Is Jesus in your boat?

The theme of this Sunday’s readings is discerning our calling or vocation in life. This can be both something natural and something supernatural.

Parents often play a role in helping their children discern on a natural level. When done well this can be very helpful, but often I have seen this go very wrong. I often observe parents pushing their children to achieve the parent’s own dreams about the future, and they are sometimes not being sensitive to the talents and desires of the child. The child may end up feeling controlled, and not affirmed in who they really are.

Perhaps a side note to parents is the fact that children owe obedience to their parents while living at home but the Catechism notes that this shifts to respect and no longer obedience once they are adults (CCC 2217). If the parent’s advice is considerate, understanding and insightful, they may continue to have influence, but adult children are free to make their own choices about their vocation and future.

When thinking about our spiritual vocation, perhaps it would be helpful to distinguish first our common vocation in Christ from the special vocation that God has specifically given to each one of us. Every Christian without exception, by virtue of our common Baptism, is called to a life of holiness. The church has called this the universal call to holiness.

The church wants to make it clear that there are not two classes of Christians: ordinary lay Christians, and those who have a special higher calling to holiness. In the past, many people came to believe the error that only priests and religious received a special call to holiness.

On the contrary, holiness is our common vocation. As the fathers of the Second Vatican council remind us, “all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; by this holiness” (LG 40).

Each one of us is universally called to be holy. (Lumen Gentium, 39-42).

The graces we receive in baptism transform us so that we are conformed to the image of Christ. Baptism imparts to us a permanent and indelible change to our very nature. We become a new creation. St. Paul tell us,

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Yet, in order to experience God’s purpose in this gift of grace, we must cooperate with these graces and submit our hearts to him. As the Catechism reminds us, “Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high” (CCC 1989).

The essential elements of Christian initiation are; “proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion” (CCC 1229). Our cooperation through personal faith and repentance are an essential part of the process. As the Catechism reminds us, “The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is ‘conversion’” (CCC 1989).

What is conversion? The US bishops have reminded us,

Conversion is the acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, a sincere adherence to him, and a willingness to conform one's life to his. Conversion to Christ involves making a genuine commitment to him and a personal decision to follow him as his disciple. (National Directory for Catechesis, 2005, p, 46)

Conversion is both an initial decision to cooperate in following Jesus, and then an ongoing commitment to continue experiencing this conversion. This leads to a life of intentional discipleship. For the majority of Christians this enables us to live this life of discipleship in our secular careers, and in our daily life. For laypersons, this primarily takes place outside the walls of the church, and in the midst of the world and in our daily lives.

Our Gospel today has often been seen as a vocation narrative. It is both about the pattern of our common vocation to holiness and about a special vocation for Peter and the other apostles.

For practical reasons, because of the crowds, Jesus climbs into Peter’s boat and speaks to the crowds from the boat. When he is finished speaking, he asks Peter to “put out into the deep” and to “lower his nets.” Simon Peter protests a bit at first. Clearly, Jesus is not a professional fisherman. Yet Peter is docile to Jesus and says,“at your command I will lower the nets.”

A miracle takes place and he catches so many fish, Peter’s nets are breaking. He signals for help from his partners, James and John.

This miracle causes Peter to experience a profound encounter with Jesus. Peter falls to his knees and experiences deep conviction for his sins. Quoting St. John Paul II, the Catechism reminds us, the Holy Spirit acts like “a physician who probes the wound before treating it” By the Word of God and by his Spirit, God casts a living light on sin. The Catechism notes, “Conversion requires convincing of sin.”

This conviction is both an interior judgment of conscience and proof of the action of the Spirit in our inmost being, which results in a new grant of grace and love in our hearts. [John Paul II, DeV 31 § 2] (CCC 1848).

In terms of our cooperation, many saints have told us about the necessity of humility and detachment to begin this journey. Normally this takes place through encountering God in Scripture and in personal conversational prayer with God.

Jesus then gives Peter a special vocation, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). Peter’s response, and that of the other disciples, is a complete submission of heart and will to God. They literally dropped their nets and followed him. Luke tells us, “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:10).

What can we take away from this for our lives? First, we should note that Peter allowed himself to be in the boat with Jesus. We cannot encounter Jesus ourselves, if we do not spend time with him in the Word and in prayer. We can ask ourselves, “Is Jesus in my boat?”

In a world filled with so many distractions, this takes effort on our part. If we begin as Peter did in docility, and humility, I am convinced that we will also have a profound encounter with Jesus of our own.

Many times, however, we are looking for a voice from heaven such as we saw in our first reading from Isaiah.

I heard a story this week about a local priest who was trying to discern something important. He went away on a weeklong silent retreat. During the retreat, he heard God say to him in the quiet of his heart, “I really love you!” Later he heard from God again, “I really, really love you!” Finally, near the end of the week God spoke to him again, “No, I really, really, really love you!” He never got the answer to the question he was discerning, but he completed the week with a sense of profound peace and a renewed knowledge that God was good and loved him very deeply.

The knowledge that God is good and that he loves each of us personally and deeply is the very core of our Christian life with him.

I would like to issue a challenge today. Every day we live, we are typically awake for about 960 minutes. We probably work half or more of that time. If we gave God just 15 minutes of our time, that would only be about 3% of our remaining time. I would like to challenge you to make an effort to put Jesus in your boat this week.

Imagine what would happen in our lives, and what would result in our parish community, if each one of us spent just 15 minutes a day reading the Bible and talking to Jesus in our prayer.


FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME --YEAR C
Isaiah 6:1–2a, 3–8, Psalm 138:1–5, 7–8, 1 Corinthians 15:1–11, Luke 5:1–11

‘Cancel Culture’ in Nazareth

This week I engaged in a bit of time travel and went back to read some the dialogues from the 1970's television scripts of the show All in the Family. 

This Gospel made me think of the rise of the Cancel Culture where  groups engage in mass cancelings of public figures as a way of expressing disapproval. I was curious what might have triggered this strong response.

The character Archie Bunker was actually much, much worse than I remembered! Archie is racist, sexist, prejudice and demeaning to every protected group you could think of. To make things worse, he often quoted wacky interpretations of the Bible to defend these prejudices. Unfortunately, Archie Bunker is like many real people, and modern exit interviews of young adults and teens who leave the Church, often cite bad experiences with these same prejudices.

I do think that the character Archie was portrayed by the screenwriters as a kind of villain, whom the other characters tried to oppose, but I would have no difficulty showing that each one of these dialogues portrays behavior which is condemned as extremely sinful in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Fast forward to today: We are told that everyone needs be inclusive and must try not to offend anyone with our ideas.

Surprisingly in the modern world, the phrase, “That idea offends me” has become very powerful and actionable.

We might need to stop and be honest. Religious people are sometimes offensive and lacking in charity to their neighbor. Some of them may even sound like a 1970's televison script.

We know that Jesus is a friend of sinners who does not reject anyone (Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34). Yet is Jesus also meek and mild (as commonly misunderstood) and someone who is afraid confront anyone with the reality of sin?

Like all errors about Jesus, the modern notion is a half-truth. 

