The Preaching of Jesus in the Nazarean Synagogue (II), the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers: 

     Today’s Gospel, one filled with symbolism, compels me to contemplate the opposite notions of “rejection” and “inclusion.”  In St. Luke’s account of the preaching of Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth (see Luke 4:21-30), we see that at first his listeners “spoke highly of him” and were “amazed at his gracious words,” but that even so they were doubtful about the good reputation that had preceded him there.

     Sensing their incredulousness, Jesus compares them to the unfaithful people who lived during the times of the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha; those people, considered to be “God’s chosen ones,” should have been open to the message of the prophets but instead were not.  Because those “religious people” were in fact not faithful, Elijah went on to relieve instead the hunger of a gentile “widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon” while Elisha cured instead the gentile leper “Naaman the Syrian.”

     The implication of this comparison would have been very clear to the people in that synagogue at Nazareth: Jesus was telling them that they actually lacked true faith, and that others who were not of “his native place,” and who would have been considered to be “unworthy,” were better suited to receive God’s favor and graces.  St. Luke tells us that the people in the synagogue were then “filled with fury” and rejected Jesus because his words.

     This event reveals to us that Jesus was first called to preach to his own people, and then after many would reject him, he was destined to take the message of salvation to the rest of the world–to the gentiles of every land and nation.  The gentiles are our own ancestors, and by inheritance, most of us who come to church today!  It should also be noted that the behavior of the people of Nazareth paralleled the subsequent and initial enthusiasm of those “religious people” who triumphantly welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem but who then later rejected him because of his message of inclusion and salvation for all people.

     The “fury” and murderous intent of the people of Nazareth is comparable to the actions of those “religious people” who eventually did arrest him, scourge him at the pillar, and put him to death on a cross.  Jesus had preached a message of inclusion, and therefore found himself rejected–and thus able to show solidarity with all people who could be thought to be “unworthy of God’s love.”  Because of this, I believe the original and faithful followers of Jesus, his disciples and the Apostles who were truly “religious people,” understood it to be their mission to preach the Gospel to every land and people–to both the gentiles and to those who had already and always been faithful to those prophets of old.

     The clear message of today’s Gospel is that with the beginning of the Messianic ministry of Jesus, faith and salvation became possible for all people of the world.  All people means “all people.”  And so my sisters and brothers, in our own day when we hear of modern-day “gentiles” who are considered by some “religious people” to be unworthy of God’s grace and love, let us recall the words of Jesus concerning the widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon, and Naaman the Syrian.

     May we not be “filled with fury” when we find out that such people, even so-called “sinners,” have a place at God’s table as well.  My friends, I believe our faith is one of “inclusion” and not “rejection.”   Let us admonish and encourage each other with this message of our Gospel! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Preaching of Jesus in the Nazarean Synagogue (I), theThird Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers: 

     As I reflect on the message of today’s Gospel (see Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21), the word “authority” comes to my mind.  In the first part of the Gospel, St. Luke confidently explains his purpose and the authority he had for writing his Testament.  Later, in the same reading, we find that St. Luke portrays a Jesus who unquestioningly pronounced his Messianic authority by the way he preached in the Nazarean synagogue about himself, and in reference to the Old Testament Scriptures.

     It’s no coincidence that our Church begins this “Ordinary Time” of the year with these reminders of Scriptural and Messianic authority.  As Christians, and as member of the Church, we strive and hope to give assent to both!  When we contemplate today’s Gospel, we can then reflect upon our own lives of faith, and the confidence we place in this Jesus who is our Messiah; we also have trust for the words of the Scriptures and the way they teach us how to follow him.

     When Jesus revealed to the people who he was, he boldly quoted Scriptures and the words of the Prophet Isaiah as he proclaimed that he had come to serve the needy . . . “to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . to proclaim liberty to captives . . . to give sight to the blind . . . to let the oppressed go free . . . and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2).  Because of our Christian faith, we understand that Jesus certainly has the power and the authority to do just these things.  We also understand that because we are now his followers, we likewise share in his mission to serve other people and to accomplish these things during our own lives.  Isn’t it true that there are many authoritative passages from the Scriptures that challenge and empower us with this message?

