Sunday. Time through the Year, week 3.

ANTIPHON (click for full Psalm)

O Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In His presence are majesty and splendor, strength and honor in His holy place. (Psalm 96: 1, 6)

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God,
direct our actions according to your good pleasure,
that in the name of your beloved Son
we may abound in good works.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. (John 6:63, Psalm 19).

GOSPEL EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events (πραγμάτων, pragmaton)
that have been fulfilled (πεπληροφορημένων, peplerophoremenon) among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down (παρέδοσαν, paredosan) to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize (ἐπιγνῷς, epignos) the certainty of the teachings (κατηχήθης, katechethes)
you have received. (Luke 1:1-4).”

REFLECTION

Admittedly, when one hears the word prologue in the context of the Gospels, many naturally – and properly – recall the Johannine Text: 1:1-18. The verses that open the Gospel according to Saint Luke (1:1-4), like the verses that open the Gospel according to Saint John, do form a necessary ‘first word (pro-logos)’ as the Church begins a sequential proclamation of the Lucan Text on these Sundays in the Season known as “Time through the Year (Ordinary Time).” Today’s study will focus on ‘fulfilled events handed down to realize the certainty of the teachings.’

Saint Luke begins this 4 verse prologue by speaking of “events (πραγμάτων, pragmaton)” “that have been fulfilled (πεπληροφορημένων, peplerophoremenon).” “Events” is the English translation of the Greek πρᾶγμα (pragma). πρᾶγμα (pragma), while not offering an earth-shattering insight to the meaning of a relatively common English word event, it does highlight life’s events in ‘all their facets and dimensions.’ Applied here to the Person and Life of Jesus, πρᾶγμα (pragma) demands embracing reality in its wholeness, not selected episodes that appeal to one’s sensibilities or likes. πρᾶγμα (pragma) is a ‘whole-package’ approach to life that invites continuous examination and reflection in such a way that one may omit nothing from life. It is precisely “the events” - the totality of the life of Jesus - that Luke records as being fulfilled (πληροφορέω, plērophoreō). πληροφορέω (plērophoreō), translated here “have been fulfilled,” is a verb that is formed from two Greek words meaning ‘complete’ and ‘to carry/to wear/to carry a burden.’ The sense of the Greek compound is that the action πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) is an all-encompassing action involving the whole person living life in all its facets. In antiquity, πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) meant a ‘complete wearing of clothes’ in a somewhat idiomatic way that expressed all of life being kept as close to you as your clothes. Later use of the verb πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) included elements of ‘protection,’ ‘assurance’ and ‘confidence’ that would permit one to have sufficient evidence to persuade or convince another of truth. The point here is that while “have been fulfilled” is not an erroneous translation, it does seem to lack the ‘punch’ that πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) in the biblical era expressed. One could argue that translating πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) as “have been fulfilled” conveys a sense of neutrality, a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude whereas πληροφορέω (plērophoreō) is a bit more challenging and active. For Luke, “the events that have been fulfilled” is ‘everything of Jesus presented in a way to convince and assure you’ of the presentation’s truth.

So, what do one do with ‘everything of Jesus presented in a way to convince and assure?’ You hand it down or hand it on, of course! The Greek verb παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) is an important word as both a verb and noun in the New Testament meaning “to deliver, to hand-down, to hand-on (it is the basis of the word Tradition, which will be studied at a later date).” παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) is not an inconsequential or passive action of delivery. Think of mail delivery. The letter carrier places mail in an approved box at one’s home or place of business and assumes at some point, someone will retrieve the mail and do something with it. παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi), however, expresses action that engages both the deliverer and the deliveree. Using the same example of mail delivery, παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) expresses the fact that the letter carrier has something specific for you. You are required to receive and sign for the delivery … and sometimes, the deliverer gets to see your response to the received letter or package. For Luke, the ‘delivery’ of ‘everything of Jesus presented in a way to convince and assure’ is, once again, not a neutral, take-it-or-leave-it event. This is truth and the truth presented in such a way specifically for each person that it has a real affect and effect in one’s life. The delivery, in this case a Person, demands ‘Yes, I accept delivery’ or ‘No, I refuse delivery.’ Either way, with παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) there is no politically correct or comfortable middle ground of picking and choosing.

