 On our baptismal font is an inscription in mosaic that reads: Here a people of godly race are born of heaven; the Spirit gives them life in the fertile waters.
 This is part of a longer quote that Pope Sixtus III had inscribed in the baptistery of St. John Lateran, the mother Church of all Christendom, that continues: The Church-Mother, in these waves, bears her children like virginal fruit she has conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hope for the kingdom of heaven, you who are reborn in this spring, for those who are born but once have no share in the life of blessedness. Here is to be found the source of life, which washes the whole universe, which gushed from the wound of Christ. Sinner , plung e into the sacred f ountain to w ash a w a y y our sin. The w ater receiv es the old man, and in his place makes
the new man rise. Y ou wish to become innocent; cleanse y ourself in this ba th, w ha tev er y our b urden ma y be, Adam’s sin or your own. There is no difference between those who are reborn; they are one, in a single baptism, a single Spirit, a single faith. Let none be afraid of the number of the weight of their sins: those who are born of this stream will be made holy.
 Remarkable, isn’t it? In baptism we are reborn to new life; we are prepared for Heaven! Whatever sins we may enter with into the baptismal font are washed away so that we may become like Christ Himself! It is to this remarkable sacrament that we turn our eyes today.
 Throughout the course of every Christmas Season, we celebrate the very mysterious fact that some 2000 years ago, God became man and dwelt among us.
 While His birth in the obscurity of a stable in the backwater town of Bethlehem may seem counterintuitive for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we know by faith that simply in choosing to be born for us, God chose to be known by us (St. Peter Chrysologus).
 The invisible and infinite Lord became visible, and we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son, full of grace and truth.
 And so it was that his earliest visitors were not only shepherds and farm animals, but also 3 kings from the East who, through the guidance of a wondrous star, came to adore Him and present Him with gifts befitting His sovereignty: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
 In this rather strange and astonishing event in the early life of Jesus, which we celebrated last Sunday with the Feast of the Epiphany, we recalled how God’s hidden presence as a tiny babe born to the Virgin Mary was made manifest to the whole world!
 Today, we celebrate a further manifestation of Christ’s divinity as He is baptized in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist.
 For today we hear God the Father Himself attest to Jesus’ divinity as He says from Heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.”
 And Jesus’ divinity is made manifest to us not simply to show us that God desired to be one of us. Our Lord’s divinity is made manifest to us so that we might know for certain Who He Is and become like Him! And becoming like Christ begins in baptism.
 Just as a dove came to Noah in the ark, announcing that the flood waters washing away the sins of humanity had receded from the earth, so too now in Christ’s baptism do we witness another dove, the Holy Spirit, announcing that man’s shipwreck has come to an end (cf. Peter Chrysologus)!
 As water was the means for purifying the earth in the days of Noah, through the baptism of our Lord, water becomes once again the means of washing away humanity’s sins so that a new and eternal covenant with God can be formed.
 Though He was in no need of the healing and regenerative power of baptism, by being baptized Jesus shows us the way to eternal life! And as we step into those healing waters imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit, we enter into a life-giving covenant with our Lord.
 Throughout the course of the Old Testament we read time and time again of how our Lord formed covenants with His chosen people, the Israelites. And we read time and time again of how those covenants were broken through the sins of the Israelites.
 The Old Testament history of the Israelites is a story of promises made between God and man, and of those promises sadly and selfishly broken by man. It is a story of sin and its consequences, of mercy and redemption.
 Through it all, through all the terrible sins and infidelities of the Israelites, we see the constant willingness of God to take them back and to renew His covenant of love with them.
 Truly, their history is our history.
 For in Christ’s death and resurrection, a new and eternal covenant was formed with man, a covenant that we enter through the Sacrament of Baptism. Thus, our baptism is the inauguration of our relationship with Christ, opening to us a life of sanctifying grace.
 Through the grace of this sacrament and all the other sacraments, we are given everything we need to grow in a life of genuine holiness – for that is our call as Christians!
 To profess and practice the Christian faith, which begins with our baptism, is a vocation to holiness. So everyone who has been baptized is called to holiness; we are called to be saints!
 As St. Paul wrote to St. Titus in our second reading today, God’s grace is given to us so that we might “reject godless ways and worldly desires, and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.”
 Through the “bath of rebirth,” we have been cleansed and saved, so that we might be God’s own people, “eager to do what is good.”
 And we are called to be saintly not simply for our own salvation, but that we might be “a light for the nations,” that we might “open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”
 Indeed, holiness is never a gift solely for the one who is holy. Holiness is meant to be shared. We must be willing to encourage others to a life of holiness by living saintly lives.
 So, my dear brothers and sisters, as we delve into this new year with all sorts of resolutions, let us make the resolution to be a saint! In our baptism we were given the gifts of faith, hope, and charity. We were made members of the Body of Christ, and so we are His co-heirs: sons and daughters of God the Father with Jesus!
 Calling upon the graces of our baptism that are strengthened and renewed through our worthy reception of the sacraments, may we live our baptismal promise of obedience to the Lord well so that we may indeed be saints.
 And in choosing to be saints, may we each be another manifestation of Christ in the world!
13 January 2013 © Reverend Timothy Reid Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio. To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date. Link to Homilies: http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61

