Monday, January 8, 2023

Baptism of the Lord

(Isaiah 42:1-4.6-7; Mark 1:7-11)

Each of the four gospels has its own way of seeing Jesus.  The Gospel of Mark sees him as learning of his Lordship at his baptism, the account of which we just heard.  Mark indicates that Jesus alone sees the Holy Spirit descending from heaven.  Likewise it implies that only Jesus hears the voice of the Father calling him “my beloved Son.”

These realities leave us with questions.  How could it be that Jesus did not always know of his relation to the Father?  Why would God not want the world to know that Jesus is His Son.  Regarding the first question, we find an answer in St. Paul’s description of Christ in his Letter to the Philippians. Paul writes that Jesus “emptied himself” of his divinity when he became human.  It is presumed that action includes awareness of his divine nature.  Secondly, the Father does not want the world to know of Jesus’ diving Sonship to avoid a false notion of what this means.  Being Son of God is not a reason to be well served.  Rather, it is a mandate to serve others.  Jesus will perform the ultimate service when he is crucified for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus’ becoming aware of his divine Sonship at Baptism should make us aware of our own relationship to the Divine because of our Baptism.  At Baptism we become children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, and inheritors of eternal life.  We should never allow ourselves to lose the benefits associated with these titles.  We must take care to learn from Jesus how to live righteously through our study of the gospel.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

(Genesis 15:1-6.21:1-3; Hebrews 11:8.11-12.17-19; Luke 2:22.39-40)

Father Patricio Peyten was one of the most popular evangelists during the 20th century. He came from Ireland to the United States where he pursued a religious vocation. As a priest, he promoted the praying of the family rosary. He wrote a motto that became famous: “The family that prays together, stays together.” People have tried to alter the motto saying something like, “The family that plays together, stays together.” But the new formulas haven't stuck because they aren't based on reality. The truth is that families have to submit to God if they want to be united.

The need to submit to God is seen in the first pages of the Bible. Genesis tells of the first sin as a result of Eve's desire to be like God. The tempter snake tells her that by eating the forbidden fruit she could determine for herself what is good and what is bad. Then, she wouldn't have to obey anyone's will but her own. Not long after she and the man tasted the fruit, human life becomes difficult forever.

Something similar happens in the story of the Tower of Babel. With their industry men try to avoid dependence on God. They think they could reach heaven, a feat that would perhaps make them more famous than God. However, as a result of their foolishness, God has to rescue them from disaster by scattering them around the world. In short, the pretension to be like God ends up in confusion throughout the world.

Things get better when Abram hears God's voice and submits his faithfulness to him. As the first reading relates, he and his wife Sarah do not rebel against God for not giving them children. Their conformity to the divine will gains them a son and in time multitudes of descendants.

In the gospel Mary and Joseph also show submission to the will of God. St. Luke describes the two presenting Jesus to the Temple and offering the appropriate sacrifice. Everything is done “as it is written in the law.” Jesus will follow the will of God, his Father, by even giving his life to redeem the world.

Sometimes it seems like the world has returned to the times before Abram. Nowadays more and more people apparently prefer to do their will before God's. They care more about pleasure and comfort than worship and compassion. Appropriate to this Feast of the Holy Family, many contemporary young people forget God's first command in the Bible: “Be fruitful and multiply.” They mistakenly think that the purpose of sex is self-pleasure and not procreation of children and support of a spouse.

We learn submission to God in the family. The elders teach us that human capabilities are always limited. We have to ask for God's help at mass and in personal prayer. These requests are particularly necessary as people approach the threshold of death. Our parents instruct us in the value of sacrifice. When we were sick as children, they stayed up all night if necessary to take care of us. Their sacrifice showed that we do not exist only for ourselves. Rather, we have to seek the good of others. Because God created and sustains us, he always has the first claim on our services. Finally, from our brothers with whom we often quarrel, we learn the need to forgive and ask for forgiveness. In life we are going to fall into sin. When it happens to us, we must offer God our apology and request his mercy.

Tomorrow we start a new year. For many it is time to return to the family values that they have dropped along the way. Maybe we want to reform as well. First, we need to ask whom we live for -- God or ourselves. If our answer is the second, it is time to submit to the Lord again.

Friday, December 29, 2023

The Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:3-11; Luke 2:22-35)

None of the four gospels deny Jesus’ Jewishness, but Luke appreciates this heritage most.  In today’s gospel Luke shows Mary and Joseph carrying out Jewish customs for a newborn.  Commentators believe that Luke combines the practice of redeeming the firstborn Son and the purification of the mother.  Parents are to offer five shekels for the redemption of the first born.  The sacrifice for the purification rite was a lamb and a pigeon or, for the very poor, two pigeons.  Luke indicates that only two pigeons were -paid, perhaps for Mary’s purification.  That he says nothing of the five shekels probably means that his parents never bought Jesus back but gave him to the Lord forever.

