Pages Menu
RssFacebook
Categories Menu

Posted by on Jan 12, 2025

You are my Beloved Child

You are my Beloved Child

“You are my beloved child, with you I am well pleased.” These are words I suspect every person wishes to hear from a parent. We especially hope to hear them when things are tough and we are afraid we will never be able to live up to expectations – of our parents, society, teachers, family, or more devastatingly, of ourselves! “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you. You are trying so hard to do what is right. I love you always.”

Christmas Season comes to a close with The Baptism of the Lord. We celebrate this event in the life of Jesus on the Sunday after the Epiphany. Between the time of the stories told about his birth and the first few months of his life – with the exception of the story of the family visit to Jerusalem when he was 12 – and the revelation he experienced at his baptism in the Jordan River at about age 30, we know very little about his life. We know that he was a carpenter from Nazareth, son of a carpenter and therefore experienced in the trade from a young age. There was not anything particularly noteworthy about his life. Those who knew him were astounded and many were dismayed at the change in him that followed that baptism. “Who is he to be passing himself off as a healer and teacher? We have known him from childhood. He’s not anybody special – just a carpenter and son of a carpenter!”

And yet, as he was praying after coming up out of the water, he experienced something very special. The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit of God came upon him “in bodily form like a dove.” He heard a voice from heaven that said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:15-16, 21-22)

When we experience the direct touch of the Lord God, it is life-changing. Hearing directly or sensing directly the great love that created and keeps all in existence speaking directly to us or embracing us is not quickly forgotten or written off. We know only one thing matters, to accept and return that love.

For Jesus, that happened at his baptism. His response was wise, he went off to the desert to ponder the experience and pray. When he returned, it was as a man with a mission. To share the good news of God’s love and desire to heal a wounded world – to announce the coming of God’s kingdom.

Folks around him didn’t know what to make of him. He kept on speaking anyway. Some folks came to hear what he had to say. They didn’t always understand what he meant when he spoke of God’s unrestricted love for those whose lives were difficult or didn’t meet acceptable standards – folks like tax collectors or prostitutes. Some folks came out of curiosity. What will he do this time? Others came seeking healing for themselves or friends. People blind from birth became able to see. Those paralyzed could pick up their beds and walk home. Lepers found their skin healed at a word or touch. A child who was on his way to burial was returned alive to his widowed mother. Thousands of people were able to eat one day when he gave thanks for a few fish and loaves of bread offered by a child, then began to share them out to the crowd.

We will spend the next weeks and months hearing the stories of what resulted from that day at the River Jordan and the revelation received by Jesus.

This carpenter from Nazareth turned out to be the one long anticipated by the prophets – the one about whom Isaiah spoke when he proclaimed that the glory of the Lord would be revealed. “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! … The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together…” (Is 42:1-4, 6-7)  The Lord’s servant will come, the one who has received the Lord’s spirit, and bring forth justice to the nations, not shouting or crying out, but tending to the bruised reed, the smoldering wick, and healing all with a forgiving justice. (Is  40:1-5, 9-11)

Those who came to know and follow Jesus closely through the next three years of his life found their expectations and their understandings of the relationship between the Lord God and people to be much too narrow. They had to figure out who he was, the source of the authority with which he spoke, how to understand the counter-cultural things he sometimes said or did, his insistence on going into danger despite knowing full-well it could end badly for him. When he was condemned and executed, most of them took off and hid. But he came back, first revealing his resurrection to women, then to the others!

As his friends received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they continued to reflect on what they had experienced. They learned, when the Spirit came to the Roman authority Cornelius and his household before they were baptized, that God’s grace and salvation were not restricted to any one chosen people but were for all humans! (Acts 10:34-38) They learned the importance of living justly and devoutly in their everyday lives, trusting that God’s mercy, which had opened them to receive the outpouring of the spirit, would guide them through life and lead them to eternal life. (Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7)

We are still learning these lessons today. Our world is experiencing raging wars, repression of peoples, threats of trade wars between countries, deportation of millions of people who have already fled for their lives from their own home nations, fires and other natural disasters, and divisions among the peoples of nations. It’s a crazy, scary, unnerving, and anxious time.

Yet we remember the words Jesus heard on that day so long ago. “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” It was not a time of peace and ease in which he was living. The world has never really gotten to a point at which all people are living in peace, with access to all the basics needed for living. We too often think that if we take from others, things will be better for us. But that has never worked. It only breeds more conflict.

As we move from Christmas to our time of reflection on the life of Jesus in Ordinary (Counted) Time, may we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to Jesus at his baptism. May we know deeply that the same Holy Spirit came to us at our baptisms and in the sacrament of Confirmation. He comes to us in Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, the sacraments of vocation, and our everyday experiences of living together through the challenges of life.

“You are my beloved child” – God speaks these words to each of us. Believe them. Live them. God doesn’t joke or lie about such things. They’re for real.

“You are my beloved child.”

Readings for The Baptism of the Lord – Cycle C

 

Read More

Posted by on Jan 4, 2025

The Glory of the Lord Shining Forth

The Glory of the Lord Shining Forth

A child is born and, in most cases, happy parents and grandparents joyfully share the news with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Once in a while, the coming of a child is not an expected or desired event, but in general, that is rare. Family help and support of the parents and newborn child is more common and helps create a bond that will last a lifetime, a bond of trust and security, the certainty of being loved and lovable.

When the child is born to an influential family, the news spreads more quickly and farther. Think of the cases of the children of the heir to a throne for example. The world waits and watches for the birth and the first glimpse of the child, presented by proud royal parents. For better or for worse, such children grow up in a spotlight, even when their parents strive mightily to shield them from sight. Their presence and the promise they embody awaken interest and attention far and wide.

At the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, we celebrate the coming of a royal child whose coming was not widely recognized, though anticipated for centuries.

We hear from St. Matthew of the coming of Magi, wise ones from the east who studied the skies for messages about world affairs. They had observed signs in the stars that indicated a royal child had been born in Israel, so they had set out with gifts for him and his family.

Israel had been conquered by Rome, but there was still a king ruling in the land. Accordingly, the Magi went to the palace in the capital city first, thinking that would be the place to find a royal infant. However, no child had been born there, nor was one expected. Their visit raised quite a stir. Messages written in the stars and read by sages from other nations were not to be ignored. There must be a child somewhere near who would be a threat to the royal family’s succession!

