Pastor's Reflection

“… your light shall break forth like the dawn …” (Isaiah 58:8).

These words from the prophet Isaiah are about 3,000 years old. That is a long time. God does incredible things with time. And with light.

Light is God’s first miracle: “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). And every miracle thereafter bears a relation to light in some manner. And so, our search for God, for the signs of His presence, means looking for the glimmer. It is a glimmer not because God is weak or shy.

Quite the opposite.

It is a glimmer because that is all we can take at first. And God respects our capacity to receive signs of His presence. If it were more, it would overwhelm us. Don’t be upset at only a glimmer glistening through. And when it is more it won’t look like our expectations, our wishes, or our insistences. Because it takes humility to see humility. And humility is measureless.

The above verse from Isaiah, “light shall break forth” can also be translated from the original Hebrew as, “the bright illumination will ripen in such a way that it tears through the darkness.”

It is important to give space to light in our lives. We are so busy. We have an endless array of errands to run, we go from the store, to practice, to an appointment. We have relatives to care for as our job pulls us into odd long hours. And then there are conflicts, or worse yet, avoided conflicts. It is often one thing after another.

Take time for light. Glance at the glimmer. Let it glisten. Don’t let light become another task.

Of course, light is ultimately prayer.

Take time to pray. We can often think that prayer is just saying the words. Words are important. Let prayer start with words such as the Our Father or the Hail Mary. Then wait. Let prayer be more than words. Let prayer consume some time just as a flame consumes the wax of a candle and gives forth light that tears through the darkness, not in violence, but with humility.

Because we have so much to do, it is even more important that we give time to God – extended time. And God, over time, will transform our prayer into something. He will, without our knowing it, turn it into light.

And watch slowly, gently … as God turns time into light. It is His favorite daily miracle.

God bless,

Msgr. Bransfield

He has just heard that His cousin, Saint John the Baptist had been arrested (Mt. 4:12). John had done nothing wrong. He was simply proclaiming Jesus and the Gospel way of life. What does Jesus do? Hе withdraws. Jesus leaves Nazareth and goes to live by the sea. His withdraw is not isolation. It is an invitation.

It is as if Jesus has gone into mourning. And then He begins to preach: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt. 4:17).

The arrest of John triggers something for Jesus. The Lord mourns and then proclaims the Gospel.

Things can be distressing in our life too. We lose those we love to disease. Family feuds and disagreements grow. Hard times seem to never be far away. We struggle with impatience and anger. We make resolutions and then the avalanche returns. We can easily slip into blaming or wellintentioned, but frantic attempts to fix the latest crisis.

Mourning is important. It is important not to bypass feelings of grief at loss and hardship in our life. Early on in our life we may have memorized a few lies such as, until everything is perfect, nothing is good enough or unless I am in control nothing is safe. Control over the deeper currents of our heart is a myth. Mourning listens to the deeper echoes of our interior life.

The Lord mourned. He felt grief. It is okay for us to do so as well. Grief can be scary because it brings further unsettling emotions along with it. We can feel our grief and hurt with Jesus. He invites us to lean on Him and not to walk alone.

Reach out for the Lord. Pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Read the Scriptures. Allow Jesus a deeper place in your heart. He knows what to do.

God bless,

Msgr. Brian Bransfield

The purple colors have all been put away.

The Nativity scene is gone from the altar steps. We have returned to “Ordinary Time” in the Church’s year. The green vestments have returned. The Scripture readings pick up ordinary themes.

But ordinary is not ordinary.

“Ordinary Time” does not mean “regular” time, or just plain. Ordinary Time means time’s even and steady order. And “order” does not mean a directive, or a required sequence or series.

Order means a step-by-step encounter with Christ that turns away gradually the impulsive chaos that can draw our thoughts, actions, and desires into the disorder of temptation and sin.

And the first step of Ordinary Time is given to us from the Gospel of Saint John. The first words of the Gospel set our course for every day: “John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him …” (Jn. 1:29).

Jesus is going from one place to another. And John encounters the Lord. It is not as if John won the spiritual lottery and Jesus will now fix everything in his life. The expectation that everything ought to be fixed in my life is chaos that leads to the temptation to control.

Jesus does not come to fix or control. Jesus is nearby John to call John, to form him, to love him – so that John can plunge back into the chaos and be the instrument of Jesus. And some will reject John. But Jesus receives John. And that is all that is necessary.

If we give in to the temptation to obsess with the project to fix ourselves or others, we will only see expectations coming toward us, not Jesus. And we will find ourselves fascinated and preoccupied by control. Control and chaos have a lot in common.

Jesus brings connection, healing, and mission.

Take the step-by-step encounter with the Lord. Meet Him at Holy Mass, in the Sacrament of Confession, in devotion to Our Lady, in Eucharistic Adoration, and in the works of mercy. We are like John. Jesus is coming toward us.

Let us see Him and rejoice.

God bless,

Msgr. Brian Bransfield