St. John Bosco once said: "Do not try to excuse your faults; try to correct them."

We need to take personal responsibility for our actions, good and bad. It is easier for us to blame others or to justify our faults than to own them. One of the tactics of the evil one is to deny responsibility for our faults. In that way, they can begin to root themselves in us. This is not the will of God. Jesus calls us and graces us, not to justify, but to correct and uproot our faults, less they become destructive habits. While it is easier to ignore our faults, in the long run, it will be harder to uproot them, after being ignored over a period of time. Something becomes an addiction because it wasn't dealt with early on. The same is true with habitual sin.

 Fifth Sunday of the Year: Gospel B

On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.

· This is in Capernaum. In fact, excavations in that town have identified this house which has a Church built on top of the site.

Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

· This is the only indication in the scriptures that Simon was married. The fact that she waited on Jesus and the others may indicate that his wife may have died.

· Nothing is too small for Jesus to deal with. Do we bring everything to Jesus or do we think that he is not interested in small things? The issue is that Jesus is interested in everything about us. To bring everything to Jesus is to indicate our total surrender of ourselves to him.

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. 

· The reason they waited till after sunset was that they waited for the end of the Sabbath. Remember very little was permitted on the Sabbath that indicated work.

 The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

· One of Mark’s themes will be Jesus not allowing people or spirits to tell others about him. The reason for this is that the full understanding of Jesus as Messiah will not be understood until his death and resurrection. We will see this throughout Mark’s Gospel.

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. 

· Why do you think Jesus prayed? He was busy and popular but he took time regularly to pray. Does his example say anything to us?

· How important is prayer in our daily life? How much time do we give to the Lord in prayer each day?

Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee. 

· Jesus had a clear vision of his mission and did not allow anything to distract him, including what others wanted or thought. How clear is God’s vision for us and how committed are we to following that vision no matter the results? 

 "The chief service I owe you, O God, is that every thought and word of mine should speak of you." St. Hilary of Poitiers

What an attitude! What a focus! St. Hilary was reflecting the words of St. Paul, who said: "Whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Even though this may be hard to achieve fully each day, what if we strove to do so? Would our life not be richer? This was the motivation of those we call Desert Fathers. They wanted to devote themselves to the service of God in everything without distractions from the world. We don't have to leave the world to do this. We need to remind ourselves throughout the day of how we are to live in union with God. 

 "It is very difficult for each of us to believe in Christ’s words, “I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners. . . .” Perhaps no psychologist has stressed the need of self-acceptance as the way to self-realization so much as Carl Jung. For Jung, self-realization meant the integration of the shadow. It is the growing ability to allow the dark side of our personality to enter into our awareness and thus prevent a one-sided life in which only that which is presentable to the outside world is considered as a real part of ourselves. To come to an inner unity, totality and wholeness, every part of our self should be accepted and integrated. Christ represents the light in us. But Christ was crucified between two murderers and we cannot deny them, and certainly not the murderers who live in us." Henri Nouwen

So many people have a difficulty of accepting themselves as they are. Any yet Jesus does. He sees our sins and imperfections and our struggles to stay in relationship. He still accepts us, because of his great love. He not only sees our present situation, but he sees the potential we can become through love. And so, he loves us. At the same time, he calls us to see ourselves through his eyes and to love the good that is present within us, while desiring to become who we can become in him. While the evil one wants us to focus on our darkness, Jesus invites us to focus on his light within us. The law of sin will always be there, but the law of love is greater. It is our decision which one we will let dominate us. Choose what is life-giving.

 Repent, believe, become a disciple so  that one can witness to others. That is the process we see in the scriptures used by Jesus. Repentance is important, but if we do not believe and embrace the teachings of Jesus, we fall short. Even when we say we believe, if we don't become a full fledge disciple of Jesus then we may be a half-hearted believer. Jesus disciples us so that we can share the process with others through the witness of our words and deeds. The words of Jesus should haunt us. "If you do not acknowledge me before others, I will not acknowledge you before my Father."  The life of a Christian is a vibrant life, not a dull existence. It entails putting Jesus as Lord of our lives and being faithful disciple/witnesses of his love and deeds in our lives. 