Very significantly, Luke says that Simeon has seen “the Christ,” that is, the Jewish Messiah.  With prophetic perception, the holy elder finds in Jesus the fulfilment of God’s promise to Israel.  According to an ancient prophecy, a king of David’s his lineage would assume his throne and rule forever.  Other prophecies associate this Messiah with the one who will lead the world in holiness.

Even popes have said that all Christians are Semites; that is, they have the same roots as Jews.  Like all faithful Jews we give praise and thanks to the one God.  We also pursue justice by keeping God’s law brought to completion by Jesus.

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

(I John 1:5-2:2; Matthew 2:13-18)

From the beginning of the war in Gaza the carnage of children has evoked the greatest outrage.  Israelis remember their babies being beheaded by invading terrorists.  Palestinians lament the bombings of hospitals where children - both sick and well - have been harbored.  Parallels are readily drawn between the present outrage and today’s gospel.  As Palestinian and Israeli militia commit atrocities against their enemies‘ children, King Herod targets for execution all Jewish boys of a certain age span.

Children are preferred victims of the dishonorable.  They cannot give resistance, and their deaths inflict the greatest anguish upon the enemy.  If a despot wants to attack a people where they are most vulnerable, he will aim at children.  There is no other historical evidence verifying the outrage committed by King Herod.  But there is significant testimony that he was ruthless and quite capable of having slaughtered thousands of children.

The gospel cites Jeremiah the prophet speaking of with the loss of a multitude of children during the Babylonian invasion.  He says that Jewish mothers would not be consoled.  That was before Christ.  With our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, many mothers weeping for their dead children can accept at least some consolation.  They now hope that their children, redeemed by Christ, will experience eternal life.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Feast of Saint John, apostle and evangelist

(I John 1:1-4; John 20:1a.2-8)

 

Once a disillusioned pilgrim returned from the Holy Land lamenting the conditions he encountered.  Not only was there strife between Jews and Arabs, but hawkers constantly besieged him with souvenir trinkets.  Even in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born on a serene night, he found conflict.  The man marveled at how times had changed since the serene night when the animals crowded around the infant Jesus to give him warmth.  However, he only had to read the Scriptures closely to realize that trouble is nothing new to the area.

 

Although the Gospel of Luke depicts a tranquil setting for Jesus’ birth, there is much evidence of conflict in New Testament times.  In John’s gospel Jesus conducts a running debate with the Jews who try to kill him.  The Letters of John report a feud between the community of the beloved disciple and a secessionist group who apparently believed that morals do not matter.  Of course, there is the acrimonious debate between Jesus and the Pharisees which is believed to reflect trouble between the first Christians and their Jewish countrymen.

 

In spite of all this conflict, the writer of the First Letter of John offers a testimony of hope.  Much more than a dream or vision, his testimony involves a living human being whose countenance he saw, whose voice he heard, and whose body he touched.  We do not look to this one so much for deliverance from the pressures of life.  Rather we count on him for the courage to address our problems with justice and justice.  

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

(Acts 6,8-10.7:54-59; Matthew 10:17-22)

Some might think the Church wants to limit people’s enjoyment when she sets the martyrdom of Stephan on the day after Christmas.  But the reason for this placement goes much deeper than prudishness.  The Church wants to remind everyone that Jesus became incarnate to atone for human sins.  His suffering and death secured human freedom from both the debt of and the attachment to sin.  This salvific sacrifice provides the greatest reason for rejoicing.

There are hints of Jesus’ martyrdom in both gospels that contain infancy narratives.  Matthew tells how Herod kills perhaps thousands of toddlers in pursuit of Jesus.  Luke will record Simeon making the prophecy that Jesus “will be a sign that will be contradicted.” In other words, Jesus’ offer of salvation will be brutally resented and rejected.

Christmas week is not Holy Week.  We don’t have to end our rejoicing over our Savior’s birth on December 26.  But we should keep in mind that faith entails more than singing Christmas carols and calling on Jesus’ name.  We must prepare ourselves for sacrifice in service of the Lord as we wait to experience all the fruits of his salvation.

Monday, December 25, 2023

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day

(Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-5.9-14)

Who is Jesus? Where did he come from?  These questions echo through the four gospels.  For sure, he is different from any other person of his time.  But the questions press deeper.  Is he just a “once in a lifetime” personality like Alexander the Great, student of Aristotle and conqueror of a vast empire or, perhaps Mahatma Gandhi, the non-violent liberator of India?  No, the gospels will show that Jesus’ difference is not just that he is one of the most admired figures in history. 

