Share in the Life of Christ

The Church moves closer to the end of the Octave of Christmas and the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring us back to the basic truth of this season,” the Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1.14). The first letter of John is a warning to the Church that there are those among us who distort the truth. The author reminds the faithful of the link to the truth which is Jesus, the Word. The Incarnation celebrated by the text which begins the Gospel of John is the realization of the desire that God is with us. The psalmist proclaims “Let the heavens exult and the earth rejoice!” The Lord God is come to rule us with righteousness and truth. In our righteousness or relationship with God we come to know the Truth which is written on our hearts as we accept the indwelling Word of Jesus as our guide to living life to the full (John10:10). This “Incarnation” is quoted as the basis of moral theology, “a more vivid contact with the mystery of Christ” in the last of the Second Vatican Council documents, “Gaudium et Spes”. The heretics or “anti-Christ” described in the Letter of John present arguments which on one hand may advocate a humanistic morality which is not dependant on the Transcendent Presence, whichis also immanent, or may separate the realm of the Divine and the realm of imperfect humanity in reasoning similar to the Platonic, Stoic and Gnostic influences in the Church at the time of John. The truth will be recognized by disciples through faith which trusts that the Will of God is accomplished by living according to the example revealed by the Spirit in our relationship with Jesus. 

Family faithfully moving forward

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today offers some variety in the texts chosen to commemorate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The holiday season is drawing to a close and often this time of closeness to siblings, children and parents is also being replaced with the more distant relationship usual in the time of daily work and responsibility. Father Larry Gillick SJ is moved to write of the similarity of faith and love. Those who have been blessed, like the psalmist, to know the fruit of a family which surrounds your table like olive shoots and among those gathered are the children of your children have visible proof of the value of the struggle to work with the leap of faith into a family relationship when we know so little of ourselves. We depend on love to be the active agent of revelation of who we are and who the people of our family can become through the action of that Love. The wisdom of our parents and the values of our society are preserved for us through the actions proposed in the Book of Sirach that we attend to the care of our parents in manner suggested by Friar Jude Winkler as exaggerated respect. The Letter of  Paul to the Colossians addresses the preference of the “Stoic influenced” Greek  mind to have a set of procedures and principles adherence to which will direct us to harmony with the Divine. Paul lists the values and attitudes which we know facilitate the blessing of relationships. The Gospel of Luke continues to build the journey of Jesus to His Role of Messiah. This text shows the tension which exists between the expectations of parents and children and our continuing need to appreciate the will of God for their development may require our “yes” to directions which are going to depend on our gift of faith for our peace. Friar Jude takes a scholarly view of the foreshadowing of the separation of Jesus from Mary for three days during His Passion. The Holy Family models how faith works within the dynamic of human experience to bring peace, love, compassion, patience, hope  and joy to our lives though our families.

Scholars and theologians also exult in joy

The psalmist exhorts us to ascribe to the Lord the glory and strength that is His and to bring an offering to Him as we tremble in His Holy Splendour. This disposition is a key starting point for the unpacking of the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Friar Jude Winkler reveals the knowledge that some scholars and theologians have added to the discussion around these letters and narratives. The text is powerful and inspirational without the exegesis. The study we do of the authors, theology, history and anthropology is using our God given gifts as scholars and searchers to increase our wonder and awe at the nuances of our interplay over time with seeking to understand our relationship to the Divine. Friar Jude suggests that the Augustinian philosophy of “love God and do what you will” was found to have the practical problems we can imagine when it is applied to communities of faith. The letters of John provide concrete “commandments” which frame the actions of those seeking to walk with Christ. This tension between the Law and the Spirit is the place of real life. Christians are on a mission to model Jesus in faith based on trust that the will of God makes itself known through the Spirit acting in the lives even of the lawmakers. Friar Jude opens our consideration of the treatment of those inside our community and those outside who are considered, in the extreme, as heretics. Love and heresy are real aspects of the walk as Christians which tug at believers. The nature of the purification rites which are the basis of the narrative from the Gospel of Luke are interpreted with some errors, according to our understanding of Jewish tradition, by the Gentile Luke. The ancient understanding of Israel as the light to the Gentiles is presented in this passage. The Gentiles, of course, do not fully comprehend Jewish ritual and conflict about the need to be “Jewish” is very much a concern in the early Church. Jesus is not required to be purified, but as Friar Jude explains He is redeemed from God as a first born of Passover who God keeps as one saved from death at the hands the Pharaoh. The hymn of Simeon, likely an early Christian funeral piece, is placed there by Luke as appropriate for the event. The sword which, in some translations pierces Mary’s heart, is the source of Catholic attention to the sorrows of Mary. The “heart” in the writing of the Bible is the place of reason rather than emotion as we now consider it. Friar Jude concludes our unpacking of tradition, inspiration and text by pointing to the discernment which Luke gives Mary to come to know the Son of David as the Son of God. This continues to be the key point of our discernment.