St. Paul reminds us, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God does invite each one of us to come to him, as we are, in the midst of our sinfulness. It is also true that there is no sin that anyone can commit, which lacks God’s forgiveness. Perhaps some Catholics need to be reminded that you are always only one Confession away from coming home.

The subtle difference in our modern culture is that we want to see Jesus as creating a “judgment free zone.” This cultural phrase actually comes from a local fitness franchise! In order to be truly inclusive, we want to believe that Jesus will not judge anyone. Yet this is only true of the beginning of our journey. 

In the ancient world, the city of Corinth had a reputation as a kind of Las Vegas. When St. Paul writes to this church, he lists an entire paragraph of past sins that members of this community had committed and then says,

“That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Once we have received God’s initial forgiveness, and obviously continued to walk in this forgiveness repeatedly, he does not leave us to be the same as we were in the beginning.

God calls us to personal holiness. The call to holiness may be a slow process and often involves many times of receiving his forgiveness. Jesus has not come, however, to create a “judgment free zone” which places no demands on changing who we are in Christ.

Let us not forget that each Sunday we confess, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not afraid to speak the truth even if it results in his rejection. He refuses to perform a miracle in Nazareth. He purposely angers the crowd with his words. Jesus points out that many times in the history of Israel, prophets experienced rejection for their message. Jesus tells them, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.”

Jesus then gives two examples of miracles from the Old Testament, which involve the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These prophets performed miracles not for Israel, but for those outside of Israel. This truth is so offensive to the crowd; they actually try to kill Jesus.

In this Gospel, Jesus models being willing to risk offending someone with the truth. It also shows us that humility is the beginning of our journey to forgiveness.

In today’s world, we must be very careful that we do not sacrifice truth, in order to avoid offending others. Equally, we need to be careful that we do not lack charity.

I don't know about you, but I am someone who is usually willing to speak up for the truth, but at the same time, I do not like offending anyone. 

Yet our faith requires all of us to ask ourselves, am I willing to speak up for the truth? You cannot be a witness to the Gospel and be silent. Sorry but not using words won't cut it. And by the way, St. Francis never said this. 

The question for each of us is, are you willing to take this risk? When thinking about this it might be interesting to think about two different personalities that people might have. 

People Pleasers

Some people might be described as people pleasers and conflict avoiders. Let me be clear, in general these are very nice people. They make excellent friends.

People like this have a personality trait called agreeableness that makes it much easier for them to get along with others. They are generally more trusting, and they enjoy helping people. They are modest, and show empathy for others. When out of balance, however, people like this may sacrifice their own feelings and at times even the truth, in order to please others.

Assertive people

On the other hand, some of us have no trouble being assertive and speaking our mind. We never avoid conflict. Under the right circumstances, we admire these qualities. We might say a person is forthright, and a straight shooter. They might even be courageously vulnerable with others. This type of person people is often a leader. So again, being assertive and speaking our mind can be a strength. 

It is possible, however, to be assertive but also to be low in agreeableness. In this case the person tends to be skeptical, stubborn, and demanding. They may even insult and belittle others. In this case being “forthright” is out of balance. 

As St. Paul reminds us in today's reading, if we speak the truth but “do not have love” we are like a “resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (13:1). Giving us all a review, he reminds us,

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Whatever we say to others, needs to be rooted in love for our neighbor. Very often, the best in human behavior requires a balance between different traits. Our faith has highlighted this balance as finding the just mean in the life of human virtue (CCC 1809, 2469).

While our individual personality plays a strong role in how we act, God still holds us accountable for our present actions. We are required to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and to choose the path of holiness. We must seek the help of the Holy Spirit to transform our weaknesses. If you are like me, an awareness of our weakness can make us discouraged, even at times a bit anxious and reluctant to act, unless we bring these faults to our Lord in prayer and allow him to be our strength.

As St. Paul reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Often the secret to overcoming our faults is to live a kind of courageous vulnerability before the Lord in our weakness.

If we recognize that, at times we are skeptical and demanding, with God's help we need to learn to listen more, and to understand what the other person is thinking and feeling. We need to be patient and kind, and make sure that we speak the truth in love.

If our natural tendency is to please others, we need to be certain we are not depriving our friends and family of the truth. Even if we might at times fear they will become angry and reject us for speaking the truth. God will strengthen us in our weakness. Jesus calls us to proclaim the truth in love. He will be our strength.

Personal holiness is about finding the balance in friendship and communion with the Spirit of God. God is calling each one of us to be a witness to the truth, but always in union with him, speaking the truth in love.

We must each take our own personal weaknesses, and submit them to Christ. As we walk the path of personal holiness, we must be more and more conformed to his likeness (CCC 1811, 2516).

In order to make a difference in today world, we need to get closer to Jesus in our prayer and to be vulnerable with him. Each one of us can learn to literally be Jesus in the midst of our daily lives. This calling is definitely countercultural. 

Imagine the impact it would have if each one of us lived two realities at the same time, both unapologetically clinging to the truth, and dynamically modeling a community rooted in God's love for the world. 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me"

The second half of our Gospel reading begins with a summary: “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee.” The word “then” points back to the beginning of the chapter (4:1). We have already seen that Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit, and led by the Holy Spirit and even earlier that the Holy Spirit descends upon him at his Baptism

In today’s reading Jesus chooses to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath and read to from the Isaiah scroll where is says;

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The present passage is the oldest known account of a synagogue service. We do not actually know what a synagogue service looked like at the time of Jesus. Reading back from later sources, it is likely that Luke describes only the central part of the service with the reading from the Prophets followed by a homily.

Regarding the ancient synagogue customs for reading, was Jesus the appointed reader? Was Isaiah 61 the expected reading? Again, Luke’s description leaves us guessing.

Luke tells us that after reading, Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down. Most teachers in the ancient world sat to teach.

This description of events sounds like the normal procedure for a synagogue reader, but Luke tells us “the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.” (Luke 4:20). There was clearly an air of great expectation. Was it because of the choice of reading? Alternatively, perhaps the crowd had already heard about Jesus. Luke tells us that Jesus routinely, “taught in their synagogues and was praised by all” (4:14).

Jesus then gives a one-line homily. “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (4:20). Now that is a short homily! What did the people in the synagogue make of this? How is Isaiah 61 “fulfilled in their hearing”?

There are several threads of Jewish expectation related to Isaiah 61. The spirit-filled messenger proclaims, “the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is a reference to the Year of Jubilee, which occurred every fifty years (Leviticus 25). During the Jubilee year, the fields were left fallow, persons returned to their ancestral homes, debts were forgiven and slaves set free. Notice that Jesus returns to his home in Nazareth in this passage.

While it is possible that this was literally a Year of Jubilee, there was also a common understanding of the Jubilee as a kind of prophetic promise of a future age of the Spirit when there would be a new age of salvation.

Connected to the coming age of the Spirit was a mysterious prophetic messenger, called the Suffering Servant.

Today when we hear the words poor, captives and oppressed we probably think about the practical social dimension of helping the less fortunate (soup kitchens, human rights, political freedom) and this is certainly Christian concern, but it is not the first thing Jesus does in Luke’s Gospel.

