Category: Uncategorized

***

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

In the longer version of today’s Gospel, Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham. Studying Christ’s family tree reveals some interesting insights about who God is and how God acts in the world.

***

First, Matthew counts back forty-two generations – some 2,000 years – to demonstrate that God acts in history. Jesus did not strut onto the world stage as an unimpressive newcomer; his birth was the fruit of long-awaited anticipation.

And, mysteriously, God did not rely solely upon royalty or saints to prepare his way; there are also a few bad apples, including prostitutes and murderers! 

Perhaps they serve as a reminder that, in spite of leading messy lives, God can use anyone to accomplish his will.

***

Secondly, God is a God of inclusion.

Five of the people Matthew includes in Christ’s genealogy are women. Four of them are Gentiles. From the beginning, God relied upon both men and women, Jews and Gentiles, to fulfill his plans.

***

Third, God is a God of surprises.

Consider the last person mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy aside from Mary: Joseph. The Gospel tells us that he was a “righteous” man, devoted to God and ethical living. 

Discovering his fiancée was pregnant with a child that wasn’t his was so scandalous that God literally had to send an angel to Joseph in a dream to convince him that Mary was telling the truth.

Yet even then, if Joseph accepted what had happened, he’d have to throw away his orderly, principled understanding of life and embrace a divine mess. Thankfully, he did.

***

So, what might the history of Christ’s family tree mean for us?

Just as God relied upon a vast array of characters to prepare the way for his first coming, so he can use anyone to prepare the way for his second.

In the words of John the Baptist, may we, “Make straight his paths.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) Orthodox Christianity (2) Bartolome Esteban Perez Murillo, Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus (3) Church of the Living Word

***

Gospel: Luke 14: 25-43

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Every parent can attest to the challenge of raising a child. Looking back, I’m sure you could all tell heroic stories of all-nighters, unexpected bills, endless chauffeuring, calming fears, and the heartbreak that comes when your child’s heart breaks.

If parents knew ahead of time the pain and sacrifice that parenting requires without also seeing the immeasurable joy it brings, then this world might be childless.

But any parent who’s sat at a graduation, walked your son or daughter down the aisle, or held your newborn grandchild in your arms can say, “It was worth it.”

All of the pain of parenting disappears when you see the bigger picture and watch your child succeed.

***

You might say the same thing about renewing a parish. 

Witnessing the growth we’ve experienced as a community, seeing people discover or return to their faith, and the authentic joy of those participating in our faith formation program – both catechists and children alike – makes all of the hard work worth it.

The same dynamic is true with putting God first in our lives. Yes, it’s a hard decision. Yes, it requires sacrifice.  

But when God comes first, everything else comes together – marriages are strengthened, children have a lasting foundation, our hearts become filled with wisdom, joy, and peace. We’re even assured of life to come.

***

In today’s Gospel, Luke says, “great crowds are traveling with Jesus.”

Luke gives the impression that there are many different types of people following the Lord – as is still the case today – those fully committed, those interested, and those that are just curious to see what all of the hype is about.

While on the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus stops, turns, and delivers a wake-up call, as if he’s breaking up the party to determine who’s really serious about following him versus who is not.

He might as well hold up a big sign with bold red letters: “Hard decisions ahead. Not for the faint of heart.”

***

Everyone in the crowd wants to be associated with Jesus, certainly while he’s teaching, healing, and forgiving. But he warns them that the time will come when they have to choose between him and other people or priorities in their lives.

As he says in today’s Gospel, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother… even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Let’s not allow the meaning of this command to get lost in modern translation. Jesus never commands us to hate; rather, this verb means, “to choose one thing over another.” 

It’s an action, not an emotion.

There comes a time when we have to choose Christ over other people or things. Often, more than once.

It’s then – those moments of decision – when discipleship either becomes a deeper-rooted commitment, or a priority that gets wedged out by other good, albeit less important, things in life.

***

Today we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, inaugurating another year of faith formation.

All of us are here today because, to some extent, we’ve already started doing what Christ has asked of us.

We’ve chosen to be here at Mass, as opposed to being at home, at work, on the sports field, at the grocery store, or wherever else life may have taken us. It’s not always an easy decision, but it’s one that we’ll be invited to make again.

Yet I can say this with certainty from my own experience – the more we put God first in our lives, the happier and more fulfilled we become.

***

Perhaps these are the questions that Jesus is posing to us today: 

As families, are you ready to continue your journey with Christ? As catechists, are you willing to prioritize your ministry over other opportunities? As a parish, are we willing to support these children spiritually and financially as they grow in their faith?

I’m convinced of this: there is nothing more important in the Church today than handing on our faith to the next generation.

***

It’s time to count the cost. It takes a village to raise a child in the faith.

Much like a man who builds a tower or a king who goes into battle, we must be willing to see our commitment through, lest we lose the battle or end up with a half-constructed faith life.

May God bless our efforts – and the year ahead – as we continue our journey together.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Christianity.com (2) Crosswalk.com (3) Indian Currents

***

Gospel: Luke 5:33-39

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.'”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Fermentation is the process that turns grape juice into wine. During fermentation, gas is released, causing the wineskins to expand, which is why new, stretchy wineskins must be used. Old skins would rip and tear, as Jesus describes in today’s Gospel.

***

So, what is this “new wine” that the Lord is speaking of? Who are the “wine skins?”

***

Most directly, the Lord is speaking to his Apostles. He longs to pour the “new wine” of his love into their hearts. However, divine love releases grace, causing the human heart to expand, which at times, can be uncomfortable.

If the Apostles are going to become who Jesus desires them to be, then they must make room for him, welcoming the “stretchiness” of the Spirit into their hearts.

While this stretching started occurring during their earthly journey with Jesus, their transformation was fulfilled at Pentecost. 

In that upper room, they were no longer the same fishermen who dropped their nets on the shores of Galilee three years prior, nor were they the same men who fled fearfully from Calvary.

They were bold; determined; convinced; ready to do the Lord’s will.

***

The Church still needs this type of renewal – or stretching – today as it’s called to make room for all, both the sinner and the saint.

We, too, need to be occasionally stretched. How often do our own attitudes, habits, or theology become old; rigid; in need of a renewal?

God will not force any change upon us, certainly anything we are capable of doing ourselves; the Spirit of Love conquers gently. Never by force. As Saint Thomas Aquinas once said, “grace builds upon nature.”

***

In what ways might the wine of Christ’s love stretch my heart?

***

In the words of Saint Paul, “May the God who has begun this good work within you bring it to fulfillment.” 

***

***

Image credits: (1) Bible Study Tools (2) London Wine Competition (3) Living Word Ministries