hidden martyrs

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today commemorate the Holy Innocents who were the children killed by Herod in the vicinity of Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus after hearing of His birth from the Magi. These children are considered martyrs because they died in place of Jesus even though they would not have known Him. The Letter of John reminds us of the Divine nature of being without sin. This is contrasted with human nature which often acts out of personal desire and passion to be slaves of sinfulness. The mission of Jesus is the reconciliation of sinful humanity with God so that we might walk in His Light and be in communion with Him. Our faith and experience testify that this invitation to holiness comes to us through Jesus death, while we were still sinners. ( Romans 5.8). The Innocent continue to die in our world and the praises of the psalmist for God, Who will be the rescuer of the poor and those cast aside provides consolation. The wailing of the Israelites as they were led into exile is captured by Matthew in the Gospel account of the slaughter of the Innocents as being repeated as a consequence of the action of Herod. The removal of a generation from the cycle of life by war, genocide, slaughter, abortion and abandonment stands as the continued destruction of God’s beloved through human will. The depth of despair which accompanies the death of hope is too often known by the parents of these Innocents today. Our trust that God weeps with us and that Life continues in communion with Him makes it possible to continue our journey. The forgiveness and mercy which is God also invites the reconciliation of those who commit atrocity to communion with Him and His Body.

The Body Matters

The psalmist proclaims the glory of the Reign of God in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today the feast of John, Apostle and Evangelist. The glory confirmed and celebrated by the psalmist did not anticipate the essential declaration at the beginning of the Gospel of John that the Word is become flesh! The Incarnation is the scandalous Christian celebration of Christmas. Early Christians praised the action of God to humble Himself and be in human form. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the First Letter of John is the text which opened the eyes of early Church leaders to the full spiritual understanding of John. The Gospel of John is very spiritual and mystical. The community, from which it came, according to Friar Jude, was charismatically driven by deep love of Jesus. The Letter of John expresses the relationship with Jesus as involving the senses. Jesus is seen, heard and touched. The humanity of Jesus is core to Christian belief. The statement of experience of His humanity helped John to be declared an Evangelist. Disagreement and heresy have always been present in Church history. The Gospel of John presents an ongoing tension between Peter the Apostle representing the authority of the Church and John, the beloved disciple, who is the deep lover of Jesus. In the text today, Friar Jude notes that John arrives first at the tomb, not because he may have been a younger man but because he was driven by Love, the power which pushes back the walls. The beloved disciple waits for and follows Peter into the tomb as a sign of Love bowing to Authority. This gesture may be controversial, yet consider the situation if Love did not join Authority in human organizations. The interpretation of the faith writing of John as obedient and in full acceptance of the humanity of Jesus places it in the battle of the early Church to assert the importance of the body and the senses for our eternal life in communion with Jesus. Father Robert Barron takes up the theme of the importance of the body in Christian belief as he preaches Sermon188 on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption. This talk was inspired by the book “Letters to a Young Catholic”, by George Weigel. Barron uses the Marion feast to illuminate the central role of Mary in the Incarnation and her modeling of the key tenant of Christianity that rejects Platonic, Gnostic and modern philosophy which separates body and soul. The Incarnation, the feast today, the earliest Christian creed, the Church which was Marian before it was Petrine or Pauline, declare that “the Body (and body) matters!”

