is Peace. We need peace very badly, so let us welcome Jesus into our hearts.

Dear Jesus,
I know you love me because you died for me.
I love you too.
I believe you are really here in the Eucharist even though I can't see or taste you.
I open my heart to you.
Come into my heart and live with me forever.
Amen.

(15 Apr 2012)

Easter - Pappa has called us to be an Easter People

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:30:06 PDT

Easter Sunday.
The world is different today. Something has happened that has changed our lives forever:

Christ is Risen!
He is truly Risen!

We have heard of the Resurrection for so long that perhaps we do not realize what it really means. Let us explore how the Resurrection of Christ changes everything.
Perhaps you have heard this quote:

Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
— Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789

...
But this is exactly what the Resurrection of Jesus is all about. "The wages of sin is death," says Scripture, but now Jesus himself has paid our debt. He took the burden of our sins upon himself and so we are free. And because someone rose from the dead, taxes are now more certain than death itself!
...
The Secret of Jesus' Success
What was the secret to Jesus' success? It is the same as the secret that makes Christianity unique. People often say, "Well Father, you know, all religions are basically the same."
That's like saying, "All people are basically the same."
Yes, people have a lot in common, but each one is special and unique. The same is true of religions. While all religions have a lot in common, each one has special and unique things about it. What is it that makes Christianity special and unique?
We have picked up Jesus' habit of calling God "Father."
Jesus always calls God, "Father". He uses the Aramaic word "Abba" which means Daddy in English. It is respectful but also familiar at the same time. Perhaps the closest English word is "Pappa." Before Jesus, no Jewish person ever called God "Pappa". It would have been considered disrespectful. In contrast, there is only one time when Jesus does not call God Father: When he hangs on the cross and says, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Then he finishes by saying, "Pappa, into your hands I commend my spirit."
We Christians have picked up the habit of calling God "Father". No other religion does this. Muslims think of God as Master. Jews consider God to be Lord. Buddhist don't think God is a person who cares at all about us. Only Christians pray the Our Father. You see, Jesus wants to share his Pappa with us. When a child is baptized, he or she is adopted as a child of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. -- Romans 8:15-16
When we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir. -- Galatians 4:3-7

Now you can see what the Resurrection means for me and you. It means that our eldest brother, the Firstborn Son of our adopted family, has won the victory over both sin and death. Very shortly, he will be sharing that victory with each of us. We are an Easter people!
"I Do" - Do you really?
At today's Easter Mass we will shortly be renewing our Baptismal Promises. I will ask you if you reject Satan, and all his works, and all his empty show, and you will say:
"I do, I do, I do."
Then I will ask you if you believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and you will say,
"I do, I do, I do."
What do those "I do's" remind us of?
Marriage!
When you stood before the altar at your wedding day, you promised to love your spouse for the rest of your life, and to let no other woman or man get in the way of that relationship. In the very same way at Baptism, you chose to be a child of the Father and to let nothing else get in the way of that relationship. This should give us great joy: We are an Easter people.
Unfortunately, most people see Catholics as the people of the eternal Lent: "We can't eat meat on Friday? Grumble, grumble. We have to follow all these rules. Sorry, I have to go to Mass on Sunday -- but maybe if I go on Saturday and it's the retired priest, I can get my obligation done in only 45 minutes and get on with my life..."
Lent is 40 days of fasting because we have not been faithful to our baptismal promises. We said, "I do," but then we didn't. We have let all kinds of other things get in the way of our relationship with God and we are sorry.
But Lent is followed by the Easter season, which is 50 days of feasting because, even though we were not faithful to God, God has still been faithful to us! He sent His Son to take away our sins and He is willing to take His children back again.
We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song!
Live as a Child of God
Now you know the secret to Jesus' success. It is now your responsibility to live that secret every day. Do you truly know God as "Pappa"? Do you trust Him with your life like Jesus did? Here are three things every Christian must do in order to not just say "I do", but to do it.

