Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Memorial of Saint Basil and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church

(I John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28)

The First Letter of John hinges on the belief that Christ came in the flesh.  This explains its use during the Christmas season.  In the first century doubters argued that Christ was an angel-like being who saved through revealing the divine will.  Of course, if he were only spiritual, he would not have been like us. Nor could he have sacrificed himself to redeem us from our sins. And we would not have gained an eternal destiny. 

Today’s passage references the anointing the faithful receive after Baptism and at Confirmation.  This sign assures that the Holy Spirit has penetrated our being.  The Spirit inculcates in us the sense of being joined to Christ so that we share in his crucifixion and resurrection.  Now as members of the Christian community, the Body of Christ, we receive all the support necessary to live a life of justice.

The lesson on the Holy Spirit fits the feast of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen.  These two Fathers of the Eastern Church commented extensively on the work of the Holy Spirit.  Also, their self-effacing friendship epitomizes the communal assistance necessary for the Christian quest of eternal life.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

(Number 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21)

In southern Italian city of Matera thousands of people lived in caves until the 1950s.  The people farmed and herded sheep for a subsistence living.  At night they returned to their homes dug out of limestone thousands of years ago.  There they ate and slept along with their most valuable farm animals.  It is quite possible that Jesus was born in a grotto such as one of these caves.

Today’s gospel shows the shepherds coming to worship the newborn Savior.  They recognize him in part by the manger that would have been part of an inhabited cave.  The second century Christian philosopher Justin Martyr, a native of Palestine and familiar with Bethlehem, claims that Jesus was born in a grotto or cave.  Some of the Fathers of the Church thought this testimony credible.  They wrote that in becoming human Jesus descended to the depths of the earth so that he might redeem all people.

The passage also features Mary.  It says that she is reflecting in her heart on all that is taking place.  She realizes that Jesus’ birth in the humblest conditions has significance.  It rebukes the rich and powerful who seek to control others.  She knows that shepherds represent the poor.  They depend upon Christ as their hope in an often callous world.  And she knows that the angels spoke the truth.  They announced the birth of Jesus who saves us from our sins

Monday, December 31, 2018

Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

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

Remember the movies where the Anti-Christ was pictured as a super-suave, very evil-intentioned man?  He was revealed by the numbers “666” branded somewhere on his person.  That’s Hollywood.  In today’s first reading we find one of the four times “antichrist” is found in the Bible.  The other three are also in the Letters of John.  None describes a person of great evil.  All refer to people who have left the author’s community.  The situation is similar to what has happened throughout the two millennia of Christianity.  There are examples of it taking place today as well.

Many people are deeply offended by the way the bishops have handled sexual abuse of minors.  They are appalled of the cover-ups and the reassigning of molesters to other parishes. They certainly should expect behavior better than average by men who preach the gospel.  The fact that errant priests were reassigned often with professional assurance that they were not likely to commit the same crimes again should contribute to understanding how such a scandal could have arisen.  Fortunately, it must be said now, the abuse and certainly reassignment are phenomena of the past. A system of checks has been put into place to assure the protection of minors.

Some, whose faith is shaky, may have found in clergy abuse an excuse to leave the Church.  Hopefully, they will see the light and come back.  The light here is not some celestial luminary.  It is Christ himself.  He left the ongoing work of redemption in the hands of imperfect men.  Although by and large the men and women working in the name of the Church have sacrificed themselves for others, some have failed.  As we end one year and begin a new one, we pray that their sins may be repented and forgiven.  We also ask God’s help that such crimes will never blemish the Church again.

Friday, December 28, 2018

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

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

The joy of Christmas never goes unmitigated.  On December 26, Catholics celebrate the Feast of St. Stephan, the first Christian martyr.  Stephan was stoned to death as he testified to Jesus’ glorification at God’s right hand.  The undercurrent of sorrow is even more pronounced today -- two days later – when the Church remembers the Holy Innocents.  As the gospel relates, these infants were slaughtered in Herod’s maniacal obsession to eliminate rivals.

The two sobering feasts of Christmastide remind people of the purpose of this great feast.  It hardly celebrates the glory of humanity – its capacity for virtue and autonomy.  Rather Christmas brings rejoicing because God has sent His Son to redeem humans from folly.  The Christ child is born not just to teach humans God’s holy will, but more importantly to die in satisfaction for their sins.  It is like the American missionary doctor in Africa who a few years ago contracted the deadly Ebola virus while working to defeat the disease. 

Yet there is no need for us to spend these days in mourning.  As St. Stephan and the Holy Innocents shared in Christ’s redemptive death, they have also participated in his triumph over death.  We believe that they are nearer to Christ in glory than we can be at the present time.  We now join their hymn of praise to God.  We also hope to stand among them sooner or later in eternal happiness.

Thursday, December 27, 2017

Feast of Saint John, apostle and evangelist

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

Some may be taken aback by the appearance of a resurrection account so near to Christmas.  But the resurrection is as much part of Christ’s story as his death forecasted yesterday on the Feast of St. Stephen.  It could be said “even more so” for Jesus was not born to die like other humans.  Rather from all eternity he was to rise from the dead as the Son of God.

Of course, it is the Beloved Disciple who takes center stage in today’s passage.  More than likely he did not actually write the Gospel according to John.  But he evidently provided many of the traditions on which it is based.  The reading testifies to how he believes without seeing the risen Christ.  In this he differs from the other disciples.  Later in the gospel Jesus will say to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen me.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  The Beloved Disciple is the first person to believe in Christ’s resurrection without seeing him risen.

We follow the Beloved Disciple in due course.  Christmas could not ultimately be joyous with our belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  It accomplished the victory over sin for which Christ was born.  Because of it we live in true freedom.  More wonderfully, Jesus’ resurrection has assured us of eternal life when we follow him.