With sunset today (Sunday), the Christmas Season comes to an end. On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a couple of questions linger. Firstly, why is the baptism of Jesus, who is somewhere between the age of 30 and 33, placed in the Christmas Season? It doesn’t seem to fit in the storyline of a baby laid in a manger attracting the attention of shepherds, wisemen and angels. The second puzzling thing is: Why is Jesus, the sinless ...
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January 1st each year is a weighted day. It’s obviously, New Year’s Day in the secular world. Furthermore, for the Church, it is also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and World Day of Peace. Putting together Mary, Mother of God and World Day of Peace makes a lot of sense in my mind.
There’s an ancient Jewish blessing, that we heard in that first reading from the Book of Numbers. In its paraphrased version it says, “May God bless ...
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You may have noticed that our gospel readings are not in chronological order. The opening line of today’s gospel tells us that the Wise Men had left. They paid homage to the new-born King, left their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and went home. Next weekend, the Feast of Epiphany, we will be told about the arrival of the Wise Men. Act surprised next weekend!
So, the Wise Men are gone back to their homeland. But as you know from ...
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For well over a thousand years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, prophets—special envoys of God—were sent to remind people that God had not abandoned them. In fact, they were to wait for the Messiah, whose desire it was to be close to people and to bring them salvation. Most of the people, because they did not see the Messiah in their own lifetime, just gave up waiting. But a small group of people didn’t give up at all. They ...
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Once again, the readings the Church asigned us have a common thread between the first reading and the gospel reading. Each is about a man who finds himself in a dilemma. King Ahaz, in that first reading, deals with the dilemna poorly while Joseph, in the gospel, handles his predicament much better. Let’s look at these two contrasting guys and see what God might be saying to us .
Firstly, let’s look at King Ahaz who was the king of Judah. ...
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All three readings, proclaimed worldwide by the Church today, remind me of the saying, “the seed never sees it’s flower.” If we take it literally, the seed is underground, so it naturally can’t see the blossom above ground. But more to the point, the seed (unless it is a bulb) must die long before the plant ever produces a shoot, a stem, or a flower. The metaphor is true for humans as well. Some of our greatest efforts will only ...
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John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness. We are not told how he got there. He just suddenly appears, which automatically moves our minds to mystery. A mystery is about to unfold, and it’s about to unfold in the desert of all places. Cities, like Jerusalem, are where the hustle and bustle of life happens. And just like us, people were going to the desert to escape the rat race that life can often turn into. I think they were ...
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For the longest time I would get confused between the terms “astronomy” and “astrology.” I knew they both had to do with the stars, but after that the confusion set in. Astronomy is the scientific study of space, the universe, the cosmos. It’s based on math and science, and it’s goal is to help explain phenomena. Astrology, on the other hand, is not a science, but a pseudoscience that tries to explain human behavior based on the position of celestial ...
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Is It All About the Gifts?
On a social media post, I once read that if it had been three wise women instead of three wise men, the gifts offered at the birth of Jesus would have been far more practical. Every year when we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, I think of that, and chuckle. This year, however, I have been reflecting a lot on gifts in general: what they represent, how they are given, how they are received ...
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This weekend marks the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Like most lifelong Catholics, I am well familiar with the images of the Holy Family depicted in the nativity creche, the icons and other artistic works, or a diverse array of statues, big and small. At this time of year a visitor to my house will find a simple nativity creche set up (a gift from either my sister or Aunt Susan), usually illuminated by a ...
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