The Epiphany of the
Lord
predmore.blogspot.com
January 6, 2019
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-6; Matthew 2:1-12
The wise men following the star
and finding the boy Jesus completes the Christmas story, and yet it remains a
turning point in our faith because Gentiles come to know that the God born for
us has come for them as well. The birth of Jesus is the sign that God includes
all people of goodwill in the plan of salvation. This major moment began with a
simple quest, a desire to see the newborn King of the Jews, to seek the God who
is to live among us.
It all begins with seeking, doesn’t
it? The wise men were people of good will, who heard the news that a future king
was born to the Jews and they set out to meet him. When they saw the baby with
his mother, they solemnly honored him and offered gifts. This moment of encounter
was enough to set them right because they did not return to Herod to tell him
the location of the boy. Goodness will always prevail, and the increase of goodness
will stop the progress of evil.
Imagine if someone had spent
time with Herod to learn about his fears. If someone mindfully listened to his
concerns and insecurities, he might have been persuaded to cancel his plans to
kill the innocent boys of Bethlehem. Listening to a person’s personal suffering
can increase understanding and turn a person away from doing what is harmful to
others, sparing a lot of pain, and setting a person on the path of goodness.
The Wise Men received the truth
they sought, and the Holy Family received hospitality from the Magi. It seems
that today we have to give an account of our faith experience to others who are
seeking God. Do people who come to us find welcome? Do they find our answers
and reasons compelling? Last week, I had lunch with a man who received instruction
in the Catholic faith and enjoyed the richness of our tradition a great deal
but returned to the faith of his upbringing for one simple reason: The church
never made him feel welcome. His instruction in the faith was learning about a
set of rules when he simply wanted to learn more about Jesus. He met a church
full of rules, processes, formalities, and structures. As willing as he was to
try out the church, it always made him feel like an outsider. We can do better
than that. Fortunately, this man articulated the reasons for not staying with
the church; unfortunately, many others walk away without giving a reason. We
fail when we do not give hospitality that was a mark of the early Christians.
We fail when we do not show a seeker the Christ for whom they long.
Today’s magi are mostly the “nones”
of our world, not ‘nuns’ as in religious sisters, but “nones,” who have no
faith tradition or experience, but are still seeking something more in life. We
are not meeting them well. We are not receiving them. We give them rules and processes
when they only want to know about Christ’s life within us. We are not saying, “Welcome,
friend. Tell me something about yourself. What is it that you seek?” We need to
say, “Come. Let’s have coffee together. I want to learn something about you.”
We talk too much. We have to listen more than we speak.
As with the Magi, the first encounter is a
make or break moment. We must make sure that those who seek Christ find him in our
speech and our actions. Our personal responses have to provide a welcome. That
is it! Nothing more. We simply say, “I’m glad you are here. I’m glad you came.”
Look at them in the eyes and smile because the smile is the sign of a Christian
because Christ lives within and among us. A smile is the sign that we believe in
the resurrection. It is a simple and far-reaching gesture.
Each person is seeking God in
his or her own particular ways. Sometimes we don’t understand the path a person
takes, but each of us need to encounter the newborn child who will be someone
special to us. Each of us wants to belong and to find greater meaning in our lives.
We have to be like the Magi who give the riches of the faith to those who seek
them. We have to be the people of goodwill who make the right decisions to sustain
life and to steer people away from harm. We have to give them our most prized
possessions – the God whom they seek, the God who wants to be with them, the
God who wants to include them into the family, the God who wants to grow in
their hearts because they are a gift in and of themselves, a gift that will be unwrapped
joyfully over time. This is the time to give of ourselves to a world starving
for welcome and acceptance. The season of gift-giving never ends.
Scripture for Daily Mass
First Reading:
Monday: (Isaiah 42) Here is my servant whom I uphold, my
chosen one with whom I am please, upon whom I have put my spirit.
Tuesday: (Hebrews 2) It was fitting that Jesus, for whom
and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should
make their leader to salvation perfect through suffering.
Wednesday: (Hebrews 2) Since the children share in blood
and Flesh, Jesus shared in them likewise, that through death he might destroy
the one who has power of death.
Thursday: (Hebrews 3) Take care that none of you may have
an evil and unfaithful heart so as to forsake the living
God.
Friday (Hebrews 4) Let us be on guard while the promise
of entering into his rest remains, that none of you seem to have
failed.
Saturday (Hebrews 4) The word of God is living and
effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and
spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern the reflections and thoughts of
the heart.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 3) Jesus came from Galilee to John at
the Jordan to be baptized by him. A voice came from heaven saying: This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Tuesday: (Mark 1) Jesus came to Capernaum’s synagogue
when an unclean spirit approached him. He rebuked the Spirit and demonstrated
power over him.
Wednesday (Mark 1) Jesus entered the home of Simon and
Andrew and cured Simon’s mother-in-law. The townspeople brought many people to
him for healing.
Thursday (Mark 1) A leper begged Jesus to heal him. The
leprosy left him and he was warned sternly not to make known the source of his
healing.
Friday (Mark 2) Jesus returned home and his friends
brought a paralytic for healing. He forgave his sins, but the authorities
became angry so he also healed his paralysis.
Saturday (Mark 2) Jesus called Levi as a disciple. He was
with other tax collectors and sinners, eating and drinking with them. I have
come to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance.
Saints of the Week
January 6: Andre Bessette, religious (1845-1937), was born in Quebec, Canada.
He joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross and taught for 40 years at the
College of Notre Dame. He cared for the sick and was known as a intercessor for
miracles. He built St. Joseph’s Oratory, a popular pilgrimage site in Canada.
January 7: Raymond of Penyafort, priest (1175-1275), was trained in philosophy
and law and was ordained in 1222 to preach to the Moors and Christians. Though
he was appointed bishop of Tarragon, he declined the position. Instead he
organized papal decrees into the first form of canon law. He was later elected
Master of the Dominican Order.
This Week in Jesuit History
·
Jan.
6, 1829: Publication of Pope Leo XII's rescript, declaring the Society to be
canonically restored in England.
·
Jan.
7, 1566: Cardinal Ghislieri was elected pope as Pius V. He was a great friend
of the Francis Borgia and appointed Salmeron and Toletus as apostolic preachers
at the Vatican. He desired to impose the office of choir on the Society and
even ordered it. He was canonized as St. Pius V.
·
Jan.
8, 1601: Balthasar Gracian was born. A Spanish Jesuit, he wrote on courtly
matters. He is the author of "The Compleat Gentleman" and "The
Art of Worldly Wisdom."
·
Jan.
9, 1574: Fr. Jasper Haywood died at Naples. He was superior of the English
mission. As a boy he was one of the pages of honor to the Princess Elizabeth.
After a brilliant career at Oxford, he renounced his fellowship and entered the
Society in Rome in 1570. An able Hebrew scholar and theologians, he was for two
years professor in the Roman College.
·
Jan.
10, 1581: Queen Elizabeth signed the fifth Penal Statute in England inflicting
heavy fines and imprisonment on all who harbored Jesuits and Seminary priests.
·
Jan
10, 1567. Two Jesuits arrived in Havana, Cuba, as a base for evangelization.
·
Jan
11, 1573. At Milan, St Charles Borromeo founded a college (the Brera) and
placed it under the care of the Society.
·
Jan
12, 1544. Xavier wrote a long letter on his apostolic labors, saying he wished
to visit all the universities of Europe in search of laborers for our Lord's
vineyard. The letter was widely circulated and very influential.
No comments:
Post a Comment