The poor Jesus refers to are, the “pious poor,” or the anawim of the Old Testament. The afflicted, or the “pious poor,” are always the ones who are the most responsive to God. In effect, they are the humble ones who respond to the good news of the Gospel.

As we continue to read Luke’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit brings release for those who are captive to sin and oppressed by the devil, and literally gives sight to the blind through divine healings.

Luke describes Jesus’ ministry as being in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the next four chapters, we see ‘power’ going out from Jesus to bring about literal healings.

Several chapters later in Luke, John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you he who is to come. . .”? (Luke 7).

Jesus tells them,

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them (Luke 7:22).

Each of these actions is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. To put this in modern terms, Isaiah 61 is Jesus’ mission statement, and he measurably puts it into effect. This passage is a summary of his vision, and since we are his disciples, it is our vision statement as well. Jesus personally ministered in the power of the Spirit, but later at Pentecost, Luke tells us that the Spirit was “poured out” on “all flesh.” The presence of the Spirit is a universal quality for all Christians.

What can we take away from this?

First we can learn that we must not separate or compartmentalize our ministry from life in the Spirit and the good news of the Gospel. Yes, Jesus is concerned for the blind, the deaf, the lepers, and he feeds the hungry. The foundation of all ministries, however, is the fact that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins by dying and rising again. He offers us first a Jubilee gift of total forgiveness, and then while doing this, He is concerned for all our needs.

For each one of us, the only question is, are we willing to accept this gift of forgiveness? Luke tells us that Jesus came “to bring good news to the poor.” Again, it is the poor and the humble who open their hearts to Jesus. For each one of us, humility is the beginning of our life with God.

It is only through the Gospel that we experience release from the captivity to sin, and oppression by the devil. This takes place through the power of God. The same experience of the Spirit may also bring healing of both body and soul.

What about each one of us, right now? Do we need to be filled with the Spirit?

The Catechism says that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist (the Sacraments of initiation) are all about communion with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Yet the Bible cannot imagine this communion, if it is merely a doctrinal confession.

Imagine the strange example of someone who is not practicing marriage but is merely intellectually assenting to the idea of marriage. This person might say, “Yes, I confess and believe that I am married, but I can’t really point to any experience in my life that proves I am married.” I think that we all understand that without a shared common life of intimacy, we are not really talking about marriage at all.

In the book of Acts, when St. Paul meets a group of people who have had a defective Christian initiation, he asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” He was not looking for a confessional answer, such as “Well yes, I believe intellectually I must have received the Holy Spirit.”

This is not to doubt the presence of the Spirit in the Sacraments, even when we do not immediately sense anything, but Paul is expecting that every believer would have a definite personal awareness of the Spirit in their life.

The essence of this awareness is to be conscious of God’s divine sonship or being aware that you are a child of God and part of his family. As Paul tells us in two places, the Spirit cries out “Abba, Father” in our hearts (Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15). Each one of us should have a tangible loving awareness of God in our prayer. It is through the Holy Spirit that we experience this interior awareness of family intimacy. This experience need not be dramatic, but it needs to be real.

As St. John Paul II reminds us,

“…the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch, but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ” (Catechesi tradendae, 5; cf. GDC 2020, 75). The Catechism tells us that faith is not merely an assent to a truth, but also to a spirit-filled relationship with a person.

In perfect union with the Holy Spirit, the person of Jesus is preaching the good news to each one of us. Jesus Christ calls each one of us to conversion. Because of this, we should shamelessly pursue this conversion at all costs and at every opportunity. Conversion should also be an ongoing, continuous process in our life.

The desired response is a total “yes” to God involving our whole life.

As Jesus said, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23).

Joy at the Wedding of Cana

In our Gospel today we have this wonderful description of a wedding in Palestine. Jesus, his mother, Mary, and some of his disciples are present at the wedding feast.

As we make sense of this story, John tells us emphatically the wedding took place “On the third day,” we are familiar with that expression because we remember that Jesus rose from the dead “on the third day.”(1 Corinthians 15:3–7, and the Creed) –using the same expression. 

I have been wondering if the Bible is the source of the California inspired New Math that baby boomers like to make fun of on Facebook, since in the Bible; “on the third day” essentially means “two days” as it did with Jesus' time in the tomb before the resurrection. In fact, Jesus was in the tomb for one whole day, and parts of two others. In keeping with Jewish custom, this was “three days.”

Previously in the story John narrates four consecutive days (1:19, 29, 35, 43), so this would make our “day” here, the sixth day narrated in the first week of Jesus’ ministry.

Since John’s Gospel begins with an obvious echo of the creation story in chapter 1, “In the beginning was the Word,” the sixth day would be an echo of the sixth day of the creation. This is the day that God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. This was widely understood as the first wedding found in Scripture.

When later in his earthly ministry, Jesus is asked about marriage, he points back to Genesis and says it was not so in the beginning (Matthew 19:8). Adam and Eve become the divine model for God’s intention in Marriage. In John’s telling here, Jesus attends a wedding on the sixth day, and this would highlight the Genesis parallel. It is the day that God instituted marriage. This point is extremely important because Jesus is about to take the divinely created human institution of Marriage, and elevate it to something new, a Sacrament for those who are baptized.

In order to understand our Gospel story today, we need to know a bit more about the customs of Marriage in these times. In ancient Palestinian culture, there was a profound duty to provide hospitality to guests at a wedding.

The Rabbis believed that to be considered legitimate, a wedding ceremony must include a Marriage feast. The Rabbis required this feast to be celebrated with dancing and joy. It was most important to feast on the night of the wedding itself, but ideally, the feast lasted for seven days. The bride and groom would remain for the full period of the feast, abstaining from work and sharing in the joy of the family. 

John tells us that disaster struck at the wedding, as “the wine ran short.” Wine was an essential part of the joy that was expected to occur at a wedding.  Running out of wine would be an enormous social embarrassment to the family. In the eyes of the rabbis, the wedding might even be considered illegitimate without it.

Understanding this, Mary approached Jesus and said, “They have no wine.” Jesus' reply to Mary may catch us off guard because it sounds rude, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” Jesus is not rude at all. The word ‘woman’ in Aramaic would have sounded like old fashioned spikey English, “My Lady, how does your concern affect me?”

Then Jesus adds, “My hour has not yet come.” In John’s telling of the Gospel story, he recounts three years of Jesus' earthly ministry. John does not tell us a little bit about each year, instead, time gradually slows down in his Gospel until we are looking at the final “hour” when Jesus is fully revealed in his passion and death. Jesus is saying it is not yet time to reveal his “hour.” The hour of his passion, death and resurrection. 

John portrays Mary as a model disciple perhaps the model disciple. Mary says to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”  While these words are a crucial prompt for Jesus in our story, they also model the ideal behavior of a disciple of Jesus. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council called this the “obedience of faith” (Romans 13:26; 2 Corinthians 10:5-6). According to the council fathers, this type of faith is “an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals,” (Dei Verbum 5).

I cannot resist giving a small piece of advice for marriage. Modern psychological research has shown that husbands who allow themselves to be influenced by their wives have happier marriages. Perhaps husbands should not say, “Do whatever she tells you,” -- but certainly being open and to listen to each other is essential to a happy Marriage. 

