catholicism

When we trust in Jesus, just as he transformed water to wine, he will transform us with his love.

God takes the initiative to reach out to us and then we have the choice to respond. Our very desire to encounter God in prayer is already a prayer in itself, because we are acknowledging our relationship with God that already exists. Awareness that God exists is not the end goal but only the beginning. A deist believes God exists. Our God, though transcendent and beyond our realm of understanding, is at the same time a God who draws close, who initiates an encounter and invites us, each and every one of us, to have a relationship with him.

Our relationship with God begins with our awareness of his presence in our lives and a recognition that he invites us to experience him more and more. Our relationship develops in intimacy and authentically when we are willing to reveal ourselves to God and be still and open as he reveals himself to us.

Many times our relationship with God and others flattens out or plateaus for many reasons. The core of which is that we close in on ourselves. We focus too much on work or projects, seek false truths, deny our own emotional and spiritual hurts and wounds and instead of seeking help or reaching out, and we keep God and others at arm’s length. We begin to live a half life or merely exist day to day. Instead of living, we find ourselves going through the motions or reacting from survival mode.

God seeks for us to be fully engaged in life. We can see this in the account of John’s Gospel for today. The wine has run out at the wedding feast of Cana. This may seem odd until we realize that Jewish weddings during this time were a week long. Mary though is aware of the need and the possible embarrassment to the bridegroom and his family if anyone finds this out. She turns to her Son, who seems to be indifferent to the situation. Is pushing back is not because he is indifferent to the need, but to affirm to Mary that this is not the hour to reveal his true presence.

This sign of changing of about 180 gallons of water to wine is only a beginning of the fulfillment of the “messianic banquet” which was to boast a superabundance of wine (see Isaiah 25:6-8). This sign will not be in the open for all to see, but only for his disciples so that they can see and come “to believe in him” (John 2:11). This will be a foretaste not only of the Last Supper, but the celebration of the Mass where heaven and earth are wedded. For Jesus is our bridegroom and we the Church are his bride. The Mass is the celebratory feast!

Our discernment for our vocation and path in life becomes clearer when we trust in Jesus. God sent his Son to invite us and help us to deepen our relationship with his Father. Jesus meets us all in our present situations and invites us to be still and listen. If doing that is not easy, or you have been attempting to do so, but continue to be diverted and distracted, past hurts and wounds arise that are in need of healing, indecision, anxiety, anger, impatience, or any other distractions or diversions assail you as you attempt to slow down and be still. Then come to a place of quiet, make the sign of the cross, and take one slow, deep breath for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. Then take another and call to mind the words of Mary: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).

No matter what distractions arise, return to these words, again and again, and if it helps make them your own. “I will stay still and do whatever Jesus tells me.” Or remain with Mary’s words. Begin small with five minutes a day. Be open in the time you stay with him and return to the phrase throughout the day. Over time, you will begin to slow down, experience some stillness, and you will hear his guidance.

When we are willing to turn to and sit at Jesus’ feet, listen to and follow his guidance, he will lead us to the source of our being, God his Father and our Father, and to the truth of who we are and are called to be. Just as Jesus transformed the water to wine, as our relationship with him grows, we will be transformed by God’s love. We will experience joy and strength, healing and renewal, access and means, as well as fulfillment and joy in our lives as we continue to do whatever Jesus tells us.

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Photo: Stained glass window of Jesus changing water to wine, St. Anthony’s Croatian Church, Los Angeles, taken June of 2019.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, January 19, 2025

May Mark help us to experience the life of Jesus in our own lives.

Jesus quoted no one. He spoke from his own authority. Nor did he shy away from the attacks of demons.

The Gospel of John picks up the source of Jesus’ authority from the beginning line of his Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). Jesus is the Word, the Logos in Greek. Who would have more authority to speak about the word of God, than the Logos, the Word, himself?

The authority of Jesus was not only limited to teaching but restoration. Jesus is the light who shines in the darkness. His Father sent him to invite us to receive the restoration of the likeness we have lost because of the Fall. As he was teaching in the synagogue he expelled the unclean spirit of a man when he said, “Quiet! Come out of him” (Mk 1:25)! The unclean spirit would not go easy, but could not remain in the presence of Jesus and the command of his word.