• Today in the ancient calendar of the Church, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, our annual reminder that family life is one of God’s most precious gifts to mankind.
• Perhaps after spending the holidays with your family members some of you beg to differ! It’s a sad reality for us priests that we often spend these first weekends of the year hearing confessions of sins committed against family members during Christmas!
• Sometimes nothing shows us just how much we need our dear Lord to come to us as man and redeem us like spending time with family members celebrating a holiday! But let us not despair, my brothers and sisters.
• For today’s feast day is both a feast of hope, and a feast that challenges us to live our lives within our families in a holy fashion.
• This feast day is a feast of hope because in the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph we see the possibilities for familial bliss. In them we find just how wonderful and well- ordered family life can be.
• Theirs was a life of perfect harmony, a life in perfect accord with the Father’s will. But we should note well that this does not mean their family was without suffering.
• We get a sense of some of what they suffered in our Gospel story today as we hear of how of Mary and Joseph suffered while Jesus was lost for 3 days in the Temple. Truly, no family – no matter how well ordered – escapes suffering.
• Family life will always have some suffering, no matter how holy it’s members may be. Indeed, while following God’s will brings us peace, it often entails some amount of suffering, just as it did for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
• What’s notable about the Holy Family is that they faced all of their sufferings with courage and with perfect obedience to God’s will. In doing so, Jesus, Mary and Joseph show us how to grow in holiness as we order our own families.
• Our epistle from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians gives us the basis for how to order our families properly, namely, that we should order our families with virtue.
• He tells us to put on: “mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience.” We are told to bear with one another, to forgive one another.” But above all, we are told to have charity, which he calls “the bond of perfection.”
• And even more, St. Paul calls us to seek out Christ’s peace, rejoicing in it in our hearts, and to be thankful. He tells us to allow the word of Christ to dwell within us, and to teach and admonish one another.
• Finally, St. Paul tells us to do all things in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we know from last Sunday’s Mass, there is great power in the Holy Name of Jesus – a power that not even the devil himself can overcome.
• So, in other words, as we live out our lives within our families, we should call upon the very power of Christ Himself so that all members of our families may grow in holiness. We should look to Christ to order our families properly.
• In the Rite of Marriage we are taught that marriage is a symbol of the love that Christ has for His Church. Therefore, marriage and family life should be ordered in a way that resembles the ordering of Holy Mother Church.
• As we all know, the Church has a hierarchy, with Christ as its head. Jesus is the Bridegroom, and we – the members of His Body – are His bride. Christ is our leader.
• If we were to continue reading from this same chapter of Colossians that we hear in our epistle today, we would find how St. Paul says that family life should be ordered.
• Namely, it is the husband who exercises the role of Christ within the domestic church.
• Therefore, the proper structure of family life calls husbands to lead and direct the
family as its head, while wives, placing themselves under their husband’s leadership
and protection, are called to be the heart of the family.
• St. Paul also reminds us of the duty children have to be obedient to their parents in all
things, always respectfully trusting in the authority of their parents.
• At the same time parents must make sure to treat their children well, not provoking
them or causing them to be discouraged in any way.
• But most importantly, St. Paul reminds us that we must in all things put on love. True
love must govern all of our familial relationships.
• To love someone means that we will, that we desire, what is best for that person. But
true love is also sacrificial, meaning that we must be willing to give of ourselves, to
sacrifice our own wants and desires, for the sake of those whom we love.
• When it comes to family life, showing love for one another ultimately requires that each
family member put aside all selfishness in order to care for the needs of the others.
• In practical terms this means that children should always share with their siblings,
giving deference to their brothers and sisters. It also means that kids should be quick to
obey their parents without complaint or hassle.
• For parents true familial love requires seeking first the salvation of your children,
placing that as the highest good. This in turn requires that you protect them from the evil and harmful influences that are so prevalent in our society, especially in the various forms of media.
• It means that you teach them our Catholic faith, ensuring that your children go to Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, and that they receive the Sacraments. It means that you teach your children to pray, and to love and honor God.
• For spouses, true familial love is best expressed in constantly looking for ways to serve your spouse, caring for their needs above your own. It means praying for and with your spouse. It requires warm affection and a ready forgiveness when necessary.
• Ultimately, true familial love demands that we be willing to undergo any suffering whatsoever to help ensure that our family members go to Heaven. It means that we be willing to die to self for the sake of our family members.
• My dear brothers and sisters, family life is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Let us strive to live it well, not simply for the natural pleasures that can be derived from it, but so that we can better prepare ourselves for eternal life with our heavenly family.

