Happy New Year! This greeting can be made two times a year: Jan 1st, the start of the civil New Year, as well as the 1st Sunday of Advent—when the Church commences its Liturgical New Year.  New Year, new start, new beginnings, bright future!

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Advent” from the Latin “Advenir” can be translated into “coming”; we await the coming of the Messiah.

Normally the success of any enterprise or undertaking is in proportion to the prior preparation.  For a successful surprise Birthday party,
there need be a well-planned prior preparation.   That being the norm, should we not make a
more serious and concerted effort to prepare for the Birthday of Jesus every
year.  There was never a Person who came
into the world leaving such dramatic changes in just 33 years as did
Jesus.    What then are practical and
realistic ways that we and our family can take for the coming of Jesus the
Lord?  Off we go!                       

The last words of many of the Mexican martyrs— Blessed Miguel Pro, Blessed Jose Luis Sanchez del Rios— were an acclamation of their faith:  “Viva Cristo Rey!” and “Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”—-  in English:  “Long live Christ the King!” and “Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!”

Listen to the message of Blessed Miguel Pro:  “We ought to speak, shout out against injustices, with confidence and without fear. We proclaim the principles of the Church, the reign of love, without forgetting that it is also a reign of justice.”

Blessed Pope John Paul II , at the beatification of Blessed Miguel Pro on September 25, 1988 honored this great
hero of God with these words of praise:  “Neither suffering nor serious illness,
neither the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in
difficult circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he
brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away. Indeed, the
deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate
love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to Him, even unto
death.”

These noble men of God prioritized the salvation of their immortal souls over the comfort and security of their temporal
goods, comfort, and safety of their body. As Jesus said, “What would it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul? What can one exchange for the salvation of his soul?”

In a world where comfort, ease, pleasure, money, power, vanity, prestige have become practically “gods”, the
martyrs in all times, places, and cultures teach us the true meaning of our
lives: to know God, love God, obey God, be faithful to God (even to the point
of the shedding of blood) so as to win the award of eternal happiness in
heaven.

Once the great Jesuit saint and scholar St Peter Canisius was counseled by a friend to slow down and rest a little bit.  Without hesitation this loyal disciple of St Ignatius of Loyola responded:  “In heaven I will have all eternity to rest!  Now is the time to work!”    St. Paul captured this movement of the heart with these words:  “The charity of Christ compels us!”

Jesus Himself expressed this urgency, with words of passion in a world that has sunk into  lukewarmness and tepidity and mediocrity,  “I have come to cast fire on earth and I am in anguish until that fire be enkindled.” 
Jesus longs for fiery-passionate Apostles willing and ready to “cast
fire on the earth.”

The fiery Dominican preacher, St. Vincent Ferrer O.P. , poignantly asserted: 
“From a heart that is cold and icy, fiery darts cannot shoot out of the
mouth.” Nobody can give what he does not have.  
Jesus Himself reiterates this truth stating, “Out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks!”

In this Year of Faith in which the Holy Father, in union with the Bishops throughout the world, there is a real
urgency to imitate the saints, to follow in the footsteps of the martyrs, to
give totally of oneself to Christ the King. How can this be done?

The response can be found in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. 
Authentic followers of Christ called to be prophets, evangelizers, and
missionaries must relive the 1st and most powerful novena that took
place in the upper room, the Cenacle.   In other words there must be a renewed Pentecost experience within the
church, starting with every individual person in a personal and unique way.   As Pope Benedict XVI insists in his Apostolic
letter, “Porta fidei” the year of faith is time to have a personal experience
with Jesus who is alive and active.

What happened that 1st Pentecost?   It lasted 9 days— a 9 day spiritual retreat of great power! Present in the Upper Room were the Apostles united with the Blessed Virgin Mary. The elements of this experience were the following:

THE RESULT:  POWERFUL WIND AND FIRE!

