The Beauty of Family (Feast of the Holy Family)

To listen to this homily, click here


Talk about the great joy of gathering for the holidays

-being from big family means lots of outrageous and hilarious stories; this year’s highlight was when the potatoes in the oven caught on fire. When my brother threw them out the side door, the leaves in the yard went up and we were out in the yard doing the Texas two-step to put out the flames.

-lots of catching up and getting opinions on just about everything; this year it was the future of hydrogen-powered cars and whether Tesla vehicles have crested or not.

-In the family there is comfort, security, acceptance, sharing, and love.

+Church has the highest regard for the family; calls it the domestic church and the building block of society.

-If you want to know how healthy a society is, look at the health of its families.

+It’s no secret that many of our families in this day and age are under attack:

-dangers include: divorce, redefinition of marriage, cohabitation, non-stop sports and other activity, and the promotion of selfishness among our young people which discourages any sense of obligation or obedience to parents and other authority figures.

-The family is under attack because the devil knows it is the most effective way to turn people away from God, if he can introduce fighting, anger, hatred, sadness, suffering, division, and dysfunction into our families, then he will have an easier time leading us astray.

+Because the family is so important, the Catholic Church tries to be present and supportive to our families at every stage of life. Notice how many Catholic hospitals are present and how many babies are welcomed into the world and into their families a catholic-run hospital. And how many of these same institutions care for our kids when they are sick and our elderly as they age. Our parishes educate and instill the christian virtues and values into our young from grade school through college. Each parish offers marriage prep for couples preparing for the holy sacrament of matrimony, and of course there are many other programs and groups within our Church that try to help and support families in every part and circumstance of life, whether they be joyful, mundane, or tragic.

-Our faith wants families to be healthy, happy, and secure. When our families are hurting, the Church is robbed of its vibrant spirit and its mission is compromised. 

+This is why we celebrate the great feast of the Holy family, just a few days after the incredible celebration of Christ’s birth. Just as Jesus became one of us, he also was born into a family like us. He had a mom and a dad, he grew up learning from them how to eat, drink, clean, study, pray and countless other things that you and I picked up from our families. 

This celebration of Jesus’ family is also a celebration of our own. A time when we can reflect on the perfect example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and apply the example of their lives to our own.

Pope Paul VI, in a beautiful reflection on the Holy Family, offers three main points that we can think about for ourselves:

1. Silence: Jesus time with his family was the majority of his life and also the most secret. 30 years of quiet learning, practicing, praying and loving; all preparing him for 3 years of public ministry. In the safety and quiet of the his family, he grew, learned and heard the voice of God. Would he be able to do the same today, in the typical american family where kids are being shuttled from one activity to another constantly? Where families rarely sit down to eat together, without a tv on or some other distraction? Parents, are you trying to do your best to protect your families from those dangers that attack the family? Is there time to be together and pray as a family? Are you watching out for the spiritual dangers that are often more subtle and dangerous? Vigilance and silence are possible and necessary for our families if we want them to be holy, nurturing places where each person is know and appreciated properly.

1. Family life: Even though there is little we know about the daily routine of the holy family, we know it would have been similar to ours in many ways. Imagine all the little lessons he learned from Mary as she prepared meals, cleaned the house, did the wash, mended clothes, and went shopping in the market. How constantly he was watching and soaking in everything that Joseph said and did as they worked together in the wood shop, and repaired the house, and helped out the neighbors. Everything he experienced in those 30 years of family life became part of his preaching and parables. What are the lessons that your children are learning from their family life? Is there an example of warmth and genuine care for them as they grow and develop? Is it clear that they are the number one priority, more so than careers, social lives, vacations, or personal comfort and possessions? Do they observe love, forgiveness, patience and mercy from their parents? Is your home a school of virtue and charity, a place where God is found and promoted? Children and young people, are you willing to become like Christ, humble and obedient to your parents? Are you grateful for the many sacrifices they make for you, many of them unknown and unappreciated? Do you realize that you owe them your respect and love, even when you disagree with them and they drive you crazy?