The coming of a king to restore the kingdom of Israel had long been foretold by prophets. Isaiah wrote of the triumph of Jerusalem as “the glory of the Lord” shone upon the city. Exiles who had returned from Babylon were rebuilding the city and the Temple following their time in captivity. Isaiah proclaimed that despite darkness covering the earth and its peoples, the Lord’s glory shining on the people of Israel would lead the other nations out of darkness. Their peoples would stream to Jerusalem, bearing riches of the sea and the wealth of nations, including gifts of gold and frankincense, and praising the Lord. (Is 60:1-6)

Now here were Magi bearing gifts and coming to the city of Jerusalem in search of a newborn king. Where would such a king be born? The prophecies all pointed to the city of David, the shepherd who had been anointed second king of Israel. The Lord had promised David that the Messiah would come from among his descendants. David’s hometown was Bethlehem, in the Kingdom of Judea. The Messiah was expected to be a person who would restore the nation and physically rule the country in all its glory as a power in the world, a ruler “who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Herod relayed this information to the Magi, asking carefully about the timing of the appearance of the star and instructing them to find the child and report back to him, so he might “go and do him homage.” Then he sent them on their way to Bethlehem.

Arriving in Bethlehem, the star stopped moving and the Magi found Jesus and his parents. They bowed down in his honor and then presented the gifts they had brought – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Wisely distrusting the word of Herod, the Magi returned home by another route, skipping the stop in Jerusalem. They took with them the news of the coming of this child, bearing witness to the larger world of this gift from the Lord. (Mt 2:1-12)

Epiphany is a word meaning manifestation. A breaking forth of something newly understood. We speak of unexpected insights as epiphanies, for example.

Historically, royal families were not particularly worried about the well-being of their subjects who were poor or suffering from disabilities or illness. Those who worked at low status occupations were not high on their list for attention or honor.

Yet this new king, the one foretold by the prophets, would be different. In Psalm 72, expectations of the king to come are laid out for us. “He shall govern your people with justice… Justice shall flower in his days… He will rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth… All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him…”

What makes this king so great? What is so different about him? The Lord has endowed him with the Lord’s own judgement. As a result, “He shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.” (Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13).

This is the one who is to come. Not a mighty conqueror of the sort Herod feared. This is one who is even more powerful. He does not need to step on the poor or the afflicted to maintain power. His power includes care for those in need, for all those in need. No distinction between citizens and non-citizens for this king!

At Epiphany, we celebrate the coming and the shining forth of the one long foretold. This one, revealed by the Spirit to the apostles, to Paul, and to the prophets, has broken down the barriers that divided humanity into those who had been chosen for salvation and those who were excluded (the Gentiles). All are welcomed as coheirs of Christ’s promises, part of the same body, children of the same Father. (Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6)

A child was born. His family rejoiced. Not all welcomed him, but with God’s help (and the wisdom of the Magi to protect the secret of his whereabouts) he grew up and became the one who reconciled humanity with the Father and brought all of us into one family, his family.

In the days and weeks to come, may we remember that strength is not just a question of who is in political or economic power. Strength comes from how we treat each other. How we help and support those who are struggling to have enough to survive. How we welcome those who have been forced to flee their countries to protect their children – remember that Jesus’ parents had to do the same for him when Herod would have killed him!

We have great responsibilities in this world today. May we use our gifts wisely and share them generously. May the Glory of the Lord shine forth through our love of those we meet each day.

Happy Feast of the Epiphany, the shining forth and manifestation of the Lord!

Readings for The Epiphany of the Lord – Cycle C

 

Read More

Posted by on Dec 29, 2024

Growing in Wisdom, Age, and Grace

Growing in Wisdom, Age, and Grace

When I was a girl, I loved going to visit my maternal grandparents. They lived in a big home, with a wonderful yard and friendly neighbors, one of whom was a girl about my age. It was approximately three hours from our home to theirs, so we always stayed for at least one day, usually over a weekend, from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. My mother was the oldest child, so when I was born, there were still children at home when we went there to visit. It was always fun to be with them. I clearly remember the meals in which after everyone had had their fill, my teenage uncle would finish the rest of the potatoes and gravy – “to fill up his hollow leg,” we were told.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past few weeks as I have spent time with one very young grandchild and a couple who are older. I am now a grandmother (and have been for quite some time now). But this time, when a creeping baby and a toddler grace my days again, I am remembering how my own Grammy and Grandad welcomed us, helped us feel at home, and always had a place and time for us. I’m sure we were no more aware of all they did for us than our grandchildren are of what we do today. Somehow, food was ready, clothes were there to keep us warm or cool, and a lap full of books, stories, and love was always ready to receive us or comfort us when we fell or were afraid. I suspect they smiled and laughed as they observed our innocence and eager readiness to try new things or explore whatever we could get our hands on.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were ordinary folks from a small, conquered country in the Roman Empire, not far from the Sea of Galilee. Joseph was a carpenter and passed the trade on to his son. Mary became a mother at a young age, as was customary, and spent her days caring for her family and their home. They were part of an extended family; everyone was in those days. All knew their place and what was expected of them.  Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents shared the love of the family.

We don’t know much about the lives of the Holy Family. They weren’t famous or powerful, after all. We have a few stories about Jesus’ birth and the sojourn of the family in Egypt, a land visited to protect the newborn Jesus from the jealously of the local king, Herod. We also have St. Luke’s story of the time the family visited Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old. It was an annual pilgrimage and lots of people went there together, traveling in caravans. Jesus was not yet old enough to be considered a man.  He was only 12 and should have remained with his family and the other boys. But he didn’t. He stayed in Jerusalem, visiting the temple on his own and speaking with the teachers there.

Mary and Joseph were terribly frightened when they realized at the end of a day’s journey that their son had not actually been with the other parent all day. They returned immediately to Jerusalem, but it still took three days for them to find Jesus. They were quite upset with him. “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Jesus, with the innocence and confidence of a child who is approaching adulthood responded, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Jesus’ response made no sense to his parents. His father’s house was in Nazareth, after all, not the Temple in Jerusalem. Obediently, he returned to Nazareth with them and continued to learn and grow with them there. It wasn’t until he was much older that his life became dramatically different and he truly began to understand his calling. St. Luke tells us that as he grew up, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Lk 2:41-52

We too are called to grow in wisdom, age, and favor (or grace) before God and the other humans with whom we share this world. We are not alone. We are part of our personal families and part of the great family of humanity. We learn as we go along how to treat each other, what our roles will be in the world, how others will expect us to behave. Each culture has its own expectations for how men and women will behave and what their interpersonal interactions will be like. As followers of Jesus, we have the great gift of knowing that we are loved by our God who is the Father who loves us dearly, allows us to learn much on our own, and is always ready to have us run back to him for a hug and a new start when we realize we didn’t make the right choices.