© Reverend Timothy Reid

Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio.
To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date.

Link to Homilies:
http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61

 In medieval times if you walked into a Catholic church, you would often find a curious architectural element called a rood screen, which separated the nave (where the pews are) from the chancel (the part of the sanctuary containing the altar).
 Often elaborately carved and decorated, the rood screen served to demarcate the most sacred part of the church, but it also partially obscured the view of the altar so that worshippers in the nave could not always see clearly what the priest was doing.
 The point of the rood screen was to remind the faithful that, like the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple, there are some places that are sacred, where only the priest should enter.
 But the rood screen also reminded people that what takes place at the altar during Mass is a mystery – a mystery that none of us will ever fully understand in our earthly lives. Thus, this architectural element was really an invitation to us to strengthen our faith.
 It was a reminder that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Mass, and that what is necessary to penetrate the mystery of the Mass is not good eyesight, but the eyes of faith.
 While we no longer use rood screens in Catholic churches, we have retained some liturgical elements that remind us of the mysterious nature of the Mass, things like incense, Latin, and even when a priest uses the ad orientem posture at Mass.
 The smokiness of incense obscures our vision just a bit to heighten the sense of mystery. And Latin, too, because most of us cannot understand it, acts as a sort of auditory veil that reminds us that God and the mysteries of our Faith are ineffable.
 When a priest faces ad orientem, i.e., toward the East, so that only his back is visible to the faithful in the pews, what’s taking place on the altar is obscured from view, also heightening the sense of mystery at Mass.
 After the priest consecrates the bread and wine at Mass, he says: “The Mystery of Faith.” These words are a statement of fact that what is taking place is indeed a mystery. But these words are also an invitation to enter, by faith, into the mystery of the Mass.
 In the past 5 1⁄2 years we’ve modified our liturgy here at St. Ann’s considerably, in large part to heighten the sense of mystery and to make it clear that the Mass is not reducible to a coalition of ministries. The Mass is so much more than that.
 Mass is not something we “do”, nor is it an event that we merely attend like a baseball game. Rather the Mass should be something that we are swept up into.
 Actively participating at Mass does not require you to be an usher, or a lector, or sing in the choir. While I’m so grateful to all of you who help in these ways, true participation in the Mass happens by entering into its mystery through prayer.
 We actively participate in the Mass by fervently praying through it, offering ourselves and those we love to God the Father, just as Christ – in the person of the priest – offers Himself to the Father, serving as both Victim and Priest.
 As we prayerfully participate in the Mass, we are taken to Calvary, and the sacrifice our Lord made of Himself upon the altar of the cross is re‐presented to us in an unbloody fashion. This is a mystery that we experience every Mass, and it’s remarkable!
 Throughout the course of the liturgical year, we celebrate many mysteries of our faith. In this, the Christmas Season, we focus on the mystery of the Incarnation: that God became man, and did so without any loss of His divinity.
 And not only did our Lord become man, but He humbly became a helpless baby, born miraculously of a virgin, and laid in a manger to be adored by shepherd and king alike.
