Assemble to witness

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring some morality and wisdom passages which direct our reflection to the authenticity of our witness. The words of the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews make us aware of the awesome depth of the Promise from God that we are invited to live within the very flesh of Jesus beyond the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Body of Christ. Friar Jude Winkler comments on how so many today have the false sense that participation in the weekly assembly of believers is not essential. The rejection of the invitation to be within the Presence would not be understandable by the psalmist who yearns to be worthy to ascend the mountain of the Lord. Jesus, truly present in the assembly of Christians, is the essential truth to which we must witness. Mark shares the wisdom of not hiding the lamp but putting it on the stand where it can be seen by others. Friar Jude notes that our society is missing the Christian point when we assess our participation, patience, peace and perseverance in terms of what is in it for me. The Christian pauses to consider that there may be nothing it in for us. We may be called to serve others as Christ and to be up to the task we require awareness of His Presence with us. Our ability to accept generosity from God and others is greatly increased as we give generously to God through others.

Prepare the heart soul and strength

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today can be considered in the light of the question about the changing of God over time. Friends have suggested that over the thousands of years of documented relationship with God that the Divine must have changed maybe even evolved. The text from the Letter to the Hebrews compares the once for all sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins to the daily sacrifice of priests who must continually seek forgiveness of sin. The desire of God that the relationship of Love between Creator and Creature be written on our heart and be the focus of our mind is truth for all time. Moses called on Israel to hear that the Lord God is Love with your whole heart, soul and strength. We know that our decisions are the root of sin which require us to seek forgiveness from God for our failure to respond to the Love which is evidenced in Jesus the eternally Divine Son willed by the Father to be the sacrifice which removes all obstacles for our movement to intimacy with God. Friar Jude Winkler compares the parable of the sower in the Gospel of Mark today to the call to Israel to love with our whole heart, soul and strength. The intellect, resident in the heart for ancient Israel, has not internalized the Word and when the seed hits the path it is easily swept away. The soul must love with everything and it must combat persecution. We are often not ready to embrace God as we are living persecution for our relationship. The love we have for our possessions, pride and passions are the thorns which threaten to limit our self giving to God and others. We have Jesus, the Eternal Word made flesh, to bring our invitation to be in intimate relationship with God to our experience through parables and simplification which we are capable of understanding. The ancient call to Creatures to dwell with the Creator continues.

Come to do your will

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary lead us to ponder on the nature of those who are close in communion with the Divine. The letter to the Hebrews uses a rabbinic argument, according to FriarJude Winkler, to present the idea that there is something more effective than the continual sacrifice of the blood of animals by the high priest for the restoration of life in souls which have been brought closer to death and separation from God by sin, The continual repetition of these actions is a reminder of our tendency to continually abandon the path which God presents for our life and to assume the role of God and choose to act according to our own will. The message of Hebrews is that breaking free from the cycle of sin is accomplished, as the psalmist also exhorts, is to live according to the Will of God. It is this Will which Jesus accepts to be the once for all blood sacrifice that is the “something more” expected by rabbinical tradition. The Gospel of Mark today follows the passage wherein Jesus action to cast out demons has caused the crowd to question whether He has gone out of His mind. The crowd wonders at His question about who are his mother and brothers as they apparently arrive to assist Him. That intimacy of the family of Jesus is the experience of those who choose to follow the Will of God.

Once for all

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer fruit for meditation on sin and judgement. The psalm today praises God as Judge of the World. The text from the Letter to the Hebrews indentifies the difference between Jesus, the Son, being the mediator of our Covenant with God and the traditional mediation of human priests. The Will of God is that Jesus offer the once for all sacrifice of Himself in the heavenly sanctuary to remove sin, the separation of humanity from intimacy with the Divine. Friar Jude Winkler explains the misconception that Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy attempts to repeat what is the once for all act. The essence of the Eucharistic experience is to move from the finite to the infinite, from the imperfect to the perfect and from the human to communion with the Divine. The constraints of living in time are removed and the Eucharist is celebrated beneath the Cross and beside the Tomb. Friar Jude notes the relationship of perfection to the act done once in Greek thought. The audience of this Book were Jews with knowledge of Greek language and customs. The judgement of people after death is mentioned in this passage as the return of Jesus to those who have been waiting for Him. The decision to turn away from God and the decision to return to intimacy remain with us. When we accept the invitation to full Life, Jesus welcomes us.

