Prayers this week:
Let the clouds rain down
the just One, and the earth bring forth a Saviour(Isaiah 45:8) Lord,
fill our hearts with your love, and as you revealed to us by an
angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us through his suffering
and death to the glory of his resurrection. We ask
this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
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Scripture: Isaiah
7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24
This is how the birth of
Christ happened. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing
publicly to expose her, intended to put her away privately. But while
he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take to
yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will call his name JESUS.
For he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this was done so
that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, “Behold a
virgin will be with child and will bring forth a son, and they will
call his name Emmanuel, which means, God with us.” And Joseph waking
from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took
his wife to himself.(Matthew 1:18-24)
Do good,
avoid evil
It is very obvious that during our Lord’s public ministry very many
misunderstood his mission. It is clear, in fact, that numerous people
completely misunderstood the mission of the expected Messiah and had no notion
of his divinely ordained methods. Very commonly, his kingship was understood as
a political and perhaps a military one. Our Gospel passage today makes it clear
that St Joseph was informed from heaven, through the person of the angel, just
what the mission of his future foster‑son would be. Joseph is not told very
much about the mission of his wife’s child but the essential point is there. It
was to save his people from their sins.
Mary his betrothed “will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:18‑24).
The burden afflicting and bringing death to God’s people are their sins, and the
child will save his people from them. This announcement of the Saviour’s
mission gives us the opportunity to think a little about sin, for sin was the
preoccupation of God in sending his divine Son to us. St Paul tells us that of
themselves all men are under the power of sin, and that the wages of sin are
death. The Ten Commandments spell out very clearly the ways God’s chosen people
can and do sin, but what is to be said of those who have not heard God’s voice
as expressed in the Ten Commandments? Well, there is another voice. Man has
been endowed by God with a conscience commanding him to do good and avoid evil.
This is a natural law implanted in his very being. St Paul writes in the Letter
to the Romans that “I have been sold as a slave to sin. I cannot understand my
own behaviour. I fail to carry out the things I want to do, and I find myself
dong the very things I hate. When I act against my own will, that means that I
have a self that acknowledges that the Law is good, and so the thing behaving in
that way is not my own self but sin living in me.” So St Paul states that “I
have a self that acknowledges that the Law is good.” Every man and woman has
this “self,” this voice within. All have a conscience and whatever be the
errors of people in their practical moral judgment, the basic command of
conscience is clear. The good must be done and evil avoided. It is a basic
natural law commanding that each person seek to know what is the right thing to
do, and then to do it.
This natural moral law pressed on each person by his conscience is absolute, and
all know this to be the case. When the Second World War ended, various Nazis
were put on trial at Nuremburg for crimes against humanity. It was no excuse to
say that “I was told to do it” because there was (and is) a higher law than that
of the state. The natural moral law is above all and is to be used in judging
the morality of rulers and states. Knowing as he does that the good is to be
done and evil avoided, each person instinctively knows that the life of another
must be respected. It is part of the natural law, and this law is objective.
All instinctively know that it is wrong to steal and to rape and to kidnap and
to commit adultery. Of course, generally an education in these moral
prescriptions is needed and the education should be good and correct. But the
upshot of such an ethical or religious education is that the one thus educated
recognizes in his own mind and without further appeal to authority that certain
things are wrong. If one does violate the natural moral law at least in respect
to the obvious rights of others, then irrespective of whether one has a religion
to help, the offender will be liable to being punished. Furthermore, if one has
a religious sense, one will instinctively recognize that these dictates of one’s
natural moral sense express the will and pleasure of God. That is to say, the
prudent and religious man knows that the voice of conscience is a faint echo of
the voice of God, beginning with that “voice” from within which says that the
good must be done and evil avoided. Violations of the natural moral law are
sins, and most have a sense of this. The immoral person vaguely senses that he
is displeasing to God. I do think, incidentally, that an important basis of
harmony and cooperation among the religions of the world and among all people of
goodwill, is the universality of the natural moral law and its natural
connection with God and therefore with religion. All religions must conform to
what is known to be right and wrong — with the natural moral law, that is.
Now, my point in discussing conscience and the natural law is to relate it to
Christ and his mission. Conscience characteristically instils a sense of sin.
All men ought therefore be conscious of having sinned, and the Good News is that
a Saviour has come. Christ our Lord came to save all men from their sins.
Let us think of the sins of the world when we think of the saving mission of
Christ. He came to save man from his sins, whether or not man knew or knows of
the Ten Commandments or the commands of Christ. Christ is the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. We are called to belong to him and belonging
to him means renouncing sin and embracing faith in Jesus and all that Jesus has
revealed. We are also called to bring Jesus to others, and with him to bring
the Good News of salvation from sin.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church,
no.1950-1964
Live in the presence of God and you will have supernatural life.
(The Way, no.278)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come, Creator Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator come,
From your bright heavenly throne!
Come, take possession of our souls,
And make them all your own.
You who are called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above,
The living spring, the living fire,
Sweet unction, and true love!
You who are sevenfold in your grace,
Finger of God's right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand!
O guide our minds with your blessed light,
With love our hearts inflame,
And with your strength which never decays
Confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our hellish foe
True peace unto us bring,
And through all perils guide us safe
Beneath your sacred wing.
Through you may we the Father know,
Through you the eternal Son
And you the Spirit of them both
Thrice-blessed three in one.
All glory to the Father be,
And to the risen Son;
The same to you, O Paraclete,
While endless ages run. Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 17) Lazarus
Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was the
one of whom the Jews said, "See how much he loved him." In their sight
Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.
Legends abound about the life of Lazarus after the death and
resurrection of Jesus. He is supposed to have left a written account of
what he saw in the next world before he was called back to life. Some
say he followed Peter into Syria. Another story is that despite being
put into a leaking boat by the Jews at Jaffa, he, his sisters and
others landed safely in Cyprus. There he died peacefully after serving
as bishop for 30 years. A church was built in his honour in
Constantinople and some of his reputed relics were transferred there in
890. A Western legend has the oarless boat arriving in Gaul. There he
was bishop of Marseilles, was martyred after making a number of
converts and was buried in a cave. His relics were transferred to the
new cathedral in Autun in 1146. It is certain there was early devotion
to the saint. Around the year 390, the pilgrim lady Etheria talks of
the procession that took place on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at
the tomb where Lazarus had been raised from the dead. In the West,
Passion Sunday was called Dominica de Lazaro, and Augustine tells us
that in Africa the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus was read at the
office of Palm Sunday.
Many people who have had a near-death experience report losing all fear
of death. When Lazarus died a second time, perhaps he was without fear.
He must have been sure that Jesus, the friend with whom he had shared
many meals and conversations, would be waiting to raise him again. We
don’t share Lazarus’ firsthand knowledge of returning from the grave.
Nevertheless, we too have shared meals and conversations with Jesus,
who waits to raise us, too. (AmericanCatholic.org)
The book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. Jacob begot Judas and his
brethren. Judas begot Phares and Zara of
Thamar. Phares begot Esron. Esron begot Aram. Aram begot Aminadab.
Aminadab begot Naasson. Naasson begot Salmon. Salmon begot Booz of
Rahab. Booz begot Obed of Ruth. Obed begot Jesse. Jesse begot David the
king. David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of
Urias. Solomon begot Roboam. Roboam begot Abia. Abia begot Asa. Asa
begot Josaphat. Josaphat begot Joram. Joram begot Ozias. Ozias begot
Joatham. Joatham begot Achaz. Achaz begot Ezechias. Ezechias begot
Manasses. Manesses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. Josias begot
Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon. After the
transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. Salathiel begot
Zorobabel. Zorobabel begot Abiud. Abiud begot Eliacim. Eliacim begot
Azor. Azor begot Sadoc. Sadoc begot Achim. Achim begot Eliud. Eliud
begot Eleazar. Eleazar begot Mathan. Mathan begot Jacob. Jacob begot
Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ. So all the generations, from Abraham to David, are fourteen
generations. From David to the transmigration of Babylon, are fourteen
generations, and from the Babylonian exile to Christ are fourteen
generations.(Matthew 1:1-17)
Christ
and history
There are a great number of individuals and families who are interested in their
family histories. Library after library has its specialist in genealogical
investigations and many websites assist people in tracking down the story of
their ancestors. Many find their family backgrounds fascinating and as far as
they are concerned their stories give to their own lives a framework and a
certain meaning. Our Gospel passage today gives us Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus
Christ showing him to be the direct descendant of David, and through David, of
Abraham.
This is not the place to compare and discuss in an exegetical sense this
genealogy with that of the Gospel of Luke, but we can at least ask, what
impression do we gain of the history that is presented in this genealogy? We
gain many impressions, but we observe that Matthew employs a device in
presentation. Our Lord’s entire genealogy is shown as a neat set of three
blocks of fourteen generations. We can at least notice that while Matthew
presents three blocks of fourteen generations he does not insist that there were
only this number. He seems to have picked out the principal personages among
the generations, while endeavouring to give a general impression. That
impression is of things having gone to plan — God’s plan, that is. As we read
the names mentioned, we think of the ups and downs of human foibles and
strengths and weaknesses over the nearly two thousand years prior to Christ. As
illustrated in various parts of the Old Testament, this history is a history of
God’s action and man’s very mixed response. Holiness and sin appear in all the
nooks and crannies of the story of these generations, but it is nevertheless
going according to an overarching plan. The plan is the saving plan of God that
the Messiah will come at the appointed time. The time has been determined and
God has the matter in hand. Finally the flower appears, the jewel of the race,
the hero of the ages, the King.
Not only does our Gospel passage remind us that God has all in hand despite the
chequered nature of the flow of human history, but it reminds us of the
supremacy and centrality of the person of Jesus. He is the apex of the story of
the generations of God’s chosen people that began with the call of Abraham.
Beyond that story of a family and a people, Christ is the apex of human history,
a point brought out more clearly by Luke in his genealogy that takes our Lord
back to Adam. Our Gospel passage today (Matthew
1:1‑17) shows that salvation is from the Jews, and that salvation is
embodied and offered in the greatest and most splendid person of the Jewish
race, Jesus of Nazareth. He is the glory of the chosen people, the greatest and
most unique of the sons of Abraham. He is the son par excellence of David and
of Abraham, and is also their Lord. As our Lord reminded his critics on one
occasion, David said (in one of the psalms), “The Lord said to my Lord, sit on
my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool.” He, the Messiah is both
son of David and is David’s Lord. Moreover, as the psalm insinuates, complete
victory will be his. So the record of Christ’s genealogy in our Gospel passage
today reminds us that Christ is the centre of everything and therefore of our
own personal history and life as well. So let us acknowledge him as such.
Furthermore, just as a very human and sinful story preceded the appearance of
Christ at the appointed time, so too our own all too human and sinful story does
not preclude the eventual triumph of Christ in our life. God has things in
hand. We can count on the power and the grace of God to bless our faulty
struggles with the victory of Christ in our souls. The inspired genealogy of
Christ in today’s Gospel gives us hope that just as God’s plan in Christ was
fulfilled despite the flawed setting in which it all happened, so too God’s plan
for our holiness in Christ can be fulfilled in our life.
Let us ask God for the grace to trust in his power to bring to fruition his plan
for each one of us. He brought it to fruition in the life of his chosen people
and that fruition was the arrival of the Redeemer, Jesus of Nazareth, son of
David, son of Abraham. So too by his grace, God can transform us into the image
of Christ his Son, despite our unpromising material.
A saying of a soul of prayer: in intentions, may Jesus be our aim; in
affections, our Love; in conversation, our theme; in actions, our model.
(The Way, 271)
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of
tears! Turn, then, most gracious Advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 18) Blessed Anthony Grassi (1592-1671)
Anthony’s father died when his son was only 10 years old, but the young
lad inherited his father’s devotion to Our Lady of Loreto. As a
schoolboy he frequented the local church of the Oratorian Fathers,
joining the religious order when he was 17. Already a fine student, he
soon gained a reputation in his religious community as a "walking
dictionary" who quickly grasped Scripture and theology. For some time
he was tormented by scruples, but they reportedly left him at the very
hour he celebrated his first Mass. From that day, serenity penetrated
his very being. In 1621, at age 29, Anthony was struck by lightning
while praying in the church of the Holy House at Loreto. He was carried
paralyzed from the church, expecting to die. When he recovered in a few
days he realized that he had been cured of acute indigestion. His
scorched clothes were donated to the Loreto church as an offering of
thanks for his new gift of life. More important, Anthony now felt that
his life belonged entirely to God. Each year thereafter he made a
pilgrimage to Loreto to express his thanks. He also began hearing
confessions, and came to be regarded as an outstanding confessor.
Simple and direct, he listened carefully to penitents, said a few words
and gave a penance and absolution, frequently drawing on his gift of
reading consciences. In 1635 he was elected superior of the Fermo
Oratory. He was so well regarded that he was re-elected every three
years until his death. He was a quiet person and a gentle superior who
did not know how to be severe. At the same time he kept the Oratorian
constitutions literally, encouraging the community to do likewise. He
refused social or civic commitments and instead would go out day or
night to visit the sick or dying or anyone else needing his services.
As he grew older, he had a God-given awareness of the future, a gift
which he frequently used to warn or to console. But age brought its
challenges as well. He suffered the humility of having to give up his
physical faculties one by one. First was his preaching, necessitated
after he lost his teeth. Then he could no longer hear confessions.
Finally, after a fall, he was confined to his room. The archbishop
himself came each day to give him holy Communion. One of Anthony’s
final acts was to reconcile two fiercely quarreling
brothers. (AmericanCatholic.org)
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start video
Scripture today: Jeremiah
23:5-8; Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the
birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child
through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband,
since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son
of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For
it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in
her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what
the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with
child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means
“God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord
had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations
with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.(Matthew 1:18-25)
Christ
and Joseph
It is obvious that in our passage today from the Gospel of St Matthew, the
mystery of the person of Christ is considered from the perspective of Joseph.
