The final point of Pope Francis' reflection on the practical steps to show mercy towards others is forgiveness. "Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37) God shows us his mercy through the forgiveness of all our sins, even the ones we are most ashamed of. At the same time, he expects and even commands us to do the same. Jesus goes so far as to say when we go to worship and recall that we harbor non forgiveness towards another, we must first go and be reconciled. Then when we offer our gift to the Lord, he will receive it. The implication is that our gift is meaningless to the Lord if it does not flow from a contrite and forgiving heart.
Jesus goes on to say that if we refuse to forgive another, then we are telling God not to forgive us. In fact, we say that directly every time we pray the Our Father. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." We are open to receive God's tender mercy to the extend we are merciful to others through forgiveness.
In a reflection on the need to be merciful, Pope Francis drew from the Gospel three practical steps to help us how to be merciful in our daily life. Yesterday, we reflected on the question of judging others. Today, we look at Luke 6:37 where Jesus says: "do not condemn and your will not be condemned." How do we do this? When we find fault with others, we not only judge them, but we also condemn them. St. Paul says in Romans 2:1: "For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things." In another place in Matthew's Gospel we hear: "the measure you use will be measured back to you."
For many of us, this habit of condemnation has been part of our mode of operation since early on in our life. How enraged are we at the sins of others but at the same time dismiss our sins? How often do we in failing to forgive another from our heart, we condemn them by holding them in bondage? How often do we dismiss another person as hopeless because of the way they are living?
What can I do to change this habit? St. Paul says that we need to take captive our thoughts. We can't prevent thoughts from entering in, but we can prevent them from leading us to judgment and condemnation of another. Since I don't want to be condemned by God, I need to make every effort to refrain from condemning others.
Fourth Sunday Ordinary Gospel A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
· Matthew lists nine “beatitudes”; Luke only includes four.
He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
· Luke says: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” What is the difference between the two statements? The “poor in spirit” includes anyone who totally depend upon the Lord for their sustenance, whether they have or do not have. Luke seems to focus on the materially disposed.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
· Luke states: “Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.” What is the difference between the two statements?
· The mourning Matthew is referring to is not physical sadness but sadness over the effects of sin in one’s life and in the world. They are blessed because such mourning leads to repentance and return to the Lord.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
· Jesus said that he was meek and humble of heart and that we are to learn to imitate him. Meekness is not weakness but an attitude of humility instead of pride or self-righteousness. Meekness sees oneself as one is before God.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
· Luke states: “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.” Luke talks about a physical hunger, while Matthew, a spiritual hunger for God’s will. “Righteousness” is another word for the will of God.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
· Another way of saying this is—the measure by which you measure to others will be the measure that will be used by which you will be measured or treated.
· If we wish God to be merciful to us, then we need to be merciful to others.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
· Another way of saying this is “pure of heart” or “single hearted.” To be clean of heart is have God as one’s focus and to choose to remain at one with God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
· These are the ones who seek to reconcile people, who seek unity rather than division among people. It is not peace at all cost. But it is the willingness to pay the cost of lasting peace, which includes forgives and healing.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
· We can be persecuted for a variety of reasons. Here the reason for the blessedness is that the person is persecuted because they are following the will of God.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
· Luke states: “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.”
· The reason for the persecution in both statements is their relationship with and commitment to Jesus.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
· Make personal each beatitude and see how many reflect your life.
· What response do you want to make as a result of your reflections?
Jesus said that we are to be merciful as the Father is merciful. This virtue of mercy and compassion is essential to the Christian's journey. In a reflection on the need to be merciful, Pope Francis drew from the Gospel three practical steps to help us how to be merciful in our daily life.
In Luke 6:37 Jesus said: "Judge not, and you will not be judged." How often do we find ourselves slipping into the bad habit of judging others in a negative way? I call it a habit because we fall into it often, almost without realizing it. The Holy Father says: "If I want to be merciful like the Father, as Jesus tells me, I must think: how many times a day do I judge?"
Many times we judge from outward appearance without knowing the heart of the person being judged. We draw a conclusion without knowing the real facts that a person may be dealing with. Even if we knew the truth about the person, who am I to judge him? God knows the truth about us, our inner thoughts, do we wish him to judge and condemn us on the spot every time?
It will take the grace of God and our cooperation to begin to change the habit of judging to the habit of mercy and compassion. But when we do, we will be a better person, even to ourselves.