Bringing good news to the poor

The psalmist prays that the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart be acceptable to God in the texts from the RomanCatholic Lectionary today. The speaking of the words of God is prominent in the other texts. The Hebrew Bible brings us to the time when Ezra assembled those who had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon to celebrate their reform of their religious practice and to re-establish their desire to live in Covenant with God. The response of the people to weep at hearing the Law suggests that they may be looking inward at the apparent lack of progress in the reform of their hearts. Ezra seeks the positive interpretation based on tears of joy for the search for holiness upon which they are embarking. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the ongoing encouragement of Paul to the Corinthians to consider how there are many gifts of the Spirit essential to the life of the community. The mystical and public impressiveness of speaking in tongues is acknowledged and placed at a lower priority in the service to the community for which the gifts are intended. Father Larry Gillick SJ encourages us to consider that individual teachers, preachers, writers and seekers seem to return to the deep theme which is boiling below the surface. He associates that deep gift passion with our naming, Baptism and anointing. It is perhaps our portion of the anointing of which Jesus speaks in the passage from the Gospel of Luke. Our gift and our name are part of the bringing of good news to the poor. Our theme may be expressed in journey, as Bishop Terry appears to present. It may be a message to be open to ongoing conversion. It may encourage others to reflect on our spiritual tradition. We use tools to highlight our theme. Ezra gathers the struggling to listen. Paul orders the gifts and touches of Stoic thought about the body. Luke writes to attract learned Greeks and omits less than optimistic passages from his reference to Isaiah 61. Our mission to be holy, as expressed by many including Father Larry today, is not to be or seek the impossibility of perfection, but to look within at our Anointed state and seek to live to bring the gifts we have for the community to those who are poorer that we. We center ourselves in the prayer of the psalmist that our techniques for action will be pleasing to God.

labourers at the harvest

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts which are used to commemorate Timothy and Titus. The letters to these early Church leaders have an ecclesiology, according to Friar Jude Winkler, which place them at a time in the Church after the death of Paul. The encouragement given Timothy to find courage in his faith indicates that persecution was a reality for these leaders. The psalmist proclaims the mission to glorify God. The Gospel from Luke (in the Canadian lectionary) provides advice to the seventy labourers in the harvest to go out in the environment which is possibly hostile as lambs among wolves who proclaim and bless people with peace. The missionary is one with those who are visited and he shares their needs and kindness bringing whatever healing the Presence of the Spirit invokes in their lives. The movement toward others is the action of the worker in the vineyard. The Spirit attracts people to God and addresses their needs.

Living our commission

The impact of Paul on the spread of the Way from the spiritual capital of the world, Jerusalem to the political capital of the world, Rome is, by many accounts, truly outstanding. The passages today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary provide some accounts of the way this Apostle to the Gentiles was the instrument of the universal call of God to all the nations praised by the psalmist. Friar Jude Winkler comments that there are 3 accounts of the conversion of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. Our modern erroneous assumptions that bias us to expect a journalist’s approach to writing in the Sacred Texts and our academic suspicion that works which do not cite sources and attribute content are to be discounted make exegesis of these texts challenging. Some writers have attempted to use the various versions of the conversion of Paul to discredit the entire text of Luke. The Gospel from Mark is part of the longer ending which Friar Jude comments was likely added by a disciple of Mark to draw attention to the activity of Paul as made his missionary journey to Rome. The movement of the followers of Jesus to spread the Good News throughout the Empire was inspired by their experience of intimate relationship with Jesus and the acceptance of the task to teach and baptize all nations with which they and we are commissioned. The intimate contact of Jesus with Paul (using the Hebrew or Aramaic version of his name) placed the Jew, educated strictly according to the ancestral Law, in full realization that the people he was persecuting were so closely tied to God that he was receiving a Divine message from Jesus questioning his action. Friar Jude notes that within the preamble to this description of the conversion of Paul, Luke paints, for the Roman reader, the illegality of a Jerusalem Jew applying Jewish sanctions to people living in a different Roman province Damascus. The bias of Luke was to contrast the good citizen behaviour of the followers of Jesus, growing and commissioned to spread the Good News throughout the Empire, with illegal behavior of those Jews opposed to Him.

Model for Francis de Sales

The Collect today in the celebration of the liturgy for which the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are chosen gathers our prayers to petition God for His charity as we live in service of His people inspired by the example of St Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church. The preaching of St. Francis de Sales, at the time of the Reformation, put the orthodox message of Rome in words that attracted thoughtful consideration by people on both sides of the debate. He is credited with a maxim that “to speak well we need only love well”. The texts from Hebrews and the Gospel of Mark are illuminated by Friar Jude Winkler as skillfully crafted to have the greatest impact on their audiences. The Book of Hebrews, written to a Jewish Christian audience, uses rabbinic techniques of comparison and exaggeration to reveal the relationship to which we are invited to live with God through the perfect, selfless and once for all priesthood of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark written in Rome, likely after the martyrdom of Peter, is intended to be read aloud. The structure and message proclaim infrequently, for emphasis, that Jesus is Son of God. This revelation is recognized by spiritual beings and pagans. These witnesses, according to Friar Jude, are not using this phrase as Jewish practice which would apply it to heroes and kings but as Roman pagans would to indicate a family relationship with the Divine. Mark recounts the episodes of Jesus ministry which drew crowds as He brought healing and restoration to people with the energy, selflessness and urgency which would inspire modelling by followers like St Francis de Sales.