In Luke’s Gospel, the passages that refer to the conception of Jesus are
considered primarily from the perspective of Mary. That having been said, the
first thing to be observed in our passage today is that the focus is primarily
on Christ. We are invited by Matthew to gaze on the person of Jesus, soon to be
born. “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about,” Matthew begins
(Matthew 1:18‑25). So we are contemplating
Jesus Christ, and in particular the stress here is on his virginal conception.
Matthew is stressing that Christ was conceived of the virgin Mary by the power
of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, the husband of Mary and reputed father of Jesus,
had nothing to do with it. Joseph was informed by an angel from on high that
the child being carried by Mary was due to a divine intervention within her
womb. God, not man, had brought this about and so while Mary is mother to the
child, Joseph is aware that the child of Mary his betrothed is in some sense
also from heaven. Furthermore, the child will be a male‑child and comes with a
great preordained mission which the angel of God has now announced to Joseph.
The son of Mary is to save his people from their sins. Just what this entails
is not immediately explained. But the essence of the child’s work in life is
set before Joseph, whom God means to be husband of Mary and guardian of this
most singular and exalted family. Undoubtedly Joseph divined that the child was
none other than the Messiah and with his arrival Israel and the world would
never be the same again. A champion had come from the Lord God himself, to deal
with the world’s sin.
While the focus of the passage is on the unborn Messiah, in the process of the
narrative the person of Joseph is also highlighted. He is a “righteous man.”
That is all that Matthew considers it necessary to say concerning him. He is
one of the many humble, obscure, spiritually splendid instances of the religion
of the Old Testament, of which Mary his young betrothed is the foremost. He was
in every way “righteous”, and his response to the Angel’s words reflected the
response of Mary to the words of the Angel Gabriel to her. She had stated that
she was the servant of the Lord, and ready for whatever he disposed: “Let it be
unto me according to your word.” So too with Joseph. Having heard the word of
God he obeyed immediately. He “did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.” The Church’s firm and authoritative Tradition
bears constant witness to the fact that as husband and wife they lived
virginally thereafter. His wife Mary brought her divine Son into the world and
Joseph enveloped both with his loving and holy protection. The Church’s
devotion to him has grown over the centuries and together with this devotion
there has developed a great insight into his prodigious holiness and his special
heavenly role. By papal proclamation he has been declared guardian of the
universal Church. Consider what must have been the holy love between Mary and
Joseph, and especially the intimacy between Jesus, Mary and Joseph over the
remainder of Joseph’s life. Imagine the profound love at work in their daily
round of duties. Imagine Christ as a child, a youth and young man working side
by side with his foster‑father at their common trade. Contemplate Joseph
falling sick and in his final moments with Mary and Jesus by his side, and the
beautiful and holy departure of Joseph from this life, a life utterly immersed
in the love of Jesus and Mary. Imagine their sentiments at his burial.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph remain united in their love in heaven. Through our
baptism we are, in Christ, members of their family provided we live in grace.
Christ considers us as his brothers and sisters if we endeavour to do the will
of his heavenly Father. As we think of our Gospel passage today, let us also
resolve to cultivate a devotion to Joseph. By his powerful intercession and
example he will help us to love Jesus our Lord together with his mother Mary.
Make use of those holy 'human devices' that I suggested to help you
keep presence of God: ejaculations, acts of love and reparation,
spiritual Communions, 'glances' at a picture of our Lady.
(The Way, no.272)
My soul glorifies the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness;
Henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength
And scatters the proud hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
And raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
Sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without
end. Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 19) Blessed
Pope Urban V (1310-1370)
In 1362, the man elected pope declined the office. When the cardinals
could not find another person among them for that important office,
they turned to a relative stranger: the holy person we honour today.
The new Pope Urban V proved a wise choice. A Benedictine monk and canon
lawyer, he was deeply spiritual and brilliant. He lived simply and
modestly, which did not always earn him friends among clergymen who had
become used to comfort and privilege. Still, he pressed for reform and
saw to the restoration of churches and monasteries. Except for a brief
period he spent most of his eight years as pope living away from Rome
at Avignon, seat of the papacy from 1309 until shortly after his death.
He came close but was not able to achieve one of his biggest
goals—reuniting the Eastern and Western churches. As pope, Urban
continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. Shortly before his death in
1370 he asked to be moved from the papal palace to the nearby home of
his brother so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he had so
often
helped. (AmericanCatholic.org)
There was in the
days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of
the course of Abia; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her
name Elizabeth. And they were both just before God, walking in all the
commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame. They had no son for Elizabeth
was barren, and they both were well advanced in years. And it came to
pass, when he performed the priestly function in the order of his
course before God, according to the custom of the priestly office, it
was his lot to offer incense. He went into the temple of the Lord, and
all the multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of
incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the
right side of the alter of incense. Zachary seeing him, was troubled,
and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary,
for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son,
and you will call his name John: And you will have joy and gladness,
and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before the
Lord and will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with
the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. And he will convert many
of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before
him in the spirit and power of Elias that he may turn the hearts of the
fathers unto the children, and the incredulous to the wisdom of the
just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people. And Zachary said to
the angel: How shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is
advanced in years. And the angel answering, said to him: I am Gabriel,
who stand before God: and am sent to speak to you and to bring you
these good tidings. Behold, you will be dumb, and will not be able to
speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because
you have not believed my words which will be fulfilled in their time.
And the people were waiting for Zachary; and they wondered that he
tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak
to them: and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple.
And he made signs to them, and remained dumb. And it came to pass,
after the days of his office were accomplished, he departed to his own
house. And after those days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid
herself five months, saying: Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the
days in which he has chosen to take away my reproach among men.(Luke 1:5-25)
Suffering Today
our Gospel scene from St Luke narrates the announcement by the angel Gabriel
that Zachary is to have a son who would be a second Elijah. While the passage
extols the future child, it also invites us to contemplate the personages who
are involved. Luke begins with fulsome praise of Zachary and his wife
Elizabeth. They
were excellent persons in the sight of God: he himself was a priest “of the
priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her
name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.” They were thoroughly
Hebrew, the one a serving priest, the other a descendant of Aaron. They were
truly obedient to God, “observing all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blamelessly” (Luke 1:5‑25). Elsewhere
in his infancy narrative Luke mentions other holy Israelites. Pre‑eminent are
Mary and Joseph, and we remember too Simeon and Anna. But here our scene
invites us to consider the figures of Zachary and Elizabeth. They were
profoundly observant of God’s commands, but — and let us notice the force of
that word “but” — they had no child. It suggests that this “disgrace before
others” (as they viewed it) was an anomaly considering their praiseworthy
lives. They were content in their faith and love for God but this lack of
offspring was a long sadness and a cause for heartfelt prayer to God. But now,
the angel appeared to Zachary to announce that his prayer had been heard. That
prayer had obviously been persevering, faith‑filled and pleasing to God. His
wife would bear a son and he was to name him John. Moreover, God’s answer to
Zachary’s prayer for a child was overflowing in generosity and blessings. Yes a
son, but what a son! The child would be great in the sight of God, and would go
before the Lord as another Elijah to prepare a people ready for his coming. He
would be God’s prophet and the precursor of the Messiah.
I would like to suggest that this throws further light on the problem of
suffering and apparent evil. The words of the angel would seem to suggest that
John the Baptist, this gift of so great a son who would play such an important
role in the history of salvation, was God’s response to the prayer of Zachary
and Elizabeth. It was certainly profoundly connected with that prayer, and it
would seem that in the providence of God this heartfelt petition of the holy
couple played an important part in God’s saving plan. But that petition,
persevering and marked by trust, was born and sustained by suffering. The
apparent evil of being childless fuelled their insistent prayer, and that prayer
was given a spectacular answer. The divine answer to their suffering was the
great John the Baptist, about whom our Lord said that no one born of woman had
been greater. Other examples of this pattern could be mentioned. The centuries
of suffering of the descendants of Jacob in the land of Egypt evoked the great
answer from God of sending Moses to take them out of Egypt to the Promised
Land. Their suffering led, due to the hand of God, to so much that was good.
In Christ it ultimately bore fruit for the world. The suffering and evil borne
by Zachary and Elizabeth inspired their unceasing petition and that petition
issued in the Precursor, whose preaching and holy life proclaimed the arrival of
the Messiah. My point is that our Gospel passage today is a further indicator
that in the providence of God suffering is not just a meaningless and dark
frustration. God has his purposes and all is in his hands. If we but trust
him, if we but obey him, if we but pray always and never lose heart, God will
show his surprises. How and when, we cannot say. Zachary showed himself to be
limited and imperfect in his faith, for he questioned the reliability of the
angel. We too are imperfect, but let us persevere in faith, obedience and
prayer amid our difficulties and God will surprise us.
As our Lord says in another part of the Gospel, pray always and never lose
heart. This we must do, especially in the midst of long lasting suffering and
evil. Let us contemplate those many instances in Scripture that show that this
broken world and flawed life is in the hands of a holy and compassionate God who
will hear our prayer and come to our aid. As St Thomas More said as he
approached the scaffold, though I lose my head, I’ll come to no harm.
Alone! You are not alone. We are keeping you close company from afar.
Besides..., the holy Spirit, living in your soul in grace — God with
you, — is giving a supernatural tone to all your thoughts, desires and
actions.
(The Way, no.273)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under Your Protection
We fly to thy protection,
O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 20) St.
Dominic of Silos (c. 1000-1073)
It’s not the founder of the Dominicans we honour today, but there’s a
poignant story that connects one Dominic with the other. Our saint
today, Dominic of Silos was born in Spain around the year 1000 into a
peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields, where he
welcomed the solitude. He became a Benedictine priest and served in
numerous leadership positions. Following a dispute with the king over
property, Dominic and two other monks were exiled. They established a
new monastery in what at first seemed an unpromising location. Under
Dominic’s leadership, however, it became one of the most famous houses
in Spain. Many healings were reported there. About 100 years after
Dominic’s death, a young woman made a pilgrimage to his tomb. There
Dominic of Silos appeared to her and assured her that she would bear
another son. The woman was Joan of Aza, and the son she bore grew up to
be the "other" Dominic—the one who founded the Dominicans. For many
years thereafter, the staff used by St. Dominic of Silos was brought to
the royal palace whenever a queen of Spain was in labour. The practice
ended in 1931. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to
start video
Scripture today: Isaiah
7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6; Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called
Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the
house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The
angel having arrived said to her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is
with you!” On hearing this Mary was troubled and asked herself what
manner of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Fear not,
Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in
your womb and bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the most High. The Lord
God will give to him the throne of David his father, and he will reign
over the house of Jacob for ever. Of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How will this be done, because I know not
man?” The angel answering said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you and the power of the most High will overshadow you. Therefore the
Holy One born of you will be called the Son of God. And behold your
cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is
the sixth month with her who has been called barren. For nothing is
impossible with God.” Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be
it done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Son and
mother
Our Gospel passage today contains precious and splendid words addressed to Mary
by the Angel Gabriel about the Child she is to bear. The angel was none other
than Gabriel, whom Mary would have reverenced from her reading of the Old
Testament (eg., Daniel 9).
As we think of the Angel’s words uttered with such love and veneration, let us
think of Christ about whom they are spoken. Gabriel had come to inform Mary of
God’s plan, and on behalf of the Lord God to ask her consent. She was to bear a
Son and his name was already given to him by the Most High. This Child will be
great. Let us notice that there is no qualification to this word. He is not
stated as being great in the sight of the Lord (as was John the Baptist), but as
simply great — independent and irrespective of any view of him. Indeed, he is
the very Son of the Highest One. The angel then makes it clear that this Child
is the promised Messiah to whom will be given the throne of David for ever. His
Kingdom will be eternal. This is the promised King and his Kingdom is the
promised Kingdom of God. He is to be conceived of Mary the Virgin by the power
of the Holy Spirit and will therefore be holy. Twice the angel states that he
is God’s Son — the Son of the Most High, and again, the Son of God. There is
nothing like it in all the Scriptures. What personage had received such a
description of him prior to his birth, a description coming from heaven itself?
There was no precedent, no equal to him in the entire sweep of the Scriptures.
He transcended all who went before him. The Child is unqualifiedly great,
simply holy and is the Son of God, the Son of the Highest One. The Most High is
his very Father. The Holy Spirit is directly involved too, for it is the Holy
Spirit who overshadows with his power the Virgin, and brings about the
conception of this eternal King. The Angel’s pronouncement about the child
reveals that the child is divine and implies that God is a Trinity. Mary would
have contemplated for the rest of her holy life the stunning words of the Angel,
realizing more and more deeply their significance.
But the words of the Angel and Mary’s response to them suggest things about her
too. If the whole passage bespeaks veneration for, and praise of this holy
Child who is the Messiah and Son of God, then it also manifests veneration for
the Virgin herself. The Angel addresses her with the utmost honour. She is
greeted as the one who is full of God’s grace (Luke
1:26‑38). Considering the constant restraint and moderation with
which God and his Angels speak to their chosen ones in the Old Testament, this
salutation of the Angel is most noteworthy. He speaks briefly but fulsomely,
showing deep respect for the maiden before him. As one who himself is holy, as
one who lives in the presence of the Holy One, as one who comes from heaven
wherein dwell the angels, he gives her unstinting praise. She is full of grace
and the Lord is with her. We have in those words the germ of the future
doctrines of the Immaculate Conception of the sinless Virgin and her Assumption,
body and soul, into heaven. She is full of grace and the Lord is with her, and
this is the case from the first moment of her conception to the moment of her
death. Never did sin touch her, and this by the power of grace and her
unfailing cooperation with the will of God. These prerogatives of grace were
clearly bestowed on her in view of her unique vocation of being the mother of
the Messiah, the Son of the Most High God. But her greatest glory was her
unceasing acceptance of, and obedience to, the will of God. Once she knew what
God wished, she accepted it totally. Her simple words say it all: “Be it done
unto me according to your word.” That was the refrain of her holy life, and I
suppose these very words were repeated by her in her heart time and time again
as the salvific plan of God gradually unfolded, with all its demanding
surprises. This was what the wondrous Child saw daily during those hidden years
of Nazareth and which he praised when he had occasion to say that “blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
As we think of the Angel addressing and venerating both the Child Jesus and Mary
his virginal mother, let us take our cue from this messenger from heaven and
resolve ourselves to venerate Jesus and Mary. Jesus is the object of the
Christian life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Mary is our help, the
help of Christians in their quest to love Christ with all their heart and soul.