In the gospel today John answers the pressing questions about Jesus.  He is not just a man; before he was born, he existed as God from all eternity.  In time he cast his lot as a human being to enlighten a world blinded by sin.  His light dispelled the darkness of pride, greed, and lust that keep people from living in peace.  It has enabled us to seek what is truly wise, just, and good. 

Today, of course, we celebrate Jesus’ birth. He came into the world in a unique way.  His mother laid him in a manger, certainly an unusual crib. But don’t we all have unique stories of how we were born? One woman first saw the light of day on the kitchen table of her home in Brooklyn where she lived all her ninety-five years! 

More important than the details of Jesus’ physical birth is how he came to give us spiritual birth.  His life, death on the cross, and resurrection engendered our coming to be as children of God.  Accepting him as our Lord, we have been made his sisters and brothers sharing his divine life.  It is hard to recognize this wonder with Christmas lights, gifts, and foods swarming around us.  But when we have time, we need to contemplate it.  Jesus was born yesterday physically like us so that we might be born today spiritually like him.   

Sunday, December 24, 2023

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(II Samuel 7:1-5.8-12.16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38)

Most Christians have heard the word “Incarnation.” However, not everyone knows what it means. The Incarnation is the mystery in which the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became man. Although this concept may not sound strange to us, some would say that it is a contradiction. “How can it be,” they would ask, “that God, the author of the millions upon millions of stars in the universe, can become as limited as a human person? It's like putting a mountain in a shoe box.”

It is not worth trying to explain the possibility now. But we have to address the issue somehow because it has to do with the gospel of the mass today and the great feast tomorrow. The Incarnation gave rise to Christmas as surely as the sun begins the new day. Some think of the Incarnation taking place with the conception of Jesus at the Annunciation as indicated in the Gospel passage today. Others reserve the word for when Mary gives birth to her child. Anyway, it has to do with the coming of God as a human person.

Instead of reflecting on how God became man or exactly when he did it, we would do better to consider the reason for his doing so. What moved the infinite, eternal, and almighty Spirit to limit Himself as a human person? The reason can be discovered in the description of God in the First Letter of John: “God is love.” Divine love – not the passion we feel to unite with another but the willingness to see the good in another – impelled God to save humanity in its precarious condition.

By "precarious condition," we mean sin. We can perceive the effects of sin by opening our eyes to what is happening around us. Millions of innocent lives are at risk in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip due to war. The sexual revolution has produced millions more children without mother and father at home to guide them to maturity. An entire generation is experiencing loneliness, doubt, and inferiority due to the intensive fascination with social media. Finally, our culture is about to experience an immense upheaval due to the rejection of God's first commandment remembered in the Bible: “Be fruitful and multiply…” (Genesis 1:28).

God became man to teach us how to overcome sin in order to live as righteous people. Furthermore, by his death on the cross he has freed us from attachment to pride, greed, and lust. We now live supported by the community of faith with our hopes fixed on eternal life.

Today we celebrate the beginning of this liberation. However, there are forces that want to rob us of its meaning. Instead of remembering Christ, the liberator, these forces would impose gifts as the center of the holiday. Instead of worshiping God, they would substitute partying and playing. It's not that gifts and parties have no place in our Christmas celebration. They do. The joy of having our liberator in our midst brings with it the desire to share the joy with others by giving presents and dancing. But these activities must leave room for the adoration of the divine child.

As a counterexample to our deviant times we have Mary as portrayed in the gospel today. She does not think about her own fame or other benefit from being the mother of the Savior.  Her concern is the service that she will render to God. To Gabriel's proposition, she responds decisively: “'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word'".

We are sinners but redeemed. We celebrate, but always aware of who and why we celebrate. Yes, let's have a merry Christmas. But also let us thank God for becoming human like us.

Friday, December 22, 2023

Friday of the Third Week of Advent

(I Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 1:46-56)

A television drama showed an English matriarch generations ago being told that her son had converted to Catholicism.  Somewhat distressed by the news, the woman asked, “You mean he will go to church with the servants?” The situation of being Catholic in England one hundred years ago was not different than being Christian in New Testament times.  Fellow believers were largely from the servant class.  In the gospel we hear how Mary identifies herself as God’s servant as well.

But if she is God's servant, Mary is also a disciple of His Son Jesus. From the beginning she fulfills Jesus’ criteria of being a member of his eschatological family.  She hears the word of God and puts it into practice (Luke 8:21). In today’s gospel Mary has arrived at Elizabeth's house after a long journey.  She left immediately after hearing from God through the angel that the old woman was pregnant.