The room shook like that of an earthquake and tongues of fire descended on the Apostles. TRANSFORMATION!!!!   A few days earlier, paralyzed by fear of the Jews, possible torture resulting in martyrdom, these renewed and transformed
apostles preached boldly, gave witness to their belief in Jesus in word and
deed, suffered persecution and even imprisonment for the Lord.

Still more, all of the Apostles, with the exception of St. John the Beloved, suffered martyrdom for
their firm belief and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. One was beheaded, another
was crucified in the form of an X; another was crucified upside down; still
another was flayed alive (Bartholomew) that means that he was skinned alive but
did not die until he was beheaded.

All of this took place after the 1st Pentecost experience— the powerful descent and coming of the Holy Spirit with the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today more than ever do we need within the church a renewed Pentecost experience. The obstacles of materialism, sensuality, hedonism, agnosticism and atheism must be conquered by a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray!  “Come Holy Spirit, come though the Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His love endures forever.” 
Jesus took bread and gave thanks…. After the leper was cured he turned
back to Jesus and gave Him thanks.     To
the Thessalonians Paul exhorts to give thanks to God at all times and in all
places…    The mystical theologian Meister Eckhart said
that if the only prayer we ever said were thanksgiving then that would be
enough.

The most sublime prayer under heaven
that actually unites us with heaven is the Mass and another name for Mass is
“Eucharist” which actually means “Thanksgiving”. It should be a constant effort
to grow in living out a greater appreciation and “Thanksgiving” for the
Eucharist.   Let us enumerate ways that
we can foster an “attitude of gratitude” for the greatest gift of Jesus to
us—the Most Holy Eucharist.    “Give
thanks to the Lord for He is good his mercy endures forever.”

St. Catherine of Siena, one of the three women doctors of the church states, “The two most important moments in
our life are the present moment and the moment of our death.”   This is exactly in agreement with the prayer
that Our Lady loves most, the Hail Mary: 
“Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our
death.” Amen

Given that this moment—the moment we
die and none of us can escape it—is so important—we should do all in our power
to prepare ourselves for this moment. Either we will be saved and go to heaven
for all eternity or we will be lost and go to hell for all eternity. There is
no other possibility!   Therefore, let us
set up a plan for ourselves and our loved ones on how we can prepare ourselves
so as to have a happy encounter with Jesus. May Jesus be our Redeemer and not
our Judge!  Let us reflect seriously on
the reality of death, what happens after death and the awesome and stark
reality of eternity— which is forever and ever and ever….

Reflection on the reality of death can be very healthy for our spiritual life. 
Modern world and modern means of communication has a tendency to shun
the reflection on the reality of death because for the “worldly” minded person
all that really matters is the world and what the world has to offer.   The motto for the worldly is “You have one
life to live; get the best out of it! 
Let us eat, drink and be merry and have fun!”    Maybe you have heard these:  “You deserve a break today…. And do not kill
yourself.  Relax!

If only this passing world and all that is in the world is what there is to enjoy, then this philosophy is fully
understandable.   However, being
followers of Christ we believe that there is much more than what this world has
to offer. Jesus offers us much more and most important He offers us Friendship
with Him in this life and if we die in this friendship then He offers us the
greatest gift which is the gift of eternal life in heaven!

On the reality of death Jesus speaks clearly.  He says that we must be alert,
be prepared and live soberly in this passing world.   The Lord says that death will come like a thief
in the night, at the moment you least expect it. He also reminds us of the
times of Noah, when people were marrying, eating and drinking and the flood
came and buried almost everybody except a few people and pairs of animals.

In Parable form Jesus teaches us through the “Rich fool”. He had an abundant harvest and had to tear down his
barns because there was no longer enough space in his barns to contain the
abundant harvest. After the harvest he has it all planned out to the “T”!   He said, “Now I have abundance and a long
life ahead of me. Therefore, I will eat, drink and relax.”  Jesus comes down quick and hard on this man
and on this philosophy, calling the man a fool!   The reason?  
That very night his life will be taken from him and where will all of
his riches go?