As a model disciple, Mary invites us to be open and listen to our Lord, and to respond by doing whatever he tells us.

Mary is undeterred by the difficulties they are facing, and models trust. She asks Jesus for assistance, and in faith believes that these difficulties will be overcome. This is very much like prayer.

John tells us there were “six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons” (John 2:6). These were not used for drinking but for ceremonial washing.

Jesus tells the servants to “filled them to the brim” and then to “draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter” (John 2:8). The headwaiter is astonished because the wine he tastes, is now kalos oinos the very best wine. He comments, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now” (John 2:10).

The many gallons of water filled to the brim have become the best wine. Wine is a symbol of joy and of the Spirit. Jesus replaces the rituals for purification in the Old Covenant with life in the Spirit. Perhaps it is better to say the Old Covenant is filled with the Spirit, and is renewed. The New Covenant will overflow with an abundance of joy in the best wine of the Spirit. 

This has profound implications for Christian Marriage. Jesus has now elevated the divinely given human good of marriage into a sacrament. For baptized Christians, joined to Christ by the Spirit, three people become one in Holy Matrimony. The groom, the bride and Jesus, are joined through the Spirit.

The graces of this sacrament help Christian couples to be a living icon of God’s love in the midst of the world.

God’s love for us is always true and eternal, so our married love is permanent, faithful, and open to new life. These are the promises that a Christian couple exchange in the Marriage ritual.

Marriage itself also becomes a profound image of our relationship with God. In Christ, we are now the bride of Christ and with firm hope; we look forward to the wedding feast of the Lamb in eternity. Just as marriage is a covenant or exchange of promises that binds the couple together, each one of us called to make a commitment to an everlasting relationship with God. Marriage is a God-given model or pattern for this relationship.

God desires us to think deeply about our relationship with him and to come to a decision that we are ready to give everything to him. He requires the obedience of faith from each one of us. Mary’s words highlight this obedience for us. “Do whatever he tells you.”

Just as a couple grows in relationship and trust with each other and eventually makes a lifelong commitment in Marriage, so God wants us to fall in love with him, and to freely give ourselves to him. 

As we meditate today on the joyful commitment made by a bride and groom in Marriage, let us each examine our hearts. Where are you in your relationship with God? Are you still dating Jesus? Are you in a serious relationship? Have you decided to give him your life and share everything with him? 

Today let us drink with joy the wine that Jesus offers us. 

 

The Baptism of Jesus

During Advent, we accompanied John the Baptist each week in our readings as he 'prepared the way of the Lord.' John offered his fellow Jews a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Yet John the Baptist’s call to repentance and baptism was a prophetic act pointing forward to Christ.

Yet if Jesus was without sin, why did Jesus submit to John’s baptism in today’s Gospel? The Catechism notes, “The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners” (CCC 536). Jesus joins himself to sinners, in order that this union will anticipate his death on the cross. By doing so, he sanctifies the waters of Baptism and opens the heavens to sinners (Luke 3:21).

Our Gospel says, “Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.” (Luke 3:15). Although Jewish expectations about the Messiah were quite diverse, they were generally based on the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah can be divided into two parts, the Book of Woes, Isaiah (1–39), which deals with Israel’s exile, and the Book of Consolations, Isaiah (40–66), which concerns God’s future promises for a restored Israel. In the Book of Consolations, a mysterious figure appears called the Suffering Servant.

Our Old Testament reading for this Mass begins with this second part of Isaiah, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased. Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1).

Concerning this future Servant, Isaiah tells the Israelites that this servant has ‘borne the people’s infirmities’ and was ‘wounded for their transgressions,’ and that ‘by his bruises they were healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5). Isaiah tells them, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

For the ancient Israelites the waters of Baptism represented death and rising to new life. St. Paul describes this as follows, “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

As the Catechism noted, although Jesus had no need of repentance, he “... poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors” (CCC 536, Isaiah 53:12). Entering the waters of Baptism was like entering the grave. Jesus joined himself to sinful humanity in order that he might bring them new life in the Spirit through his sacrificial death on the cross.

John the Baptist told the crowds “I am baptizing you with water, but . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). In Jewish expectations, the Spirit reveals the Messiah. Regarding the suffering servant, Isaiah tells us, “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news. . .” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus makes this passage his personal mission statement at the beginning of his ministry (Luke 4:18-21; 7:22-23).

In certain strands of Jewish expectation, the coming of the Messiah would also bring about the age of the Spirit. Messiah means anointed one. As God’s Suffering Servant, Jesus is anointed with the Spirit. Luke tells us the Spirit confirms this by descending “upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22).

Jesus mission is also confirmed by a heavenly voice, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” These words seem in part to echo Psalm 2:7 “You are my son; today I have begotten you” but also Isaiah 42:1 “my servant . . . with whom I am pleased.”

What does Jesus’ Baptism mean to each of us today? After Jesus’ death and resurrection, St. Peter preached a sermon to his fellow Jews and the crowd asks him the same question that was asked earlier of St. John the Baptist (Luke 3:10, 12, 14). What should we do? (Acts 2:37).

The Apostle Peter replies, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).

What was only anticipated in John the Baptist’s baptism, has now reached fulfillment. The normal Christian journey to new life in Christ involves a number of key elements: faith, repentance, Baptism, and reception of the Spirit.

Luke tells us that when the crowd heard Peter’s message “they were cut to the heart” (Ac 2:37). Following this deliberate act of faith and repentance, Baptism now brings the genuine grace forgiveness of sins and is connected with the fullness of receiving the Holy Spirit.

Yet, the sacramental acts of Baptism and Confirmation must be accompanied by what the fathers of Second Vatican Council called “The obedience of faith” (Romans 13:26; 2 Corinthians 10:5-6). This type of faith is “an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals,” (Dei Verbum 5). This act of faith leads us to a life in the Spirit. “The grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning it to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving ‘joy and ease to everyone in assenting to the truth and believing it’” (DV 5).

Like the crowds, each one of us must personally ask, What should we do? Baptism is the gateway to eternal life. Through baptism, we receive initial forgiveness of sins and union with Christ through the Spirit. Our union with Christ, however, must be joined to the obedience of faith, or our personal “Yes” to God in our will.

The goal of this union is an interior relationship with the Spirit who cries out “Abba Father” in our hearts (Romans 8:14-15, Galatians 4:6). We receive the fullness of the Spirit in Confirmation but this is a dynamic relationship, and our hearts must remain constantly open to more of God’s love.

Let each one of us listen to the cry of the Psalmist, “O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts . . .” (Psalm 95:7–8, Hebrews 3:15).

“Mary the Mother of God,” or Theotokos

On October 11th, 2012, then Pope Benedict XVI, declared that Church would celebrate a Year of Faith (Porta Fidei 4). Why did he choose this date?