But there is another mark of the Christian disciple. He or she has to interpret the word of God for others. It is not enough that she repeats the word as it is heard. She should put it into practical terms so other people will accept it. For this reason Mary does not just say that God is great because he is sending His Son into the world to redeem it from sin. Rather, she expresses the meaning of God’s act for the world: “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”

As Christ’s disciples, we should listen also intently to the word of God, put it into practice, and, when talking to others, interpret it for them. Today we might say how Jesus continues to heal millions through hospitals and has educated hundreds of millions more through schools founded by his followers.  Certainly, God continues to do wonderful things.

Thursday, December 22, 2023

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

(Song of Songs 2:8-14; Luke 1:39-45)

The elderly woman was planning her wedding mass.  Both she and her fiancé were widowed and now entering their second marriage.  The woman was presented with a selection of “first readings,” one of which was today’s passage from the Song of Songs.  “Oh no,” the woman exclaimed.  She did not think of her soon to be husband as the type of man who springs like a gazelle across the hills!

Yet this is how we should think of Christ coming for us!  The Song of Songs has been traditionally read by Christians as an allegory of Christ’s love for the Church.  Especially now as Christmas approaches, we should consider him eager to be with us.  He is always young and loving because he lives in resurrected life without wrinkles or tears.

We have a similar desire to be with him.  We may not spend a lot of time in Church, but we meet him as well in personal prayer and in the good people we encounter.  We want to share with him our joys and worries.  We will thank him for his blessings and not be shy to convey to him our love.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

(Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 1:26-38)

The first reading obviously finds fulfilment in the gospel.  Isaiah says that a virgin will conceive and bear a son whose name will be Emmanuel (i.e., God with us).  In the gospel, Mary, a virgin, miraculously conceives the Son of God.  This comparison teaches that Jesus’ birth was planned through the ages.  There is also in the two readings an enlightening contrast.

Ahaz pretends to be pious king who would never demand anything from God.  Actually, he was an infidel who refused to trust in the messages of God’s prophet Isaiah.  On the other hand, Mary submits herself to God’s will as it is related to her by the angel.  Quite humbly, she calls herself God’s handmaiden or servant.  More importantly, she assents heartily to the divine summons. “Be it done to me,” she says, “according to your word.”

Humility is the fertile soil from which love grows.  We cannot love God if we foolishly consider ourselves as His equals.  We cannot love another person if we think of ourselves as better than she or he.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

(Judges 13:2-7; 24-25a; Luke 1:5-25)

Today’s readings signal Advent’s immediate preparation for Christmas. The gospel, taken from Luke, shows how the evangelist deliberately and descriptively develops his account.  The author compares the events of Jesus’ birth with happenings in the story of Israel.  Jesus is, after all, the fulfilment of God’s plan for the world whose origins are described in the Hebrew Scriptures.

However, the gospel does not even mention Jesus.  It focuses, rather, on the birth of John, Jesus’ forerunner.  John’s conception mirrors those of three pious couples of the Old Testament.  Like Abraham and Sarah, John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, are well beyond the normal child-bearing age.  Like Manoah’s wife, the mother of Samson in today’s first reading, Elizabeth was said to be barren.  Finally, as the prophet-priest Samuel’s parents, Elkanah and Hannah, receive word of Hannah’s foreordained conception at the sanctuary and go home to conceive, so Zechariah hears of his son in the sanctuary of the Temple and goes home to conceive him.

We should not try to tell the story of Jesus with reference to the Story of Israel.  It is true that Jesus’ redeems each of us of our sins.  However, he came amidst a people of faith and left in his wake an expanded people of faith.  Without the context of community we would not even hear the story.  Indeed, it is in community that Jesus reaches us individually, at least in the normal order of things.

Monday. December 18, 2023

Monday of the Third Week in Advent

(Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25)

Church Father Gregory Nazianzus wrote that the Old Testament primarily revealed God the Father with a glimpse of the Son. That glimpse is especially striking in today’s first reading.  The prophet Jeremiah, despite the decimation of Jerusalem, envisages the LORD coming to rescue His people.  He sees a return from exile, and the son of David coming to rule the nations with justice. This leader will be called, “The LORD our justice.” 

The prophecy gives a foretaste of Jesus’ salvific work. His justice will rescue all Israel’s descendants -- Jews and non-Jews alike -- from the exile of sin and death.  He will lead them to his Father’s kingdom where he rules forever.    

Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament longing, which was always for more than a gracious leader of the Israelite nation.  From the beginning God was Father of all nations.  Israel was His instrument in bringing the world together in holiness.  Jesus Christ, son of Israel and Son of God, remains our hope for lasting peace and eternal happiness.