This leads to Saint Luke’s self-stated purpose for the Narrative that is about to follow: “that you may realize (ἐπιγνῷς, epignos) the certainty (ἀσφάλειαν) of the teachings (κατηχήθης, katechethes) you have received.” “That you may realize” is the English translation of the Greek verb ἐπιγινώσκω (epiginōskō). ἐπιγινώσκω (epiginōskō) is a form of the important biblical verb γινώσκω (ginosko). While this family of Greek verbs is often translated into English by various words ‘to know’ or ‘to realize,’ it is important here to distinguish between ‘types of knowning.’ γινώσκω (ginosko) is certainly about ‘knowing,’ but ‘knowing’ in a way that is experiential. γινώσκω (ginosko) expresses events that touch a person at his or her core, life-defining or life-changing events. γινώσκω (ginosko) is knowledge akin to the ‘wow moments’ of life when connections are made or deep insights flood a person’s entire life. γινώσκω (ginosko) is not amassing individual, isolated factual data and regurgitating them upon request. Knowledge that is grounded in γινώσκω (ginosko) is life altering. For Luke, this experiential knowledge that changes a person is firm, confident and able to form a basis for living life (ἀσφάλειαν, asphaleian) because for Luke, the life-altering event is the Person Jesus, handed-on to each person to live life confidently in Him.

Luke’s ‘first-word (prologue)’ to all who are Theophilus (friend of God) is more than preliminary information. Like the famous Johannine Prologue, the Lucan Prologue expresses the life-changing event of Jesus Christ delivered to each person. While there is much more to consider about this Prologue (which hopefully will be posted throughout the week), the present task is to answer, “Do I accept delivery of the Person Jesus into my life - AND - am I willing to make the changes such delivery entails?”

Sunday. Time through the Year, Week 3. Office of Readings, Second Reading

Office of Readings - Second reading

From the Constitution
On the Sacred Liturgy
Second Vatican Council

Christ is present to His Church

Christ is always present to his Church, especially in the actions of the liturgy. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, in the person of the minister (it is the same Christ who formerly offered himself on the cross that now offers by the ministry of priests) and most of all under the eucharistic species. He is present in the sacraments by his power, in such a way that when someone baptizes, Christ himself baptizes. He is present in his word, for it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Finally, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he himself promised: Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.

Indeed, in this great work which gives perfect glory to God and brings holiness to men, Christ is always joining in partnership with himself his beloved Bride, the Church, which calls upon its Lord and through him gives worship to the eternal Father.

It is therefore right to see the liturgy as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, in which through signs addressed to the senses man’s sanctification is signified and, in a way proper to each of these signs, made effective, and in which public worship is celebrated in its fullness by the mystical body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the head and by his members.

Accordingly, every liturgical celebration, as an activity of Christ the priest and of his body, which is the Church, is a sacred action of a pre-eminent kind. No other action of the Church equals its title to power or its degree of effectiveness.

In the liturgy on earth we are given a foretaste and share in the liturgy of heaven, celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, the goal of our pilgrimage, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, as minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With the whole company of heaven we sing a hymn of praise to the Lord; as we reverence the memory of the saints, we hope to have some part with them, and to share in their fellowship; we wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, who is our life, appears, and we appear with him in glory.

By an apostolic tradition taking its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day, the day that is rightly called the Lord’s day. On Sunday the Christian faithful ought to gather together, so that by listening to the word of God and sharing in the Eucharist they may recall the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God who has given them a new birth with a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Lord’s day is therefore the first and greatest festival, one to be set before the loving devotion of the faithful and impressed upon it, so that it may be also a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other celebrations must not take precedence over it, unless they are truly of the greatest importance, since it is the foundation and the kernel of the whole liturgical year.

Wednesday, Time through the Year, Week 2. Office of Readings excerpt

Office of Readings - Second reading

From the dogmatic constitution
On the Church
Second Vatican Council

See, I will save my people

In his wisdom and goodness the eternal Father created the whole world according to his supremely free and mysterious purpose and decreed that men should be raised up to share in the divine life. When they fell in Adam, he did not abandon them but always kept providing them with aids to salvation, in consideration of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before the ages the Father already knew all the elect and predestined them to be made into the likeness of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

God resolved to gather into holy Church all who believe in Christ. The Church, foreshadowed even from the beginning of the world, so marvelously prepared in the history of the people of Israel, established in these last times and revealed by the outpouring of the Holy spirit, will be made perfect in glory at the end of time. Then, as we read in the Fathers of the Church, all the righteous from Adam onward – from Abel, the righteous, to the last of the elect – will be gathered in the universal Church in the presence of the Father.

Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are in their different ways related to God’s people.

In the first place, there is that people which was given the covenants and the promises and from which Christ was born by human descent: the people which is by God’schoice most dear on account of the patriarchs. God never repents of his gifts or his call.

God’s plan of salvation embraces those also who acknowledge the Creator. Among these are especially the Mohammedans; they profess their faith as the faith of Abraham, and with us they worship the one, merciful God who will judge men on the last day.

