Sorry, I've been offline for a bit. I've been under the weather.
Tomorrow is Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, but there is no First Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today, the Baptism of the Lord marks both the end of the Christmas season and the transition to Ordinary Time. Here in the Diocese of Richmond we are also launching our Five-year plan for evangelization.
It seems to me that Ordinary Time is the best time to begin our New Evangelization. By launching this week we are reminded that evangelization is now some specialized ministry, belonging to some small group within the church. As with Jesus, each of us from the time of our baptism, were called to evangelize.
Many of you may be thinking, "But I was baptized as a baby." And I would still say that it was on that day that the seeds of your ministry were planted. On that day when you were filled with the Holy Spirit and became the adopted child of God, the Spirit began to call you to share the joy of the gospel with others.
As we celebrate the baptism of Jesus it is time for us to put into action the gifts that we received at our own baptism, to look for the opportunities we have in our own life to spread the joy of the gospel.
The first step may well be taking time to reflect on what it was we did receive at baptism, to deepen our sense of the presence of God in our own lives. It is a time to delve more deeply into the word and into the sacraments, particularly penance and Eucharist, a time to bring that bond that was formed at our baptism to the forefront of our minds. Before I can share I must know what I have.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Fearless
One of the things that we often condemn in young people is their sense of invincibility. They seem to charge forward into life oblivious to danger.
In fact fearlessness is actually a Christian virtue. As today's first reading reminds us
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear
The difference between our teenage fearlessness and Christian fearlessness is its source. When we are young, and sometimes when we are old, we are fearless because we have bought the mythology of limitless human possibility. "I can do anything I put my mind to." It is a fearlessness rooted in hubris.
Christian fearlessness is grounded not in ourselves but in God. If I believe in the omnipotence of God, and the unconditional love of God, then what should I fear? Whom should I fear?
The more we let go and allow ourselves to simply fall into the bottomless love of God, the more we realize that the only person whose judgement of us really matters is God, the freer we become from all fear. What does our human reputation really matter in the end? All we have to is turn on the television and see how mercurial the public's opinion is.
Some would say, "Be true to yourself." That's a little too narcissistic for my taste. I would say, "Be true to God." If each day we try our best to do the will of God, even if we fail, we can be absolutely fearless.
As St. Timothy reminds us, "If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself."
In fact fearlessness is actually a Christian virtue. As today's first reading reminds us
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear
The difference between our teenage fearlessness and Christian fearlessness is its source. When we are young, and sometimes when we are old, we are fearless because we have bought the mythology of limitless human possibility. "I can do anything I put my mind to." It is a fearlessness rooted in hubris.
Christian fearlessness is grounded not in ourselves but in God. If I believe in the omnipotence of God, and the unconditional love of God, then what should I fear? Whom should I fear?
The more we let go and allow ourselves to simply fall into the bottomless love of God, the more we realize that the only person whose judgement of us really matters is God, the freer we become from all fear. What does our human reputation really matter in the end? All we have to is turn on the television and see how mercurial the public's opinion is.
Some would say, "Be true to yourself." That's a little too narcissistic for my taste. I would say, "Be true to God." If each day we try our best to do the will of God, even if we fail, we can be absolutely fearless.
As St. Timothy reminds us, "If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself."
Monday, January 6, 2014
Could it be more simple
In the first reading today St. John reminds us of just how much Jesus has simplified what is required of us.
Beloved:
We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Believe in Jesus and love one another how much simpler could it possibly get. And yet we seem to struggle.
Perhaps at least part of the problem is that we do not grasp the full meaning of the title by which we are addressed: agapetos, beloved. Love is for us Christians not a feeling but a theological virtue, it comes to us as gift from God. God's love is poured out on us, poured into us, and then we in turn share with others what we have received.
Notice that we are called agapetos, the love we receive is agape. It is not a love that yearns to possess. It is not a love fueled by our most primitive drives. It is the love that is other-centered, self-sacrificing. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son."
It is the superabundance of God's love made most fully visible in Jesus that is given to us, and which we are in turn called each and every day to share. It is a love that constantly turns away from self, and turns outward toward others, and by this the gospel does not mean friends and family. There are other Greek words for that love.
This love turns toward, the stranger, the enemy, the person from whom we can or will receive nothing in return.
In these last days of Christmas St. John reminds in the simplest terms what it means to be a Christian
Believe in Jesus. Love one another.
Beloved:
We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Believe in Jesus and love one another how much simpler could it possibly get. And yet we seem to struggle.
