It Really Is...

My favorite Christmas movie of all time is It’s a Wonderful Life. There is something about George Bailey’s story: his countless acts of selflessness and generosity, his eye-opening experience of seeing a world in which he never existed, and the way in which his loved ones come together to help him, that all gets to me every single year, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. 

This being my first Christmas as a priest, I can’t help but be overwhelmed (not entirely unlike George Bailey at the end of the movie) by the numerous blessings God has brought into my life over the past year, not the least of which are the countless, beautiful souls He has brought into my life and to whom He has called me to minister as a priest and spiritual father.

My prayer for you all this Christmas is that you too are overwhelmed by all God has done for you. And as God intervened to save George Bailey and to show him the meaning of his life, may we truly be grateful for His Son, who comes to do the same for us. And, like George Bailey, may your eyes be opened to the irreplaceable role that God has called you to play in this life. And what a wonderful life it is.

Many Our Lord Jesus Christ shower you with His blessings this Christmas.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: O Come Already...

Waiting can be difficult. Waiting for God to act when we want Him to can be very difficult. Yet waiting reminds us (albeit in a somewhat painful sort of way) that we are not in charge, that we are dependent on Someone bigger than us. In short, it reminds us that we are not God.

As the nearness of Christmas makes itself felt upon our consciousness, perhaps we feel as though we are once again getting lost in the chaos of the season. Perhaps it feels, once again, like all the other years. Perhaps, on some deeper level, it feels as though God is not acting when we want Him to. That's okay. But then again, perhaps it's not too late.

In these last remaining hours of Advent, let us bring to Jesus whatever it is that is getting in our way from truly embracing this season. Let us give to Him whatever it is that bothers us most, whatever it is that is holding us bound. Whether it be our worst fears, our greatest shame, our most embarrassing addictions, or our ugliest sins. Whatever is holding us captive, let us take a moment before Christmas is truly here to turn to God in our weakness and acknowledge that we need Someone bigger than ourselves to set us free. Because that is precisely why He comes among us at Christmas in the first place: to set us free.

As the words of the most famous of Advent hymns, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", longingly implores "and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here..." We too are held captive by sin and by all the darkness and confusion that goes with it. But take hope. Our King, Emmanuel, is coming to free us. Maybe not exactly when we want or in the way we want. But that's okay, because He is God. He is exactly the One we need.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: It's not pink, it's rose...

Well I'm falling behind in the timely relevance of my posts; but since we're still in "the pink week," I figure it's not too late to talk about Gaudete Sunday (aka the third Sunday of Advent, aka "the pink one").

The word "Gaudete" is Latin for "rejoice". And Gaudete Sunday is so named because it is a day on which we pause from the anticipation and penance of Advent and to briefly look forward to the nearness of Christ's arrival. The first and second readings on this day speak of great rejoicing and exultation, for the Lord is drawing near. This is also the reason for the color rose (yes, rose; no, not pink...it just is). The color is one of joy and is meant to be a brief diversion from the otherwise violet (no, not purple...) color of Advent because violet is a sign of penance. The rose-colored candle is therefore lit as a sign of the great joy we experience at the closeness of the arrival of our King.

All of this is to serve as a reminder that even though Advent is a time of penance and preparation, the end for which we are preparing is not an occasion of doom and gloom but is a time of great joy. Christ's arrival is not meant to be a mournful experience. This is the coming of our King, Who is coming to set us free. So the time of penance and preparation are not because we are mournful or gloomy or just looking for an excuse to beat ourselves up. It is all about preparing our hearts to receive our King.

This Sunday, the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, we hear in the Gospel about John the Baptist leaping for joy in his mother's womb at the presence of Our Lady and of the child Jesus in her womb. That is the spirit that we are called to imitate. John recognizes, even in his mother's womb, the presence of His King. May we too greet our King with the same uncontainable joy, for He is coming to set us free from all that would hold us captive...that's an awful lot.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: A Defense of the Immaculate Conception - Part 2

I spent the previous post essentially defending the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception from the usual attacks against it. This time, I would like to examine the teaching from a more positive perspective, particularly focusing on the scriptural evidence to support the Immaculate Conception.

