4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 It is interesting that only two of the nine Beatitudes, that mark the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, have their reward in the present. They are: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" and "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mtt 5: 3 and 10) The kingdom of heaven, therefore, is a present reality for those who are poor in spirit and are persecuted for righteousness' sake.  When we pray the Lord's Prayer during the Mass we say: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come...". Thus, we desire to be subjects of the Father's heavenly rule and not ruled by any other authority, temporal or spiritual. So, what is this kingdom? St Paul tells the Romans: "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but the righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Rm 14: 17) When we serve the church, through ministries and prayer, we are striving to be poor in spirit, and when we testify to our faith in public, we open ourselves to being persecuted for righteousness' sake. In this way we can experience righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, here and now.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 We have come to the conclusion of the Jubilee Year. As Pilgrims of Hope, where do we go from here? Pope Leo is asking us to be inspired by the 700th anniversary of St Francis Assisi in 2026. St Francis and St Dominic were revolutionary for their time because they effectively took the monastery to the people. They sought to combat the heresies of Manicheism and the Waldensians Likewise, we are called to go forth and, as missionary disciples, engage with the culture and society of our time. In the gospel Jesus says to Peter and Andrew: " 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people'. " (Mtt 4: 19) He does the same with James and John the sons of Zebedee.  We are told: "Immediately they left their boat and their father, and followed him" (Mtt 4: 22) There is an urgency about their response. In the midst of their everyday work they have a call to a higher purpose which is to follow the Lord. We may not be called to leave our work and families behind but we are called to bring the joy of the Gospel to those who are awaiting it. The Holy Spirit has gone ahead of us. We can, with confidence, embrace the challenge of bringing the Good News to a world in profound need of it. Let us follow the Lord knowing that he empowers us through his grace and leads by example: "Jesus went throughout Galilee. teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people." (Mtt 4: 23)

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 It is interesting that in a year of the lectionary, given over to the Gospel of Matthew, we have a gospel reading, for the start of Ordinary Time, from the Gospel of John. Last week the reading was for the Baptism of the Lord with Matthew's gospel emphasizing the inferiority of John the Baptist who asks why he should be the one to baptize Jesus. Today's gospel serves to build on this as John the Baptist is shown explicitly identifying Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (Jn 1: 29) This is not through their familial connection, as we see on the Feast of the Visitation, rather John witnesses the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus after his baptism. In Mark and Matthew it is only Jesus who witnesses the descent of the Holy Spirit while in Luke it is ambiguous as to whether it is Jesus or everyone who witnesses this event. The differences do not change the overall picture but can tell us of the theological emphases of the respective evangelists. For ourselves we can understand the role of others in baptism and encouraging us to grow in faith and discipleship. They act as witnesses to the Holy Spirit at work in our lives even when we may be unaware of it. Perhaps we, like John the Baptist, can serve to alert others to God's action in their lives and encourage them to respond with faith and courage to the call which God has for each of them.

Feast of Baptism of the Lord

 Of the synoptic gospels, it is Matthew which records the misgivings of John the Baptist about baptizing Jesus: " 'I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?' " (Mtt 3: 14) John's baptism was one of repentance. The word for repentance in Hebrew is shuv which is often translated in Greek as metanoia. It involves a change of life. A turning around to take another path. Jesus' reply to this is: " 'Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.' " (Mtt 3: 15) Thus, that Jesus be baptized by John, is a part of the Father's plan for salvation. Jesus, although sinless, he nevertheless identifies with the people who long for the coming of the Messiah and the fulfilment of God's promises. He also recognizes the legitimacy of John's ministry and message.  Jesus waits until John is martyred before he begins his earthly ministry. The opening message of the ministry is the same as John's: " 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' " (Mtt 3: 2 cf Mk 1: 14) There is a sense here that God does not discard John the Baptist. Everything happens in its proper time. In John the Baptist God was giving the Jewish people immediate preparation to reform their lives so that their hearts would be purified to recognize the Messiah when he was revealed. Jesus explains it this way: " 'He (John) was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.' " (Jn 5: 35) This tells us that each of us need repentance before we can have hearts to receive Jesus as he truly is and ears to hear in our own baptisms the words: " 'This is my Son the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' " (Mtt 3: 17)

Feast of the Epiphany

 As we read through the Lectionary, one of the great reforms of Vatican II, it is always rewarding to be attentive to all the readings for the day and not isolate the Gospel. Likewise, for the feasts of the Lord, such as the one we observe today, the dedicated preface for the Eucharistic Prayer gives us insight into the meaning of what we are celebrating. To this end we can read in the Second Reading: "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humanity as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Eph 3: 5-6) We are then told in the Preface for the Epiphany: "For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as light to the nations, and, when he appeared in our mortal nature, you made us new by the glory of his immortal nature." (Roman Missal) Thus, there are two aspects to the feast. First, the elevation of human nature through the Incarnation which brings about divinization. Second, the unification of humanity as this offer of eternal life is made not just to the Jews but to the whole of humanity. Both the shepherds, who received their revelation through the angels, and the Magi, who received their revelation through the star, are moved to find the Christ child and do him homage. This encounter changes them. The former: "... returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them" (Lk 2:20) while the Magi: "... knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road." (Mtt 2:11-12) Having encountered the Christ child their lives would not be the same. Are we changed by our celebration of Christmas and the Epiphany? Are we caught up in the mystery of the Incarnation? Or do we trudge back to our ordinary, everyday life as if nothing has changed?

Feast of Mary, Mother of God - World Day of Peace

 It is crucial in our reading of Scripture to pass from analysis to contemplation. It can be tempting to continue investigation and studies of the biblical data without opening our hearts to the tremendous mystery we are given. The stupendous event of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity becoming man should never cease to amaze us. St Paul summarizes this mystery beautifully when he writes: "When the fulness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children." (Gal 4:4-5) Today we, like the shepherds at Bethlehem are called to" "... see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us" (Lk 2:15) In this moment we encounter not only the Child Jesus but also Our Lady. We are called to contemplate her holiness, faith and beauty and in doing so trust in her intercession while using her as a role model for true discipleship. Through contemplation our hearts are changed, and we can be caught up in the peace, love and joy of God's infinite mercy towards the human race. This has implications for how we will live our life in the coming year and think of ourselves in relationship to God and to others: "And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God." (Gal 4:6-7)

Feast of the Holy Family

 What impresses me the most on my reading of the gospel for this year is the urgency and drama that affected the early years of the Holy Family of Nazareth. After the angel reveals to Joseph, in his dream, the plot of Herod against the child Jesus we hear: "Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt." (Mtt 2:14) The fear is palpable. Joseph does not hesitate but departs at night. Again, after being informed of Herod's death in a dream, "Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Isreal." (Mtt 2:21) He is eager to return to the Holy Land but continues to be obedient to the dream warning and settles in Nazareth. At this point Joseph has had four dreams and each time he has reacted in faith. His obedience is extraordinary. His care and protection for Our Lady and Jesus means he foregoes his own comfort and acts according to God's command communicated to him through dreams. May we all imitate him in his courage and selflessness as he acted to protect those whom he loved.