Sunday, December 14 , 2025 – Second Sunday of Advent
Is wisdom with the aged, and understanding in length of days? – Job 12:12
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life – Proverbs 16:31
I am celebrating my birthday during this month of December, and for full disclosure I will be turning sixty-seven years of age. Not too many years ago, my birthday gave me a sense of uneasiness simply due to the fact I had to add another digit to my age, and every ten years, both numbers had to be adjusted according to my lifespan. But in recent years this trauma has moved on and now I see my age with a sense of thankfulness and as a “badge of honor.” I am thankful to God for blessing me with these many years of life full of experiences I would have never viewed possible—and to do so in reasonably good health. On Thanksgiving evening, I was with my family in Northern Kentucky. There were fifteen of us and three generations. In my conversations with the “younger crowd,” there was a sense of responsibility to offer (hopefully) the wisdom and experiences of my years. Not that I was preaching or pontificating but saying a sound word to them.
I also feel that my thinning and graying hair plus a few aches and pains naturally come with length of years and are par for the course and I accept them. My primary doctor recently told me he is envious of my vital signs. I have also outlived my father and also two members of my first profession group in the Society of Mary.
Not to put myself above anyone, I am thankful that I have this stated perspective regarding age. Socially and culturally, aging is not desirable. We use all kinds of products attempting to place masks of youth on ourselves, promoting the twenty or thirty-year-old look. We want to take medicines to eliminate all pain. The truth is that a well-lived and rigorous life will yield some pain as the years add up.
As we review the Scriptures, we hear of many men and women who live to advanced ages being faithful to God, displaying wisdom, and doing great things. Consider a number of the elder women who conceived far beyond childbearing years. The ages given can be misleading in light of how age was measured, but the important point is of God’s probable and improbable blessings to them—in health and in wisdom.
I am not done yet and God is not done working in me. As St. Paul would say, I have not yet made it to the finish line. Who knows what the future holds? But I can take stock in what the years have gifted and blessed me with and the “war scars” which accompany them. May we all be proud of our span of years as a sign of a God who loves, supports, and will continue to support us in the years to come.
Sunday, December 7 , 2025 – First Sunday of Advent
Today is a “packed day” for me. Besides our celebration of the Second Sunday of Advent, December 7 also marks the eighty-fourth anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor; the seventy-eighth birthday of Hall Of Fame Reds catcher Johnny Bench; and finally, the birthday of my sister Mary. For reasons of self-preservation, I will not disclose her age, but I will note she is younger than me. In light of this series of events, it gives me much to think about. Our first reading from the Prophet Isaish speaks how “the opposites” will live in peace, which is good news for a world which cries for peace. Pearl Harbor signifies destruction and death, not just for that Sunday morning, but for the next few years and ending with the only use in history of an atomic weapon(s) wiping out two cities in Japan. Johnny Bench makes me think about great athletic ability and entertainment. I recall so many games I saw him play at old Riverfront Stadium. My sister Mary makes me think about family life growing up and the gift she is to our family.
This constellation of events makes me think about the various experiences which can be lumped into a given day. On any day we can have so many mixed emotions and experiences. Experiences/emotions of joy, depression, fun, achievement, love, anger, and regrettably hate—at times. It is all a part of being human. It can all come so fast and at times be hard to manage. It can leave our “heads spinning,” as the saying goes.
Reflecting on this, it seems to fit with today’s second reading and our bulletin Scripture Challenge from St. Paul’s Letter To The Romans:
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you
to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so
that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (15: 5-6)
The reading calls us to persevere, understand and support one another in day-to-day life. We do so in the midst of all the stuff we/they experience. We are called to meet others where they are—in their constellation of emotions and life events. It is a blessing and gift when someone reaches out and can be emotionally present to where another person is. It is the person who having a great day and is on “cloud 9” forgoes that joy and connects with the person dealing with loss and depression. Such a shift is not always easy or desirable. But we can do so because the Spirit guides us through the complexity of our days and directs us how we are to respond and react to our multiple life events. God meets us where we are and sees us through.
The coming holiday season is a time of busyness and emotions—crowded schedules, visiting family and friends, recalling holidays past and perhaps grieving those we will not be celebrating with this year. We pray that God will give us the perseverance and encouragement to maneuver through the weeks to come and be present to those around us, offering them perseverance and encouragement.