Words of the Word

Voices ever ancient, ever new. Feast of the Holy Innocents 2013.

“Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” (Matthew 2:17-18)

In an ancient work known as the Incomplete Work on Matthew, an anonymous ancient Christian writer offers the following insight on these verses from today’s Gospel:

“A voice was heard in Ramah.” Ramah was Saul’s city. Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the son of Rachel, whose memorial was near Bethlehem, where these wicked deeds were done. Therefore, since the babies were killed in Bethlehem, where there is a monument to Rachel, this is why Rachel is described as weeping. What he meant by “weeping” is revealed as the tears of the infants; what he meant by “wailing” is shown to be the lamenting of the mothers. For the babies wept because they were separated from their mothers. The mothers wept because they were bereft of their children, as if their insides were being torn from them. And it is possible to see greater grief in the mothers who remained behind than in the dying babies. For the children suffered a single moment of grief, because they had been separated from their mothers, not because they were being led out to death. For they did not yet possess a fear of death. The mothers, however, experienced twofold suffering: in the first place, they saw their own babies being killed; in the second place, they were themselves bereft of their children. For the children, death brought a blessed end to their grief. For the mothers, however, the memory of their babies continually renewed their grief.” (Homily 2)

O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed
and proclaimed on this day,
not by speaking but by dying,
grant, we pray,
that the faith in you which we confess with our lips
may also speak through our manner of life.
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.

Glory to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

Voices ever ancient, ever new. Saint John, Evangelist 2013.

“Be a Peter or a John;
Hasten to the sepulcher,
Running together,
Running against one another,
Vying in the noble race.
And even if you are beaten in speed,
Win the victory of showing
who wants it more
Not just looking into the tomb,
but going in.”

(On Holy Easter, Oration 45)

This poem is an excerpt from a larger work by Saint Gregory Nazianzus, known in patristic studies as ‘the Poet’ and ‘the Theologian.’ This poem is grounded in the following verse from today’s Mass Readings:

“They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first ...” (John 20:4)

O God,
Who through the blessed Apostle John
have unlocked for us the secrets of Your Word,
grant, we pray,
that we may grasp with proper understanding
what he has so marvelously brought to our ears.
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.

On this feast of Saint John, Evangelist and Apostle, consider some sacred study about the Gospel according to Saint John. Click here for the “Introduction” to this Gospel from the New American Bible, Revised edition. Click here for a reflection on Saint John given by Pope-Emeritus Benedict in August 2006.

Glory to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

Voices ever ancient, ever new. Saint Stephen 2013.

“... and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56)

In commenting upon this verse from today’s Mass Readings, Saint Bede the Venerable writes:

“Since Christ the Lord was the perfect son of both God and man, why is it that the blessed martyr preferred to call him the “Son of man” rather than the Son of God? It would seem that he could have offered him greater glory if he had chosen to call him the Son of God rather than the Son of man—unless by this testimony the infidelity of the Jews could be confounded, for they remembered that they had crucified a man and that they had not chosen to believe that he was God. Therefore, to strengthen the blessed martyr’s endurance the doors of the heavenly kingdom are opened and, so that the innocent man being stoned may not stumble to the ground, the crucified God-man appears crowned in heaven. Hence, because to stand is proper to one who does battle or to one who gives help, he fittingly saw standing at God’s right hand the one whom he had as [his] helper among the men who were persecuting him. And it does not seem inconsistent that Mark describes him as sitting at God’s right hand, which is the posture of judging, for “now he judges all things” invisibly, and “at the end he will come” as the visible “judge of all.” (Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, 7)

Grant, Lord, we pray,
that we may imitate what we worship,
and so learn to love even our enemies,
for we celebrate the heavenly birthday
of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors.
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.

Glory to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

Words of THE WORD: The “senses” of the Incarnation

One of the many gifts of being human is the way reality impacts each of us through the senses, particularly at this time of the year. Our five senses get a workout today and throughout the days of Christmas. No matter where we go, the sights, smells, sounds, touches and tastes - unique and special to this time of the year - draw us into the beauty and power of Jesus’ birth.