3.   Finally, The holy family teaches us about work, its value and the discipline it requires.

-Work makes us holy and keeps us occupied.

-it develops our talents and helps us to contribute to our families and society.

-Honest work makes us responsible stewards of what we have and helps us to appreciate what God gives us.

Work is part of God’s plan and any work, in the home, our studies, or our careers can all become a prayer and a proclamation of the good news.

Let us find inspiration in the hidden life of Christ to live a virtuous life, developing our personal gifts, and contributing to society with our work. May this feast of the Holy Family always remind us that we are not just members of a human family but also members of God’s family, brothers and sisters in Christ by virtue of our baptism.  My prayer for each of you in this Christmas season is that you experience the peace and joy of the Holy Family in your own households by imitating their example. May your homes be little Nazareths that make the world a better place and bring the light of Christ to a world so often afflicted by sin and darkness. 

A Father's Love (Christmas Day)

First, I want to wish all of you a holy and merry Christmas! To our visitors: Thank you for joining our community in prayer. For our parishioners: thank you for making St. Michael your spiritual family. 

As I was reflecting on this beautiful celebration, I wondered what we need to hear this particular Christmas. Some of you are pondering questions about the future, especially in the area of employment. Others may be struggling with loneliness or discouragement while dealing with illness or injury. Another common struggle seems to be family members who are estranged by past hurts and grudges. Most painfully, some of you are celebrating your first Christmas without a loved one. In these moments, we tend to question our own value and whether or not God cares about us. More than ever, we need to remember that our worth comes from God. It is who we are before God that matters, not how much we make, what we have accomplished or how fragile our family may be. He loves us for who we are, not for what we do. All good parents love their children for who they are, not for what they do. Our Heavenly Father's love for us is infinitely greater than the love of even the best of parents. 

He loves us with an unconditional love, a love beyond our comprehension. How can we understand that the Creator of the Universe loves us so much to send this own Son to become one of us? It did not matter what roadblocks we put up as a people or as individuals. His love penetrated the barriers created by our hostility. We have been given the Gift of His Presence in our world and in our lives. This is what we celebrate on Christmas. I would like to offer an analogy of God's love, using a situation that many families experience. 

The mother of a family could never be at peace with the fact that the third of her five grown children would be absent for Christmas as he was for all family events. The father had been more concerned with his wife's grief, than the constant ache he felt within himself. Their other four children had remained close to their parents. But child #3, Robert, was completely estranged from the family. No one knew why. All seemed well when he went off to college. It was difficult to see him because he was on the other coast, three thousand miles away, but they knew he was where he wanted to be and was doing well in school. Then the silence started. They didn't hear from him. When they called, he was all-business. 

When they asked what was wrong, he simply said he was too busy to keep in touch. Then he became hostile. He wouldn't even answer their calls. He was on a scholarship and worked for his other expenses; so he did not have to rely on home for financial support. He didn't need his parents, at least not in his self-absorbed mind. When it came time to graduate, he sent his entire family a letter merely stating, "I'm getting my degree this Spring. I'd rather you not come.” His brothers and sisters were furious with the way he was treating his family. They tried to talk to him, but they were dealt with in the same manner as Mom and Dad. Years went by. Now Robert was in his late twenties. That's when a social worker called his parents. 

Robert had dependency problems, heroin to be exact, and needed to be in a recovery program. He had no insurance or money for it. Mom and Dad researched and found the best program available, but that program would demand a lot of money and also the involvement of the immediate family. Mom and Dad could have easily picked a different program, but they wanted the best for their son, even if it demanded that they take a second mortgage out on their house, which they did. It was also clear to them that Robert needed them to be there with him, even if he refused to recognize this need. Mom left her job and moved out to the other coast. Dad visited regularly. Robert experienced how much his parents loved him. Their love was deeper than he ever imagined. All good parents would look for ways to do what Robert’s parents did. Perhaps some of the parents here have sacrificed themselves and their futures for a rebellious child. If anyone were to ask you, "Why would you make so many sacrifices for a child who rejected you?” you would respond, "Because he is our child. Our love is stronger than his rejection.” 

