JOY TO THE WORLD!

"Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). These inspired words of Saint John give us the reason that there is "joy to the world." God loves you! God loves you in a personal and unique way. It is as though you and you alone are in His Heart. The reason is just that simple.

God "gave" the world His Son, Saint John says. There is a twofold meaning to this word "gave" in the mind of the Beloved Disciple. The first meaning is the Incarnation. Think of it! For love of you, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary! God "gave" His Son for you! Christmas is for you!

Moreover, Our Blessed Lord did not come to us bursting through the clouds in might and glory. That would have terrified us. Rather, He came to us in a way with which we can all identify, the same way that you and I came into the world. Jesus Christ was born a humble Babe in the arms of His mother.

The second meaning of the word "gave" is the Redemption. The reason that God became man, the reason that Jesus was born was so that "whoever believes in Him may not perish." Jesus Christ was born to die! Calvary! The Cross! The Redemption! Those are the key words we must use to unlock this unfatimable mystery of divine love. Jesus was born, suffered and died to make atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world, your sins and mine and the sins of every person that ever walked the face of the earth. The cause of our joy is that God became Man and died on the Cross so that we might have eternal life.

May the joy of Christ glow in our hearts this Christmas. Joy to the world! Yes! Let us repeat the Christmas motto over and over again to an increasingly joyless world! As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, may our joy radiate out to the whole world.

May each and everyone know the peace of Christ this Christmas and always. May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless your families and make them holy. May Our Blessed Mother, bless you and lead you to her divine Son. May St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, protect your families. You will be in my prayers at every Mass. Amen!



Father Richard J. Rego, Christmas, 2006

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word Gaudete means to rejoice. Today’s liturgy tells us to rejoice because the coming of the Lord is at hand. The Introit sets the tone of the Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

It become more painfully clear each year that the Church's "joy and gladness" are in complete contradiction to the festivities of the pagan world. The Nativity of Our Lard has been turned into a winter festival devoid of any religious significance whatsoever. Our Blessed Savior is hardly mentioned. How dreadful! Jesus, Mary and Joseph do not fit into the world’s false festivities. And now in the year 2006, we have the complete blasphemy of not only expelling Christ from the Crib scene, but now we have the evil of an alternate lifestyle couple at the crib. Utter wickedness!

As followers of the Lord we must be clear that the Christmas Season is a time of Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Jesus is the Messiah! Mary is the Mother of the Messiah! Joseph is the Foster Father of the Messiah! We must stress the Holy Family, especially to our youth. Without Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Christmas is a delusion.

The Church, through the liturgy, never permits us to slip into this spirit of paganism. Today Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians tells that the peace of Christ “surpasses all understanding.” We must, as Paul continues, “keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Church sings out in the Alleluia Verse: "O Lord, stir up Thy might and come to save us.” Jesus Christ is our Divine Savior. He is our Lord and our God! He is the Eternal Word of God who took human flesh from the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ has become man to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death.

In the Communion Antiphon we pray: “We implore O Lord, Thy mercy that these divine mysteries may expiate our sins and prepare us for the approaching feast.”

Why does the Church sing out in exuberant joy? The Redemption! God who is “rich in mercy” did not abandon us to the powers of death. He did not leave us in our sins. In His infinite mercy, He sent His Son to be our Savior. Saint Paul expressed it so well to the Ephesians: "You were dead because of your sins and offenses . . . (you) lived at the level of the flesh following every whim and fancy and so by nature deserved God's wrath like the rest. But God is rich in mercy . . . He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin" (2: 1-4).

This is our Christmas, "joy and gladness," the Redemption! Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, we find forgiveness and peace. The Messiah comes not to terrorize us by condemnation and wrath. No! At Bethlehem, He comes in mercy and pardon. He comes as a Babe in the arms of His holy mother. Saint Joseph kneels close in adoration and protection. Indeed, all is calm; all is bright around the Virgin and Child. Let us savor fully the Christmas joy of the Holy Family.

Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

PEOPLE OF SION, BEHOLD THE LORD SHALL COME TO SAVE THE NATIONS

Today’s Introit, taken from the prophet Isaiah, is at the heart of the Church’s Advent message: “People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart.” As followers of Jesus, we are the new “People of Sion.” Jesus, Our Savior, is coming to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death. The “glory of His voice” must be heard in our hearts. We are hearing that word now in the sacred readings and in the liturgy of the Mass.

In the Gradual of today’s Mass, we read the words of the 49th Psalm: “Gather together you, His saints, and come to Him. You who have set His covenant before sacrifices.” In other words, we must keep God commandments and live our lives in accord to the faith and mortal teachings of Jesus, the Messiah. This we must do as a preparation before coming to the Temple (i.e., the church for Mass) and offer sacrifices. In other words, we must prepare for Mass by having kept God’s commandments.

Despite the pleadings of the Church, each year we witness the world’s pagan godless preparations for Christmas. The `Holiday’ is identified with a string of parties and preparations devoid of Christ. Yes, the Holy Season is a time of joy. Followers of the Lord often express their joy by sending out cards, looking forward to the family gatherings and the exchange of gifts. The smell of trees and holly, however, thrill us with a true sense of Christmas, that is, in the Lord! We identify with Christ and not with the pagan world, which knows Him not.