To begin with, let's go back to the very beginning of everything with the fall of Adam and Eve. It is in this darkest of all moments that we first hear the very beginnings of the Good News, in Genesis 3:15 when God says to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heal." Who is "the woman" that God here refers to? Initially, it seems as though it refers to Eve. However, "her seed" clearly refers to Christ, the One who will defeat Satan and free humanity from sin. But isn't Jesus the seed, at least in the most direct and immediate sense, of Mary? Furthermore, since when is the word "seed" even used to mean a woman's offspring? Don't we usually associate the "seed" as coming from a man? Unless of course, you happen to be talking about the one instance in all human history in which a woman conceives a child without the "seed" of a man: namely Mary, the mother of God. Okay, so what does all this have to do with the Immaculate Conception? God says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman." "Enmity" means "to be completely against or opposed to". Again, it is unlikely that this refers to Eve, since she is the one who just, quite literally, made a deal with the devil, as does everyone who sins. No sinner, therefore, can truly be said to be "at enmity" with the devil. But Jesus, the promised seed of the woman, is at enmity with the devil because He is obviously not a sinner.
Similarly, Mary, "the woman" from whom the seed comes, is also at enmity with the devil because she is not a sinner.

Consider also when the angel Gabriel first appears to Mary to ask her to be the mother of God. He greets her, as we continue to say in the "Hail Mary", with the title "full of grace" (other translations such as "favored one" fall far short of the true meaning). No one else in all scripture is addressed as "full of grace". This is because grace is the very life of God. He allows us to share in His grace in part, but the divine life of God cannot come to its fullness where there is also sin. In other other words, we can only be "full" of grace in the next life in heaven, where there will be no sin. But the angel Gabriel calls Mary "full of grace" because she alone is without sin.

Finally, consider how in the Old Testament great attention and care is taken to the details of the construction of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25: 10-22). The ark contained the holiest of all objects, the ten commandments written on the original tablets that God Himself had given them. Because of the importance of so sacred an item, God lays out for the Israelites detailed instructions for how the ark is to be designed and decorated with great beauty. Now what does this have to do with the Immaculate Conception? Well Mary held within her not just the word of God written on stone tablets but the true Word of God made flesh. And if God took such great care in the design of the Ark of the Covenant, how much greater care will He take in the design of the Mother of His Son?
Does is it not follow that He would equally, if not more so, want such a sacred vessel to be as beautiful and flawless as possible? This is why, in His infinite goodness, He chooses to give this singular and unique grace to Mary, the Mother of the Word made flesh.

The beauty and holiness of Mary is therefore in no way meant to distract from the goodness of God. To praise the beauty of creation is to praise the greatness of its Creator. So the beauty of Mary is not solely for her own glory but, like all things, only exists for the glory of God. As Mary herself says, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." With the assistance of  Our Lady's prayers, may our souls do the same.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: A Defense of the Immaculate Conception-Part 1

On December 8th, the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which we celebrate NOT the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin (that's called....well, Christmas I suppose) but rather the fact that Mary, as the Mother of God, was privileged with a very unique and special grace, whereby she is preserved from sin, both original sin and personal sin, from the moment of her conception. This is one of those Catholic doctrines that is often met with confusion, controversy, and erroneous conclusions. As such, I would like to devout not one but two posts to a deeper understanding of this beautiful teaching.

One of the most common objections to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception goes something like this: if Mary is preserved from original sin and never commits any personal sin herself, does it not follow that she had no need of a savior? In other words, she would be the only person in the whole history of the world who essentially "saved herself", apart from the salvation won for us all by Jesus Christ. If this truly was what Catholics believed, it would be an egregious mistake indeed. However, the truth of this teaching is not that Mary is preserved from sin by any sole effort or salvific act of her own, but that God, being outside the restriction of time, can apply the grace won by His Son on the cross to Mary in a special way, even before His death on the cross actually happens in history. By way of an analogy, for most of us sin is like a giant pit into which which we all fall and from which Jesus pulls us out. For Mary, it is as though Jesus catches her even before she falls into the pit. In both cases, the individual in question is saved from sin, and Christ alone is the One Who saves them. However, for Mary it is simply done in a different and unique way, as a way of God showing favor to the mother of His Son (more on this in a later post). Bishop Baron describes it best, as usual, in his own Advent reflections on the Immaculate Conception when he says that "Mary was rescued from the power of original sin." This is a beautiful way of saying it. Mary in no way "saves herself", but is rescued from sin by Her Son, as indeed we all are.