St. Paul reminded the Colossians to put on “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” and to love and forgive others freely. Love and the peace of Christ are to control our behavior and expectations. Col 3:12-27  St. John reminds us that as we love each other, as God commanded we do, we remain in God and God in us, because he gave us his Spirit. 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24  Sirach, speaking from an ancient wisdom tradition, reminds us to care for each other, honor those who are older than we, share with those who have fewer riches, and be kind to those whose abilities to care for themselves are failing with the years. Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

Most of us do not share the experience of Hannah and her husband, who were unable to have children for most of their lives together. Hannah begged the Lord for a child and was given a son in her older years. She dedicated this son, Samuel, to the Lord when he was three and he grew up to be one of the last prophet/judges who led Israel before the anointing of Saul as first king of Israel. 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28

Those of us who have been blessed with children ordinarily watch them grow in wisdom, age, and favor with the Lord and with other people. We marvel at the adults they become and smile as we watch them teaching their little ones the same things we taught them. As their children, our grandchildren, play with some of the same toys, we smile, knowing the gifts we received from our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents (I knew mine), are tumbling along like a mountain creek, bringing new life and possibilities to those they will meet as they travel through life.

May we all grow in wisdom, age, and favor with the Lord today, as we close out this tumultuous calendar year and enter a new one. May we have courage to love and to speak out for those in need or for those with less influence or power. May we ponder the tidbits of wisdom that spring from the mouths of the children and young people in our lives. May we humbly share what we have learned and the hope that through all things, God is with us. Emanuel has come. Peace and joy and hope will mark our passage through life as we patiently accept each day and pour love into it.

Peace be with you.

Read More

Posted by on Jan 7, 2024

Epiphany – Seeing God’s Presence Anew

Epiphany – Seeing God’s Presence Anew

Some years it’s easy to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord and hear the prophet’s words, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” (Is 60:1-6) This year, with war raging in the Middle East, it’s more challenging to hear these words and remember that they have both physical, political meaning and symbolic, religious meaning. Those meanings are not meant to be taken as equivalent.

Jerusalem in this context is not just a city in the Middle East. It is not just a city revered by members of three great faith traditions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The prophet Isaiah was speaking of a restored city, a center of life and faith for the Jewish people as they returned from exile. Yet even in this prophecy, Jerusalem is more than just a capital city. Jerusalem is the center from which God will rule the entire world. The city itself is shining in the glory of the Lord – a glory that shines in the darkness and attracts all to itself. This is the city in the symbolic, religious perspective.

Peoples from all over the world will stream to the Lord, made manifest in this Jerusalem, bringing rich gifts with them. The prophecy is not just speaking of the people of Israel as included in the glory of the Lord. This is a vision for all the peoples of the world. All will be welcome in this city of the Lord.

The Psalmist sings of a similar reality. “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” The rulers will govern with justice, peace will flower forever, all rulers will bring gifts in tribute to the Lord and the poor and afflicted will find help – “the lives of the poor he shall save.” (Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13)

Another theme enters the picture with this notion of the Lord protecting the poor. The Lord’s glory shines forth and the Lord brings justice and peace and help for the poor. Not the standard expectation of the coming of a deity or a ruler!

Both Saints Luke and Matthew tell of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Matthew (2:1-12) notes this happened “in the days of King Herod.” (That phrase in Matthew’s Gospel has allowed scholars to set an approximate time frame for Jesus’ birth and life based on known facts about the time in which each king and emperor ruled.) While they were in Bethlehem, wise men (magi) came to Jerusalem in search of a “newborn king of the Jews.” Jerusalem was the capital city and Herod was enthroned there, so they naturally assumed Herod would know of the birth of his successor and be happy to have an heir. Herod was surprised by the news and not a little dismayed by it. He had no newborn heir! Jerusalem was not alive with joy over the birth of a new prince.

The wise men, astrologers, had seen a new star in an area of the sky associated with Israel. It was one that indicated the birth of a new ruler, according to their understanding of the movements of stars and other heavenly bodies. The priests whom Herod consulted explained that the child whose birth was long ago foretold would be found in Bethlehem, the city of King David. This was even more disturbing. Absolute and autocratic rulers then and now don’t like to know that ones who will oppose or replace them are out and about. They tend to try to imprison or kill them first. Herod was no exception. He instructed the magi to find the child and return to him with the address at which the family were living. Why? “That I too may go and do him homage.” Yea, right! His plan was to kill the child.

The magi went to Bethlehem and found the family. They presented their gifts for the child and bowed down to honor him. This was a child born to be king, after all. Not fooled by Herod, and warned in a dream not to return to Jerusalem, they returned home by another route, rejoicing in the success of their journey.

The magi were the first non-Jews to visit the newborn child and his family. Prior to that, only local people, including shepherds, knew they were in Bethlehem and that a child had been born. But with the visit of the magi, the Gentile world got its first glimpse of the child who would open the door wide for all peoples of the earth to share in the kingdom of the Lord, the Holy One shining in the new Jerusalem. The glory of the Lord shone forth through the child they found. It was an Epiphany, seeing God’s presence anew.

St. Paul takes the story a bit farther. He is working with Gentiles after having been tossed out by the Jewish communities in which he first preached the Good News revealed to him at his conversion. “The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6)

The Lord has come. He has come to Jerusalem. He has come for the poor and the rich – for all peoples of the world. Jerusalem is no longer a city belonging to any one people in the religious sense.

Epiphany refers to seeing God’s presence in a new way. In the Christian community around the world and in many cultures, this day of celebration includes not just the magi. It also includes the celebration of the Lord’s baptism, in which the heavens opened and the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, revealing him as the one whose coming had been promised from ancient times. (Mk 1:9-11 and Jn 1:29-34) In some communities, it is also a celebration of the first miracle, performed at a marriage in Cana when water was turned into wine and Jesus’ first disciples began to realize that he might be more than just a great teacher. (Jn 2:1-11)

What do we see at Epiphany today? A war is raging, though not yet in Jerusalem. Peoples in the Middle East are fighting and dying once again. Peoples in Europe and Africa are as well this year. Where do we see the Lord’s presence? How does his coming change the equation in these days of so much pain and struggle. How is he present in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers? Where will they find safe homes, where their children will not be menaced by gangs or political parties seeking their own benefit rather than the common good?

Pray with me for peace this day. For justice and mercy. For a willingness to listen and find common ground with our opponents. For a day in which we can joyfully cry out, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” May this Jerusalem be the one in which we are living each day, working for justice, peace, and the good of all of the Lord’s people. May we see God’s presence shining forth anew in our lives and our world.

Readings for The Epiphany of the Lord – Cycle B

 

Read More

Posted by on Dec 31, 2023

Families Come in Many Shapes and Sizes

Families Come in Many Shapes and Sizes

When one of my children got married, the photographer was ready to take family pictures of the bride and groom with each of their families. The pictures were to be outside in a lovely courtyard. Somewhere around three quarters of the people in the reception hall got up when called to report for the picture. The couple’s friends who were not family had to reassure guests who didn’t know us well, that the party wasn’t over and we would all return soon!