October 11th celebrates two great anniversaries. Fifty years prior to this, October 11th, 1962 was the date of the opening of Second Vatican Council by Blessed Pope John XXIII. This same date October 11th, was chosen by St. John Paul II in 1992, to promulgate the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Celebrating two great anniversaries is important but one might still be curious why Blessed John XXIII and the Fathers of the Council chose the date October 11th in the first place? One of the reforms of Second Vatican Council was to make changes to the Universal Calendar of the Saints. The Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God was originally celebrated on Oct 11th in the old Calendar which was in effect in 1962, at the opening of the Council. Clearly the Fathers of the Council wanted to place the work of the council under the patronage of Our Lady. This is certainly the short answer to my question.

The title of “Mary the Mother of God,” or Theotokos, was defined at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. This council was called by the Emperor Theodosius II to settle a disagreement which had arisen regarding the teachings of Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, and the certain other bishops in Church regarding the appropriateness of the title Mary, Mother of God. Modern historians dispute the extent to which Nestorius actually believed false notions or whether he simply misspoke in the heat of debate. Clearly he was thought to have believed that there are two persons in the incarnate Jesus Christ. According to Nestorius, Mary can only be thought of as the Mother of the human person Christ or the Christotokos and not of the person of God or the Theotokos. The Church ultimately recognized that the proper understanding of the union of God and man in Jesus Christ was that of two natures in one person. Since Mary gave birth to a person she is rightly called the Mother of God. As the Catechism reminds us;

Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus", Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord". In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos). (CCC 495).

Though the Council of Ephesus was filled with contention and ambitious plots by many characters, Nestorius was legitimately deposed by some 200 bishops and failed to recant. He had previously been condemned and ordered to recant by Pope Celestine and a Roman Synod. Perhaps Nestorius’ biggest fault was his lack of humility. Ultimately his failure to recant made him a heretic. The council was subjected to even more political intrigue when the principal council fathers, Cyril of Alexandria and Bishop Memnon of Ephesus were held under house arrest in Ephesus by the Emperor. Eventually late in October in 431, the Emperor sided with Cyril and declared the council at an end and its judgments valid. It seems that the date of October 11th celebrates the release of St. Cyril of Alexander from arrest and the close of this Ecumenical Council which declared Mary to be the Mother of God.

Nestorius’ preaching involved sophisticated and nuanced arguments about the meanings of certain words found in Sacred Scripture. The local populace in both Constantinople and Ephesus held to Marian piety with great devotion and rejected Nestorius’ anti-Marian interpretations. St. Cyril tells us that during the first session of the council in the city of Ephesus,

The entire populace of the city remained from dawn until evening awaiting the judgment of the holy council. As they heard that the wretched man was deposed everyone with one voice began to praise the holy council and to glorify God because the enemy of the faith had fallen. But as we came out of the church, they preceded us with torches as far as the inn, for the evening was near; and there was much joy and lighting of lights in the city, so that even women carrying censers led the way for us. (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Letter 24)

This popular celebration of Marian piety was reenacted at the opening of Second Vatican Council, when on the eve of October 11 St. Peter’s Square was filled with a torch light procession. Commenting in September of 1962 on plans for the October 11th opening of Vatican II Rome correspondent Desmond Fisher reported;

That night [October 11th] the faithful of Rome plan to hold a torchlight procession to honour the Council Fathers and the Pope and to express their joy at having the Council in their city. The demonstration recalls the Council of Ephesus in 431 when the faithful of the city demonstrated in a similar manner.” (Catholic Herald, 28th September, 1962)

The torch light procession was orchestrated by Catholic Action and ended in St. Peter’s square. Blessed Pope John XXIII was greatly moved by the event and gave his famous impromptu speech (Discorso della Luna) in which he said said: Tornando a casa, troverete i bambini. Date una carezza ai vostri bambini e dite: questa è la carezza del Papa. It means, "When you go home, you’ll find your children. Give them a kiss, and tell them that this kiss comes from the pope." 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

The Visitation

Today’s Gospel highlights one of the great mysteries of Christ’s life, which we call the Visitation. Most of us are familiar with this story because of the rosary. This event celebrates Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45), but the catechism reminds us,​“Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth . . . ​​became a visit from God to his people” (CCC 717).​

Why is this so? Our text says, “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy” The Catechism notes that “John was “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” [Lk 1:15, 41] by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit​ (CCC 717).

​Luke tells us he has based his Gospel on eyewitness accounts (Luke 1:2). Furthermore, according to our text the Holy Spirit inspired the words spoken. Luke writes, “Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice.” Finally, the very nature of discipleship implies that Jesus passed on his teaching to his inner circle of followers who would succeed him in leadership and in turn pass on his teachings to their disciples. Catholics have never believed in "the Bible alone," because the Bible can only be understood, in the light of the discipleship of Jesus’ successors. In fact, the Church existed before the Bible and created the Bible.

As Paul said to his disciple Timothy, “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim 2:2).

​Over​ ​time​,​ and after much reflection​,​ the Church has handed down, ​​four great truths about Mary

1. The ​Perpetual Virginity of Mary
2. Mary the ​Mother of God
3. The ​Immaculate Conception
4. Mary’s Assumption into Heaven

These are not four opinion​al beliefs for Catholics. We cannot order these truths like lattes in tall, grande or venti cups, with your choice of milk. The church has defined these four doctrines at the highest level of truth.

​Regarding Mary’s perpetual virginity, we believe that she was a virgin, before, during and after the birth of Jesus, or perpetually. ​We do not have time to unpack all the details of this here. [More here and here] Earlier in this chapter, Mary responds to the Angel Gabriel who announces her pregnancy, saying,​​ ​“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Lk 1:34). At a bare minimum, this affirms Mary’s virginity, but the unusual Greek may imply she intends to stay a virgin. This is of course a point that Protestant scholars are quick to deny.

Mary was pondering what sort of meaning the Angel Gabriel’s words might have (1:29). Earlier in verse 28, Mary learns that she is full of grace, yet to unpack this we need to understand that the Greek means the one already having been transformed by grace in the past.

God has already prepared her through his grace and made her holy, so that she can become the Mother of our Lord. The formal doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that God preserved Mary from the stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception. This teaching is really just an elaboration on the meaning of this verse​ (Luke 1:28)​ and it explains why there might be something more to Mary’s virginity.

The conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb will occur when the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High overshadows Mary (1:35). The same word overshadow (episkiasei) was used to refer to the Shekinah cloud, manifesting God’s presence, that rested on the tabernacle in Exodus and numbers. (Exodus 40:34–35; Numbers 9:18; 10:34). The tabernacle was the holiest place, and the place where God would literally dwell among his people.

Turning to our reading today, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit calls Mary, “the mother of my Lord.”

Mary will be the mother of Jesus who we understand to be the Christ and the Son of God. One seemingly clever bishop in the fifth century named Nestorius, suggested Mary is the Mother of the human person Christ, but not of the person of God. He thought we should call Mary the mother of Christ and not the Mother of God. Eventually the Council of Ephesus condemned Nestorius. As it turns out, you cannot give birth to a nature but only to a person. Since Christ has two natures in one person, it is appropriate to call Mary the Mother of God. [More on the title of “Mary the Mother of God,” or Theotokos]​​

​​It is very likely that Elizabeth is recognizing that Mary is the mother of the Messiah or king. Elizabeth’s greeting is, therefore,​ giving Mary the title of Queen mother. Again, as I pointed out already, Elizabeth is ​speaking by the Holy Spirit. The idea of a queen mother is not very familiar to most of us.

