Thursday, December 31, 2020

 Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

Was the year so bad after all?  Yes, it was hard.  We have all felt disappointment, uncertainty, and the loss of loved ones.  The Corona-19 Virus has taken opportunities to see people and do things that we were counting on.  It suspended judgment on most everything.  Should we go to Mass or not?  Will there be a graduation or a football season?  People whom we have known all our lives passed on without a funeral.  Yes, we are glad that the year is officially ending and look forward to better times.

Yet before we close 2020, we should thank the Lord for some of its elements.  Nuclear families reunited to eat, play, and pray together.  We expressed gratitude to workers – attendants, deliverers, caregivers – whom we had overlooked before.  We were given time to reflect on our lives.  The world may not care to do this.  But today’s gospel tells us that the world rejected Jesus as well.  We know him to be the source of family, of work, and of the truth about ourselves.

Before we forge into the new year we should make a resolution.  We want a return to normalcy but let it be a new normal.  Let us learn from the blessings of 2020 as difficult as they were to realize.  Let us promise to give more time to our families.  Let us bless everyone who is contributing to a better world (and pray for those who do not care).  And let us follow Jesus, the light that has shown in darkness.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

It is our last chance to take to take account of the passing year before we launch into the new one.  What was good about this past year, and what do we wish never would have happened?  On first recall it seems like things mostly went wrong during 2019.  President Trump made so many blunders that no one is surprised that he has been impeached.  Much more tragically, guns are taking a record number of lives on many cities’ streets.  If that were not enough misery, suicide rates are reaching new heights.  On the bright side, unemployment is so low that most people can find a job.  Today’s gospel gives news of something even more hopeful.

The passage tells of the word of God bringing "life" to the world.  The original Greek makes a distinction here that should be kept in mind.  The evangelist is not writing of bios, natural life, which has its wonder for sure but is always subject to corruption.  No, the life highlighted here is nous or a life so vibrant that it transcends death.  It is a life of exaltation in which participants feel such an intimate connection with God that they can avoid sin.  It is a sense of "grace in place of grace" pouring into one's heart.

We are recipients of grace’s vibrant life in Baptism.  Those who remember the occasion know it as a moment of being overwhelmed by a higher power.  But all should be aware that the grace enables us to resist personal aggrandizement that destroys our unity with others.  Moved by this grace, we look forward to the New Year.  It gives us resolve to maintain close relations with other people as well as with God.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

It is a good day to take stock.  We want to ask ourselves, “What were the most significant events of 2015?”  And, “How did I fare this past year?  Am I a better person now than a year ago?”

The year 2015 may be especially remembered for a Supreme Court edict.  Nine judges by a five-to-four vote required every jurisdiction in the country to grant marriage licenses to homosexual couples.  In doing so, the non-elected body not only obliterated the duly-established laws of most of the states but defied what has been recognized as natural law from time immemorial. 

Today’s gospel should provide some consolation to those of us who were saddened by the decision.  We look to Jesus as the light of the world.  He shines in the darkness of this world’s folly as the source of life.  If we can say that we have drawn closer to him during this past year, then 2015 was a positive experience despite the caprices of the demigods on the courts.  If we cannot say that, then let us pray we might do so a year from now.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

It’s our last chance to take to take account of the passing year before we launch into the new one.  Which were its happiest moments and which would we take back?  Certainly the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio has brought the world a new sense of hope.  His simplicity, openness, and compassion have disarmed critics of religion when bolstering the aspirations of the poor. There always seem to be too many competitors for the distinction of what most went wrong.  However, the war in Syria that remains intractable and devoid of promise stands out as especially lamentable.  In the midst of this darkness today's gospel shines a ray of hope.

The passage tells of the word bringing "life" to the world.  The original Greek makes a distinction here that is necessary to bear in mind.  The evangelist is not writing of bios, natural life, which has its wonder for sure but is always subject to corruption.  No, the life highlighted here is nous or living fullness that transcends even death.  It is a life of personal and social exaltation in which those who partake of it feel a connection with the divine that defeats sin.  It is a sense of "grace in place of grace" pouring into one's heart.

We are recipients of the fullness of life in Baptism.  Those who remember the occasion know it as a moment of particular grace.  None of us should forget that the grace beckons us to resist the temptations to personal aggrandizement that destroy this sense of unity with all.  Then we look forward to the New Year with every intention to keep ourselves close to other people, especially the poor, as well as to God.