As family members approached the courtyard for the photo session, the photographer first took pictures of the couple. Then, as people kept approaching, he asked if the families were all present now. No, they were still coming. A few more photos of the bride and groom and the question was repeated, followed by a question about whether the groom’s family were all there yet. No, not yet. How about the bride’s family? Yes, those people sitting at that table over there, was the response. So that set of family and couple pictures were taken.

Finally, all of the groom’s family arrived on scene. There were so many of them that the photographer put all of them up on a large outdoor dining area “balcony” and he went down below to take the photos.

The contrast in size of family has played out in many weddings through the years. Once in a while, both families will be large. Often, one will be large and one will be small.

Families come in many shapes and sizes. It’s a fact of life. Some large families are close. Others are not. Some, whether large or small, have members who have differences of opinion on many topics. Siblings, parents, cousins, grandparents – all can find themselves at odds with others in the group over many things. Sometimes relationships become so strained that they break. Sometimes it’s possible to mend the relationship. Sometimes it’s not possible or advisable to do so, especially if there was a history of abuse in the picture.

Looking beyond the immediate picture of nuclear families (Mom, Dad, children), there are larger family structures. The kinship structures of peoples around the world are not identical. In some, kinship is defined by relationships along only the male line. In others kinship is based on the female line. These are quite different from the bilateral, nuclear family kinship system that is characteristic of the majority of families in Western societies today.  In some kinship systems, the family is multi-generational, with the eldest members of the family making the decisions for the younger generations. We call these corporate kinship systems. In nuclear family kinship systems, the individual adults make their own decisions for themselves and their families.

Fictive kinship adds another layer to the picture as well. Godparents, sponsors, people who are close friends of a family, can play roles like those of biological relatives. These systems provide extra support to the family as they raise their children.

This complexity comes to mind as I hear the readings for the Feast of the Holy Family. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were a family. Parents and child together, making their way through life. Their family was a part of a larger corporate family. Kinship included relatives beyond Mary and Joseph. These relatives worked together to support themselves and their children. Kinship passed through the male line, so Jesus was raised as a member of Joseph’s extended family. Fortunately, for those who keep track of such things, the line of King David was quite large by that point in time, so Mary was also descended from David’s line.

Family dynamics – who is in charge, whose authority is primary, who takes care of whom and when – all play a role in how healthy family relationships are. Sirach presents a picture of family relationships that bear imitation. (Sir 3:2-6, 12-14) The reading is all phrased in terms of the parents and their sons, but that’s a feature of the culture of the time. One could easily substitute our less specifically male terms today to make it more inclusive.

“God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her children. Whoever honors their parents atones for sins, and preserves themselves from them.”

Sirach admonishes his listeners to be kind, respecting and supporting each other. Older folks care for younger ones. Those younger ones in turn care for the older ones as they age. “Kindness to a parent will not be forgotten…”

St. Paul speaks to the Colossians about living as a community. (Col 3:12-17) The same advice he gives regarding communal relationships applies to successful families too. (Successful in this case is a term referring to loving, supportive families.)

Members of the community are to “put on,” (to wear) compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility, patience, and willingness to forgive as the garments that enfold their lives. In their dealings with each other, grievances are to be forgiven because the Lord has forgiven all. Love is the bond of perfection. And above all, the peace of Christ forms all into one body.

We respond to the word of Christ dwelling within us with prayer, songs, and gratefully living in the Lord’s name.

Returning to the family of Joseph and Mary, we again see a loving family living within their tradition. (Lk 2:22-40) After the birth of a son, the family brings the child to the temple. The child is seen as belonging to God. The parents offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving for him. Poorer families offered two turtle doves or pigeons. Wealthier families offered more elaborate sacrifices. Joseph and Mary were not rich, so they offered the two birds in sacrifice.

While at the temple for Jesus’ circumcision and to offer the sacrifice for him, they met two older people who had been promised the great gift of seeing “the Christ of the Lord” before their death. The first was named Simeon. He took Jesus into his arms and praised God for having sent the child who would become “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

The other person was an old woman, a prophetess named Anna. She too gave thanks to God for having seen the child. She told all she met that this child had at last been born.

None of the people involved in these events knew all that would happen to this family and this child. But Simeon and Anna knew he was special, through the gift of the Spirit’s revelation to them. Joseph and Mary knew they had a beautiful baby boy. They gave thanks for his birth and returned to their home to raise him in a loving family and community. We are told that he grew “and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.”

As we live and grow in our families, may the blessings lived by the Holy Family be with us too. May we grow strong together in faith, trust in God, and loving kindness. Does this mean we go around with our eyes cast down and a serious look on our faces? Absolutely not! We are children of a loving God who has a fantastic sense of humor. We are to be joyful and hopeful. We are to laugh at the funny things that happen and at our own foibles. We are to sit around and tell stories of family and friends, and the amazing things we have seen and heard. We are to care about and for each other, not throwing away anyone. All are loved by God.

On this day and in the new year that is fast upon us, may we grow in wisdom, age, and grace as well. May our eyes be open to see the Lord in each other and in those around us. May we grow hearts that are larger and more inclusive, bringing people who have no families or whose loved ones are far away into our circle of love. We are members of biological families, yes, but we are also members of the family of the Lord. That one is HUGE! May we enjoy meeting and growing together in God’s family of love.

Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph – Cycle B

 

Read More

Posted by on Jan 8, 2023

Epiphany – The Light Shines Forth

Epiphany – The Light Shines Forth

A great light shining forth in the darkness. A manifestation of something unusual. A new understanding of something. All are included as meanings of the term epiphany and are not mutually exclusive. More than one meaning can apply to any particular situation.

Since ancient times, Christians have referred to various events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth as epiphanies. He was born. He was visited by wise men from the east. He was baptized. He was seen after the resurrection. All of these events have been described by the term Epiphany.

The Epiphany of the Lord, celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on the first Sunday following January 1, is the day we remember the visit of the sages from the East. These scholars watched the skies for signs that something important was happening somewhere in the world. Each part of the sky, each constellation, carried a meaning. If something changed within that section, it meant something was changing for humans too. Accordingly, when they noticed a new light appearing in a region of the sky related to the land of Israel and to royalty, they went to see who had just been born. (They lived close enough to this event to go for a visit!)

St. Matthew (Mt 2:1-12) tells of their visit and gives us an historical time frame that also tells us approximately when Jesus was born. “In the days of King Herod …” Herod was king from 37 to 4 BC, so Jesus was born during that time. The travelers stopped at the royal palace to inquire for the new child, a reasonable thing to do, given that the child was born to be a king according to the stars.

The wise ones were sent on to Bethlehem, where indeed they found the child and his parents, no longer in a stable, but in a house. Their gifts were shared and they returned home without checking in again with Herod. An angel had warned them in a dream that Herod was not to be trusted.