In ancient Israel, it was not the king’s wife, but the king’s mother who reigned as queen. Most kings in this period had large harems of wives. King Solomon, perhaps the most egregious example, had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3).

It would have been impossible to bestow the title ‘queen’ on 1,000 women! On the other hand, since each king had only one mother. The king's mother was considered the ‘queen’ or ‘queen mother’.

Elizabeth’s greeting acknowledges this. “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:42–43).

Since Mary is the grace-filled all holy, ever virgin, Mother of God, and Queen mother, whom God has prepared his vessel, how could she remain on this earth? We​ believe that at the end of her life she was assumed bodily into heaven.

What can our hearts learn from this? First Mary is the model disciple. Mary pondered these things in her heart. ​She says, “May it be done unto me according to your word!​”and "​Do whatever he tells you!​"​

We have an exquisite example of faith and trust in God. ​Further, after his death, Jesus has entrusted Mary to each one of us, “Behold you Mother!” (John 19:27).

In today’s Gospel, a barren old woman and a young virgin are both with child. The Angel Gabriel says concerning Elizabeth’s pregnancy. “For with God nothing will be impossible. (Lk 1:37). Elizabeth says of Mary, “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Lk 1:45).

Following the example of Mary, God desires humility and docility to his will from each one of us. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38).

 ​

 

 

Rejoice!

Today we celebrate ‘Gaudete Sunday.’ The name means ‘Rejoice’ and it is taken from the original Latin introit or entrance antiphon for this Mass, which sang the words of our second reading from Philippians 4, -- Gaudete in Domino semper: “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

Similarly, in our OT reading the Israelites were told, “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!”(Zep 3:14). Why did they experience this joy? Because the prophet Zechariah tells them, “The LORD has removed the judgment against you” (Zep 3:15). The Lord invites his people to experience the joy of forgiveness, the joy of the Gospel.

There is more here! This forgiveness is not just a contractual matter. Like paying off a car loan. The people of God are the daughter of Zion, or the daughter of the King. Sacred Scripture can often have many layers of meaning both literal and spiritual.

In the New Testament, we all become adopted sons and daughters of God through communion with Christ and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:20). Forgiveness invites us into a relationship with him.

In what is probably his most famous sound bite, Pope Francis reminds us, “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.” (EG 3)

The overall theme of Advent is a time of waiting, of hope and of preparation for the Lord’s coming. The person and preaching of John the Baptist invite us to prepare by repenting and renewing our commitment to the coming King.

In today’s Gospel, the crowds who listen to John the Baptist pose the same question three times: “What shall we do?” (Lk 3:10, 12, 14). Three different groups of people ask this question. The crowd in general; tax collectors; and, finally some soldiers. John the Baptist gives a slightly different response to each group. Share what you have too much of, collect what is just, and be content and do not abuse your power.

What we cannot miss, however, is that this question and John the Baptist’s answers, are in response to John’s call to first renew their faith as God’s children and then to respond by a baptism of repentance. If we separate morality from relationship and a conversion of the heart, we end up with mere joyless rule following. We reduce the faith to duty and legalism. Those who fail to follow the rules out of duty turn away in discouragement, and those who appear to succeed wrongly fill themselves with pride and see themselves as ‘better rule followers’ in comparison to others.

Many Catholics focus on following the rules without considering their relationship with the King. Have you ever heard someone say, “Rules, rules, rules, the Church is just trying to guilt me into doing something”? Perhaps someone else approaches the moral life like driving the speed limit when travelling on the freeway. They go as fast as they think they can get away with, without getting caught, or punished. Have you ever heard some might say, “Ahh, It’s only a venial sin, it’s no big deal!”

Notice as well that John the Baptist says, one greater than he is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Catechism reminds us that there is a New Covenant with God’s people and this requires a New Law. “The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit received by faith in Christ, operating through charity.” (CCC 1983) This New Law or “The Law of the Gospel fulfills and surpasses the Old Law and brings it to perfection.” (CCC 1984).

In case some Type A perfectionists are getting nervous, we are not tossing out the Ten Commandments, we are instead bringing them to perfection in a new way. The new framework is personal relationship with God and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. God calls us not to mere duty but to the joyful pursuit of happiness in relationship with him and in the power of the Spirit.

Our second reading highlights the fruit of living a joyful life in pursuit of God’s happiness. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Philippians 4:4).

St. Paul continues, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7).

“Have no anxiety at all.” Seriously Paul? We live in a world filled with stress and anxiety. Is it possible to live a joyful life in communion with God, without any anxiety at all?

Jesus said something very similar to this in John’s Gospel. Jesus talks about bearing much fruit by remaining in his love. Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). This does not mean he will protect us from suffering in this life. Jesus continues, “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20).

What if we took the question posed by the crowds to John the Baptist, and instead asked St. Paul, “What shall we do?” St. Paul’s answer to anxiety is “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Modern psychology has identified two things that help us to cope with stressful situations. The first is to reframe our thinking and the second is to become aware of and embrace our emotions.

Does St. Paul offer spiritual disciplines in these verses that touch on these needs? Reframing our thinking involves changing how we see our reality. Abraham Lincoln famously quipped, “Do we complain that roses have thorns or do we marvel that a thorn bush has roses?” Can prayer change how we see the world? St. Paul mentions bringing our prayers and petitions to the Lord and thanksgiving in this passage.

Many saints have told us about the power of prayer. St. John Chrysostom says that, “Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.”

Likewise our namesake, St. Thérèse notes, "It is the spirit of gratitude which draws down upon us the overflow of God's grace, for no sooner have we thanked Him for one blessing than He hastens to send us ten additional favors in return.”

We must begin with the realization that God loves us, and we are his children. He desires our happiness. He will not necessarily protect us from suffering, but will ultimately bring us joy. “What shall we do?” Perhaps concerning suffering, only those who have accompanied Jesus in the mystery of suffering can rightly bear witness to this joy.

“What shall we do?” We learn to trust in little steps. Perhaps we can begin by truthfully asking ourselves. Am I happy? Have I found joy in this life? Have I tried to find joy and peace in my prayer with Jesus? I would invite you today to take a small step on this journey. Jesus promises to give us joy! Try to prove him wrong, if your heart is not yet ready to trust in him …but take the first step!
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The Immaculate Conception of Mary

In the year 1854, after consulting with all the bishops of the world, Pope Pius XI declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. He proclaimed;

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

Christians of all traditions believe that Jesus Christ was without sin. A problem occurs, however, as each one of us is born with the stain of original sin as result of our connection to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Since we believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man, and born of a woman, our blessed Mother Mary, how did Jesus remain sinless even concerning original sin.

In many Protestant traditions, the answer to this question is quite fuzzy. Maybe God created a 'Holy Spirit bubble' to protect Jesus from acquiring the stain of original sin?

The Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception seeks to explain how Jesus was free from original sin. Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin from the moment of her conception. Although this is a distinctively Catholic solution to the problem of how Jesus could be born without original sin, we all need an answer to this puzzle.