Lambs still lead to slaughter

The text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary makes us aware of martyrs. The Merriam-Webster On Line Dictionary defines martyrdom as “the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and especially to one's religious faith” The press today contains stories of St Stephen from Catholic sources and many stories from the Middle East, North Africa, India and Afghanistan about people who have died as martyrs. The Pope has mentioned the continuing attacks which have killed Christians in Nigeria in his Christmas message. The passage from the Book of Acts tells of the killing of Stephen, a Greek speaker, who had been chosen to be the first deacon of the early Church, as his preaching about Jesus in sensed the members of the Synagogue of Freedmen, a Greek-speaking synagogue in Jerusalem. Friar Jude Winkler describes the trial and stoning of Stephen as illegal mob action. We are aware that the action of mobs stirred by passion is difficult to control. The passage from Acts, written by Luke, concludes with reference to Saul (Paul) as a young Jew, a witness to the stoning, with whom the combatants left their cloaks. The psalmist praises God for the protection given to the faithful. The Gospel from Matthew advises followers of Jesus that the message we bring will stir up the passion of those who perceive a threat to their privilege, power or pride in living as His disciple. Matthew addressed a Jewish audience who had been banished from synagogue worship as followers of the Way. Friar Jude questions whether we are being effective Christians if we do not encounter difficulty in living the Word. The Prince of Peace sets the example in His Life, which is mirrored by Stephen, of being in communion with God at all times and being open to the Presence of the Spirit to guide our words and actions even as lambs to slaughter if that is part of our spiritual journey.

The Invitation to Come and See

The Gospel account from Luke of the birth of Jesus in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is proclaimed at midnight Mass. The shepherds are informed by the angels that the child they will see is the Messiah, the Anointed of God. This Presence is the king for whom Isaiah expresses great longing in the text from this Prophet of the time of kings of Israel who ruled in ways which threatened the survival of the relationship between God and the people He had chosen to be light to the nations. Friar Jude Winkler comments that a series of kings had failed to be the Prince of Peace who Isaiah understands will be anointed through Divine intervention in the life of the people of Israel. The Messiah, Jesus, brings the necessity of a response to people. Friar Jude says indifference is not an option.  An excerptfrom the first episode of CATHOLICISM, the magnificent video series hosted by Fr Robert Barron, puts the question of Jesus nature up front in the language of our time. Vicar and Alpha Course pioneer Nicky Gumbel explores the question, 'Who is Jesus?’ as the first step in the widely attended course aimed at those who are inquiring about being Christian. The passage from Titus is the concise question from the time of the early Church. The decision to recognize God is praised by the psalmist who captures the state of awe which Luke tells overwhelmed the shepherds to whom the angels brought the message of the Prince of Peace. Friar Jude identifies quite a few historical difficulties in the passage from Luke concerning the census of the tribes of Israel that brings the Holy Family to Bethlehem. Scholars of this Gospel marvel at the detailed construction of words using by Luke to make strong images and reverse our expectations about God. The sharp contrast between the temporal power of the Emperor who can require movement of tribes and the non threatening picture of the new born lying in accommodations intended for animals and being heralded by the outcasts of society, the shepherds who live in the open with unclean animals. These are the “the poor ones of Yahweh” for whom the Messiah brings Life. The blindness of the wealthy, powerful, self sufficient and proud does not allow them to see or be brought to silent awe at the Presence they encounter. The “journey to Life” in Luke is begun with the need of the Holy and very unusual family of Joseph, Mary and baby to travel to the city of David to announce the Messiah to the poor in Spirit. There is much more in this account than the Christmas Card images that remain so much at the surface of embracing Incarnation.