Another frequent objection to this teaching is supported by the citation of several passages from scripture which say that all have sinned, most frequently Romans 3:23, "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." This seems to allow no room for the possibility that Mary did not sin. However, a closer examination of scripture reveals that the word "all" does not always mean "absolutely every single person without exception". For example, Romans 5:18 says, "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men." However, few Christians would interpret "acquittal and life for all men" to mean that literally every single individual will be saved. Paul is instead making a universal statement about the state of humanity in general after the redemption of Christ. In the same way, in Roman's 3:23 he is making a general, universal statement about humanity's fallen state, without necessarily suggesting that every single human being without exception is guilty of having sinned. For example, infants and mentally handicapped people are incapable of sinning; therefore, they too would be exceptions to this statement. Mary too, through God's grace, is simply another.

This has already turned into a rather long post, so I will end here and continue this topic in a future post. That's all for now.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: The Real St. Nick

On December 6th, the Church traditionally celebrates the feast of St. Nicholaus, the real-life saint from whom, of course, Santa Claus gets his name. One of the legends surrounding this great saint is the story of a poor family, the father of which was going to sell his own daughters into a life of prostitution because they had no dowries (these were rough times...). So Saint Nicholaus anonymously left large quantities of money at the families' home, in order to pay the girls' dowries and spare them from a life of prostitution. This of course is the tradition from which comes the whole idea of St. Nick leaving gifts in people's homes.

This simple story from the life of this heroic saint serves as a powerful image of the type of injustices that women continue to suffer due to their sexuality. Unfortunately, there are parts of the world in which families continue to sell their own daughters into a life of prostitution. In a world that demands that an insatiable desire for sex be continually fed, the body of a young woman is treated as an object to be bought and sold. But this is not just true in the most extreme cases in far off parts of the world. Pornography and the overly-sexualized culture that goes with it constantly feed into the reduction of women to objects used to satisfy the unbridled lusts of men. With all the cultural obsession over issues of sexism and equality, it's high time that the world around us stopped telling women that their only value is found in their bodies. It's also high time that women everywhere, particularly in the world of entertainment, stop believing and playing into this lie. And finally, it is definitely high time that more men stopped being the ones to buy the women and start being the ones to come through for them. In short, we need more men like St. Nicholaus....the real one.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: "Penance" is not a dirty word...

Among the many ways in which this beautiful season of Advent gets sadly hijacked is the complete loss of the season as a time of penance. We tend to think that's only for Lent (you know, the REAL penitential season). But just as we prepare for Easter with the penitential season of Lent, so we prepare for Christmas with the penitential season of Advent. The changes in the liturgy during this time of year reflect this as well: For example, the priest wears the color violet, the color of penance, same as Lent. Also the "Gloria" ("Glory to God in the Highest") is omitted on Sundays, same as Lent.

Unfortunately, there has been some misconception, even among the most well-meaning people, that penance is bad because reminding people that we are all sinners in need of a Savior is somehow a bad thing. But if don't admit our sin, then how can we admit that we need a Savior? And if we don't repent from our sin, then how can we fully embrace the birth of our Savior? Admitting that we are sinners does not mean that we are horrible people who need to punish ourselves with excessive guilt complexes. It simply means that we are admitting that we are human and that we need God.

It is precisely to free us form our sin, after all, that Jesus becomes man in the first place, How can we really appreciate the God who loves us enough to become a small, helpless baby in a manger if we choose to ignore the whole reason for His coming? In other words, if we say that our sin is no big deal, then we are also saying that the love of Christ is no big deal. Our sin is big, but Christ's love is bigger. That is the whole point of the Christmas season. It we turn a blind eye to our sins, then we turn a blind eye to our need for a savior and therefore to Christ Himself. So it is essential for us during this season of Advent to remove from our hearts whatever would take the place of Christ. Because when the baby Jesus is born, there is no room for Him in the sin.

Pax Vobiscum

Advent Vents: You're a Mean One, Fr. Anthony

Let me be clear about one thing: I love Christmas. I mean I REALLY love Christmas.

Which is precisely why I hate what the world around us does with Christmas. I hate how everything explodes Christmas the day after Halloween and shuts down just as suddenly on the stroke of midnight on December 26th. Consequently, when I see Christmas decorations, hear Christmas music, or drink from red Starbucks cups in early November, I tend to feel rather like the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge, grouchily complaining about the excess of Christmas-ness which surrounds them. But unlike Scrooge or the Grinch, this is not because I dislike Christmas itself but because I hate how the meaning of Christmas has been turned so dramatically upside down, essentially because of the love of money (which, as the Word of God reminds us, is the root of all evil).