One might ask, is the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception scriptural? Obviously, the phrase “Immaculate Conception,” is not found in Scripture, but the same could easily be said for the word ‘Trinity’ or for that matter the word “Bible.” In fact, today’s Gospel reading gives us some strong hints, which Catholic tradition has developed.

To understand fully, we need to examine carefully the words of the Annunciation in Luke’s Gospel. Unfortunately, many modern translations obscure the true meaning of this passage. According to the RSVCE, the Angel Gabriel says; "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). This is also how our lectionary translates the passage. If you look this up in the Catholic NABRE Bible, it says, “Hail, favored one!” instead of “full of grace.” This is confusing. I believe the lectionary translation is more correct, but let us look at the entire passage.

The Angel Gabriel’s greeting begins with the Greek word chaire or “rejoice.” In Latin, this would be “Ave” which we traditionally translated “Hail.” This greeting is filled with Old Testament connotations. In many Old Testament passages, Zion is invited to rejoice in the coming messianic joy of the Kingdom (Joel 2:21-23; Zeph 3:14; Zech 9:9). There is a clear echo in Gabriel’s greeting of Zephaniah 3:14-15.

The Jerusalem Bible preserves the poetry of Zephaniah;

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion;

Israel shout aloud!

Rejoice, exalt with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
Yahweh has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away.
Yahweh, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you shall have no more evil to fear.

The words “the Lord, the king of Israel is in your midst” draws a connection with the incarnation of our King, in Mary’s womb. The Angel Gabriel continues, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28, RSVCE).

The Greek word behind the translation “full of grace” is kecharitōmenē. This is a mouth full! In Greek, the simple root of the word charitoō meaning “grace,” is adapted by adding grammatical information both before and after the root word. This word in effect becomes a sort of forty-dollar word packed with information. Furthermore, this word is extremely rare in the Bible, only found in two places, here in Luke, and in Ephesians.

In an exhaustive study of this word, one Catholic scholar, Fr. Ignace de la Potterie, has shown that the verb used here is from a special class of verbs, which, when used in a religious context express the transforming of the person, by the action of the verb. With this verb in particular, the effect that grace has on someone. The various parts added to this verb in Luke 1:28 make the verb a perfect passive participle.

Each aspect of the action of this verb carries further nuance. The normal sense of the passive voice means that Mary is being “acted upon” by grace from an external source. The basic meaning of the perfect tense has to do with time. This action took place at some point in the past. Greek participles are verbs, which are often translated into English, by adding ‘ing” to the verb. For example in the word, “transforming.”

Adding up all this grammatical information, an awkward but extremely accurate translation would be, "Rejoice in the transforming grace you have received, for the Lord is with you!” A much more succinct translation would be “Hail, full of grace” or adding 'Mary' as the subject of our prayer, "Hail Mary, full of grace."

When translating Greek participles one can emphasize either the verbal aspect as I have in the awkward translation I just shared, or one can turn the action into a title. This could then be translated, “The-one-having-been-transformed-by-the-grace-you-have-received.” This explains the NAB translation, which renders the verse, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 

Yet following the NABRE it is difficult to communicate the full impact of the Greek verb in the title “favored one.” Mary is the “favored one” because God has chosen to transform her at some point in the past with his grace to prepare her for the incarnation.

The Church has supplied the exact moment that Mary received this transforming grace as ‘the moment of conception’, and Luke 1:28 clearly points us back to this moment without being that specific.

The perfect tense of the verb above indicates that at some point prior to Mary receiving the angel’s greeting, she had already been transformed by grace in preparation for the incarnation. The formal definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, simply clarifies the details of the Gospel regarding the nature and timing of this grace;

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

Luke 1:28 is clearly a strong scriptural support for this doctrine.

Holy Mary, Our hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!

Notes:

De La Potterie, Ignace. "Κεχαριτωμένη En Lc 1,28 Étude Philologique." Biblica 68, no. 3 (1987):         357-82. Accessed July 14, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42707340.

De La Potterie, Ignace. "Κεχαριτωμένη En Lc 1,28 Étude Exégétique Et Théologique." Biblica 68,         no. 4 (1987): 480-508. Accessed July 14, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42707367.  

Prepare the Way of the Lord

On this Second Sunday of Advent, our readings draw our attention to St. John the Baptist and his role as one who prepares the way of the Lord.

After carefully setting the stage historically, St. Luke tells us, “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert” (Luke 3:2). Luke uses a term for ‘word’ (rhēma) which likely means the reception of a particular word.

Luke has already told us earlier in the story that John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (1:15) and that even as a child John lived in the desert and “became strong in spirit” (1:80). This new reception of the “word” (rhēma) parallels the calling of other prophets (Jeremiah 1:1-4), as does the mention of his father Zechariah. When introducing a prophet’s ministry, it was customary in the Old Testament to mention the name of the prophet’s father (Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; Zechariah 1:1). As Zechariah had prophesied earlier, John the Baptist will be called “prophet of the Most High” (Luke 1:76).

Yet as the Catechism reminds us “John the Baptist is ‘more than a prophet.’ In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah” (CCC 719).

Luke tells us, “John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 1:3). John the Baptist began travelling about the in the northern region of the Jordan River, preaching a message of repentance to the Jewish people and baptizing them in the Jordan river. Preaching a message of repentance would have been very similar to the classical prophets of the Old Testament.

What is clearly new and unique was the fact that John was baptizing for the forgiveness of sins. This is unusual because in contemporary Judaism there was no talk of baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Some groups practiced repeated ritual purifications, and around this time period, the practice of baptizing new converts to Judaism also emerged. But the text seems to imply that John was giving a one-time baptism of repentance to his fellow Jews.

Later Christian Baptism will also speak of being baptized “for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). In fact, this exact phrase in Greek is found in the Creed, “I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins” though it will continue “. . . and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” John the Baptist testifies, however, that his baptism is inferior Jesus’ baptism. John the Baptist notes that Jesus will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

So, what are we to make of John’s “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 1:3)? First, we might want to correct a common misunderstanding that Jewish people were saved by meticulous fulfillment of the 613 precepts of the law. This number is actually from later Jewish tradition. Under these conditions, it would be extremely difficult to be saved because if you couldn’t fulfill the law perfectly you would be lost.

This negative caricature has been shown to be false by a number of modern scholars who have studied Second Temple Judaism. Although there is some debate about the finer details, there is a broad consensus that at the time of Jesus, the Jewish people generally believed that someone was ‘saved’ because of the loving covenant that God has established between himself and his people generally through their being member of the Jewish people by birth.

If your mother was Jewish, you are born into the covenant by divine election. Jewish children were not considered unsaved until they managed to fulfill the law perfectly and earn their salvation by works.

The purpose of the law was to be like a fence which helped keep you in the covenant. The law was not a means to enter into relationship with God, it was a means to stay in the relationship you already have by grace. If you ‘jumped the fence’ of the law by sinning, you needed to be restored into this covenant relationship. Clearly you had an obligation to stay within the fence.