By analogy, this is why our Heavenly Father sent the Word to become one of us. As a people and as individuals we rejected God. We had become too proud to need Him, too busy to give Him a place in our lives and, sadly, as a result, too empty to have meaningful lives. We need to experience His Presence to return to His Love. We need to experience His sacrifice to return to His Life. That is why He became one of us. The Christmas miracle is infinitely more than a mere event that took place 2,000 years ago. Jesus comes today and every day seeking to enter our lives. He comes because God has a deep love for every single one of us. You are loved by God. I am loved by God. His love is infinitely more powerful than our rejection. His love is unconditional. You may think, "Father, you have no idea of the ways I've rejected God.” Why do we do that? Why do we think that our rejection of God is more powerful than His Love? Why would Robert or any child who rejects his parents think his rejection was more powerful than their love. Why would we think that our rejection of God is more powerful than the Almighty Lover. His love is stronger than our sins, infinitely stronger. He wants to enter our lives. He forgives us. We need to forgive ourselves. Christmas is the celebration of the Presence of God among us in a way that we can experience, as one of us. His name is Emmanuel, a name that means God is with His people. He is with us, right here, right now, forever. 

He is not a spiritual entity hidden in the great unknown. He has become a human being with whom we can establish a real relationship. Tonight is the opportunity to renew that relationship, especially if we have neglected it for a long time. May you experience the miracle of Christmas, which is the manifestation of God's Love for you. Believe in this love. Be transformed by this love. And resolve to never run from it again. May God bless you abundantly in this happy season!

Real Housewives of the Old Testament (Christmas Eve)

 First, I want to wish all of you a holy and merry Christmas! To our visitors: Thank you for joining our community in prayer. For our parishioners: thank you for making St. Michael your spiritual family.

In case you didn’t notice it, we just heard 47 names in the gospel; most of which you will never hear outside of the bible. To be honest, I wouldn’t give many of those names to my worst enemy.... or a goldfish. What we may have missed in these unusual names is the fact that four women were included. This doesn’t seem strange to us, but in the time it was written it would have grabbed people’s attention because it was not customary for Jews to include women in their records and genealogies. And these were not just four women! They were imperfect, wild, scrappy, and sometimes manipulative. I would call them the real housewives of the Old Testament!

FIRST WE HAVE … Tamar who was the daughter-in-law of Judah. She was a childless widow, who was given to her brother-in-law after her husband's death, according to Jewish law. By this marriage, her offspring would continue the family name and receive an inheritance. Unfortunately, Tamar's brother-in-law refused her as his wife and they did not have any children. He was punished by God and died. Afterwards, Judah (Tamar’s father-in-law) would not give Tamar to any of his other sons. So Tamar disguised herself and became pregnant with Judah’s child!  Through him, she became the mother of Perez! Though her methods were unconventional, she persevered in following the law.

SECOND WE HAVE … Rahab. Rahab was a woman of the night who lived in Jericho. Risking her own life, she hid the two spies of Joshua.  Because of this, Joshua spared her life when they conquered Jericho. She later became the wife of Salmon, and the mother of Boaz. Rahab's faith was praised in the Bible even though at one time she had lived an immoral and disordered life.

THIRD WE HAVE … Ruth.  She was a foreigner from the land of Moab and a widow of a Jew. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, also lived in Moab.  After both women lost their husbands, Ruth left her home and devoted herself to caring for her mother-in-law. While in Israel, Ruth was married to Boaz, one of Naomi's relatives. Despite the fact that she was not Jewish, Ruth became the mother of Obed, the grandfather of King David.