How compassionate are we? The word "compassion" means to "suffer with" someone, in the sense of coming to the person's aid. Jesus showed compassion frequently in his ministry. Take the example of Jesus raising the only son of a widow to life from the dead.
Here are the words of Pope Francis, reflecting on this passage in Luke's Gospel (Luke 7:11-17). It is compassion "that makes Jesus see the ultimate reality of that moment. There was a great crowd following Jesus; there were the disciples; there was the funeral procession; there were the mother and the dead man....Jesus saw the reality and the reality was that woman, stripped of everything because she had lost her only son and she had been left a widow.
"Compassion reveals reality as it is. Compassion is like the lens of the heart: it makes us truly understand the magnitude of a situation....Our God is a God of compassion and we can say that compassion is God's weakness but also his strength. It was indeed his compassion that led him to send his Son to us. Compassion is not a simple feeling of pity. It is involving oneself in the problems of others out of love."
How compassionate are we? Is love the reason for our compassion?
Homily:
Third Sunday Ordinary Time Year A
Reading
1: The Church continues its reflection on Isaiah with a familiar theme we have
seen during the Christmas season. There is darkness in the world and a light
shines forth to dispel the darkness. The darkness is sin and the light is the
person of Christ. Darkness is the absence of light. It is hard to see in total
darkness, but with light we have some visibility.
The
land of Zebulum and Neptalie were in gloom and distress because of the law of
sin, which existed in the lives of the people. But when the light comes, which
is the forgiveness of Christ—grace--, anguish gives way and distressed is
lifted. Joy returns for the yoke of sin has been destroyed by the death and
resurrection of Jesus.
How
aware are we of the prevailing darkness as a result of sin. Life is not is
sacred. But in today’s world it is treated less than sarcred. Abortion,
murders, violence, bombings, lawlessness happen regularly. Darkness engenders
fear and insecurity and revenge and retaliation. Only forgiveness and hope,
love and trust in the Lord brings light into our heart and lives.
Gospel:
Matthew ties us to the first reading indicating that Jesus is the light prophesied
by Isaiah in his Galilean ministry. To respond to Jesus is first to repent of
sin, recognizing that the life Jesus gives us will enable us to live now and
forever in the kingdom of God, if we remain in the light and not live in
darkness.
The
second step is to follow him, to make and live a daily decision to follow him,
to be discipled by him, to stay in the light. We have been baptized in Christ.
Are we now children of the light or have we returned to darkness of sin and
remained there? In that state we cannot freely follow Jesus.
We
can become overwhelmed by the social darkness all around us that seeks to
extinguish the light of the truth revealed by Jesus. That darkness is like a
fog, slowly creeping in and enveloping us in it, unless we choose to stay in
the light, which is Jesus.
Are
we more moral or as moral or less moral as a nation today in comparison to
fifty years ago? Sexual darkness is in our face twenty-four seven. Twenty years
ago the media industry leaders made a public commitment to change the morals of
this country and they are succeeding unfortunately.
The
good news is that Jesus has defeated the power of darkness and his light will
not be extinguished. We are called to choose each day to live in the light of Christ,
so that the darkness cannot permanently overtake us.
Reading
2: Paul identifies one of the effects of the darkness of sin in the life of the
Corinthian community. Though they had received the light of the message of the
Gospel through Paul’s preaching and ministry, they allowed darkness to come
back—the darkness that comes from division and separation, of pride and
self-importance.
Paul reminds them
that they were baptized by and in Jesus, not by the human instrument used by
Jesus. Jesus is the one who set them free and united them to himself and to the
community of believers. By their division and disunity they were not living in
full relationship with Jesus, whose prayer is for unity among his followers
Third Sunday Ordinary Gospel A
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
· Jesus had gone down to the Jordan in Judea where John was baptizing. Now, he returns to Galilee to begin his own ministry. It was safer for Jesus to minister in Galilee rather than Judea.
· John’s official ministry ends and Jesus’ begins. John had already realized this when he said: “I must decrease and he must increase.”
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.
· One of the characteristics of Matthew’s Gospel is to show that Jesus fulfills the prophetic word of the Old Testament.
· Zebulun was the 10th son of Jacob and Naphtali was the 6th son. The area of Galilee was the portion of the Promised Land given to these two tribes.