     And so my brothers and sisters, by the way we live our lives, may we be effective witnesses to the power and authority of Jesus himself.  It is he who always serves others, and he who is our Lord and Messiah!  As in the days when Jesus walked the face of the earth, may the Scriptures always enlighten us and guide us in the ways of our faith.  And of course, may we always respect the teaching authority of our Church as we put our faith into practice.  Together may we faithfully discern the authoritative words of the Scriptures and the message about Jesus contained therein!

     Let us thank our God for the powerful witness and authority of St. Luke and all of those who contributed to the writing and to the compilation of the Scriptures.  And may we as individuals and as a community remain dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ who by his Messianic authority always demands that we place ourselves in service to those who are most needy!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Wedding Feast at Cana, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     I find it most interesting that Jesus is recorded to have performed his first public miracle at a banquet–in this case, a wedding feast!  Most of us enjoy getting together with others for parties to celebrate baby showers, birthdays, baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, sweet-sixteens, graduations, job promotions, retirements, special holidays, weddings, and the list goes on!

     We usually gather on these occasions because we want to show our love and affection for one another, and especially toward those who might be celebrating important milestones in their lives.  Can’t we say that parties are essentially celebrations of life itself?  Because Jesus was born into this world, was one of us and shared completely in our humanity, there can be no doubt that he enjoyed celebrating the lives of his friends and companions at such moments.

     It doesn’t surprise me that we find a Gospel story in which Jesus participated in a wedding feast, something he happily attended with his mother and some of his closest friends (see John 2:1-11).  Like so many others, it must have been a wonderful party with good food and drink, and lots of joy and cheer!

     But at this particular feast a problem arose when they ran out of wine.  We can just imagine how embarrassed the hosts of the party might have been when they realized they were lacking such an important element to continue the feast.  And so, even though seemingly a bit reluctant when prompted by his mother to do something about it, Jesus showed great compassion and didn’t really hesitate to save the situation.

     I believe this story demonstrates at least two things: first, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ compassion and his desire to serve those who are “needy” in this life (in this case, he did this for the “needy” hosts as well as the guests at the party), and second, the “better wine” symbolically represented who Jesus was as the Messiah.  The water-turned-into-wine became a paradigm for the fullness of new life given to those who have turned to Jesus and away from their “old ways.”  It could be said that those “old ways” were represented by the “inferior wine” noted in the Gospel.  Our lives in Jesus are now a celebration and a sharing in the “new wine,” and all of us are invited to be refreshed by it, and to enjoy it completely!

     What better way to do that than to come together at this feast, at this Mass, at this Eucharistic celebration, and to share in the “heavenly banquet” in which we again and miraculously receive God’s grace and the fullness of life itself.   This banquet is everlasting, and far more significant than any type of earthly party we might attend and celebrate with others!  In this banquet we are empowered by the gift of life given to us by Jesus himself, and in it we sublimely share our love and affection for our God and with and for all of our sisters and brothers.

     May this feast impact every action of our lives today, especially the way in which we follow Jesus and compassionately place our lives in service to others, and may it always fill us with joyful hope for the fullness of future and heavenly glory!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Baptism of the Lord – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

     I don’t have any children of my own, but I’m sure all good fathers and mothers are delighted when their children are happy and successful.  Isn’t it also true that most children want to please their parents and to give them pride and happiness?   Most of us can probably remember a moment when our own parents expressed great satisfaction because we excelled in academics, sports, the arts, and/or with any of life’s challenges and opportunities.  I’m sure those of you who are parents can relate to this idea as well.

     Although not exactly the same thing, the Gospel tells us that God the Father in heaven expressed great pleasure with Jesus after he received the Baptism of John.  Luke wrote: “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (see Luke 3:22b).  Exactly why was the Father so pleased?  I think the answer to this has everything to do with the great humility and unity Jesus demonstrated by being baptized by John.  It seems to me that by receiving baptism Jesus “set the tone” for the ministry for which he was about to begin.  Certainly he did not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins that John had been preaching!  But Jesus did want to show to others that he was one of them–and that in being fully human he too should do as they had done.  Surely this was characteristic of the way he lived out all of his ministry and service to others.

