In today’s readings, Christ is reminding us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us. This is a really challenging thing to do. Christ tells us to “forgive and you will be forgiven,” and “love one another as I have loved you.” Wow, what a powerful statement yet so very hard to do.

Christ showed us His love and forgiveness when He died for us on the cross. He died for the forgiveness of sin, not only for the people before His generation and of His generation but for all generations to come, until the end of time. Again, I say WOW. That is true forgiveness and love.

This week’s readings encourage us to rely on God, to find hope in the resurrection, and remember that true happiness lies in Him. Each reading is inviting us to put our trust in God’s care and seek His lasting joy. The readings are guiding us to find true happiness by trusting in God and believing in Jesus’ resurrection. We are warned not to rely only on human strength but to trust in God because only God can give us the support and strength we need.

Do you believe that miracles still happen, or are miracles something that only occurred during the time when Jesus preached to the people years ago? Today’s gospel tells us about a miracle with the huge catch of fish. This miracle did happen, and miracles do still continue to happen in our world today because God never stops loving us and He never abandons us. When our failures turn into success, when sadness turns into gladness, when we feel like quitting but then have renewed confidence, these are all miracles. God is always looking out for us; we just need to see His plans for us.

Jesus comes at His birth as a Savior who brings life and hope for the whole world and yet there are people who will reject Him and His message of truth and life. His own people (the Jews) will be deeply divided over Him. This, as Simeon says in the Gospel for this Sunday, will be a source of deep pain for his Mother, something she will not realize fully until she sees Him die in agony on the cross before her own eyes.

Imagine if when you were a child someone said to your mother that you would be part of both good and bad things in this world but as a mother you will be hurt just as much as your child. I am sure that my own mother would have thought that person was a little strange just as Simeon’s words must have been very puzzling and even alarming to Mary and Joseph.

We watched for Jesus in Advent; we celebrated His coming in the flesh at Christmas; we praised His worldwide sovereignty at Epiphany, while adoring Him with the magi; and then we found how pleased His Father was in His baptism, we now move on. We now come to Ordinary Time, which, scripturally speaking, is simply a season of following. But first it’s as if the church wants to give us a heads-up. That is, these first two weeks of Ordinary Time point out the purpose of the journey, where we are headed and why.

Who couldn’t use a miracle right about now? For the past month or so, we have been planning, partying, preparing food and exchanging gifts. Now it is time to get back to normal. Christmas for most of us has been stored back into boxes or bins and fruit cakes have either been eaten or given away to others. We are now dealing with dark nights and cold mornings and endless heart-shaped boxes lining the shelves at Walmart.

Through the liturgy of the church, we are brought into intimacy with the Lord.

Catholic worship always brings us to the real person of Christ and to His Passion. It should bring us to a sacramental point, to closeness, to a moment in which the Lord looks at us and we at Him, when He washes us, touches us and feeds us. This, to be honest, is the thing that brought me back to the Catholic faith, the belief that Jesus is truly present in the church, that He is sacramentally present.

This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, marking the third Sunday of Advent, and we are invited into a season of joyful anticipation and reflection. It is about developing a life rooted in faith. We should rejoice always, pray continuously, and express gratitude in all circumstances. On this Gaudete Sunday, the gospel invites us to reflect on something unique as the foundation of the source of our Joy: Sharing what we have as a source of God’s justice for the poor. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, let us remind ourselves that the true sense of joy is sharing what we can with those in need.

All the readings at Mass during Advent remind us that this season is a time intended for spiritual preparation. It’s tempting to let the busyness of December distract us from the most important purpose of Advent: our personal spiritual growth. In our responsorial Psalm this Sunday, we proclaim: “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy!” Do you actually feel joyful when you mouth these words? It takes faith to experience joy in the midst of hardships. Faith grows from knowing that the Lord does great things for us because of his mercy — not because we have earned it, as we’ll never be good enough. Repenting from our sins opens us to become aware of this mercy. Therefore, Saint John the Baptizer is proclaiming to us today: “Prepare the way of the Lord!” We all have depressing or discouraging times of hardship that needs to get filled with the joy of the Lord.

The 1st Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. This season prepares us for the coming of Jesus at Christmas and at the end of time. In today’s readings, the Lord promises to fulfill His covenant with Israel and Judah, raising a righteous leader from David’s line. Judah and Jerusalem will live in safety and be called “The Lord is our justice.” As we lift our soul to the Lord, we seek His guidance and truth. We know that the Lord is good, and that He guides the humble and shows His faithful love to those who keep His covenant. We hear about God’s promise to bring justice and righteousness. This reminds us to trust in God’s plans. We see God’s faithfulness in fulfilling promises and we learn to wait with faith and patience. Like Paul we should pray for love to increase in our hearts to live in ways that please God. We are encouraged during Advent to prepare our hearts and lives for Jesus’ coming and to have hope, love, and awareness, as we grow closer to Him. This week’s Gospel speaks about alarming signs, but believers should find hope in these events.

The Feast of Christ the King is, celebrated each year on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, just before beginning the Advent season. The timing of this feast is beautiful and a fitting transition to the liturgical New Year as we turn our hearts not just to the coming Baby Jesus, but to the King who has promised to return in triumph. It’s also a good time to look back and remember all the ways God has provided for us. The timing of this feast is particularly good this year as it falls on the same weekend as Thanksgiving and comes at the end of a particularly troublesome election season. The feast helps us to grow in gratitude, but also calls us to reflect on what it means that we belong first to the Kingdom of God. From the dawn of civilization, kings have arisen who have dreamed of possessing a world-wide dominion, a universal kingdom that would last forever. But despite all their plotting, and pretenses, the great rulers of the earth all proved mortal like anybody else. They had their day in the sun only to disappear.

Dark and gloomy. That seems to be the readings for this Sunday. We hear that the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give out light while the stars will fall from the sky and heaven will be shaken. Why are we hearing this now with Advent just a few weeks away? Maybe one reason is that we might find within ourselves a need for relief from all the turmoil around us. That relief is a simple one, the coming of the Christ Child. Look around us as the media world tries to convince us that purchasing certain products will make us happy and will fulfill our lives and if we don’t have certain items we will be faced with days as bad as today’s readings.

Today’s readings teach us important lessons about faith, sacrifice, and trust in God. By reflecting on these stories, we can better understand our own faith journey and how to live in a way that pleases God. In the first reading today, we see a widow who is struggling to survive. She has very little, but when Elijah asks her for food, she trusts God’s promise and shares what she has. Her trust leads to a miracle, as her jar of flour and jug of oil do not run out. This widow’s faith is an example for us. Even when we have little, we can trust in God’s promises. Her story shows us that God provides for those who put their faith in Him. The second reading for today emphasizes that Jesus is our high priest and greater than any other priest.