· Isaiah was prophesying about the coming of the future Messiah as a light to a land of darkness.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
· John the Baptist proclaims a message of repentance in anticipation of the immediate coming of the Messiah. Jesus preaches a message of repentance in order to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
· In Matthew’s Gospel this is the first encounter between Jesus and the future disciples. In John’s Gospel, Jesus has already evangelized Andrew and has encountered Simon. It must not have been a life-changing experience because he goes back fishing.
He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
· What was different with this encounter? Jesus gave them an invitation to become his disciples and to join him in the work of evangelization.
· Matthew said they immediately left all and followed Jesus. Another Gospel indicates that it was more dramatic than that. It was after the marvelous catch of fish that convinced them to follow Jesus.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
· Jesus has called us to be his disciples. How quickly and totally have we responded?
He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
· The ministry of Jesus was simple and straightforward. He taught wherever he could, he preached the message of truth and he healed as a sign of the full salvation to come.
· Having reflected on this passage what application do we make in our lives?
The prayer of the leper requesting healing from Jesus began with, "Lord, if you will, you can heal me." Reflecting on this Pope Francis says we can use this as our prayer every day. "Lord, if you will, you can heal me; if you will, you can forgive me; if you will, you can help me." Or, if you want, he said you can make it a little longer. "Lord, I am a sinner, have mercy on me, have compassion on me." This simple prayer can be said many times a day. "Lord, I, a sinner, ask you, have mercy on me:.
The leper's faith was not in Jesus' ability but in his will. Someone has said: "Faith puts the weight on the will of the Lord and never on his ability.: The will of God is for our greater, lasting good, not necessarily our immediate want. Our immediate want may not necessarily lead to our eternal happiness, which is the will of God.
When the paralyzed man was brought to Jesus, his immediate want was physical healing. But Jesus saw a greater, immediate need, his spiritual healing from the paralysis of sin. So Jesus chose to forgive him first then to heal him as a confirmation of the former. Jesus saw the faith of those who brought the man to him. Yet Jesus wanted to teach him and us that there is a greater priority at stake. The physical healing would ease his suffering and helplessness for a time. But dying unrepentant had eternal consequences. The will of God was primarily and ultimately the man's salvation.
In the Gospels many people came to Jesus for healing. Some approached Jesus with the request, "if you will", others said, "if you can". One is an act of faith; the other is a lack of faith.
The man whose son was possessed came to Jesus and said, "if you can." He had just asked Jesus' disciples to free and heal his son. But to no avail. When Jesus comes into the scene, the man brings his son to him. He is desperate but lacks the openness of faith, so he asks, 'if you can". Jesus responds: "What do you mean, 'if I can'? Anything is possible if a person believes." The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24)
In contrast is the request of the leper who came to Jesus in Mark 1:40-45. He said, "if you will, you can cleanse me." This is a prayer of simple faith. He believes that Jesus can heal him. But he does not know if it is in the will of God for him to be healed at that present moment. He had heard and seen Jesus heal others. His prayer request is simple but made with confidence. He knew the power flowing from Jesus and made the decision to entrust himself to the merciful compassion of Jesus.
When we come to Jesus, do we come with "if you can" or "if you will"?
Homily:
Second Sunday Ordinary Year A
Reading:
There are three Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah in which the prophet
identifies the future Messiah. Last Sunday, the first reading was also from the
Book of Isaiah, the prophet. The selection was the first of these three
Suffering Servant songs. Today, we heard from the second Suffering servant
Song. The prophet calls him a servant through whom God will show forth his
glory. As a servant he will depend on God for the strength to accomplish his
will. Jesus said that he will glorify
the Father. He did so by embracing the will of the Father even to the death of
the cross.
This
servant, Isaiah said, was formed in the womb. The Word of God, the Son of God,
became flesh and dwelt with us. This servant, who is God become man, will not
only bring salvation to Israel, the chosen people, but also will be a light to
all nations, bringing them salvation as well. He is made glorious in God’s
sight. God raised Jesus, his servant/son up from death and exalted him at his
right hand, giving him the name above all names, so that at the name of Jesus
all may bow down to the glory of the Father.
Gospel:
Isaiah identified the future Messiah as a servant who would save his people
through suffering death. John the Baptist identifies him as the Lamb of God who
takes away sin. A lamb is sacrificed. As the chosen people in bondage sacrificed
a lamb, ate it, and mark their doorposts with its blood, experienced freedom,
so through Jesus’ blood on the cross freed us from the bondage of sin.