Let us venerate and love her as did the Angel, and ask her to help us be a true
servant of the Lord as was she.
'Father', said that big fellow, a good student at the university (I
wonder what has become of him), 'I was thinking of what you told me —
that I'm a son of God! — and I found myself walking along the street,
head up, chin out, and a proud feeling inside... a son of God!'
With sure conscience I advised him to encourage that 'pride.'
(The Way, no.274)
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!
He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour
In the house of David his servant,
As he promised by the lips of holy men,
Those who were his prophets from of old.
A saviour who would free us from our foes,
From the hands of all who hate us.
So his love for our fathers is fulfilled
And his holy covenant remembered.
He swore to Abraham our father to grant us,
that free from fear, and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might serve him in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in his presence.
As for you, little child, you shall be called a prophet of God, the
Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
To prepare his ways before him.
To make known to his people their salvation
Through forgiveness of all their sins,
The loving-kindness of the heart of our God
Who visits us like the dawn from on high.
He will give light to those in darkness,
Those who dwell in the shadow of death,
And guide us into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without
end. Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 21) St.
Peter Canisius (1521-1597)
The energetic life of Peter Canisius should demolish any stereotypes we
may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter lived his 76
years at a pace which must be considered heroic, even in our time of
rapid change. A man blessed with many talents, Peter is an excellent
example of the scriptural man who develops his talents for the sake of
the Lord’s work. He was one of the most important figures in the
Catholic Counter-Reformation in Germany. His was such a key role that
he has often been called the “second apostle of Germany” in that his
life parallels the earlier work of Boniface. Although Peter once
accused himself of idleness in his youth, he could not have been idle
too long, for at the age of 19 he received a master’s degree from the
university at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber, the first
disciple of Ignatius Loyola, who influenced Peter so much that he
joined the recently formed Society of Jesus. At this early age Peter
had already taken up a practice he continued throughout his life—a
process of study, reflection, prayer and writing. After his ordination
in 1546, he became widely known for his editions of the writings of St.
Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great. Besides this reflective
literary bent, Peter had a zeal for the apostolate. He could often be
found visiting the sick or prisoners, even when his assigned duties in
other areas were more than enough to keep most people fully occupied.
In 1547 Peter attended several sessions of the Council of Trent, whose
decrees he was later assigned to implement. After a brief teaching
assignment at the Jesuit college at Messina, Peter was entrusted with
the mission to Germany—from that point on his life’s work. He taught in
several universities and was instrumental in establishing many colleges
and seminaries. He wrote a catechism that explained the Catholic faith
in a way which common people could understand—a great need of that age.
Renowned as a popular preacher, Peter packed churches with those eager
to hear his eloquent proclamation of the gospel. He had great
diplomatic ability, often serving as a reconciler between disputing
factions. In his letters (filling eight volumes) one finds words of
wisdom and counsel to people in all walks of life. At times he wrote
unprecedented letters of criticism to leaders of the Church—yet always
in the context of a loving, sympathetic concern. At 70 Peter suffered a
paralytic seizure, but he continued to preach and write with the aid of
a secretary until his death in his hometown (Nijmegen, Netherlands) on
December 21, 1597.
When asked if he felt
overworked, Peter replied, "If you have too much to do, with God's help
you will find time to do it all." Peter’s untiring efforts are an apt
example for those involved in the renewal of the Church or the growth
of moral consciousness in business or government. He is regarded as one
of the creators of the Catholic press, and can easily be a model for
the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his life a
passion for the transmission of truth. Whether we have much to give, as
Peter Canisius did, or whether we have only a little to give, as did
the poor widow in the Gospel (see Luke 21:1–4), the important thing is
to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for
Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the
world but not of the
world. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre
arrow to start video
Scripture: Songs 2:8-14 or
Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1:39-45
Mary set
out in those days went with haste into the hill country to a town of
Judah. She entered the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. When
Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the infant leaped in her womb.
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with a loud
voice and said, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit
of your womb. How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For behold as soon as the voice of your salutation reached my ears the
infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who have believed
because those things which were announced to you by the Lord will be
accomplished.”(Luke 1:39-45)
The
blessed Virgin Mary
The classic Protestant position has been suspicious of honour rendered to Mary
as taking away from that due to Christ, and even in some instances as replacing
what is due to him. This is much less the case now when some Protestant
theologians are appreciating anew the figure of Mary in Scripture. Indeed, many
claim that Mary will be a uniting force within ecumenism. Years
ago I was told that the great Evangelical Protestant preacher Billy Graham
reminded his audience that Mary is the mother of the Saviour. Be that as it
may, St Luke, in telling his readers that it was precisely when Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit that she uttered her words, was informing us that
the praise of Mary came from the heart of God. It is not hard to see in the
Gospels clear evidence of the infant Church’s veneration for Mary. By means of
the precious recollections contained in his infancy account, St Luke was
sanctioning and nourishing for the future the honour given to Mary by the infant
Church. Our Gospel passage for today is an obvious case in point. St Luke
reports the rapture of praise for Mary uttered by her kinswoman Elizabeth, and
surely his interest in doing so reflects the sentiment for Mary of the apostolic
Church. So then, let us contemplate her who is the principal protagonist of our
passage today. Out of concern for her relative who was advanced in years, Mary
went in haste to the hill country of Judah and entered the house of Zachary and
Elizabeth. Consider the scene! Holy Mary was there. So was Elizabeth who was —
together with her husband Zachary — “just before God, walking in all the
commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.” In that house, then,
there were three excellent specimens of Old Testament religion, and one of them
(Mary) was the very best. As well as this, the unborn Messiah and his Precursor
were present in the womb. The Holy Spirit was very active and at this instant
moving Elizabeth to utter her inspired words in a “loud voice.” Let us consider
her words.
Mary is “most blessed among women,” and “blessed” is her unborn child. Mary
herself will respond by acknowledging that all generations will call her blessed
— because of her child. So she is most blessed, suggesting her unparalleled
status among Christ’s faithful. She is the foremost servant of the Lord, the
first and greatest Christian. Elizabeth humbly and full of gratitude asks how
is it that she has been so honoured as to receive a visit from the mother of her
Lord. It was because of her deep love and veneration for God and for her unborn
Lord, that she was so appreciative of the visit to her of the Queen mother, the
mother who had arrived to assist her. The history of God’s chosen people was
reaching its crescendo and both Mary and Elizabeth knew it. Elizabeth carried a
second Elijah who would go before the Lord to prepare a people fit for him, and
in Mary the Lord himself had arrived, being carried in the womb by her, his holy
mother. So Mary is mother of the Lord and most blessed among women. Not only
did Elizabeth exult but her child exulted too, for “at the moment the sound of
your greeting reached my ears,” she said, “the infant in my womb leaped for
joy.” Elizabeth tells us more about the blessedness of the Virgin Mary. She was
especially blessed because of her faith in the word of God. “Blessed are you
who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary
was blessed because of her calling to be the mother of the Messiah the Son of
God. She was blessed for being full of grace and having the Lord with her, as
the Angel Gabriel stated. She was especially blessed in her faith. She
believed totally “that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Mary, the mother of Christ, is the greatest of Christ’s disciples in her faith.
In all that happened subsequent to these words of Elizabeth, Mary did not once
doubt that all that God had promised would be fulfilled.
Let us resolve to share in the attitude of Elizabeth towards Mary the mother of
Christ. Let us love and venerate her as most blessed among women, blessed
especially for her faith in God and in his word. Let us understand that just as
Mary was Elizabeth’s help, so she is the help of all Christians. She, the
blessed virgin Mary, will help us be what she was so pre‑eminently, a true
servant of the Lord.
If you accustom yourself, even only once a week, to seek union with
Mary in order to go to Jesus, you will see how you have more presence
of God.
(The Way, no.276)
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labour, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend:
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 22) Blessed
Jacopone da Todi (d. 1306)
Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in
the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and
married a pious, generous lady named Vanna. His young wife took it upon
herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day
Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament. She
was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands
collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed
when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his
sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life. He
divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Third Order of
St. Francis. Often dressed in penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool
and called Jacopone, or "Crazy Jim," by his former associates. The name
became dear to him. After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked
to be a member of the Franciscan Order. Because of his reputation, his
request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the
vanities of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into
the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance,
declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile he was writing popular
hymns in the vernacular. Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a
disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as
they were called, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis.
They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine
V. These two cardinals, though, opposed Celestine’s successor, Boniface
VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned.
Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and
released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had
accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of
his life more spiritual than ever, weeping "because Love is not loved."
During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater. On
Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a
convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna.
Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed "Sister Death" with one of his favorite
songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest
intoned the Gloria from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time
of his death, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a
saint.
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: 1 Samuel
1:24-28; 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd; Luke 1:46-56
Mary
said: My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my
Saviour. Because he has looked on the lowliness of his handmaid; for
behold from henceforth all generations will call me blessed. Because he
that is mighty has done great things to me; and holy is his name. And
his mercy is from generation to generation to those who fear him. He
has shown the power of his arm, he has scattered the proud in the
conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he has sent empty away. He has received Israel his
servant, being mindful of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to
Abraham and to his seed for ever. And Mary abode with her about three
months; and she returned to her own house.
(Luke 1:46-56)
The
Magnificat
The Old Testament is a collection of writings of such variety in period, genre
and subject that one could legitimately long for some sort of authoritative
synthesis, especially in respect to its revelation of God. Amid its plethora of
history, prayers and poems, philosophical ruminations, prophecies and
exhortations, what does it reveal God to be like? Are there any what we might
call summaries that encapsulate the heart of its revelation? There
are, and I would suggest that the prayer of Mary in our Gospel passage today is
one such. It reveals the soul of Mary, this unique Daughter of Sion, and it
expresses as well the doctrine of the Old Testament on the Almighty One. St
Luke tells us that it was Mary’s prayer and that she uttered it on entering the
house of Elizabeth, so we must assume that this fact was reported to him by Mary
herself. Perhaps it was a prayer that Mary had formed well before from her
prayerful reading of the Scriptures, a prayer drawn from various sources in the
Old Testament. Perhaps too it was a prayer that Mary continued to pray over the
years of her life. Whatever of that speculation, it is a prayer that extols the
God of her fathers, the God of Abraham and his children of which she was by far
the holiest. Her prayer gathers up the spiritual life and belief of the Old
Testament and points us to its fulfilment in the New. God is the Almighty One
who does great things, and holy is his name. We think of the vision of the
prophet Isaiah, in which God is revealed as thrice holy. Moreover, he acts in
history displaying power and mercy towards the humble and needy, setting aside
the proud and rich and oppressive. God is almighty and his might is manifested
in his mercy. He is the Saviour. So who is God as he reveals himself in the
Old Testament? He is the Almighty, Merciful and Holy Saviour. But Mary utters
this as the one who carries the Messiah. He, the Messiah, is the full
revelation of this Saviour God and this revelation is given to us supremely on
the Cross.
Not only does this prayer of Mary — which the Church has traditionally called
the Magnificat (from the Latin) — tell us of God. It also tells us of Mary.
Elizabeth has already, in the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that Mary, the mother of
the Lord, is blessed among women for her faith. In Mary’s own prayer in
response, she foresees that due to the greatness of God, all generations will
call her blessed. She is the Blessed Virgin Mary and till the end of time and
into eternity the Church will proclaim her as blessed. She is this because God
her Saviour has done great things for her. God is great, she proclaims.
Inasmuch as Islam’s catchcry is that God is great, Mary the mother of Jesus
ought be dear to the followers of Mahomet. Mary proclaimed God to be great long
before Mahomet. But we can see that Mary is especially filled with the thought
that God saves, and that his salvation is marked by mercy. He has mercy on
those who fear him in every generation. He “has lifted up the lowly. He has
filled the hungry with good things”. He “has come to the help of his servant
Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our
fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever” (Luke
1:46‑56). This merciful consideration of God for those in need and
for the lowly and the hungry, shaped her entire soul. We see passing evidence
of it in the wedding feast of Cana when the mother of Jesus approached her Son
and told him that they had no wine. Christ knew what she was asking, and he
acted. Let us remember too that Christ described the Last Judgment in terms of
justice and mercy towards others (Matthew 25). I was hungry and you gave me
food, he will say to those on his right. What is important to God is concern
for those in need. How much, then, must this have distinguished the heart of
Mary! She is the Mother of Mercy, and we can confidently turn to her in our
prayers, asking her help before God.
Let us treasure prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the help of
Christians and is the mother of Mercy. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.” There we have the testimony of both the angel Gabriel and of Mary’s
kinswoman Elizabeth. Let each of us respond as does the whole Church, “Holy
Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You ask me: why that wooden Cross? — And I copy from a letter: 'As I
look up from the microscope, my sight comes to rest on the cross —
black and empty. That Cross without its Crucified is a symbol. It has a
meaning which others cannot see. And though I am tired out and on the
point of abandoning the job, I once again bring my eyes to the lens and
continue: for the lonely Cross is calling for a pair of shoulders to
bear it.'
(The Way, no.277)
We praise you, O God:
We acclaim you as Lord.
Everlasting Father,
All the world bows down before you.
All the angels sing your praise,
The hosts of heaven and all the angelic powers,
All the cherubim and seraphim
Call out to you in unending song:
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Is the Lord God of angel hosts!
The heavens and the earth are filled
With your majesty and glory.
The glorious band of apostles,
The noble company of prophets,
The white-robed army who shed their blood for Christ,
All sing your praise.
And to the ends of the earth
Your holy Church proclaims her faith in you:
Father, whose majesty is boundless,
Your true and only son, who is to be adored,
The Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
Son of the eternal Father.
When you took our nature to save mankind
You did not shrink from birth in the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the power of death
Opening the Father’s kingdom to all who believe in you.
