Let’s talk about my dad. So when I was a kid, about a year ago… One of my most formative things was seeing my dad pray on his knees, praying to someone more important than him. As a kid, I saw my dad as the supreme commander of the universe.
Seeing him answer to someone even more significant than him, loved by someone even greater than him, was so freeing for me just to be a kid and loved by my dad. In the gospel for this Sunday, Saint John the Baptist says, “There is someone who is coming after me that is greater than I, that is the Lord our God.” And so John the Baptist is secure in that because he knows he is not the center of the universe. And so my question, especially on the second Sunday of Advent, is your life pointing towards something greater than yourself? The great news is that I am not the center of the universe; you are not the center of the universe, and we can be safe and secure in being his sons and daughters.
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Perseverance Will Secure Your Lives
One of my brother priests, he used to be a chaplain for the Navy Seals, and he’s such a great dude. Let’s just say he is pretty large. He has biceps as big as my face. He was in a war torn country celebrating mass for his Navy Seals. As he’s celebrating mass, an explosion happens outside of the tent. The priest dives for…
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Humbling Ourselves
Jesus could have entered Jerusalem on a horse, the way powerful people did. Instead, He chose a donkey.
In this Sunday’s first reading, Zechariah prophesies that the Messiah will come riding on an ass, a sign of humility, not worldly power. Jesus shows us that true authority doesn’t come from status or force. It comes from service.
That’s the heart of Christian leadership: to serve, to humble ourselves, and to love even when love is difficult. If we want to be exalted with Christ, we first have to learn how to become servants.
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Who Jesus Is
Who’s the most powerful person to ever come out of Kansas? Clark Kent, aka Superman. And the reason he’s Superman isn’t just where he came from, but who formed him. In this Sunday’s Gospel, the mystery of the Virgin Birth helps us understand something even greater: this is who Jesus is. Fully God and fully human. His divinity comes from the Father in heaven, and His humanity comes through Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is shaped by the Father, formed by Mary and Joseph, and sent for us. As Christmas approaches, we’re invited to pause and reflect on the beauty of who He truly is God with us.