FOURTH WE HAVE … Bathsheba.  She was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a captain in the army of King David. We all know the story of David and Bathsheba.  She was discovered by King David, who saw her and fell in love in her. She and David had an affair when URIAH was away, fighting for David’s army. When David discovered Bathsheba was with child, he tried to cover it up by summoning Uriah home from war, hoping that Uriah would have relations with his wife. Uriah came back to Jerusalem, but refused to stay with Bathsheba as long as his army was at war. As a result, David sent Uriah back into battle, with orders that Uriah should be sent to the front lines so that he would be killed in combat. After Uriah died, David took Bathsheba as his own wife. Bathsheba eventually became the mother of King Solomon.

These four women were not the kind of women you would expect to have such an impact on the kingdom of God. They were nowhere near perfect, and yet God, in His kindness and mercy, made them part of His perfect plan to bring forth the Savior of the world.”

I hope these stories touch the very core of your soul. Tamar's story is one of utter perseverance. Rahab's story reminds me to have faith. Ruth's story is a reminder of the power of love. Bathsheba's heart spurs us all to have more grace towards people.

What appeals to me in these stories of TAMAR, RAHAB, RUTH and BATHSHEBA is that each one of these women was flawed. They were not a typical choice to carry the lineage of Christ the King. They made mistakes. They were deceived by the world at certain points in their lives … and they also deceived.

But they also believed in GOD. They kept their faith. They knew deep within that God was supreme. They knew that God could restore them. They knew that He could redeem their past.

I find these stories encouraging for all of us.  I think these stories are relevant.  It’s very easy to “GET THEM”.  The characters are just like people who we might meet. In many ways, when we look at them, we are looking in the mirror.  

It’s easy to understand their despair ... their shame ... their perseverance ... their hope ... and their desire for redemption.  And I rejoice in God who saves, restores, and uses the unlikely for His greater purpose in this world. EVEN PEOPLE AS unlikely and sinful AS YOU AND ME! 

Matthew's genealogy of Jesus certainly reminds us that God does not always do things the way we do.  For this reason, there are some important lessons to be learned from Matthew's inclusion of the first four women.

a) Be very careful when you come to the conclusion that you have God "figured out" and know what God would do; you may be deceiving yourself.

b) God measures righteousness by different standards than do most of us; we need to place our faith in his standards and not our own.

c) God can make use of anyone to accomplish His purposes if that person places his or her faith in God in a dependent relationship.

d) Through His forgiveness, God often uses His power to value those we would reject.

To me, the greatest lesson of all is accepting this truth: God's ways are not our ways. No one ever understood God as completely and correctly as HIS SON, Jesus Christ.  No one ever modeled the physical behavior that God wants and honors as Jesus did. If we want to understand God and be a part of his plan to save, heal, and renew then we must stay close to Christ, whose birth we celebrate tonight/today. The best way to do this is by receiving the sacraments properly, coming to mass each week and making time for daily prayer. Through these things, we allow Jesus to teach us what it means to be sons and daughters of God.

May God bless you and your loved ones in this special season of grace. May you allow him to use your life to write the next chapter of salvation history so that you will be a blessing to many in the coming year.

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String (4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle C)

One of the relaxing things I enjoy most is watching movies. On my days off, I am always on the lookout for a good film. Each Friday, I look forward to reading film critic Joe Morganstern’s reviews and recommendations for various movies foreign and domestic. As a result, I have seen many, many movies. But out of all the films I have seen, one of my favorites remains one that I first saw long ago and have enjoyed many times since. This movie is near and dear to many, probably to a number of you as well and it is titled, “The Sound of Music” with Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. It’s hard not to love this film’s winning combination of fun music, lovable characters, family values, and engaging plot-lines. At one point in this lovely movie, Julie Andrew’s character, Maria, sings about some of her favorite things. I won’t ruin the song forever by singing it for you, but one of them is "brown paper packages tied up with string." 

