Archbishop José H. Gomez.

By Archbishop José H. Gomez | New World of Faith

On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis is set to open the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate the Jubilee Year of 2025, which Catholics throughout the world will celebrate and which will be dedicated to the theme of hope.

Here in Los Angeles, we will begin our local observance of this year of hope with the ritual opening of the holy doors at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Dec. 29, the Feast of the Holy Family.

In the year ahead we are planning several special celebrations, including a “24 Hours for the Lord” day when churches throughout the archdiocese will be open all day and night for Eucharistic adoration and confession.

We are also planning a six-mile procession through the streets of Los Angeles to bear witness to our hope in Jesus. There are more details about this holy year at our website — hope.lacatholics.org.

It is an ancient tradition for the popes to proclaim a jubilee every 25 years, and I am excited.

This Jubilee will be an occasion for many graces for all of us to go deeper in our friendship with Jesus and renew our commitment to live our faith with joy and confidence.

Jesus is our hope, as we remember in this holy season of Christmas.

God is with us! This is the beautiful truth that we celebrate in this season.

In God’s plan of love, he entered into our history, he came to share in our human experience. As we hear in our Christmas liturgies, at a certain time in history and in a certain place, the living God came to dwell among us, the Son of God became the Son of Mary so that we might be made the sons and daughters of God.

This is why for Catholics, hope is not just a feeling of optimism or some kind of wishful thinking. Our hope is true.

We hope in the promises of Jesus, who was born for us and died for us, and having risen from the dead now walks with us, as our friend and our leader.

“For this we toil and struggle,” St. Paul wrote, “because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all, especially of those who believe.”

Hope is hard sometimes.

As Pope Francis observes in his decree for the Jubilee, we are easily tempted to be “discouraged, pessimistic, and cynical about the future.”

We can look around at the world and see plenty of signs that things aren’t the way God intends them to be. There is injustice and inequality. There is war and poverty, the displacement and migration of millions of peoples, the violence and crime, the neglect of our natural environment.

The saints teach us that the suffering of others is a call to our conscience, and a call to solidarity and action. We are children of our Father in heaven, all of us brothers and sisters, and we have a duty by our common humanity to take care of one another.

So, this Jubilee Year calls us to renew the hope that is in our own hearts. But we are also called to proclaim the hope that we have in Jesus and to share that hope with our neighbors, and especially with those who are without hope.

God loves us with a love beyond telling and the apostles taught us that there is nothing in the world, no hardship or distress, not even persecution, that can separate us from the love of God.

Pope Francis writes: “Thus, we will be able to say even now: I am loved, therefore I exist; and I will live forever in the love that does not disappoint, the love from which nothing can ever separate me.”

This is our hope! And this is the hope that we are called to bring to our world.

This Jubilee coincides with the final year of the Eucharistic renewal in our country.

The Eucharistic renewal has opened our hearts and strengthened our awareness that Jesus is with us always, and that we are always in his presence.

We are never more aware of this than when we are at Mass. As we lift up our hearts, we know that we are praying in the company of the angels and saints, we know that heaven and earth meet on that altar and that the one who loves us and gives us hope comes into our midst.

Pray for me and I will pray for you.

And let us ask Mary, the Mother of Hope, to help us to grow in our hope in the promises of her Son, and help us to share his hope with everyone.

The Most Reverend José H. Gomez is the fifth archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community. He served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2019-2022.

You can follow Archbishop Gomez daily via Facebook, X, and Instagram.

[Featured image: “The Nativity,” Pierre Louis Cretey, c. 1713. (Wikimedia Commons)]

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

“Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.”

This psalm response filled our ears and throats for two days in a row. And in our first reading from Jeremiah, he too declares that “the days are coming” when that justice would arrive, because he “our Lord of justice” would dwell in the land, and so Israel would, “dwell in security.”

Hmm! All of this promised when he would come. And he came! But did justice dwell in the land, and does it now?

I must admit that when Pope Francis speaks of justice and calls the world to live it, it makes me profoundly proud; I can see why as I read these scriptures today.

The psalm not only gives us this wonderful response, but then spells it out descriptively as we hear of God rescuing the poor, governing with justice, helping the afflicted, pitying the poor and lowly, doing wondrous deeds, and filling the earth with his glory.

And when the pope calls us all to justice, I feel that pride that this message has been heard; I feel the responsibility to continue to speak it and attempt to live it. And if we did, truly, wouldn’t the world be filled with peace? Wouldn’t the lowly and poor be lifted up and be given a share in that glory and the riches that surely God intended and intends for all to share?

To echo the prayer from yesterday’s liturgy, didn’t God enter into and share our humanity in the flesh of a tiny baby so vulnerable and weak so that we could begin in a new way and in a decisive way to be touched by and given a sharing in God’s divinity?