Pray Daily. Talk to your Heavenly Father every day. Get to know Him, listen to Him, and be in a relationship with Him.
Come to God's house on Sunday. Every Sunday is a little Easter. We celebrate the Resurrection and God feeds us with the Body and Blood of His Son. This is where we become strong and healthy Children of God. A Christian should never miss a Sunday meal at Pappa's house.
Deepen that Relationship. Get rid of the things that get in the way of friendship with God. Learn more about Christ and His Church. Tell others the good news.

It takes a long time for the Good News of the Resurrection to penetrate our thick skulls and transform our lives. Yes, we still have to pay taxes, but we don't have to worry about them because we know Pappa will take care of us. Yes, our lives will still be hard, but we don't have to complain because we know we are loved and none of our sufferings are wasted. Yes, we still have to die, but our friends will meet us on the other side. Let us proclaim to the whole world, not only by our words, but most importantly by the way we live our lives:

Christ is Risen!
He is Truly Risen!

(8 Apr 2012)

Lent6 - Its my Fault

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:12:37 PDT

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord [readings]
After the Gospel of Palm Sunday: Holy Week is a journey through the cross to the Resurrection. We are invited to give Jesus something better than cloaks and palms; we are called to lay down ourselves before Him. It is easy to follow Jesus when everyone is doing it, but can we walk with Him all the way to the Cross?

After the Gospel of the Passion: The Jewish people would sacrifice a Scapegoat for their sins. We like to point the finger at someone and blame them for why things went wrong: Those immigrants, those Democrats, those Republicans, my wife, my husband.... We point the finger, they get the blame, and we get to walk away free. The ultimate scapegoat is God. How does God answer our scapegoating behavior? He should point the finger back at us, but for love of us, he stays silent and takes our blame. I would love to blame the Jews or the Romans for the death of Jesus, but the truth, it's my fault.
(1 Apr 2012)

Lent5 - Expectations and how not to Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:39:50 PDT

Lent, 5th Sunday. Our lives are filled with expectations from all kinds of people: family, friends, coaches, parents, our children, our church, our boss, and most of all, Ourselves. We set expectations for ourselves constantly and then we go out and fail them. So we ask God for help and guess what: we do even worse!
But God doesn't want us to be a failure, so there must be another solution. God is not going to help us achieve our plan because God has a better plan. We have to "fold" our wills into the will of our Heavenly Father. We might think this is unfair, but this is precisely how Jesus lives His life. God is just asking us to be more like Jesus.
(25 Mar 2012)

Lent4 - Admit who you Are

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:13:10 PDT

Lent, 4th Sunday. I don't like to admit it, but it's true: I know who I am. I'm the kind of person who snacks while watching TV instead of getting things done, and then make excuses about it. But sometimes it is hard to admit that the face in the mirror is really me.
Today's readings provide us guidance. In our first reading, the Jews thought they were faithful to God, but they really weren't. Finally they are forced to admit that they have not been faithful to God. In our Gospel reading Jesus invites us to bring our lives into the light. Our second reading has the good news: "For we are [God's] handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them." God has made us for more. But in order to live what God has prepared for us, we have to admit who we really are and that we really need God's grace. That is when we learn that God already knows who we are and He still loves us.
(18 Mar 2012)

Lent3 - Cast the clutter out of your Temple

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:36:11 PDT

Lent, 3rd Sunday. Jesus casts out the sellers and money-changers because the temple should be about one thing: God. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should be about this one thing too. Today we are given the 10 Commandments to remind us put God first in our lives, and to put everything else in the proper place. Have you followed the 10 Commandments? Perhaps is is time to cast the clutter out of your temple.
(11 Mar 2012)

Lent2 - A future full of Glory, a present full of Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:16:48 PST

