Fr. Ed Broom, OMV Oblates of the Virgin Mary

Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality

SUFFERING CAN MAKE YOU “BETTER” OR “BITTER”. CALL TO TRUST IN A MYSTERIOUS BUT LOVING GOD!

One of the most common objections posed against the existence of God is the following: “If God is so good then
why do innocent people have to suffer?” The prime example would be what happened in Connecticut, in which a
crazy young man barged into an Elementary school and opened fire killing 20 innocent children and adults beside and then he ended his own life.
Indeed suffering, especially of the innocent and those of little children (1st grade and Kindergarten) is a huge mystery.   The whole of the country and way beyond suffers this tragedy not to mention the excruciating pain and anguish of the parents have to endure the rest of their lives. Our prayers and Mass intentions go out to the parents and relatives of these children. May the God of peace console them!
The response to these pertinent questions is not easy; however, it deals intrinsically with a supreme and inviolable gift that God has given to each and every person that comes into this world: THE GIFT OF FREE WILL!
As in the beginning with Lucifer and 1/3 of the angels, they decided to turn their backs on God, abuse their gift of freedom, and through the intervention of St. Michael the Archangel and the faithful and obedient angels, they were expelled from heaven and cast into the
fiery pit of hell where they will suffer the eternal loss of God and His glory for all eternity.
Likewise in the case of our first parents, Adam and Eve.  We all know the story all too well taken from the 3rd Chapter of the first book of
the Bible, Genesis.  The first couple was given freedom to choose; they could either obey God or disobey God. Indeed freedom is very risky, but it is because God indeed wants to be loved freely. If we were created as robots then there would be neither freedom nor the possibility
to love.
Tempted by the devil, disguised in the form of a serpent, Eve listened to the words of the seducer, the ancient serpent
he who is a murderer and a liar from the beginning (Jn. 8, Jesus’ definition of the devil).  She listened to the devil,
entered into dialogue with the devil, looked at the forbidden fruit, like what she saw, gave consent in her will, bit into the forbidden fruit and then shared it with her husband, Adam.  There we have it! ORIGINAL SIN!   We were all born with and freed from the stain of it in our baptism, but still experience the effects in the tendency we experience towards evil; St. Thomas Aquinas calls this concupiscence.
Therefore, any form of moral evil en the world (which we call sin) has nothing to do with the action of God. However, it does relate directly to God’s allowing us to use our freedom— better said, God allows us to “abuse” our freedom!
Our hearts should always go out to all of these who suffer and to express great compassion, mercy, and weep with those who weep, remembering the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn they will be consoled. “ (Mt. 5:4)
At the same time, God should always be seen, depicted, and embraced as a loving father.  God is slow to anger and quick to forgive.
Jesus presented God as a loving Father patiently waiting His wayward son to return. Upon returning, the Father showered the son with kisses, hugs, a new ring, sandals a new cloak, a party, a feast and joyful music. (Lk. 15:11-32).  The Psalmist reminds us of
God with these words: “Taste and see the goodness of God.”
St. Augustine, one of the most profound thinkers in the world, reminds us of “Happy Fault”.  God allows evil because He can always bring
greater good out of evil.  God endowed Adam and Eve with free-will, the freedom to choose between good and evil. As we have said, they “abused” their will rather than using it to give honor and glory to God.
O HAPPY FAULT. God, in His infinite Goodness and Providence, brought much greater good out of the tragedy of Original Sin. In
time God the Father sent His only Son Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus then taught us how to life by His life which is model and pattern for us to imitate. The culminating moment was the Paschal mystery. Jesus willingly suffered what appeared to be the
tragedy of Calvary, wherein He allowed Himself to be brutally nailed to the cross for the salvation of the entire human race but for the salvation of each and every one of us individually. Then three days later, the Paschal mystery was brought to its consummation when Jesus gloriously rose from the dead.  “The Lord is truly risen from the dead and dies no longer, Alleluia!”
Therefore, the tragedy of the first sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, was far surpassed in Goodness by our
loving Heavenly Father by sending us His only-begotten Son, Jesus to open up
the gates of heaven and to give us access to heaven for all eternity.
Tragedies that occur can truly rock our boat to the point of capsizing and sinking.   We are all visited with mysteries,
sufferings, and if not major tragedies at least minor tragedies.
The Key so that suffering does not make us” bitter” but “better” a person can be summarized in the episode when
Jesus was walking on the water in the dark hours of the night and Peter,
hearing His voice and obeying the Master’s invitation began to walk on the
water. But the fragile Apostle started to sink. Why?  The reason is very simple!  Peter’s problem was that he focused more on
the problem then on the person who could resolve his problem. The cold water,
the piercing winds, the enormous waves—all of these captivated the attention of
Peter more than the person of Jesus.  As soon as Peter lifted his gaze from that of the Master, he sunk in the water.
All of us can identify with the following. Problems we have had, problems we now have, and many problems await us tomorrow and all of the days of our lives. The key and the solution is not in focusing on the problem but on the problem-solver, Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
In this year of faith, may our prayer be, Lord I have little faith, but strengthen my faith.  Indeed true faith can move the highest mountains!
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NEW YEAR—NEW LIFE THROUGH A PLAN OF LIFE!