Jesus came to teach in the synagogue and the authority of his teaching identified the evil in the midst of the congregation. “Jesus’ teaching has the intrinsic effect of exposing evil so that it can be expelled” (Healy 2008, 42). His first act to follow his address that the kingdom of God was at hand was to begin to undo the disfigurement of the good that God his Father had created. The time of fulfillment was indeed at hand in the coming of Jesus and he began his work by proclaiming and teaching with authority and exorcising his authority over demons.

If you haven’t read the Bible ever, have not for a long time, have been away for a while, or could benefit from a deeper dive, I invite you to read the Gospel of Mark. Do so with the intention not of reading a history book or novel, but to read, study, and above all pray with Mark’s account. In this way, we come to not just know about Jesus, but know Jesus and experience his authority in our own lives. We will come to experience the same awe and wonder of those who experienced Jesus in person.

A great way to do so is to read along with the Church as we are reading the Gospel daily right now in the lectionary or at your own pace, say five to ten minutes a day. What may be even better is to read a short section at a time, read it over two to three times, and meditate on the passage. Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels, it is quick moving, and action-packed; the James Patterson of the Gospels. The accounts lend themselves particularly well to visualizing, and placing yourself in the reading as if you were watching a movie. Open your heart and mind to what Jesus wants to reveal or communicate to you in the silence of your heart.

We can also receive a word or phrase and carry it with us through the day, such as from today’s account. Jesus can be the light that shines in our own darkness and bring us healing. We may not be dealing with being possessed, but if we are experiencing negativity, temptation, stress, feeling indecisive, or divided we can call on Jesus’ words and speak in his name, “Quiet!”, “Silence!”, or “Peace be still!” and receive through the authority of his word his healing presence. We do not have to ever journey alone. We have the gift of prayer and the Holy Spirit to help to bring the words of Scripture alive. Jesus is present with us, ready to help us and others to be aware that the kingdom of God is at hand!

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Photo: A great introduction and resource to reading the Bible is The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels. (Nails not included.)

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Why was Jesus baptized and does it matter in our lives?

Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the ending of the Christmas Season. From the timeline of each of the Gospels, even though they emphasize different points, Jesus’ baptism is a significant step in the life of Jesus.

It is good to occasionally reflect on our own baptism and the vows made on our behalf if we were baptized during our infancy or we actually remember if we were baptized older. Each time Catholics enter church, we dip our fingers into the Holy Water. We then bless ourselves with the signing of the Cross. We participate in this act to affirm that we choose again to live by the baptismal vows we or others made on our behalf.

Reflecting in this way, we may see this feast as important to us as well. But we might ask, why is Jesus being baptized? Wasn’t he the Son of God and haven’t we been taught that Jesus is like us in all things but sin? Yes and yes. And this is the wonderful gift of the Bible that the words of Scripture invites us to enter into the tension of humanity and spirit.

Jesus was not participating in baptism as an act of repentance, he was joining in solidarity with us in our fallen and sinful nature, while at the same time affirming that we are not destroyed by sin but only wounded by it. Jesus came to redeem us, to save us, to help to reconcile our fractured relationship with his Father. In the words of St. Irenaeus, “Jesus opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.”

We recall and celebrate this reality that the Son of God, non-being, Infinite Act of Existence, became a finite, human being and then even assumed our sinfulness, while remaining sinless himself. The pure, unblemished, Lamb of God would be the sacrificial offering on the cross. Just as in his birth there were images of his death; the cave foreshadowed his tomb, the swaddling cloths his shroud, and being laid in a trough that was to feed animals, by his death he would become the bread of life to feed us. His baptism also reveals signs of his death.

Jesus was willing to participate in John’s baptism, which was a foreshadowing of his crucifixion, because he loved his Father and was willing to follow his Father’s will all the way. He was willing to show unconditional love for us, by his willingness to walk among sinners coming to John for a baptism of repentance, he his solidarity with fallen humanity. He was showing that not only in his baptism but also in willing to die for us, he would take upon the sins of the world on the Cross. He came among us as human being so that what he assumed, he would redeem. The muddy waters of the Jordan he would be baptized in would also be made pure such that in our baptism we would be made clean, we would be cleansed of all stain of sin.

