Author Archive: Msgr. Charles Pope
Why Is Christmas Considered a Nighttime Event?
O Holy night! Yes, a silent night! And it came upon a midnight clear! Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the middle of the night. Jesus is born when it is dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why shouldn’t we be? Even though we are not told the exact hour […]
A Knock at Midnight – A Homily for Christmas Mass
In this reflection, perhaps we can consider just a single line in the Gospel, one that both challenges our love and acts as a sign of God’s humble and abiding love for us: For there was no room for them in the inn. I. The Scene – There is a knock at midnight. Joseph, speaking […]
See What the End Shall Be – A Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent
In the Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we step back nine months to March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation, an all-but-hidden event that changed the world. God, whose focal presence departed the Temple just prior to the Babylonian invasion (cf Ez 10:18) and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, now […]
The Truer Gift at Christmas – As Seen in a Commercial
There is an old saying that the greatest things in life aren’t things. Our greatest gifts are those we love, beginning with God and extending to one another. One of the great dangers at Christmastime (and with life in general) is that we maximize the minimum and minimize the maximum, or, as Jesus puts it, […]
What Does It Mean to Find the Perfect Gift?
Jesus said many paradoxical things. For example: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Mat 10:39). For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (Mat 16:25). The basic rule of life the […]
Late Advent Messages from God to His People
As the end of Advent approaches, the Office of Readings features some final admonitions from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. On the one hand they console; on the other, they challenge us to remain firm. Isaiah addressed a people in exile who still awaited the first coming of the Lord. Today, these texts speak […]
The Bridegroom is Near
Christ came at Christmas as an infant and thus we don’t usually think of wedding imagery. Because the first coming has already been fulfilled, however, we can focus more on His second coming, of which the first is a sacramental reminder. Thus, during Advent, our longing and excitement are also directed to His glorious second […]
On the Mockery of Satan
One of the common themes in demonology is the way Satan engages in the mockery of holy things. Most widely known are the Satanic “black masses.” Satanic mockery is also widely on display on Halloween, when the eve of all hallows (all saints) becomes a parade of the ghoulish, ugly, violent, unchaste, or just plain […]
Join the Conversation
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.