Homily for Christmas Mass During the Day
December 25, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Hebrews 1:1-6
John 1:1-18
It is exceedingly difficult to see in the darkness. We can stumble over things and get hurt in the darkness. We can become agitated by our imagination when we are in the dark. The darkness can make us feel isolated and lonely, not seeing and not being seen. Yet, our eyes can soon grow accustomed to the darkness and we can become satisfied with stumbling around a room in the dark. We can soon numb our imagination’s turbulence simply by imagining that “there’s no need to be afraid of the dark.” The darkness can begin as our acquaintance, soon become our companion, and end up serving as a friend of our convenience.
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Homily for Midnight Mass
December 25, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Isaiah 9:1-6
Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14
“Today is born our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.” The message of Christmas is that because God became fully human through the freely given “yes” of the Blessed Virgin Mary, born amidst the darkness in Bethlehem, and given the name Jesus, human beings no longer have to be defined according to their sins. Since the time that our first parents gave into the temptation of the devil and disobeyed God, the devil’s lie had its sway over human beings resulting in our being terrified by God. Venerable Fulton Sheen wisely taught that when the devil tempts us, he convinces us that our sins are no big deal and of little consequence, but immediately after we sin, he tells us that our sin is so horrible that even God cannot forgive it and there is no hope. The lie of the devil is that our sin defines us, the truth revealed tonight in the tender Infant of Bethlehem is that humanity belongs to God and that our relationship with God through Baptism in Christ is what defines us.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 