We have choices each and every day, each and every moment to make. We can turn our back on our God and Father and his love for us, and instead listen to false promises, seek after apparent goods, and give in to temptations and diversions that may satisfy for the moment but leave us empty in the end. Even if they do satisfy for the moment, we will not only be hungry and thirst again, we will never be satisfied and only want more. We can live a life for our selves alone working toward an eternity of eternal separation from the one who loves us more than we can ever know.

We can also choose another path, to allow God to love us, to receive his love and his guidance, to accept his invitation to be in relationship with him, to participate in the plan that God has for us, and to follow his beloved Son. By our baptism into the life of Jesus, we become adopted children of the Father so that we can hear each day, “You are my beloved daughter, you are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” We can actualize our potential and experience the joy and meaning of a life of fulfillment as we collaborate with God and strive to live out the grace he has given us toward a life of eternity with God while at the same time helping others to do the same.

How come Jesus never sinned? Because he never said no to his Father. Jesus always said, “yes.” Jesus’ baptism also revealed the Trinity into whom we are baptized in. When Jesus prayed after his baptism, he did so as the Son of God, fully human and fully divine. As he was praying the Holy Spirit came down upon him like a dove and the Father spoke of him saying, “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

During our Baptism we were indelibly marked, eternally conformed to Jesus and became adopted daughters and sons of the Father, with whom he is well pleased! Such that our Baptism, our being born again, born from above, is just the beginning. God the Father has a part for us to play in bringing about his kingdom. It does not matter how small. We are called to be holy, we are called to be saints. Each and every one of us, each and every day, are invited to say, “yes” to God’s will, to live out our baptismal vows to commit to playing our part in salvation history.

We are not alone in this endeavor. The saints represented in stained glassed windows, with the light shining through, are not just there for adornment. They are examples and reminders of those, who though sinners, and imperfect like us, made a decision one day that their baptism mattered, that they were going to say, “yes” to God. That day, and each day that followed, they allowed the light of Christ to shine through them to others. We can do the same, as the saints cheer us on. The Father and the Son have also sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to empower us through his love, to give us the guidance, the ears to hear, and the courage to act. All that needs to happen for us to begin and continue to live out our baptismal call is to say, “yes,” as Mary did today, tomorrow, and the next day, and in each moment to the will of our Loving God and Father.

Painting: Baptism of Christ by Battistello Caracciollo

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, January 12, 2025

Jesus has come close that we might be healed.

The man in today’s Gospel scene takes a tremendous risk by approaching Jesus. He is a leper and so considered unclean. The appropriate response when someone was coming into his general vicinity would have been to give as wide a berth as possible, if not remove themselves from view entirely, or to make themselves known to be unclean to any passerby.

This state of uncleanness was not a mere sense of hygiene. This was considered ritual impurity. So anyone touching or being touched by a leper would be considered ritually impure. For this reason, lepers were ostracized from family, friends, and the larger community socially as well as being forbidden access to public worship. This is a horrific state to find oneself in, for as human beings we are social beings who want to belong, to be a part of, and to be loved.

The leper cast aside all social norms and fell prostrate before Jesus and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean” (Lk 5:12). Jesus knew full well the social norms, and it is very telling that not only did Jesus heal the man, but he did so by placing his hand on him. He could have easily said, “I do will it. Be made clean” (Lk 5:13), without touching him and the man would have been healed. There are Gospel accounts of Jesus doing just that.

Jesus says more in his willingness to touch the leper than he does even with his words of healing. He does not keep the man at a distance but instead places himself on the same level as the man. In Jesus’ touch he is not made unclean, but the man becomes clean. The tremendous stigma of this man having to be separated from something as simple, yet as significant, as a human embrace is removed. With that simple touch, Jesus comes close and in doing so, the man will no longer be kept at arm’s length but restored to his community and the opportunity for fellowship.