John
identifies him further as existing before him. Even though in time John was
conceived and born before Jesus, in eternity the Son of God existed before he
became the son of man.
John
knew him as his cousin, but did not know him as the Messiah. John was sent to
prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah by calling people into repentance
and acknowledging their desire to repent by being baptized. The Spirit revealed
to John that the Messiah would be identified by the coming of the Spirit upon
one he would baptized.
When
Jesus come to be baptized as a sign of his public commitment to the will of the
Father, John at first refuses because he felt unworthy to do so. Jesus insisted
and said it is the will of God.
After
Jesus’ baptism, John saw the Spirit of God resting upon Jesus, confirming the
message he had received. That is why he proclaimed afterwards “Behold the Lamb
of God. Behold the Messiah.”
He
said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ baptism is not a
preparation but the fulfillment of God’s mercy. Our sins are forgiven and the
Spirit of God dwells in us, sharing God’s divine life with us, calling us his
adopted children.
Reading
2: Just as Isaiah was called by God to be a prophet, Paul says he had been
called by God to be an apostle of Jesus. As John the Baptism was sent to
prepare the way for the Messiah, Paul was sent to proclaim the Good News of
salvation.
What
should our response be to this Good News, both of John and Paul? As we commit
our lives to Christ who takes away our sins, we are called to be holy,
consecrated to Jesus. We have been consecrated in baptism and commissioned to
share in the life of Jesus as priest, prophet and king. We have been made a
temple of the Holy Spirit in baptism, anointed and empowered to be holy
witnesses of Jesus to others in the power of the Holy Spirit. As Paul pointed
Jesus out to others, so we are called to do the same.
How
conscious are we of our vocation to be holy? How conscious are we pursuing
holiness? How attentive are we to the daily, divine appointments from God to
witness him to others?
A certain captain of soldiers, who took a
great delight in hunting,
once came in search of wild animals to the
desolate mountain where
Macedonius dwelt. He was prepared for
hunting, having brought with him
men and dogs. As he went over the mountain he
saw, far off a man. Being
surprised that anyone should be in a place so
desolate, he asked who it might be. One told him that it was the hermit
Macedonius. The captain, who was a
pious man, leaped from his horse and ran to
meet the hermit. When he came
to him he asked, "What are you doing in
such a barren place as this is?" The
hermit in his turn asked, "And you? What
have you come here to do?" The
captain answered him, "I have come to
hunt." Then said Macedonius, "I also
am a huntsman. I am hunting for my God. I
yearn to capture Him. My desire
is to enjoy Him. I shall not cease from this
my hunting."
This new year we are invited and graced by God to seek him in a new way, in a more intense way. God is always seeking us because he loves us. But are we seeking him in love? This is our most important task in life, to seek God in love.
A journalist hounded the French writer,
Albert Camus, asking him to explain his work in detail. The author of The
Plague refused: “I write, and others can make of it what they will.”
But the journalist refused to give in. One
afternoon, he managed to find him in a café in Paris. “Critics say you
never take on truly profound themes,” said the journalist. “I ask you now: if
you had to write a book about society, would you accept the challenge?”
"Of course," replied Camus.
"The book would be one hundred pages long. Ninety-nine would be blank,
since there is nothing to be said. At the bottom of the hundredth page, I’d
write: “man’s only duty is to love."
Love is very profound, because God is love. What is more profound than God? As profound as love is and as fundamental it is to man's existence, authentic love is elusive to human beings for the most part. The reason is that love is not self-centered but other-centered. Love occurs when one chooses to die to self and be totally for the other. All of us desire to be loved and we are in fact by God. But it is hard to receive this unconditional love because we grasp at it rather than allow it to envelope us. Love, as St. Therese of Avila has so profoundly taught, is responded to with love. Love can never be adequately be repaid or responded to.
At the end of life, the only thing that will matter is not our achievements but our love. As St. Paul admonishes, "Whatever you do in word or deed, do it out of love in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to the Father."
Second Sunday Gospel A
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’
· The title Lamb of God is given to Jesus by John. It is based on the OT concept both of the Paschal lamb that was yearly sacrificed as an offering to God and on the Suffering Servant theme found in Isaiah.
· By equating Jesus with this title John is foreshadowing Jesus’ passion and death by which the sins of the world will be forgiven.