This event was and is seen as the first time non-Jews were welcomed into the new manifestation of God’s kingdom of love for all humans. In the past, it had been understood that people would come from all over the world to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord. But the full meaning of the prophecy of Isaiah (60:1-6) was not totally obvious. “Nations shall walk by your light … your sons come from afar and your daughters in the arms of their nursemaids.” These words originally were spoken in terms of the return from Babylon to Israel. But the early followers of Jesus understood them to refer to people of all nations who would become part of the people of God, children of the covenant centered in Jerusalem.

On this day we celebrate that we are included among the many nations that rejoice at the light dawning with the coming of Jesus. We bring the gift of ourselves to the community of faith. Together we offer our gifts and talents along with the bread and wine on the altar. We sing of three kings coming to visit a baby. May we also sing with reference to our own lives. “Star of wonder, star of night … guide us to the perfect light.”

If you have time and are so inclined, it’s fun to make a Kings Cake / Rosca de Reyes to share with family and friends on this day.

Illustration: The Adoration of the Magi in the Snow – 1563 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder – Look for the magi in the lower left corner of the painting!

Read More

Posted by on Jan 1, 2023

Mary of Nazareth – Mother in Faith

Mary of Nazareth – Mother in Faith

The first day of each new calendar year we celebrate the wonder of God’s blessing in becoming one of us. Without the consent of a young woman, barely past girlhood, it could never have happened. This is not a case of a deity forcing himself on a woman or seducing her. The child is not a demi-god. This child, born of this young woman, is fully human and fully divine. It’s a mystery that we can’t explain and it took many years before it was established as the formal, uncontested, belief of the community of Followers of the Way, the Christians.

We hear the blessing the Lord God instructed Moses to bestow on the people. (Num 6:22-27) “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” And how does God do that? In the fullness of time, God comes among us as a child, his very own Word made flesh, a son. And because of this great gift, we too share in the reality of being children of God. (Gal 4:4-7)

Was this just for the rich and powerful of the world? No. It was first announced to a teenage girl, who agreed to become the mother of this very special child, then to the man who would be his earthly parent, and when he was born, to shepherds. Shepherds were not admired or particularly respected folks. They lived with their sheep. But they heard the words of the angels and believed. They visited the child and his parents, then returned praising God for this gift. (Lk 2:16-21)

The Gospel today concludes with the statement that on the eighth day after his birth, the child was circumcised (making him a member of the Jewish community) and given the name Jesus, as instructed by the angel before his birth.

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

We too are called to reflect on them. Mary became Mother of God. She wasn’t protected from the hardships of daily life. She didn’t always understand what was happening. She certainly didn’t expect this baby to grow up to become an itinerant preacher and miracle worker. Her heart was broken as she saw him die. Yet from the beginning, she agreed to be his mother, raising and loving him, reflecting on it all in her heart.

We honor her today and imitate her faith in our daily lives.

Read More

Posted by on Dec 30, 2022

Family In Its Many Facets

Family In Its Many Facets

Families come in many shapes and sizes. It’s something of a cliché to say that, but it’s true. We are each part of a family. Some are born into the family in which they grow up. Others are chosen and adopted into a family. Some are sheltered and loved by a family into which they were not originally born. But families are an essential part of the healthy development of any human being.

And about that many shapes and sizes part – there’s a lot of variation there too.

In some cultures, only one’s father’s side of the family are considered to be relatives. In others, it’s mother’s side. In a few (our own included), both sides of the family are relatives.

Then there are the “fictive kin” – the folks with whom relationships are established by choice of adults in the life of a child, or later by the individuals themselves. Godparents are fictive kin, for example, considered to be sharers in the responsibility of raising the child.

There are folks to whom we give kinship titles simply because they are older adults in our community or the network of friends of our relatives. We had several older women whom we called Grandma when I was growing up. One was the mother of an uncle by marriage. Another was the mother of friends who generously shared her love with us too. In some cultures, adult men and women are addressed as Uncle or Aunt.

And then there are the families that grow together in close friendship through many years spent together. We shared our lives with another family as children. Our parents became very close friends over the years. We traveled to see each other often and spent Thanksgiving together nearly every year. (The roads were too dangerous for regular travel again until February or March after that weekend.) When they moved to our community, we shared meals and time together at least a couple of times a week. We are still fond of each other and enjoy our time together.

These thoughts come to mind as we celebrate the Holy Family. Jesus was born into a family. When Joseph accepted Mary as his wife, he became the legal and social father of Jesus. How the conception of Jesus occurred didn’t matter. Joseph became Jesus’ father, responsible for loving him, teaching him, raising him to be a good man. Joseph did a fantastic job of being a father, just as Mary did a marvelous job of being a mother.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were not an isolated family. They lived, loved, and grew together within a community of other people in their village. This foundation prepared Jesus to go out when the time came and share the news that each of us is loved as a child by the Creator of all. We are so loved that we are to call that creator Dad/Daddy/Papa/Father. The term he used is Abba and is used by children to this day to speak to their fathers.

On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us rejoice in the gift of family and pray that in our lives we too will grow in wisdom, age, and grace through our days spent in ordinary activities and the special times that we share. May we each become part of a Holy Family too, dancing our way into eternity.

Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family

Read More

Posted by on Jan 9, 2022

The Baptism of the Lord – Beginning with Prayer

The Baptism of the Lord – Beginning with Prayer

Baptism of ChristThe Sunday after the Epiphany is celebrated as The Baptism of the Lord. On this day we transition from the first two special seasons of the Church year (Advent and Christmas) to the counted weeks of the year, Ordinary (meaning Counted) Time. Our focus shifts from readings preparing us for the coming of the Lord and those telling of the fulfillment of the prophecies of his coming with his birth, to those that detail just what he did when he came. What he taught and how people responded will be the focus of our readings in Ordinary Time.

Through the years, I have often heard it said that Jesus “submitted” to John’s baptism as a model for all of us. Jesus was without sin, so there was really no need for him to enter into the Jordan River and receive the baptism of repentance that John preached. As we look back on these events, it’s tempting to see them with 20/20 hindsight. We believe that Jesus is sinless, an unblemished human, who gave himself as the perfect model of fidelity to God’s will. Christian writers through the centuries have reflected on the image of Jesus as the perfect and final lamb offered in sacrifice to God, for the “expiation of sin,” an offering in blood to make up for Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden.

Yet I find myself thinking there might be something else here to notice. Jesus grew up in a family in a small village. His father was a tradesman. His mother was a homemaker. These were both full-time jobs. Both worked to support their life as a family and Jesus would have been part of that working community, doing his share of the chores along with his parents. As a child he learned of his faith and celebrated Bar Mitzvah, becoming a man in his community. He learned a trade and began working as a carpenter, a tradesman like his father. His life was so completely unremarkable that when he came home to Nazareth later to teach the members of his community of faith, they were not able to see past the normality of his life as they had known it and recognize the gift he was bringing to them.