Enthroned at God’s right hand in the glory of the Father,
You will come in judgement according to your promise.
You redeemed your people by your precious blood.
Coe, we implore you, to our aid.
Grant us with the saints
a place in eternal glory.
Lord, save your people
And bless your inheritance.
Rule them and uphold them
For ever and ever.
Day by day we praise you:
We acclaim you now and to all eternity.
In your goodness, Lord, keep us free from sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
May your mercy always be with us, Lord,
For we have hoped in you.
In you, Lord, we put our trust:
We shall not be put to shame.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 23)
St. John of Kanty
(1390?-1473)
John was a country lad who made good in the big city and the big
university of Kraków, Poland. After brilliant studies he was
ordained a
priest and became a professor of theology. The inevitable opposition
which saints encounter led to his being ousted by rivals and sent to be
a parish priest at Olkusz. An extremely humble man, he did his best,
but his best was not to the liking of his parishioners. Besides, he was
afraid of the responsibilities of his position. But in the end he won
his people’s hearts. After some time he returned to Kraków and
taught
Scripture for the remainder of his life. He was a serious man, and
humble, but known to all the poor of Kraków for his kindness.
His goods
and his money were always at their disposal, and time and again they
took advantage of him. He kept only the money and clothes absolutely
needed to support himself. He slept little, and then on the floor, ate
sparingly, and took no meat. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, hoping
to be martyred by the Turks. He made four pilgrimages to Rome, carrying
his luggage on his back. When he was warned to look after his health,
he was quick to point out that, for all their austerity, the fathers of
the desert lived remarkably long lives.
John of
Kanty is a typical saint: He was kind, humble and generous, he suffered
opposition and led an austere, penitential life. Most Christians in an
affluent society can understand all the ingredients except the last:
Anything more than mild self-discipline seems reserved for athletes and
ballet dancers. Christmas is a good time at least to reject
self-indulgence. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Psalm 25:
4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14; Luke 1: 57-66
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to
have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that
the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When
they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him
Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called
John." But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this
name." So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He
asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbours, and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to
heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord
was with him. (Luke 1: 57-66)
The hand
of mercy
A fire rages across part of the outback countryside and leaves smoke and ruin in
its wake. People flee with barely the clothes on their backs, and precious
family heirlooms are lost forever, among them the family albums. The family
albums! Ordinary photos that mean nothing to the general public can have an
immense significance to the families concerned. Fading photos of
great-grandparents, the old
family letters fastened in the album with the ancient and yellowing photos,
photos of the grown-up children when they were babes in arms — all now gone.
Perhaps someone had spent numerous hours over many years putting the photos
together and now there is nothing. What do they mean for those involved? The
photo of that infant who was the grandparent of the present father of several
children is not only a precious picture of a beloved ancestor, but is symbolic
of the numerous blessings that have flowed through the generations. As the
family leafs through the album, it thinks of the good things that have come to
pass from those very ordinary beginnings. The great-grandfather who lived what
is considered to be a fairly ordinary life, in the event proved to be the source
of so many blessings, principally the blessing of life to others to come. The
photo, viewed by the family, reveals that his ordinary life and the humdrum
events that made it up was, in germ, far richer and greater than it seemed at
the time. The past is recalled with its flourishing outcome — the present — in
mind. The past is thus perceived as having been richer far than was realized
then. The family photo-album shows that present blessings can be much greater
than what appears, and their greatness can become manifest in time. More deeply
still, the past as viewed from vantage of the present can show that the hand of
God, giving us good things now, is preparing to give even better things to
come. The hand of God in ordinary events is a hand bringing future blessings
and mercy to man. The spoiler is sin. Still, the hand of God is greater far.
In our Gospel today (Luke 1:57‑66), a
seemingly ordinary event, the birth of the child of Elizabeth and Zechariah, is
perceived by people as an act of God’s mercy. God had been good to the couple
and had taken away their profound disappointment. Their neighbours and
relatives rejoiced. “When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she
gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown
his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.” As with any birth it
was cause for rejoicing now, and it looked forward to good things to come.
God’s present gift was a harbinger of gifts in the future. But this time, the
joy of heaven erupts on the visible scene with signs of the mercies to come.
Strangely, the mother of the child announces that the name of the child is to be
John (in Hebrew, Yochanan meaning “The Lord is gracious”). How did the
mother come by this name? The father is called and asked how he wanted the child
called, and he wrote, John (Yochanan). This was a wonder, and indicates
to us that, just as to the father, so to the mother there had been a heavenly
communication of the name of the child. But then the father suddenly regains
speech and praises God. God is intervening to portend in the mercy of the
present, the mercies to come. The special joy and richness of the present will
not be left to the future to be understood. To a point, it is being revealed
now. It is as if God cannot restrain his joy at the redemption which he has
made to appear on the horizon. It is not being left to the future to
appreciate. God is saying to the small circle around the tiny babe, Look! My
hand is with him! I shall take him with me to something glorious. God would
soon do more than this at the birth of the Messiah. The angels would appear
rejoicing, the Magi would come to worship, and Simeon and Anna would prophesy.
The mercy of the present was being revealed as pregnant with mercies for the
future. And so we read that “fear came upon all their neighbours, and all these
matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard
these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For
surely the hand of the Lord was with him” (Luke
1:57‑66).
Just as the hand of the Lord was with John in bringing about the good things God
had planned, so the hand of the Lord is with each one of us. God’s providence
in our regard is very, very particular. The Lord of the universe is tracing our
path with his finger ahead of us, and his kindly hand behind us. Let us look on
the mercies of the past as signals of mercies now and in the future. Sin is the
enemy of God’s kindly plan — the sin within us and the sin around us — but God’s
powerful mercy is greater, far the greater. Let us entrust ourselves to the
hand of God, then! He loves us.
(December 24) Christmas
at Greccio
What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child than to
take a brief journey to Greccio, the spot in central Italy where St.
Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas crib in the year 1223.
Francis, recalling a visit he had made years before to Bethlehem,
resolved to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal spot was a
cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby (we’re not sure if it was
a live infant or the carved image of a baby), hay upon which to lay
him, an ox and an ass to stand beside the manger. Word went out to the
people of the town. At the appointed time they arrived carrying torches
and candles. One of the friars began celebrating Mass. Francis himself
gave the sermon. His biographer, Thomas of Celano, recalls that Francis
“stood before the manger…overcome with love and filled with a wonderful
happiness…” For Francis, the simple celebration was meant to recall the
hardships Jesus suffered even as an infant, a saviour who chose to
become poor for our sake, a truly human Jesus. Tonight, as we pray
around the Christmas cribs in our homes, we welcome into our hearts
that same Saviour. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: 2 Samuel 7:1-5,
8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalm 89:2-5, 27 and 29; Luke 1:67-79
John's father
Zachary was filled with the Holy Spirit; and he prophesied, saying:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he has visited and wrought
the redemption of his people. He has raised up a Saviour for us in the
house of David his servant. From the beginning he promised by his holy
prophets salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate
us. He promised mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to Abraham our father that he would grant to
us, that being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we might serve
him without fear in holiness and justice in his presence all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest. You will go
before the face of the Lord to prepare his way to give knowledge of
salvation to his people for the remission of their sins. Through the
mercy of our God, in which the dawn from on high will come to enlighten
those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our
feet into the way of peace.”(Luke
1:67-79)
Zachary’s prophecy Our
Gospel passage today gives us a prophecy. It comes in the words of Zachary the
priest who, St Luke tells us, was at this moment filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesied. Other priests before him had prophesied. For instance, the prophet
Ezechiel had been a priest. This
is to say that this word uttered by Zachary, the father of John the Baptist, was
the word of God. It spoke of the coming Messiah and of the Precursor who would
go before him. Zachary’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke of God who
was coming to set his people free. God was sending a Saviour, a Saviour of
might and power born of the House of David. He was the Messiah, the King who
would liberate God’s people from their enemies and from all who hated them. It
was the fulfilment of the generic prophecy that had long sustained the hope of
the people and which was all too prone to be interpreted in a crassly political,
military or economic sense, a sense modelled on the memory of the liberation
from slavery in Egypt. Too many thought that the coming Kingdom of God would be
a far greater kingdom, but still of this world. Zachary points to something
purer, something far more to do with the life of religion and the soul. The
liberation which God was coming to effect was to enable his people “to worship
him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.” God
was coming to enable his people to love and worship him, to live righteously and
in holiness all the days of life. Zachary prophesies salvation by the
forgiveness of sin. His son John will be “called the prophet of the Most High”
and will “go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of
salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke
1:67‑79) The prophecy of Zachary coming at the end of the Old
Testament and the beginning of the New points to an altogether new kind of
salvation.
Just as Zachary in his prophecy connects John, the prophet of the Most High,
with the Saviour from the House of David, so too does the rest of the Gospel
story. Thirty years later, John appears in the wilderness preaching a baptism
of repentance and calling on the people to prepare the way of the Lord and to
make his path straight. He points to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world. The problem besetting the world is the presence and
action of sin. Sin is so deeply embedded, so all pervasive in its extent, so
powerful in its influence and so devastating of man’s prospects, that any true
answer to it is utterly beyond the powers of man and the world. Who could
possibly come to grips with this problem? Wherein could lie the answer? Sin
could only be answered by God. He alone could redeem man from the sin man
deliberately committed and which he continues to commit. God’s answer was to
send a Saviour, a mighty Saviour whom nothing and no one could overcome. But
there was a profound surprise in the entire process. Not only did it turn out
that the liberation from what oppressed man was not at its root a political,
economic or military liberation — even though it included these implications,
but the saving work of God would be exercised precisely in weakness. The
victorious Messiah liberated man by embracing rejection, suffering and immense
cruelty. He suffered, died and seemed to be defeated, and therefore looked as
though he had left everything as it was before. But no. By his death he
expiated for the sins of man and won for him a share in the divine life, the
life of the Holy Spirit. This life is conferred on each person at his baptism
into the great family of God, the Church. We, each of us, who have been
baptized, have been redeemed from sin and have the opportunity to become holy.
That is to say, we are called and empowered by grace to become transformed into
the image of Christ. Sin is to go, and grace is to come. That was the
prophecy.
Let us prayerfully immerse ourselves in the prophecy of Zachary, uttered under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It tells us of the Saviour and the
redemption he brought to each of us who accept him as Lord. It reminds us of
John who pointed to him as the Lamb who would take away the world’s sin. Let us
then in our hearts and on our lips acknowledge Jesus as Saviour, and every day
renounce the sin for which, by his death and resurrection, he has expiated on
our behalf.
Most people have a plane-like vision, stuck to the earth, of two
dimensions. When you live a supernatural life, God will give you the
third dimension: height, and with it, perspective, weight and volume.
(The Way, no.279)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labour, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend:
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 25) Christmas
Day On this day the Church focuses especially on the newborn
Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to
lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph,
caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene. But if we were to
select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to
imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous
and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic
choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out
something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet
compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search
for a mystery. On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed,
“un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to
discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between scepticism and
wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds,
let us treasure that discovery in our
hearts. (AmericanCatholic.org)
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ
came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they
came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because
Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public
disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered
this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel— which means, God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel
of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no
union with her prior to her giving birth to a son. And he gave him the name
Jesus. (Matthew 1: 18-25)
The
Redeemer
Christmas day is a famous annual day throughout the world. While it is
celebrated in a fairly secular manner in various societies, most are aware that
it is a very important religious anniversary.
On that day the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. We are familiar
with the details of his birth not only because of our reading of the Gospels,
but because of the depiction of the event in so many ways during the Christmas
season. It even appears on postage stamps. But let us remember this. During
the entire life of Christ, no one may have known of many of the events
associated with his birth — such as the intervention of the angel to Joseph, as
narrated in our Gospel today — apart from the holy family of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph. Indeed, these events may not have been divulged by Mary his mother till
some time after his ascension. When brought to light and recorded in the
Gospels, they would have been seen as a precious Prologue of all that had
happened. Especially significant was the announcement by the angel of the
mission of the coming Messiah. In that annunciation, he was not announced as
being a political redeemer — as Samson had been, for instance. Though he was
son of David, there is no mention by the Angel of his establishing, as David
did, a temporal kingdom. Rather, he would save his people from their sins.
This was not a mission given to the great ones before him — not to Noah, nor to
Abraham, nor to Moses, nor to Joshua or the judges, nor to any of the prophets,
nor to the political liberators, such as the Maccabees. His mission was
unique. He would save his people from their sins. Notice this detail, too.
The angel does not say to Joseph that the formal mission of the Child would be
to reveal to the people their sins. Prophets had done this. He too
would do this, but it was not his essential mission. His essential mission
would be to save them from their sins — of which they should have been
implicitly aware. He would reconcile them to God. The words of the angel
assume the fact of sin. They imply that the people ought know the fact
of sin, and that they ought to yearn for a remedy. The angel was
bringing the good news of the remedy.
It is
the sense of sin which gives to the birth of Jesus Christ such a gladness and
such an aura. The sense of sin is something we ought to have, even if Jesus
Christ were not to have appeared in our midst. I remember a man once saying
that he was firmly convinced of original sin. He meant by this that it was as
plain as the day to him that man was enmeshed in sin and that he could not
extricate himself from it. This fact was evident to ordinary perception. He
had no need of divine revelation to know the fact of sin. Now, if we do not
have a sense of sin, what are we rejoicing about when the anniversary of the
birth of Christ comes around? The fame of Christ merely as a religious teacher
would scarcely warrant the celebrations that constitute Christmas. After all,
there many things in the religious and moral teaching of Christ that the mind of
man could perceive even by his own industry. The signal work of Jesus Christ
was his liberation of man from the power of sin, and his simultaneous placing of
man in a filial relationship with the triune God by the power of his grace.
More than anything, he came to do what the angel said to Joseph he would do,
which was to save his people from their sins. On Christmas day we ought think
of the fact of sin and its enormity. We ought think of what it is we have been
liberated from, and we ought think of the results of this liberation. Had God
not redeemed us from our sins we would have been lost, absolutely lost.