Sunday, December 17, 2023

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(Isaiah 61:1-2.10-11; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8.19-28)

Liturgists call this third Sunday of Advent “Gaudete Sunday.” In case you don't remember, guadete means rejoice. We should rejoice because the coming of the Lord is closer than we thought. He will come in a sense when we celebrate Christmas in two weeks. He will also come at the end of time to claim us as the chosen ones of His Kingdom. Because he considers this second coming almost at hand, Paul tells the Thessalonians in the second reading, “Rejoice always.”

There is certainly a lot of joy in the air these days. People are celebrating the end of the year with parties and vacations. But this joy is not of the same as ours as Christians. The joy of those who attend parties has to do with the social consensus of relaxing at the end of the year from tedious work. The consensus gives permission for people to have fun with plenty of drinks, food, and loud music. Taken to the extreme, this fun could lead to ruin. But it is not bad in itself. Moderate relaxation protects the person from the false idea that humans were created primarily to produce things.

In any case, our Christian joy is different. It should always remain in our hearts because it is rooted in the fact that Christ has guaranteed us a glorious destiny. Today we emphasize joy because the Lord will come soon to fulfill this destiny for us. When we enjoy homemade cookies and eggnog on Christmas Day, it will be because he has come to make us spiritually alive like himself.

John the Baptist serves as our guide. He sheds all illusion of his own greatness. He clearly says that he is not the messiah nor any other prophet. Rather he is just the voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” John is a person who wants to serve, not be served. His service consists of chastening people to reform their lives so that the Lord does not pass them by when he comes.

For many it is difficult to accept this call from Juan. Sin has blurred the moral landscape so much that many never see themselves as the perpetrators of evil but only its victims. Greed, lust, and selfishness have dominated their lives. Still, they do not recognize themselves as in need of reform. Nor do they feel the need for a savior to rescue them from precariousness. They think that with good psychological guidance they can solve their problems and live well. Although there is a place for psychological help, it will not overcome the evil that causes the ruin of souls.

We live in a time that philosophers call “post-Christian.” Many people throughout the world do not believe in God, and even fewer accept the Christian faith. In many cases they are not fully responsible for their refusal to believe because they have not heard the faith preached with intelligence and conviction. For them as well as for our salvation we want to live our faith with integrity. Doing so, we will be the trunk of Jesse that sprouts a new branch, as Isaiah proclaims in a favorite Advent reading, so that the world may be saved.

It is not bad in itself to participate in the current Christmas celebrations. Certainly, humans are not made only to work. May we rejoice with others. But may we always carry in our hearts the firm conviction that we celebrate, above all, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

Friday, December 15, 2023

Friday of the Second Week of Advent

(Isaiah 48:17-19; Matthew 11:16-19)

A young man was having trouble choosing a priestly vocation.  He wavered between being a diocesan priest and a religious.  Finally, he chose a religious order and was ordained.  Unfortunately, after a few years he left that calling.  His changing loyalties is like the fickleness that exasperates Jesus in today gospel.

The crowds following Jesus are unwilling to commit themselves to the Lord.  His approach has emphasized God’s love and mercy.  Earlier they had rejected John’s sterner approach warning of God’s wrath for sinners.  One way or the other, people must submit themselves to God if they are to experience His salvation.  Isaiah gives this instruction in the first reading.  He says that if a people follow God’s commandments, their prosperity would be like a river growing as it reaches the sea.

We have chosen to follow the Lord’s ways.  Still there is a possibility of our backsliding.  Leaving our commitment unfulfilled would be tragic for us as well as for those who look to us for example.  So we pray everyday and in a special way today, “Lead us not into temptation…”

Thursday, December 14, 2023

 Memorial of Saint John of the Cross

(Isaiah 41:13-20; Matthew 11:11-15)

The violence to which Jesus refers in the gospel seems to be Herod’s seizure of John.  Shortly, Jesus will receive word that John has been beheaded.  Jesus too will suffer a violent death.  In truth the Kingdom as Jesus says, is being taken over by violent men.

However, God will upend the violence.  With the resurrection Jesus’ Roman executioners will fall to the ground as if they were dead.  As Second Isaiah predicts in the first reading, the Lord God will redeem those subject to violence. 

As much as any theologian, John of the Cross describes the suffering of those who participate in the Kingdom.  Their ordeals are as much existential as it is physical.  Often, he says, they feel that they are abandoned by God in their need.  They experience, in John’s words, “the dark night of the soul.”          ‘ Their faithfulness in this trial, however, opens them to God’s mercy as He acts on their behalf.  They come to know God as their loving redeemer who in death will save them from oblivion.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

(Isaiah 40:25-31; Matthew 11:27-30)

The movie Chariots of Fire tells the story of the British Olympic track team of 1920.  Several outstanding men were on that team, but the one who captured the most attention was a Christian who refused to compete on the Lord’s Day.  Because of his insistence on putting the Lord before earthly prizes, he lost the opportunity to win a medal in his specialty.  One of his teammates, who had already earned a medal, saw the injustice and gave the him his berth in another race.  The Christian ran and won.