God himself is not far from thoseothers who seek the unknown God in darkness and shadows, for it is he who gives to all men life and inspiration and all things, and who as Savior desires all men to be saved.

Eternal salvation is open to those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church but seek God with a sincere heart, and under the inspiration of grace try in their lives to do his will, made known to them by the dictates of their conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the aids necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet reached an explicit belief in God, but strive to lead a good life, under the influence of God’s grace.

Whatever goodness and truth is found among them is seen by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel, and as given by him who shines on all men, so that they may at last have life.

Monday, Time through the Year, Week 2. Saint Agnes

Regardless of one’s political preferences, today marks the public celebration of President Obama's inauguration as President of the United States of America. It is fitting that this also be a day of prayer from him and all who hold public office in this land and throughout the world.

SCRIPTURE

“His help is near for those who fear Him and His glory will dwell in our land. Psalm 85” Click for full Psalm.

COLLECT

(This prayer is taken from The Roman Missal, “Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, #24: For the Head of State or Ruler”)

O God,
to Whom every human power is subject,
grant to Your servant our president Barack Obama
success in the exercise of his high office,
so that,
always revering You and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve
for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from civil peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.

It will also be appropriate to pray this day for our Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Pray for all these citizen-leaders that they serve the common good by always reverencing the dignity of the human person and the genuine oneness of the human family.

(This prayer is taken from The Roman Missal, “Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, #23: For a Governing Assembly”)

O God,
Who arrange all things in wondrous order
and govern in marvelous ways,
look with favor on the assembled,
for whom we now pray,
that they may decide everything
for the well-being and peace of all
and may never turn aside from Your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.

Sunday. Time Through the Year, Week 2. Word of THE WORD

ANTIPHON (click for full Psalm)

“All the earth shall bow down before You, O God,
and shall sing to You,
shall sing to Your Name, O Most High! (Psalm 66 :4)”

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God,
Who govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of Your people
and bestow Your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

Proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the nations. (Psalm 96: 3).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication (צֶדֶק, tsedeq) shines forth like the dawn
and her victory (יְשׁוּעָה, yshuwʿah) like a burning torch.
Nations shall behold your vindication (צֶדֶק, tsedeq),
and all the kings Your glory;
you shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by Your God.
No more shall people call you “Forsaken, “
or your land “Desolate,”
but you shall be called “My Delight,”
and your land “Espoused (Isaiah 62:1-4).”

REFLECTION

The Divine word voiced by an unstoppable Isaiah rumbles through the cosmos this Sunday with news that breaks into the fabric of day-to-day tedium announcing an entirely new way of living. “Vindication” and “victory,” as sounded in the translation heard today, offers not only a “new name” but also a new way of covenanting with God as “My Delight,” “My Espoused.” Key to this new way of relating to and with the Lord lies in the Divinely initiated and sustained works of “vindication” and “victory.”

What exactly does Isaiah mean by “vindication?” In our present culture, we tend to view “vindication” as ‘being proved right,’ especially after some ordeal or confrontation. There may even be a hint of revenge or punishment added for good measure that attempts to justify oneself as the person-in-the-right after a contentious argument or hurtful ‘discussion.’ Biblically though, “vindication” translates the Hebrew word צֶדֶק, (tsedeq). Tsedeq is part of a family of Hebrew words formed from the Hebrew root word צָדַק (tsadaq). While conveying a legal aspect of ‘being in the clear,’ ‘being not-guilty,’ the root tsadaq fundamentally has to do with ‘right’ in the sense of ‘right-living,’ ‘right or proper order,’ ‘right, just, or proper relationship.’ In addition to “vindication,” tsadaq and its forms often appear in English biblical translation as “just,” “justice,” “right,” or “righteous.”

Tsadaq, especially when it is applied to people throughout the Scriptures, refers often to living in proper relationship: proper relationship with God, with others, with the true self and all of creation. Used extensively by the Fathers of the Church, tsadaq (the Fathers used the Greek of tsadaq: dikaios) expressed the original harmony that radiated from creation. Original Justice is ‘original tsadaq’ declaring, that since all reality flowed from the hand of the Creator, all reality originally was in right-relationship with the Creator; all creation was tsadaq with the Creator. Far from a contemporary usage and understanding of ‘justice,’ biblical justice is first and foremost about living life relationally as well as each relationship in its proper place, a relationship that ruptured into disorder with the advent of sin.