Mysteriously, it cost God immense suffering to save the world — the work of his
hands — from sin. I repeat, if this is not borne in mind, there will be a
certain emptiness to Christmas. Very many people are bored by Christmas day —
and they depend on interesting diversions to make the day worthwhile. It cannot
be boring if we understand the sin that afflicts us from cradle to grave and the
marvellous breakthrough effected by Jesus Christ. Death and all that leads to
death is everywhere. There is one hope, and it is the message of Christmas as
announced by the angel: Jesus Christ has saved his people from their sins.
On Christmas day we come to Mass to unite ourselves with our Redeemer. We
resolve to make a new beginning in our Christian life. We gather with our
families and renew all that is wholesome and worthwhile in our everyday lives.
We have a few days of holiday to help us do this. Let us celebrate Christmas in
the way that will be useful and fulfilling, by thinking of our sins and of the
Redeemer who by his Incarnation, Death and Resurrection, saved us from them.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no. 525-526 (The Christian mystery)
Scripture today: Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm
96: 1-3, 11-13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14
(Midnight Mass)
It happened that in
those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the whole
world was to be enrolled. This census was first made by Cyrinus the
governor of Syria. All went to be
enrolled, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee from
the town of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David. He was with Mary his
espoused wife who was with child. It happened that when they were
there, her time of birth came and she brought forth her firstborn son.
She wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger
because there was no room for them in the inn. There were in the same
neighbourhood shepherds keeping the night watches over their flock.
Behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God
shone round about them, and they feared greatly. The angel said to
them: “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy for
all the people: For on this day in the city of David there is born for
you a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You
will find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a
manger.” Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest;
and on earth peace to men of good will.”(Luke
2:1-14)
The
Incarnation
There have been several attempts over the past century to portray Christ on
film. At times the movie in question has been devoted entirely to the figure of
Christ, and at times he has appeared only briefly to provide the backdrop of the
story. I remember when seeing the great movie “Ben Hur,” I
did think that the brief appearances of Christ were very well done. One of the
famous movies on Christ has been Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”, which
devoted the entire production to his Passion and Death with flashbacks to
episodes in his hidden and public life. One of many notable features of this
film was the (perhaps excessively) vivid portrayal of the violence done to
Christ during his Passion. My reaction to this? Well, during the scourging of
Christ, for instance, what prompted absorbing thoughts in me was the spectacle,
not so much of the violence of the scourging, but of God being thus treated.
God become man was being scourged with whips. Anyone who has studied the Shroud
of Turin can see how horrific must the scourging have been, and yet how noble
does the figure on the Shroud appear! But the stunning thing in all this is the
thought of the Incarnation. The great God, the God of heaven and of earth, the
one through whom all things were made and are sustained in being, had become man
and was being scourged. This is a wondrous phenomenon, and one of the
benchmarks of any successful portrayal of Christ on film has to be the extent to
which the Incarnation is successfully suggested. Does the man and the events
being depicted seem in harmony with the doctrine that the man Jesus is also
divine? Is the movie in active harmony with the doctrine of the Incarnation? I
remember years back coming across a comic strip which pictured episodes in the
life of Christ. It was entirely inappropriate in its representation of Christ.
No one who read that comic strip could think of the man being pictorialized
there as being God, God the Son. I would like to suggest that on Christmas Day
it is especially the Incarnation that we ought realize and appreciate anew.
Today, Christmas Day, we think of the birth not just of the most famous man in
the history of the world. We do not contemplate simply the birth of the founder
of the world’s greatest religion. On Christmas Day we celebrate the
Incarnation. On this day, whenever it exactly was, the Son of God made man was
born into this world. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Son had been
conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary and at the end of his nine months of
normal gestation, was born in a manger because there was no room for them in the
inn. At a certain point in history, in the midst of very definite historical
circumstances, in a definite locale, there was born an infant who was man, yes,
but who was literally God. This tiny babe held in the arms of his mother and
gazed on by his foster‑father Joseph, this babe who was wrapped in swaddling
clothes, this child witnessed by a handful of shepherds, this helpless and
dependent little boy, was the great God, God the Son, the Second Person of the
Holy Trinity. Many have denied this and have found it too much to accept. Our
Jewish brethren do not accept it and Islam rejects it outright. But such is the
fact. God became man and the Jesus of history who was born at Bethlehem, who
grew up at Nazareth, who preached and ministered powerfully in Judea and
Galilee, the Jesus who suffered and died and then rose from the dead, the Jesus
who ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, this Jesus is the Saviour
God. He claimed that he was God and proved it to be the case. On Christmas Day
let us place ourselves in the scene at Bethlehem where Christ was born
(Luke 2:1‑14). Let us prayerfully marvel at
the spectacle of the boundlessly rich, almighty and eternal God immersed in the
poverty of human nature and the human condition. The poverty of Bethlehem was
all of a piece with the God of might divesting himself of the glory of his
divinity and embracing the poverty of human nature. Indeed, he became lowlier
still, even to death on a cross.
Let us continue to gaze on the person of Jesus so as to know him better and love
him the more. He asks us to accept him totally, together with the truth he has
revealed. Let us resolve to take our stand with him and his revelation, and to
follow his way. He tells us that if any one wishes to be his disciple he must
renounce himself and take up his cross and follow him. Christ renounced himself
and carried his cross to Calvary. It all began on Christmas night at
Bethlehem. Let us start there, and accompany him to the very end. If we live
with him here, we shall reign with him hereafter.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no.51-67 (God’s revelation in history)
----------------------------------------------
Christmas Day
(Mass at Dawn) A
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today:
Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke
2:15-20
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and
Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known
the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were
amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these
things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to
them. (Luke 2:15-20)
The
nobodies
Our Gospel today reveals a pattern in revealed religion that is truly
surprising. The great God seems to have a special preference for the company of
the nobodies. Let us begin a little way back, by considering what we might call
the magnitude of God. As the virgin Mary says in her hymn of praise, he is
great. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, she cries in the presence
of her kinswoman Elizabeth.
If we but turn to nature, how can we avoid this impression? Microscopic life is
a cause of unending research and wonder — although at times the researchers do
not wonder at it. Down to the tiniest part of the tiniest electron, there is
structure and intelligibility. Whence comes the intelligibility? Raising
our eyes to the heavens, the cosmos seems to be unending with an immensity that
boggles the imagination. It too is structured and intelligible. Whence comes
the intelligibility? So great is the visible universe that man has
imagined numerous gods, for who could imagine one Being responsible for it all?
But so it is — as reason can demonstrate, and as revealed religion has
declared. There is one only God, Creator of all things visible and invisible.
All things are sustained and held together by his finger. Without his touch,
all would cease, and without his touch, nothing would have been. How great is
the Lord, then! Then a terrible thing happened — it all came amuck due to the
sin of man. The first human couple, the glory of the visible universe made in
the image of the Creator, rebelled. Like many angels before them, they said no
to God. With that, the thread began to unravel and death spread to the whole
human race because the nature of man was plunged in sin. So God stepped in to
fix it all up, and in the process made a surprising revelation. Let us remember
— even in respect to the visible creation — that the eye of God is on the
smallest thing. The smallest part of the smallest electron exists only because
of his sustaining gaze. He is unimaginably close to the tiniest, as he is to
the greatest. Now, in entering the fray of human history, he showed that he
preferred the company of the nobodies.
What do I mean? Consider our Gospel passage for the dawn Mass on Christmas
Day. A momentous event has happened. The great God has been born a man. Great
as the creation of the universe might be, nothing compares with the greatness of
this act of God becoming a man. A man who is the great God! The great God who
is a man! One might have expected the event to be trumpeted down the halls of
the nations and to have roused from their various interests the kings and lords
of the world. But no, it happened almost silently and in the company of the
nobodies. It happened in a stable, with a few animals about. Mary and Joseph,
the holiest of those who have trod the path of human history, were considered as
nobodies. So great was the joy of heaven, that a host of angels appeared in the
sky singing glory to God and celebrating the birth. They invited others to come
— but who were the ones invited? They were nobodies. They were a few shepherds
tending their sheep by night in the outskirts of Bethlehem. So the shepherds
hurried to where the child lay, with his holy mother and his holy foster
father. There the band was gathered, rejoicing. They were the nobodies of this
world and that was where the great God preferred to be. He had a preference for
the poor and the humble. We read that “When the angels went away from them to
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see
this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they
went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about
this child” (Luke 2:15‑20). During his
public ministry years later, our Lord would exult in prayer before his heavenly
Father, exclaiming “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding
these things from the learned and the clever, and revealing them to little
ones. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” He did not scorn or
refuse the rich, but he showed that even the rich must acquire a heart that is
humble and lowly. In the eyes of God, small is beautiful. Let us be happy in
our being small, then!
Let us fear failing in the obedience of faith. One lesson of Christmas Day is
that God loves the lowly of heart. As Mary says in her Magnificat prayer (Luke
1:51), “he has scattered the proud of heart. He has put down the mighty and
raised up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he
has sent away empty.” Let us then take up Christ’s invitation to come to him and
to learn from him, for he is meek and humble of heart. In our quest for true
greatness, we must aim to be little in the sight of God, for man’s abiding
temptation is to be great before him.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.144-149 (The
obedience of faith)
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Christmas Day
(Mass during the day) A
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture for Mass during the day: Isaiah
52:7-10; Psalm 97; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in
the darkness, but the darkness has not grasped it. There came a man who was sent
from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that
light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light;
he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every
man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was
made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his
own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children
born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen
his glory, the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, This was he of whom
I said, 'He who comes after me has been set above me because he was before me.'
From the fulness of his grace we have all received grace upon grace. For the law
was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No-one has
ever seen God, but the Only-begotten Son, who is at the Father's side, has made
him known. (John 1: 1-18)
The Word John
Henry Newman once wrote that those who, of his own time, were considered to be
rationalist and liberal did not fear making mistakes in religion. They were
confident in the power of their own reason to determine the truth or otherwise
of the claims of revealed religion, and were not overly concerned that they
might be wrong. He once insisted that the men of Cambridge whom he and his
friends were discussing did not have enough fear. I suspect this is a feature
of the attitude of secular man in our own day to the claims of revealed
religion.
He readily disputes the position of Christ, while not caring much about the
issue anyway. He lives as if God does not matter, and as if — whatever be the
claims — Christ were just another figure of some influence in history. But
consider the claims and ask, what if they are true? This question alone
ought make a person straighten from his very relaxed position and begin to
listen. Prescinding from the question of whether or not they are true, ask
this: what if they were to be true? Our problem is that we do not listen
or consider, because we do not think it matters much whether religion is true or
not. Truth is not the fundamental issue. What matters is, does it work for me?
Is it useful for my purposes? Modern man ought ask himself why it is that he has
little interest in revealed religion, because if revealed religion
were true, it clearly would be of tremendous significance. Serious sin
leads to eternal death, and the only way out of this upshot is union with Jesus
Christ and the acceptance of his teaching. The only name by which we can be
saved is that of Jesus Christ. If this is true, then the one who
languidly dismisses it, has all his future prospects under threat. Let us,
then, consider the claims of Christ, for on Christmas Day we think of his coming
with claims no one else would ever dream of making. No one can dispute that he
was a man of history, and truly man. The claim is that he was truly God.
Nothing in all of history competes with the significance of this. Let us on
this day consider the remarkable introduction to his Gospel which St John
provides, an introduction to the person and history of Jesus Christ.
We read in the book of Genesis that in the beginning there was God. God uttered
his word, and by that word the heavens and the earth were created (1:1). In the
world of the time, many gods were understood to have done this. Moreover, they
did not create, they only arranged — whereas in the book of Genesis, God simply
said, let there be light, and there was light (1:3). Whence came this
information about the one and only Creator? It was revealed. But in his Gospel
John gives an extraordinary clarification which is, indeed, yet another
mystery. This word of God uttered at the beginning was the Word who all
along had been with God. Whenever the beginning is taken as being, there
was God, and the Word was with him. That is to say, just as God had no
beginning, nor did the Word. Indeed — mystery most high! — the Word was God.
John is saying that there has been a further and most sublime revelation since
Genesis was written, and that is that the word, through whom God created the
heavens and the earth, is the Word — a person distinct from God, and yet himself
God. It will be further revealed in the course of John’s Gospel, that the
spirit of God that hovered over the abyss in Genesis (1:2) was also God. He too
is distinct as a person — just as God and his Word are distinct as persons. He
is the Spirit of God and of the Word. Three distinct persons, Father, Son and
Spirit, each of whom is the one God, were already present in the beginning. But
— wonder of wonders! — the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Can anything
in all of creation, can anything in all of human history compare with this
point, that there walked the earth a man, a true man, who was God himself? This
is the fundamental claim, and how can we be indifferent to it? But so it is.
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not”
(John 1: 1‑18). So many did not care to look,
to consider, to open their hearts to the revelation being made in their midst.
The assumption of a secular age is that all this does not matter much.
On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth of God made man. It happened at a
certain point, in a certain place. God the Son took to himself a human nature,
with a human body and a human soul. He came to enable us to share in the divine
life that was his from all eternity, and he would make this possible by his
death on the cross. To all who receive him, he gives the power to become
children of God. Among all the things to wonder at in the world, this is beyond
compare. Let us renew our stand with Christ, knowing that he is the only name
by which men can be saved.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading:The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no.456-463 (The Word became flesh)
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If you lose the supernatural meaning of your life, your charity will be
philanthropy; your purity, decency; your mortification, stupidity; your
discipline, a whip; and all your works, fruitless.
(The Way, no.280)
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The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.
Body of Christ, be my salvation.
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins.
Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains.
Passion of Christ, my comfort be.
O good Jesus, listen to me.
In Thy wounds I fain would hide,
N’er to be parted from Thy side,
Guard me, should the foe assail me.
Call me when my life shall fail me.