Links of Melchizedek

The power of association and how we may choose poor companions on our journey comes to mind from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Friar Jude Winkler explores the textual identity of the ancient priest Melchizedek. The letter to the Hebrews indentifies the meaning of his name as king of righteousness and from the seat of his kingdom as king of Salem. This title when spoken in Hebrew becomes Jerusalem. The language analysis by Friar Jude and his reference to Jewish exaggeration allowing the listener to picture Jesus as a type of this priest who came from nowhere, linked to Creator through Genesis, the Covenant through Abram, sacrifice of bread and wine and life which continues forever. Sacred text does not record the death of Melchizedek. FatherKyle Schnippel finds more Biblical and liturgical background for our consideration.  We sometimes attribute so much significance to a person because of links we construct ourselves. This can be a pattern of assumption and prejudice which may complicate our lives. The psalmist provides the link to King Melchizedek in praise of the eternal help of God in the battle of David against his enemies. The invocation of Divine support in war is somewhat paradoxical as the longevity of the priesthood of Melchizedek is compared to his essence as King of Peace. The Gospel of Mark presents the 5^th episode of opposition to Jesus by the Pharisees. Often we must choose between actions which have varying degrees of goodness or righteousness attached to them. In making our choices, we will consider the circumstances of the moment. Jesus presents the argument that The Man with a Withered Hand as a son of Israel should wait no longer for his healing. The Pharisees, on the surface, offer the importance of patience when the healing is not necessary to save life, particularly on the day set aside to be devoted to attending to God. Life in a society of instant gratification allows us to see the goodness in learning patience. The issue under the surface is the intensity with which the threat of Jesus teaching about our relationship with God threatens the status quo for the Pharisees. This battle against One who they see as a spiritual enemy of David will ironically now be fought allied with the political and social enemy of David, Herod. Our “linkedness” is no less complex than that of the ancient priest from Genesis.

Hope fulfilled

The psalmist from the texts of the Roman CatholicLectionary today proclaims that God is ever mindful of His Covenant. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to remain faithful to the fulfillment of the hope by which we live. The mindfulness of God may create an image of a Divine enforcer who waves the Law at people. The Covenant is that the Creature and the Creator will be united. The Pharisees in the time of Jesus and some religious authorities today continue to seek to wield control over the practices whereby humans come into relationship with God and to define to boundaries that put people in opposition to God. The hope by which we live, expressed in Hebrews, is that we share in the relationship of Jesus, the High Priest who is fully human, with the Father. This relationship celebrates our humanity and in the words of Jesus, through the Evangelist Mark, intends the Sabbath for people, not people for the Sabbath. The “rules” which, according to Friar JudeWinkler, were given the widest, most rigorous interpretation by the Pharisee authority could distort the hope proclaimed in the Letter to the Hebrews that God is faithful. Jesus cites an example of King David using the sacred “Showbread” as nutrition for his followers. Friar Jude uncovers a factual error in this historical reference which he presents as further evidence of the will of God that Jesus surrender the Divine prerogative as fully human person. The humanity of Jesus gives the hope that we who are imperfect before the Law may approach the Throne of God with boldness in the confidence that the Covenant over which God is mindful is promised to His Creatures as they are.

Obedience matters

The idea of obedience is very important in the passage from the letter to the Hebrews from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The author presents the tradition of the priest as one who offers sacrifice to God for his own and the sins of the people. The Incarnation brings a priest to humanity Who is obedient to the call of the Father to experience humanity in all aspects including suffering and death except in sin. This Lamb of God becomes the perfect sacrifice for sin. The author places Jesus in the ancient priestly order from the Book of Genesis, the order of Melchizedek. The praise of the psalmist today declares the link between the King of Israel and the blessing of God through the priesthood of Melchizedek. Commentators suggest that the sacrifice of Melchizedek was in celebration for the success of the rescue by the forces of Abram of his nephew, Lot, who had been captured by the Mesopotamian of King Chedorlaomer. (Genesis 14). The celebration of the communion of God and people is presented by Jesus as a marriage relationship in the text from the Gospel of Mark. The role of fasting in spiritual life is noted by Friar Jude Winkler as particularly appropriate during grieving for the loss of loved ones. Jesus confronts the Pharisees with the new image of God with us which calls for wedding like celebration. He indicates that fasting will be the obedient response of His disciples when they deal with His death. The change which we are invited to live as intimate spouse of the Bridegroom does not fit with ideas of separation from God and the inevitable sinfulness of our state. Jesus statement about old cloth and old wine from the Gospel may be inserted here, according to Friar Jude, because if the tie to wedding preparation and celebration. The difficulty of fitting the new into our old paradigms often presents the opportunity for us to fast from our plan and attempt obedience to the plan of His New Life. 