Yet as Genesis makes clear in that protoevangelical verse (3:15), help is on the way to heal the rupture and disorder humanity caused.
In the translation proclaimed this Sunday, that healing is “victory (יְשׁוּעָה, yshuwʿah).” Yshuwʿah, like so many Hebrew words, is grounded in a root word and in this case it is (יָשַׁע, yashaʿ). Yashaʿ is the Hebrew root from which many of the “salvation” words are derived in Sacred Scripture. While later usage of yashaʿ will include aspects of ‘healing’ and ‘restoration,’ the original usage of yashaʿ is ‘grounded’ in Ancient Near Eastern understanding of ‘land.’ In that world, land was never owned. Purchasing land and receiving legal title or deed to the land is a much later historical development. Initially, land was a gift, a gift that was ‘wide, broad and spacious (yashaʿ).’ How is it that this word yashaʿ, which is all about wide, broad and spacious land, come to mean “victory” or “salvation?” For the ancients, to live on a ‘wide, broad, and spacious land’ meant to have all the necessary resources to live. Land that was ‘wide, broad and spacious’ would have a better chance of access to water, sufficient room to farm and to herd as well as the ability to protect oneself and family. When all of these resources were present, one lived yashaʿ, one lived “victory,” one lived the life of salvation.

Once again, the central event of Christianity and the core message of this Year of Faith rings through these Biblical texts. Yashaʿ, while the root of the words that provide Biblical “victory” and “salvation,” yashaʿ is the Hebrew root for the Divine Name, Jesus! No longer “victory” and “salvation” grounded in land that is wide, broad and spacious, salvation is the right-relationship (tsadaq) with the Divine Person Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God Who walked the land of earth. Being in relationship with Jesus Who blesses one with the Gift of being “My Delight ... My Espoused” is both an event of victory and healing, a living of salvation. Far from a perceived notion of mindless, heartless, obligatory living of a moral code divorced from a Person and laced with images of ‘doing good to earn heaven,’ Christian salvation is about the Person Jesus Who desires to encounter, to befriend and to love us. The ‘moral code,’ those ways of thinking, speaking and acting are rooted in a response to Him as a Person within a relationship of love. One avoids sin and seeks His Face and His Kingdom way of living not because of a whimsical edict, but because of a graced-movement of the heart and intellect that desires the Truth of Divine Love. One lives this “Way” because of love, Divine Love revealed and embodied in a Person, Jesus.

Tuesday, Time through the Year, Week 1.

The Martyrs’ Project

If you think that martyrs are relegated to the pages of ancient history, it is well worth taking a look at the work of Duane Arnold and Michael Bell, along with their conversations with Bishop Christopher Coyne.

The Martyrs’s project website and podcasts.

Monday, Time Through the Year, Week 1

From the letter to the Corinthians by Saint Clement I, Pope

The Word of God on high, fountain of wisdom

For his chosen ones scattered throughout the world, we shall make our constant prayer to the Creator of the universe. May he allow none of them to fall away, but preserve them all through his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, through whom he called us out of darkness into light, out of ignorance to the knowledge of his glorious name.

Give us grace, Lord, to hope in your Name, to which all creatures owe their being. Open the eyes of our heart to know you alone, the Most High in the highest heavens, the holy One, whose dwelling is in the holy. You abase the arrogance of the proud, frustrate the designs of the godless, exalt the lowly and humble the lofty. You give men wealth and take it away; you slay them, save them and give them new life. Alone the Benefactor of spirits and God of all flesh, your gaze penetrates the depths, you observe the doings of men. Helper of those in peril, Savior of those in despair, you created and still keep watch over all that draws breath. You cause the peoples on the earth to multiply, and from them all choose those who love you through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him you have instructed us, sanctified us, honored us.

Lord, we entreat you to help us. Come to the aid of the afflicted, pity the lowly, raise up the fallen, show your face to the needy, heal the sick, convert the wayward, feed the hungry, deliver the captives, support the weak, encourage the fainthearted. Let all nations know that you alone are God; Jesus Christ is your Son, and we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.

Lord, you created the world according to the eternal decree now revealed in your works. Faithful throughout all generations, you are just in judgment, wonderful in power and majesty. You formed your creation with wisdom, established it with prudence. Everything we see proclaims your goodness. You are kind and compassionate, and never fail those who put their trust in you. Forgive us for our failings and for our sins.

Do not hold all the transgressions of your servants against them, but purify us by your truth, and so guide our footsteps that by walking in holiness and justice and simplicity of heart we may do what is good and pleasing in your sight and in the sight of our leaders.

Lord, let the light of your face shine upon us, so that we may enjoy your blessings in peace, protected by your strong hand, and freed from all sin by your outstretched arm; and deliver us from those who hate us unjustly.

