Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force. 
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.”

This may be one of the most obscure verses in all of the Gospels, perhaps lost in translation. But it still may have meaning for us today.

What does Jesus mean when he says, “the violent” are taking over heaven by force?

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Some scholars believe Jesus was using military terms to compare his kingdom to an earthly kingdom.

In his day, it was common for soldiers to surround a foreign city and take it by force.

When attacking, those soldiers had to fight tooth and nail to enter – their lives depended upon it.

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Similarly, Jesus urges his disciples to see themselves like soldiers surrounding a city; they must fight bravely – giving everything they have – in order to enter the city of God.

Their lives – our lives – depend upon it.

May we live like soldiers in that sense, bravely confessing our faith, and doing whatever we must to live it out with love.

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Image credits: (1) The Guardian (2) Siege, Wikipedia (3) St. John of Capistrano, Pinterest

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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

“The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The Gospels are bookended with prayer. 

In the beginning, we find Mary dialoging with the angel Gabriel. “How can this be?” she says. How can I give birth, “since I have no relations with a man?”

Understandably, she’s surprised and afraid by what Gabriel announces. This wasn’t the path she traced for herself. Mary planned on marrying Joseph, perhaps starting a family with him, raising children of their own.

Yet Gabriel proclaims something radically different. Mary is to give birth to the Son of God. 

As improbable as this sounds, and as life-changing as it will be, she concludes her prayer with the words, “let it be done unto me according to your word.”

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Here, she teaches us how to pray. 

First, we dialogue with the Lord. We share our fears, our desires, and ask our questions. We express our wants and needs.

Then we conclude our prayer with an openness to another direction. As Mary says, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” 

Meaning, we open ourselves to another path, to a different plan, to a more obscure future, one open to God’s grace.

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Jesus prays the same way at the end of the Gospels. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night before he’s killed, he kneels down and states his desire: “Father, let this cup pass from me.”

But like Mary, he concludes his prayer with an openness to a different direction: “Not my will, but yours be done,” he says.

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May we learn to pray like Mary and Jesus, who tell our Father what we want, but accept whatever he gives, trusting it’s always best.

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Image credits: (1) pursueGod.org (2) artsheaven.com (3) Agony in the Garden, Heinrich Hofmann

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Isaiah 40: 1-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
        says your God.
    Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
        that her service is at an end,
        her guilt is expiated;
    Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
        double for all her sins.

        A voice cries out:
    In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
        Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
    Every valley shall be filled in,
        every mountain and hill shall be made low;
    The rugged land shall be made a plain,
        the rough country, a broad valley.
    Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
        and all people shall see it together;
        for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

    A voice says, “Cry out!”
        I answer, “What shall I cry out?”
    “All flesh is grass,
        and all their glory like the flower of the field.
    The grass withers, the flower wilts,
        when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
        So then, the people is the grass.
    Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
        the word of our God stands forever.”

    Go up onto a high mountain,
        Zion, herald of glad tidings;
    Cry out at the top of your voice,
        Jerusalem, herald of good news!
    Fear not to cry out
        and say to the cities of Judah:
        Here is your God!
    Here comes with power
        the Lord GOD,
        who rules by his strong arm;
    Here is his reward with him,
        his recompense before him.
    Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
        in his arms he gathers the lambs,
    Carrying them in his bosom,
        and leading the ewes with care.

The Word of the Lord.

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Often in the Bible, God speaks to his people when the days are darkest and hope is nearly gone.

In our first reading, for example, Israel has endured terrible tragedy. A foreign army, the Babylonians, has invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the temple of the Lord, and sent the Jews into exile.

This is a hard pill to swallow because God promised to always be with his people; to lead them; to guide them; to shepherd them.

Anyone in Israel might’ve wondered, “Where is God now?”

Suddenly, the prophet Isaiah cries out, “Comfort! Give comfort to my people.” When all seems lost, God breaks the silence and promises to bring Israel back home. Eventually, they all rebuild their lives.

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The reason why Israel was sent into exile is a much longer story.

But, perhaps, the point for us today is this: sometimes the Lord waits until the day is darkest before he speaks. And when he speaks, it’s always a word of comfort.

“Comfort, I will comfort my people.”

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While many of us find the holidays to be a joy-filled period of hope, maybe this year you feel more like Israel did. 

Perhaps you lost a job, a spouse, or a friend. Maybe your prayer life ran dry. Maybe you’re feeling isolated after living for nearly two-years in this pandemic.

The same Lord who delivered Israel out of captivity will deliver you. 

But key to living out the spiritual life is remembering that the Lord is always present, even in the darkness, while we wait for deliverance.

Eventually, the Lord speaks. And when he does, it’s always a word of hope.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people.”

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Image credits: (1) Dee Brestin Ministries (2) Haaretz.com (3) adoeseofGodtoday.com