Simeon was a righteous and devout old man in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit was upon him. He was awaiting the Consolation of Israel. Through the Holy Spirit he had received an amazing personal revelation: he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah, “the Christ, the Anointed of the Lord” (Luke 2:22-40). We do not know how long Simeon had been waiting. Maybe he was already 80 years old. He was a patient man led by the Holy Spirit. He happened to be in the Temple on the day Joseph and Mary came to present the 40-day old baby Jesus. As soon as he saw this joyful and holy family, Simeon knew he was in the presence of the Messiah. The entire people of Israel had been awaiting the coming of the Messiah for centuries. He was the first one to encounter the Messiah! He was overjoyed! When he holds baby Jesus, the Light of God is shining upon him. He holds the Messiah in his own arms! Finally, he can go...

JESUS is blessing us throughout this 2025 JUBILEE Year: HE FULFILLS ALL THE JUBILEE PROMISES! I invite you to begin your Jubilee Year at OLHOC this Sunday! Yes, this Sunday! In my recent column “CELEBRATING JUBILEE YEAR 2025 at OLHOC” (January 12, 2025) I quoted from the passage in Luke’s Gospel where JESUS declares that he Himself is the fulfillment of the Jubilee: Luke 4:16-21. I had no idea that at every Mass this weekend you will hear this powerful passage. Following His baptism...

The first miracle of Jesus in John‘s Gospel is the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. Why does Jesus make use of the shortage of wine at a local wedding to reveal His Divinity for the first time in his public ministry? There are many answers as John gives us extraordinary details especially through the dialogue between Jesus and his mother Mary. Jesus shows a remarkable obedience to his mother who tells the waiters and also all of us:” Do whatever he tells you.”. Are we prepared to do whatever Jesus tells us? Jesus’ actions also highlight the sanctity of marriage. The newlyweds had “run out of wine”. They had run out of a joyful celebration. Jesus is the New Wine that brings Joy to newlyweds. At Cana, Jesus reveals Himself as the Bridegroom and all of us together are His bride. Marriage is a sacramental foundation of our society through stable and loving families. When a man and woman enter...

Jubilee Years are now celebrated every 25 years. Initially, the Church held them every 50 years as was the Jewish tradition. I invite you to read Leviticus 25:10-17 describing how a Jubilee Year was celebrated after completion of seven Sabbatical Years. The Sabbatical Year was to give rest to the land every 7 years (Leviticus 25: 1 -7). After 7 Sabbatical Years or 7 x 7 years, 49 years, not only the land was given rest but also the people were called to go back to their clan of origin and atone for their sins. It was a time for everyone to rest, a time to be regenerated spiritually, a time to get liberated from sinful attachment, a time to share with those in need. In the corporate world and in higher education there are a few opportunities for sabbatical years: a time to rest, a time to take a break from current responsibilities, a time to take on “reviving” activities. After 25 years at the World Bank, I had the privilege to...