This is what the Son of God has come to do. He has come close to all of us. He has become human so we can see the face of God. We can experience the tenderness of his touch, and being understood when no one else can or is willing to do so. Jesus has come close so that we know that we are not alone, that we are loved more than we can ever imagine, more than we can ever mess up, more than our worst mistakes, or gravest sins. Jesus has come close so we can experience how it feels to forgiven, healed, to belong, to be loved and cared for. Having received this wonderful gift, we are also invited to come close to love as we have been loved.

One of the simplest ways to love is to be willing to sit with and experience one another, even while running the risk that we will be offended or offend, while at the same time, being committed to staying the course and developing relationships. When we are willing to see each other as human again, to come close, to hold each other accountable, and to respect each other even when we disagree, then we might be advocates of healing, hope, love, and unity.

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Photo: Mosaic of Jesus Heals the Leper, in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily.

Link for the Mass for Friday, January 10, 2024

How can we participate with Jesus to make this “a year acceptable to the Lord”?

He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).

Jesus spoke these words to his hometown congregation in Nazareth who had just heard him read the passage from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus proclaimed that he was the one to whom Isaiah was talking about. Luke chose to highlight this event as the starting point of Jesus’ public ministry, of bringing glad tidings to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives, recovering sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free, and proclaiming a year acceptable to the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).

This message of universal healing, restoration, and reconciliation for all people would be an aspect of the mission of Jesus. He presented the message that he would be the vehicle to bring the love and redemptive work of his Father to all the nations, to invite all people to be aware of the reality present to them: that God his Father is inviting all into communion and relationship. The poor mentioned were not just in reference to those experiencing material poverty, but also to those finding themselves on the margins of society, the outcasts, those on the peripheries. The captives were not only those imprisoned for debts or crimes but those bound in the chains of their own sin and addiction. The blind were not only those who could not physically see but those who experienced the spiritual blindness of pride and arrogance. The oppressed were not just those under the iron fist of totalitarian and dictatorial regimes, but those pressed down through their own anxieties and fears.

In what ways are we in need of Jesus’ teaching, healing, and restorative power? What is keeping us on the peripheries, apart from communion and fellowship? What sins, disordered affections, and/or addictions, fears and anxieties keep us bound? What is keeping us blind to the reality that God is in our midst and seeking a deeper relationship with us? Today we hear or read again Jesus’ words proclaimed in the Gospel. Jesus invites us to be healed and to align ourselves with his will and ministry of loving service to others.

We still need to hear the same words that Jesus spoke to the people of his own hometown. Are we willing to listen? Will we hold on to our biases and prejudices, to our tribe, nation, political party at the cost of losing our integrity, reason, and dignity? Or can the words of Jesus be a light for us to see our dark and fallen nature? Resisting the temptation to turn away from but instead allowing the light of Jesus to shine in our darkness opens us to the gift of our uniqueness as individuals, the richness of our human diversity while at the same time recognizing that we truly are all interconnected.

The Psalmist stated that, “From fraud and violence he will redeem them” (Psalm 72:14) and John wrote, “whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). With these words from today’s readings we can begin again. We can allow ourselves to be loved by God who loves us more than we can imagine and has a plan for us beyond our wildest imagination. To receive this gift, we are called to examine our consciences, turn to God with a contrite, sorrowful heart for what we have done and what we have failed to do.

As we do so, may we experience the healing hands of Jesus on our bowed heads and the warmth of his forgiveness and love pouring through us as we are purged from our sin and pride. Then, in recognition of how much suffering and pain is present in our country and world, we can open our hearts and minds to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to participate with him in choosing love over hate, bringing the invitation of healing and reconciliation to others, and committing to bringing about “a year acceptable to the Lord” in this new year of 2025 (Lk 4:19).

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Photo: Pondering like Mary and loving our brothers and sisters as John invites us to are good ways to begin our year. Hoping to also get back into our church soon to see and pray with this stained glass image in person.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, January 9, 2025

God “sent his Son as an expiation for our sins” so we can be free to love as he loves us.

“God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” ( 1 John 4:9-10).