 

Homily Fourth Sunday Year B

Reading I: During the early part of their sojourn in the desert, the Israelites were afraid of God. They saw his signs and wonders and they were overwhelmed and fearful. They asked that Moses act as a mediator between them and God. God promised that after Moses he would not speak to the people directly any longer but through a prophet, like Moses.

What is a prophet? He is one who is a spokesperson for God, saying the message of God, not in his own name, but in the name of God.

There were many prophets over the centuries following, some authentic and some false. As time went on, the people were expecting The prophet. Recall the question asked of John the Baptist by the religious leaders. “Are you the Christ, Elijah, or The prophet?”  Recall the response of the apostles to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say I am?”  “John the Baptizer, Elijah, The prophet.”

What was the sign of the prophet? Like Moses, a prophet was in intimate relationship with God; he spoke the words of God to the people; he may work signs and wonders; he was a mediator between God and his people. He was one chosen and called by God; one from among the people; one who must be listened to.

At the same time, Moses indicated that there would be false prophets as well. What is a false prophet? He is one who presumes to speak in God’s name a word not commanded or from God; or he may speak in the name of other gods.

Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptized, he experienced a fresh anointing of the gifts of the Spirit. One of these was prophesy.  He was The prophet that God promised to send. When he preached and taught, he spoke prophetically many times. His message was from God. As he verified: “I say only what the Father tells me to say; I do the works of my Father.”

Gospel: Last Sunday the Gospel of Mark told us that Jesus began his public ministry by proclaiming prophetically the kingdom of God was at hand. Then he invited his first disciples to follow him.

Today the focus of his ministry is on his role as teacher and his power over unclean spirits. He is different. He teaches with authority, not in name of another rabbi, who formed him. No, he teaches in the name of God, who sent him.

Secondly, in his humanity because of the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, he has power over evil spirits. In fact, he has come to break the power of Satan over humanity, to crush its head.

Jesus has already been confronted by Satan in the temptations in the desert. Now, Jesus confronts Satan. The evil one recognizes that Jesus is the Holy One of God and is compelled to acknowledge this, not in faith, but in fact.

What does this passage teach us? The strongholds that Satan still has over us can only be broken by Jesus. Jesus desires to break them, but only when we ask him to. The evil one cannot hide from Jesus but must manifest itself and come under the authority of Jesus. We are not to fear the evil one. Rather, we need to turn in trust under the protection of Jesus.

Reading 2: One of the tactics of the evil one is to cause us to become overly anxious and fearful about situations. Paul reminds us that we should be free of anxieties. But if we are to be anxious about anything, be anxious about pleasing the Lord.  In another words, Paul is saying put first things first.

We spend a lot of time pleasing others. How much effort do we exert in pleasing the Lord and being pleasing to the Lord?  What is our priority? God or others? The reason we are to love others is because of our love of God. The reason we do good to others should be because we want to be pleasing and faithful to the Lord.

Whether married or single we are called to be anxious about the things of the Lord, how we may please the Lord. If we do, we will adhere to the Lord without distractions.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ as a conscious reality in one’s life is the ultimate reason for Paul’s ministry. He summed his teaching about this with this statement: “Whatever you do whether in word or action, do it in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 When Jesus preached "Repent and believe in the Good News", he didn't stop there. Once a person repents and commits to embrace his teachings, the next step is to become his disciples. What does this mean? It means that, like Peter, Andrew, James and John, we make Jesus the priority in our lives, spending our time with Jesus, learning from him how to become holy. They left everything. We don't have to leave everything as much as not let anything become more important to us than Jesus, as Lord of our lives. With no, or very little block to him, Jesus is then able to form and transform us from just a casual observer or a part-time follower to a discipled son or daughter, fully dedicated to him and his will in our lives. There is one more major step.

 Fourth Sunday of the Year B: Gospel 

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. 

• The synagogue was the local meeting place that the Jews would gather in to hear the Scriptures read, to receive instruction, and to pray for various needs. It was mainly a rectangular room. From excavations it seems that the people when seated faced Jerusalem. 

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.  