Give peace and concord to us and to all mankind, even as you gave it to our ancestors when they devoutly called upon you in faith and truth. Lord, you alone are able to bestow these and even greater benefits upon us. We praise you through Jesus Christ, our high priest and the champion of our souls. Through him be glory and majesty to you now and throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

Baptism of the Lord, Feast. Words of THE WORD

ANTIPHON

After the Lord was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: this is my Beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleaced. (Matthew 3:16-17)

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God,
Who, when Christ had been baptized
in the River Jordan and
as the Holy Spirit descended upon Him,
solemnly declared Him your beloved Son,
grant that your children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

“The Lord will bless his people with peace (Psalm 29: 11).”

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant (עַבְד ʿebed) whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
(Isaiah 42:1-4)”

REFLECTION

Tradition numbers them at four and names them variously as “Songs of the Servant,” “Suffering Servant Songs” or the “Servant Songs,” to cite only three examples. Contained in chapters 42, 49, 50 and 52-53 of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the precise identity of the person (or persons, although servant is singular in these text) is unknown which has given rise to many theories and insights throughout the centuries. While certainly significant within the Jewish experience and Canon of Sacred Scripture, Christian reflection on these prophetic texts have seen deep Christological meaning involving not only Jesus’ Mission but also His self-identity.

Writing in the later part of the fourth century, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus wrote in his Theological Oration: On the Son: “Next is the fact of his being called Servant and serving many well, and that it is a great thing for him to be called the Child of God. For in truth he was in servitude to flesh and to birth and to the conditions of our life with a view to our liberation, and to that of all those whom he has saved, who were in bondage under sin. What greater destiny can befall humanity’s humble state than that it should be intermingled with God and by this intermingling should be deified, and that we should be so visited by the Dayspring from on high, that even that holy thing that should be born should be called the Son of the Highest, and that there should be bestowed on him a name that is above every name? And what else can this be than God? – And that every knee should bow to him that was made of no reputation for us, and that mingled the form of God with the form of a servant, and that “all the house of Israel should know that God has made him both Lord and Christ”? For all this was done by the action of the Begotten and by the good pleasure of him that begat him.”

Once again the richness of the biblical languages contributes to deeper insights of the Sacred Text. No doubt, images and meanings of a servant come to mind. Yet in Isaiah’s day, the root for the word servant (עֶבֶד ʿebed) is derived from עָבַד (ʿabad) which has broad meanings including “to serve,” “to worship (the same verb is used in Exodus when Moses asks Pharaoh to let the people go that they may worship the Lord in the desert),” and “to till the ground (the same verb is used in Genesis 2 to describe the uniqueness of human labor).” While עֶבֶד (ʿebed) does express the reality of ‘being bonded to another’ or ‘working in the service or employ of another person,’ fundamentally עֶבֶד (ʿebed) is about work, and interestingly the ‘work’ of tilling the earth.

On this Feast of our Lord’s Baptism, the first of Isaiah’s “Servant Songs” is most helpful in gaining insight into a primal Gospel question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ While images, perceptions and expectations of a first-century Messiah tended to focus more on a military leader, Jesus’ Self-presentation to the crowds who followed Him was that of a servant in the sense of Isaiah’s usage. His was consistently the life of one ‘bonded to another’ – His heavenly Father. Throughout His ministry, Jesus continuously pointed “the way” to His Father and His Father’s way of living: the Kingdom of God. As Son, faithful to His Father’s Mission, Jesus tilled the soil of the human heart that each may receive the water of the Holy Spirit that washes us clean from sin that our relationship with the Father may deepen and mature. As Son, Jesus faithfully lives a life of worship, dependent upon His Father for everything and giving His Father praise and glory in all that He during His life among us then and now.

The Epiphany of the Lord, Solemnity.

ANTIPHON

Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come;
and kingship is in His grasp, and power and dominion. (Mal 5:1 and 1 Chr 29:12)

COLLECT

O God, Who on this day,
revealed Your Only Begotten Son to the nations
by the guidance of a star,
grant in Your mercy
that we, who know You already by faith,
may be brought to behold
the beauty of Your sublime glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in
the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. (72: 11).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship (οἰκονομίαν, oikonomian) of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery (μυστήριον, musterion)
was made known (ἐγνωρίσθη egnoristhe) to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-6)”