Then when he was about 30, his cousin John came out of the desert and began preaching up and down the Jordan River. John spoke of the coming of the Messiah, the one so long ago promised. He taught about caring for each other and living justly. People went out to see him. John spoke of repentance, a long-time theme among prophets. Return to living as the people of the covenant! Make straight the way of the Lord! Many wondered if he might not be the Promised One himself.

Now, wander in your imagination with me for a moment.  Let’s assume that Jesus was an ordinary man. He didn’t know the full implications of anything he did in the course of his life. He didn’t know he was God become human. He didn’t know that he had never sinned, never deliberately hurt anyone or broken the Law. But I wonder if there might not have been times when he was uncertain whether his actions had been the right ones or not. Might he have thought that there were things he would have done differently if he had been given a chance? A sort of “do-over” that we humans often could use? If this was indeed true, then it makes sense that Jesus, a good and just man who was trying to be the best person he could, always faithful to his God and the covenant, would go to the Jordan to hear John preach and enter the water to be baptized, to be renewed in his life of faith.

We know that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and we celebrate that today. When he came out of the river, dripping wet, he stopped to pray, to reflect on what he had experienced there in the water, and maybe to recommit himself to God and his life of faith. St. Luke tells us that as Jesus was praying, “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.” The coming of God’s Holy Spirit was palpable. It was like a dove gently landing on his shoulder might have felt. It was physically noticeable. It could be felt. Then Jesus heard a voice from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” The coming of God could be heard too. (Lk 3:15-16, 21-22)

This experience changed the course of Jesus’ life. It was a kind of conversion experience, though he was not a person who had lived a life of great sin or disobedience to God’s commands. He left the Jordan River a different person than when he had come. His consciousness had changed. He still didn’t know that he was the second person of the Trinity. He didn’t know that he was God become human. He didn’t know that his life would change much of the human history that followed. But he knew something had happened. He was praying and he experienced God’s presence and touch in his life in a very special way. His response was to pray some more. He went to the desert to reflect and pray. When he returned, he began to preach, teach, and heal. We’ll hear much more about that as the year goes on. The point today is that his life was forever changed when he entered into a time of reflection and symbolic washing. He emerged as the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, foretold by John and the prophets who had come before.

The first and second readings also speak of the role of the Spirit in the life of the Messiah. Isaiah quotes the Lord as saying he has put his spirit upon the chosen one, the one in whom he is pleased. This chosen one will bring justice to the nations, but peacefully, without shouting or crushing anything that is less than perfect and healthy (bruised reeds or smoldering wicks, for example). (Is 42:1-4,6-7) There is an alternate first reading as well, also from Isaiah. In this one, the Lord speaks words of comfort to those in exile, promising they will return to their own land, with the Lord himself leading them. A voice cries out in the desert, “prepare the way of the Lord.” (Is 40:1-5, 9-11)

St. Paul, in his letter to Titus, remarks that when “God our savior appeared…he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7) This bath of rebirth is our baptism with water. It’s not the same as John’s baptism of repentance, but something even better. It brings an entirely new life, a sharing in God’s divine life through the Holy Spirit.

In another optional reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:34-38), Luke tells us about Peter’s experience with the household of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was instructed in a dream to send to Peter and have him come to his home. Peter was hesitant, but when he arrived, he discovered that the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon Cornelius and his family. This confirmed for Peter that the Gospel was for all people, not just for Jews. And the rebirth of baptism was opened to all of us.

In each of these readings, we see the importance of prayer and the gift of the Holy Spirit pouring out on the one who prays, opening up new vistas for life. If even Jesus, the Son of God, needed to pray and open himself to God’s gifts, how much more important is it for us to do the same? We won’t all have dramatic experiences of God’s coming into our lives more deeply. For some it will be a much more gradual, silent, gentle deepening of awareness of the Presence. For others it will be more dramatic. (Those dramatic moments and encounters still happen in our day, sometimes during experiences of prayer or meditation.) The important thing is to remember to pray.

So, let’s take this as our plan for Ordinary time this year. Make time for prayer. There are lots of times and ways to pray. Need to wash your hands for 20 seconds for COVID prevention? A “Hail Mary” and a “Glory Be” will take about 20 seconds. The Angelus is traditionally prayed at in the morning, at noon and at 6 pm. Keep a copy of it inside a cupboard door in the kitchen and pray it as you fix dinner. Eventually you’ll remember it and can pray it in the morning and at noon too! The rosary can be prayed any time, even without a set of beads. Our five fingers on each hand make a great decade counter. Having trouble going to sleep at night, pray the rosary and don’t worry if you fall asleep as you pray (a.k.a. “praying with Jesus in the boat”). Mass is celebrated every day except Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Visit a church once in a while for Mass on a weekday if you are able to fit it into your schedule. Liturgy of the Hours was developed a long time ago for people who couldn’t gather with the Christian community on a daily basis to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It’s available on-line now or in books such as Christian Prayer. Download Liturgy of the Hours to your phone and it’s ready whenever and wherever you are.

As we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of Ordinary Time, let’s dedicate the same attention to prayer as we do during the special seasons of the year. God is here now, just waiting eagerly to hear from us.

Read More

Posted by on Jan 2, 2022

Epiphany – The Glory of the Lord is Revealed

Epiphany – The Glory of the Lord is Revealed

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord was traditionally celebrated on January 6. However, since 1969, we have celebrated this feast on the Sunday following the celebration of Mary, Mother of God. This celebration is part of the Christmas season, which officially ends with the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after January 6.

The word Epiphany tells us what the celebration is all about. Epiphany means manifestation or appearance, particularly of a deity. It also refers to a sudden realization. The reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel (2:1-12) tells of the visit of wise men, astronomers and astrologers from the east, who saw a star rising in the heavens signaling the birth of a king in the land of Judah. These men traveled to the capital city and asked about the birth of the child who would be King of the Jews. Herod was not thrilled to hear of a potential rival. He found out where such a child might have been born and instructed the wise men to go to Bethlehem in search of the child, then return with the information to him. He planned to have the child killed, to eliminate his rival.

The wise men found Jesus and his family. They offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, then returned to their own land by a different way, having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Joseph was also warned of Herod’s plan in a dream. He took the family and fled to Egypt until after Herod’s death, but that part of the story is not part of today’s reading.

These were the first non-Jews, the first Gentiles, who learned of the coming of Jesus. It was an Epiphany.