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end. Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
Feast of Saint
Stephen, deacon and first martyr (Dec 26)
(December 26) St. Stephen (d. 36 A.D.?) All we know of
Stephen is found in Acts of the Apostles, chapters six and seven. It is
enough to tell us what kind of man he was: "At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the
Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Christians complained about the
Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows were being
neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the
community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect
the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you
seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall
appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and
to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole
community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy
Spirit...."(Acts 6:1-5)
The Acts says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and power, who
worked great wonders among the people. Certain Jews, members of the
Synagogue of Roman Freedmen, debated with Stephen but proved no match
for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They persuaded others to
make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and carried
before the Sanhedrin. In his speech, Stephen recalled God’s guidance
through Israel’s history, as well as Israel’s idolatry and
disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors were showing this
same spirit. “[Y]ou always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like
your ancestors” (Acts 7:51b). His speech brought anger from the crowd.
“But [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to
heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God....’ They threw him out of the city,
and began to stone him....As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit....Lord, do not hold this sin against
them’” (Acts 7:55-56, 58a, 59, 60b).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to
start video
Scripture: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab,
16bc and 17; Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus
said to his disciples, “Beware of men. For they will deliver you up to
councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you will
be brought before governors and kings for my sake to testify before
them and the Gentiles: But when they deliver you up, take no thought as
to how or what to say, for it shall be given you in that hour what to
say. For it is not you who will speak but the Spirit of your Father who
speaks in you. Brother will deliver up brother to death and the father
the son. Children will rise up against their parents and will put them
to death. And you will be hated by all men on account of me but the one
who perseveres to the end will be saved.”(Matthew
10:17-22)
The
mission
There are a few obvious and distinctive things about Christian discipleship as
portrayed in our Lord’s words today. To begin with, being a disciple of Christ
is not just a personal and private affair. It is not just a matter of a
personal choice to follow and learn from Jesus Christ, in the way one might have
a decisive preference for the thought of a particular philosopher. I remember
when studying philosophy at one Australian university I was told by the head of
that department that one of his colleagues was a Hegelian. That is, he adhered
to the philosophy of Hegel. Being
a disciple of Christ means also sharing in the mission of Christ, and not
just personally accepting his thought and teaching. Christ gave himself over to
bearing witness to the truth of God, and that truth was in the first instance
the truth about himself. As he stated to Pontius Pilate, for this was he born,
to bear witness to the truth. He stood before Pontius Pilate because he had
borne witness to the truth about himself before the leaders of the Jews. Being
Christ’s disciple includes, as an essential element, the commitment to share in
this mission in everyday life whatever be the circumstances. The witness that
is given by the disciple is not just to a body of thought in the way an
enthusiastic adherent to Marxism might give his life over to the spread of the
thought of Karl Marx. Though the thought of Marx is now thoroughly dated, one
still finds on university campuses a stall manned by a few students promoting
Marxist literature. The disciple of Christ bears witness to the person of
Jesus, and of course, his teaching. But in the first instance he endeavours to
introduce people to Jesus himself as to a living person and not just as to a
system of thought. If he is to do this, he himself must have a personal
acquaintance with the living though unseen Jesus, and this knowledge of Christ
must be a sure and certain knowledge based on well‑grounded faith.
Many decades ago the great Pope Pius XII insisted in his teaching that an
essential element of the Christian life is that it be apostolic and missionary.
That is to say, one is not a true disciple if one lacks the desire and intention
to bear practical witness to the living Jesus and his revelation. Discipleship
is not simply a matter of personal prayer and private religious practice — even
though personal prayer and religious practices are essential to the Christian
life. One must have, and one must exercise, a sense of mission on behalf of the
person of Jesus. In one’s everyday life the Christian is an ambassador for the
living unseen Lord and King. I remember chatting with a novelist and essayist
and I was warmly encouraging him in his chosen profession. I pointed out that
his work is a very important one because through his writing he can influence
the culture of his society. He replied that in his writing he does not think of
that — he just writes, implying (I think) that the authentic way to write is by
letting it just come without any other higher motive. But I pointed out to him
that as a Christian he shares in Christ’s mission and that in his life’s work he
must exercise his mission of bearing witness to the truth of Jesus, directly or
indirectly. This is indeed the case. What is the meaning of life? Knowing
Christ and bearing witness to him before the world of everyday is the meaning of
life. In our Gospel passage today, our Lord assures his disciples that they
will face difficulties in bearing witness to him, but that they were not to
worry about their own inadequacy. They will be helped from on high. “When they
hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you
who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
(Matthew 10:17‑22). This implies that we
ought be praying to the Holy Spirit frequently for the help and guidance we need
in bearing witness to our living Lord.
There is a famous catchcry. It is that life is short and eternity long. How
true! The Christian has a great work to do in life. In the first instance, it
is to believe in the one whom God has sent, Jesus Christ. Secondly, and as an
essential part of this life of faith, it is to bear witness to the one in whom
we believe. The salvation of the world depends on our united witness to Jesus.
Let us allow our Lord’s words to ring constantly in our ears, “Go out to the
whole world and make disciples of all the nations. The one who believes will be
saved.”
(E.J.Tyler)
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Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.
(The Way, no.281)
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The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
Feast of
Saint John, Apostle and evangelist (Dec 27)
(December 27) St. John the Apostle
It is God who calls; human beings answer. The vocation of John and his
brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels, along with that of
Peter and his brother Andrew: Jesus called them; they followed. The
absoluteness of their response is indicated by the account. James and
John “were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He
called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and
followed him” (Matthew 4:21b-22).
For the three former fishermen—Peter, James and John—that faith was to
be rewarded by a special friendship with Jesus. They alone were
privileged to be present at
the Transfiguration, the raising
of the daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane. But John’s
friendship was even more special. Tradition assigns to him the Fourth
Gospel, although most modern Scripture scholars think it unlikely that
the apostle and the evangelist are the same person. John’s own Gospel
refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23;
19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper,
and the one to whom he gave the exquisite honour, as he stood beneath
the cross, of caring for his mother. “Woman, behold your son....Behold,
your mother” (John 19:26b, 27b). Because of the depth of his Gospel,
John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology, soaring in high
regions that other writers did not enter. But the ever-frank Gospels
reveal some very human traits. Jesus gave James and John the nickname,
“sons of thunder.” While it is difficult to know exactly what this
meant, a clue is given in two incidents. In the first, as Matthew tells
it, their mother asked that they might sit in the places of honour in
Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand, one on his left. When Jesus asked
them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with
his baptism of pain, they blithely answered, “We can!” Jesus said that
they would indeed share his cup, but that sitting at his right hand was
not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the
Father. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of
the brothers, and Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature
of authority: “...Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your
slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28). On
another occasion the “sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not
call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, who would
not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But Jesus
“turned and rebuked them”(see Luke 9:51-55). On the first Easter, Mary
Magdalene “ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom
Jesus loved, and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him’” (John 20:2). John recalls,
perhaps with a smile, that he and Peter ran side by side, but then “the
other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first”
(John 20:4b). He did not enter, but waited for Peter and let him go in
first. “Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived
at the tomb first, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). John was with
Peter when the first great miracle after the Resurrection took
place—the cure of the man crippled from birth—which led to their
spending the night in jail together. The mysterious experience of the
Resurrection is perhaps best contained in the words of Acts: “Observing
the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated,
ordinary men, they [the questioners] were amazed, and they recognized
them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The evangelist wrote the
great Gospel, the letters and the Book of Revelation. His Gospel is a
very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in
the incidents of his mortal life. At the Last Supper, John’s Jesus
speaks as if he were already in heaven. It is the Gospel of Jesus’
glory. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Click centre arrow to
start video
Scripture today: 1 John 1:1-4; Psalm
97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; John 20:1a and 2-8
On the
first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb when it
was still dark, and she saw the stone taken away from the tomb. So she
ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said
to them: They have taken the Lord away from the tomb, and we do not
know where they have laid him. Peter therefore went out, and the other
disciple, and they came to the tomb. And they both ran together, and
the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And when he
stooped down he saw the linen cloths lying but did not immediately go
in. Then Simon Peter, following him, arrived and went into the tomb. He
saw the linen cloths lying, as well as the cloth that had been about
his head not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into
one place. Then the other disciple who had arrived first also went in.
He saw and believed.(John 20:1a and
2-8)
Love for
Jesus
It is generally agreed among most New Testament scholars that the Gospel of St
John is the last written of the gospels, and perhaps put together in its final
form near the end of the first century. I have seen this radically challenged
by serious scholars who place it much earlier, their main evidence being
internal to the Gospel itself.
Whatever of that, it is remarkable how vivid is the impression of the person of
Jesus in that Fourth Gospel and how fresh are the details so often given. An
instance of this freshness and care in detail are the last two chapters which
narrate the discovery of the empty tomb and the subsequent appearances of the
risen Jesus. Our Gospel passage today clearly has for its source “the other
disciple whom Jesus loved”, the companion of Simon Peter who ran ahead of Peter
and reached the tomb first. Very significantly he saw the way the linen cloths
were situated and folded, and as a result, “he saw and believed.”
(John 20:1a and 2‑8) Three figures feature
in the passage: Mary Magdalene who carried the news of the empty tomb, and Simon
and the other disciple who saw the empty tomb for themselves. But let us notice
something that distinguishes each of them: the burning love they had for Jesus.
Mary Magdalene “ran” to the two Apostles, and they in turn “both ran” to the
tomb, while the disciple Jesus loved “ran faster than Peter and arrived at the
tomb first.” Their running showed their love, and it is this which marks the
disciple of Christ. He does not simply appreciate and accept the teaching of
Jesus, although this of course is essential. He loves the very person of
Jesus. The Christian religion involves a personal relationship with the person
of Jesus, a relationship that is one of profound and ardent love. The first and
foremost love, the love that is at work in the first instance is the love of
Jesus for his disciple. “You did not choose me. I chose you, and I
commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit,” our Lord said to his disciples.
His love for us inspires in us an ardent love for him.
Moreover, the one whom the Christian loves is a very concrete person. He is not
just an idea, a thought, an image. He is a real individual. He had terrible
things happen to him and there are historical documents — the Gospels — which
describe them. He actually died, he was buried, and the tomb was then
discovered to be empty. There was a time when certain objectors to Christianity
actually denied that Jesus even lived. They denied he was an historical
personage, claiming instead that he was an invention of scheming or deluded
groups of people. The absurdity of this scarcely needs mentioning, but even
today significant groups deny basic facts about him. As far as I am aware,
officially Islam denies that Christ actually died on the cross. Presumably this
position issues from its refusal to accept the fact of the Resurrection, but it
is entirely gratuitous. There is not the slightest historical support for any
denial that Christ died on the Cross. Other persons deny that he rose from the
dead. That is to say, they deny the credibility of those who witnessed the
risen and living Jesus. There have been any number of interpretations of the
historical figure of Jesus. Our Gospel passage today places before us the
testimony of those who knew Christ personally and intimately. He died and was
buried. They found his tomb empty except for his burial cloths, and,
interestingly, even this empty tomb contained compelling evidence of his
resurrection from the dead. Something about the very appearance and position of
his burial cloths showed that he had risen. The “disciple Jesus loved” saw this
and he believed. I remember years ago being at the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem,
and an American tourist came in and wanted to know where the body of Christ was
buried. The remains of Christ will never be found. That was where they laid
him. But he is risen. He is our risen Lord, and is our joy for all ages.
Today is the feast of St John the
evangelist, the disciple whom Jesus loved and the source of our Gospel narrative
today. He is a vivid example of undying personal love for Jesus, a love that
bore witness to the risen living Jesus. Every Christian is called to bear
witness to the fact of Jesus, to his life and revelation, and to his death and
his resurrection. Let us show our love for Jesus by bearing this daily witness
to him before the world of our everyday life and work.
Paradox: sanctity is more attainable than learning, but it is easier to
be learned than to be a saint.
(The Way, no.282)
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The Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries
(recited Monday and Saturday)
The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Nativity
The Presentation
The Finding in the Temple
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 28) Feast
of the Holy Innocents
Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because
of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference.
Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a
master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed
his wife, his brother and his sister’s two husbands, to name only a
few. Matthew 2:1-18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when
astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn
king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the
Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would
be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he
could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts
and, warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped
to Egypt. Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the
boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” The horror
of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led
Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah,/sobbing and
loud lamentation;/Rachel weeping for her children...” (Matthew 2:18).
Rachel was the wife of Jacob/Israel. She is pictured as weeping at the
place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering
Assyrians for their march into captivity.
Twenty babies are few, in comparison to the genocide and abortion of
our day. But even if there had been only one, we recognize the greatest
treasure God put on the earth—a human person, destined for eternity and
graced by Jesus’ death and resurrection. "Lord, you give us life even
before we understand" (Prayer Over the Gifts, Feast of the Holy
Innocents).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
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Scripture today: 1 John 1:5-2:2; Psalm
124:2-5, 7cd-8; Matthew 2:13-18
After the
Magi had departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
dream, saying: “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt: and stay there until I tell you. For Herod will seek the child
to destroy him.” Joseph arose, and took the child and his mother by
night, and went to Egypt and he was there until the death of Herod.
This took place so that what was foretold by the prophet might be
fulfilled, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” Then Herod, perceiving
that he had been tricked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry. He
arranged to destroy all the boys of two years and under in Bethlehem
and its surrounding district, according to the time when he had
carefully inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was
spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, “A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation
and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be
comforted, because they are no longer.”(Matthew 2:13-18)
Bearing
witness
Today the Church celebrates the unknown infants of Bethlehem who were quietly
and ruthlessly dispatched by Herod. This occurred because the Christ‑child had
been born in their midst at about the same time as their own birth. While the
Church invites us to think of the lesson of their brief lives, in the first
instance we are invited to think of Christ. He is at the centre of the Gospel
scene in that it was because of Herod’s response to him that this happened.
