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The area between the eastern point of Mount Carmel and the western side of Nazareth is known as the plain of Megiddo (see the map). This was an ancient battlefield and the area known as Armageddon. The area was located centrally between Assyria (Syria) to the North and Egypt to the south, so it made for a convenient place for opposing armies to do battle. History bears witness to a lot of gloom and a lot of death associated with the area.

On 31 December 2022, at 09:34 am Central European Time, Pope Benedict XVI died at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City at the age of 95. He was buried at the Vatican on Thursday, January 05, bringing an end to an unprecedented decade in which a reigning pope lived side by side with his predecessor. Pope Francis spoke at the funeral in these words, “ We have come with the fragrance of gratitude and the balm of hope in order to show him once more the love that is undying. We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness, and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years.”

Today we keep the feast of Epiphany. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, a verb that means “to shine upon,” “to manifest,” or “to make known.” Thus, the feast of the Epiphany celebrates the many ways that Christ has made Himself known to the world. The feast originated in the East. Three events that manifested the mission and divinity of Christ were celebrated together in this feast: the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11). In the western church, Epiphany Day is known as the Feast of the visit of the Magi. Magi itself is a Greek word which means wise Men.

Happy New Year!!  We Catholics celebrated our new Church year on the first Sunday of Advent.  This new calendar year, however, gives us yet another opportunity to give thanks for all of the ways that God has blessed us in this past year and to look forward with hope to all of the blessings to come.  ------------------  ¡¡Feliz año nuevo!! Los católicos celebramos nuestro nuevo año eclesiástico el primer domingo de Adviento. Este nuevo año calendario, sin embargo, nos brinda otra oportunidad para dar gracias por todas las formas en que Dios nos ha bendecido en el año pasado y mirar hacia adelante con esperanza a todas las bendiciones venideras.

My Dear parish family, I would like to take a moment to wish you God’s blessings at this Christmas. The miracle of Christmas is that God chose to come be with us in Jesus Christ. While we may over-romanticize the stable where Jesus was born, we can know that this birthing place speaks volumes about God’s infinite courtesy towards all people.

The opening line of the Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Advent fits well into the time of the season, ‘This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.’ Christmas is around the corner! Matthew’s narrative is very realistic about the uncertainty, doubts and the near break-up of the planned marriage of Joseph and Mary. Then he tells us about the Dream of Joseph. The mention of dream and the name Joseph reminds us about the great Joseph, the dreamer of the Old Testament.

The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, meaning Sunday of joy. ‘Gaudete’ is a Latin word that means “rejoice.” The word Sunday Reflection rejoice is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I said rejoice;” the entrance antiphon of today’s Mass. These last Sundays, we were reflecting on peace and hope. In this third week, we are praying for the restoration of joy, especially for those, according to Pope Francis, whose life seem like “Lent without Easter.”

As the feast of Christmas draws near and after recovering from the busy time of Thanksgiving, we might be tempted to swing into more action. In the process we might miss the fact that Advent is a fascinating and beautiful season of the Liturgical Year. In it, we experience transforming newness. Through the liturgy of the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are invited to tread the path of repentance and conversion – the just path that leads to hope and the heavenly kingdom that is the goal of Advent expectation. We, therefore, listen attentively to the word of God 'that we might have hope' and that 'the divine reign of justice and peace' might come upon us. Living in ‘hope’ is an invitation that we need to adhere to as we live in challenging times. If we are conscious of our stress filled lifestyle, then this spiritual encouragement for our soul is pertinent.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, year A. The term Advent comes from two Latin words Ad-ventus, which simply means “to arrive” or Ad-venire, meaning “to come.” For us Christians, and Catholics in particular, it means expecting the Lord’s coming. Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical calendar and is a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. We all have our hopes and aspirations for Christmas. These four weeks of Advent are our annual season of waiting in hope for Christ. This season of Advent, waiting reminds us that everything is not quite right with our world. Our world is somewhat broken and needs fixing. The world is broken because it does not pay attention to Christ or put Jesus first. The only way to fix our broken world is to mend and repair it with Christ. Christ is the solution to our broken world.

Celebrating the King on Calvary The Feast of Christ the King stands in stark opposition to two contemporary trends in some Christian circles and many socio-political thinkers. The first trend is the rejection of honorific titles like “king” or “lord.” The second is the proposal that Christ is not pre-eminent as a revelation of God (… “image of the invisible God,” as our Second Reading points out), but merely one among many equal sources of truth and leadership.

As we reach the end of the liturgical year (next week will be the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar when we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, and the following Sunday 27 November, will be the First Sunday in Advent) and as we conclude the Lukan account of the public ministry of Jesus, the Word of God today speaks to us about “the end”.  Living through very difficult times of political unrest and wars raging round the globe and listening to this horrific description of events such as destruction, wars, revolutions, fights, earthquakes, plagues, famines, and fearful sights in the Scriptures, we might forget to hear the real words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid… but the end is not so soon” (Lk 21:9).

