We are called to turn our lives over to the Lord. We seek to discover Jesus in both the green pastures and the dark valleys of life.

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

We have just heard the first words Jesus speaks in Mark’s Gospel:  It’s time! The kingdom is here!  Repent and believe!  With this Gospel we have the beginning of the proclamation of the Good News in Mark.  Jesus is portrayed as discerning that the time is right for people to respond to the preaching of the kingdom.  It’s time for God’s definitive revelation of who God is in the person of Jesus; it’s time to let the world know once and for all that God loves this world; it’s time that God is defined by mercy and compassion.

The kingdom of God is at hand.  What are the conditions for entry into the kingdom?  Repent and believe the Good News.

Having announced that the kingdom is here and stated the conditions for belonging, Jesus begins the work of spreading the kingdom.  He begins to gather disciples.  In this liturgy, Jesus continues to call and gather his disciples -- you and I.  To follow Jesus is to not only listen and agree with his message, but to be willing to work with others he has called to build the kingdom.  Mark preached his gospel to help us know who we are as a people — those who have chosen to become one with Jesus in baptism; he did not imagine that he was writing down merely wise religious sayings.

For us as we respond to the call of God in our lives, our discipleship of the Lord Jesus involves responding to the call to be in community, to be Church.

The radical response of the two sets of brothers shows something of what is intended, they leave their nets and they follow. Peter and Andrew were grown men who were in the fishing business.  They experienced God’s call and immediately dropped everything, left their business, and followed Jesus.  The road they are taking will bring them to places they never imagined and will show them that following Jesus is a constant challenge to put themselves entirely into God’s hands.

How are we to pray over the radical response of the first disciples – they simply left their nets and followed Jesus – is to reflect on our Gospel commitment!  How does my commitment to follow Jesus and your commitment to follow Jesus compare with the radical response of the first disciples?

As disciples, we are called to turn our lives over to the Lord.  We seek to discover Jesus in both the green pastures and the dark valleys of life.  As a Spirit-filled people, we are consecrated to share ourselves in the service of others.

This is what the spirituality of stewardship is all about.  As disciples, stewardship becomes a way of life for us.

As we celebrate Stewardship Commitment Sunday today and invite you to place your pledge in the second collection today, we invite you to consider how the first disciples responded to the call of God.   Their sense of stewardship is an example for us to making God first in our lives.  If you did not bring your commitment card with you today, all is not lost as the ushers will make available to you extra commitment cards.

Our stewardship of treasure is not the only way we are called to discipleship but it is an important means of our willingness to turn over to the Lord.   If you are able to increase your giving, join me in making our commitment for our parish ministries to continue to grow.  If your commitment stays at the same level, thank you for that as well.  In all cases, we are grateful for your generosity.

Today we are blessed to have a fellow parishioner Barb Babiarz give a witness to how she lives a spirituality of stewardship in her life.

What we have is only on loan to us. Our life in Christ calls out of our comfort zone and to enter into the mission and ministry of Jesus.

As we celebrate the Word of God that has been proclaimed to us, God is calling the prophet Samuel, the first apostles Andrew and Peter, and you and I.  Yes, the call of God is given to us as surely as it was given to Samuel and Andrew and Peter.  The call of God, our vocation, is given to each and every one of us.  

I invite you to listen again to the dialogue of Jesus with the first disciples.  Jesus, sensing that two people were following him, asked:  “What are you looking for?”  They responded:  “Rabbi, where do you live.”  Jesus simply responds:  “Come and See.”

This call of the first disciples invites us to reflect on the call of God in our own lives.  Indeed, Jesus asks us what are we looking for?   May we too respond:  Master, where do you live?  What are you all about?  Then we receive the invitation to COME AND SEE.

I would like to ask you rhetorically this question for your prayerful reflection:  “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?  Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior?”  If this is a puzzling question for you, I don’t blame you.  This is an unusual Catholic question.  This typically is a question evangelicals ask of each other.  Catholics, on the other hand, are called to live a life of morality, of responsibility, of a Gospel way of living.  To do the right thing.