In one Gospel scene after another we see how, as St John puts it in the prologue
of his Gospel, the Word of God came unto his own and his own did not receive
him. It is the mystery of sin, the sin that is so embedded in the world and so
powerful a force in its functioning. God became man but a major element in the
world, the world that had come from his hands, did not accept him. It did not
accept him, it opposed him, it hated him, it endeavoured to destroy him, and in
due course it did indeed destroy him. The “world” and its Prince attacked,
injured and put an end to the life of the Son of God made man. We see this
pattern appear as soon as the Son of God entered the world. Herod heard (from
pagan wise men!) that the infant King had arrived, the One long foretold. Herod
immediately planned his destruction. Now this is a most important lesson for
each of us. Long before, the prophet Nathan had told King David a story of a
murderer. He asked David what should be done to the murderer in the story, and
David had said that the man ought be put to death. Nathan replied: “You are
that man!” For David himself was a murderer, having arranged the death of Uriah
the Hittite. Each of us has in us something of Herod, in that the sin within us
rises up against the Son of God and resists him. The sin within us and with
which to a greater or lesser extent we so often co-operate, draws us into
offending God. As we contemplate the arrival of the Christ‑child and Herod’s
sinful response to him, let us resolve to renounce sin and to accept Christ and
his revelation totally.
Our Gospel scene today (Matthew 2:13‑18)
also invites us to think of these innocent infants so ruthlessly done away
with. Due to the circumstance of the time and locale of their birth, they had a
form of association with the Messiah, and because of hatred for Christ they were
pitilessly put to death. The suffering this caused their parents and families
and the community of Bethlehem would have been incalculable. The Church honours
them because of their association with Christ in their death. They died because
of hatred for Christ, even though they did not realize it. The celebration of
this by the Church in her liturgy century after century surely shows forth the
immense dignity of being associated with Christ in life and in death, whatever
be one’s circumstances or age. By their death, these Innocents bore witness to
the supremacy of Christ which Herod attacked. That God abundantly blessed the
uncomprehending sacrifice of these Innocents is proven by the fact that they are
celebrated in the Church’s liturgical year as martyrs for Christ. The point is
that the supreme work of life is to be associated with Christ and to bear
witness to him. All are called to do this and it is within the reach of all
from the youngest to the oldest, from the greatest to the least, from the most
prominent and well‑known to the most ordinary and unknown. Let us then be among
those who take their stand with Christ, who choose to walk in his company and
participate in his mission. His mission is to manifest himself to the world as
the Lord of lords and the King of kings. With the coming and presence of
Christ, the world is not simply a vast ensemble of elements that roll on in
their unceasing functions. The world has an Absolute, a Centre, a High Point, a
Meaning. The world has one Reference Point on which hinges everything. Christ
is the heart and the soul of the world, transcending it while in his humanity
being profoundly part of it. Let us then cling to him and moment by moment
associate with him. Our life and our death should constitute a grand
association with Christ, a following in his footsteps to the very end.
Our Lord said to his disciples, you have
not chosen me, no. I have chosen you, and I am sending you out to bear fruit
that will last. That lasting fruit is discipleship. Being a disciple means
living in profound association with him who is our supreme Friend. It means
bearing witness to him and in this way winning the world for him. We are to
make disciples of all the nations. The whole world is called to belong to
Christ and to bear witness to him to the end.
A change! You say you need a change!... opening your eyes wide so as to
take in better the images of things, or almost closing them because you
are short-sighted.
Close them altogether! Have interior life, and you will see, in
undreamt-of colour and relief, the wonders of a better world, of a new
world: and you will draw close to God..., and know your weakness...,
and be deified... with a deification which, by bringing you nearer to
your Father, will make you more a brother of your fellow-men.
(The Way, no.283)
The Baptism of Jesus
The Wedding Feast of Cana
The Proclamation of the Kingdom, with the call to Conversion
The Transfiguration
The Institution of the Eucharist
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 29) St.
Thomas Becket (1118-1170)
A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come
to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a
saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his
cathedral on December 29, 1170. His career had been a stormy one. While
archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age
of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to
make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave him fair
warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church
affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his
chancellorship and reformed his whole way of life! Troubles began.
Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some
conciliatory action possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He
momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have
denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented
them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the
Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for
seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would mean
certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed
upon bishops favoured by the king, Henry cried out in a rage, “Will no
one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words
as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral. Thomas Becket
remains a hero-saint down to our own times.
No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially with himself.
Thomas knew he must stand firm in defence of truth and right, even at
the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in the face of
pressures—against dishonesty, deceit, destruction of life—at the cost
of popularity, convenience, promotion and even greater goods. In T.S.
Eliot's drama, Murder in the Cathedral, Becket faces a final temptation
to seek martyrdom for earthly glory and revenge. With real insight into
his life situation, Thomas responds: "The last temptation is the
greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong
reason." (AmericanCatholic.org
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Scripture today: 1 John 2:3-11; Psalm
96:1-3, 5b-6; Luke 2:22-35
When the days
of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,
they carried him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in accord with
the law of the Lord,
“Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” and also
to offer a sacrifice, in accord with the law of the Lord, of a pair of
turtledoves or two young pigeons. There was a man in Jerusalem named
Simeon, a just and devout man, waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he would not see death till he had seen the Christ of
the Lord. He was led by the Spirit into the temple. When the parents of
the child Jesus brought him in to do for him according to the
requirement of the law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God,
saying, “Now, O Lord, dismiss your servant in peace according to your
word, because my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared
before all the peoples: a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the
glory of your people Israel.” His father and mother were wondering at
what was said concerning him. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his
mother, “Behold this child is set for the fall and for the rising of
many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted. Your own
soul a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed.(Luke 2:22-35)
Suffering Servant
One of the things Luke is obviously at pains to make clear is that, both before
and immediately after the birth of Jesus, it was revealed from on high that the
Child Jesus was the long‑awaited Messiah. The angel had revealed this and other
things about the Child to Mary and (in the Gospel of St Matthew) to Joseph prior
to his birth.
Immediately after his birth, heaven had revealed the birth of the Messiah to the
Jewish shepherds keeping watch in the hills and to the distant pagan Magi of the
East. Now once again, the Holy Spirit reveals to a chosen one the identity of
the Child. Mary and Joseph bring the Child to the Temple to observe the
requirements of the Law in respect to their newly‑born male child. The Holy
Spirit comes upon Simeon who dwells in Jerusalem. He was a holy man and
epitomized the best of the chosen people, awaiting with expectation and
gratitude the coming of the Messiah. Mysteriously, it had been revealed to him
that he would in fact see the Messiah with his own eyes, and now the moment has
come. He is led to the Holy Family bearing their inestimable treasure in their
arms. Simeon comes towards them, stops, and exulting with gratitude and praise,
gently takes the child in his arms. Then, inspired by the Holy Spirit who had
been leading him, he utters a prophecy. The Child is the Saviour whom God has
prepared. He is the Saviour of the nations and the glory of Israel
(Luke 2:22‑35). That is the essential
utterance and it revealed the joy of heaven at what was happening. A Saviour
has come, a light who will reveal God to the world. There is no one like him.
But there is a further prophecy, a prophecy that hints at the kind of path this
Saviour will tread. It will not be a road of conquest after conquest, acclaim
after acclaim. Rather, it will be marked by contradiction and opposition, and
this will result in many rising with him and others falling because of him.
Profound sorrow and stress is coming, and his mother will share in it in the
depths of her soul. There is also a hint that Joseph will not see that day.
So then, in our passage St Luke reports — obviously his ultimate source of
information is the mother of the Child — that certain things were revealed about
the Child soon after his birth. Prophecies were uttered about him and while
they celebrated the arrival of the Child, they also served to enlighten his holy
parents. Both Mary and Joseph wondered at what Simeon was saying. They gave to
it their utmost attention with hearts and minds open to the fullest in a holy
wonder. It was confirming what had been revealed to them already before the
birth of the Child, and this provided more divine light. The Child will be a
Saviour to the nations of the world as well as being the glory of the chosen
people. More ominously — and perhaps this was a very new element in what had
been revealed to them to this point — a dark cloud of suffering for the Child
was intimated. There will be terrible stress, sharp contradiction and a sword
that will pierce. The path of the Child will be one of sorrow, and those who
are intimately involved with him — epitomized by his holy mother — will share in
this suffering. A sword will pierce her soul. Inasmuch as during his public
ministry our Lord said that those who do the will of his Father are his mother
and sister and brother, the sword that pierces the soul of the Virgin Mother
will also pierce their souls too. It is the sword that is Christ’s Cross, the
lance that pierced his side, the crown that pierced his head. Simeon’s prophecy
reveals to Mary and Joseph that the great Servant of Yahweh whom they bear in
their arms and will raise during the years ahead is a suffering Servant, the
Suffering Servant spoken of by the prophet. He would do his work by suffering,
and those who are united to him will suffer with him. In a sense Luke is
telling us that at the very beginning of Christ’s life, his laborious and yet
victorious path was foretold. Not all details were revealed, of course, but
enough for the faith of Mary and Joseph to be exercised.
Let us place ourselves in the Gospel scene today in the midst of this holy
company. How holy it is! We have before us the Child of the nations, God
himself become man in order to make all things new. He will be the Saviour of
the world, and he will save by his obedient suffering. How great the mystery!
Life was coming, and it would spring forth from death. Around this Child are
Mary, Joseph and Simeon. Let us resolve to keep close to Christ and to tread
his path.
Ambition: to be good myself, and to see everyone else better than I.
(The Way, no.284)
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The Sorrowful Mysteries
(recited Tuesday and Friday)
The Agony in the Garden
The Scourging at the Pillar
The Crowning with Thorns
The Carrying of the Cross
The Crucifixion
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
(December 30)
St. Egwin (d. 717)
You say you’re not familiar with today’s saint?
Chances are you aren’t — unless you’re especially informed about
Benedictine bishops who established monasteries in medieval England.
Born of royal blood in the 7th century, Egwin entered a monastery and
was enthusiastically received by royalty, clergy and the people as the
bishop of Worcester, England. As a bishop he was known as a protector
of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge. Who could argue with that?
His popularity didn’t hold up among members of the clergy, however.
They saw him as overly strict, while he felt he was simply trying to
correct abuses and impose appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments
arose, and Egwin made his way to Rome to present his case to Pope
Constantine. The case against Egwin was examined and annulled. Upon his
return to England, he founded Evesham Abbey, which became one of the
great Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary,
who had reportedly made it known to Egwin just where a church should be
built in her honour. He died at the abbey on December 30, in the year
717. Following his burial many miracles were attributed to him: The
blind could see, the deaf could hear, the sick were healed. (AmericanCatholic.org)
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Scripture today: 1 John 2:12-17; Psalm 96:7-10; Luke 2:36-40
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with
her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was
eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and
praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke
about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they
returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became
strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
(Luke 2:36-40)
Anna One of
the distinguishing features of a civilization is usually its literature.
Writings, inscriptions, scrolls and books are pivotal to the culture of a people
and indeed to the life of the mind in all the world. Within
the family of writings of most literary cultures, a high place is occupied by
the holy books. From the early Vedas of Hinduism, the Zend Avesta and Pahlavi
texts of Zoroastrianism, to the Hebrew Scriptures of Israel, the Bible of
Christianity and the Koran of Islam, the holy books are of immense importance.
The Christian views the Old and New Testaments as the inspired record of the
word of God, and a divinely-intended instrument enabling him to know and love
the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. But, living in any one of a vast number of
cultures and some two millennia since the last of the writings of the Bible, he
finds many difficulties in the reading of it. There are many difficulties in
reading parts of the New Testament — such as in the book of Revelation — and
there are many difficulties in reading parts of the Old — such as in many of the
Prophets. Perhaps the simplest to read is the most important part of the entire
Bible, the four Gospels. They present the person and teaching of the key and
purpose of the inspired Scriptures, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the only name
under heaven by which men might be saved. But how is the rest to be understood
and read? The Old Testament consists of a remarkable array of literary genres
from different centuries before Christ. Is there a way of encapsulating the
lot, and gaining a light with which to read it? My suggestion is that this be
done by means of images rather than by mere concepts. That is to say, by means
of an image, the essential concepts can be brought to bear on the corpus of
inspired writing. One such image is that which figures in our Gospel today —
the image of Anna the Prophetess, who comes upon the Christ-child and gives
thanks to God.
Beautiful soul, Anna! Married for a few years in her early womanhood, her
husband had passed from this life. For the rest of her very long life — very
long, indeed, for those times — she spent her days in the service of God. She
had been an instrument of the Lord in making known his word and his will, for
she was known to utter prophecy. She was a minor prophet in the history of the
chosen people, and one of the last. She was now eighty-four years of age and
“She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”
The fact that St Luke gives these precise details suggests that Mary the mother
of Jesus had known her quite well. Perhaps Anna had known the parents and
grandparents of Mary and perhaps she had been honoured by them. Anna
immediately approached Mary and Joseph in the Temple, where Anna herself
resided. But consider the figure of Anna. She was a magnificent specimen of
the chosen people of God, holy and given over to the work of the Lord. Her
whole life was imbued with the divine revelation vouchsafed to God’s people, and
she looked forward to the coming of the Messiah — as did Simeon who was already
at this minute with Mary, Joseph and the Child. Anna is an embodiment of the
religion of the Old Testament. If we wish to have a picture of the Old
Testament as it prepared for the New, think of Anna. We may be sure that all
that God expected of his people prior to the coming of the Messiah was instanced
in the person of Anna. Anna was a fallen member of our race, but due to God’s
Spirit and her own generosity, she had attained holiness of life, and it was the
holiness of the Old Testament. It looked forward to Christ — and Anna, led by
the Spirit, exulted that the Messiah had come. I repeat, if we wish to
understand the meaning and the drift of the Old Testament and its relation with
the New, look to such a figure as Anna as she comes upon the holy family and
gives thanks to God for what she now beholds. She is an image of the Old as it
looks to the New, exulting and giving thanks that the New now has come.
As we contemplate Anna the prophetess, our gaze turns to the jewel of jewels,
Jesus Christ. He is held by his most holy mother and his saintly
foster-father. Both are young, and they are at the threshold of a marvel about
to unfold. Anna brings before us the Old Testament, while Jesus and Mary and
Joseph present us with the New. The entire company, including Simeon, is an
image of the entire Scriptures — which is to say all of God’s revelation. Let
us join Anna in giving thanks to God for Jesus Christ and for being called to
live and die in him. He is our salvation and our glory.