• “he taught as one having authority” means that he did not repeat what other rabbis said, but taught on his own in the tradition of the prophets of old.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;  he cried out, “What have you to do with us,  Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" 

• The spirit knows and fears the power of Jesus to destroy his influence. This is one of the reasons the Word became flesh: to defeat and overcome the power of the Evil One over God’s people. This was the work of the Messiah prophesied in the Scriptures.

• The spirit in fear and reaction, not in love and faith, confesses who Jesus is and attempts to block his mission. Notice how the spirit acknowledges Jesus publicly even for the wrong reason,  but the scribes were not able.

Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

• This public amazement will be one of the initial reasons for the latter hostility toward him by the leaders.

• Jesus not only teaches with authority but acts with authority.

• Where have I experienced the power of Jesus over evil in my own life? Where are the strongholds of the Evil One in my life? Am I ready to submit them to the saving and healing power of Jesus?

• Take some time this week to identify those areas and to bring them to the Lord with total trust.

• Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus taught but shows us the effect of his teaching. How attentive am I to the teachings of Jesus and to what effects have the teachings of Jesus had in my life?

 When Jesus began preaching, he began by calling people to repent and believe in the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Before Jesus, the prophets, including John the Baptist, called for repentance. Jesus gives the needed next step: Believe. It was not only necessary to turn away from sin, but then to commit to accept  and commit to all that God reveals as the path to salvation. In other words, it was the call to embrace the will of God as manifested in his revelations. As repentance is not a half-hearted act, so belief is not to be a pick and choose decision. It is a total all in for God. So often people want to be holy, which is the will of God, but not yet. The belief God expects of us can never be anything but "Yes", even though we may not fully understand. It is a surrender to God because he is God.

 Jesus gives us the steps for our journey to him. The first message he preached was "Repent and believe in the Good News." The call for repentance is the consistent message of the Word of God. The prophets preached repentance to the people of Israel. It was a call to turn back to the Lord. John the Baptist preached repentance as a preparation for being opened to the Messiah. Jesus preached repentance as a necessary condition for sharing deeper in his life. He sent the Apostles into the world with the same initial message. Each year when we begin Lent and throughout the season, the Church reminds us of the need for repentance. Repentance is the grace-decision to repent of sin and commit my life to the Lord, sharing in his life. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  Lord, have mercy on me a sinner, is our daily prayer. Lord, show me what I need to repent of, so that I can be more united to you.

 "It strikes me increasingly just how hard-pressed people are nowadays. It’s as though they’re tearing about from one emergency to another. Never solitary, never still, never really free but always busy about something that just can’t wait. You get the impression that, amid this frantic hurly-burly, we lose touch with life itself. We have the experience of being busy while nothing real seems to happen. The more agitated we are, and the more compacted our lives become, the more difficult it is to keep a space where God can let something truly new really take place. The discipline of the heart helps us to let God into our hearts so that God can become known to us there, in the deepest recesses of our own being."  Henri Nouwen

Many people feel like they are on a tread mill going no where. Their life is hectic and almost out of control. Even Sunday, the Lord's Day, a day of rest, is no longer such, but filled with things to do. There is wisdom in God's Word, when he says: "Be still and know that I am the Lord." We have to set aside time to be still, otherwise it will not happen. And even being still is difficult for our minds keep racing with things to do. But to set aside time each day just to be present to the Lord is important for a balanced life.  It is a decision of priority. If we want God to be the center of our lives, then we must put him at the center and give him the best.

 Seek, encounter, revelation, witnessing. Andrew was seeking the Messiah. John the Baptist pointed him out. Andrew had an encounter with Jesus, who revealed God's loving plan for him as the Messiah. Andrew's heart was transformed. But his journey was not to end with himself or this experience. He immediately, sought out his brother Simon, witnessed to him about Jesus and invited him to begin the same journey. Many times we have had the experience of an encounter with Jesus, who reveals something to us, but fail to share it with others. The process is aborted in a sense. God reveals his love and mercy to us so that we can share it with others and invite them to begin the same journey of seek, encounter, revelation and witnessing. Continue the next phase of your own journey, going through the same process until the ultimate encounter after death.