Seeing the lights and gifts - all sizes, types and colors - dazzle our eyes and capture our hearts and minds with memories of Christmases past and present, not to mention the giddy excitement so characteristic of Christmas morning.

Smelling the fragrances of Christmas trees, evergreens, and a cooking Christmas dinner hit our noses and remind us that this is the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Hearing the sounds of the season, perhaps oddly heard in stores, on radio, cable and Internet since November (if not earlier), shape a new attitude within us. We want to hear the cherished carols that sing the Season’s uniqueness. To sing them in Church is a great bonus for today and all the days of the Christmas Season up to an including the Baptism of the Lord.

Feeling the hugs and kisses, even from those distant relatives whose name challenges our memory, seem so natural. We learn once again that these loving gestures can begin the work of healing damaged, hurt or strained relationships.

Tasting the treats of Christmas, whether the meticulously prepared abbondanza or treats from one’s favorite bakery or family pastry chef, fills us with food and so much more. Even though Christmas dinner takes some time to finish, there is something happening ‘at the table.’

On this festival of Jesus’ birth, He reminds us that as a Divine Person, He knows first-hand what it means to see, to smell, to hear, to touch and to taste. Jesus knows these blessings not just because He is God but because He lived AND experienced each of them in living among us: God-in-the flesh. And so, on the festival of His birth, Jesus reminds us:

I AM the light of the world (John 8:12-20). Jesus stands against the sights and lights that compete for our attention to draw us into the darkness of sin and addiction. The only sight and light that can fill guide our lives is Jesus, particularly the crucified Jesus who willingly gave Himself up to death, death on a Cross for our salvation (Philippians 2:6-11).

As a baby, Jesus received the gift of frankincense (Matthew 2:1-12) – the fragrant offering of the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141). In serving God the Father, Jesus teaches the lesson of proper worship (John 4). Worship of our God and Father directs the course of life and helps to prevent attitudes of entitlement and selfishness.

I AM the Word (John 1:1-18). There is much noise in our lives and in our world. One Word alone is sufficient: Jesus – the enfleshed Word of God. In stillness (Psalm 46) we listen to the One Word Who is the Beloved Son (Mark 1:9-11) and do everything that He tells us (Matthew chapters 5 through 7 and 25:31-45).

I AM the healing touch (John 1:14) Throughout His Ministry, Jesus healed our brokenness by fully embracing human nature. His hands touch our ailments and not only healed us, but raised us to new life (Mark 1:29-45).

I AM the Bread of Life (John 6) placed, when born, in a feeding trough to be food for all. (Luke 2) The food consumed in the Garden poisoned life and severely harmed our relationship with the Divine Persons. The One Who is food Himself beckons us to taste and see (Psalm 34) that we may recognize Him in the “breaking of The Bread.” (Luke 24:13-35).

Voices ever ancient, ever new. Nativity of our Lord, Jesus Christ 2013.

A child is born for us,

and a son is given to us;
his scepter of power rests upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called
Messenger of great counsel.

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

Saint Augustine of Hippo offers the following insight on this verse from today’s Gospel:

“What you can see here, dearly beloved, on the table of the Lord, is bread and wine; but this bread and wine, when the word is applied to it, becomes the Body and Blood of the Word. That Lord, you see, Who “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” was so compassionate that He did not despise what He had created in His own image; and therefore “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” as you know. Because, yes, the very Word took to Himself a man, that is, the soul and flesh of a man, and became man while remaining God. For that reason, because He also suffered for us, He also presented us in this sacrament with His Body and Blood, and this is what He made even us ourselves into as well." (Sermon 229)

O God,
Who wonderfully created
the dignity of human nature
and still more wonderfully restored it,
grant, we pray,
that we may share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen!

The Birth of the Rebel, Jesus

The sounds are characteristic of the Season. As soon as the melody of any number of Christmas carols chime, the lyrics fill our minds and once again remind us of the uniqueness of ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ Occasionally a song comes along that we have not heard and we ask, ‘Is this a Christmas song?’ Back in the 1970’s, composer and musician Jackson Browne wrote “The Rebel Jesus” and it appeared on the Chieftans’ Christmas album, “The Bells of Dublin” a decade later. Consider the following stanzas:

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I’ve no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.