 Our second window on the left side of the church shows us an image of today’s feast: the Epiphany. Here we see our infant Lord being presented with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh by the three Magi from the East, with the star that guided them to Bethlehem in the background.
 In this event we see our Lord being made manifest to the world, as He is worshipped and adored by the three wise men – giving credence that what we believe by faith is true.
 The Epiphany reminds us that the tiny child whose birth we celebrated 12 days ago is noordinary child. He is the Word‐made‐Flesh, the eternal king!
 In the adoration of the Magi, who are from a foreign land, we see that the newborn Christis the Savior of all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
 Because Christ was born so that He might save us from our sins, it’s a tradition toannounce the dates of the Easter mysteries on Epiphany, as we did after the Gospel. Thisproclamation reminds us of all that hinged upon Christ’s birth: our very salvation!
 Indeed, He is the light that shines in the darkness, the light that dispels the thick clouds ofsin and darkness that cover the peoples. So we are told in our first reading to “rise up insplendor,” for our “light has come,” and that “the glory of the Lord shines upon [us].”
 But while we may know this to be true, being 2000 years removed from the miraculous and mysterious events of our Lord’s life can leave us a bit slow to believe, can it not?
 The demands and frantic pace of daily life, coupled with the allure of worldly things and the brutal assaults on the veracity of our faith by our media, culture, and even our government can also erode and debilitate our faith in God and His Church.
 And because the mysteries of our Faith are precisely that: mysteries, we cannot rely on our senses and our intellects alone to bring us to certitude. It is only by faith that these mysteries can be grasped – a faith bolstered by hope and strengthened by charity.
 So as we consider the great mystery of our Lord becoming man so that He might die for our sins, we must be willing to strengthen our faith so that we might believe as we should, not only for our salvation – but also to render our Lord the proper respect.
 And the way that we strengthen our faith, my dear brothers and sisters, is through a living relationship with our Lord that we build through prayer. That begins here at Mass! By prayerfully entering into the Mass, we enter into a relationship with Christ!
 As we begin this new year, I urge you to make the resolution to go to Mass each Sunday and holy day of obligation.
 Holy Mother Church obliges her children to go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of obligation not because she’s a strict mother, but so that you won’t miss out on your relationship with Christ.
 And at Mass, make it a point to pray ‐ as best as you are able. Set aside all else for this one hour each week and allow yourself to be swept up into the mystery of it all so that you may truly pray.
 As you do, ask our blessed Lord to manifest Himself to you – just as He manifested Himself to those three wise men so long ago. God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres in prayer (St. Teresa of Ávila).
 And when He does manifest Himself, respond in kind by giving Him your best: not gold, frankincense, or myrrh, but a true and lively faith, bolstered by the hope of Heaven, and strengthened by charity toward your neighbor.
 So much of our faith is a mystery, a mystery that we can grasp only with the eyes of faith. May we all make the effort to strengthen our faith while on earth so that we will be well prepared to enjoy the mysteries that will be revealed to us in Heaven.

Microsoft Word – Epiphany – 2013

06 January 2013

© Reverend Timothy Reid

Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio.
To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date.