 

Homily Third Sunday Year B

Reading 1: This is a condensed version of the full story about Jonah and God’s call to him to preach repentance in Nineveh.  Initially, Jonah didn’t want to go to the pagan city. He thought it would be a waste of his time. He ran away from and ignored God’s plan to do his own thing. But God, through extraordinary experiences, reminded Jonah that it was the mercy of God to give the Ninevites a chance to repent. Reluctantly and probably with little enthusiasm or conviction, Jonah went to the town and began to preach a call to repentance.

To his amazement and later anger at them and God, they heard and responded to the grace of repentance immediately. Instead of experiencing God’s wrath, they were spared. We see in this event the mercy of God for a people other than the chosen people of Israel.

How often have we heard the call of God to turn away from sin and to turn back to God, but did not respond as totally and rapidly as the non-believing Ninevites? Do we presume on God’s mercy and think there is time? At the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday, we will hear the prophetic call of Isaiah: “Repent. Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.” What response did we give in the past? What response will we give in the present? A grace word from the Old Testament reminds us: “If today you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.” The grace of repentance is a daily gift from God.

Gospel: Jesus echoes the call of Jonah to the Ninevites to his own people (and to us). Repent and believe in the Gospel: the Good News of God’s love and mercy. But then he adds another step in the process. He calls us not only to repent and turn away from sin, then to believe that the Lord loves us and desires to save us, but to act. This third step sometimes is missing in one’s journey.

Like the rich man, who came to Jesus wanting to know what must he do to have eternal life, though knowing and hearing the truth, he failed to act on it. Jesus, called him to become a disciple, totally depending on the Master. In contrast, when Peter, Andrew, John and James heard the same invitation, they responded immediately. They became his disciples

To be a disciple of Jesus doesn’t mean that we have to leave everything. Rather, it means that we don’t let our station in life prevent us from hearing and acting on God’s word to us. It is not that husbands and wives must leave each other and go off to a monastery. Rather it means that God is first in their lives, their spouse is under God and their children are next. To follow Jesus is to seek what is good, pleasing and perfect in the will of God for us in a given situation.

The world may say one thing to us, but what God says should be the foundation for the disciple.  Whom will I really follow: the world, myself or God? To follow the Lord is a daily call that requires a daily response.

Reading 2: The words of this reading are not meant to frighten us.  These are given to us so that we can look at our lives as a disciple from God’s perspective.

Paul, like many of the first century Christians, really expected Jesus to return in glory within their life time. At the same time Paul was very conscious of the reality of death. So what he says can be looked at from either of these perspectives.

This world in its present form is passing away.  We need to remember what Jesus said: We are in the world but not of the world.  We belong to Jesus as his disciple not to the world. 

While in the world we have to do what is necessary to live adequately. But we must keep everything in perspective of eternity. How will this relationship, this situation, this decision impact my call as a son or daughter of God, as a disciple to live with God forever?

 

 As we journey from seeking to encounter, many times our encounter leads to a new revelation. When the two disciples, who were seeking the Messiah, encountered Jesus. They asked where he stayed. He invited them to spend time with him. In that time with Jesus, he revealed to them his own baptismal experience of the Father's love and affirmation  and the coming of the Spirit upon him. He shared with them his own call to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Not every time we have an encounter will we have a revelation. But reflect on your spiritual journey up till now. Recall your encounters in prayer. Were there moments of new insight (revelation) which God gave you of himself? Seek, encounter and revelation. God's plan for us as we journey to him. Cherish the encounters and the insights. 

 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gospel B

After John had been arrested Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." 

· The arrest of John is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ same experience in the future.

· “The Gospel of God”: the plan of salvation that God will fulfill.

· Notice that Jesus’ ministry begins with the end of John’s public ministry. John said: “I must decrease. He must increase.”

· “Time of fulfillment”: Jesus is the promised one whom God said he would send as Savior of the world. All the prophecies about him are about to be fulfilled.

· “Repent and believe”: continues the prophetic themes of the OT. But now it is believe and commit yourself to the message Jesus preaches.

· Jesus proclaims that when a person gives oneself to Jesus and to his gospel way of life, God will bring about his kingdom in him/her. How have you experienced this already in your life?

· What is Jesus asking of you now?

· What do we need to repent of at this point in our spiritual journey?