As I see it, that was gloriously proclaimed in words of love and forgiveness on the cross. If Jesus could do on the cross what he said and did, doesn’t that position us to attempt to do the same at least some of the time?

Doesn’t Pope Francis express that beautifully when he — with all of the responsibility that he must feel — calls us to do the same?

Then in today’s Gospel, we hear of the discovery of a not unwanted, but an unexpected pregnancy — at least by Joseph — that looked as though a beautiful relationship was about to come to an end, but was saved by an angel.

And because of a dream and the command of an angel, and the obedience and respect of Joseph, the prophetic promise was declared and about to be shared by all, even ourselves; and even to this day, which was —

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means “‘God is with us.'”

And the opening prayer of today’s liturgy calls out to God —

“Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who are weighed down from of old
by slavery beneath the yoke of sin,
may be set free by the newness
of the long-awaited Nativity
of your Only Begotten Son.”

And so we must be ready to welcome all of that just a little more deeply into our hearts and into our skin throughout this Advent, and especially at Christmas. Then maybe we, too, will work toward making, “justice flourish in our time, and fullness of peace forever!”

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

“Looking Ahead” is a reflection on the Sunday readings, by Father Perry, for the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday).

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

“Gaudete” Sunday — the Third Sunday of Advent — is so called because the first word of the opening prayer of the Mass in Latin is, “Gaudete“, or “rejoice!”

When Advent clearly had a penitential spirit, including even fasting (like a “mini Lent“), this Sunday, halfway through the season, provided a little “break” from it all. Purple vestments, and little or no flowers, was the norm during Advent. On this Sunday it was permitted to have flowers, more song, and rose-coloured vestments were worn to signify that the end was in sight: The Lord is very near!

In the first reading from Zephaniah, words like “joy” and “exult” appear six times in only five verses. The tone, and the reason for it, is clear. Twice we are told —

“The … Lord is in your midst.”

Could there be a better reason to be joyful?

Then in the Gospel of Luke, just before Jesus “comes on the scene” at the time of his baptism (his entrance into his public ministry), John the Baptist urges everyone to “prepare the way of the Lord.”

When the people ask him, “What should we do?” he gives them multiple examples of what God’s word is always asking of us. Do justice! Do it! It is just that someone who has two cloaks should give one over to someone who has none. It is just that one would give food to someone who has none. To tax collectors: It is just that you do not collect more taxes than what is prescribed by law. It is just that you, “do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

And, I will add, give fair wages to all, wages upon which a person can actually make a living. Do justice! Make justice! Live justice! Stand for justice! Do not accept unjustice!

Justice in the scriptures is not equality: everyone having the same. It is, rather, everyone having enough. No one goes without. No one is abandoned. The goods of the world belong to all. They are signs of God’s goodness to us. Just people see to it that everyone has a just share.

When justice is done, the words of St. Paul in the second reading today are realized —

“Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Quote of the week |
“All things are possible to one who believes.” — St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the church, By Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ It must be said that today’s readings are chock-full of theological history referring to Elijah, John the Baptist, and the coming messiah.

Elijah was present with Moses at the transfiguration as the representative of the Old Testament prophets. It was foretold he would return; the Gospel suggests at the response of the disciples that it indeed had happened with the appearance of John the Baptist.

Quite frankly, these are loaded with deep history and theology that could leave one a little confused; we bounce forward then backward in historical time as these scriptures are proclaimed.

But right here, halfway through Advent, as we see John’s great significance in preparing the way of the Lord, me thinks that it is poking us to realize that we, too, present day disciples of Jesus, are here to prepare the way of the Lord and help others to recognize him, meet him, welcome him, and love him.

As has already been promised, each day and each week will simply intensify the prospect that perhaps all of us will meet the Lord a little more deeply this year, and discover a little more profoundly that love that is the Lord.

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr of the church, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ “I told you to do it that way because I knew it was for your own good.”

What parent hasn’t said this numerous times to their children? —

“It’s for your own good.”

And so God speaks the same to Israel. And he claims the right to say it because — and in his own words —

“Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I am the LORD, your God,
teaching you how to prevail,
leading you on the way you should go.”

Could it be any more clear? And please notice again, it is not to please God and make God feel good, nor is it for God. It is for us! It is so our lives can be good, for it is for our own good!

And we hear Jesus suggesting the same. He told the crowds, you don’t see nor do you hear, and you certainly don’t listen.

You criticized John. You criticized me. And you almost always miss the point. The law of Moses is good. But the law of love is best!

But the final words of today’s word say it all —

“But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

And that Jesus would prove again and again in his life and in his works — even at the weakest and most vulnerable moment on the cross.

For in these four weeks of Advent preparation, we are really given the opportunity to see and hear the Christ who comes to us in the memory of his birth — his incarnation.