The baptism of John the Baptist clearly lacked the later sacramental character that Christian Baptism provided because Christian Baptism applies the finished work of Jesus’ sacrifice which is able to release fullness of the gift of forgiveness (Acts 2:38, 22:16; John 3:5; Titus 3:5). Christian Baptism is also linked to the reception of the Holy Spirit.

Later in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that St. Paul encountered some disciples who had only received the baptism of John. St. Paul tells them, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus” (Acts 19:4).

John’s baptism was a prophetic act, but one which is an anticipation of future cleansing and forgiveness through Jesus (CCC 720). John’s baptism should not be limited to a symbol of repentance, however, it is a real anticipation of the messianic gift of forgiveness, and the future outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2, Acts 2).

There are two distinct strands to the Old Testament prophetic tradition about cleansing and forgiveness. One strand emphasized water of baptism as a symbolic expression of repentance (Isaiah 1:16-17, Jeremiah 4:14), while the other strand focused on the divine answer to repentance (Isaiah 4:2-6, Ezekiel 36-37, Jeremiah 31:31-34). The second strand is pointing ahead to a future time when God would cleanse and transform his people’s hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah Luke tells us that John the Baptist was preparing His people to receive the salvation that would be poured out on all flesh (Acts 2:17). John is the voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, . . . and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:4-6).

In many ways, John the Baptist’s ministry of preparation can continue to be a reminder of our own need to prepare our hearts for Jesus in this season of Advent.

Second Sunday of Advent, Year C  

Marana tha (“Come, Lord Jesus!”)

Jesus speaks of future “signs” “in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth.” These signs are metaphorical descriptions of a future judgment that will come upon the earth, at the end of time. Jesus warns us that these signs will dismay, perplex and frighten many people.

Throughout history people have tried to turn these ‘signs’ into a kind of ‘code’ that can be deciphered and that will predict when Jesus will return. Predicting the end has been particularly popular in some Protestant circles such as Hal Lindsey's book The Late Great Planet Earth, and Tim LaHaye’s, Left Behind series which was made into a movie in 2014.

Catholics have not been immune to this activity, either under the spell of such authors, or through alleged Catholic apparitions and mystics.

One author has humorously characterized two kinds of people. There are roosters who crow about the imminent end of the world as they calculate the signs, in order to wake up the sleeping community, and the owls who “dislike both noise and light; they want to hush the roosters, insisting that it is still night, that the dawn is far away.” So far, the owls have a much higher score in this competition.

Yet, Jesus words do point to a final time of judgment that will take place, at the end of time. We are told, however, that that we will not know the hour, and that it will take us by surprise.

There have been a succession of failed rosters throughout history. These roosters were sure that the end was upon us, only to see the calendar roll on. Some of these have been recent such as Nostradamus’ prophecies and the Year 2000, or the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012.

So what do we believe?

We believe that Jesus has ascended into heaven and that his kingdom reigns on earth now, in mystery, through the Spirit. The kingdom of God is already present as a mystery, but it will be fully revealed in the future. As Jesus tells us, we “will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The present time is one of Spirit and witness (CCC 672) but it is also a time of trial, waiting and watching.

We are actually in a type of spiritual battle. The kingdom of God needs our cooperation. It is only through our prayer, witness, and cooperation with the Spirit that it will go forth. This involves a struggle against our own hearts, and against the shiny things in this world, and ultimately against the work of the evil one. Jesus warns us about this struggle here, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catches you by surprise.”

Each one of us needs to ask ourselves the honest question, “Am I ready to meet the Lord?” Jesus warns, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy.” So we might ask ourselves, is my heart in the right place with God?

Not many of us, I would suppose, believe that the world is going to end tonight, but do we know the number of our days? Standing before the King is imminent for each of us, even before his return. We will all reach the end of our days, and it may be much sooner than we think.

Jesus calls us to “be vigilant at all times and pray” that we have the strength to endure our trial. What would we think of a soldier on guard duty, who fell asleep or who got drunk and ignored his responsibilities to watch and beware of the enemy.

Yet Jesus does not want us to live in fear. He invites us to understand that our Heavenly Father is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. We are invited into his arms of mercy. Like the prodigal son, our father is waiting for us to return to him. He will run to us and receive us with great joy. Yet, we need to turn and receive his loving embrace.

One of the earliest recorded prayers of the early Christians was the Aramaic expression Marana tha (“Come, Lord!”)—“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” By this prayer we acknowledge that although already present in his Church, Christ’s reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled “with power and great glory” by the king’s return to earth”

As the catechism reminds us this petition; “Marana tha,” is the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus.” It is a longing in the heart, a desire to meet the beloved.

Those whose hearts are prepared to be with the Lord, long to be with him. Come Lord Jesus, fill my heart with your love. Take away my fear. Let me renew my commitment today to follow you with my whole heart, mind and soul. Jesus I trust in you!

First Sunday of Advent, Year C

Do not be Anxious about your Life.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, “Do not be anxious about your life.” (Matt 6:25, 6:25, 27-28). St. Paul admonishes us, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Likewise St. Peter reminds us, “So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6–7).

If we are honest, this is a lofty goal. We often do feel anxious. It could be about our finances, or about our health, or our safety, or the security of our closet relationships. During the pandemic, all of these concerns have increased.

Jesus says to us, “Peace be with you!” but how can we walk in this peace?

On a purely human level, there are things we can do. First, I would like to recommend the book by George R. Faller, and Heather Wright, Sacred Stress: A Radically Different Approach to Using Life’s Challenges for Positive Change, (2016). This book integrates new understandings from psychology with a Christian perspective.

Research has shown that if we change the way we think about stress, we will find that our bodies react differently. If we reframe our thinking to expand our perspective on potentially stressful events, then our body will feel less stress.

We need to reframe stressful events as a challenge rather than as a threat. I love the following quote by Abraham Lincoln, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

We have a choice. We can complain and enter into negative thinking and as a result feel distress, or we can rejoice and enter joy and peace. The same rose bush can create two entirely different realities.

It is easy to see how we could make this a part of our prayer. When faced with a threatening situation we could take this concern before our Lord in prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving to our Lord for the many blessings we have received can also help us avoid complaining and negative thinking.

A modern stress management model involves knowing, naming, and reframing our stress. First, we need to recognize that we are entering into stress, then name it, then reframe the experience.

The first step is to recognize that we are feeling stressed. The reason this is necessary is that we are often unaware of what is happening. Psychologists call this emotional self-awareness or mindfulness. There are many ways to understand mindfulness, but I would recommend the book by Gregory Bottaro, The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time (2018). We need to become aware of our emotions in the moment.

The second step is to name our emotions. Very often, our body may be giving us signals that we are experiencing a stressful emotion. It is very healthy to take ownership of these feelings and to try to gain clarity and name the emotion we feel. Naming the emotion helps us to gain control and calm ambiguous emotional reactions.

The third step is to reframe the stress. Research on people in stressful situations has shown that “naming our anxiety and then reframing it as excitement” has a huge impact on our performance under stress. Reframing our stress can also help us to place God into the equation. Only then can we walk in the advice of St. Paul, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Through deepening our relationship with God in prayer, we can experience his peace in our life. God desires our happiness and calls us to experience his joy.