Perhaps at least part of the problem is that we do not grasp the full meaning of the title by which we are addressed: agapetos, beloved. Love is for us Christians not a feeling but a theological virtue, it comes to us as gift from God. God's love is poured out on us, poured into us, and then we in turn share with others what we have received.
Notice that we are called agapetos, the love we receive is agape. It is not a love that yearns to possess. It is not a love fueled by our most primitive drives. It is the love that is other-centered, self-sacrificing. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son."
It is the superabundance of God's love made most fully visible in Jesus that is given to us, and which we are in turn called each and every day to share. It is a love that constantly turns away from self, and turns outward toward others, and by this the gospel does not mean friends and family. There are other Greek words for that love.
This love turns toward, the stranger, the enemy, the person from whom we can or will receive nothing in return.
In these last days of Christmas St. John reminds in the simplest terms what it means to be a Christian
Believe in Jesus. Love one another.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
See it and be it
Today the Church celebrates the Epiphany, the manifestation of the presence of God in the world. In Matthew's gospel the world is represented by the Magi. How many are there? The Bible doesn't say. It simply says "magoi." In the west we have traditionally referred to three, one for each gift. In eastern Christianity, there are by some accounts 12, to parallel the 12 tribes of Israel. In the end it doesn't matter.
What matters is what they represent, the desire not to limit himself to one chosen people, but to spread the good news to the ends of the earth. In the words of today's psalm
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you
And in fact we have managed to spread the Christian faith to one degree or another to every corner of the earth. But this does not mean we can sit back and relax.
Everyone of us by our baptism is a missionary. We are sent out at the end of mass to proclaim the good news. The new dismissal
Go in Peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
This is seems to me to be a two stage process.
Stage One: if I believe the promise of Jesus "and know that I am with you always", if I believe Emmanuel -God with us, If I believe "Heaven and earth are full of your glory", then no matter where I am I should be able to see with eyes of faith the manifestations of the presence of God. Kneeling in Church, driving on I-95, or sitting alone in my room with the eyes of faith there is always epiphany.
Stage Two: Along with seeing the presence of God, I must be the presence of God. From the moment we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism, we have the responsibility to be the Epiphany, to be as St. Paul calls us in the second reading "sussoma", literally the same body. We are the body parts and as such we must be that physical, manifestation of Christ to others. Our words our actions, not just sometimes when we feel like it, not just to our friends and family, but our every word and action should be a manifestation of Christ's love.
That isn't as sweet as it sounds. While most of the time this will involve even small gestures, little kindnesses, as simple as a smile. Other times it will involve the hard part.
The one gift Isaiah left out of his prophecy was the myrrh, the symbol that points forward to the crucifixion. Sometimes being the epiphany,being the manifestation of God's love, means looking your best friend right in the face and saying, "You're screwing up your life." We should always do it with love, but sometimes we must risk rejection, and anger, and even loss, it we are to be true to the gospel.
We are one week from the end of Christmas. In this last week of Christmas, I would invite you every day to look for the epiphanies, the signs of the presence of God. And every day look for an opportunity to be the epiphany, the manifestation of God's loving presence to someone else, and not just friends and family.
What matters is what they represent, the desire not to limit himself to one chosen people, but to spread the good news to the ends of the earth. In the words of today's psalm
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you
And in fact we have managed to spread the Christian faith to one degree or another to every corner of the earth. But this does not mean we can sit back and relax.
Everyone of us by our baptism is a missionary. We are sent out at the end of mass to proclaim the good news. The new dismissal
Go in Peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
This is seems to me to be a two stage process.
Stage One: if I believe the promise of Jesus "and know that I am with you always", if I believe Emmanuel -God with us, If I believe "Heaven and earth are full of your glory", then no matter where I am I should be able to see with eyes of faith the manifestations of the presence of God. Kneeling in Church, driving on I-95, or sitting alone in my room with the eyes of faith there is always epiphany.
Stage Two: Along with seeing the presence of God, I must be the presence of God. From the moment we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism, we have the responsibility to be the Epiphany, to be as St. Paul calls us in the second reading "sussoma", literally the same body. We are the body parts and as such we must be that physical, manifestation of Christ to others. Our words our actions, not just sometimes when we feel like it, not just to our friends and family, but our every word and action should be a manifestation of Christ's love.
That isn't as sweet as it sounds. While most of the time this will involve even small gestures, little kindnesses, as simple as a smile. Other times it will involve the hard part.
The one gift Isaiah left out of his prophecy was the myrrh, the symbol that points forward to the crucifixion. Sometimes being the epiphany,being the manifestation of God's love, means looking your best friend right in the face and saying, "You're screwing up your life." We should always do it with love, but sometimes we must risk rejection, and anger, and even loss, it we are to be true to the gospel.
