John 13:16-20 Jesus Christ, You Are the Faithful Witness

Although this is how the truth of something is today in our world ascertained for the courts by attorneys seeking the truth, it is not unlike today’s story of St. Paul seeking the truth and presenting it to those assembled at the temple.  Paul had formerly been a Pharisee, which meant that he was an expert in the law, and knew how to draw truth out of statements and testimonies to present to the people for their edification.  In today’s story he calls forth the great leaders of the Jewish people and their prophets, especially John the Baptist who was still in recent memory, to give testimony that “God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.”  The truth of Christ has spread to all the known world, and Paul, the apostle whom Christ personally called after the others, gives testimony to this Truth.

In today’s Gospel Jesus promises to show us the truth that he is “I Am” through events that would fulfill the scripture about him.  He is leading us to know that he is not only the Way to salvation, but the Truth.  He is unified with the Father in this.  He assures us that those of us who accept him, accept our Father in Heaven for he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  We are not to try to corrupt the Truth, for the Truth cannot be corrupted.  Christ Jesus is the faithful witness to that.  We are each called to share in that communion as witnesses today throughout words and our actions, which mark us as Christians, and our fidelity to the Truth.

John 21:1-19 Do you love me?

In today's Gospel the Apostles are fishing, catching nothing.  Easter is a time of joy and new beginnings in the Light of the Resurrected Christ.  As the dawn breaks, they see Christ Jesus upon the shore.  Recall that he had summoned them to be fishers of men in a similar way before the crucifixion.  Again he calls them to be fishers of men, in a sense, by lowering their nets into the ride side of the boat.  Clement of Alexandria wrote about Jesus in a hymn in his Pedagogues III,

"...Fisher of men,

you, their Savior:

from the sea of evil

you pull the pure fish,

out of the hostile storm

you draw them to the life of blessedness..."

We are the fish, while Peter and the Apostles represent the Church in relation to Christ.  They bring us to the shore bathed in light where Jesus is waiting.  That Christ breaks the bread with them in that first breakfast of the Resurrection assures us that he will continue to nourish us. 

Why does he do this?  Love.  He asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"  It is as if to undo those three times that Peter denied him.  At the same time, each time Peter says, I love you, it could be though of as saying it to each member of the Holy Trinity, with whom he is in communion with; and at the same time, he stands for us, as the rock on which our church is founded.  He answers for us, "Yes Lord, I love you."  My we continue loving the Lord with each moment of our lives.  Amen.

Luke 2:22-40 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

for today's readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020216.cfm)

Today's readings speak of the messenger(s) that come before the Lord proclaiming him to the people. Who instructs Simeon to act out as the prophet?  Or even Anna to know and announce that here is the Christ child?  It is the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit animates both of them.  Simeon, who is promised that he would behold the virgin with the Christ Child before he dies, utters a prayer, in Latin called the Nunc Dimittis.  (This is the prayer used at the end of compline, or the evening prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours.)

Simeon is like Elizabeth and Zachary, the family of the Virgin Mary.  He is pious, aged, and looking for the fulfillment of God's promises to the people of Israel.  It is through the grace of God that Simeon comes to know and welcome the Lord to the temple and acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Comforter of the people, the king chosen by God to reign over his people.  The Holy Spirit is offering hope as well as a light into the divine mystery of God made manifest as our Savior.  Through Simeon gives a more complete picture of the Old Testament predictions of the Messiah.  Anna too through her charisms of the Holy Spirit us the same idea, that here indeed is the Messiah come to fulfill the prophesies of the Old Testament.  She praises God and proclaims the infant to those who longed for the redemption of Jerusalem.  Anna and Simeon are witnesses to the Truth, prophets of God proclaiming, exhorting, and comforting the people awaiting the Messiah.   They represent the link between the Old Covenant and the celebration of the New Covenant made through Christ.

John 1:1-18 Light of the World

In John's Gospel we hear a new creation story through the revelation that has given to us, "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 came to be through him and without him nothing came to be.  What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." 

Christ is our light.  John the Baptist pointed to him as our light and testified to the Light so that others like us might recognize the Savior.  We are born into that light.  We received the Light of Christ at our baptisms, at our confirmations, at every sacrament the Light of Christ is present.  As Catholics we walk our journey through life with the Light that God has given us, knowing that God is there with us.  He is our light and life that animates us with us in his strength, fortitude, compassion and mercy. We are the Lord’s children by his will for John tells us, “To those who accepted him (meaning Christ Jesus) he gave the power to become children of God.”  Through Christ we have come to know Truth and the fullness of grace. 

Christ is the Light of the World.  We are his disciples.  St. Augustine wrote, “We have not only been made Christians, we have been made Christ.”  What does this mean?  There was once a man riding his bicycle along my road.  I watched him from the upstairs window. As he passed in front of my home, he hunched over forward on his bicycle and collapsed with the bike.  I grabbed my telephone and raced outside to him.  As he opened his eyes he saw me looking down at him, and asked, “Are you my angel?”    I couldn’t help but laugh for I have so many flaws.  But for that moment, I was Bryan’s angel.   

None of us is perfect.  We are all flawed human beings.  However, we are instilled with the Light entrusted to us by God.  Remember that children’s song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”?  It means that people will come into our lives, and need that light to show them the way in the dark, and it is through our love, compassion and mercy for others that the light spreads and brings life to others.  There are so many Bryans in the world, and sometimes I may be in need, and maybe you.  God will provide the opportunities, but we must be willing to share the light and life which has been given to us through Christ.  In giving of ourselves like this, we are like John the Baptist testifying to the Light so that others may believe and have the light of life.  Remember what John tells us in regard to Christ, "What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race." 