Preparing the feast

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are steeped in symbols, promises and gifts for transformation. The third section of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Chapters 56-66) presents the return of the exiles to Jerusalem where they find that the degradation of the Holy City in their absence is necessitating a rebuilding of both their physical surroundings and symbolically their relationship with God. This new relationship is spoken of as a marriage. God wishes to be spouse to His people. The psalmist strikes the chord of praise for the glory of God. This glory is seen in His works and is promised to the faithful like the dream of the returning exiles in the text from Isaiah. Paul addresses the Corinthians about the gifts in the community which are activated by God, through the Spirit, in the work of service of the Lord. Friar Jude Winkler comments on this early Christian Trinitarian formula in these earliest of the letters of Paul. The gifts of the Spirit are for the transformation of the community. The Gospel of John takes us to Cana where the Evangelist sets a scene with many symbolic events. Friar Jude notes that John uses titles and not names to flag a deeper symbolic presence. The Mother of Jesus at the wedding is symbolic of the Queen Mother of the kings of Israel who is preparing the wedding feast of her Son. This feast will announce the Messianic mission to glory on the Cross. The glory of God from the time of the old water of the Jewish rites of purification will be transformed to the new wine in a seventh vessel, the perfection of purification, Jesus body on the Cross. The glory seen by the psalmist becomes the glory of perfect Love proclaimed by John. Father Larry Gillick SJ sees in this Gospel account the link to our continuous recreation by God since Genesis and our invitation to be transformed into new wine living in the light of the glory of His Love.

Word of Life

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring the intense impact of the Word of God to our attention. Friar JudeWinkler explains the sense of the ancient people that the Word of God is the real and effective action of God. The text from the letter to the Hebrews opens with the Word containing the complete knowledge and understanding of God’s creatures. This may be very disconcerting to us the sinful, but the Word made flesh is the high priest, Who calls to us from human experience to have the boldness to approach the throne of Grace. The psalmist praises the perfect Law of God which may without the action of Jesus seem unapproachable to our spirit. The Gospel of Mark recounts how Jesus action to call the separated back to God is directed to the most outcast and unclean. Jesus invites the hated tax collector to follow Him. Levi, we believe, becomes the Evangelist Matthew, who proclaims the truth to the people that the Word is the Kingdom of God in our midst. Those thought by human tradition and custom to be most unworthy and those who have isolated themselves from intimacy with God are the ones to whom Jesus directs the power and intimacy of the Word of Love.

Forgetting the works of the Lord

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary encourage reflection on our tendency to forget the work of God in our lives. The text from the Book of Hebrews uses a rabbinic technique according to Friar JudeWinkler of expanding our learning and understanding by using a familiar term in a different and deeper way. The Hebrew audience of the author knew of the rest of the Creator after 6 days in Genesis. They understood the phrase from the psalms about entering into the rest of God as arriving in the Promised Land after exile in the desert. The eternal rest with God is the extension which the author of Hebrews expresses concern that we may not attend to in the Way we live with hearts hardened toward the grace and gifts which already have come our way through intimate relationship with our indwelling Spirit and the Spirit of God. The psalmist seeks that those who hear his plea will avoid stubborn and rebellious rejection of God by losing contact with steadfast faith and a spirit in harmony with the will of God. The Gospel from Mark presents, as noted by Friar Jude, two interlocked passages using the healing literary formula of situation, appeal, healing and reaction. The deeper healing by Jesus of the heart of the paralytic by forgiving his sins brings the reaction of anger from the Pharisees. The extension of the “rest in God” to this man was apparently not noticed or appreciated by the religious authorities. Had their hardened hearts shut out previous experience of intimate communion with God? What prevented the religious men from seeing this rest enter as healing into the paralytic? The surface witness of the Presence of the Kingdom of God in the physical healing brings awe and wonder. How many of the events in our lives for which we thank God are on the surface of awe and wonder? We can probe a bit deeper for those more precious healings of spirit which brought us and will continue to bring us into His rest.

Hearts harden

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are familiar to those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The daily reminder in the Morning Prayer of our tendency to harden our hearts to the will and grace of God is recalled for us by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. We are people who struggle with the tension between what our passions, pride and preference pull us to do and how our indwelling Spirit invites us to open our hearts to the influence of the Will of God. Friar Jude Winkler identifies this reference of the author of Hebrews to the psalm text as a Rabbinic technique to bring the history known by the reader of the unfaithfulness of the Israelites in the desert to the attention of his readers today as an opportunity to reflect on how we face similar decisions daily. Friar Jude contributes some scholarship about the choice of Mark to place the account of the healing of the leper in the Gospel as a transition from Jesus healing of people in Capernaum to the confrontation to come when the religious authorities will question His forgiveness of sin even though they have the evidence of His healing the leper who is instructed by Jesus to fulfill the Law of Moses and present himself to the priest. Our hardness of heart is quite capable of rejection and ignorance of evidence which might testify against the course of action we have chosen to satisfy our will to put ourselves first. The example of Jesus today who finds His personal space invaded by the needy and Who chooses to take the “unclean” status of the leper upon Himself by touching and healing while at the same time recognizing the importance of the Law of Moses as the guide for the people. It is an example of holding nothing back. We pray the Liturgy of the Hours in daily recall of our mission to witness in a similar way.