· By indicating that Jesus had a pre-existence may be an inspiration from the Holy Spirit that allowed John to see Jesus from a different perspective. Before, he knew Jesus as his cousin. Now, by the revelation of the Spirit, he sees Jesus as the one he had been speaking about, the Messiah.
I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”
· John did not know Jesus to be the Messiah before this moment, even though John was testifying to the immediate coming of promised Messiah. There is a sense of excitement and awe in his words
John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.
· According to Luke this coming of the Spirit upon Jesus was following the Baptism and only Jesus was aware of this experience. According to Matthew, John also witnessed both the voice from heaven and the external manifestation of the Spirit. According to John the evangelist, the Baptizer experienced this before the baptism of Jesus and that is why he felt unworthy to baptize Jesus.
"I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
· God had prepared John to recognize the Messiah through the external sign of the descent of the Spirit upon one of those who would come to him.
· Notice the difference between John’s baptism and the baptism that Jesus would institute. John’s baptized with water as a preparation for coming of the Messiah, but no sins were forgiven. It indicated openness to the reconciliation that comes from the Messiah. Jesus called for baptism in water and the Holy Spirit, which fully reconciled the person to God and brought the person into the fullness of God’s life as a son or daughter.
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
· First, he identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now, he adds a further insight by proclaiming him to be the Son of God.
· It is the Spirit of God who enables John to give such a testimony without knowing the full impact of the title “Son of God.”
· Here John testifies with his words. Later, he will testify with his life.
· We are call to also testify to others who Jesus is to us. How conscious are we of this? How faithful are we to the work of testimony and witness?
· What practical application do we make from this reflection?
The Apostle Paul said that spiritual growth is an ongoing process. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hood of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14)
Spiritual maturity is learning how to walk in obedience to God. It is making the choice to live by God's viewpoint rather than our human viewpoint. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to lead us step by step in this journey of spiritual maturity. (Gal 5:16,25)
So the question we ask ourselves: at this stage of our spiritual journey, are we a spiritual adult in process or still a spiritual child? Are we still looking for milk or solid food from God? Do we embrace the cross of the moment or attempt to run away from it? Are our arms always open to receive or to give? This new year is a year of grace for further growth in our relationship with God.
This is a new year of grace from the Lord. We are all called to spiritual maturity--to becoming perfect--as Scripture and the Catechism teach: "All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2013).
The one who embraces this way of life chooses not to be conformed to this age, but instead chooses to be transformed in the newness of mind, so that the person may seek and embrace the will of God: choosing what is good, pleasing and perfect. (Roms 12:2)
Paul identifies the spiritual immature as "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles" (Eph 4:14). In contrast, he identifies those who are growing spiritually as those seeking to "attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:12).
(Continuing our refection on the spiritual child and the spiritual adult) The spiritual child is stuck in its development by choice. Its focus is self rather than other. It is like the spoiled, self-willed child. Like the natural child or infant, the spiritual child gets upset over the smallest thing. Feelings are easily hurt. Wrongs done to it are remembered and not forgiven.
A spiritual child is like a time bomb, always ready to explode. Anything can trigger it. One may have just come from Mass. But if something upsets the person, he becomes very angry and verbally abusive. The spiritual child is a Sunday Catholic but a weekday pagan.
Pope Francis likens the spiritual child to a lukewarm Catholic. "A lukewarm heart becomes self-absorbed in lazy living and it stifles the fire of love. The lukewarm person lives to satisfy his or her own convenience, which is never enough, and in that way is never satisfied; gradually such a Christian ends up being content with a mediocre life. The lukewarm person allocates to God and others a 'percentage' of their time and their own heart, never spending too much, but rather always trying to economize."
Homily: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Year A
Reading
1: This passage from Isaiah, along with two others, is identified as the Suffering
Servant of Yahweh song. First of all, it identifies one who is coming as the
Servant of God, chosen by God; one who is pleasing to God; one upon whom God
places his Spirit. It is out of this relationship with God that this Servant
will act.
His
identity comes from his being not from his doing. His identity comes from his
relationship to God. It comes from what God does for him rather than what he
does for God. He is called by God, formed by God, set as a covenant by God, as
a light by God. Only because of what God has done and his relationship with God
does the Servant of God act. He will bring forth justice, not through force,
but by his teachings. He will heal and free those imprisoned. In faith we
identify this Servant as Jesus.