But the invitation given to the first disciples is to COME AND SEE.  Come and See what life will be like when lived in relationship with Jesus and in relationship with the all the disciples of Jesus.  Come and See if the Gospel stories connect with your spirit and your way of looking at life.  Come and See if your relationships in the Church – the disciples of Jesus – allow you to love and be loved in life-giving ways.  Our relationship with Jesus to which we are called demands an adult commitment to discipleship.  We are to embark on our journey of faith.  All of our actions are to flow out of our relationship with God.

 As we ready ourselves to celebrate Stewardship Commitment Sunday next weekend , Jesus is inviting to Come and See if we can embrace a spirituality of stewardship as part of our discipleship of Christ Jesus.

What is the spirituality of stewardship all about?  Very simply, the Lord calls us to share what we have been given in the service of others.  This is how Jesus lived his life.  Jesus invites to Come and See if we too can die to self-centeredness and live an other-centered life to help others.  Stewardship is central to a Gospel way of living.

The way we live a God-centered life is when we live our lives as Jesus did.  The call to discipleship is the call to Come and See what it means to share in the mission and the ministry of Jesus.  The compassion of Jesus, the unconditional love for Jesus for all, His willingness to forgive – even those who have betrayed him, His willing to lay his life in the service of others --- all of this is what Jesus invited his first disciples to COME AND SEE.

So we ask ourselves, does our spirituality have to invade the way we spend our hear-earned money?  Isn’t it enough to pray and keep the rules with a life of morality?  We need to hear this part of our relationship with Jesus.   How we use the money in our wallet or in our purse is an essential part of our spirituality.  In fact, there is no area of your life that is excluded from our spirituality.

Our stewardship of treasure is our opportunity to share what we have been given with others.  May we always be mindful of the words of Jesus:  “As often as you have done this to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done to me.”

Personally, I intend as I have done in other years to increase my financial offering to the parish in handing in my stewardship commitment pledge card.  While you do not see me dropping my envelope in the collection basket, I assure you I give electronically each and every month in the support of our parish ministries.  I don’t say this to impress you.  I am just aware I need to walk my talk and seek to live my life in gratitude for God’s many, many blessings.

Further on a personal note, I have no intention to retire as the pastor of St. Joseph’s.  There is nothing I would rather do than serve as your pastor.

What I have said before is a strong conviction of mine.  You will never regret being generous.  You have received in the mail a pledge card in which we ask that you place it in the second collection next weekend on Stewardship Commitment Sunday.

I suggest that today’s Scripture readings alert us to the ways we can recognize the call of God in our lives.  The first Scripture reading describes the call of God in the life of Samuel.  “Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was.  The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”  Samuel ran to Eli and said: “Here I am. You called me.”  “I did not call you,” Eli said.  “Go back to sleep.”  This happened three times. Then Eli understood the Lord was calling the young Samuel.  He then told Samuel to go to sleep and the next time he was to reply:  “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

We too need people to recognize the call of God in our lives.  Who for you is the prophet Eli who helps you to recognize the call of God in your life?  I would love for us to have a dialogue on identifying the soul friends in our lives who have raised our awareness of the presence in our lives.

I firmly believe in the connection in how we respond to the call of God in our life, in the way we are invited to COME AND SEE what discipleship of the Lord Jesus is all about and the spirituality of stewardship.  We are called to be good stewards of the giftedness we have been given.  What we have is only on loan to us.  Our life in Christ calls us to let go of our comfort zones and to enter into the mission and ministry of Jesus – giving our time, talent, and treasure for the building of the Body of Christ.

Have a blessed day.

---

 [JS1]

We don't need to go to the Bethlehem crib to discover the Christ child; we only need to look to the neighbor next door.

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews?’”

That is the Epiphany question for the magi and for ourselves as well:  Where is the newborn king of the Jews?  Where?  The Christmas mystery is that the power of God is revealed through a baby.  The Lord of the universe is revealed in the infant of Bethlehem.

In celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the Good News of the birth of Jesus "breaking out" beyond the boundaries of Israel, and being made known to all the peoples of the world - to every tribe, and tongue and people and nation. So, we celebrate the Savior who comes to the Gentiles. This is symbolized by the three wise men, who came from the East to welcome and worship Him.