     Jesus was always “a man of the people” and “a humble servant of the needy.”  This is exactly what God the Father had sent him to be.  It seems very pertinent to me then that he would launch his public career by humbling himself to receive John’s baptism at the River Jordan.

     We believe that through our own baptism, we have died to sin, and through it we also share in the promise of new life.  But here, during our mortal lives, we are also called to follow the example of Jesus in all that we do.  As he “humbled himself to share in our humanity,” so too must we believe that we can now “share in his divinity” (cf. 2 Peter 1:3-4).  John the Baptist promised that Jesus would “baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire” (see Luke 3:16).  By this, I believe he meant that Christians would be given all the power they would need to live out their baptismal promises, and this is exactly how they would “share in his divinity.”

     This requires us to serve others just as Jesus has done.  Isn’t this “the Holy Spirit and fire” about which John spoke?  And so, because we are baptized Christians, we are obliged to follow the example of Jesus and to serve those among us who are most needy.  On this point, the idea of forgiving sinners, sharing bread with the hungry, healing the sick, as well as the other “works of mercy” and the like come to my mind.

     When we do such things, then we too will please our Father in heaven, and he will say to each one of us “you are my beloved Child, and with you I am well pleased.”  This is something much greater than the feelings children have when they give joy their parents or the delight such parents have when their children are happy and successful, but certainly there are similarities.

     May each one of us please our Father in heaven by the way that we live out our baptismal promises and by the manner in which we fulfill the demands of our Christian lives!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Epiphany of the Lord, "20+C+M+B+16"

My Sisters and Brothers:

     I love the story of the “Three Wise Men” who came “from the east” (see Matthew 2:1-12).   Although neither their precise number nor their actual names are mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel, tradition tells us that their names were Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior.  It's believed these men were Magi “from the east” who had come from the ancient lands of Media and Persia.  Those same territories now include the countries we know as Iran and Iraq.

     In their homelands, the Magi were highly regarded priests of the Zoroastrian faith.  Although monotheistic, adherents of Zoroastrianism were not Jewish, and therefore they would not have been considered to be members of the “Chosen People of God.”  Mary and Joseph, and all those who shared their Jewish faith in those days, would have considered the “Magi” to be “gentiles” and therefore outside of the Covenant that existed between God and the Chosen People.  This is precisely what makes their visit to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem so very significant.

     It really does not matter specifically that the “Three Kings” followed a star and ended up at the manger in Bethlehem, but what is profound is that they came “from the east.”  It is very significant to us that they were “gentiles” and that they were not Jewish.  Their entrance into the Christmas story therefore tells us something very important about who Jesus is for all of humankind.  Jesus Christ is Messiah for all people of the entire world; the “Three Wise Men” underscore this reality for us (we who are also “gentiles”) as they went to Bethlehem to “do him homage.”  If they were able to do such, then all people from all corners of the earth are invited and encouraged to do the same.  All people, from every land and nation, are now included in the family of God–the incarnation of Jesus, the God-made-flesh, opens a path for every single human being on the face of the earth to now be “People of a New Covenant.”

     May we be always respectful of our Jewish brothers and sisters, “God's Chosen People,” and may we always be grateful to them for giving us Our Lord and Savior, our Messiah, Jesus Christ!  May the story of the “Three Wise Men from the east” never cease to inspire us and remind us that we too are part of the very diverse, and great multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-national family that makes up the very colorful and exciting Kingdom of God on earth!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy 

It is traditional on this feast day to chalk the numbers, crosses, and letters 20+C+M+B+16 above the entrance doors of homes.  These include the initials of the three magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar), and/or an abbreviation for words Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ bless this house); the crosses represent the Cross of Jesus, and the numbers at the beginning and end signify the current year.  

 

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