Father Chris Looby

  Today we stand at a threshold—the Octave Day of Christmas and the first day of a new year.  It is a moment when many of us make resolutions, hoping this year will be different, better, more faithful.  Some resolutions we keep, many we don’t.  But the Church, in her wisdom, places Mary before us today—not as someone who made grand promises, but as someone who was quietly faithful. In the Gospel, the shepherds hurry off, excited by what they have seen and heard.  Mary does something very different. She keeps all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.   She treasures the blessings God has given her, ponders them, prays with them, and allows them to shape her life.  Mary shows us that faith grows not through constant activity, but through attentive gratitude and prayerful reflection. The first reading reminds us of God’s deepest desire for us: that His face shine upon us and give us peace.   That blessing finds its fulfillment in Mary’s Son,...

The recent tragic death of the actor and director Rob Reiner made me think about his most famous role — “Meathead” on All in the Family .  So many episodes of that show took place around the dinner table.  A place meant for nourishment and togetherness often became a place of arguments, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings. And yet, that’s what made the show so honest.  Because the dinner table has always been one of the most revealing places in family life.  It’s where we share food, but also opinions.  It’s where love is expressed, tensions surface, and sometimes old wounds are reopened.  What struck me then, and still strikes me now, is how little has really changed.  Families today still wrestle with many of the same challenges — just like that fictional family gathered around their table. That’s why the Feast of the Holy Family matters so much. Because the Holy Family is not presented to us as a picture-perfect ideal meant to make us feel inadequa...

A screenshot of the text my friend Sarah sent me at Christmas a few years ago. Not long ago my friend Sarah texted me a picture of her manger scene that she and her two daughters, Annie and Julia, set up in their home.  It was the traditional manger scene that we see in every home this time of year and like the one sitting in our sanctuary here in church (only a lot smaller). There was the wooden creche resembling a barn and inside were three wise men bearing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the poor shepherds and Joseph and Mary leaning over the manger where the newborn King of the Jews was lying peacefully. It all seems so idyllic and perfect if it weren’t for the three Disney princesses dolls right in front blocking the view that Annie and Julia placed in the manger scene! Sarah wrote below the picture, “Disney princesses and Barbie have apparently made the trip to Bethlehem!”  She included a laughing emoji. It looks crazy.  The dolls look out of place in t...

 Most of us have had that moment when we were absolutely sure about a decision — a plan, a direction, a judgment — and then something happened that made us stop and say, “I need to rethink this.” Changing your mind isn’t easy. It can feel like failure. But sometimes, changing your mind is actually a sign of wisdom. That’s exactly where we meet Joseph in today’s Gospel. Joseph is a righteous man. When he learns that Mary is with child, his first decision makes sense. He plans to step away quietly, to protect her and avoid shame. It’s a reasonable plan. A compassionate plan. But it isn’t yet God’s plan. Then God intervenes — not with noise or spectacle, but in a dream. And Joseph does something remarkable: he changes his mind. He lets go of his own understanding and makes room for God’s surprising work. He takes Mary into his home. He names the child Jesus. He entrusts his life to a promise he cannot fully explain. Isaiah tells us today that the Lord himself will give a sign: “T...

  Every year, right around this time, many people tell me the same thing: “Father, I know I’m supposed to feel joyful… but December feels heavy.” The days are short. The calendar is full . The news is overwhelming. Some people are grieving . Some are anxious. Some are just exhausted.   And you know what—I get it. This time of year can feel more like survival mode than joyful preparation. And yet, the Church in her wisdom chooses this weekend—not Christmas Eve, not Easter, not the moment when everything feels calm— this weekend—to say: Gaudete.   In the Latin language that is a command! It doesn’t mean “joy is nice” or “you might consider rejoicing.”  It literally means: “Hey you! Yes you! You rejoice.”   It’s addressed to all of us— “All of you, rejoice!”   A command, not a suggestion. Which tells us something profound:  Christian joy doesn’t wait for perfect conditions.  Christian joy does not depend on everything going right.  Christian...

  Last night I had dinner with a couple of friends, and somehow we found ourselves talking about Scripture. One of them asked a sincere question: “Father, I can’t find the Immaculate Conception anywhere in the Bible. Is it even in there?” And that question is the perfect doorway into this feast. Because today invites us to ask: What exactly are we celebrating? Who are we honoring? Is this in Scripture? Why do we celebrate it? And how? First, is the Immaculate Conception in the Bible? Not in one neat, self-contained verse—but it is woven deeply into the story Scripture tells from beginning to end. In Genesis we hear about the moment humanity fell, the moment fear entered the human heart, the moment Adam and Eve hid from God. And yet, right there—at the lowest moment—God gives the first promise of salvation. He speaks to the serpent and says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head.” From the earliest days of the ...