 

 

One of the concrete manifestations of good will towards God, a desire to grow in holiness through prayer and living out an attitude of “Magnanimity” in doing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises is by formulating and writing out in a clear, methodical and practical way a PLAN OF LIFE.   The variety of the ways to hammer out a plan of life are limitless.  The Plan of life proposed in this article focuses on the various areas in our total life and how we can improve and make our life a fragrance pleasing to God.  Let us make the Psalmist’s
prayer our prayer: “O Lord give success to the work of our hands; give success to the work of our hands.”
Of capital importance, a well-formulated Plan of Life serves to order the disordered in our lives. Due
to Original Sin and actual sin, our lives are marked by upheaval, confusion, and disorder.   The Holy Spirit is a God of order. Our Lady of Guadalupe gently arranged in an orderly way the roses in the tilma of Saint Juan Diego. From this order comes peace of heart, mind and
soul. The Augustinian definition of peace is “Tranquility of order.”
Before writing out your specific plan of life why not give the spiritual project a specific theme, motto, or emphasis for the year.  Some suggestions! Choose a corporal or spiritual work of mercy that you feel God is challenging you to embrace and live out this year.   Maybe you prefer to take one of the 14 Stations of the Cross and that can be your motif.  Or else you can choose one of the 8 Beatitudes found in Mt. 5:1-12 and strive to live that out with the help of your plan of life. Perhaps you would like to have a Marian thrust and choose one of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary as your guiding star for the year. Finally, you might prefer choosing a Biblical verse or scene that captivates your attention: Jesus walking on the water, or one of his words from the cross, “I thirst…” or in the year of faith, “Lord strengthen my faith…” It could even
be the heart of the Divine Mercy devotion in the simple words painted in the image itself: “Jesus I trust in you.”
Now we will proceed into the Plan of life and give various specific and concrete areas that we want to examine
honestly and make a short, concrete and practical proposal so as to improve in
these areas.  Much better to formulate
proposals that are practical and realistic then idealistic proposals that go up
like smoke before the 1st week of January has transpired!   Remember the words of Jesus Himself: “He who
is faithful in the small will be faithful in the greater.”  The essence of the spirituality of St Therese
is to do the ordinary things of one’s daily life with extraordinary love. There
we have the secret and key to holiness!
PLAN OF LIFE CONCRETE PROPOSALS: SPECIFIC CATEGORIES….
I.   PRAYER LIFE.  Examine seriously the tenor and tone and
present status of your prayer life and pray over this on some concrete way that
you can make improvements. SUGGESTION! 
Why not decide to give just 5 extra minutes of prayer every day.

II.    CONFESSION/RECONCILIATION.   By birth we are all sinners. Until our dying
day we must fight fiercely, but trusting more in God’s grace, to overcome sin in our lives.  Sin is mortal enemy number
one.   One of the most efficacious means to conquer sin is through the reception of the Sacrament of Confession.  God’s healing touch and grace manifests itself most abundantly through this Sacrament. PROPOSAL!  Go to confession more frequently.(You can decide). Also prepare yourself better the night before you confess  and trust more in God’s mercy!  Victory through God’s mercy!
III.    HOLY MASS AND HOLY COMMUNION.   Our eternal salvation depends on allowing
Jesus to save us. The name “Jesus” means Savior. Jesus outlines a clear and
concrete plan of action to be saved in His “Bread of Life Discourse” (Jn.
6:22-71). Read it and meditate upon this Word of life.   To sum up Jesus’ message in a few words, the
salvation of our immortal soul depends upon eating and drinking. Adam and Eve
ate and they brought death to the world. Jesus promises us eternal life through
eating and drinking His Body and Blood through reception of Holy Communion. He
states clearly without stammer or stutter: “I am the Bread of Life, whoever
eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have everlasting life and I will raise
Him up on the last day.” ACTION POINT! Why not aim for Daily Mass and Holy
Communion?  If this is already your practice, come ten minutes early before Mass and offer your own intentions
depositing them on the altar. The graces that flow into your heart are in
direct proportion to your preparation and disposition. One Holy Communion could
transform us into saints!  Fantastic!