REFLECTION

And now for something completely different … somewhat. The yearly festival of Epiphany seems to generate the same question set year in, year out. Even a quick search in Google or a sampling of any number of blogs devoted to Sacred Scripture will yield questions such as, ‘What exactly was the star’s astronomical position?’ ‘Who are the magi – (a good one as history provides ample evidence for studying this question in at least 4 specific directions [check last year’s blog entry])?’ ‘What happened to the gifts when the travelers from the East left?’ Responses to these and a number of other questions generate a varied intensity and a range of passion that engages some and turns others off. This is why another approach, something somewhat different might help with this Solemnity’s Sacred Texts. The approach is taken from Origen of Alexandria († 254), one of the Christianity’s greatest thinkers and interpreters of Sacred Scripture, who often said, ‘Let Scripture interpret Scripture.’ In other words, from a Liturgical point of view the Church ‘groups’ various texts together to form essentially a singular proclamation of the Word, a Word Who became flesh for the sake of our salvation. When the Sunday Proclamation is approached in this manner, the listener realizes that at the bottom line, the Word is leading me to a deeper knowledge of the Person Jesus (Christology) and the consequent action of how I am to follow Him as a member of His Body willing to be changed (Discipleship). Salvation grounded in and made possible by the Person Jesus Who calls me to follow Him through a life of daily conversion is what the Magi are all about. It is what Isaiah, the Psalms and Saint Paul are all about. How are these connections made? ‘Let Scripture interpret Scripture’ – and this Sunday, let Saint Paul be the guide.

In his Letter to the Christians at Ephesus, Saint Paul speaks of stewardship (οἰκονομίαν, oikonomian), mystery (μυστήριον, musterion) and [making] known (ἐγνωρίσθη egnoristhe). These 3 terms offer guidance into the Person Jesus, how to follow and the gift of Salvation that are vital for anyone attempting to live the life of Jesus Christ.

Among a few ways in which Saint Paul views his life, this section from Ephesians centers on stewardship. Many readers probably have heard the word stewardship and no doubt many have heard it as nothing more than a ruse for increasing Church contributions. Biblically, the English word stewardship translates the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) which is also the origin of the English word economy. The Greek word οἰκονομία is actually a compound of οἰκος (oikos, meaning “house” or “home”) and νόμος (nomos, meaning “law as in a proper way of living”). In short, οἰκονομία means “household order” or the “good functioning and living of family life.” As all of us know, family living requires order so that the lives of all within the home may mature and flourish. “Home order” essentially requires an approach to life that is relational: knowing and living that I am connected to all in the family and that family life cannot be about “me” nor can family life revolve around the great and almighty “me.” By definition, the “proper way of home living” requires sacrifice, anticipating the needs of one another and prudence (the virtue that helps “me” to stop having to have the last word, even though “I” am right, of course!). From a Pauline perspective, this order is vital because it provides the environment for the “mystery” “to be made known” and for this it is imperative to have a proper understanding of “mystery” from a biblical and theological perspective.

Admittedly, the word mystery gets thrown around quite easily in religious conversation. For many, it almost seems as a ‘catechetical life line’ – when I do not know an answer, mystery not only works but also excuses me from any further work, study and contemplation. Sloth (laziness) wins again! While there certainly is a dimension of mystery that accepts the reality of the unknown, its usage in the Scriptures and in the theological economy (household order) is not first and foremost about the unknown. μυστήριον (mysterion) as used in early Christianity is first and foremost an ‘unfolding of Who is known.’ In other words, μυστήριον (especially as it will be used to speak of Sacraments and the Church) presupposes a connection, a relationship – an encounter with the Person Jesus. He is known through the baptismal gift of Faith; Faith that essentially expresses the relationship Jesus has with a person and all persons. This relationship is meant to unfold (a key word in a proper understanding of μυστήριον), deepen and mature through the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in one’s life and one’s willingness to embrace the daily Cross of ongoing conversion.

But a word of caution is necessary here. When μυστήριον grounds Christian living in the ‘unfolding of Who is known,’ known does not refer to ‘a piece of knowledge.’ Known is not a mindless, rote catechism ‘answer’ to the question “Who is Jesus?” The mystery that “was made known (ἐγνωρίσθη egnoristhe)” is knowledge that is experiential. One knows mystery in the sense of experience; in other words a person experiences mystery. ἐγνωρίσθη (egnoristhe) as Saint Paul uses the verb here, comes from a family of Greek verbs rooted in the verb γινώσκω (ginosko). There are a few Greek verbs that are easily translated into English as “to know.” Many of these verbs convey the sense of ‘acquiring information or knowledge for a particular purpose.’ γινώσκω (ginosko) is in a league all of its own when it comes to ‘knowledge.’ γινώσκω is the knowledge of love. γινώσκω is the experience of other person as person inviting me to live relationally. γινώσκω is an experience of the other that goes to the very core of one’s being and moves one to change, growth and love. Countless episodes in the Gospels alone record disciples ‘coming to know’ Jesus, for example Luke 24:35, “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” “Was made known” is a life-altering event for the disciples and it is the same verb, γινώσκω.