As followers of Christ we must cultivate a deeply spiritual perspective of our life, our destiny and all in
the light of the reality of eternity. 
Eternity by the way means forever and ever and ever….                     

St. Benedict in his famous Rule states that we should think about death twice a day.   This is wisdom!  St. Alphonus Liguori, among his many works, he wrote a classic with the title “Preparation for death”.   Personally he made a meditation on his own
death on a weekly basis.  By the way, now
he is in heaven praising the Lord for all eternity.   The classic by Thomas Kempis, “The Imitation
of Christ” says that it is not important a long life but a holy life.”  Also the same author reminds us that it if we
meditated frequently on death then we would quickly change our lives.

St. Ignatius of Loyola in his classic
“The Spiritual Exercises”, in the week on sin, insists that the retreatants do
a meditation on the “Last things”— they are death, judgment, heaven and
hell.   A powerful meditation on the
shortness of life and the reality of hell and heaven as our two options, can be
a potent means to move us away from sin and towards the true life in
Christ.  Ignatius challenged Francis
Xavier to do the Exercises quoting Jesus, “What would it profit a man if he
were to gain the whole world and lose his soul?

We should remind ourselves of our mortality—that we do not have a permanent house here on earth, that we are pilgrims
and wayfarers heading to the city that will never end, the city of God—Heaven!

When driving by a cemetery we should
form a habit to pray for all of the deceased that if they have not already
arrived in heaven that they will through our prayers. At the same time, we
should remind ourselves that one day—and it is really not too far away— we
will be there laying next to those who are underneath the ground!   We should cling to no person, place or
thing— especially not to sin— but only to Jesus the Lord.   

When attending a funeral Mass we should pray fervently for the dead for whom the Mass is being celebrated and
not  canonize him before his time.  But also this should be a reminder that one
day the coffin, the funeral Mass, and then the burial will be mine! Life is
short in comparison to eternity.  The
great Saint Augustine says that our life in comparison with eternity is only a
blink of the eye. St. Peter expressed it in these words:  “For God one day is a thousand years..”  Our heartbeat is like a marching band heading to death and eternity— forever and ever and ever….

May we intensify our prayer life so as to be prepared to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus the Lord the moment of our
death. Let us turn to Mary and beg for the grace of a holy and happy death by
praying the Hail Mary frequently, full of faith, and fervently, that she may
attain for us and holy life and a holy and happy death.  “Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

                                                                        

One of the greatest treasures on a human level is to encounter a true, loyal, faithful friend.  Indeed this is a priceless pearl.   The Word of God states that to find a true friend is a true treasure.
If on a human level friendship is to be treasured, protected, cultivated and cherished, how much more should we treasure a true and dynamic friendship with Jesus?

Shortly before offering Himself to the Eternal Father as a Sacrificial Victim on Good Friday— dying on the cross
for all of humanity and for each and every one of us individually— Jesus
spoke at length at the Last Supper.

In addition to washing the feet of the Apostles, instituting the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders (the
Priesthood), and giving us the greatest commandment to love one another as He
loved us, He also offered to the Apostles and us a special relationship—-
Friendship with Him.

He said, “I do not call you servants
because the servant does not know what the Master is about; I call you  FRIENDS.  “  
Jesus Himself longs to enter into Friendship with you and me.

This “pearl of infinite price”—
Friendship with Jesus is always available to all, but especially to you and me
right now.  If you like, Jesus comes like
the Good Shepherd, with staff in hand, but with the other hand He is gently
knocking at the door. (Rev. 3)

The painter Holman Hunt painted Jesus the Good Shepherd, with staff in hand and knocking at the door.  An acute observer approached the painter with a complaint: the painter had forgotten to paint the door knob!   Holman Hunt held his ground and
responded:  “The door knob is present,
but within the door.”

Jesus indeed is knocking at the door of your heart, but it is up to you to open up the door and to receive Him into
your home, into the depths of your heart. Right now Jesus is knocking and
waiting for you to open!  Are you ready
and willing?