In contrast, there is great wisdom, as always, to what the Church teaches us about celebrating the season. The Christmas season does not consist of the weeks leading up to Christmas but rather the weeks following Christmas. In other words, the Christmas season only begins on December 25th, not ends. The weeks leading up to Christmas, what we call the season of Advent, are meant to be a time not of total celebration yet but rather a time of preparation, of looking forward to the good things to come. And the more we prepare for an event, the more we get out of it. So I believe that by reclaiming a sense of Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas, we will be more disposed to truly make the most out of the Christmas season.

So, by way of revitalizing my sorely-neglected blog, I would like to devout several successive posts to my thoughts (or vents, as the case may often be) on making the most of the Advent season, so that this Christmas may not pass us by in whirlwind of activity, as it so often does; but by God's grace may this Christmas truly be for us all the best Christmas ever.

Pax Vobiscum

And so they ordained me...

Again, I must apologize for my long-standing silence. And again, the biggest reason for it is that I was ordained...this time to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. More posts will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, enjoy this short video of the highlights of the ordination ceremony.

Countdown to Ordination: The Diaconate

As I alluded to in my previous post on St. Agatha, I went through a long period during the holiday season of not posting anything new. The main reason for this is that at the time I was somewhat overwhelmed, not only with the usual load of school work and responsibilities, but also because there was much to do for my impending Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate. Over a month after the fact, it remains surreal to me that the big day has already come and gone. I am now an ordained cleric. I have promised to remain celibate and to pray the Divine Office for the rest of my life. I can now preach, administer the Sacrament of Baptism, and preside at weddings.

I cannot begin to describe the wave of emotion that went through me on this day. Every step of the way was a new, profound joy - as I made my promise of celibacy, as Cardinal Sean placed his hands on my head, as I vested in the garb of a deacon, as I continued to assist Cardinal Sean for the remainder of the Mass in my new role, as I proclaimed the Gospel for the first time later that day, as I gave my first homily, as I raised the chalice, filled with the Precious Blood of Our Lord at the Great Amen. And on and on it goes. Alongside all this, I was continually supported by the love and devotion of so many of my friends and family who made the day that much more special.

As time has gone by, the blessings have not stopped. I still cannot believe that despite my profound unworthiness, God has blessed me with such a beautiful life. And to think...the best is yet to come.

Pax Vobiscum

The Feast of St. Agatha

My apologies for my long-standing silence. I've been extraordinarily busy as of late (more on that in a forthcoming post...), and I'm afraid my blog has suffered for it, such as it is.

In any case, I'm breaking said silence to draw your attention to the beautiful saint of today's feast, St. Agatha (Feb. 5th). St. Agatha has been one of my all-time favorite saints, and probably my favorite female saint, second only to Our Lady. In an age when the kick-butt chick is glorified as what it means to be a strong woman, there is no one (short of Our Lady) who to me best exemplifies the true beauty, strength, and heroism of a woman more than St. Agatha.

St. Agatha was born into a rich family in Sicily and from a very early age resolved to dedicate herself to Christ and to remain pure for His sake. The governor of Sicily heard how rich and beautiful Agatha was, and since Christianity was outlawed at the time, he used this as a reason to imprison her, in the hope that she would eventually give herself to him in order to be released. She remained imprisoned for a month but remained faithful to her true lover, Jesus Christ. (WARNING: The next sentence is somewhat graphic.) The governor had Agatha horribly tortured and eventually even had her breasts torn off, but St. Peter appeared to her and healed her. The governor continued to torture her until she died and returned to the arms of her one true Love, for whom she had suffered so much.

 It is precisely for this cruel violence specifically directed towards her femininity that my heart goes out to her so much, as the heart of femininity continues to be under such violent attack at the hands of cruel, selfish men. St. Agatha offered her body to God in the most perfect and beautiful way possible, both by sexually preserving herself for Him and by dying for Him. As a soon-to-be priest and already a deacon who has promised celibacy for the rest of my life, St. Agatha remains the ultimate model how I want to offer myself to God and why I am forsaking marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Don't get me wrong. I like female superheroes like Wonder Woman, Black Widow, and any number of X-Men. I like TV shows like "Agent Carter". I like Katniss Everdeen. But I LOVE Agatha.

Pax Vobiscum