Together forever

The psalm in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today reminds us that God remembers His covenant forever. The psalmist presents salvation history from Abraham through Moses and celebrates the closeness of God to His people. Father Boylan comments on the defeat of the fear of death by the death of Jesus as one of the themes from the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews. The will of the Father that Jesus is human in all respects but sin, is addressed by Friar Jude Winkler in his commentary on Hebrews. The Jewish Greek audience for Hebrews will understand that the One priesthood of Jesus is superior to the many high priests referred to by the author. The Covenant relationship of God with His people deepens in Hebrews as Incarnate God dies as the Lamb Who defeats death and sin. The Gospel of Mark continues the message of the nearness of the Kingdom of God as Jesus brings the Jewish Mother-in-Law (subject of the Law of Moses?) of Peter out of a fever which had taken her from her usual life mission. Friar Jude points out how she is an example to all spiritually healed by God as she turns her restoration to health to an opportunity to serve. The gift of Life that Jesus is bringing these towns in the Gospel of Mark is in accord with the will of God, remembering His Covenant, forever as Jesus reaffirms in His prayer communion with the Father. Friar Jude poses the question of how we are shaped toward the will of God by the afflictions of our life. We are called to serve through good times and bad as our part of Covenant.  

Accepting crosses

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring the question of authority and the hierarchy of beings to mind. Scholars like Friar Jude Winkler and Scott Shauf work with the translation of the text and the prevailing writing style at the time of the author to provide details to illuminate the question of the understanding of the hierarchy of Jesus, humans and angels. The humanity of Jesus is presented strongly in this passage as the will of God to accomplish complete identification of the One with authority over Creation with the Creature to whom the psalm and Genesis tradition give dominion over the earth. The acceptance of the will of the Father by Jesus to endure suffering and death is the exultation of the Way. Friar Jude comments on our relationship with evil action and temptation as he discusses the exhibition of teaching with authority in the synagogue at Capernaum as related in the Gospel of Mark. The fear of the demon that Jesus has come to destroy him prompts us to consider the relationship we have with our demons of power, prestige, pride and pleasure. We fear throwing them out as we anticipate accepting some suffering of self denial as a result. Our call to be brought low in response to the will of the Father, modelling Jesus, will also draw us to share in the exultation of our Brother. 

Letter to Hebrews is nothing ordinary

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the beginning of Ordinary Time. Like the texts themselves, there is nothing ordinary about these times. The meaning of Ordinary comes from “ordinal” or the numbers which we use to count sequence (1,2,3,etc). We begin to count the weeks in the Liturgical Calendar today. The Letter to the Hebrews is one of the sacred texts which presents much underlying wonder to those who explore the author, audience and times of this work. The presentation of the great change which has come to the world through the action of God to send Son, the exact imprint of the Father, in the last days as the Word, which is superior to Prophets and angels, can be seen as extremely targeted to discouraged believers familiar with both Jewish tradition and Greek philosophy. It is very attractive to the original audience and it remains a powerful text for modern Christians. The Church will begin a lengthy examination of this Book today. The Gospel from Mark begins the ministry of Jesus in Galilee with evidence of the attractiveness of His Presence to Simon and Andrew, James and John who give up their livelihood and follow Him. This attraction which meets us in our need and searching is praised by the psalmist as people find in relationship with God the true satisfaction of our desires often misdirected to search in worldly pursuit of power, privilege and pleasure for deep attraction to home. The “Follow Me” of Jesus is the invitation of His disciples to fellow searchers on the journey. Together we move to welcome the proclamation of the author of Hebrews that “He sustains all things by His powerful Word” (Hebrews 1.3).

Christmas Spirit and fire

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, today, offers two sets of readings to accompany the Gospel from Saint Luke. Luke is a learned Gentile writing the Gospel for a Gentile audience. He proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven for all people as Jesus is proclaimed by the Father, through the Holy Spirit, to be Son. The Gospel today concludes with this image of the Baptism of Jesus. The role of John the Baptist has been to prepare the way for Jesus and to proclaim that Jesus will cleanse and minister through the Holy Spirit and fire. The Baptist decreases his influence and welcomes the One of God. This change from God who is distant to God in the flesh can be disconcerting when we focus on our unworthy state. The text from the Letter of Paul to Titus reminds us that the Christians of Crete needed to battle impiety, worldly passion and seek self control and redemption just as we today. The apprehension of God present with the Holy Spirit and fire needs to be balanced by the picture of God praised by the psalmist. The Omnipotent Creator and Master of the Universe gives and sustains life in the least of His Creation. The image of God coming to His people from the Prophet Isaiah is the Shepherd who feeds the flock and carries lambs in His arms. The Church formally concludes the Christmas season today. Bishop Gregor reflecting on the passage from Titus at Christmas time prays that he (Jesus) be continually born in us, so that in us too, his followers, the grace and the goodness and the loving kindness of God are active for the renewal of the world.