Lent, Second Sunday. America: the Land of Opportunity! America used to be a place of boundless optimism. Science, technology, and medicine were constantly improving our lives. If something was still a problem, it was only because we hadn’t got around to solving it yet. Today was better than yesterday, and tomorrow would be better still. But over the course of the last 50 years, we have run out of hope. Science has lied to us, medicine has not delivered on its promises, and technology has created better bombs. We respond by desperately clinging to what we have. Our hard work and ingenuity cannot give us the bright future we hope for. We have put our hope in ourselves and we have failed. America has run out of hope.
Today’s Gospel shows us where to find new hope: Jesus. We see Him gloriously transfigured. The apostles catch a glimpse of who Jesus really is. They are also catching a glimpse of our own future. We were meant to be glorious like Christ. He himself is our glorious future. God will give us what our hard work and ingenuity will never be enough to achieve.
How do we get there from here? Abraham shows us the way. He is willing to sacrifice his plan and accept God’s plan instead. We have to do the same. We have to sacrifice our expectations, our plan, our things and put them in the hands of God. You see, the truth is that Jesus is already glorious. The Apostles just didn’t usually see the glory of God on the inside. For one moment, they catch a glimpse of his true glory. And the Apostles themselves are already glorious, radiant in the love of God. Christ has to strip away all the junk that we accumulate to get to the glory that is inside us. He has one the victory and He shows us the future: A Future full of glory so that we can have a Present full of hope.
(4 Mar 2012)

Lent1 - We are not Orphans

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:31:08 PST

Lent, first Sunday. Jesus is tempted to give up the belief that God is his Heavenly Father. Here are the temptations:

Turn stones into bread: God won't provide for me.
Jump off the temple: God won't protect me.
Worship Satan: Not content to be the Son of God.

Jesus passes all these temptations. He waits for God to provide, doesn't need proof that God will protect him, and he is content to be the Son of God. The God news of the Gospel is that we have been made God's beloved children. Do we believe this? Do we live it? Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
(26 Feb 2012)

Lent - Blood and Ashes

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:12:57 PST

Ash Wednesday. Ashes from our burnt school give a new meaning to Ash Wednesday. They remind me that all that we have, own, and value is really just ashes. Everything is ashes except the Blood of Jesus Christ. In fact, only God and other people will survive the end of the world. That is why our the greatest commandment is to love God and love our neighbor. It is also why Jesus reminds us that we need to do our fasting, prayer, and almsgiving for one reason: love of God.
How is it that we lose our faith? We slowly trade other things for Jesus. We might not intend to, but bit by bit we trade Jesus for a a football game, a sports tournament, a better job -- until there is nothing left. We have given away the Son of God for a pile of ashes.
Lent is the time to trade back. By sacrificing and giving up things we like, we remind ourselves that only God can satisfy. We trade back our ashes for the Son of God. Lent is the time to start living the truth that nothing is more valuable than the Blood of Jesus.

(22 Feb 2012)

Ord5 - Jesus finds the antidote to Drudgery

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:37:10 PST

Ordinary Time, 5th Sunday. Today's Old Testament reading from Job is quite the downer. But from time to time we have to admit that life looks just like drudgery. We are tempted to do more of the same, but it doesn't work. We are also tempted to cut corners, but that doesn't work. Of note here in light of recent political events are the ways that people see their own fertility as a threat and a burden. So what's the answer? A relationship with God. Because Jesus is constantly receiving the love of God, he can give it out generously.

(5 Feb 2012)

Ord4 - Total Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:46:15 PST

Ordinary Time, 4th Sunday. There are many unclean spirits that we need Jesus to cast out of us. We need help! Jesus knew this, so He shared with us His Mother Mary. My twin started to discover the power of Mary’s intercession and encouraged me to do St. Louis de Montfort’s “Total Consecration to Mary.” I used to wonder why Mary seemed to take care of me. I reflected back and realized that Mary had helped me because I had done the Total Consecration years ago.
The Total Consecration consists of 33 days of preparation beginning on February 20th and ending on March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. I want to invite you to join me.
One of the most famous devotees of this Total Consecration was Pope John Paul II. He discovered devotion to Mary and it changed his life. It also saved his life. He survived an assassination attempt on 13 May 1981. John Paul II commented, “One hand fired the shot and another hand guided the bullet.” May 13th is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
I won’t promise that if you do the Total Consecration you’ll become bulletproof. But I will promise miracles. Mary wants us to be happy and holy. She wants us to know her Son. But she isn’t one of these women who will barge into your business; she waits to be asked. If you haven’t felt the power of Mary’s intercession, perhaps it’s because you haven’t asked.
(29 Jan 2012)