St. Charbel Maklouf. Received permission to celebrate Mass at noon every day so he could spend the whole morning preparing for Mass and the rest of the day giving thanks.
IV.    APOSTOLIC LIFE.  To be a follower of Christ is to be a missionary.  The last words of Jesus before ascending into heaven were, “Go out to all the world and teach them all that I taught you and behold I will be with you always even until the end of time.”(Mt28)  In this year of faith we are challenged to grow in our faith, but also to share our faith with others. Indeed one of the best ways to fortify one’s own faith is to share it with others! TRY IT!   What might be a concrete way? In the family suggest the daily recitation of the Rosary. Outside,  invite a fallen away catholic back home to the Catholic Church.  If we love God
we should love what God loves—the salvation of souls!
 
V. PERMANENT FORMATION.  In this year of faith the Holy Father, Pope
Benedict XVI has exhorted us to read the Documents of Vatican II, most
specifically the four Dogmatic Constitutions: Dei Verbum(on the Word of God),
Sacronsanctum Concilium (on the Liturgy), Guadiem Spes and Lumen Gentium
(Documents on the Church in the modern world). 
Catholic-Christians today must make a concerted effort to learn their
faith more deeply; our catholic faith is a fathomless ocean in its depth and
width. DECISION!   Set aside at least 15
minutes every day to apply yourself to a serious study of your catholic faith.

VI.   PENANCE.   To take flight a bird needs two wings. So as
to soar high in the spiritual atmosphere the soul needs to apply itself
seriously to two practices: PRAYER AND PENANCE. 
Our Lady of Fatima who appeared to the three little shepherd children
insisted that they pray— especially the most Holy Rosary—but also that they
offer up sacrifices for the conversion of poor sinners.   Jesus expressed this bluntly: “Unless we do
penance we will perish.”  COUNSEL!  Friday is the day that we are obliged to do
penance why not choose one of the following: no meat, give up sweets for the
day, fast from watching television, eat less, make the Way of the cross, do not
complain the whole day!!!!

VII.  WORK.   All of us are called to work. God said to Adam that he would earn his bread by the sweat of his brow.  St. Paul exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We also all know probably from personal experience
that idleness is the workshop of the devil. Examine carefully your daily work and
see areas for improvement. PROPOSAL! Be punctual in starting, hard in working,
and honest in the hour you leave. Remember that you are working for the Lord.
As St. Paul reminds us, “Whether you eat or drink do all for the Lord!”
  
VIII. VOCATIONAL CALL.   Most are called to the life of marriage; some are called to the Priesthood and Religious life and others are called to the single life.   If one is called to the married life then a clear examination of conscience and concrete proposals
can be made with respect to one’s plan of life?  Examine and respond to these questions. How can I be a better
wife/husband/ son/daughter? How can I improve as father/mother?   Pray over this and the Holy Spirit will
inspire you with a concrete proposal.

IX.    SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.  In addition to frequent confession, spiritual
reading, and serious theological studies, those who are pursuing the path of
perfection  should have some form of periodic Spiritual Direction.  St. John
of the Cross put it bluntly: “He who has himself as spiritual director has an
idiot for a disciple.”  In other words we all have blind spots and need someone other than ourselves to help us on the
demanding and rigorous path to becoming a saint. ADVICE! Pray that God will
help you to find this guide. If you have already discovered one be thankful
humble, docile and obedient!  