The struggle to decrease

The psalmist proclaims that the Lord takes delight in His people and He adorns the humble with victory. This theme in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is reflected in the episode from the Gospel of John where the Baptist is informed by his disciples of the people being attracted to Jesus actions in the dessert and responds with the comparison of Jesus to bridegroom and himself to the bridegroom’s friend who rejoices in the presence of the bridegroom and acts so that he decreases as His Friend increases. The virtues of persistence and struggle to be an agent of the will of God are seen in the life mission of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys who is commemorated in the liturgy today. The text of the First Letter of John challenges our prayer life to be in understanding of God’s will for us rather than our will for God. The conclusion of this passage warns believers of the danger of idolatry. We need to reflect beyond the surface understanding of giving worship to golden calves and meditate on all those desires and actions from which we try to receive life, recognition, satisfaction and affirmation which are not directed toward God. The dualism of this letter of John responds to the threat from the “world” which the author defines as those who have rejected Christ. Our society offers many seemingly worthy causes and concerns which may draw our spirit to the delusion that the will of God is subject to human definition.

Mark of the Spirit and the fire

The Roman Catholic Lectionary offers a few views of the nature of God in the texts chosen for today. The First Letter of John presents three witnesses to Christ as God, the Spirit, water and blood. Audrey West points out that this Letter is written to believers who are being attacked for their belief in the humanity and Divinity of Jesus. She points to the Gospel of John 5:33-37, where Jesus invokes the testimony of His works to support belief in His Essence. The Spirit which resonates in the indwelling spirit of the believer shows the Baptism and Cross of Jesus (water and blood) to be witness to the Divine with us in Jesus flesh. The psalmist praises God who protects and is strong in the defense of Jerusalem yet is concerned with the life of the broken and dispossessed. The Gospel of Luke tells of the healing of a leper. The crowd following Jesus is attracted to Him as One who speaks with great experience of God and Love. The action of extending healing hands to the unclean and outcast is the Love in the flesh. Our witness of the life of Christ in the world today is the joy, peace and healing we bring as we extend a hand to those who break into our journey to bring their lives into ours.

Teach us to live in jubilee

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer encouragement to people who are weary of so much conflict in life. The passage from the First Letter of John focuses our thoughts on Love which is the nature of God and is the practice of relationships between people which makes God present to them. Friar Jude Winkler explains how the “world” which this letter sees as all the worldly behaviour that rejects Jesus is conquered by Love. Our faith is the trust that this is possible. We cannot be schizophrenic in our practice of love when we feel it appropriate and other attitudes and actions for particular people or special cases. The Gospel of Luke tells of the launch of Jesus public ministry in the synagogue when He reads the description from the Book of the prophet Isaiah of the anointed one from God who brings peace and justice through service and Love. He identifies himself as the fulfillment of this prophesy. The Jubilee Year mentioned by Jesus is, according to Friar Jude, a time for a radical reordering of justice in the land. Today, we are overdue for the implementation of jubilee practice. Faith in action invites His followers to act in jubilee toward all now.

Gathering our impression

The text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary covers a lot of territory and provides a link to many impressions, expectations and experiences people have of God. The short declaration within the First Letter of John that “God is love” is often quoted at the surface of our meditations, as if it told the whole story. The paradox is that this is entirely true but without some experience or examples we are stopping at a cliché understanding. Friar Jude Winkler finds the proof of the Love of God in the humanity of Jesus. He points out the realized eschatology of the Gospel of John which presents the union of our spirit with the Spirit of God through Jesus as our entrance into the eternal intimate relationship with God. The Letter of John is also a text with the Trinity present in our experience of the Divine. Friar Jude tells us of the mention of a final judgement as the futurist eschatology in this text. The tension between these ideas is the plane in which we can operate day to day as our experience evolves to improve with age our comfort with ambiguity. We emphasize with the gob struck disciples in the boat who are struggling with fear. They have apprehension about their human lives and at the same time are attempting to understand how the attractiveness of Jesus Shepherd who feeds heart and soul with Divine appreciation of the goodness of God, attracting all nations to His presence, like the worthy king praised by the psalmist, has become fear routed in awe and wonder of the One who feeds as Yahweh did in the desert. Friar Jude explains how Jesus “passes by” in the text from the Gospel of Mark in the manner of the Presence of God passing by Moses and the Prophets in the Hebrew Testament. We often wish the paradoxes in our understanding of the experience of intimate relationship with God would be resolved. The Creature struggles to know Creator and in the journey sees much that testifies to God is Love.

Shepherd transforms

The Collect for the Mass today which uses the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary petitions God for the inner transformation that we desire to be more like Jesus. The First Letter of John presents the aspect of Jesus to which we are particularly drawn in our journey of transformation. The author tells us that God is Love. Friar Jude Winkler comments that we have various understanding and experience of love in our modern society. He points out that the text today identifies the person who is capable of complete giving without counting the cost as Lover. We fall short and our pursuit of the mission of Love requires transformation in our lives. The psalmist approaches the attractiveness of leaders who are blessed by God. The king who is following the will of God attracts all nations to experience the generosity and care with which the people are treated. The magnificent 23^rd Psalm is recalled by Friar Jude as that description of God as Shepherd who leads us to green pastures. The Gospel of Mark is an account by a disciple of Peter, written in Rome, for a Gentile audience. Mark is impatient to announce the attractiveness of Jesus as the Continuing Presence which shepherds all people and provides over abundantly for their need. The miracle of the loaves and fishes is presented in all four Gospels. Mark shows the attraction of Jesus to large crowds who follow him to deserted places to focus on experiencing a deep intimacy with the Divine without the distractions of life and survival. In the neediness of those in the desert, like the Israelites, God provides more than we need for sustenance. Faith which perceives God and trusts Providence opens our possibilities to Love without counting the cost.