To understand why Jesus was sent by his Father “as expiation for our sins” it is helpful to take some time to ponder the truth and reality of the Trinity. Beyond all time, “love is of God” or another translation of the same verse: “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). God is, always has been, and always will be. God is a community of three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are distinct by their very nature while at the same time they are one because of their infinite communion.

The Father eternally begets the Son, the Son is eternally begotten, all that the Father is he gives to the Son and the Son receives perfectly all that the Father has given, the Son returns perfectly all that he has received from his Father holding nothing back, and this intimate, infinite, divine eternal sharing between the Father and the Son is the infinite love expressed between them, the Holy Spirit.

All that exists has come into existence because of the outpouring of the love of the communion of the Trinity. At a particular time and place, the Father sent his Son to be conceived in and born of the Virgin Mary and so the Son of God, fully divine, became fully human. He lived a fully human life while remaining fully divine and experienced our humanity with a specific purpose. Jesus was born that he would die for us and restore us to our likeness that was intended from the very beginning.

The ultimate expression of the infinite giving of the Son and holding nothing back, returning all to the Father, is Jesus’ death on the Cross. He loved us so much that he was willing to give all of himself, leaving nothing by giving his very life for us, that we might be freed from our sins. He took upon himself the worst of our humanity, injustice, extreme brutality and horrific violence, betrayal, selfishness, and death. He did so by conquering the darkness of our fallen world through this selfless act of love.

The crucifixion shows that the love of God, the love we are to aspire to, is not expressed as a mere emotion, sentiment, or feeling. Love, in St. Thomas Aquinas’ language, is to will to good of the other as other. Jesus loved us not in some abstract, utopian ideal. He loved each and every human being that ever existed, is existing, and will ever exist, by willing our good such that he gave his life “as an expiation for our sins” for each and every one of us. He loved, willed the good, of those who tortured and killed him, as he asked his Father to “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Let us accept the life that our loving God and Father wants us to fill us with in this new year. A life of sharing in the love of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are capable of loving when we are willing to receive this unconditional love of God, when we are willing to repent from our sins, and let go of anything that we hold on to, anything we place before the love that God wants to share with us. As we breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love, we heal, we are forgiven, we are redeemed, and we can then love others as we have been loved.

Painting: Close up of Christ Crucified by Diego Valasquéz

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, January 7, 2024

Some guidance from Jesus, St. John, and St. André Bessette, for the new year.

The beloved disciple John shares with us today a wonderful compass to guide us into the new year. From his first letter he writes that God’s “commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us” (I John 3:23).

Before we can believe in God’s Son, we need to trust him. For many if not all of us at some point in our lives who have experienced being hurt, betrayed, or wounded in any way, trust can be hard.

That is why the Son of God was willing to be sent by his Father. He wanted to become one with us so that he could not only experience all the pain and suffering of our humanity but that he could take that upon himself, even death, so he could conquer them and heal, restore, and show us the way back to the Father, through our suffering and pain and into healing.

We can trust Jesus. Jesus not only has our best interest in mind, but he knows the plan of his Father for our lives and he can lead us to experience his love and our vocation as we trust him by taking one step at a time. He gives us enough light to see two steps ahead and when we take those steps, he will give us enough light to see the next two.

We can trust Jesus, but each thought or invitation we hear in our mind is not necessarily from Jesus. Some may appear good and true, but are only apparently so. For as John continues: “Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God” (I John 4:1).

The devil and his demons tempt, entice, divert, and distract us, with the ultimate goal to lead us away from the love of God, the source of our true fulfillment. They seek to plant seeds of so doubt, so we believe that God does not have our best interest in mind. And once those seeds of doubt begin to sprout he seeks to isolate us from our Father by fertilizing those doubts with distrust in our minds and hearts. And when we sin, the devil condemns and shames us, and leads us to believe that we cannot be forgiven and that no one will accept us for what we have done or for who we are.

God never tempts us, he invites us and challenges us to move beyond our sins and our fears. He gently coaxes us to come out of the darkness of our self-centered, protective cocoon, and into the gentle light of his love. He does so patiently, sometimes with a firmness of a good parent, but gently. We hear his voice mostly in the quiet and stillness of our heart. When we do make a mistake, he does not condemn us, he convicts us to learn, to renounce our mistake. When we sin and turn back to him, he forgives and embraces us. We then begin again strengthened by his grace and greater clarity.