St. Paul speaks of this great news in his letter to the Ephesians (3:2-3a, 5-6). He proclaims that God has revealed to him an amazing mystery which had been unknown to those of earlier generations – The Gentiles are members of the same body and promise in Christ Jesus. The Good News proclaimed by Jesus was not just for Jews. It was for all people. Salvation has come for all. Another epiphany!

The light of Jerusalem has come and the glory of the Lord shines forth. Just as Isaiah (60:1-6) wrote to the exiles returning from Babylon, the Lord shines on his people. Sons and daughters return from afar. The riches of the sea are emptied out for all and the wealth of nations comes to Jerusalem, to God’s people. It is a time of great rejoicing. Out of a time of darkness, the Lord’s light has shone forth – an epiphany.

What does all of this mean for us? As we remember and rejoice in the coming of the wise men in search of the Lord, revealing the promise of salvation to all the world, may we too be open to the ways God’s presence is seen in cultures and peoples around the world, particularly those on the margins of society.

We hope and pray for the gift of openness to the rising of new generations of leaders as we get older. Can we rejoice in the wisdom and insights that come from our children and grandchildren as they experience life in a world very different from the one in which we grew to adulthood? Or will we be like Herod, clinging to power and fearful of the future?

Will we share the many blessings we have received with those who need a hand to meet the daily necessities of life? What gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh do we have to offer? The gold of respect and encouragement? The incense of loving support and prayerful accompaniment? The myrrh of compassion and understanding during difficult times?

The Lord has come. The wise ones traveled far in search for him and they found him. Now it’s our turn to look for him in the days and weeks to come. Where will we find him?

Read More

Posted by on Jan 1, 2022

A Day for Celebration – January 1, 2022

A Day for Celebration – January 1, 2022

January 1 is a day for celebration and hope. Of course, we celebrate the beginning of a new calendar year that we share world-wide. We hope for health, friendship, peace, prosperity, good fortune, love, and so on. We know that challenges will arise and losses will occur. But we look forward with hope.

After two years of global pandemic, with a new and more contagious variant of COVID-19 spreading quickly, we face another year of uncertainty and challenges. Still, we are cautiously optimistic. Vaccines have been developed. They seem to be working. Human immune systems, in those vaccinated, are going beyond just forming anti-bodies against the virus and are now awakening the T-cells that provide longer lasting protection. We know much about the virus, including preventive measures and treatments that help. We’ve come a long way.

On the religious front, we also have many things to celebrate. It’s the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is what we celebrate in our liturgies for January 1. Mary, a simple young Jewish woman, became the mother of the child who grew up to be the long-awaited Messiah, the one who gave himself totally to the will of God and in so doing restored the family ties between God and humans. Jesus, the Word of God, was fully human and fully divine. Mary was his mother, the woman who taught him and nurtured his relationship with their God. She and Joseph, her husband, did not understand all that was happening through them. They were ordinary people called to do something truly extraordinary. We hear in the gospel (Lk 2:16-21) that after the visit of the shepherds, Mary reflected on all the things she had seen and heard there in Bethlehem where her son was born.

At the end of the reading from St. Luke’s gospel, we hear that on the eighth day after his birth, Jesus was circumcised and given his name, “the one given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” The circumcision of the Lord is another thing traditionally celebrated on this day. Jesus became one of God’s chosen people, a member of the Jewish community on this day. He received his name, Yeshua (in Hebrew and Aramaic), which means God saves.

As a child, Jesus grew up as a member of the Hebrew people, with all the traditions of his people. He lived under the law given to Moses and was blessed with the same words of blessing that God gave to the people through Aaron and the priests who followed him down through the centuries. “The Lord bless you and keep you!” (Num 6:22-27)

When he was grown, he was called at his baptism in the Jordan River from his career as a tradesman in Nazareth to preach the good news of the coming of the kingdom of God. As St. Paul explains (Gal 4:4-7), he was born under the law, yet he was the one who would move beyond the restrictions of the law that kept humans and God separated. He was the one whose coming set free those born under the law, ransomed them to become children of God and heirs of the kingdom. This kingdom expanded to include all peoples, because God created and loves all peoples.

The final thing we celebrate today is World Day of Peace, a day to celebrate and work towards a culture of care and tolerance for each other. As children of one heavenly Father, we are called to reach out to each other, both in our own communities and around the world. We are to see each other as members of the same family. We can have our differences of opinion and do things differently, but we are still all God’s children. We must love each other and care for each other.

Pope Francis shares his vision for the 55th annual celebration of World Day of Peace in his message: Dialogue Between Generations, Education and Work: Tools for Building Lasting Peace.

On this day of many celebrations, may we continue to receive the blessing offered by Aaron for the people of God. May the Lord’s face shine upon us. May he be gracious to us and grant us peace!

Happy New Year!

Read More

Posted by on Dec 25, 2021

God’s Recipe for Change: Step Two – Get Personally Involved!

God’s Recipe for Change: Step Two – Get Personally Involved!

Christmas is upon us. The word itself tells us much. This is the day and season during which the Mass we celebrate, our Eucharist, is specifically a celebration of thanksgiving for the coming of the Christ, God’s Chosen and Anointed One. Christ’s Mass!

Usually, I would look at the readings for the Mass of the day and talk about them. Who is featured? What is the message for us? Are there any common themes? How do the themes of the readings speak to me (and to us) today?

However, there are many Masses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Many parishes only choose one set of them, because it’s easier to prepare just one homily, worship aid, set of hymns, etc. But which one will my parish choose? Which one will your parish choose? Will your parish celebrate each of them in turn?

The first set of readings is for Christmas vigil – Christmas Eve – and features Matthew’s listing of the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham, through David, to St. Joseph (Mt 1:1-25). This is followed by the narration of the decision of Joseph to accept Mary as his wife, even though she was pregnant before they were living together as man and wife. He believed and accepted the word of the angel who came to him in a dream with the message that this was God’s child.

The second set of readings is for Christmas night (midnight Mass). In these readings, St. Luke (2:1-14) picks up the story with the decree of Caesar Augustus that all must return to the town of their ancestors for a census and taxation. There are very specific names of officials in various regions of Palestine given, which tells us historically the timeframe of the events which follow. Luke tells us of Jesus’ birth in the stable and of the message to the shepherds carried by the angels. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Mass at Dawn has Luke (2:15-20) telling of the decision of the shepherds to go and find the child. They find him in Bethlehem, lying in a manger, just as the angels had described. When they leave the stable, they tell everyone they meet about what they have heard and seen, “glorifying and praising God.”

The final Mass for Christmas is for Christmas Day. This one gives us the Prologue from the Gospel of St. John (1:1-18). This gospel was written many years after the Resurrection. It reflects a long period of theological reflection on the mystery of what has happened in history. In John’s Gospel, the focus is more on the divinity of Jesus. What he does is done deliberately and because God is in charge of the whole process.