"Epiphany" - means "revealed". But what is it, exactly, that is revealed to the magi?

         

-- It's revealed that God loves all human beings, not just one kind.

- It's revealed that God has a plan to save us from the dead end of sin and selfishness, and love us back from the brink of hatred, jealousy, and greed that threatens to destroy us.

- It's revealed that God chose to do this through a small, humble and unassuming family from a poor neighborhood so that the poor and the rich could recognize the love at the heart of this world-transforming event.

 -It’s revealed that there were no outsiders at the Bethlehem crib.  There was no racism.  All were welcome.  Jesus welcomed everyone – the ox and the ass, the shepherds and magi, poor and rich, the Jews and Gentiles.  He came for us all.  He would reject no one, as he would accept the unique gifts of each.

Notice the stark contrast between the Magi kings and Herod the king: Herod sees the promised child as a threat. He's afraid the coming baby will crimp his style, will challenge his power and lower his status.

The Magi see the promised child as wonderful gift. They've humbled themselves to travel a great distance to a strange culture that speaks a different language, in order to embrace this baby who fulfills God's love.

Herod's selfishness, fueled by his fears leads to his downfall. The Magi's worship leads to the salvation of all the nations. Today more than 2 billion people call themselves Christians, in large part because of the humility of these three kings.

The gift of eternal life is offered to the peoples of the world through the birth a child.

In celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, may the story of the Epiphany be our story as well.  Like the magi, we are seekers searching for an encounter with the Lord, a deeper relationship with Jesus in 2018.  Let us respond to the deeper meaning of this Feast by participating in the ongoing epiphany, the ongoing revealing, of God's love and light to a world desperately stands in need of redemption.

The magi did not come to the Bethlehem crib empty handed.  The gospel tells us: “They opened their treasures.”  Like the magi, each of us has a treasure to offer

Christ.  The prayerful question we should ask ourselves this Sunday is: what is it? What do we have to give?

 The magi presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child.  What gifts do we offer to the Christ child?  Our gifts are not gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Rather, our gifts are our time, talent, and treasure that we offer as good stewards of the giftedness that God has blessed us with.

I invite you to see the connection between stewardship and the meaning of the Epiphany event.  The magi were overjoyed at arriving at the Bethlehem crib and offered their gifts.  So too, for us, when we are overjoyed in encountering the Lord, we are led to share from our giftedness in the service of one another.  For us we don’t need to go to the Bethlehem crib to discover the Christ child; we need only to look to the neighbor next door.  How much and how often are we to give?   As long as our God continues to share his unending love with us, that is how long we are to continue to give in the service of one another.  Period.  End of the story.

Like Zacchaeus in the Gospel account, when we know how much we are loved and forgiven and healed by our God, we never regret our generosity that is given in praise of God and in the service of one another.

Please note well in the Christmas mystery that it is not just the magi who are seekers.  God is a seeker.  We are sought by a God who has become one of us and who hunts us down with His love.  In the Epiphany mystery, we need to allow ourselves to be found by the love of the Christ child.

The spirituality of stewardship is all contained in the beautiful Epiphany account.  As you fill out your stewardship commitment card and place it in the collection basket, see yourself as the magi who are seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus.  The magi were givers, not taker; they reached out to others; and they were not self-absorbed.   It is in giving that you receive.

In the Christmas-Epiphany mystery, God has become man in Christ for to share his life and love for our salvation.  Our spirituality is a response to God’s love for us.  We gather thankful for our blessings.  We live life with an attitude of gratitude.  We gather also knowing that love is the first requirement of a disciple of Jesus.  We share our love as we share our treasure in praise of God and in the service of one another.    In a spiritualityof stewardship, like the magi, we are givers, not takers.  We do not encounter the Lord empty-handed.  We share our treasure with the Lord and with the Church.

As we place our stewardship cards in the second collection today, may we like the magi share our treasures as we encounter the Lord in this mystery of the Eucharist.

Have a blessed day.

