Commentary:
"For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne!
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!…"
Est. 2002 | "This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying… but nobody thought so." —Alfred Bester
"For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne!
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!…"
"Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels' voices,
O night Divine
O night when Christ was born!…
O night Divine
O night, O night Divine…
"Christ is the the Lord!
O praise His Name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!"
"The bells, the bows, and the flashing lights,
The mistletoes and the 'Slient Nights,'
It's all for show and it's alright,
That's not why I love this time of year.
"It gets me and it never lets me act like I don't care,
This time of year's my favorite time of year 'cause all of us are here together!…"
"Come on, everbody, to Santa Claus's party,
You may be sure both rich and poor are welcome at Santa's door!
You don't need a ticket to Santa Claus's party!
A lot of toys for girls and boys and plenty of fun in store!
"A Christmas tree so high it floats right through the sky,
And Santa will be there to call, 'Merry Christmas to you all!'
"Come on, everbody, to Santa Claus's party,
A cheery grin will get you in, so what are you waiting for?…"
"If God came down on Christmas Day,
I know exactly what He'd say,
He'd say, 'Oi to the punks! Oi to the skins!
'Oi to the world!' and everybody wins!…"
"Christmas is awesome!
Christmas is rad! (Wo-wo-wo)
Time to remember
All the good things we have!
"Christmas is awesome!
Christmas is great! (Wo-wo-wo)
Time we get together
And super celebrate!
"Christmas! Ha ha! Yeah!
"Christmas!
Awesome!
Christmas!
Rad!
Christmas!
Awesome!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
"Now absinthe (Now vodka),¡Tequila!),
Now whiskey (And beer!),
On brandy (
"Christmas Steve will find you!
He's hiding in the garage,
No one knows where he goes,
He's stealing someone's [garbled].
"Christmas Steve's behind you!
You'd better call the police,
The phone is dead, he's on your roof,
You'll never go to sleep.
"Look out!"
"Christmas Steve, this is the police. Come off the roof now!
"Christmas Steve, untie me!
Stop going through the fridge!
He's eating all our Christmas food,
Can no one hear us scream?
Can no one hear us scream?
Hear us scream?
Hear us scream:
'It's Christmas Steve!'
"My name is Steve."
Friends, in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist summons two of his disciples to ask if Jesus is “the one… or are we to look for another?” When this inquiry is conveyed to Jesus, the Lord does not respond theoretically, but rather by pointing to things that are happening. “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.”“Ephphatha!” (Be opened!) (Mark 7:34). We hear of Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow of Naim.
Was Jesus doing all of this in the literal sense? Yes! That he was a miracle worker and a healer was one of the most fundamental perceptions regarding Jesus. When God came among us in Christ, he effected the work of repairing his broken and hurting creation. He is not interested simply in souls but in bodies as well.
And so we hear indeed of the man born blind, of Bartimaeus, of the paralyzed man lowered down through the roof to Jesus, of the woman with the flow of blood, of the man who is deaf and dumb to whom Jesus says
"The peace of Christ can establish itself only where people are prepared to rid themselves of sin. Those who do not live in peace with God can hardly live in peace with each other."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast:22 October)
"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap. (1887-1968, feast: 23 September)
"Saint Joseph knew, when Mary became pregnant, that this Child was not his child. He saw that she was pregnant but didn't know how. If he had gone to the high priest, she would have been stoned to death. Do you see the charity & thoughtfulness of Saint Joseph? If we have the same kind of charity & thoughtfulness toward each other, our families will become the abode of the Most High. How beautiful our families will become where there is total thoughtfulness for others."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"If the bringing of children into the world today is an economic burden, it is because the social system is inadequate; & not because God's law is wrong. Therefor the State should remove the causes of that burden. The human must not be limited & controlled to fit the economic, but the economic must be expanded to fit the human."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"'Let's say that we take a cannon,
Aim it at his door and then—'
"'Knock three times and when he answers,
Sandy Claws will be no more!'
"You're so stupid, think!
Now, if we blow him up to smithereens,
We may lose some pieces—'
"'And then Jack will beat us black and green!'…"
Friends, today’s Gospel is the parable of the two sons, a story about obedience to God. To live the good life is not finally a matter of autonomy but of obeying commandments.Video reflection by Deacon Arthur L. Miller (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Advent Reflection.
The obedience that Jesus desires is a surrender to the one who wants what is best for the surrenderer. The entire to-be of the Son is a listening to the command of the Father, and the creature, consequently, is meant to be nothing but a listening to the command of the Son.
This is why Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer… I have called you friends” (John 15:14–15). What was lost in the Garden of Eden was friendship with God, symbolized by the easy fellowship enjoyed by Adam and Yahweh.
The whole of the biblical revelation—culminating in Jesus—could be construed as the story of God’s attempt to restore friendship with the human race. In the Last Supper discourse we hear the conditions for this restoration: coinherence with God.
Reflect: Is there any limit in this life to our opportunity to repent and be forgiven by God? How does repentance facilitate coinherence, or unity, with God?
"Open your hearts to Christ & go out to meet Him; quench your thirst at His spring. He offers a water that will satisfy your thirst for joy, for happiness, & for love."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"It is not a sin to be rich. When it provokes avarice, it becomes a sin. Richness is given by God & it is our duty to divide it with those less favored."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well. He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death. The essence of God is existence, & He defines Himself as: 'I am Who am.' The essence of the devil is the lie, & he defines himself as: 'I am who am not.' Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"Well & good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in You."
—Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church (1542-1591, feast: 14 December)
"Where's my freaking hippo!?
Did you miss the memo?
Let's circle back around, O.K.?
Where's my freaking hippo!?
"I demand a hippopotamus for Christmas, too!
My lawyer's on the phone, we're gonna sue…
"I deserve this hippo, but Mom says I don't.
Lucky for me, you see, Mom & Dad don't have a vote…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel, the chief priests and elders question Jesus: "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?"Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Advent Reflection.
The Greek word used for "authority" is most enlightening: exousia. It means, literally, "from the being of." Jesus speaks with the very exousia of God, and therefore, his words effect what they say. He says, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43), and the dead man comes out of the tomb. He rebukes the wind and says to the sea, "Be still!" (Mark 4:39), and there is calm. And the night before he dies, he takes bread and says, "This is my body" (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19). And what he says is.
Friends, this is the authority of the Church. If we are simply the guardians of one interesting philosophical perspective among many, then we are powerless. If we rely on our own cleverness in argumentation, then we will fail. Our power comes—and this remains a great mystery—only when we speak with the authority of Jesus Christ.
Reflect: How can we, mere humans, "speak with the authority of Jesus Christ"?
"Love is great & authentic not only when it seems easy & pleasant, but also & most of all when it is strengthened in life's small & big trials."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"O eternal light, lift up my blindness! O perfect unity, create in me simplicity of being. Humble my heart to reeceive your graces."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint Louise be Marillac, D.C. (1591-1660, feast: 9 May)
"Let us not be afraid to be humble, small, helpless, to prove our love for God. The cup of water you give the sick, the way you lift a dying man, the way you feed a baby, the way you teach a dull child, the way you give medicine to someone suffering of leprosy, the joy with which you smile at your own home—all this is God's love in the world today."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Any book which inspires us to lead a better life is a good book."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)