The inspiring story of Eric Little was made famous in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” It is the chronicle of a young athlete who preferred to honor the Lord than to be honored by the Olympics. He would eventually lose his life as a missionary in China. Early in the movie, there is a scene as crowds gather around the victorious Eric Little after winning an important race. He takes this moment not only to speak but also to preach. This is what he says: “You came to see a race today ... to see someone win. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. Faith is like running a race. It’s hard and requires concentration of will and energy of soul. …And where does the power come from to see the race to its completion. It comes from within. Jesus says: Behold the kingdom of God is within you. If you commit yourself to the love of God.... that is how you run a great race.”

We have a saying about people who take risks. We say, “They’ve gone out on a limb.” Zacchaeus literally went out on a limb, and it changed his life.         Why did Zacchaeus climb that tree? You expect children to do that, not adults. He had two reasons. First, it was the only way he could see Jesus over the heads of the crowd. He was short, and nobody made way for him because he was one of the most hated men in town. They despised him because he was a wealthy man who made a living working as a corrupt tax collector for the Romans. The second reason went much deeper. It wasn’t just curiosity that sent him up that tree. Despite being wealthy, he was an unhappy, lonely man, an outcast. He had heard that Jesus was friendly toward people like him, and he wanted to find out for himself.

FROM DEACON ROB Today’s readings give us two striking, unconventional images of God and of the power of prayer. In the first reading, Moses prays for his men in battle against the Amalekites, and as long as he keeps his arms raised to God, they are victorious. However, if his arms droop from weariness, God will let them lose. In the Gospel reading, Jesus compares God to a corrupt judge who’s being worn out by a widow who keeps after him for justice, and finally gives in just to get her off his back.

As you read this, I am miles away in India visiting my mother who turned 101 years old a month ago. Please say a prayer as she comes to the final lap of her life’s journey. You are all in my prayers. The Scripture readings of this weekend are a tapestry of life situations: pain, silence of God, faith, and courage. One of the persons who best exemplified courage in face of whirlwind of problems is our own New Yorker up for canonization, Dorothy Day. In her autobiography entitled ‘The Long Loneliness’ she writes, “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus covered in sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.” What’s wrong with this picture? The Gospel for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary time gives us an image of wealth disparities. A nameless rich man is juxtaposed to a poor man named Lazarus.

Today's Gospel sounds puzzling to contemporary readers, but it can be made less so by considering the economic system which stands behind the parable. The manager of the property said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I would be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes” (Lk 16: 3-4). Here then is the crux of the story of today: the manager could have very well asked the debtors to give him part of the debt. After all, the master seems to have no idea of the amount owed to him by his debtors. The manager could have made some good money out of it. But he plans to do something more lasting: to use the wealth to build something more lasting – friendships.

We lift up our Nation in prayer to God this weekend as we recall with a heavy heart the loss of life, the way of life and the disruption of peace caused by the tragedy of 9/11. Our world needs more than ever, the healing that can come only from God. In chapter 15 of Luke's Gospel, Jesus tells three parables about losing, finding, and rejoicing. The outcasts of society, the taxpayers, and the sinners approach Jesus eager to hear what he has to say. In Luke's Gospel, hearing is a sign of conversion. The Pharisees and scribes, still suspicious of Jesus, complain about him associating with sinners. So, he tells them these three parables.

      The Gospel readings these past Sundays have a theme running through them forming a trilogy. Two Sundays ago, the Lord told us to strive to enter the narrow door. Being narrow, it involves not only great effort and focus, but also bending down low. So, in last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus taught us the absolute necessity of the virtue of humility through the parable of the dinner guest choosing the place of honor without deserving it. But one thing more is needed. The narrow gate will not allow us to bring in any extra baggage. So, this Sunday, the Lord tells us: “Every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions, cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:33). And to make sure we are admitted, we must show the distinctive sign of membership, namely, the cross: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow after me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:27). Our idea and the significance of the ‘cross’ has undergone a lot of changes. From being a sign of commitment to the mission, as Jesus did, to just being a decorative symbol or even a statement of profanity.

As summer is waning, we carry many memories of meal gatherings with family and friends. The sharing of food is one of the most common elements in the gospel of Luke. It progresses the narrative along and provides the setting for major teaching moments in the gospel. So let us reflect on today’s meal narrative through Jesus’ Mediterranean world lens. The meals were very powerful means of communication. Above all, meals affirmed and gave legitimacy to a person’s role, and it also carried a status symbol in a given community. For this reason, most meals in antiquity were attended by people of the same social rank much like the protocol of an exclusive club gathering of our time. Accepting an invitation to dinner in the ancient Mediterranean world obligated a guest to return the favor.