Monthly Archives: December 2023

To Whom the Word Came

Posted on by
1

Today’s gospel is a familiar part of the Christmas story – the Angel Gabriel inviting Mary into the plans of God for redemption and salvation of the world. Given our proximity to Christmas, I suspect we quickly want to jump ahead in time and move our thoughts and attention to the Nativity of Jesus. But let us put things on “pause” for a moment and savor the scene on its own – as did Da Vinci, Rembrandt, El Greco and countless iconographers over the ages. Continue reading →

A Tale of Two Men

Posted on by
Reply

A Tale of Two Cities is the well-known novel by Charles Dickens whose opening line is famous but whose first paragraph is a masterpiece.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…

Continue reading →

Similar, yet…

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent. In many respects our gospel is similar to the annunciation of the birth of John. The angel Gabriel appears to announce the birth of the child, and the annunciation follows the pattern of birth annunciations in the OT: The angel says, “Do not be afraid,” calls the recipient of the vision by name, assures him or her of God’s favor, announces the birth of the child, discloses the name of the child to be born, and reveals the future role of the child in language drawn from the Scriptures. After their respective announcements, Zechariah and Mary each ask a question, a sign is given, and the scene closes with a departure. Continue reading →

Such are the plans of men

Posted on by
Reply

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David,” (Jer 23:5) And indeed those days are upon us. Today our gospel is the story of the angel’s message to Joseph as he ponders what to do now that he knows Mary “was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph…since he was a righteous man, [was] unwilling to expose her to shame, [and so] decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” (Mt 1:18-20) It was not the way he hoped to start their life together. Continue reading →

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle B. The gospel tells of the events that preceded and prepared for the birth of Jesus, including the dreams of Joseph (Year A), the Annunciation (Year B), and the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Year C). ​​By using different Gospel passages, the lectionary provides a more complete narrative of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. It allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the angelic announcements, the experiences of Mary and Joseph, the visitation of the shepherds, and the journey of the Magi, which may not all be found in a single Gospel.  One year focuses on the Annunciation to Mary and highlights the importance of her role in the incarnation, while another reading may emphasize the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the fulfillment in Christ. Continue reading →

Choosing Joy

Posted on by
2

Last weekend my homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent centered on a verse from the second reading which asked “…what sort of person ought you to be…”   In the course of the homily I offered a verse from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, 3:12-13 which recommends: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you.” This week our readings suggest another: joyfulness. this Guadete Sunday. A Sunday whose name is taken from Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” I think that should definitely be part of who we ought to be. Continue reading →

Who we ought to be

Posted on by
Reply

Note: it was pointed out that I had not posted the homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent – so…here it is.

There are questions that are rooted in curiosity, such as, the stained glass windows in our church; where did they come from? There are questions that are seeking necessary and important information. There are all manner of questions: choice, open, rhetorical, probing, motivational, leading, and many more. But right there in the middle of the second reading is the question of questions brought to us by St. Peter: “…what sort of person ought you to be…”  Heck of a question. Continue reading →

Another questions and a final thought

Posted on by
1

This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  This fourth question appears to come from outside the “delegation.”  The meaning of v.24 (Some Pharisees were also sent) is not quite clear. Were they a rival delegation? Folks who took it upon themselves to interject, unhappy with the progress made by the official delegation and accordingly added some questions of their own. In any case, on this occasion their inquiry was natural: this man was preaching and baptizing. He was drawing crowds in the name of religion – and why does he baptize? Continue reading →

John’s Testimony

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. John’s testimony to Jesus will lead others to faith, but it is also offered as evidence in a trial. John’s interrogators in this passage are not curious passersby, but are a delegation sent by official Judaism (vv. 19, 22). The expression “the Jews” (hoi Ioudaioi, v. 19) occurs repeatedly in the Fourth Gospel and has a wide range of meanings. Its most common usage, as in v.19, is as a synonym for the Jewish religious establishment, which is the source of most of the opposition to Jesus’ ministry in John. Here it likely refers to representatives from Jerusalem leadership who quite naturally are going to make inquiries about what may well be a new religious movement – especially if there are messianic claims. There was a history of such movements and claims leading to religious disappointment and political ruin. Once John the Baptist acquired a following, the questions were sure to come. The first one was simple and straightforward. Continue reading →