X.  MARY: OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS, AND OUR HOPE.  A successful plan of life would be incomplete if Mary were neglected. As St. Louis de Montfort asserts with the utmost conviction: “The quickest, easiest and most efficacious path to
holiness is through True Devotion to Mary.” In other words, she is the shortcut
to God! PROPOSALS!   The Daily Rosary, Consecration to Mary through True Devotion, reading on Mary, living in the
presence of Mary and imitation of Mary’s virtue. Why not choose your weakest
virtue this year and beg for Mary’s intercession to conquer yourself!  Mary is the weak point of God. He can never
resist her prayers!
Let us conclude with the words of wisdom taken from Adolphe Tanquerey in his classic “The Spiritual Life”. 
“The man who holds to a well-defined rule of life saves
considerable time: 1) He wastes no time in hesitation. He knows exactly what he
is to do, and when he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically
detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down principles with
regard to religious exercises, recreation, work, etc…2) There is little or
nothing unforeseen, for even should the unusual occur, he has already provided
for it by determining beforehand exercises that may be shortened and the manner
of making up for them. At all events, as soon as these exceptional
circumstances cease to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 3)
Inconstancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always what is
prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of the day.  Thus the habits are formed that, give
continuity to his life and assure perseverance; his days are full days, teeming
with good works and merits.” (Tanquery, Spiritual Life, # 560)
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FAMILY —THE BASIC CELL OF SOCIETY & FUTURE OF THE WORLD.

 

Divorce rates skyrocketing at an all-time high, adultery wide and rampant, trial-marriages resulting in cohabitation and separation
abandoning children to one-parent families, the homosexual agenda promoting “Same-sex unions” adopting children and calling this the “modern-family”, pornography invading homes thereby producing powerful addictions that lead to total alienation from other members of the family—- this is a bird’s eye view of the family situation in the modern world.
Nonetheless, followers of Jesus Christ lift up the banner with the word HOPE. The word “hope” is one of the three theological virtues that are infused in the soul in the moment of Baptism—-Faith, HOPE,   and Charity.
Hope is the virtue by which we place our total trust in God. Despite our failures, weaknesses, shortcomings, our sins and total fragility we know that God is our Rock, our Fortress, and our Light in the midst of the dark tunnel.  As the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary, “Nothing is impossible for God.”
In this brief essay we would like to present one theme to strengthen families that are under assault,  and that is the importance of the FATHER in the formation of wholesome, solid and holy families.  The mother is the heart of the family but the Father is the “Head” of the family.
What then are goals that every many who is called to the marriage vocation should aim to attain so that indeed he
can live out what is true “Fatherhood” in a world of “Drop-out Dad’s”, negligent Father’s, and overly timid men?
First, to be a good “Father” he should first be a good “Son of God the Father”. 
The Father of the family represents and reflects the image of God the
Father. If a Father has an identity crisis in the spiritual realm— that is to
say, he does not understand his intimate relationship to God the Father—then he
will not be able to transmit to his children and family an authentic vision of
God the Father.
However, if the earthly father has encountered God the Father in an intimate, personal, filial, and convincing way then he will be able to transmit this fatherhood to those whom God will place under his care.
A prime example can be found in the life of Karol Woytyla— the future Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.  He lost his mother at 9 years of age and then spent much of his time with his father; they even shared the same bedroom at night.
Young Karol recalls waking up in the early hours, way before dawn, and could see the figure of his father kneeling, deeply absorbed in prayer.   This example of his father left an indelible impression on the young Karol.  His earthly Father had a deep and intimate
relationship to God the Father and transmitted this to his son.
Then Karol would become the great “HOLY FATHER”—Pope John Paul II, one of the greatest and clearest reflections of true fatherhood in the history of the world.

 