After the race the Christian received a message from a runner of a different team.  The message contained the verse from today’s first reading.  “They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings. They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”  This truth was certainly validated in the case of this athlete who refused to betray his principle of resting on the Lord’s Day.

We may disagree with the judgment of the athlete not to run on Sundays, but his living what his conscience dictates deserves not only admiration but also imitation.  Conscience is the voice of God speaking personally to us.  We are obliged to form our conscience guided by Church teaching, and we must always obey what it judges right.

 

 

 

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 (Zechariah 1:14-17; Luke 1:39-47)

What were Juan Diego’s hopes as he set out the morning of December 9, 1531, for the Franciscan mission?  Perhaps he only hoped to learn more about Christ.  But probably deep down he harbored other, greater hopes.  He might have hoped for the Europeans to leave his land.  They were foreigners telling the native people where they could go and what they could do.  It may be that Juan Diego harbored another hope that morning.  He was a devout man and already a Christian.  Perhaps he hoped to see all the native peoples embrace Jesus.  As the Spaniards occupied more of the land, fewer natives were accepting the faith.  Juan Diego may have regretted that his people were missing the one who could have improved their lives immeasurably.

Hope is more than wishful thinking.  It invades one’s consciousness causing the person to search for opportunities to realize what is hoped for. Hope overcomes the fear of taking risks.  People today cross seas in small boats and deserts at night in hope of a better future.  Juan Diego’s hope moved him to enter the city as the lovely lady, the Virgin of Guadalupe, told him.  It made him insist that the bishop there hear what the lady wanted.  Hope finally caused Juan Diego to work for the conversion of his people to Christianity.

During Advent Christians become aware of a great hope in our hearts.  We long to see the good prosper and the evil reform.  We try to reform ourselves and pray for others to do so.  Because we know that the mother of God is an especially powerful advocate, we ask her to pray for us.  Today we especially pray to the Virgin of Guadalupe.  We ask her to intercede for us that our hope that our children keep the faith, our elders may live out their years in peace and happiness, and that we may become more just and kind.

Monday, December 11, 2023

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

(Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 5:17-26)

During the first weeks of Advent the gospel of the mass always fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading.  Today Isaiah proclaims that Israel will experience soon the coming of the Lord.  Isaiah says that the Lord will not only heal the afflicted but also transform nature. With his coming the desert will turn into a watered garden.  The new reality will enable the people who have been exiled in Assyria to return to their homeland.

In the gospel people come to Jesus who is a kind of watered garden refreshing the faith of the people.  They come from all over Israel to experience his salvation.  He heals the paralyzed man and, more wondrously, forgives his sins.  In doing so, the scribes and Pharisees give indirect testimony that Jesus is God.  Since only God can forgive sin, Jesus must be God!

Sometimes we feel exiled on the fringe of a desert and far from salvation.  We become sick or injured.  Those around have lost trust in God.  People appear increasingly careless if not cruel. We too should go to Jesus, accompanied by others who believe in him.  He will lift our spirits and heal our souls.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 10, 2023

(Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11; II Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8)

The author of the first reading today is said to be one of the most brilliant prophets in the history of Israel. Ironically, however, his name is not known. He is called “Second Isaiah” because his work has been included with that of the prophet Isaiah of Jerusalem in the scrolls of the Hebrew Scriptures. Second Isaiah wrote from Babylon where thousands of Jews were exiled in the sixth century BC.

The Jews suffered there, but not so much materially as spiritually. They felt alienation in a pagan country, more than a thousand kilometers from their native land. They could not practice their religion openly. Nor did they have the Temple where they could offer sacrifices asking for forgiveness of their sins and other favors from God.

The reading begins with God saying that the Jewish people have suffered enough for their sins that led them into exile. He wants them to prepare now to return to Judah. There is a second announcement of good news in the reading, but this time it is for the inhabitants of Judah. They too have suffered greatly from the invasion of the Babylonians. In addition to the devastation of being conquered, they have lost loved ones taken into exile and have seen the Temple destroyed. The message for them is to wait for God who will come soon with great compassion. He will treat them like a shepherd who feeds and protects his flock.

Like Second Isaiah, the evangelist Mark has good news for the people. He is beginning the story of Jesus Christ, the “Son of God,” who will save humanity from the foolishness of sin. Jesus arrives in a time of alienation. (This word means that people feel unimportant and isolated from others.) In Israel in the middle of the first century, alienation is rooted in the many customs of the Pharisees who create the idea that God is a rigid taskmaster, not a loving Father.

