Alcohol is very much a part of our New Year’s Celebration. The New York times reports on a study that indicates that binge drinking can have permanent effects on the brain, especially, on those that binge when young. Read these sobering thoughts, and some recommendations for the New Year: The Hangover that Lasts
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/M529qurtDY0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]Teaching Children to Hate
HOMILY – FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
2007
Christmas is a special and memorable time for children. Santa Claus, bells and reindeer, trees and lights, bows and ribbons, and of course the baby Jesus capture the imagination. This child, born to poor parents, birthed in a stable, laid in a manger, watched over by angels, stars, shepherds, wise men, Mary, Joseph and even sheep on the hill is adored and cherished.
For children Christmas is a never forgotten magical season, and for us, a time to remember this Child’s message. For this child, we know, is special. But this specialness brings with it the uncomfortable reminder of other children not so loved and cherished. Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy family, and although we know little of Jesus’ childhood and family life, we know from the bible that Jesus was loved and cherished, and his presence in our midst reminds us of the millions of unloved and uncherished children who suffer so terribly.
This Christmas parents worried about how safe the toys were they placed under the Christmas tree. In shock and amazement we all heard of millions of toxic toys being recalled from store shelves. For many, hopefully, it was a wakeup call to the plight of millions of children in our modern world.
Last week’s Gospel reminded us to “stay awake and to keep alert.” In his homily Deacon Kerry quoted an anonymous author who said, “the most dangerous day of our lives comes when we learn the word tomorrow.” The challenge of doing our best to bring the christian message alive in our lives, and in the world we live in, is an awesome task. At times, no matter how alert we try to be, the problems of life seem overwhelming, and we just feel like isolating ourselves for a while and adopting the ‘mannana’ (tomorrow) way of coping. Sometimes we do need to step back, but this does not mean ‘turn off or ‘give up’.
This advent weekend, we once again hear John the Baptist’s stern call to repentance: “Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near.” (Jn.3:1) Are we alert, or have we drifted into the world of ‘mannana land’ where nothing can get through to disturb our little world? Jesus was relentless in disturbing those that had found comfort in this world, for it usually meant that they had lost their way. John the Baptist was harsh and just as disturbing: “You brood of vipers,” was the greeting the pharisees heard when they found him in the desert.
Advent is a time when we explore what it means to wait upon the Lord. We are a people awaiting the Lord’s return. How do we wait? Hopefully, we wait with alertness, and stubborn determination to do God’s will. If we wait in hope, believing that one day the ‘wolf will lie down with the lamb,’ (as Isaiah symbolically puts it), we will seek God’s ways, find comfort in prayer, and continue doing our best to prepare for the day when the Lord returns in Glory. May “the God of steadfastness and encouragement”(Rom.15) be with us, as we continue our journey through Advent to Christmas, and into the New Year 2008, until that day on which there is no sunset and no dawning.
Most of you know that I visit my family’s property in Quebec fairly often. I arrived at my cabin in the woods late this Advent Sunday afternoon feeling pretty rotten. I’d been on antibiotics for a couple of weeks and seemed to be coming down with a new bug – aching and feverish. After a restless night’s sleep, I looked out the window on Monday to discover over two feet of fresh snow, and no signs of the snow plow. Next day, feeling a bit better, I had to get busy. This is a series of photos I posted on facebook (sort of like one long Christmas Card)Â for family and friends. My sister, who now lives in Switzerland, suggested I join this summer, so that I could keep in touch. Here it is.
First Sunday of Advent
This weekend begins a new church year. Catholics will gather in churches tastefully decorated in the the royal burgundy color of advent (blue in the U.S.), and pray in hope as they light the first candle on an advent wreath. The celebration stands in stark contrast to the fireworks, champagne, and parties of January first. To an outsider, I suspect, such a celebration might seem overly subdued, if not meager. By worldly standards some might say that there is really no celebration at all, but for the faithful the first Sunday of Advent surpasses all that this world can offer.
Each year, as the candle is lit, cherished hymns such as ” O Come Divine Messiah’ and ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ are sung, and worshippers become intensely aware of what it means to be Christian. The past, present, and future mesh in a sense of oneness, and the loving creator of all inspires remembrance, permeates the present with love and hope, and facilitates a joyful, hopeful yearning and prayer for God’s return. Each year the flickering little flame of one little candle captures our imagination and becomes far more meaningful and comforting than a night sky filled with loud booms and cascades of sparkles from the most awesome fireworks display. This ‘New Year’ celebrates the spiritual and eternal, and invites us to remember what God has done, what God is doing, and to yearn for Jesus, the face of God, to return in glory. The Church New Year is all about God’s love, mercy, justice, and righteousness, and our eternal destiny. We who are made in the image and likeness of God. Let us Give thanks and rejoice, as we journey through Advent to Christmas.