In your conversation with your Friend
Jesus, what might be some of the topics of your conversation?   The response is simple, clear and to the
point: ANYTHING!!!!  

However, to help us to initiate and
engage in this Friendly conversation with the Lord, we will offer five short
suggestions and these suggestions do not exhaust the topics that you can talk
about with the Lord. Remember!   You can
talk to the Lord about anything.

Remember also that the Lord earnestly desires for you to talk to Him. Furthermore, you should never feel inhibited at
any time and place to open up and talk to Jesus your best of Friends.  Jesus will never hurt you, humiliate you, misunderstand
you. Rather, conversation with Jesus heals, strengthens, encourages, enlightens
and sanctifies.   Off we go….

First, THANKS!   What do you have that you indeed did not receive from God? Only one thing: your sins! 
Look from within your mind, heart, soul, memory, imagination; look from
the inside out at the beauty of nature, the food you eat, the health you enjoy,
the opportunities you have had.  All of
these gifts that come from God, the author of all good gifts, should result in
a constant hymn of thanksgiving that should spontaneously flow from your
heart.  “Give thanks to the Lord for He
is good for His love endures forever.”

Second, LOVE!  The greatest of all commandments is to love
the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. (Lk.10) Spouses
should frequently express their love for the other; otherwise the love can grow
cold. Jesus wants to hear from our lips and our hearts that we indeed do love
Him. St. John of the Cross says that in the twilight of our existence we will
be judged on love. A suggestion!  The
most important time to tell the Lord you love Him is immediately after you have
received Him into your heart in Holy Communion. His Sacred Heart is united with
your heart. Then, tell Him you love Him!

 Third, PETITION/SUPPLICATION FOR SALVATION.   Jesus said, “Ask and you
will receive… (Mt.7:7). Our asking has no limits! However, begging fervently to
the Lord for our salvation, the salvation of our family members, the conversion
and salvation of sinners, as well as the salvation of the entire world,
exceedingly rejoices the Sacred heart of Jesus. Ask for the greatest gifts—
that is, the salvation of immortal souls! St. Faustina and the children of
Fatima were constantly begging Jesus for the salvation of souls; we should do
the same!

Fourth, FORGIVENESS AND MERCY. If we
hurt a dear friend then we ask pardon. By sinning we hurt the Lord and damage
our Friendship with Him. Therefore, we should apologize and tell the Lord sorry
for having wounded or even ruptured the bonds of friendship.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen defines sin as
“Hurting the one you love.”  Friendship
with Jesus—the pearl of infinite price— supersedes even our own natural
life.  For that reason St. Dominic
Savio’s motto resonates powerfully— “Death rather than sin!”

Fifth, THE WEIGHT (PROBLEM) that in the present is causing suffering to your heart.   Jesus loves us so much that He willingly
shares His life with us. That means that He shares His joys but also wants to
share with us—at least to a limited degree—a splinter of His cross.  Many of us fall into sadness and even
depression because we are trying to carry the cross in our lives by
ourselves.   We really cannot do this!  The cross is too heavy and painful, such that
it can crush us.  Either that cross makes
us better or bitter and it all depends on one thing–  If we carry the cross alone, bitterness sets
in;  however, if we share the cross with
the Lord either He can take the cross away from us or He can share carrying the
cross with us; and He always carries the bigger weight of the cross.  St. Peter says: “Cast your cares on the Lord
because He watches over you.”  Then Jesus
Himself says:  “Come to me all of you who
are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me;
for I am meek and humble of heart. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Mt. 11:28-30).   A burden shared with a
friend is greatly alleviated.  Remember
the song:  “He ain’t heavy he is my
brother!”  Jesus is indeed our older
Brother and He desires so much to enter into friendship with us. He wants to
share His life with us and He wants us to share our life with Him. May Jesus
always be your Best Friend and that pearl of infinite price!