Second, after placing primary emphasis on his relationship with God the Father, a true father should love his wife.  The love and friendship that he has with his wife should be indispensable. This love should not stagnate, or worse yet,  fizzle out.  On the contrary this human love blessed supernaturally by the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony should blossom, grow, and flourish until the moment of death.
All too many marriages lose their vibrancy; the love grows cold to the point that both live in the same house as if they were strangers to each other. Obviously the children will suffer the consequences! How can spouses maintain the flame enkindled and burning bright? As in any activity, sport, or profession, the relationship
between spouses demands work and hard work— blood, sweat and tears.
First of all both should cultivate an ever deeper relationship with God. How? Prayer, both individual and family, the Sacramental life—frequent confession and Holy Communion–, devotion to Mary manifested by the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary, calling to mind the
words of the Rosary priest Father Patrick Peyton, “The family that prays together stays together.”— all of these are part and parcel of growing in a mutual relationship with God.  This, of course, will foster unity between themselves as husband and wife. Other activities should not be excluded such as a Marriage Retreat on an annual basis, Marriage Encounter, as well as cultivating good friendships among other good Catholic couples!
Third, the Father should love his children and see them as a precious treasure that God has given to him with the primary purpose of bringing these little ones to their ultimate destiny which is heaven. A child is a gift given to father and mother but with the primary purpose of the parents of being ladders by which the children can climb to heaven.
An authentic father first should provide for the spiritual need of the child. He should teach his child to pray as soon as possible. Little children are like sponges. The nature of a sponge is to absorb; it can absorb dirty water or clean water. Likewise a child can absorb
the dirt of modern world or through the help of a good father, absorb that which is pure, noble and uplifting.
The father should be the teacher to the child especially in prayer.   He should be always mindful of the immortal saying of Father Patrick Peyton:  “The family that prays together stays together.” With respect to the art of prayer, the father should exercise three different aspects of prayer: 1) He should be a man of prayer and not be afraid to manifest it publicly.  There is a saying that praises prayer as
such: “ The man is greatest when he is found on his knees!”   Why? Because he recognizes that true greatness comes from the Father of all good gifts, God Himself. 2) He should pray with the family—the blessing of the meal, the family Rosary and the active participation in Holy mass which is of course the greatest of all prayers. 3) Finally, a true father should be like Moses who elevated his arms so that the
Jews could win the battle against their enemies. A father should pray frequently and fervently for his family for their protection from all evils— physical, moral, spiritual—and for his family’s sanctification and salvation.
An authentic Christian father should have his eyes fixed on heaven at all times and aware of the world and the dangers that menace the flock entrusted to him—his wife and children.
The greatest desire of the father for his family should be the salvation of their immortal soul.  Jesus said, “What would it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul in the process?  What can we offer in exchange for our
immortal soul?”
Until we have restored the essential role of the father in the family to his proper place the world will suffer intensely. Man who is called to the vocation of marriage assumes an enormously important responsibility.   The end of the vocation is holiness of life and the heavenly reward.
However, man (the father) must strive daily to cultivate a deeper relationship to God. Then his wife must be cherished as his greatest gift on earth; in the words of Jesus the pearl of infinite value.  Then, as God sends children, they should be treasured as priceless gems. The father must receive them willingly from the hands of the Father, the Creator. They should be formed by the father emotionally, intellectually, morally, but especially spiritually.  Indeed the father should do all in his power to instill in them a deep-rooted Fear of the Lord, but even more, a tender and loving trust and love for our Heavenly Father.
Let us turn to the best of earthly fathers, the Good Saint Joseph, and beg for his powerful intercession. St Joseph, ornament of the domestic life, patron of families, patron of fathers,  pray for us!
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BIRTHDAY OF JESUS THE LORD: OTHER WAYS HE IS BORN…

 

Jesus came into the world about 2000 years ago, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem that cold winter night.  This was when He passed from His eternal presence in the bosom of the Most Blessed Trinity into the historical time frame into the world to save all of humanity.   Because of that reason His name is “Jesus” which means “Savior.
Jesus came to save all of humanityfrom all that is evil: sin, slavery to sin, sadness and depression, the
trickeries of the devil, and hell—the eternal separation from God. How grateful
we should be for His coming among us— Emmanuel, “God with us”.
Jesus was born in time 2000 years ago, but He desires to be born again, every day in all times and places until
the end of time.  How then is it that
Jesus can still be born today, now, this very instant?  This will be the topic of our reflection and
meditation together.   The ways and
manners are numerous, but we must have the eyes of the mystic to perceive His coming!

1.   BAPTISM.  Every time a Baptism is celebrated Jesus is truly born in the soul of the baptized. 
Not only is Jesus born in the soul, but also the other members of the
Blessed Trinity, the Father and the Holy Spirit.  For that reason Jesus insisted in His conversation
with Nicodemus that one must be born twice— once physically and then of water
and the Holy Spirit and this is the moment of Baptism. (Jn.3 Conversation
between Jesus and Nicodemus).