And we are given the opportunity and the privilege again and again to open ourselves to his teaching, his way, his example, and his love.

Are we ready for the challenge?

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

“Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Those six words, some would say, say it all, so beloved is La Virgencita.

But the word of God today gives options and amplifies the beauty of this feast.

We are told in Zechariah that God would stir forth from his holy dwelling place, and then would come to dwell among them — his people.

Didn’t he literally do that for Mary? She became his dwelling place; and when we appreciate that, we can say the same for ourselves. God actually dwells within us, especially through and because of our baptism!

And the reading from Revelation gives us a conquering scene as the temple is opened, the ark is seen; then the woman wrapped in sun, moon, and stars (Israel? Mary?) appears “with child” (Jesus?); and then, also the dragon (Satan? Evil?) with seven heads (seven must be really, really, really evil), 10 horns, and seven diadems.

Yikes!

And this is the imagery given to us as we celebrate La Virgen de Guadalupe.

And we are also gifted with options for our Gospel today. Two grand stories: the annunciation and the visitation. Both angelic, and both filled with wonder and grace.

If anyone could certainly make a difference, it was surely Mary.

And more than just in this place — and this place being Mexico, just south of us — there will be more singing and praying, and pilgrimages and fiestas going on; in some places, it would last all night and throughout the morning. It won’t be quitting until much later today!

And so let us feast on this holy word, and with alleluias ringing in our ears.

And our hearts can sing —

“Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.”

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ Happy feast day to the United States of America! After all, Mary under this title, is the patroness of the United States. And so thematically this is an easy one; the dogma says that Mary, when conceived within her mother’s womb, was conceived without sin. No stain of sin touched her. It certainly pairs well with the other great Feast of the Assumption, which says at the moment of death, Mary was kept free from the stain or corruption of death in her body. And so, there was no corruption or stain of any sort at her conception and also at her death; she was preserved from death and taken directly up into heaven.

+ These two feasts directly point to Mary’s unique calling and position as the mother of Jesus, or as the other January feast simply says, the “Mother of God.”

They are poetic and mystical and liturgical and wonderful feasts that honour Mary. The word, today, also brings even more meaning.

The story of the fall in the Garden of Eve tells the loss of a gifted humanity in the first creation story. What was lost in the garden was certainly restored through Mary’s Son, Jesus the Christ. And Mary certainly was that instrumental woman referred to in this Book of Genesis.

And although the responsorial psalm isn’t technically being sung by Mary, it certainly could be.

We are drawn into that sacred mystery of Christ in the beautiful second reading that talks of our being chosen and graced and destined; indeed, we have been offered and given, “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.”

And then we peer into the sacred moment of the Visitation to Mary by an angel of God, who announces the soon-to-be-experienced conception by the power of the Holy Spirit, with the implanting of Jesus, the Son of God, into the very body of Mary — the chosen vessel who was to bring God into humanity in a human way that would heal and restore our humanity and touch us divinely at the same time.

Would that we could taste that on a daily basis and see ourselves as vessels of the Christ, bringing Christ to others through our words and actions, and imitating the words and actions of Jesus the Christ? And would that we were able to utter the same words of Mary with total conviction? —

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

“Looking Ahead” is a reflection on the Sunday readings, for the Second Sunday of Advent, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor | pleiker@stbernard-church.com

“And this is my prayer: … that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

This is more than sentiment. This is a prayer of readiness and preparedness on a cosmic scale. May you and all of creation be ready to meet the Lord when he comes again! These readings speak of glory, power, dominion, joy, and the fulfillment of all the peoples of all nations and generations.

But the Gospel speaks of a different preparation. It is not preparation for the birth of Jesus, but the first public encounter at the waters of the Jordan. There, John the Baptist announces a great visitation for which preparation and readiness were absolutely a requirement.

In order to be ready, there needs to be repentance for our sins and a thorough opening of our spirit. The image of mountains being leveled and valleys being filled up gives us an idea of just how big this task really is. There is no superficiality here. This is not a one-day, light-hearted encounter. This is “God coming among us,” bringing redemption and new life, an outpouring of his Spirit, and grace upon us.

John has the unique purpose and responsibility for announcing the coming of the Lord.

As a faith community, we are invited and challenged to look at these multiple encounters: the birth of Jesus, his entrance into public ministry at the Jordan, and his coming again when all of creation will be handed over to our Father in heaven.

“And this is my prayer: … that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the church, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ “Great is our Lord, vast in power.”

Now that is stunning and it gets right to the point! And that our God speaks loudly and clearly through Isaiah that he loves us, and will provide for us, and take care of our every need, and give to us and to the earth, and even to the animals, plenty and more so that their every need will be taken care of, and they will, therefore, have no needs.

Every wound will be bound up. Every gift possible will be given.

