iPadre: Fr. Cooper's Homilies

Just as light is the appropriate symbol for Christ, darkness is the appropriate symbol for a world without Christ. We make our resolutions, but it’s not easy in a world of darkness. Our biggest enemy is within. There is something within our hearts (our fallen human nature) that causes some of us to resist the very things that we need to have a satisfying life. In the same way, light is the appropriate symbol of a world with Christ. He is our guide, our strength, the One who fills our life with meaning. Thank God we have a star to follow. It is the same star that guided the Magi long ago. It is the light of Christ. Christ, who is a dependable guide, whose love never fails. My friends, are you tired of living in darkness? “Arise, shine, for your light is come.”

What, then, do Mary’s memory and the Church’s memory have to do with our memory? How does the pure heart of Mary pondering Jesus touch our heart? How does the Church’s living memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection affect what is in my heart and yours, in my memory and yours? The Gospel tells us that “Mary treasured all of these things in her heart.” Let us look towards our Blessed Mother, the perfect disciple, to see how to begin this New Year with a heart focused on Jesus!

Families are wonderful. But they are challenging. Raising a family is like juggling a glass ball. If it is dropped, it can shatter. So take care. Handle it gently and with love. Someday you will thank God for such a wonderful gift!

“Love came down at Christmas.” This is the true meaning of Christmas. The God whose nature and whose name is Love came into our world to redeem us from the powers of sin and death. Even the humblest place and the humblest people take on a new significance when touched by the hand of God. He is available to us. But not if we stand at a distance and merely tip our hats. We must welcome His Spirit into our lives. He must become part of our very being. Joy to the world the Lord is come!

I don’t know what kind of Advent season this has been for you thus far. I hope it has been the best one ever. Perhaps, however, it has been a difficult time. If so, remember these lessons from Mary’s experience: Life takes some strange twists and turns but God is faithful to His promises. God loves you. God will never forsake you. The star of Christmas still shines today. It is the star of hope; it is the star of peace, but, most surely of all, it is the star of love.

A famous artist painted a picture of the Nativity. In his painting, across the crib falls the shadow of the Cross. Salvation is God’s eternal plan for humanity. This is why He has come down. This is why we have been lifted up. Heaven and earth have intersected at the cross of Calvary. Salvation has drawn nigh. But what is our response to that stupendous news? All we have to do is receive it, joyfully, and make it our own.

The holiness of Mary can be ours if we seek God with our whole hearts; if we seek a life of conversion; if we seek and respond to God’s grace wherever it leads us. The problem in our world is that we are so often indifferent to this reality or we don’t trust in this reality, so we do not respond because our fear is greater than our desire to surrender. All God has ever wanted for each of us is that we would be His children, desiring everything He wants to give us. When we truly believe like Mary, “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD,” then we too will always say with Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

So, Advent is here. Let the watch begin. Ours is an expectant life, waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled, remembering that God does not forsake His own. I hope you have that kind of expectancy in your life. Jesus said, “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory . . .” It won’t be Apple’s cloud or Google’s cloud. It will be God’s cloud and everything that is bad about this world will be swept away and only God’s love and mercy will be left, and the children of God will have every tear wiped away and joy will reign over all.

Everybody worships something or somebody. What is it in life that you value most--that you would not only die for, but also live for?  Be careful how you answer. It is a most difficult question. Some people will say, “Why, Jesus is what matters most in my life.” And yet, when the time of testing comes, we discover that it is not Jesus that matters most at all. It is the esteem with which our friends hold us that really matters most. Ultimately, if we do not worship Christ, we worship ourselves. The only problem with that is that we cannot save ourselves. Is Christ the King of your life or do you prefer the king of Rock ’n Roll? If Christ is real . . . if He is King . . . then nothing else matters quite as much as that one fact. Why? Because we know we can trust Him . . . with our families . . . with our personal destinies . . . with everything that is important to us. We can face the future confidently . . . triumphantly . . . if Christ is our King!

“The test of all happiness,” wrote G. K. Chesterton, "is gratitude.” The most important words of gratitude are those we give to God. And so on this national day of Thanksgiving, I urge you to: count your blessings, use mental subtraction and remind yourself what life would be like without some of the blessings you take for granted, and express your gratitude toward those who have done good toward you. Most of all, thank God who is the source of all that is good in the world. Never forget those four magic words: "I thank you Lord!" A Blessed Thanksgiving Day to you and to your family!