5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 In the gospel we hear extraordinary claims made for the disciples of Jesus: "You are the salt of the earth" (Mtt 5: 13) and "You are the light of the world." (Mtt 5: 14) Normally one would think that the rich and powerful would be the focus yet here he is talking to Galilean peasants who are to fulfil this intimidating function. Missionary disciples are not meant to be invisible. To intentionally evangelize we need to draw attention to Jesus which has the byproduct of drawing attention to ourselves. If we are true to our calling we bring flavour to life and cast light on others to drive out their darkness. We are not disciples to save only ourselves from sin, despair and evil rather the charisms given us are there to serve the Gospel. The paradox of all of this is that we do not proclaim success, like some form of "prosperity gospel" but we proclaim Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2: 2). Our happiness is not found in some self help technique or secret knowledge rather it is founded in the person of Jesus Christ who confounds worldly wisdom and pretension.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The Beatitudes in Matthew's Gospel are a wonderful summary of the implications of the Sermon on the Mount that follows them. In contrast to the ritual cleanliness demanded by the Pharisees the Beatitudes are exhortative. Followers of Jesus are called to strive for blessedness and to imitate their Master. This process of missionary discipleship is a lifelong process. Thus, the counsel from the First Reading is also valuable in pointing out the attitude necessary to follow the Way of Life: "Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord's wrath." (Zeph 2: 3) It is important that our idea of Christian morality is not narrowly restricted to sexual matters or the things that we are forbidden to do. We need to think positively and go out from ourselves so that we may stand among the blessed at the Last Judgment.  

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jesus is portrayed by Matthew as beginning his earthly ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist. Hi message is the same: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Mtt 4: 17) One difference from John, however, is that Jesus not only proclaims Good News but he is the Good News in person. This proclamation not only invites people to be baptized but also to follow Jesus himself and discover a new way of life. Jesus shows this by his healing ministry which gives visible and physical evidence of the Good News he brings. For ourselves we need to ask whether the Good News is indeed that for each one of us and whether it has had an effect on our lives. Maybe, like Peter and Andrew, et al, we need to make a move to abandon our needs and our comfort zones to act on the Word and to know healing as its message takes effect in us.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today we hear of John the Baptist's testimony regarding Jesus. All of the gospels are slightly different but it is clear that John the Baptist was a significant figure for the Early Church and the Mandaean religion shows us that his followers continue to this day. What interests me is how people are called by God to forward the plan of salvation. Sometimes, as with John the Baptist, his or her life ends in apparent failure. We can think of our on efforts to serve God which did not turn out the way that we thought at the outset. Nevertheless, with humility and the desire to serve God, great thing can come from our efforts that cooperate with grace. This is evident in the lives of the saints. I can think of the influence of Saint Ambrose on St Augustine or St Albert the Great on St Thomas Aquinas. The impact of even the humblest of saints, such as St Martin de Porres, shows us God's power working through weakness. Let us, therefore, not be discouraged in our works of faith and charity since if we point to Christ, as St John the Baptist did, our efforts will not be in vain. Peter tells us: "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of us has received. Whoever speaks must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen." (1 Pt 4: 10-11)

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

 Just as the message of salvation to the Gentiles was a radical and revolutionary development of St Paul the ministry of St John  the Baptist was a major challenge to the Jews of the First Century. By being baptized they were effectively renewing their "Jewishness." Baptism had previously been a practice for gentiles who were becoming Jews but now St John the Baptist was saying that all Jews needed to be baptized. The process of Hellenization and rule by the Romans was having a massive effect on Jewish life. rather than attack these St John the Baptist declared that what was required was not violent revolution (Zealots), stricter adherence to the Torah (Pharisees), separation from society (Essenes) or collaboration with the gentiles (Sadducees) rather it was a personal moral transformation to prepare for the imminent arrival of the Messiah. He anticipated a fiery judgement when the Messiah was manifested, instead Jesus brought healing and mercy. Nevertheless, Jesus identified with the people who were turning to God and longed for God's kingdom to be vindicated on Earth. Thus, he allays John's doubts about his own baptism and tells him: " 'Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness." (Mtt 3: 17)

Feast of the Epiphany

 We are so accustomed to the Christian Church being dominated by non-Jews that the significance of us Gentiles being grafted onto the roots of the Jewish religion is taken for granted. For St Paul this development in the history of humanity was epoch making. It was not something that could possibly have been anticipated of discovered through human reason. He speaks of "... how the mystery was made known to me by revelation,,, that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise of promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Eph 3: 3, 5-6) In verse 4, which we do not have in our lectionary presentation states: "... as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ." This reading had and still has a revolutionary impact on Jews who are being asked to open up their status as the Chosen People and to participate in a united humanity with the same mission of salvation for the forgiveness of sins. Gentiles for their part are called to abandon their foundational myths and to embrace the moral, theological and spiritual heritage of the Old Testament. As Saul, St Paul, perceive this as an existential threat to what it meant for the Jewish people. After his conversion, directly from Christ, he saw it as a plan for the whole of humanity in which the rule of the Jewish Law did not hold central position rather it was the power of the risen Christ. St Paul, therefore, had his "epiphany" or revelation of God's plan for him. Have we had an "epiphany" moment of our own which challenges us to embrace the revolutionary love of Christ and be commissioned to serve him and him alone in the plan of salvation?