Ord3 - Pray like a Champion Today

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:23:04 PST

Pray Like a Champion Today
Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday. All of Wisconsin thought the Packers were going to the Super Bowl. What did the Packers do wrong to lose their first playoff game? Coach McCarthy said they were weak on fundamentals. In my opinion they thought they were good enough. And because they thought they were good enough, they didn't go out and really play like champions. I'd love to give the Packers a hard time but I can't. The more I think about it the more I realize that we Christians do the same thing.
We think we're "good enough" so we don't bother to play like champions. We are content to come to church from time to time, pray occasionally, and follow some of Jesus' rules. We are weak on fundamentals. That's why we aren't ready to face life's adversities. It's why when things get difficult, our faith feels weak. Here are the fundamentals of being a Christian:

Daily prayer. "Pray like a Champion"
Weekly Mass. Don't miss your practices, if you want to play well all week.
Frequent Conversion. Go to Confession; get rid of sin.
Give generously. Share with the needy. Share your faith.
Grow in your faith. Read. Study. Learn about it.

But there's good news. Jesus has called us each by name. He didn't call us to go out and be good. He called us to come and follow Him. He will walk with us.
What is one thing we need to repent of?
Thirty-nine years ago today abortion was made legal in the United States. Since that day, over 50 million of our own children have died from legal abortion. Now 1/3rd of these generations is missing. Monday is a day of fasting and prayer in reparation for sins against human life. We may be tempted to say that it isn't our concern; we haven't been involved, and that's good enough. But Jesus didn't call us to be "good enough". He called us to be champions. Pray like a Champion today.
(22 Jan 2012)

Chr2 - An Humility Epiphany

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:58:53 PST

[Readings for the Epiphany of the Lord]
Today the Church celebrates the moment when wise men from the East arrive bringing gifts for the Baby. Ancient Christians saw this as a bigger feast than Christmas. This feast gives the first inkling that Jesus is not just the king of the Jews, but that His Gospel will be meant for all nations. The three gifts tell us about the child:

Gold. A gift fit for a king. Jesus sits on his mother's lap like a throne and receives tribute.
Frankincense. A gift for the High Priest.
Myrrh. Used for embalming, it reveals that he will be our Sacrifice and will die for us.

In the course of the holidays I had an important lesson in humility. These readings teach the same thing: the danger of pride and the greatness of humility.

In the first reading, Israel had tried to make itself powerful by alliances with other countries. It failed and went into exile. Now Israel is a more humble country. Pride blinds the other nations; the humble Israel can see clearly. Instead of scraping riches together, God delivers them for His faithful people.
The Gospel teaches the same lesson. The wise men humbly follow the star, ask for directions, and accept the humble child. Herod is too proud to offer Jesus homage; he wants the world to serve him.

I have started praying for humility. Every time I pray for humility, I get humbled in some way. It isn't fun but it's necessary. When we are humble we serve the true king. We are able to see clearly and we begin to realize an amazing truth: our God is a humble God.
(8 Jan 2012)

Christmas - The Best Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:31:28 PST

Christmas Eve. We love all kinds of things about Christmas: Presents, family, the tree, cookies.... The first Christmas didn't have any of those things. But they were still happy because they had Jesus. Our Lord and Savior had given up all his riches as the Lord of the Universe to come and be with us. Why did he do that?
Because He loves us.
Jesus was willing to become small, innocent, tiny, and helpless -- a little baby in a poor family -- for love of us. We can be tempted to think that God is some distant force that doesn't really know us or care but us. But God became one of us in Jesus Christ to prove that He loves us so much that there is nothing He would not give up for us. That's what Christmas is all about: God cared enough to give us His very best.
Where do we experience this love for ourselves? In the Eucharist. The word Bethlehem means "House-of-bread." Jesus was laid in a feeding trough. He becomes food for our souls. In the Eucharist we encounter God's love for us personally. How do we repay His "I love you?" By loving Him in return. Love is the best gift we can give Him in return.
(25 Dec 2011)

Adv4 - What are you getting Jesus for His Birthday?