Instead of focusing of my goals for 2018, may I be open to God's plan for me in 2018.

NEW YEARS DAY  2018

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

The life of Jesus begins with Mary at the Bethlehem crib.  Therefore it is most appropriate we begin the New Year with a Feast of Mary – Mary the Mother of God.

As a people of faith we gather on this New Year’s Day to honor Mary, the great woman of faith.  We are told, once again, how she used time…to treasure and reflect in her heart all that God had done for her and how God was giving direction to her life.  Her example should speak to us for we also need to take the time to treasure and reflect within our own hearts what God is doing and what God is calling us to do.

It’s the time of year when we roll out the old and bring in the new.  It’s the time for making new resolutions, new promises to ourselves.  We resolve to devote more time to family life; we resolve to work more efficiently; and we decide to become healthier by dieting and exercising.

Our resolutions are filled with our dreams and hopes and goals for the coming year.  But the question that the Scriptures today invite us to reflect on is:  What are God’s plan for us this year?  Instead of focusing on our resolutions for the New Year, may we be open to God’s resolutions for us this year.

This is such a fundamental spiritual conversion the Scriptures call us to.  How do we become more aware of God’s plan for us in 2018?  Instead of naming my resolutions for the coming year, I seek to listen to God’s resolutions for me this coming year.

There is no better model for us than Mary in opening ourselves to God’s plan for our lives.  We know at the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of our Savior and Lord, Mary worked through her fear and confusion and said YES to God’s plan for her.  With such an inspiring faith, Mary spoke these powerful words:  “I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Be it done to me according to thy Word.”

Can we with Mary speak these words at the beginning of 2018:  “I am the servant of the Lord.  Be it done to me according to your word.”

In contrast to the frenzy of our celebrations on New Years’ Eve, Mary pondered in silence and stillness in the Bethlehem crib.  “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

Mary pondered and wondered and discerned about all that had puzzled her in the message of the angels and in the gifts of the magi.  Yes, there was uncertainty and questions for Mary and Joseph as they pondered the messages given to them about their Son.  But her uncertainty about the messages given to her by the shepherds and the Magi did not keep her from reflecting and pondering about God’s plan for her life. 

To ponder means more than thinking, organizing, worrying, doing, procrastinating, scurrying, etc.  To ponder means that we pray with a faith-filled heart over the joys and the struggles and challenges of the day.  It means to meditate, quiet down and know we are surrounded by God’s unending love.  We give thanks for the blessings of the day.  May we commit ourselves again to imitating her openness to God’s will and her love for Christ and His Church.

If we want to celebrate Christmas as Mary did, we need to ponder this sign:  the frail simplicity of a tiny newborn child, the meekness with which he is placed in a manger, the tender affection with which he is wrapped in his swaddling clothes.  This is where God is.

What Mary pondered reveals a Gospel paradox.  The Gospel speaks of the emperor, the governor, the high and mighty of those times, yet God does not make himself present there.  He appears not in the splendor of a royal palace, but in the poverty of a stable; not in pomp and show, but in simplicity of life; not in power, but astonishing smallness.  In order to meet him, we need to go where he is.  We need to bow down, to humble ourselves, to make ourselves small.  The newborn Child challenges us.  We need to discover in the simplicity of the divine Child the peace, joy and the luminous meaning of life.

Jesus enters our life to give us His life; He comes into our world to give us His love.  In 2018 through the intercession of Mary, may we be challenged and called by Jesus.  Let us draw close to God who draws close to us.  Let us pause to gaze upon the crib, and relive in our imagination the birth of Jesus: light and peace, dire poverty and rejection.  With the shepherds, let us enter into the real Christmas, bringing to Jesus all that we are, our alienation, our unhealed wounds, our sins.  Then, in Jesus, we will enjoy the taste of the true spirit of Christmas:  the beauty of being loved by God.  With Mary and Joseph, let us pause before the manger, before Jesus who is born as bread for my life.

May the blessing that the Lord said to Moses be the blessing the Lord speaks to each of us:

The Lord bless and keep you.

The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.

Have a blessed day and a blessed New Year.