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Home ⇰ Get Inspired ⇰ Homilies ⇰ 2019-20 Advent and Christmas
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THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
Father Michael Brunner O.S.B.
The gospel today is the story of today’s celebration, a story of an epiphany to wise men from the east. Epiphany means manifestation, appearance and recognition, in this case the appearance and recognition of the reality of Jesus’ true identity, i.e. he is God. It is also his recognition by the whole world, the world outside Israel, by the Gentiles, by us. And it is celebrated in many different ways. In some places it’s the day Christmas gifts are exchanged. Other places celebrate with gigantic bonfires.
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ADDRESSING FEAR AND FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
Father Gregory Havil O.S.B.
As we have heard in today’s gospel, after the end of the Magi story St. Joseph reappears as the principal actor on the stage. But he is not acting on his own initiative. Rather he is acting in accordance with instructions that he receives, once more from the angel of God in a dream. He is asked to rise in haste, take the child and his mother, to flee to Egypt, and to remain there pending further instructions, for, as he is told, “Herod is going to search for the child, to destroy him”. continue reading...
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ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
Father Edward Mazuski O.S.B.
Today is one of the more unusual days on the Church calendar because it holds the simultaneous celebration of two different feasts: the third day of the Octave of Christmas, and St. John the Evangelist.
An octave is the continued celebration of a major feast for eight days. continue reading...
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Father Michael Brunner O.S.B.
The word; Jesus is the word of God.
Jesus is what God has to say.
From time immemorial, we human beings have wondered…
what does God look like.
We have come up with some imaginative answers.
Many arms, animal heads or animal bodies.
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THE JOY OF ANTICIPATION
Father Michael Brunner O.S.B.
Back on November 30, a monk in the monastery mentioned to me, that he was giving up something for Advent. That really struck me, because back in the day when I was a child, Advent was right up there with Lent as a penitential season; there was purple in the Church and you gave up things, and then in the 2nd half of the season you had a Sunday when the priest wore pink vestments, except you called them Rose so people didn't think you were wearing pink. continue reading...
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COME, LORD JESUS!
Father Paschal Scotti O.S.B.
“Maranatha; Veni; Jesu!” This is not an incantation or a spell from Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings, or The Game of Thrones, or any other of a thousand knock-offs, imitators. It does not defeat dragons or turn people into newts. It is far more powerful than that, far more powerful. It comes from a world that is far more exciting, far more terrifying, far richer, far more abundant, far more satisfying.
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