Jesus, a rebel? Let’s face it, it is not one of the words we typically use to describe the Person and His work, especially at this time of the Year. Many of our images of Jesus unfortunately have ‘tamed’ or ‘domesticated’ Him into being nothing more than a nice man who looks like one of the Bee Gees and taught people to be nice. (Consider a previous post on the nostalgia of the manger.) We have lost the ‘sting’ that much of His teaching brought to humanity and as such we have refashioned a Jesus Who is comfortable and easy-going. With a refashioned Jesus even the celebration of His Nativity has been re-written. ‘Christmas is (fill in the blank). Christmas is for (fill in the blank).’

The reality is that no other person in recorded history has left such a mark on humanity. His birth, while legitimately celebrated with family, friends, gifts, food and good cheer, is actually a most inconvenient event for humanity. Why is Jesus’ birth an inconvenience? Essentially, His birth challenges the status quo of self-serving entitlement and mediocrity calling us to take a stand as He in fact did throughout His life with and among us.

Biblically, “to rebel” is not always a bad action. In the languages of both Testaments, “to rebel” means “to stand for, to stand with” or “to stand against.” Is this not precisely what Jesus the Rebel did when He walked the Earth? Throughout His ministry, He continuously “stood for” doing His Father’s will. Doing the Father’s will is adoring, worshipping and living in right-relationship with God our Father, each other and all of creation. It is “standing for” the Father’s will in all things, not just the issues or actions I choose. It is “standing for” the right actions that reverences life, feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless and consoles the sorrowing, to name only a few (see Matthew 25:31-45 for more). The Rebel Jesus “stands with” His people, never abandoning them in times of difficulty or adversity. The Rebel Jesus ‘runs into’ situations to be with the suffering and sorrowing, not running away to seek individual relief and comfort. The Rebel Jesus most inconveniently “stands against” sin, oppression, selfishness and arrogance expressed in any form that demeans the dignity and sacredness of the human person. The Rebel Jesus challenges structures of society – both civil and religious – when authority is abused to make one’s life comfortable at the expense of another.

In many of his addresses, Pope Francis has exhorted all of us to permit Jesus to find each of us in the encounter He desires. As God, he took on a full, complete human nature in all things but sin so that we in turn may be free from sin and live as sons and daughters of our Loving Father. What a Gift we have been given in His birth, a birth that challenges us to be rebels like Him in standing for His Kingdom and His way of living. May this Christmas be the moment to act ‘for, and with’ Jesus; and ‘against’ everything that is not of Him.

Voices ever ancient, ever new. Advent: 24 December 2013.

“... rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:74-75)

In commenting upon these verse from today’s Mass Readings, Origen of Alexandria writes:

“Deliverance from our enemies.” We should not think that this means corporeal enemies, but rather spiritual ones. For the Lord Jesus came, “mighty in battle,” to destroy all our enemies and free us from their snares, namely, from the hand of all our enemies “and from the hand of all who hate us.” “To bring about mercy for our fathers.” I believe that, when our Lord came, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were blessed with God’s mercy. Previously they had seen his day and rejoiced. It is not believable that they did not profit from the later, when he came and was born of a virgin. And why do I speak of the patriarchs? I will boldly follow the authority of the Scriptures to higher planes, for the presence of the Lord Jesus and his work benefited not only what is earthly but also what is heavenly. Therefore the apostle too says, “Making peace by the blood of his cross, whether on earth or in heaven.” But if the Lord’s presence was beneficial in heaven and on earth, why do you hesitate to say that his coming also benefited our ancestors? What Scripture said is fulfilled, “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham,” to grant us deliverance “without fear from the hand of our enemies.” (Homilies on the Gospel of Luke, 10)

Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus,
and do not delay,
that those who trust in your compassion
may find solace and relief in your coming.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Glory to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!