Link to Homilies:
http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61

• In the 12th and 13th centuries, there arose in southern France and parts of northern Italy a heresy of great vigor and violence known as the Albigensian Heresy.
• The Albigensians were dualists who believed that the material world, including our bodies, were evil, while the spiritual or non-material world, including our souls, were good.
• Because of this they advocated suicide, especially by starvation, as a means of freeing one’s soul from its evil body. They also eschewed marriage, and they didn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus. As such, they were a menace to both Church and state.
• In fact, as the Albigensians grew in strength and in numbers, they worked zealously to subvert the teachings of Holy Mother Church, opposing her Sacraments and all of her teachings, in particular her belief in the Incarnation.
• For decades this heresy threatened the Church spiritually and materially, until in 1274 at the Council of Lyons, devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus was encouraged.
• With the ferocity of their denial of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, came a concomitant increase in blasphemy amongst the Albigensians.
• Thus the fathers of the Council of Lyons believed that faithful Catholics should be encouraged in their devotion of the Lord’s Holy Name as a means of making reparation for and combating the blasphemy of the Albigensians.
• And thus through the diligent efforts of the Dominicans in the 13th century and the Franciscans in the 14th and 15th centuries, especially St. Bernadine of Siena, devotion to our Lord’s Holy Name began to spread throughout Europe.
• And it must have worked, for how many Albigensians do you know?
• Now, centuries later, our liturgy and our churches are very commonly marked by this
important devotion to our Lord’s name. This is why it is customary to doff our birettas
and bow our heads whenever we hear the name of Jesus.
• This is why it is so common to find the Holy Monogram of our Lord’s Name inscribed in
churches, just as we have it here under our tabernacle and as I have it embroidered on
this chasuble.
• What must be understood about this devotion to the Holy Name is that we do not
reverence our Lord’s Holy Name because we think it to be a magical formula that drives
away evil and procures for us whatever we desire.
• Rather, when we speak the name of Jesus we are reminded of all the grace and mercy
we receive from Him – of all that He has done for us.
• Just as Catholics devoutly kiss the crucifix on Good Friday as a means of honoring our
Lord’s Passion and death, so too do we honor His Holy Name as a means of thanking
Jesus for His many blessings to us and acknowledging His omnipotence.
• Our reverence for our Lord’s Holy Name is a sign of our love for Him; it’s a sign of our
gratitude to Him for being our Redeemer; it’s a sign of our submission to Him.
• Of course while we know the Holy Name is not a magical incantation, there is power in
our Lord’s Name, and Sacred Scripture reveals to us this power.
• In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul teaches us that, because Jesus humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death, God the Father bestowed upon Him the name that is above every other name, and “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Phil 2:10-11.]
• In the Gospel of Mark Jesus tells His apostles before ascending into Heaven that, “These
signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” [Mk 16:17-18.]
• The Book of Acts gives us proof of this as the apostles healed the lame and even raised the dead by confidently invoking the Name of Jesus (cf. Acts 3:6, 9:34, 9:40).
• And so we see how confidently calling upon our Lord’s Holy Name can bring us help in our needs. Indeed, in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us that, “whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you,”(Jn 16:23), which is why we commonly conclude our prayers with the words: “through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• The Church’s experience with spiritual warfare over the centuries has also taught us that the devil and his demons fear even the utterance of the name of Jesus, for they, like the angels that did not fall, know all too well how efficacious our Lord’s name is.
• Think of all the stories in Scripture in which the demons were powerless to disobey our Lord when He commanded them to leave a person whom they were tormenting.
• And so our Lord’s name, when uttered confidently and with His authority, still has the power today to deliver us from the snares of evil.
• So as we devoutly honor our Lord’s Holy Name today, let us not simply bow our heads in customary homage, but let us bow our hearts and minds as well to that infant who is both King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
• May we confidently and devoutly rely on our Lord’s power by having regular recourse to His Holy Name. And as we do, may we grow ever more in love with Him.
• May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever!

© Reverend Timothy Reid

Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio.
To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date.

Link to Homilies:
http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61