 

2.   CONFESSION/RECONCILIATION.  In the spiritual realm mortal sin is spiritual death, the loss of the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and the loss of Friendship with Jesus.  Good News!   A confession well-prepared, with true sentiments of sorrow and sincere desire to amend one’s life results in Jesus being born in that soul.  What amazing and consoling words to hear:  “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Through Sacramental Confession, Jesus is born once again in the depths of the soul.
               
3.   RECONCILIATION & MERCY.   Pride, self-love, self-sufficiency often leads to tensions and division between brothers and sisters.   All of us who belong to the human race are of the same family.  We all descended from Adam and Eve as our first parents; moreover, by praying the Our Father we are admitting that God is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.   When two alienated and estranged brothers come together reconcile and make peace, then once again Jesus is born in their hearts.  The
Easter greeting of the Risen Lord was “Shalom”— peace be with you!

4.   LOVING AND SERVING THE POOR.    Before even becoming a Christian-Catholic  St. Martin had an
experience that radically changed his life. It was a bitterly cold winter night
and Martin the soldier looked down as he rode on his horse and he saw a
half-naked man laying on the ground, shivering and half dead.  Moved to compassion, Martin pulled out his
sword, cut his own cloak in half and gave the other half to clothe and warm the
naked man.  That very night Martin saw in a dream somebody wearing his cloak. However it was not the poor man that he
gave it to the night before but it was Jesus the Lord.   This act of charity led to the conversion of
Martin to Catholicism, to Martin becoming a priest, then a Bishop, then the
most generous and kind of Bishops and then a saint.  We honor him every year on Nov. 11th—-Saint
Martin of Tours.  Jesus was born in that encounter between Martin and the poor, half-naked man. Jesus indeed said, “I
was naked and you clothed me….whatsoever you do the least of my brothers that
you have done for me…(Mt. 25).

5.   JESUS IS BORN IN THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.   One of the four Dogmatic
Constitutions of the Documents of Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium reminds us
of various “Presences” of Jesus, but especially “The Real-Presence”. How then
is Jesus present and then born in the greatest of prayers—the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass? God is present in the praying assembly because as Jesus tells us,
“Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am with them.” Then, He is
present in song.  St Augustine chimes in: “Whoever sings well prays twice.”  Still
more, God speaks to us in His word when the Bible is read in the Mass, but
especially when the Gospel is being read it is actually Jesus Himself who is
speaking to us.  One of the classical definitions for the priest is “alter christus”, meaning, “another Christ”. As
such, God is present in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass through the person and
the ministry of the priest.  However, of greatest importance, Jesus is truly and substantially present in the moment of
Consecration in Mass when the priest takes the bread and wine and pronounces the same words that Jesus said at the Last Supper, “Take and eat this is my Body and Take and drink, this is my Blood. Do this in memory of me.”  Truly, this is Christmas!  In that precise moment of the double Consecration Jesus is born.  He becomes present
sacramentally but truly in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.   “O come let us adore Him!”. Of course the
natural follow up of the CONSECRATION is the culminating moment of HOLY
COMMUNION.    In this moment the well-disposed hearts of the faithful receive Jesus into their hearts and once again Jesus is
truly born.   Their hearts are transformed into living “Bethlehems”— meaning, “House of Bread”.   The Christmas hymn, “O little House of Bethlehem” is nothing less than human hearts receiving Jesus in Holy
Communion.   Jesus who became the “Bread
of Life” (Jn. 6. The Bread of Life discourse) desires to be born in Bethlehem,
“The House of Bread” and to come into human hearts, “Living Bethlehems”.   “O Come let us adore Him, Christ the
Lord.”   Jesus indeed is truly present in Holy Mass but especially in His “Real-Presence” in the greatest of all
Sacraments—the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life.

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CHRISTMAS CAROL–TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and THE CHRISTMAS CAROL-all of these are the literary masterpieces
of one of the greatest English novelists, Charles Dickens.
The Christmas Carol— the literary masterpiece depicted in many films—has many pertinent messages for Christmas now more than ever in a world in which God’s primacy has been challenged and man’s power and materialism dominate.
Ebenezer Scrooge, before arriving at his conversion, exemplifies the Capital Sin of Avarice which can be defined as a disordered desire for material possessions.  Scrooge presents a marked contrast with his employer Bob Cratchet who is
seen as weak, but hard-working.
CONVERSION.   The conversion of Scrooge takes place upon his dream of past, present and future, but especially “future” in which he is
taken to the cemetery to view his tombstone and future death.   The prospect of his mortality and death served as an atomic bomb to wake him up to the reality of what is truly important in life.   What then are the key messages from Dickens to the world and to each and every one of us individually?        
1.  MATERIALISM.   Constantly there is the temptation and
danger to place the material over the spiritual, the temporal over the eternal,
the sensible and tangible over the mystical, the finite over the value of the
infinite.
2.   MONEY AS GOD.  Scrooge’s God was his making money, saving
money, hoarding money, counting money and burying himself in money. Instead of
the inscription on the American currency, “In God we trust” it was instead, “In
money we trust.”
               