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

For some Catholics the ponderous words of today’s gospel are quite familiar. These people were raised before the Second Vatican Council when the first fourteen verses of the passage were recited at the end of every mass. For this reason they are sometimes referred to as “The Last Gospel.”

The passage’s opening verses address the ancient controversy of whether Christ was really God. Some postulate that belief in Christ’s divinity contradicts God’s unity. The verses show how Christ, the Word, can be the one God yet exist in distinction from the Father: he comes from the Father yet not after the Father since he and the Father with the Spirit existed before time began when there was no before and after. The passage further relates that the Word actually took on human flesh to ground Christian belief not in hypothesis but in the deeds of an historical persona, Jesus of Nazareth.

Used as the gospel we read at the final mass of the year, the passage allows us to peak beyond the end of time while it reinforces the purpose of the Word becoming flesh. As Christ existed with the Father before time began, his work as human makes us God’s children so that we might exist with him, the Father, and the Spirit when time ends.

Friday, December 31, 2010

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

To many Catholics the ponderous words of today’s gospel are not obscure but quite familiar. These people were raised before the Second Vatican Council when the first fourteen verses of the passage were recited at the end of every mass. For this reason we may have heard them referred to as “The Last Gospel.”

The passage deserves meditation by old as well as young. Its opening verses enlighten the ancient controversy of whether Christ was really God. Some have questioned whether the belief in Christ’s divinity contradicts God’s unity. The verses tell us not only that Christ, the Word, is God but also show how he can come from the Father yet not after the Father: the Son and the Father with the Spirit existed before time began when there was no before and after. The passage further relates that the Word actually took on human flesh to ground faith not in hypothesis but in the deeds of an historical human, Jesus of Nazareth.

Used as the gospel we read at the final mass of the year, the passage allows us to peak beyond the end of time while it reinforces the purpose of the Word becoming flesh. As Christ existed with the Father before time began, his work as human makes us God’s children so that we might exist with him, the Father, and the Spirit when time ends.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

Some people may find it curious that the Church ends the calendar year with a reading from the beginning of one of the gospels. However, those who remember the so-called Tridentine Mass will recognize the passage as the “Last Gospel.” It is still read at the closing of every mass celebrated according to the Tridentine rubrics.

The passage itself summarizes the story the whole gospel is about to tell. The Word of God, Jesus the Christ, existed before creation began and is the source of all creation. Although he is one with God, he came to live with humans so that we might share in the life of God. But like coyotes returning to their dens at sunrise, humans often reject the light of Christ. To those who brave the shame of having their sins exposed, however, Christ confers the grace of forgiveness.

Today is a choice day for going to confession. We want to end the old year reconciled for the mistakes we have made. And we want to begin the new year with a resolve to live in accordance with the light of Christ.

Homilette for Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

(I John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18)

People may find it curious that the Church ends the calendar year with a reading from the beginning of one of the gospels. However, those who remember the so-called Tridentine Mass will recognize the passage as the “last gospel.” It is still read at the closing of every mass celebrated according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal.

The passage itself summarizes the story that the gospel writer is about to tell. The Word of God, Jesus Christ, existed before creation and is the source of all that is. Although he is one with God, he came to live among humans to enlighten for them the path of righteousness. Unfortunately, humans often reject the light of Christ like coyotes running for cover at sunrise. But to those who brave the embarrassment of having their sins exposed, Christ confers the grace of repentance and forgiveness.

Today is a choice day for making resolutions of how we intend to live in the future. Let us resolve to walk according to the light of Christ during the coming year. Let us commit ourselves to reject what is bad, to do what is good, and to consult Church teaching for assistance in distinguishing between the two.

Homilette for January 31, 2007

Monday, the Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

(John 1:1-18)

Some people may find it curious that the Church ends the calendar year with a reading from the beginning of one of the gospels. However, those who remember the so-called Tridentine Mass will recognize the passage as the “last gospel.” It is read at the closing of every mass celebrated according to the Tridentine rubrics.

The passage itself summarizes the story the whole gospel is about to tell. The Word of God, Jesus the Christ, existed before creation began and is the source of all creation. Although he is one with God, he came to live with humans so that we might share in the life of God. But like coyotes returning to their dens at sunrise, humans often reject the light of Christ. To those who brave the embarrassment of having their sins exposed, however, Christ confers the grace to repent and be forgiven.

Today is a choice day for going to confession. We want to end the old year reconciled for the mistakes we have made. And we want to begin the new year with a resolve to live in accord with the light of Christ.