Every year we hear the same sorry scenario repeated: "It just doesn't seem like Christmas this year." Of course it cannot seem like Christmas! Christ is absent! He has been expelled! The Church's holy days are mindlessly transformed into pagan holidays. Advent must be for us a time of penance & conversion in preparation for the Lord's coming. The faithful follower of the Lord must be more holy one Christmas day than he was on the First Sunday of Advent. For the Christian can have no part of an Advent that is a series of parties and preparations without Christ, thus transforming Christmas into a pagan festival.

The liturgy constantly reminds us of the seriousness of the sacred mysteries. Reflect on the Opening Prayer of today's Mass: "Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of your only-begotten Son, so that through His coming we may deserve to serve You with purified minds (i.e., cleansed from sin). The closing prayer recurs constantly in the ancient liturgy: "Filled with the food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly entreat Thee, O Lord, that by partaking of this mystery, You have taught us to despise the things of the earth and to love those things of heaven.”

Seek the things of God, which are above! Be holy! Avoid the pagan mentality of the world! Seek the peace of Christ in heaven through the Catholic Church, founded by our Divine Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World! This is the constant message of the liturgy in today’s Advent Mass. Indeed, it is repeated in one form or another in every liturgy throughout the whole liturgical year.
We read in the Communion Antiphon: “Rise up Jerusalem, stand on the heights and see the joy that is coming to you from God.” When the liturgy refers to Jerusalem, it always signifies the Church. Every member of the Mystical Body is exhorted to “stand on the heights,” the heights of a holy life! The joy that is coming is Christ, the Savior of the World. He alone will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom of God has already begun in the Church. It will reach its full realization in heaven, in the Vision of God for all eternity. May Mary, the holy Mother of God, be with us on our journey to the Heavenly Kingdom.


Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.

PEOPLE OF SION, BEHOLD THE LORD SHALL COME TO SAVE THE NATIONS

Today’s Introit, taken from the prophet Isaiah, is at the heart of the Church’s Advent message: “People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart.” As followers of Jesus, we are the new “People of Sion.” Jesus, Our Savior, is coming to save us from sin, Satan and eternal death. The “glory of His voice” must be heard in our hearts. We are hearing that word now in the sacred readings and in the liturgy of the Mass.

In the Gradual of today’s Mass, we read the words of the 49th Psalm: “Gather together you, His saints, and come to Him. You who have set His covenant before sacrifices.” In other words, we must keep God commandments and live our lives in accord to the faith and mortal teachings of Jesus, the Messiah. This we must do as a preparation before coming to the Temple (i.e., the church for Mass) and offer sacrifices. In other words, we must prepare for Mass by having kept God’s commandments.

Despite the pleadings of the Church, each year we witness the world’s pagan godless preparations for Christmas. The `Holiday’ is identified with a string of parties and preparations devoid of Christ. Yes, the Holy Season is a time of joy. Followers of the Lord often express their joy by sending out cards, looking forward to the family gatherings and the exchange of gifts. The smell of trees and holly, however, thrill us with a true sense of Christmas, that is, in the Lord! We identify with Christ and not with the pagan world, which knows Him not.

Every year we hear the same sorry scenario repeated: "It just doesn't seem like Christmas this year." Of course it cannot seem like Christmas! Christ is absent! He has been expelled! The Church's holy days are mindlessly transformed into pagan holidays. Advent must be for us a time of penance & conversion in preparation for the Lord's coming. The faithful follower of the Lord must be more holy one Christmas day than he was on the First Sunday of Advent. For the Christian can have no part of an Advent that is a series of parties and preparations without Christ, thus transforming Christmas into a pagan festival.

The liturgy constantly reminds us of the seriousness of the sacred mysteries. Reflect on the Opening Prayer of today's Mass: "Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of your only-begotten Son, so that through His coming we may deserve to serve You with purified minds (i.e., cleansed from sin). The closing prayer recurs constantly in the ancient liturgy: "Filled with the food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly entreat Thee, O Lord, that by partaking of this mystery, You have taught us to despise the things of the earth and to love those things of heaven.”

Seek the things of God, which are above! Be holy! Avoid the pagan mentality of the world! Seek the peace of Christ in heaven through the Catholic Church, founded by our Divine Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World! This is the constant message of the liturgy in today’s Advent Mass. Indeed, it is repeated in one form or another in every liturgy throughout the whole liturgical year.
We read in the Communion Antiphon: “Rise up Jerusalem, stand on the heights and see the joy that is coming to you from God.” When the liturgy refers to Jerusalem, it always signifies the Church. Every member of the Mystical Body is exhorted to “stand on the heights,” the heights of a holy life! The joy that is coming is Christ, the Savior of the World. He alone will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom of God has already begun in the Church. It will reach its full realization in heaven, in the Vision of God for all eternity. May Mary, the holy Mother of God, be with us on our journey to the Heavenly Kingdom.


Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.