Likewise
our identity is to be one in relationship with Jesus. Like Jesus in his
humanity, to be fully who we are, we are to be in relationship with God. It is
out of this relationship that we are called and sent to act and live. God is
pleased with us because of who we are, his chosen ones, not because of what we
do.
Gospel:
From a rational, logical, human point of view it doesn’t make sense that John
should baptize the Messiah: One capable of sin baptizing One not capable of sin;
the lesser the greater. But what if it is God’s plan and mystery?
John
tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized because he recognized Who Jesus was
and who he himself was in relationship. But Jesus recognized the plan and
purpose of the Father and he desired to be obedient. How often Jesus
encountered road blocks or misunderstanding, even innocently to the Father’s
plan for him. Each time he was obedient to the Father’s will.
Sometimes
the will of God is hard to understand. We are called to embrace it because it
is the will of God. Without acting on the will of God, John would not have
experienced what followed: the voice of the Spirit.
This
even confirms for John who Jesus truly is: the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world. He prepared for Jesus’ coming; he spoke about him. Now he can
identify him. An awkward moment turns into a clarifying moment, but only when
John is willing to be obedient to the Father’s plan.
Reading
2: Peter identifies Jesus as the Lord of All, as the One anointed by God with
the Holy Spirit and power. Out of this identity Jesus went about doing good,
healing all. God was with him. Peter had just manifested the plan and power of
God. Then He saw the power of God at work.
Cornelius
and his whole household experienced the grace of Pentecost. The Spirit of God
anointed and empowered them. That is why Peter said that God shows no
partiality. In God’s plan both the Jews and the Gentiles were to receive the
same grace of salvation and anointing.
Then
Peter roots this experience in God’s revelation centered upon the person and action
of Jesus. The end result is the external baptism of Cornelius and his family.
What
God did for the Apostles and for Cornelius and family, God wants to do for each
of us. It flows out of our identity as beloved sons and daughters. Peter
learned an important lesson, namely, one is to follow the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. In speaking his prophetic message about the Servant of God, Isaiah was
being obedient to the lead of the Holy Spirit. In baptizing Jesus, John
followed the lead of the Holy Spirit. Peter in entering the home of a Gentile
and in baptizing them was also following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
In
Confirmation we received the anointing of the Holy Spirit and as disciples in
relationship with Jesus we are called to be attentive and responsive to the
grace of the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual child judges according to the world's standards, while the spiritual adult sees things through the eyes of God. In the words of St. Paul: The still immature child in us "chooses to be conformed to this age" while the adult in the Spirit "chooses to be transformed in the newness of the mind...seeking what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect." (Roms 12:2)
The spiritual child is like a natural child whose development is stunted. It is cute from its birth and begins a natural process of development and maturity. Then in the process something goes wrong. The child stops developing. Though the child is growing physically, it isn't developing mentally and emotionally. And it soon becomes evident that as it develops into that stage where crawling is left behind, that something isn't right. It still craws when it should walk. the child still mumbles as an infant when it should be developing language skills. It is stuck in the infant stage. The situation is sad.
Likewise, the spiritual infant is stuck in its development by choice. Its focus is self rather than other. It is like the spoiled, self-willed child. Like the natural child or infant, the spiritual infant gets upset over the smallest thing. Feelings are easily hurt. Wrongs done to it are remembered and not forgotten.
A blessed New Year! I was out of the country the last ten days officiating a wedding in Argentina. It was a great trip but it is good to be home.
Paul said that when he was a child, he acted as a child. But once he became an adult he put aside childish ways. (1 Cor 13:11) Paul is alluding to his pre-Spirit life and his post-Spirit life. Before his conversion, Paul sought the elimination of the new way following Jesus. After his conversion, Paul's spiritual eyes were open to the mystery of Jesus as the Lord and Messiah. He then saw as a spiritual adult and no longer with the near sighted eyes of the pharisaic child.
Looking at our lives "how far have we proceeded in putting off such childish things as are inconsistent with being a new creature in Christ as a spiritual adult? Has the coming of the Spirit made a continual difference in our lives? To what extent are we still living as spiritual children? Are the following word of Paul applicable to us at this stage of our spiritual journey? "And so, brothers, I was not able to speak to you as if to those who are spiritual, but rather as if to those who are carnal. For you are like infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food." (1 Cor 3:1-2)
In this new year of grace, God wants us to grow more spiritually in our relationship with him. God wants us to put on the mind of Christ more, so that we can continue to mature in our life with him.