God loves us more than we can ever imagine no matter what we have or have not done, he loves us more than we can ever mess up, and he loves us even in the act of our sin. He has shown this love most profoundly in sending his Son so we can see his face and experience his love, forgiveness, and mercy. We can experience that he loves us as we are right now, right where we are in our weakness and imperfection.

The key to walk free from the “fowler’s snare” (see Psalm 91:3-4) is to heed the words that Jesus began his public ministry with: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). God does not seek to punish us. Neither does he want us to stay in our sin and separation from him. God’s love calls us to more. Feeling guilty and shame is a false humility that keeps us separated from God because our focus remains on ourselves.

God imparts within us a sense of guilt, so that we experience our separation from him. Being in touch with this experience, helps us to choose true humility which leads us to trust in the love of God and believe in his mercy. When we sincerely and contritely confess our sins, do penance, and with his help seek to sin no more, Jesus will forgive, free, save, and restore us to our right relationship with God.

When we are willing to allow the gentle light of Jesus to shine in our darkness, Jesus helps us to see what our life is like without God and with God. He helps us to be able to see the difference between the apparent goods and the true good so that we can make a clearer decision. Will we choose darkness, separation, and death or light, reconciliation, and life?

St. André Bessette, whose feast day it is today, could have fallen for the devil’s tactics. He who was sickly since he was an infant, lived in poverty as a child, and who then lost his parents when he was only twelve, and struggled with illness for all of his ninety-one years, could have been bitter towards God. André chose instead to trust in God and how he could make this statement: “Do not seek to have your trials removed. Ask rather for the grace to bear them well.”

Living a devout life of faith as a youth, his pastor encouraged him to apply to religious life and he sought at twenty-five to enter the Congregation of the Holy Cross. His poor health continued to plague him and at the end of his novitiate year, he was not asked to continue. André continued to trust in his Lord and his long standing ally St. Joseph. His novice master and bishop saw the light of Christ in this young man and petitioned that he be given an extension and he was eventually admitted into the order and served as a brother. His birth name was Alfred. Upon his profession he took the name of André who was the pastor who had mentored and recommended the pursuit of his vocation.

André was assigned the position of porter, the door keeper, because of his lack of education and frail health. A role that many would not look on with any esteem, André welcomed with open arms. Seeing in this position the opportunity to greet Jesus at the door with each knock and person he met. Looking back at his life he would say, “When I entered the Congregation, they showed me the door. And I stayed there for forty years.”

During his time of service, through the intercession of St. Joseph and his unwavering trust in Jesus despite much opposition and his continued frail health, thousands experienced being heard, loved, and healed. Through St. André, they experienced a foretaste of heaven.

St. André is a model for us on how we can in this new year “believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us…”, trust only in the Spirit of God without hesitation, and when we do fall, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

God loves us so much and wants to share his life with us so that we can share in his relationship. Are we willing to resist the lies of the enemy, trust in the love of God, seek his guidance in all circumstances, discern and let go of anything that is not of God? When we do so, we will heal, be forgiven, and be set free to love and love in return. This journey begins and continues by trusting in God the Father’s Son whom he sent.

Photo: St. André Bessette, pray for us!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, January 6, 2024

May the light of Jesus rise in our hearts.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage” (Mt 2:1-2).

At some point as they approached Jerusalem, the magi lost track of the star, did it become cloudy, did they close in on the city during the day, or did they believe it was the proper protocol that in entering this foreign region that they ought to check in with Herod first before proceeding? We do not know. Somehow, these magi were led by a star with the belief that they were to pay homage to the king of the Jews in a distant land. Early teachings in the Church ascribe to the interpretation of this account as the book of God’s creation, in the presence of this light could only take them so far. The illumination that brings them to Jesus is the Book of God’s word, the Jewish Scriptures that would tell them that the messiah they sought is to be born in Bethlehem.