We are one week from the end of Christmas. In this last week of Christmas, I would invite you every day to look for the epiphanies, the signs of the presence of God. And every day look for an opportunity to be the epiphany, the manifestation of God's loving presence to someone else, and not just friends and family.
Friday, January 3, 2014
The Name
Today we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus. Until the 15th century in keeping with the gospel and Jewish tradition, the Church celebrated the circumcision and the naming on the same day, January 1. Later we separated it into two separate feast and in our current calendar we celebrate the name only. In Aramaic (Yeshua), Hebrew (Yehoshua), and in English (Jesus).
On one level there was nothing unique about the name. It was common among first century Jews. The gospels had to call him Jesus of Nazareth, or son of Joseph, or son of Mary to identify whom they were talking about.
What makes it unique is that it's meaning "God saves" or "God is salvation" is brought to perfection in this Jesus.
On this 10th day of Christmas we are reminded that the Holy Name of Jesus is more than a name; it is a statement of faith. When we call the name of Jesus, we are proclaiming our belief that 2000 years ago God brought the ultimate salvation into our world. Forgiveness of sin and so much more, a share in the divine life of God.
On one level there was nothing unique about the name. It was common among first century Jews. The gospels had to call him Jesus of Nazareth, or son of Joseph, or son of Mary to identify whom they were talking about.
What makes it unique is that it's meaning "God saves" or "God is salvation" is brought to perfection in this Jesus.
On this 10th day of Christmas we are reminded that the Holy Name of Jesus is more than a name; it is a statement of faith. When we call the name of Jesus, we are proclaiming our belief that 2000 years ago God brought the ultimate salvation into our world. Forgiveness of sin and so much more, a share in the divine life of God.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Liar, Liar
Today's first reading opens with a rather harsh question: Who is a liar? And once again it is dealing with those who deny Jesus is the Christ.
On the surface that would seem to have nothing to do with any of us except it goes on to distinguish.
Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father...And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.
Remaining in him is not as easy as it seems. It is not simply enough to not deny Jesus directly. We must remain 24 hrs/day in Jesus and allow his word to remain in us. If we profess faith on Sundays at mass, but on Monday we walk out of the house and effectively leave Christ at home. If we allow the anxiety about life to overtake us, and not trust in God, then we are liars. Our Sunday profession of faith becomes empty words.
Will any of us do it perfectly, all the time? Of course not. We all step away from time to time. Our confidence in God's love falters. But then we must remind ourselves. Every day and often more than once a day we must remind ourselves to remain in Christ.
On the surface that would seem to have nothing to do with any of us except it goes on to distinguish.
Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father...And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.
Remaining in him is not as easy as it seems. It is not simply enough to not deny Jesus directly. We must remain 24 hrs/day in Jesus and allow his word to remain in us. If we profess faith on Sundays at mass, but on Monday we walk out of the house and effectively leave Christ at home. If we allow the anxiety about life to overtake us, and not trust in God, then we are liars. Our Sunday profession of faith becomes empty words.
Will any of us do it perfectly, all the time? Of course not. We all step away from time to time. Our confidence in God's love falters. But then we must remind ourselves. Every day and often more than once a day we must remind ourselves to remain in Christ.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The eighth day
Today we celebrate the octave, the 8th day of the Christmas season. Since the time of the early Christians the number eight has represented the beginning of a new creation. The old world was created in seven days. With Christ, and eighth day, a new world is begun.
For four centuries today was celebrated as the feast of the circumcision,recalling the moment when Jesus was circumcised and given his name.
In 1970 Pope all the sixth decided to change the name of the day. In part, his decision was based on an examination of the 20th century. Looking back over the century he recognized it to be "the most homicidal century in the history of humanity."
And so today was named the solemnity of Mary, mother of God, with the additional title world day of peace.
Today's first reading reminds us that true peace is not something of our own creation but is a gift from God.
The priestly Blessing:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
Like every gift, we have the choice to either accepted or rejected. While none of us would probably intentionally choose to reject the gift of peace, it is possible for us to rejected in a number of small ways. The most common way in which we reject this gift is lack of trust.
We say that we believe God loves us. We say that we believe God has a plan. But in the difficult moments of life we allow fear to overtake us.
On this first day of 2014, let us receive the gift of God's peace. Let us embrace it and hold it with two words surrender and trust. And in those cold winter moments when fear begins to creep into our bones, let us feel the light and warmth of God's face shining on us. And as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading let us with our whole heart call out to God: Abba, daddy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)