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:46:22 PST

Advent, 4th Sunday. Imagine throwing a birthday party for all your closest friends. They all come to celebrate with you and they bring fantastic gifts. But then they give their gifts to each other… no one brought a gift for you, and it was your birthday! That would be strange, wouldn’t it? But that’s how we celebrate Christmas every year. It is the birthday of Jesus, but instead of getting Him a gift, we give gifts to everyone else.
We are celebrating the birthday of Jesus. But in order to really appreciate what the birthday of Jesus means we need to go back to the beginning. God prophesied a Messiah and the Jewish people thought that meant another great king like David. But God had even better plans: He himself wanted to become one of us. God is our relation!
Mary got to conceive Him, hold Him, care for Him — and they grew closer and closer together. The first gift of Christmas is not something but Someone: Emmanuel, God-with-us. God is not a big, powerful, impersonal force. God is content to put himself into our hands, and to be vulnerable and helpless before us. He was willing to be a child in our hands; are we willing to be a child in His hands? Mary gave Jesus the gift of herself; she made space for Him in her life.
What are we going to give Jesus for His birthday?
(18 Dec 2011)

Adv3 - Rejoice! The Lord is Near

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:43:14 PST

Advent, 3rd Sunday. [not recorded live]
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near (Phil 4:4-5)
These are the words of our entrance antiphon for today’s Mass. It’s “pink candle Sunday”, when we celebrate passing the half-way point of Advent. That means that Jesus is near us. Advent is a season for realizing our need for God. Unfortunately, most people don’t discover until after Christmas that you can’t make yourself happy and you can’t buy joy. Peace on earth and joy to the world are gifts. God is the one who gives them to me.
I’ve managed to stay joyful in the midst of a flood of funerals. I think it’s because I’ve been remembering to pray. In fact, I even got one of the nicest compliments I have ever received. Someone said I acted “Christlike.” Every Christian should be told that. Have others seen Christ in you? Have you seen Christ in others? John the Baptist witnesses to Christ. We know when we see John the Baptist that Jesus can’t be too far behind. In the same way, if others see Jesus through us, He must be close by.
The bad news is that we can’t make ourselves happy. The good news is that God can. Rejoice! The Lord is near.
(11 Dec 2011)

Adv2 - Mountains and Valleys

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:40:14 PST

Advent, 2nd Sunday. [not recorded live] Isaiah has good news for his people – God himself is coming to visit them. The mountains and hills will be made low and the valleys filled in to make way for the coming of the King. Our God is coming to visit us, but we have to make a way for him into our heart. What do we have to do to prepare our hearts? Isaiah gives us a clue:
Make low the mountains of our pride. How often do we think that we are better than than everyone else, that God couldn’t possibly help much beyond what we can do for ourselves, and that a little visit might be fine but we really don’t need a savior? Those are the mountains of our pride.
Fill in the valleys of our worthlessness. And then there are the times when we think everyone else is better than us, that God couldn’t possibly love someone like me, and why should I get ready because he wouldn’t even bother visiting someone like me. These are the valleys of our worthlessness.
The Baby Jesus is the antidote to both our pride and our worthlessness. He is innocent and humble and shows us that God is not proud. God chose to be a helpless baby. But he also comes to dwell with us. We receive him in Holy Communion at Mass. How could we be worthless if we receive our Savior? The Baby Jesus levels the mountains of our pride and fills in the valleys of our worthlessness. Our God himself wants to visit us. Make space for God.
(4 Dec 2011)

Adv1 - Make Time for God

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:39:11 PST

Advent, 1st Sunday. I recently visited my little niece. She was so excited that every half-hour she asked, “Is Uncle Joel here yet?” When I arrived she came running out to meet the car and gave me a huge hug.
This is what Jesus has in mind when he tells us, “Be watchful! Be alert!” We should look forward with eager expectation to the coming of the One we love. If you were to die tonight, would you be ready? You would leave undone all the things you have put off — people you haven’t forgiven, or haven’t loved, and things you haven’t gotten to yet. Would you be excited to see Our Lord? Would you recognize Him? More importantly, would He recognize you? Have you really spent enough time with Our Lord that you can say you know each other?
At any time of year, but especially during the holiday season, it is easy to get so busy that we forget to pray. That is why we are handing out little wooden nickels. They remind you to make space for God and to make time for God. In fact, one side has a little clock on it. You can use a highlighter and color in how much time you plan to give to God each day. Maybe you want to give God twenty minutes, or only 5, or a whole hour. Before you make up your mind, remember that you aren’t going to have extra time in the day. That means to really give God time, you have to be willing to give up something else. I think we would all agree that time spent with God is time well spent.
If we really knew Our Lord well, we would be as excited to see Him as my little niece was excited to see me. That fact that we aren’t very excited about His coming can mean only one thing: we haven’t taken the time to really get to know Him. Make time for God.
(27 Nov 2011)