I couldn’t help but think of this image as the season of Advent begins to wind down and we look forward to celebrating Christmas in a few short days. My hunch is that most of the gifts that will be exchanged and found under trees will be wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper, full of shiny gold and silver patterns and holiday images. Some will have bows and ribbons and all will be beautiful to look at and impossible to resist opening. Very few will be brown paper packages tied up with string. And if we had a choice of which gift we would choose, based on appearances alone, most of us would prefer the one wrapped with beautiful paper and flowing ribbons. But is that a good thing?

In today’s readings, there is a certain preference for the one whom the world passes over. Take the first reading for example. In it, the prophet Micah encourages the little town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem was nothing in the eyes of the world. More than that, it was even insignificant in the eyes of the twelve tribes of Judah. It was a one-horse, or perhaps more accurately, a one-camel town. It was the hoosier-ville of biblical times, insignificant, unimportant, irrelevant. Not a place that you would brag about being from. But not for long! Micah shares some shocking news! God will make this little unimportant town, a place passed over by the world, the home of the messiah; here he will begin the salvation of the whole world. It will no longer be insignificant; now it will be known forever and always as a place honored and blessed by God. 

This underdog theme continues in the Gospel. Here we have two women who are experiencing unusual pregnancies. The first is that of Elizabeth. She has been barren her whole life and her marriage to Zechariah has produced no offspring. In biblical times, this was seen as a curse and even a punishment by God for some evil committed. She is no Heidi Klum! In the eyes of the world, her best days are behind her and her purpose is fading. She is not shiny, new, or flashy. But what does God do? He chooses Elizabeth to be mother of the last and greatest prophet to walk this earth. He entrusts to her the life of John the Baptist, who will prepare the way of the messiah. Yet another case of God choosing what the world has passed by and written off.

But this is not all, nor is Elizabeth’s pregnancy the most unheard of. She is visited by her cousin, Mary. Most bible scholars believe the mother of God was a young teenage girl around 15 or 16 when she had Jesus. This was common in a time when people’s life expectancy was a mere 30-40 years. In any case, Mary was a nobody. She was not a glamorous Kate Middleton whose every moment of pregnancy was covered by reporters and the masses. She was a poor girl who wouldn’t have been known by anyone but her friends and family. She was not a member of the royal family or the daughter of rich and powerful parents. This no-name maiden received the shocking news that she would become the Mother of God. And she would do this while still maintaining her virginity. Not exactly the way the world expected the savior to enter the world. And certainly not the person most would have chosen for this honor.

As we enter this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, we recognize that many of the gifts God presents to our world are, in the words of the “Sound of Music”,  brown paper packages tied up with string. They are not covered in bright flashy wrapping; they are not the first thing that catches our eye. So many times, the things endorsed by our culture as great or strong or important to success are little more than fancy coverings. When it comes to sharing his goodness with us, God is not interested in trying to compete with the flashy things of this world. He does not try to win our love with gimmicks or empty promises. 

What we learn from the readings today is that God often uses those things and people that the world dismisses as unimportant, irrelevant, and no longer useful. In Bethlehem, Elizabeth, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we see three of God’s gifts in brown paper wrappings. Those divine sort of gifts are all around us but we often miss them, getting distracted by worldly presents that catch our eye and divert our attention. The lesson for us to keep in mind this Sunday is straightforward: do not discount what the world disregards. Do not discount the weak, the old, the unpopular, the unknown, or the simple. God may be working through them to bring his love and salvation into your life. Follow this advice and prepare to experience the wonders of God at work in the world this Christmas season. 

