Father Chris Looby

  🎶 Here's the story of a lovely lady   Who was bringing up three very lovely girls.   All of them had hair of gold, like their mother,   The youngest one in curls. Here's the story, of a man named Brady,   Who was busy with three boys of his own.   They were four men, living all together,   Yet they were all alone. Till the one day when the lady met this fellow,   And they knew that it was much more than a hunch,   That this group must somehow form a family.   That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch,   The Brady Bunch,   That's the way we became the Brady Bunch. 🎶 Many of you from my generation and older will remember this as the theme to that classic TV show The Brady Bunch. The show, beloved by many, told the story of a man named Brady, a widower with three boys, who marries a woman with three girls. It was one of the first shows to present a blen...

  Picture by Miss Sophie Looby (Fr. Chris Looby's niece) “O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.” Where do we go to adore Him? Where do we find Him today? The Gospel tells us something so striking: “She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” No room. No space. The Savior of the world—God Himself—came to us in the most humble of ways.  He wasn’t born in a palace, in a place of honor, or even in comfort.  He came to us in the margins, in a place where others had turned Him away. And there, in that lowly manger, the angels sang, and the shepherds came to adore. But today, as we sing “O come, let us adore Him,” I wonder: Where do we find Him? And do we make room for Him in our lives, or do we close the door? The truth is, Christ still comes to us in the same way—hidden, humble, and in need of our attention.  He comes to us in the person who feels ...

What's missing in this picture??? Today’s Gospel gives us a beautiful and deeply moving moment: Mary, pregnant with Jesus, travels to visit her cousin Elizabeth. It is a moment filled with joy, wonder, and anticipation. But as I sat with this Gospel, one curious detail stood out to me: not once in this passage is the name of Jesus mentioned.  Not once.  And yet, everything in this reading—every word, every action—is about Him. It’s as if His presence saturates the story so completely that even without saying His name, He’s undeniably at the center of it all.  Elizabeth’s greeting, the leap of John the Baptist in her womb, and Mary’s arrival—all point to Jesus. Every part of this encounter revolves around Him.  Yet, this silent proclamation of Christ in today’s Gospel also reveals something that we don’t often experience in this season of Advent leading into Christmas. We’re surrounded by the sights and sounds of Christmas everywhere we go: festive music, bright light...

  What are you wearing? Now, I'm not talking about your Sunday best! I'm talking about something deeper. What are you wearing on the inside? What emotions, what attitudes, what spirit are you clothed in today? Today, as we light this rose candle and I stand before you wearing these rose vestments, we are reminded of a particular "garment" we should all be striving to wear: joy.  The color rose, vibrant and hopeful, speaks of the joy we anticipate as we journey closer to Christmas. This beautiful color also brings to mind a recent celebration where color and vestments played a particularly powerful role – the rededication of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. I read a fascinating article in the New York Times this week about Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the renowned designer chosen for the incredible honor of creating the vestments the bishops and priests wore for this momentous occasion.  Imagine the weight of that commission – to clothe those leading the worship in a spa...

Last weekend, Buffalo saw one of its legendary lake-effect snowstorms, blanketing the area in feet of snow. The Bills’ game against the 49ers was in jeopardy.  But something remarkable happened. The "Bills Mafia"—those dedicated fans—grabbed their shovels, bundled up, and showed up at Highmark Stadium.  Together, they worked tirelessly to clear the snow, making the stadium ready for the game. They didn’t wait for someone else to take care of it. They saw the need, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work. This story offers a powerful image of what Advent is all about. As John the Baptist says in today’s Gospel, we are called to “prepare the way of the Lord.”  Just as the Bills Mafia cleared paths through the snow, we are called to clear the obstacles in our lives so that Christ can enter our hearts more fully. The prophet Baruch gives us a vision of Jerusalem, once in mourning, now adorned in splendor. He describes God’s transformative work: mountains made low, valleys fi...