So where does all of this leave us on the Solemnity of the Epiphany? With our friends, the travelers from the East, Epiphany is not just an annual celebration but also an event – an opportunity and a time for Jesus “to be made known” in our lives. Like the Magi who entered the house, Epiphany summons us to the “House of the Lord” wherein we discover an order, a harmony – a proper way of living that disposes us to encounter the Person Jesus. In the Face of such a person, we drop to our knees, we lie prostrate in adoration, wonder, awe and worship knowing (γινώσκω) the Person before us is our Savior Who desires nothing other that to heal, to save and to love each of us as His Father’s precious little-one. What more can we do that give Him the gift of our lives?

5 January. Saint John Neumann (Feast in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia)

COLLECT

O God,

Who called the Bishop Saint John Neumann,

renowned for his charity and pastoral service,

to shepherd your people in America,

grant by his intercession that,

as we foster the Christian education of youth

and are strengthened by the
witness of brotherly love,

we may constantly increase the
family of your Church.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity

of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. (Psalm 100: 2).

From a letter to Cardinal Barnabo by John Neumann, bishop

I have labored with all my powers to fulfill the duties of my office

Indeed, I have apparently delayed too long in writing to the Holy See the letter promised by the Archbishop of Baltimore in the name of the council. However, this delay was not without reason. For the council was scarcely finished and I was discussing the division of Diocese of Philadelphia and my translation to a new see with one of the Fathers of the council, when the Father intimated to me [that he did not know] whether that could more probably be hoped for, since the Holy See thought that I would resign from the episcopate, or wished to resign. In the same way when the Archbishop of Baltimore informed me of the designation of a coadjutor, he added that in the event that I should persevere in the desire to resign, the Holy See would permit me to give the title of the ecclesiastical property to the same coadjutor.

I was no little disturbed by the fear that I had done something that so displeased the Holy Father that my resignation would appear desirable to him. If this be the case, I am prepared without any hesitation to leave the episcopacy. I have taken this burden out of obedience, and I have labored with all my powers to fulfill the duties of my office, and with God’s help, as I hope, not without fruit. When the care of temporal things weighed upon my mind and it seemed to me that my character was little suited for the very cultured world of Philadelphia, I made known to my fellow bishops during the Baltimore council of 1858 that it seemed opportune to me to request my translation to one or the other see that was to be erected (namely in the City of Pottsville or in Wilmington, North Carolina). But to give up the episcopal career never entered my mind, although I was conscious of my unworthiness and ineptitude; for things had not come to such a pass that I had one or the other reason out of the six for which a bishop could safely ask the Holy Father permission to resign. For a long time I have doubted what should be done….

Although my coadjutor has proposed to me that he would take the new see if it is erected, I have thought it much more opportune and I have asked the Fathers that he be appointed to the See of Philadelphia, since he is much more highly endowed with facility and alacrity concerning the administration of temporal things. Indeed, I am much more accustomed to the country, and will be able to care for the people and faithful living in the mountains, in the coal mines and on the farms, since I would be among them.

If, however, it should be displeasing to His Holiness to divide the diocese, I am, indeed, prepared either to remain in the same condition in which I am at present, or if God so inspires His Holiness to give the whole administration of the diocese to the Most Reverend James Wood, I am equally prepared to resign from the episcopate and to go where I may more securely prepare myself for death and for the account which must be rendered to the Divine Justice.

I desire nothing but to fulfill the wish of the Holy Father whatever it may be.”

With the prayers and intercession of Saint John Neumann, kindly offer a prayer today for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and our current shepherd, Archbishop Charles Chaput.

Saint John Neumann, pray for us!

2 January, Commemoration of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus

O God,

Who were pleased to give light to Your Church

by the example and teaching

of the Bishops Saints Basil and Gregory,

grant, we pray,

that in humility we may learn Your Truth

and practice it faithfully in charity.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever. Amen

With this Collect the Church commemorates the lives of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus. Both were very good friends and studied together in Athens long before becoming bishops. Their lives in the Church played out in the middle to late fourth century in the region of Cappadocia (now modern day Turkey), hence they are often referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. However, in the Latin Rite, this commemoration is actually ‘2/3 Cappadocian Feast Day.’ Basil’s younger brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, is not reckoned on the Latin Rite calendar … yet (I am holding out hope for this day to eventually include ‘younger brother.’)