Attract the Nations

The proclamation of God through the psalmist that “I will give you all the nations for you heritage” is a promise which poses difficulties as we seek to understand how it will be realized. The salvation history of Israel shows the journey of a people called to be light to the nations and attract people to hear of God and paradoxically, at the same time, to live a tradition of separation from practices considered pagan. The political power of this people has moved up and down over the centuries again both attracting interest and persecution.  The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer some insight into Jesus method of attraction. The battle against “anti-Christ” in the First Letter of John is waged with language which is very dualistic. The views of a heretical sect, known as Docitism, were that Jesus did not have a material existence. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the impact of this idea on the author of the text. The community is reminded that the general Augustinian view that we can love God and do what we want is a challenge for people. We are more successful when we have some boundaries to remind us of the behaviour which Judeo-Christian tradition draws from the Commandments. Our spiritual journey is an encounter with the Divine wherein paradox, ambiguity and tension between extremes are tools to open our being to possibilities for peace and joy which transcends human experience. The Gospel of Matthew is written by a Jew for a Jewish audience. The Promise in the Book of Isaiah of the Messiah as the light to the nations is brought to our attention as the Evangelist tells of Jesus gathering the people from the Gentile regions of the Decapolis by the attractiveness of the experience of a personal encounter with Him. The disagreements which arise from tradition and practice are not settled before we draw people by the Light of Christ. The means whereby these “issues” will be addressed can be left to the guidance of the Spirit. We Love in His Name and attraction to the Way is the fruit.

Stars of Christmas

Western Christians celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany today. An epiphany is a revelation which is from above or of Divine origin. The news of the Incarnation revealed to the Gentiles is the theme of the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah tells of the remnant streaming back to Jerusalem after the Exile in Babylon. This return was a sign to all the nations of the goodness of God. Isaiah predicts a return to the days of Solomon praised by the psalmist when people streamed to Jerusalem from foreign lands carrying gifts and seeking Wisdom. The Gospel of Matthew which is written by a Jew for a Jewish audience tells of the attraction of the Magi to Jerusalem on a journey inspired by a sign in the heavens. The nature and number of these visitors and the deep symbolic meaning in their gifts is food for much meditation. Pastor Tony has a summary of many of the ways in which the Gospel, tradition and relatively modern music have painted our initial understanding of this feast. Friar Jude Winkler underlines the significant revelation in this very Jewish Gospel that the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah is given to the Gentiles. Friar Jude comments on the triple alignment of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, which may have been the “Christmas star”, and the significance of this to Persian astrologers. The circle is completed in Matthew as the remnant of Israel returning to seek Wisdom in Jerusalem from Persia after the exile becomes the destination of the journey of the Magi, Persian astrologers, to seek Wisdom concerning the revelation of a King from God. Father LarryGillick SJ expands upon the theme of journey with the Magi in mind as examples of the journey we often take in our intellect to try and figure out and analyse the nature of God. The surprise of Epiphany where humility and childlike faith are the Wisdom of God sends the Magi and the person on the sincere spiritual quest today back “by another road”. Transformation is the fruit of spiritual journey. The proclamation of Paul to the Ephesians is the bottom line of the “Good News” “as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”( Ephesians 3.5-6).

Love in truth and action

The psalm from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today praises God and proclaims His will to be Lord of all nations. The Text from the Gospel of John is about the calling of Nathaniel who is addressed by Jesus as a true child of Israel. The exegesis offered by Friar Jude Winkler ties the calling of Nathaniel to the conversion of the Jewish Patriarch Jacob from a grasping deceiving personality to one of truth and openness who is renamed Israel by God. Nathaniel like many searching for a deeper relationship with God is recognized by Jesus as one who is sincerely seeking. Being under the fig tree is a reference to the study of the Law which Nathaniel pursued prior to be invited by Philip to “Come and See”. Scholarship and tradition would not lead anyone to believe that significant revelation of God would ever be associated with the dirt poor, Gentile corrupted village of Nazareth. This episode and the value of understanding the background of the very dualistic First Letter of John demonstrate the value in going deeper into the sacred texts through study, archaeology and meditation. The cognitive dissonance which we may initially experience by reading a text which talks of two types of people in the world, those who love to the extent of giving up their lives and those who hate as Cain who murdered Able, needs to be wrestled with, as Jacob did with God, to uncover the battle in that community with powerful heretical preachers. Friar Jude opens the meaning of the faith being hated by the world with the clarification that the texts of John refer to the “world” as those people who have rejected Christ. In our experience, rejection of Christ is present but most of the people are indifferent to Christ and therefore are not moved to hate the followers of the Way. Bringing Christ to all the nations requires our openness like that of Nathaniel to come and see all people as children of God for whom Love enables us to become Jesus to them.