Pondering another thought: What drew them from their home miles away? What inspired them to leave the comfort of their everyday routine? This was no easy journey, and it was a risky adventure. Yet something or someone inspired them, invited them to come and more inspiring is that they said, “yes.” And though they were misdirected for a time, or if their capacity of reason had reached its limits, and they were then guided by the inspired word of God, when they left the audience of King Herod and resumed their pilgrimage, they again saw the star and were “overjoyed” (Mt 2:10).

That joy must have multiplied when they came before the infant that they sought because their physical response was one of prostrating themselves before the baby king, the one for whom they risked all and sought for. They had now found. This action though of prostration was reserved only for divinity. In reality, their journey had only begun. Their lives would be forever changed and they would go back a different way than they came. The magi would not return to Herod, nor would they return to their home quite the same. They would not return from this journey and just go back to business as usual. The magi carried within them their encounter with the Christ; the light that drew them, they now carried inside of them.

They would proclaim him in the East. The magi did what they were called to do. They came to encounter the Christ and bring his light to the world. They and those who followed the same invitation are why we are still able to hear this same message today.

Today is the feast of Epiphany, and it is on this day that we celebrate that the King of the Jews, Jesus the Christ, has made his salvation known to the whole world. The manifestation of God’s glory came to the Jews first as the chosen people of God and then to all the Nations. The Son of God has become one of us and one with us so that all people are given the offer to be saved.

We too are invited. We like the magi are called to put the light of Christ first in our life. Let us seek each day to encounter him and his plan. Distractions, diversions, and temptations, anxieties and anticipations as well as many appealing and apparent goods will attempt to lead us astray, yet to put Jesus first will help all other priorities to fall into their proper order and place. Let us follow the gift of our God given intellectual talents and capacity to reason, but also realize that this will only take us so far. Time in the living words of the Bible will help us to stay focused on our journey and to deepen our relationship with the One who has invited us to know him.

Bishop Robert Barron in his book, To Light a Fire on Earth, writes about becoming part of God’s “Theodrama”, using the Swiss theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar’s term. God is directing all of creation, all of the cosmos, and each of us to play our part. “The key”, Bishop Barron writes, “is to find the role that God has designed for us, even if it looks like a bit part… When, through faith, we see every moment and every creature as an ingredient in the divine plan, when we know that there is a gracious providence at work in the universe, we live in joyful surrender and with a great sense of wonder.”

This is what the Epiphany is about. Jesus manifesting his light to us and in us so that we can see what keeps us from living our lives fully committed to God and what and who is helping us to grow in our relationship with God. With clearer sight, it is easier to decide how to proceed. The light of Christ helps us to also see that we are not the center of the universe. God is. “When we decenter the ego, and live in exciting and unpredictable relationship to God, we realize very clearly that our lives are not about us. And that’s a liberating discovery” (Barron 2017, 164-165).

May we follow the lead of the magi, who followed the light of Christ, and prostrate ourselves before our Lord and Savior. Let us surrender to him our ego and self-centered way of life. Let us acknowledge and let go of those things that prevent us from deepening our relationship with God and one another. When ready, let us rise again as did the magi, forever changed, and live our lives each day for God and following his will. Jesus is the true light to lead us through any darkness.

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Photo: Epiphany light over Holy Cross Catholic Church tonight. May we like the moon that reflects the light of the sun, reflect the Light of the Son of God.

Barron, Robert and John L. Allen Jr. To Light a Fire on the Earth. New York: Image, 2017.

Link for today’s Sunday Mass readings for the Epiphany, January 5, 2024

“Come and you will see.”

After hearing John the Baptist point out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew and another disciple of John seem to understand the meaning of what John means. The two follow Jesus as he walks by them. Jesus senses they are behind him. He stops, faces them, and asks, “What are you looking for?”

Their response to the question, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher) “where are you staying?” (Jn 1:38), is odd. Unless we understand that, in fact, the two disciples of John did not grasp the full relevance of John calling Jesus the Lamb of God after all. They related to Jesus, from the context of what they knew, their default position. They were approaching his as a rabbi, a teacher. Most rabbis of the time would have a place where they would gather their disciples and teach them. Another thought is that they did not want to come right out and say, “Jesus, are you the Messiah?”, there was some doubt, so they went with addressing him as rabbi.