Basil, given the title “Great,” brought strong administrative and theological skills to his shepherding ministry as bishop. He is credited with establishing the communal form of monasticism in Eastern Christianity and establishing the first institutional operation of Church charity along with a hospital. Basil saw prayer, charity and healing as imperatives for the pastoral life of the Church because these were essential actions in the life of Jesus. Among Basil’s writings is his famous On the Holy Spirit in which he defends the Personhood and Divinity of Holy Spirit against the teachings and writings of Eunomius and others. Eunomius was a contemporary of Basil (as well as Gregory and Gregory) who vociferously taught and wrote against the distinctiveness of Divine Personhood claiming that ‘God’ is simply known by actions or functions: creating, redeeming and sanctifying and not the Names expressive of oneness, distinctiveness and Pershonhood: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Eunomius’ teaching so gripped many places that the Baptismal formula morphed to baptism in the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier – an abuse and an error that the Council of Constantinople addressed and rectified in 381.

Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil’s close friend, bears the title “The Theologian” and sometimes also “The Poet.” While definitely more subdued in personality to the impressive and at times larger-than-life Basil, Gregory longed for the solitude of the monastery. He wrote of his own reluctance to accept priestly ordination and with that writing penned numerous pieces on pertinent theological and pastoral questions. 5 of those treatises are known as the “Theological Orations” as they dealt with Trinitarian Personhood against the writings of Eunomius.

Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s younger brother, is known as “The Mystic.” Initially very reluctant to embrace Christianity and not blessed with the administrative skills of older brother Basil, Gregory of Nyssa came into his own after Basil’s rather untimely death at the age of 49. Gregory ended up providing theological depth to much of Basil’s initiatives. While early in his episcopal career many thought he was simply ‘completing’ or ‘building on’ Basil’s thought, Gregory soon proved to be a gifted speculative theological thinker who simultaneously sought to make connections with living a spiritual (actually virtuous, as it was termed then) life that disposed one to the transformation of the Holy Spirit. He too penned a voluminous work against Eunomius and also numerous works on the spiritual life. Among some of his more famous works are On the Making of Man (a great work on theological anthropology), The Great Catechetical Oration (among the first ‘catechisms’ ever written and used in the Eastern Church well into the 15th century), the Life of Moses, the Homilies on the Song of Songs, Homilies on the Beatitudes, Orations on the Lord’s Prayer, to name only a few all of which  offer deep insights into the spiritual life). Indebted to Origen of Alexandria for his pioneering work on biblical interpretation, Gregory wove together both the literal and spiritual senses of Sacred Scripture to express a pastoral and theological approach to life known as epektasis: a continuous being-drawn by the Holy Spirit to live the life of Jesus Christ culminating in eternal life with God the Father.

The Cappadocian Fathers lived in a time of theological passion and a time that was replete with all kinds of theological confusion and heretical movements, some of which were grounded in ‘hurt pride’ and an inability to humbly receive the Church’s teachings. Gregory of Nyssa captured a glimpse of this passion in an introduction to one of his works:

“A city [Constantinople] full of profound theological disputes, everyone talking and preaching in the squares, in the market places, at the crossroads, in the alleyways: old clothes men, money-changers, costermongers: they are all at it. If you ask a man to change a piece of silver, he informs you wherein the Son differs from the Father; and if you ask for the price of a loaf, you are told by the way of reply that the Son is the inferior of the Father; and if you inquire whether the bath is ready, the man solemnly informs you that the Son was made out of nothing! (Oratio de Deitate Filii et Spiritus Sancti (PG XLVI, 557: 20-28)”

The Cappadocians knew proper worship, theology and expressions of the Divine Mystery were indispensable for authentic Christian living. Their preaching, teaching and writing - at times very technical and highly nuanced - were always placed at the service of concrete virtuous living that mirrored Jesus Christ. One of their many theological legacies is that mystery and teachings are not about the abstract or ethereal, rather they are about a way of living. This way of living is about always being drawn-up to contemplate and to live divinely. The saintly Nyssian bishop summed it up well: “Let faith thunder loud and pure in the proclamation of the Most Holy Trinity and may life imitate the fruit of the pomegranate!”

On this day, I express gratitude for one of a number of mentors in my life, Fr Ambrogio Eszer, OP who directed by doctoral studies in the Fathers of the Church and my dissertation on Saint Gregory of Nyssa. Fr. Eszer himself had studied under the great patristic scholar, Fr Irene Hausher and I am grateful for the many conversations in which Fr Eszer ‘handed-on’ the great patristic legacy of the Church. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace, AMEN!

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

From today’s First Reading

The LORD bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!