3.   EXPLOITING AND USING THE PERSON AS AN OBJECT.
Scrooge, being blinded to the glitter of his piles of money, could not see the
innate value of the person.   His employee, Bob Cratchet, instead of being perceived as a human person created in
the image and likeness of God, was viewed as a mere object or machine to be
utilized to further his purpose and end all of life: to make more money and
hoard it!   In modern America the false-philosophy
of UTILITARIANISM is growing by leaps and bounds.   This philosophy expounded by the political philosophers
of the 19th century, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, asserted
that the person has innate value only inasmuch as he is economically
productive.   Therefore a “Downs-child”, a handicapped person, a person on dialysis, an elderly person suffering from
Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s have no inherent and intrinsic value, but are rather
an economic burden to society. Why not discard them?   We call this today “Euthanasia”.   Pope John Paul II teaches us the contrary that being is more important than having and that doing flows from being!  Every individual has great value because he
was created by a loving God for the purpose of serving God in this life and
being happy with Him for all eternity.
          
4.   MEDITATION ON DEATH AND CONVERSION.   Only once Scrooge was visited by the reality
of death by means of the dream and Marley who took him through three stages of
time and his life— past, present , and the future— was Scrooge able to wake
up to reality and recognize that which was of true and perennial value. Up to
this point his life focused on money, accumulating, having, hoarding and
exploiting people. Death!  Nobody escapes
this ultimate reality!   He was taken to
the cemetery and his tombstone with his name on it, his birth date and his
death with a question mark?????  Recognizing
the vanity of materialism now was the time to change immediately and drastically!
   
5.   GIVING WITHOUT COUNTING THE COST!   Awake and renewed by
the dream, Scrooge pulls the drapes,
swings opened the windows and asks the boy walking below in the snow and with
his sled if the big turkey in the market had been sold as of yet!  “No, sir!” 
Scrooge, with holy abandon and true freedom, launches a sum of money out
the window to the boy summoning him to purchase the Turkey and bring it to him
as soon as possible.  This done, and a
generous tip for the boy, Scrooge was ready to give generously to the one whom he
had been most miserly to for many years— his employee Bob Cratchet.   Giving generously can smash the chains of
slavery to things. Indeed our possessions can possess us.
6.   FAMILY OVER THINGS.   Scrooge arrives at Bob Cratchet’s humble
abode and knocks on the door.  At first
fearful Cratchet wonders about the purpose of the visit, but to his great
surprise it was a manifestation of his boss Ebenezer Scrooge’s total
conversion.  Scrooge had not come to
chastise, to exploit and try to   bleed
Cratchet of more money but to give.  The
turkey given, Merry Christmas wishes given, and a smile on his face— these
were the token gifts offered from Scrooge. 
Never in his life would Cratchet have dreamed of such a radical
conversion.

7.   TINY TIM.  The little paralytic son of Cratchet, Tiny Tim, would be the favorite of Scrooge. 
They would bond as true friends. Scrooge from now on would cherish the
Cratchet family, their friendship and warmth, more than all of the gold, and
sliver and money of the entire world!  
In a world in which the handicapped, the blind, the deaf and mute and
the Downs-child is seen as a useless burden to society, the novel-movie
Christmas Carol of Charles Dickens also teaches us the value of all people,
rich and poor, healthy and sick, abled or disabled are precious in the eyes of
their Creator.
CONCLUSION:EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE  What are your values?  What is first in your hierarchy of values? Does the Christmas Carol speak to you?  Is there something of the Ebenezer Scrooge hidden in the inner recesses of your heart? Has the value of the “things” that surround you prevail over the persons that surround you? Is the shortness of life, the dream and ultimate reality of your death something that you often meditate upon? Are you willing to give of yourself knowing that there is more joy in giving than in receiving?

 

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