The Prologue begins: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It goes on to say that “He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him… And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…”

The combined readings of all the Masses of Christmas tell the story of Salvation History from the beginning of creation through the birth of Jesus. The first and second readings of each of these Masses also differ – but the themes are similar in their focus on Salvation History. In the first readings, we see in great joy the coming of the Lord, or a return from exile, a rebirth of the community. In the second readings we hear of the early Church’s proclamation of the good news to the Jewish community (Acts 13:16-17, 22-25) and also their reflection on the effects of the coming of “our great God and savior Jesus Christ” (Ti 2:13) in the letters to Titus and the Hebrews.

In the weeks and months to come, we will learn more about the continued unfolding of that history in the life of Jesus and the birth of the Church, but for today, we stop and celebrate a wondrous reality. God cares enough about us that God chose to become one of us. This is the crux of the matter that we celebrate today. God’s plan for change included getting personally involved. God became a human being, with a name, a family history, a life story. In doing this, God shows a total commitment to making things better for all of us. We are not condemned to everlasting battles, unhappiness, struggles for justice. God got involved personally to lead the way into a new way of being human.

Let us take time today to rejoice and be glad. The Lord has come!

God’s Recipe for Change: Step Two – Get Personally Involved!

Merry Christmas!

Read More

Posted by on May 22, 2015

Angels We Have Heard – On to a New Year

Why Mary is Important

Hail Mary - F Fong

When we think or speak of Mary, the Mother of God, it is always important to keep in mind that she is best understood in the context of her relationship with her son, Jesus. Said formally, Mariology is always constructed in the context of Christology. This is so because Christ is the redeemer and the sole source of salvation. Everything in creation came to be through him. Mary, because of her role, participates in the creative and redeeming action of God in a special way.

Mary’s exceptional conception as sinless affords her the choice to live fully for God. She was not programmed to be good, but rather, Mary did not carry the deep fear of interference and resistance against God that exists in all other human beings. The rest of the human race has the grace and possibility to work with and overcome fear and anger, but we must work to limit our desire for control and instead surrender to God’s grace. We often do not choose right away to stop being resentful or angry. We often project onto others the responsibility for our own self-inflicted injuries. Mary had a clear vision of her place in life. She was born totally honest and prepared to grow. She chose to say “yes” over and over to these qualities, even when they brought suffering.

According to the Scriptures, Mary grew in her understanding of her son, herself, and the work of God in the world for salvation. We read more than once in the Gospel of Luke that she “pondered” how their lives were unfolding and what God was doing. She did not have a road map to reassure her of where they were going, but she had given her consent at the Annunciation and she trusted over and over. Her pregnancy was unexpected and controversial. The choices that Jesus made had consequences. His declaration in the synagogue that he was the Messiah brought immediate violence and ejection from the community. We find him and Mary later in the Gospel living in a completely new town, Capernaum, not a hill village like Nazareth but a fishing village.

Icon of the Wedding at Cana - Lucia 398 - CCWhen Jesus began his itinerant preaching and healing ministry we know that Mary, her sister and a group of women accompanied him as well as the crowds. This was not a normal lifestyle for first century Jewish women. Mary had to give up her reputation, village, old friends and the comforts of a house. In all of these ways she was an excellent listener of God as he called her out of the usual, the expected. She had to be quite aware of the danger that Jesus was in. In the Gospels, in village after village, the rage and jealously grew in the scribes and Pharisees. They hated his penetrating honesty, his clear perception of their air of superiority. They despised Jesus’ humility and closeness to the cast-offs of society. Mary must have constantly had to put her worries in the hands of God. She modeled an exceptional surrender to God and acceptance of His will. No one could have gone through this without being in deep prayer and interior connection to God all the time. She stood by Jesus from Cana to Golgotha and we have no reason to believe that she knew that “everything was going to be all right.”

Throughout the centuries Mary has been understood as the second Eve who reversed the willfulness and disobedience of the first Eve. Even when this story is understood metaphorically, Mary still is understood as the first human to be perfectly and happily obedient. She is also appreciated as the mother of the Church because she remained as the center of the early church community and loved them as her own. But it is her maternity of Jesus which stands out as the most important role she has because of its eschatological (future reaching) character. What is meant by this is that she is not just a person who did something unique in the past. Mary was and is “full of grace.” In the spiritual relationship which she has with her son and the whole of creation, Christ’s grace pours through her as the first disciple to all of humanity. Mary mothers us (protects and strengthens us) if we let her. Catholicism understands all of humanity, living and dead, to be in spiritual solidarity, a mystical body. Because of this solidarity or communion, Mary can help us to have a readiness to commitment, trust even in unbearable loss, and unimaginable joy when we are united to her son.

Read More

Posted by on Feb 21, 2015

Angels We Have Heard – On to a New Year

Light

800px-Sunrise on Mt Sinai in Egypt - June2006 - by Mabdalla - public domainLight is fascinating. At Christmas time we are enthralled with the lights all around us, candles and Yule fires. We feel safe in light. Light is beautiful to us. At Epiphany and the Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas) we hear that a light for the nations has come into the world and that people from afar have come to witness its arrival. Light is a physical, energetic reality so fundamental that it takes on symbolic meanings as well.

An energetic force

Light is so basic and essential that we take it for granted. It travels at 186,000 miles per second. So amazingly fast. It is an electromagnetic radiation, a specific energy, that has a spectrum of forms from short waves (ultraviolet) to long waves (infrared). In the middle are the manifestations of light we can see, such as colors. Its most notable characteristic for humans is that light stimulates the organs that help us see: the retina, the optic nerve, etc. We are richly blessed to see ourselves, people, and objects. Light is so important to humans that we can become very ill if we lack it for a long time.

A symbolic image

But, light is much more. It is also spoken of as mental illumination or insight. The word itself can mean to understand. It can also be used to describe being guided, as John of the Cross describes his own journey in spiritual darkness during which he is guided by nothing “save only the light burning in my heart.” (Dark Night of the Soul).

Light has been experienced as God presence, enlightenment and strength (Psalm 27:1). God is described in the Scriptures as our light, a light that shines in our darkness (John 1:5), a light who calls us out of darkness
(1 Peter 2:9). Jesus himself tells us in turn to be the light of the world and not to hide our light (Matt 5:14).

God is our light. Our lives can be in darkness, darkness from letting ourselves be in agitation from bad habits or denial. We can give in to negative thoughts or fear. On the other hand, if we practice openness to seeing and hearing God speaking in our hearts, we can see and hear a desire in us to be illuminated and strengthened. We can feel the fog lifting and an ability to live in light. It is our choice to say yes to this. We don’t have to earn it or produce it, we just have to consent to it.

Image by Mabdalla, Sunrise at Mt Sinai in Egypt, public domain

Read More