Ord34 - Treat the King as He treats Us

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:55:33 PST

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. The glory of the King of Kings is revealed. Everyone is judged on whether they treated Him well or badly. When, we wonder, did we have a chance to give our King food and drink? In the least of our brothers and sisters. It's not that Jesus will be king in the future; He is the Lord now. But he is not a Lord who rules by violence and force. He invites us to act the same way. Our King is compassionate and merciful. Do we treat others the way our King treats us?
(20 Nov 2011)

Ord33 - New Mass: Please Respond

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:40:36 PST

The Mass 2.0: The Eucharistic Prayer

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my Roof

So far we have covered the Gloria and the Creed. As we look ahead, we see that most of the changes are a word here or there. The Mystery of Faith has changed in one important way – we are missing the most popular response: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. What happened? It doesn’t exist in the Latin. The translators invented it when they wrote the English translation. So when the new translators came to that part, there was nothing to translate.
The other thing worth noting is the Invitation to Communion. This one looks very different: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. What does a roof have to do with receiving Communion? It is a quote from Luke Chapter 7 about a Centurion who believed so strongly, Jesus didn’t even need to enter his home to cure his servant. Jesus says, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” We quote this Centurion because we are asking for faith like that.

Many are Called

There is one other change that I want to mention. During the Consecration, the priest will soon say: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. It might sound disturbing that we are saying “Many” instead of “All.” It might sound disturbing, but that’s what it says in the Bible (see Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Isaiah 53:12). Jesus’ sacrifice was for many (not just a few), but not all will accept it. That is perhaps the most disturbing thing about God’s love for us: we have the power to reject God's love for us. Let’s not.

All together as a Family

Now that we have looked through the Mass translation, I want you to know that you don’t have to like it. Maybe you’re excited about some things. Maybe you’re uncomfortable. Maybe there will be some things you’ll miss. That’s perfectly fine. You have a right to your own opinion. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to do it. My dad used to tell us, “We’re doing this as a family, and you’re part of this family.” We Catholics are a big universal family. We are all doing this together as a family.

It’s not the end of the World

I think that this new translation will be a Y2K moment for the Church. Remember all the hype that every machine would stop working when the year rolled over to 2000? And nothing happened. There has been lots of hype and discussion about this translation but I think it's not going to be a big deal. Maybe that’s really a bad thing. Many people aren't interested in learning the new responses because we don't know the old ones. I also know that many of you grew up when you were expected to just stay quiet in Mass and you did that very well. So I’m just going to make an appeal: please respond. This isn’t just my show. You don't come to Mass to watch me worship God. You come to Mass to worship God yourself. I have my parts and you have yours. We each have to do our part.
You have every right to expect me to do a good job. You expect me to come to Mass prepared, to have something worth listening to. You expect me to speak up and not mumble, and it bothers you when you can’t hear me. Most of you like it when I sing and you expect me to do that well. Those are all fully reasonable expectations for your priest. But if you expect this of me, I have every right to expect the same from you.
If you expect me to come to Mass prepared, then it's only fair that you also come to Mass prepared. Read the readings in advance. Think about what you want to get out of Mass. Come early and recollect yourselves. If you expect me to speak up and not mumble, then I can expect the same out of you. Do you like me singing? Well, I like you singing, so let’s sing together. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that we have the freedom to use the gifts we have been given. Two servants make good use of their gifts and the third wastes it. You get out of Mass what you put into Mass. If you are getting nothing out of Mass, I think we know where the problem starts. Please respond.
(13 Nov 2011)