We are the face of God to each other.  We are His hands and feet.  Let us strive to act as children of the Light showing mercy and compassion to others through our actions and words.  We ask this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

(From my reflections)

Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus

Matthew gives us a genealogy of Jesus, conveniently telling us that there were fourteen generations between the beginning of man and King David, fourteen between David and the Babylonian captivity, and fourteen between the captivity and Christ Jesus.   Listed are many kings both good and bad, a contrast to help us see clearly God’s presence in the history of Israel.  Some of those kings struggled led the nation astray or to be conquered, allowing us to see God’s mercy in helping Israel through those listed kings who were good, who sought to restore the people of God and helped them conform to God’s ways.  Mentioned too are women and men who God directly heard, protected, and preserved.  Allowing us to know that God remembers each of us specifically as we form his people.  We remember through this genealogy how merciful and loving the Lord is. 

  We know that if we were to compare this genealogy to 1 Chronicles that Matthew has edited some names from the actual genealogy.  Why does this occur?  Matthew is writing to the Jewish people.   For them fourteen is a special number.  It is the number of steps in the Passover supper commemorating when God saved his people leading them out of slavery.  It is the Date in the Jewish month of Adar when Purim is celebrated, which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman in Babylonia when he tried to have them all killed.  The number fourteen in also represented the day of Pesach Sheni, the day before the Passover when they celebrated bringing forth the Paschal lamb.  These ideas are invoked by the number fourteen. 

Matthew has already instilled in our minds the idea of God's mercy and love.  Now he is drawing us to consider the Purim, and especially Pasch through which God saved his people.  Matthew specifically draws us to Christ and his birth into the human family, using the word twice at the end of today's passage.    We are called to stay awake, sit-up, pay attention!  Christ is coming in glory.  May we continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord in his mercy. 

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Today's Gospel surprises us a little because it is a warning that if we do not heed Christ Jesus' words, we will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  There are those who will cry out to him but do not follow him, and those who listen but do not obey. 

It seems really harsh in our current era of political correctness we want everyone to be equal and have a "fair share."  That isn't what Jesus is telling us though.  Jesus is reminding us to be vigilant and build within ourselves that firm foundation in Him, in the Father through the Holy Spirit.  Faith is always accompanied by good works.  Upon what does our faith rest?  It rests upon the word of God.  It is his will that we put before our own in faith.  To love God is to desire sincerely to love him.  Because we love him, we wish to be instruments of his love and peace for others in doing his will and spreading the Good News.  In this end, our faith will save us. 

Matthew 15:29-37

In today's reading Jesus goes up the mountain where those who are poor in spirit, those who are outcasts such as the blind, the lame, mute, etc. have come for healing.  Jesus is touched and says, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.  I do not want to send them away hungry."  Jesus then takes seven loaves and five fish, blesses them and the feed the crowds with seven baskets left over. 

Jesus first goes to the mountain.  Mountains have been used as a meeting place with God throughout history.  Jesus is man yes, but also the Christ, the door keeper who ushers us through the door to God, so we find it appropriate that he is gathered with those who are humbled, meek, and the poor in spirit.  He consoles them, he forgives them their sins, and heals them.  Are they just healed in body?  No, Christ heals the soul, the spirit, too.  As we read today's Gospel we are called to that mountain too, to be healed and made whole, to be purified and ready to meet God. 

Ask yourself, What do I need healing in my life?  Is there something physically wrong with me, or does it mask a deeper pain?  Is there something that I can find healing through in an Anointing of the Sick or through the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  In both there is great healing if we are open to it.  Perhaps this can be part of our Advent journey?

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Today celebrates the first week of Advent and the lighting the first candle.  The candle represents our hope as we await the Light of Christ at Christmas. 

In the readings today we are met with cosmic wonders, unsettling images, and the idea that "people will die of fright at the anticipation of what is coming upon the world."  Yes, these images were intended to scare the hearer.  They were also intended to bring hope.  We shouldn't take each day for granted.  We should live each day to the best of our ability to do what we know is right and loving.  Daily life can take its toll and make us numb to what is important.  We should aspire to keep our eye on God always and remember that we are merely journeying through this life to the next.  We should be prepared to stand before God.

Carpe Diem means "Seize the Day."  The phrase encompasses the meaning of today's message.  Don't waste the day, prepare, stay alert.  Take care though.  For many in the early 20th Century fraught with war and economic depression and for later decades including ours, the phrase takes on a more modern morally relativistic meaning with people who use it to justify lascivious lifestyles, addictions to drugs/alcohol, and the self-centered/'me first" mentality.   

We are a people in darkness awaiting our Savior, the Son of Man, for whom we prepare for as the Christ Child at Christmas, and also the one who will come to judge the world at the end of time.  Be alert.  Look to the Light.  He is the response to our hope.   

Luke 21:34-36

Today's reading is very short and very important, so much so that it will be repeated on Sunday.  What is the message?  "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap...Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man,"  Jesus says to us.

Be aware of the anxieties of daily life.  It is so easy to get caught up in work, taking care of kids or elderly parents, of planning for the future, of worrying about little things.  These are small tribulations.  We are being told to be aware, get a new perspective, the Lord should come first in our lives; we should be aware that we will stand before the Son of Man in our judgement.  Will we be found worthy?  This is why we should pay attention to what we do and why we them.  Prepare yourself by doing those things that you know to be right and just.