Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee. 
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.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

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. 
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them. 
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The arrest of John the Baptist was a turning point in the life and ministry of Jesus. John’s capture signaled that Christ’s own death was nearing. So, Matthew tells us, the Lord started moving.

First, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth, but only to say his goodbyes. Imagine the Lord embracing the ordinary people he loved – family members, friends, good neighbors – knowing in his heart, that he would never see them again.

They, on the other hand, must not have known anything of what was about to happen; or, only an inkling at best. The ignorance of Christ’s own disciples about his upcoming arrest and execution reveals how little people understood the Father’s plan for Jesus.

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The first stop on the Lord’s journey to Jerusalem is Capernaum. Unlike his small hometown of Nazareth, Capernaum was a bustling, multiethnic city with a large Roman road nearby, connecting Galilee with Syria.

Here, the Lord performed many of his early miracles. As it’s written, “His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain.” 

Much like the city of Capernaum itself, I imagine those healed by Jesus were quite diverse in ethnicity and language; both Jews and Gentiles were cured, signaling the salvation Christ will bring, not only to his own people, but to all.

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Along with these healings came Christ’s teachings. Here, Matthew boils all the Lord had to say down to a single sentence, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Christ’s healings demanded that people listen; he spoke with authority. The Lord came not only to heal the body, but more importantly, the soul.

This is the healing we all need from the Lord – not necessarily relief from physical aches and pains, but arthritic hearts that are too often hardened by pride, anger, and sorrow.

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In this Eucharist, or in the few quite minutes we can spend in prayer with the Lord today, may Jesus heal our hearts of any tension, freeing us to love one another as he has loved us. 

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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Roberta Winter Institute (3) Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pompeo Batoni

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Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure we’ve all wondered when someone we love – a child, a spouse, a friend – will come to faith.

The journey of the magi suggests the road of belief is much broader and more far reaching than we might imagine; God is working in all of our lives, often before we realize it. As the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

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The magi are unique for several reasons. They’re the first human beings to speak in Matthew’s Gospel and the first to adore Christ as Lord, but they’re not Jewish; they’re Gentile astrologers from the East. 

They discerned world events – and divine intervention – by studying the sun, the moon, and the stars. Thus, their journey begins and ends at night. 

The darkness surrounding them was not merely physical. These wise men were also in the dark about salvation through the God of Israel. 

But that’s often how God begins drawing people into faith – through what is familiar. For the magi, it was astrology. For others, it’s nature, philosophy, beauty, personal witness, or life experience.

But the key is this: the magi begin their journey relying upon what is already familiar to them – the light of a star. This intrigues them, sparking their first taste of faith. 

In spite of all the dangers they faced on a journey to an unknown destination – wolves prowling in the darkness, thieves lurking in the bushes, or violent storms suddenly erupting around them, the star reveals that there is Someone else working in the night.

Emmanuel.

God with us.

God for us.

It’s something even strong believers need to be reminded of at times – we are never alone, even in the darkness; God is with us in the night.

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After months, perhaps years, of travel, the magi arrive safely in Jerusalem. As they near the Christ-child, the threat of darkness still looms over them. There’s the blackened, paranoid soul of Herod who reigned supreme and was willing to do anything to stay in power.

So, Herod secretly summoned the magi, telling them to continue their search for this mysterious child, the newborn king of Israel.

When they fail to return to him, he issues a royal decree that any male child under the age of two must be killed. This brutal edict was the fruit of the magi’s question:

“Where is the newborn King of the Jews?”

This phrase will frame the narrative of Christ’s life. At his birth, he is proclaimed as, “King of the Jews.” 

And at his death, Pontius Pilate will nail a sign above his head crowned with thorns, proclaiming: “This is the King of the Jews.”

This irony is weaved throughout Matthew’s Gospel. While God had prepared his people Israel for his coming over thousands of years – and through hundreds of prophesies – the first people to discover him in the flesh were not Jews, but Gentile astrologers.

And throughout Christ’s public ministry, it will be the poor, the tired, the hungry, the outcast – in a sense, the “loser” – who is given eyes of faith to see Jesus as Lord. Meanwhile, the religious authorities, who studied the scriptures their entire lives, remain blind.

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Still, the magi cannot locate Christ until they consult the scriptures. Unrolling a scroll containing the prophecy of Micah, they’re told:

“And you, Bethlehem, from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

The magi are now only an hour away from Bethlehem.

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Once they find Jesus, they kneel at his feet, offering him the gifts they’ve traveled so far to bring: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Beneath this gesture is the gift of the magi themselves. 

While they cannot fully understand who Jesus is yet, they surrender to mystery. Somehow, this child is not only the King of the Jews; he is also their King. 

My King.

After they adore him, the magi return home – back to their own lives, to their own town, to their own people, to what is familiar. But they return changed.

Faith, in that sense, is not meant to be lived inside a bubble, or only kneeling before a child in a manger; it’s meant to be lived out as a guiding light throughout our lives.

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Perhaps the most important detail of all is the fact that the magi make this journey together.

Such is the nature of faith. While we’re all at different stages – in faith and in life – we journey together, even through the night.

As the old saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

A desire to see.

The light of a star.

Piercing the darkness.

Emmanuel, God with us.

God for us. 

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Image credits: (1) The Skit Guys (2) Biblical Archeological Society (3) VICE, Christmas Star

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Gospel: John 1: 19-28

This is the testimony of John. 
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
“I am not the Christ.” 
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?” 
And he said, “I am not.” 
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.” 
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? 
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.” 
Some Pharisees were also sent. 
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” 
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” 
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Who are you?”

This was the central question every Jew and scholar of the Law wanted to know about John the Baptist. Are you the Messiah, the one who is to come? 

No. 

Thankfully, John didn’t suffer from an identity crisis. He knew exactly who he was – and who he was not.

He was God’s forerunner, the one called to point him out when he came. But knowledge of this divine mission didn’t inflate John’s ego; quite the opposite. He warned he wasn’t even worthy to carry the Lord’s sandals.

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Like John, we should all be able to answer that question: “Who are you?” Not in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God. We are four things, in particular.

We are loved.

So loved that God not only created us in his image and likeness, but he also offered himself for us on a cross so that we might not perish, but might have eternal life.

We are irreplaceable. 

God has left his mark on each of us, literally. Every human being has a unique fingerprint, purpose, and combination of gifts and talents. There never has been, nor will there ever be, another you. 

We are part of God’s family, the Church. 

Therefore, we are never alone; rather, we are all part of a greater whole.

We are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Through his Spirit, God lives within us, teaching, guiding, filling us with love and grace, slowly making us holy.

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So, “Who are you?”

Not the Christ, but a child loved infinitely by God, who was created to prepare his way. How might we do that today?

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Image credits: (1) LinkedIn (2) Saint Gabriel Catholic Church (3) Adobe Stock