John the Baptist also has good news for the Jewish people. He lives in the desert with only basic resources, but close to God. He says that there is one bearing the Spirit of God who will come soon to overcome alienation. He does not name him but recognizes him as so superior to him that he is not worthy to untie his sandal. Although we know him as Jesus Christ, people who turn to John in the desert are left in suspense.

Jesus will resolve the alienation in Israel in the first century and also in our time. Nowadays with social media well established, many suffer from the lack of human warmth. They find themselves at home looking for virtual “friends” on Facebook or comparing themselves to others on Instagram. These vain searches often result in feelings of loneliness, doubt, and inferiority. Practitioners often experience thoughts of suicide. Through his death on the cross that redeems the world, Jesus will show the love of the Father.

The world has not yet learned that wealth, pleasure, and fame do not produce happiness. Rather, after giving a few moments of satisfaction, these values leave us with more and more desires, more needs. What really makes us happy are the security of our family, the support of our friends, and the consolation of our faith. For this reason, the inhabitants of Utah and South Dakota, where faith is widely practiced and people live with their families, are among the happiest people in the United States.

In Advent with the announcements of Second Isaiah and John the Baptist we realize that Jesus is about to reach out to us again. He comes to share his Spirit that makes us generous, joyful, and holy. Yes, we have to watch for him in daily events, particularly at mass. We also have to embrace him in our service to others.

Friday, December 8, 2023

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Genesis 3:9-15.20; Ephesians 1:3-6.11-12; Luke 1:26-38)

Sin like sewerage contaminates everything it touches.  The primordial sin of Adam and Eve rejects God’s authority.  Its perversion does not end there, however.  Both man and woman proceed to wrongly cast blame on others.  The man accuses the woman of giving him the forbidden fruit.  The woman says the devil tricked her into eating it. 

The pollution of sin is not definitively arrested until Jesus dies on the cross.  Even then, as we know, sin seeps through cracks in the human make-up.  Mary, however, shows herself in today’s gospel as the one exception to the universal allocation of sin.  Faced with a divine mandate, she has no concern for herself.  Her question about how she was to conceive and bear a son is a call for orders on what to do.  Despite being given an exotic answer, she answers definitively.  She will do what God wants.

Today we ponder the exception of Mary to the universality of sins in human persons.  We may see it in two ways.  First, we notice that what happens to Mary happens to us at Baptism.  Christ frees us from sin so that our lives might, as the reading from Ephesians claims, give him fitting praise.  Second, in Mary’s singular case, sin has not tainted her immaculate beginning.  From the start, her will is dominated by her intellect which, in turn, is fixed on the Holy One.  She can tell the angel in today’s gospel without reservation, “’May it be done to me according to your word.’”

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27)

St. Ambrose of Milan exemplifies the wise and just man of today’s readings.  He saw the need to resist the Arian heresy as well as the interference of the state in church affairs.  Nor did he neglect the poor.  He once advised his people that if they had two shirts in their wardrobe, one belonged to the poor person who had none.

The reading from Isaiah indicates the strength of people like Ambrose who trust in the Lord.  They cannot be defeated forever.  If a mighty power seizes them, they will resist capitulation until they are rescued.  The gospel indicates that taking to heart Jesus’ words strengthens one to resist evil in all its forms.

We may tire of hearing Jesus’ words and celebrating him in the Eucharist.  As they say, we “have seen and heard it all before.”  But we have not likely taken him to heart.  The more we do, the closer we come to Jesus who makes us strong, wise, and just.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

(Optional) Memorial of Saint Nicholas, bishop

(Isaías 25: 6-10a; Matthew 15:29-37)

Considered a great saint in the eastern church, Nicholas is perhaps more universally known in the West.  Our Santa Claus is derived from this holy bishop renowned also for his generosity.  Whatever charity he bestowed, St. Nicholas would probably say that he was only doing what Jesus asks in the gospel.

Today’s passage shows Jesus tirelessly curing all the people’s ills.  Exhausting his disciples, he asks them what could be given the people for sustenance.  When they indicate that their provisions are scant, he demonstrates the unlimited amount of his supply.  Confidently he takes the seven loaves and two fish, gives thanks to his Father in heaven, and has it distributed among the people.  Of course, the whole multitude eats more than enough.