(December 31) St. Sylvester I (d. 335)
When you think of this pope, you think of the Edict of Milan, the
emergence of the Church from the catacombs, the building of the great
basilicas, Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter’s and others, the Council of
Nicaea and other critical events. But for the most part, these events
were planned or brought about by Emperor Constantine. A great store of
legends has grown up around the man who was pope at this most important
time, but very little can be established historically. We know for sure
that his papacy lasted from 314 until his death in 335. Reading between
the lines of history, we are assured that only a very strong and wise
man could have preserved the essential independence of the Church in
the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine. The
bishops in general remained loyal to the Holy See and at times
expressed apologies to Sylvester for undertaking important
ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine.
It takes deep humility and courage in the face of criticism for a
leader to stand aside and let events take their course, when asserting
one’s authority would only lead to useless tension and strife.
Sylvester teaches a valuable lesson for Church leaders, politicians,
parents and others in authority. To emphasize the continuity of Holy
Orders, the recent Roman breviary in its biographies of popes ends with
important statistics. On the feast of Saint Sylvester it recounts: "He
presided at seven December ordinations at which he created 42 priests,
25 deacons and 65 bishops for various sees." The Holy Father is indeed
the heart of the Church's sacramental system, an essential element of
its
unity.
(AmericanCatholic.org)
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Scripture today: 1 John 2:18-21; Psalm
96:1-2, 11-13; John 1:1-18
In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him
was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the
light of men. And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend
it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came
to bear witness, to give testimony to the light that all men might
believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony to
the light. That was the true light which enlightens every man who comes
into this world. He was in the world and the world was made by him and
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him
not. But to as many as received him he gave power to become children of
God, to those who believe in his name. They are born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the
glory of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. John
bore witness to him and cried out, saying: “This is he of whom I said,
He who comes after me, is preferred before me, because he was before
me.” And of his fullness we all have received, grace upon grace. For
the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No
man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom
of the Father, he has made him known.(John 1:1-18)
The
Glory
Our Gospel passage today is commonly called the Prologue of St John’s Gospel, an
extended passage that serves as an Introduction to the entire Gospel and a kind
of summary of it. More than do the other three Gospels — so similar to one
another that they are called the Synoptic Gospels — this Gospel of St John and
in particular its Prologue, provides a panoramic theological vision of Christ.
We
are taken back into eternity, into what St John calls “the beginning.” In the
beginning, there was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
St John does not say that the Word began at the beginning — no. Nor is he
meaning to teach about a beginning in time, let alone a beginning of God and of
his Word! Rather, he is saying this of the Word, that however one chooses to
imagine the beginning, there the Word already was. The Word who was with God in
the beginning and who was himself God already existed at the beginning. That is
to say, God and his Word are eternal. Furthermore, St John speaks at the outset
of God’s Word as being personal. That is to say, he is a distinct Person. “He”
was in the beginning with God and all things came to be through “him.” So the
Word of God was a divine and eternal Person, living with God who is a Person
distinct from him. Yet there is but one God, and the Word is the one God. So
God and his Word are each of them Persons, and each is the one living God.
Indeed, as St John says in the same passage, the Word is the only‑begotten Son
of God, the Father. John is assuming the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, though
not mentioning the Third divine Person, for his focus here is on the Word who
became flesh and dwelt among us. All things were created and sustained in and
through him, and he, the Word, is the life and the light of the human race.
Wonder of wonders, the divine and eternal Word of God became man and dwelt among
us.
St John is celebrating and proclaiming the fact of the Incarnation. God became
man. But he is also singing of his glory. In the Gospel of St Luke, Mary
proclaims the glory of God. My soul proclaims the glory of the Lord, she says,
and my spirit exults in God my Saviour. The same could be said of St John in
writing his Prologue. He proclaims the glory of the Lord. “The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the
Father’s only‑begotten Son, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:1‑18). The rest of the Gospel, beginning from the baptism of
our Lord, will be the unfolding narrative of the revelation of his glory. St
John wants every one of his readers to come to know the glory of the
only‑begotten Son of God made man. Many knew him. Many grew up with him and
associated with him in Nazareth. Many met and knew him during his public
ministry. Many saw him being rejected and abused. Many saw him on his way to
Calvary and then hanging on the Cross. Very many did not see his glory. That
is to say, “the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the
world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world
did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not
accept him.” He came to be accepted and, we read, “to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who
were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.” St John tells us that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only‑begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.” Essentially, the Christian is one who has come to see
the glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man. Jesus Christ is the glory
of the human race because he is the Glory that is God. The one who draws near
to Jesus and comes to know him as his disciple will come to see his glory.
Let us resolve to be Christ’s disciple
and day by day grow in his friendship. I have not called you servants, he said
to his disciples. I have called you friends. The more we grow in friendship
with Jesus, the more we will see his glory. Our whole life ought be given over
to the glory of Jesus, and this we do by hearing his word, putting it into daily
practice, and by following him closely. Let us in this way come to see the
glory of Christ and bear witness to it in our everyday life.
There is nothing better in the world than to be in the grace of God.
(The Way, no.286)
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Prayer concluding the Rosary
Hail, Holy Queen, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, whose only-begotten Son,
by his life, death and resurrection,
has purchased for us
the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech thee,
that meditating on these mysteries
of the most holy Rosary of the
Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain
and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
Prayers this week:
The shepherds hastened
to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a
manger.(Luke 2:16) Father,
help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love. Bring
us to the joy and peace of your eternal home. We ask
this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
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After the Magi had
departed, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying:
“Arise, and take the child and his
mother, and fly into Egypt and remain there until I tell you. Herod
will seek the child to destroy him.” Joseph arose and took the child
and his mother by night and retired into Egypt. He was there until the
death of Herod in order that it might be fulfilled what the Lord had
said by the prophet: Out of Egypt have I called my son. When Herod died
an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying:
“Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go to the land of
Israel. Those who sought the life of the child are dead.” Joseph arose
and took the child and his mother and came into the land of Israel. But
hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of Herod his father he
was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream he retired to Galilee.
There he dwelt in a town called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled
which was said by prophets: He shall be called a Nazarene.(Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23)
Ordinary work There is
one very notable feature about bees and ants. It is that they seem to be
unceasingly active. We speak of a person being “as busy as a bee.” Action.
Activity. Movement seems to be at the heart of the universe. Indeed, the
consideration of the world’s movement constitutes, in the philosophical thought
of St Thomas Aquinas, a Way to God. Within the things of our experience there
is a basic drive to be in action, which is to say a striving for the perfection
of its nature in one or other sense. The characteristic posture of things seems
not to be one of rest but of activity.
When we look at man we see a similar pattern. The human person seems to be an
acting person — that is, one who is at work — and if he is not in action, it
generally looks as though he is in decline or will decline. His greatest pride
lies in what he manages to do and if he has the sense that he is achieving
little or nothing, this constitutes a crisis for his sense of meaning. But now,
we also see in vast numbers of persons in the great stream of human history,
very little by way of great and striking deeds. If action — let us call it
work — is what man seems to be made for, what is to be said of those countless
numbers of persons who seem to get so little done? By this I mean that there are
so very many whose activity is on a very small scale and who never do what an
observer might call very much. They yearn for significance and they hope that
their lives will be of value. Yet their work in life turns out to be
small‑scale, humdrum, rather hidden, and only a very small element in the
gigantic action of the universe. Yes, life has its achievements and joys, but
snapping at its heels is the recurring thought that it has all been futile and
disappointing. It is marked by a lot of failure and unrealized dreams. For
very many, perhaps we could say for the average person, there seems to be not a
lot for him to be proud of and not much that he does that will ever bring the
admiration of others. In a word, typically the life of man is
characteristically very ordinary. So one question facing everyone is, how can
his or her ordinary life become something great and beautiful?
On this question, as on every other great question, we have a Light. That Light
is Christ and he is the life of every man, woman and family. Today we think of
the holy family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary his mother, and Joseph his
foster‑father and husband of Mary. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are given two
chapters in the Gospel of St Matthew and two chapters in the Gospel of St Luke,
and each of these Gospel accounts is very different. But together they present
us with the fact of the holy family of Nazareth, a family beyond compare in the
annals of holiness. From this family came forth the King of kings and Lord of
lords to whom all authority in heaven and on earth was given. What could we say
is the especially notable thing about their family life during those many years
at Nazareth? It is that their lives were very ordinary indeed. It was
small‑time, small‑scale, unnoticed, and if the historian were pressed to give
his verdict on it he would say it contained nothing of significance in the
main. He might even say their life was a little meaningless — in view of the
important work to be done, namely the salvation of the world. So the holy
family was very much part of the stream of mankind and moved
shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the little people of history. But does this not tell
us that there is, in the divine plan, a greatness to be discovered and achieved
precisely in the ordinary things? God means the little person to be great in his
sight precisely in his littleness and ordinariness. If God became man and spent
so much time doing nothing other than what the ordinary person does — going to a
small‑time school, worshipping at home and with his community in a small-time
synagogue, doing his daily work, being part of his immediate and extended family
life — then in the main greatness is to be sought there. The ordinary person
will be great in the sight of God by doing the ordinary things in the way the
Son of God made man did them, and indeed doing them in loving union with the Son
of God made man. The holy family teaches every man and woman and every family
the grandeur of the ordinary life if lived in imitation of this same holy
family, and their secret was to have done God’s will.
All this is to say that every family ought strive to acquire and live the spirit
of the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Every baptized person has been
granted the gift of the Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit animated and guided
the holy family. He is the Spirit of Jesus and he filled the hearts of Mary and
Joseph. He has been given to us at our baptism. Let us be content in the
ordinariness of our lives, but making all our actions and all our work something
very holy in the way the holy family did. If we sanctify our activity and our
work by seeking God’s will in everything, we shall sanctify ourselves, and we
shall sanctify others for whom we do our work.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading:The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no.530, 2196-2233 (Fourth Commandment)
Conversion is the matter of a moment. Sanctification is the work of a
lifetime.
(The Way, no.285)
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The Glorious Mysteries
(recited Wednesday and Sunday)
The Resurrection
The Ascension
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Assumption
The Coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Appendix)
This is how the birth of
Christ happened. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing
publicly to expose her, intended to put her away privately. But while
he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take to
yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will call his name JESUS.
For he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this was done so
that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, “Behold a
virgin will be with child and will bring forth a son, and they will
call his name Emmanuel, which means, God with us.” And Joseph waking
from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took
his wife to himself.
(Matthew 1:18-24)
Mary his betrothed “will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:18‑24).
The burden afflicting and bringing death to God’s people are their sins, and the
child will save his people from them. This announcement of the Saviour’s
mission gives us the opportunity to think a little about sin, for sin was the
preoccupation of God in sending his divine Son to us. St Paul tells us that of
themselves all men are under the power of sin, and that the wages of sin are
death. The Ten Commandments spell out very clearly the ways God’s chosen people
can and do sin, but what is to be said of those who have not heard God’s voice
as expressed in the Ten Commandments? Well, there is another voice. Man has
been endowed by God with a conscience commanding him to do good and avoid evil.
This is a natural law implanted in his very being. St Paul writes in the Letter
to the Romans that “I have been sold as a slave to sin. I cannot understand my
own behaviour. I fail to carry out the things I want to do, and I find myself
dong the very things I hate. When I act against my own will, that means that I
have a self that acknowledges that the Law is good, and so the thing behaving in
that way is not my own self but sin living in me.” So St Paul states that “I
have a self that acknowledges that the Law is good.” Every man and woman has
this “self,” this voice within. All have a conscience and whatever be the
errors of people in their practical moral judgment, the basic command of
conscience is clear. The good must be done and evil avoided. It is a basic
natural law commanding that each person seek to know what is the right thing to
do, and then to do it.
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seek. We need no other special saint today to
lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph,
caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene. But if we were to
select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to
imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous
and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic
choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out
something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet
compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search
for a mystery. On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed,
“un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to
discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between scepticism and
wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds,
let us treasure that discovery in our
hearts. (AmericanCatholic.org)
the Transfiguration, the raising
of the daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane. But John’s
friendship was even more special. Tradition assigns to him the Fourth
Gospel, although most modern Scripture scholars think it unlikely that
the apostle and the evangelist are the same person. John’s own Gospel
refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23;
19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper,
and the one to whom he gave the exquisite honour, as he stood beneath
the cross, of caring for his mother. “Woman, behold your son....Behold,
your mother” (John 19:26b, 27b). Because of the depth of his Gospel,
John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology, soaring in high
regions that other writers did not enter. But the ever-frank Gospels
reveal some very human traits. Jesus gave James and John the nickname,
“sons of thunder.” While it is difficult to know exactly what this
meant, a clue is given in two incidents. In the first, as Matthew tells
it, their mother asked that they might sit in the places of honour in
Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand, one on his left. When Jesus asked
them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with
his baptism of pain, they blithely answered, “We can!” Jesus said that
they would indeed share his cup, but that sitting at his right hand was
not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the
Father. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of
the brothers, and Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature
of authority: “...Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your
slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28). On
another occasion the “sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not
call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, who would
not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But Jesus
“turned and rebuked them”(see Luke 9:51-55). On the first Easter, Mary
Magdalene “ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom
Jesus loved, and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him’” (John 20:2). John recalls,
perhaps with a smile, that he and Peter ran side by side, but then “the
other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first”
(John 20:4b). He did not enter, but waited for Peter and let him go in
first. “Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived
at the tomb first, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). John was with
Peter when the first great miracle after the Resurrection took
place—the cure of the man crippled from birth—which led to their
spending the night in jail together. The mysterious experience of the
Resurrection is perhaps best contained in the words of Acts: “Observing
the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated,
ordinary men, they [the questioners] were amazed, and they recognized
them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The evangelist wrote the
great Gospel, the letters and the Book of Revelation. His Gospel is a
very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in
the incidents of his mortal life. At the Last Supper, John’s Jesus
speaks as if he were already in heaven. It is the Gospel of Jesus’
glory. (AmericanCatholic.org)