Rejoice! (3rd Sunday of Advent)

            Once again today, as happens so frequently during both Lent and Advent, St John the Baptist takes center stage. Often, in paintings and movies, John the Baptist is depicted as an ill-tempered, crazy, fire-and-brimstone preacher who scares people into repentance. There’s something wrong with that picture. First, such an idea fails to explain how he was able to attract such huge crowds and win over so many hearts. Second, it misses the main point of his message: that salvation is at hand! That message is exactly the opposite of a foreboding portrait of John as a gloom and doom prophet. In fact, when we truly understand and accept his notion of repentance, it becomes the source of a deeper joy than any other happiness we can experience in this life. That’s the whole point of today’s celebration.

             The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of rejoicing. Now many of us priests don't necessarily rejoice at having to wear these rose vestments because people give us a lot of trouble. But clearly joy is the overriding theme of this week. That’s why today’s readings use the word twelve times. Jesus didn’t come to intimidate and oppress us; he came to save us. Salvation, friendship with God, the fullness of living in communion with our Creator and Redeemer, of being counted as members of his eternal Kingdom are all good things, not something to run from.

             This is the message of Christmas, the message we have been thinking about during these weeks of Advent. In today’s Second Reading, St Paul actually commands us to “rejoice in the Lord always.” And just in case we thought he was exaggerating, in the very next sentence he says, “I say it again, rejoice!” But we can only rejoice if our joy is based on something that goes deeper than the passing pleasures of this world. Our joy must be more than a full belly, a new car, wealth, health, or friend.

             True joy comes from knowing God as a friend, knowing him as one who cares for us and always wants what is best for us. This is the one thing in this life that never ends, and the one thing that no one can take away. This friendship with Our Lord is the source of a Christian’s joy, and is the gift Jesus brings us with his birth at Christmas.

             So how what are the differences between the joy of Christ and the joys of the world?

            First, it doesn't wear out. It comes from something that is always alive: our relationship with Christ. This is one of the reasons why the Christmas tree is an evergreen. In winter, the other trees are leafless and dormant. But the evergreen tree is still green and fragrant. It symbolizes hope amid winter’s lifeless, cold, and dark days. It is perfect reminder of Christ and his friendship with us.

             Second, Christ’s joy grows more intense as we advance in our journey of faith. This is why the vestments for today's Mass are rose-colored. They remind us of the color of the sky at the very brink of morning, when the sun is just beginning to come up. The horizon takes on a pale rose color that gradually gets redder and brighter as the sun rises. As Christmas draws near, we move from a somber violet to rose, finally celebrating Christ's birth with brilliant white or gold vestments.

             Lastly, the more we share this joy with others, the more we will experience it for ourselves. This, of course, is why we have the tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas. Jesus says "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Haven't we experienced that profound feeling of joy and satisfaction, when we did something for another person, even if it was costly or difficult?

             But this profound joy we are reflecting on today, this profound happiness that comes from being a friend of God, is anything but automatic. For many people this season is a time of stress and anxiety. Every year we hear about outrageous stories of people fighting each other to get the hottest new gift for Christmas or going to extreme lengths to acquire a good deal on some electronic device. For many people, Advent is a time of distraction and as Christmas approaches, anxiety and unhappiness only increases.

             We can look at extreme examples of people's madness and content ourselves that we aren't as bad as others. But the spiritual life is not a comparison to others; Jesus does not reward us based on how we ranked against our neighbor. Rather, he rewards us based on how well we know, love, and serve him in this life. The best way to gauge whether or not we are doing this is to ask a simple question: how am I doing at imitating Christ?

             If someone were to follow us around with a video camera from the moment we left today’s Mass to the moment we arrive for next Sunday’s Mass, what kind of behavior would they record? Would our daily lives reflect a conscious effort to imitate our Lord’s honesty, integrity, purity, and sacrificial love? Would people see the repentant spirit encouraged by John the Baptist? Could they describe our actions as rooted in gospel joy or simply showing flashes of worldly happiness?

              There are still two weeks left in this Advent season. Let's use this remaining time to become better imitators of Jesus Christ.  Let's use this time to transform our lives so that we will look more like Christ at Christmas than we do today.  We can accomplish this by starting out each day in prayer, because without God’s help, we can do nothing. Also, we can make a true effort to treat our neighbors as we would like them to treat us – family members first, then friends, colleagues, teammates, and strangers.