God is magnanimous with us.  He gives us more than we need to work out salvation.  It is good that we have a figure like Santa Claus indicating the bounty of God.  But it’s also a shame that he has replaced the Christ child as the central figure of Christmas in many homes.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

Biblical scholas say that Isaiah probably had another referent in mind than Jesus of Nazareth for today’s prophecy.  They claim that he was probably thinking of the son of the then current King Ajaz and his wife.  Perhaps it is so.  However, what Isaiah proposes as a result of the future king’s birth is nothing less than outrageously miraculous.  Christians rightly see the prophecy as referring to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

The gospel shows Jesus’ unique relationship with God.  He is the beloved Son who never challenges the Father’s will.  He bears the Holy Spirit deep in his person so that he can minister to every person’s needs.  He is the long-desired of the nations whom Isaiah glimpsed six hundred years earlier.

In a way Jesus is still on the horizon coming to cure our world’s troubles.  Especially now at the beginning of Advent we want to prepare ourselves to receive him.  With the first Christians we add our voices, “Marana tha”.  “Lord Jesus, come!”

Monday, December 4, 2023

Monday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 4:2-6; Matthew 8:5-11)

It may sound like everything is rosy in Jerusalem when Isaiah utters the prophecy of today’s first reading.  But in truth the people there have committed idolatry and greed.  The good news is sandwiched between two prophecies of woe.  It is a vision that gives hope to good people living in a depraved society.

Just eleven verses before Isaiah proclaims Jerusalem the eternal school of peace, Isaiah calls it an “adulteress.”  In the verse after the prophecy he says that the people of the land “are filled with fortunetellers and soothsayers like the Philistines.” Somehow, despite corruption all around him, Isaiah believes that Israel, God’s especially chosen people, will fulfill its destiny of modeling holiness and justice.

Advent is preeminently the season of hope.  We dare to hope publicly that Jesus will come back soon.  We need him desperately to end war, to restore strong family life, and to resolve pressing issues like world-wide migration.

Sunday, December 3, 2024

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(Isaiah 63:16-17.19,64:2-7; I Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37)

As our testimony to the presence of the Lord after consecration, we say, "Come, Lord Jesus." This coming at the end of times has been called the “Parousia.” This Greek word signifies the visit of a king or a powerful person to the people of a certain place. In the Eucharist we recognize that Christ is present in a sacramental form, but we want him to be present in a total way so that we see his face, touch his arm, and hear his voice. It will be the culmination of our experience as Christians and the end of history.

The first reading comes from the third part of the prophet Isaiah.  It shows that we are not the first to wait for the coming of the Lord. Here the Jews have returned from exile in Babylon. Their nation was crushed by the Babylonians. Now they have to start over. They want God to once again help them so that the days of glory return to the people. Without an adequate conception of personal life transcending death the most they could hope for was the independence and high stature of Israel among the nations of the world.

In the second reading Paul expresses an awareness of eternal life. Because of what happened to Jesus Christ on the third day of his death, the apostle knows that the resurrection is the destiny of those who trust in Jesus. He says that God's gifts have equipped the Corinthians so that they can live without sin until the Parousia. At that time he will reclaim his people from the dust of the earth to give them a place in heaven.

The gospel gives the Lord's last teaching to his disciples before his passion. It touches on the need for vigilance for the Parousia. The disciples have to be prepared, which is the right meaning of “watch”. They will prepare themselves by living as attentive servants doing good. They should not sleep like vagabonds doing whatever they want.

We have to admit that few of us today await the Parousia with great anticipation. Our myopia does not allow us to see much further than our own deaths. We think that in death our souls will live with Christ in glory and that this is all that matters. Our loved ones who have also passed through the terror of death will be close to us. Our misunderstanding is rooted in the lack of adequate appreciation of the human being. We think of him or her as a soul imprisoned in a body. According to this error the soul can exist quite well without “this mortal coil” as Prince Hamlet called the body.

But the body is much more than a wire that holds our spirit. Whether beautiful or ugly, strong or sick, our body is part of us for which we should be grateful. Only with the body can we see and touch, hear and smell. Without our bodies, we would be as limited as prisoners in solitary confinement. Without our bodies it may be possible to exist in proximity to loved ones, but we would not be able to touch or kiss them. We could possibly communicate with them in a sense, but we would not be able to hear their voices. At most the experience will be like a Zoom meeting that gives some satisfaction, but in no way is it the same as the presence of others face to face.

We should look forward to the coming of Christ with great anticipation for two reasons. First, according to biblical testimonies it will be immediately preceded by the resurrection of our bodies from the dust of the earth so that we can hug, kiss, and talk with our loved ones. Second and even more tremendous, will be the experience of knowing Christ fully, face to face and shoulder to shoulder.

Therefore, we should wait on tiptoe for the coming of Christ. May it be before the end of the year, God willing. Anyway, we say with the early Christians, “Marana tha,” that is, “Our Lord, come.”