Jesus said: “Come and you will see” (Jn 1:39). Andrew and the disciple then spent the day with Jesus and that made all the difference. If Andrew had any doubt before, it was now gone. We do not know what he experienced with Jesus in their time together, but the first thing that Andrew does is go and tell Simon, his brother, that he had found the Messiah, the Anointed, the Christ! There was no hesitation. He wanted to share what he had seen and experienced. Most likely as we hear time and again in the Gospels, Andrew witnessed some or all of these examples: the blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the possessed were exorcised, sins were forgiven, and Jesus taught with authority.

May we place ourselves in this scene of the Gospel today and follow the finger of John the Baptist who points over to this man walking ahead of us at a pretty good clip. As we turn to follow, the brightness of the morning sun catches our eyes. We squint, look down, and lose him for a moment, but take a few steps to keep pace. We hear the crunch of the stone and sand under our sandals and as we look up again to see how far ahead of us Jesus is, and then we notice he is standing still only a few feet away. He is smiling, his eyes are inviting as is his question: “What are you looking for” (Jn 1:38).

Stay with the scene. How do you answer, and what happens next? Allow your imagination and senses to come alive. Place your self in this moment with Jesus. Be aware of any emotions or thoughts that arise. This is not just a mind game. Jesus experienced this scene himself in full and living color. He was there, and when we meditate on Scripture, we pray with the words we read, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can enter into the memory of Jesus. If we are willing to come and see, as Andrew and the other disciple were, Jesus will lead us as well. Allow yourself some time with Jesus today as Andrew did and let God happen.

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Photo: Let us be willing to follow Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. Photo accessed online from housemixblog.com

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, January 4, 2024

“Behold the Lamb of God.” He who was born and died for us.

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).

The only one who can take away sins is God. The unblemished lamb is the animal that is sacrificed at the Passover meal, commemorating when the angel of death passed over the Hebrews whose doorposts were marked with the blood of the lamb. The next day they were freed from their slavery under pharaoh, and the exodus event began culminating in their passing through the Red Sea to freedom.

The Son of God became human to become the Lamb of God. He experienced laughter, pain, suffering, love, tears, and all of our human condition even temptation, but he did not sin. The Son of God became human so that what he assumed in his human condition, he could redeem. As the Lamb of God, Jesus approached John for baptism, he took upon himself the sin of the world and submitted his divinity to his human condition and was willing to be baptized for repentance not because he sinned, but so that he could take upon the sin of the world upon himself. This act was also a foreshadowing of his crucifixion on the cross.

The Incarnation, the Son becoming fully human while remaining fully divine, was the premiere act of mercy, in that Jesus entered the chaos and woundedness of our lives. His allowing himself to die on the cross the greatest expression of his love. The same love that he shares with his Father, his receiving and returning all that he received to the Father and holding nothing back, we can see him doing so visibly when we look upon a crucifix. He was born and died, he gave everything, including his life for each and every one of us.

Alone we cannot be redeemed, we cannot be fully healed or restored to who we have been created to be. We need a savior. Jesus is, while at the same time, more than a model to follow or a teacher to guide us, he became one with us in our humanity to lead us up out of our brokenness and sin. In saying yes to his invitation, we can say with Paul, “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). This is the gift we have received again this Christmas, a reminder that when enter into a relationship with Jesus, he grants us the grace to access and share in the divine power of the Love experienced between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus holds his hand out to each one of us today. May we receive his hand in our own, and as our fingers touch his palm may we feel the wound there, embrace the remembrance of the nail that pierced his flesh, the pain that he endured, so we could have this very moment with him. Even in our brokenness, anxiety, confusion, fear, and sin, may we resist pulling away. May we feel the warmth of his hand grip ours. Let our gaze be drawn up to see his face, his smile, his forgiveness, and experience his infinite love for us.

I am blessed at each Mass as I hold up the consecrated host to be able to say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world.” May we see, believe, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Amen.