            In this way we can be sources of that supernatural joy that comes from being friends of God. And we will have many opportunities to share this joy with those around us, especially those who have forgotten the true meaning of this advent season. Take to heart the spirit of Gaudete Sunday and may we, together with John the Baptist, St. Paul and Christians of all ages, "rejoice in the Lord always!"

FoMo (2nd Sunday of Advent)

Have you ever experienced a strong sense of anxiety because you are afraid you might be missing out on a great party or similar event? Have you ever had a nagging fear that maybe your friends are doing something without you? This feeling can put you in a terrible mood, it can lead you to check your phone compulsively for messages, and many people will get on social media to see what their friends are doing to make sure they didn’t miss something incredible. This experience, this feeling, has a name. Even though I think it sounds more like a cartoon character, it is no joke. The word is FoMo (F-O-M-O) and it is an acronym for the phrase “Fear of Missing Out.” FoMo is something that most, if not all of us, have felt at some time or another. It is something that teens and young people are especially familiar with because of the ways social media pervades modern life. And while the word “FoMo” might be something relatively recent, the feeling is as old as the human race. All of us hate to miss out on something good or interesting. That’s why people rubberneck on the highway after an accident. They don’t need to see it but wouldn’t it be terrible to drive past something that everyone might be talking about? That’s why people run out to scoop up great deals on things they don’t really need or can’t quite afford. It would be wrong to pass up such a bargain! Or, some of my friends are going to do something I don’t enjoy but I want to go anyway because I can’t stand the idea of them having fun without me. I could give more examples but you get the idea.

The reality is that people lose sleep over this stuff. FoMo keeps many people from enjoying the good things they actually have while they worry about something that may not even happen. Truthfully, most of things we fear missing out on, while they seem important at the time, really aren’t that significant. 

A good question for us to think about in this brief Advent season is this: Are we as worried about missing out on spiritual opportunities as we are about social ones? Are we paying as much attention to the invitation God is sending us to spend time with him as we are to the invites and evites from our friends and family? Are we equally anxious about missing out on the incredible deal to receive forgiveness of our sins as we are about something on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Honestly, probably not. Most of us, myself included, often have FoMo over the wrong things and as a result, we miss out on what is truly important and worthwhile. Fear of missing out on trivial things leads us to become neurotic and needy. It makes us paranoid and suspicious and makes it hard to enjoy the blessings we have.

By comparison, when we have a holy fear of missing out on the good things God wants to give us, we become more grateful and in tune with the gifts we have received. When we are on the lookout for God and his blessings in our daily lives, amazing things can happen. We can find goodness in situations where others only see hardship. We begin to see a silver lining in places of defeat, disappointment, or hurt. There is nothing negative that can’t be turned around or redeemed or blessed by God. 

Fear of missing out on the right things is the beginning of holiness. It’s what propelled the saints to make the most of their gifts, their lives and do their part to make the Church and the world a little bit better. 

Consider the spiritual opportunities you have right now. Did you know that we have multiple options to experience God’s complete forgiveness in the sacrament of confession? Or that we can receive the Eucharist any day of the week at daily Mass here or at any one of the many parishes nearby? Each of us has the chance to show God’s love to the people around us with a kind word of praise or affirmation, a mindful act of kindness, or a thoughtful prayer for someone who is hurting. These, and many more, are the occasions we have to love, forgive, and grow for our benefit and the good of others.  

Advent is an opportunity stop and think about what it is that gives us FoMo. What are we afraid of missing out on? Even if they aren’t the correct things, there is still time in this beautiful season to make things right, to prepare the way for the Lord when he arrives anew in our hearts this Christmas. May we fear missing out on the proper things, the most important things this advent season so we can grow in holiness and receive the abundant blessings God wants to share with us.