Even the light from the sun that makes it possible to see and to work will be “seven” (Uh oh! Here’s that perfect number!) times greater, like the “light of seven days” (Uh oh! Again! It might even deserve a yikes!).

Great! And mighty in power, indeed!

Then noting how great was the need of so many people, in commentary form, Jesus notes that —

“They were … like sheep without a shepherd.”

Or even more simply put, Jesus noted the amount of service and love and healing and caring that was needed, comparing it to a harvest, an abundant harvest. And then he gathered up his disciples to send them forth out to the harvest and gave them power over spirits, and to heal and to proclaim the kingdom to all of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And boldly and attentively, and in total command, Jesus instructed and empowered his disciples with these words —

“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.”

Then with astounding words so that they could appreciate deeply what they (the disciples) were being given freely and generously and what, therefore, they were to give just as freely and generously, Jesus instructed further —

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Are not those very words being said to us now and always? Can we not appreciate them as deeply for us as we surely can for those disciples?

Is not the kingdom of God as surely present and alive now as then? Are we not a part of that harvest, and laborers of God?

Archbishop José H. Gomez.

By Archbishop José H. Gomez | New World of Faith

The saints and popes have long taught us that we cannot truly know and love Jesus unless we know how to meet him in the pages of the sacred scriptures.

St. Jerome asked this question in the early days of the church, and it is still crucial: “How could one live without the knowledge of Scripture, by which we come to know Christ himself, who is the life of believers?”

That is why I believe the publication of the new “Ignatius Catholic Study Bible“ is an important moment in the life of the church.

For almost 25 years, Ignatius Press and the editors, American Scripture scholars Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, have been working on this project, releasing the individual books as they became ready.

Now completed, this new Bible is quite an achievement: more than 2,300 pages long, with nearly 18,000 footnotes, along with extensive cross-references, word studies, topical essays, maps, and more.

It is the first Catholic Bible to reflect the findings of the best academic research while at the same time providing authentic interpretations and spiritual insights based on the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” the church’s doctrine and liturgy, and the writings of the church’s saints and doctors.

The new “Ignatius Catholic Study Bible“ is an important moment in the life of the church.

My hope is that this new Bible will continue the biblical renewal already underway in this country, helping to give strong biblical foundations to the next generation of Catholic preaching and teaching, prayer, and devotion.

These days we are seeing a spiritual hunger and desire for the knowledge that only the Scriptures can offer us.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Bible sales in this country are “booming,” having jumped by more than 22% this year. Much of the increased demand is said to be coming from “first-time Bible buyers.”

Just a couple of years ago, Father Mike Schmitz’s “The Bible in a Year” was the best-selling podcast in the country in all categories. Today, it’s still ranked first among all religion and spirituality podcasts and remains high in the charts for all podcasts, with hundreds of millions of downloads.

These trends suggest that in a culture where we are overwhelmed with instant messages and passing images, people are longing for a word that will last, a word that will be life-giving.

Jesus is that word.

As the Book of Revelation tells us, “the name by which he is called is the Word of God.”

The word became flesh and dwelt among us, because the Father wanted to speak personally to his children, because he wanted to reveal his love to us through his only Son, and to call us to share in his divine life.

Now this word remains with us in the Bible. St. Thomas Aquinas said that Jesus opens his heart to us in the pages of sacred scripture.

That is why it is so essential for us to make time to study and pray with the Bible, especially the Gospels.

We don’t study the Bible for information, we study the Bible to meet the divine person who is the living word of God.

On the first Easter, when Jesus opened the scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he made their hearts burn within them.

The first believers compared the word of God to a sharp, two-edged sword capable of cutting through our hearts and souls, capable of opening our whole beings to the love of God.

And we can have that same intimate experience of God’s love.

When we read the Bible with prayer and faith, the written text becomes a living word that brings us to a deep and personal encounter with Jesus.

As the word became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and as the word sacramentally becomes flesh in the Eucharist, in the scriptures Jesus also comes to be with us, to speak to us and to give himself to us.

And like our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, our encounter with him in the scriptures is meant to transform us, forming our characters and shaping our souls in his divine image.

As Scott Hahn writes in the introduction to this new Bible, everything depends on how we approach the Bible. We need to read with reverence and humility, with hearts open to the beautiful mystery of his love for us.

As Hahn writes, “You are approaching the Word of God. But for thousands of years, since before he knit you in your mother’s womb, the Word of God has been approaching you.”

Pray for me and I will pray for you.

And as we continue our Advent journey, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom the word became flesh, to help us to grow in our love for the word, and through our study and prayer become more and more like the word we read.

The Most Rev. José H. Gomez is the fith archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community. He served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2019-2022.

You can follow Archbishop Gomez daily via Facebook, X, and Instagram.