it is the last hour

The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church comes to the end of the calendar year with texts from John which bring the old year to an end with a letter that warns of the anti-Christ forces who are attempting to destroy the relationship between humanity and the Divine. The intimate communion with Jesus is this relationship. The text from the Gospel of John welcomes the new year with the Incarnation description. This Gospel relates the event of the “Word becomes flesh” in language that reaches to put in words that which is beyond human expression. John presents Jesus, foretold by John, eternally in the world since Creation and being born in flesh and living among us. The psalmist exhorts us to sing a new song in praise of the Lord who brings righteousness and truth to the world.

The Return to Nazareth and Normal Life

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him (Luke 2:40)

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer some tension on the role of life in the world for the believer. The advice in the first letter of John not to love the world or the things of the world is wisdom which appreciates that the passions and desires which cause believers to put self satisfaction, wealth and privilege ahead of the relationship with the Divine are addictions to the attractions of the world and worldly living. The psalmist reminds us to ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due God. The traditional first commandment and the reason for our being in the Baltimore Catechism place God as the object of all our knowledge, love and service. The Gospel of Luke tells of the prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, who confirms her revelation that the child, Jesus was the one to save Jerusalem. Luke concludes today with “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him”. This passage invites a second look at living in the world. It is the path chosen for the Child by the Father to bring the Word to Flesh amid the temptations cited by John and to set the Child on a development path with human parents in a human community for the purpose and growth and increase in strength. The area of process theology looks at the development of Jesus into a mature human as an important model of spiritual development for all believers.

Authenticity of our belief

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today suggest exploring the authenticity of our belief. The letter of John points to the idea of walking in the shoes of Jesus if we profess our belief in Him. We are drawn to the need to remove hatred from our lives as we begin to follow the example of love from Jesus. The psalmist praises God who comes in judgement. This aspect of the Divine seems in tension or conflict with the overwhelming compassion, forgiveness and intimate love we understand in Jesus. It is not a conflicting characteristic. The wisdom of the indwelling Spirit equips us with judgement in situations to choose life and love. Our sense of justice needs is routed in our being and is part of our relationship with the Divine. How that justice tension is resolved is the source of many questions.

If anyone in the Middle East has earned the right to hate, it is a Palestinian father, physician and, now, first-time author by the name of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish. (an Israeli attack killed his three daughters and niece)


But here’s the paradox: Abuelaish refuses to hate.


Instead, he remains deeply committed to Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, and now he has written a vivid, haunting and all but heartbreaking account of that commitment, a position he refuses to abandon even in the face of Job-like provocation — the violent deaths of three daughters and a niece.


I Shall Not Hate is set for publication in Canada.

The Gospel of Luke presents the revelation to the faithful Simeon that the Messiah, who he had been inspired to expect through his authentic relationship with the Divine, had been presented in the Temple. The transcendence that accompanies the life of those of authentic faith is often brought to mind by people of faith in our circle of friends who expect and experience daily revelation of the Will of the Father through their relationship with God. The Good Challenge is presented in time for New Year’s resolutions!

Massacre and Guidance

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring the darkness of massacre of innocents to mind. The Gospel of Matthew is an account of the flight of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to Egypt to escape a persecution in which Herod traditionally executed male infants, up to the age of 2, in Bethlehem. Historic accounts of this event remain unreliable. It is known that such an atrocity would not be out of character for Herod and certainly much genocide in our world needs to be recalled and brought to our prayer. Joseph continues his example as leader of a family guided by an intimate relationship with the Divine. The letter of John presents two truths which thankfully stand together. We sin. We are capable of great evil against our fellow humans. We have forgiveness and the opportunity to start over through our relationship with God. This time of year we may be blessed by reconnection with old friends. The past days are often seen with rose coloured glasses. Like the psalmist, we may be blessed with an opportunity to recall past events through which we survived “by the grace of God”. As the psalmist puts it “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped”. Why? There may be a Divine Plan for us that required we “come out of Egypt” too.

The Word of Life

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are for the feast of St. John the Evangelist, the author of the fourth book of the Gospel. The text from the first letter of John reveals his desire to share the story of Jesus with us so that we might share the joy that he knows in relationship with Jesus. The intimate pictures in the Gospel which include John, described as the one whom Jesus loved, are capped as John lying on Jesus breast at the Last Supper. The presentation of the intimate relationship with the Divine is beautifully mystical in John’s Gospel. The psalmist tells of the knowledge of the grandeur of God from observation of the heavens which surround us. Certainly this observation of the majesty of the universe was more easily observed in the dark skies of the Jesus time and place then from the light pollution which obscures the celestial canopy. The passage from the Gospel of John relates how Peter and John find the empty tomb and are convinced of the Resurrection on that first Easter morning. The liturgy through John reminds us that the Word was made flesh in the Incarnation and the Lord transcended death in the Resurrection, thus contacting two fundamental touchstones of Christianity.

Holy Family attends to spiritual guide

The wonder of Christmas has many aspects. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was born while the “family” descended from David has gathered in Bethlehem, the city of David, in response to a Roman census. Families gather at this time of year and often travel thousands of kilometres through challenging events to reunite. The gathering and the suspension of the usual routine for hours or days for the family is a wonderful and very observable characteristic of Christmas. The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church chooses texts today which offer a guide to the family life which over time produces much fruit. The Book of Sirach, which offers wisdom to the reader for self guidance in many aspects of life, advises family members to attend to the father and the mother of the family. This attention and respect will of course assist in the growth and well being of your own children. The children learn from the parent how to treat their parents. During the Christmas gathering bringing the grandchildren to see Mom and Dad is such a powerful time to set and model the love and respect which are so essential in growing together as families. The letter of Paul to the Colossians advises that we “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”. These attitudes and practices will go a long way to making the family gathering all that it can be. The psalmist reveals that the fruit of an attempt to live as family where there is attention to Divine guidance is the family gathered around your table. This is probably the most visible opportunity to reflect on the blessing of family and to be thankful for each and every member of the family. The Gospel of Matthew continues the story of the early life of the Holy Family. The author emphasizes the role of Joseph as the one who attended to the guidance of God as he made decisions about where and how the family would live. Some reflection on the role of Joseph presented in Christian text and tradition, opens a powerful model for those today who have the vocation of leading a family.

Prophecy of Zechariah

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today take us to the Book of Samuel where David declares to the prophet Nathan that he intends to build a house for the Lord. The apparent arrogance of this assertion stands out and offers the opportunity for Nathan to report that the Lord declares His intention to make the “house” or lineage of David great. From his line the “saviour” for the people of God will be descended. The psalmist echoes the understanding that the descendants of David have been chosen to be the “throne” of Israel for all generations. Zechariah understands that the miraculous birth of his son John is part of a greater event which will give light and peace to many.