Attract to Act

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary provide an opportunity to consider the quality which attracts people to follow Jesus. The Church commemorates Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton today who lived an amazing spiritual journey to experiencing Jesus in the Roman Catholic tradition and founding the Sisters of Charity who have provided health and education service to hundreds of thousands in North America. The people through whom God acts are often the unlikely choice from our point of view. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the extremely dualistic nature of the text from the First Letter of John. Our response may be quite accepting of this idea or it may cause us to seek the counsel of spiritual experience about conversion. This dualistic passage, on the surface, may present a take it or leave choice to us. The context of the passage in which the community to whom it was addressed was under aggressive attack by heretical preachers may have made the good evil dichotomy a necessary approach. The Gospel of John shows a different, more mystic and directed attraction to Jesus. The disciples of the Baptist are made aware of Jesus, Who asks them what they are seeking and invites them to spend time with Him. This experience opens the eyes of Andrew who understands Jesus as Messiah. Friar Jude comments on the depiction of Peter in the Gospel of John as thick-headed and impetuous. He is cast as the one who does not get it. This one is called by God to lead and named by Jesus as “Cephas” (Rock or Head). The word play which may be used by the Evangelist, according to Friar Jude is the Peter is a “rock-head”. The attraction to Jesus is mysterious and personally unique. Our response is to “come and see”.

Living in His Name

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts from the First Letter of John and the Gospel of John as part of the Liturgy of the Word for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is, for many, a one word prayer. The idea that a person’s name conveys the essence of their being and mission is important in Biblical study. Jesus name is “God Saves”. In expressing this one word prayer we are seeking the God as One who might save us from immediate or ongoing distress. Friar Jude Winkler helps position the text from the First Letter of John as a response to heretics in the community who are categorized in a very dualistic way as being evil. The characteristic, therefore, of those with the truth is being good. The good who know Jesus keep His Commandments. Those who do not abide in Jesus like the heretics do not obey His Commandments. The author of this text in the beginning of the letter is very pastoral expressing the role of Jesus as our path to achieving intimate relationship with God. The judgement of God praised by the psalmist is preceded by the shepherding of the people by God to follow Him. Friar Jude comments on the “high Christology” of the Gospel of John which presents the Divinity of Jesus. John the Baptist, chronologically older than Jesus, tells of the existence of Jesus before John was born. The understanding of the use of symbols and literary devices in this Gospel helps our literal minds to appreciate how much is contained in the words and images chosen by the Evangelist. Friar Jude mentions the word play on the Lamb or Servant of God. Both these names convey Jesus action as sacrifice for us and the One who lives service. This Gospel raises the salutation “Son of God” from the title of a person with prominence or authority to the One in Trinitarian relationship with the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit, which is symbolized in this Gospel by the dove. The surface or first understanding of sacred texts brings light to our search for God. The study and meditation on these texts brings the brilliance of the vast scope of the relationship we seek to live in the name of Jesus. 

Help from the doctors of the Church

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today use the work of the Evangelist, John, to invite us to meditate on the nature of Jesus and, through the passage from the First letter of John, the Christian understanding of God as Trinity. Heresy arises to challenge orthodoxy throughout the history of the Church. In the time of John, Gnostic philosophy argued that Jesus was not Divine. The text today exhorts the faithful to return to their original understanding developed in their experience of Jesus that “The Father and I are one” (John 10.30) The role of the Holy Spirit in the experience of the love of God is announced by Jesus “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14.16) The Gospel today presents the questioning of John the Baptist by the religious authorities about his relationship to the salvation history of Israel. The Baptist indicates that his role is as Prophet, similar to Isaiah, who is announcing the Presence of One in their midst Who is the Christ, the Anointed One. The Council of Nicaea in 325 formulated the Nicene Creed in response to the heresy of Arius. Today our struggle with the Mystery of the Trinity continues. The comments of Father RobertBarron on the extremely popular work of fiction, The Shack , by William P. Young, show that as we continue to explore the mystery and perfection of the Trinity, we can be encouraged and inspired by the insight of fellow searchers. We need also to be aware of the areas where the insight of fellow searches pushes against the orthodox understanding of the Tradition. The historical record shows that this Mystery has occupied people in relationship with God for thousands of years. Their work and struggle has value for us.

Mary marks New Year

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the first day of the new calendar year calls on all the nations to praise the Lord. The Gospel from Luke provides the continuation of the account of the birth of Jesus begun on Christmas Day. For Christians, the role of carrying and presenting Jesus which is begun with Mary is our daily mission. The letter of Paul to the Galatians declares our liberation from slavery to the gratification of power, prestige, pride and pleasure. The indwelling Spirit calls us to the relationship of son and daughter to “Abba” our intimate Father. This fulfilment of the blessing given by Aaron from the Book of Numbers is revolutionary as it becomes flesh through the “Yes” of Mary to be Mother. It is announced by a child, named Jesus, for the saving action of God, and is presented to those on the margins of society so that the Presence of the Lord with the humble, marginalized and outcast is clearly offered as food for the Life of the all people. We accept the blessing and resolve to model Mary in being Christ bearers.