· What aspect of the “gospel” do we need to make more realistic in our life?

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. 

· According to John’s Gospel account, this was not the first encounter Simon, Andrew and John had with Jesus. Recall last Sunday’s Gospel.

· Mk’s account of the event is shorter and quicker. Mt and Lk tell us that they experienced the miracle of the marvelous catch of fish.

· Jesus invited them to follow him. Normally, disciples asked a Rabbi if they could follow and learn from him. Jesus shows that in relation to him, he gives the initial invitation of grace. Ours is a response.

· These were the first four to be called. Peter, James and John eventually became Jesus’ intimate inner circle.

· What do you think attracted these men to Jesus?  What attracts you most to Jesus?

· How quickly have we followed the call of Jesus in our life?

· In Mk’s Gospel one is to repent of sin, believe in the Good News of God’s love and follow Jesus. To what extent is this true in your life?

· How is God asking you to respond now to this new invitation?

 

 Once we begin the journey of search, we experience an encounter which changes our lives. John the Baptist pointed out the Messiah as the Lamb of God to the two disciples. They were searching. Their encounter with Jesus changed their lives. Mary Magdalen was searching for the body of Jesus, after experiencing the empty tomb. She encounter the risen Lord. As we look back on our search, when did we encounter Jesus in a new way? Were our lives different afterwards? As search is a grace from God, so the encounter is a grace as well. Simon was led by his brother Andrew to come and see the Messiah. In this encounter, he received a new name. But this was the first of many encounters with Jesus for Peter. Each one brought about a new change in him. So it is with us. We will have many Jesus' encounter. Each one has a specific purpose in our lives.

 Our journey to the Lord involves a number of steps which are repeatable. They are search, encounter, revelation, witnessing. We find these steps in the lives of many of those in the Scriptures. The Wise Men were in search of the newborn king. They saw a natural phenomenon and interpreted as a sign of the birth of a new king. John the Baptist was in search of the Messiah. He knew that the Messiah had come. He was given a revelation that would confirm the Messiah. The grace of searching is an initial gift from God pointing towards something or someone. It is a grace that needs to be acted on. The religious leaders in Jerusalem knew the scriptures that said in Bethlehem the Messiah would be born. They did not go in search. Look back on your own journey. When and where did that grace of search for the Truth occur in your life? What did you find? The search for the person of Jesus involves many levels. It is a never ending process. God wants to reveal more of himself to us, like he did for Peter and the disciples. Ultimately, the search leads to a deeper union with God.

 

The man whispered “God, speak to me” and a Bluebird sang but the man did not hear. So the man yelled “God speak to me!” And the thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen. The man looked around and said” God let me see you.” And a star shone brightly but the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair “Touch me God and let me know that you are here.” Whereupon God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on. Don’t miss out on God’s blessings, just because they aren’t packaged the way you expect them to be. Anonymous

 

How often have we missed a gift God has for us because we want God to do it our way. We fail to remember that he is God and we are not. We are totally dependent on him. He does not need us. Be attentive and grateful to the small ways God reveals his love. It is in these small ways that he desires to bring about transformation in our lives.

 

 

I want to try to make you understand, by a very simple comparison, how much Jesus loves those souls, even imperfect ones, who entrust themselves to Him. Imagine that a father has two children who have been naughty and disobedient; and that when he comes to punish them, he sees one who trembles and runs away from him in terror, knowing in his heart that he deserves to be punished; and that his brother, instead, throws himself into his father’s arms, telling him that he’s sorry he has displeased him, he loves him, and to prove it he will be good from now on. Now i that child asks his father to punish him with a kiss, I believe that the happy father’s heart will not be able to resist his son’s filial trust, since he knows his sincerity and love. Yet he also knows that his son will fall into the same faults again, but he is always ready to forgive him if his son always appeals to his heart. St Terese of Lisieux

 

We make something easy very difficult. No matter what we do, the Father will never stop loving us. We can’t earn his love, but we can trust in his love. While we don’t deserve his love, he desires to give it to us freely, if we open ourselves to it. It takes less energy to yield to God’s love than to run away from it. And yet what do we do at times?

 

 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gospel B

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. 

· The title “Lamb of God” prepares for the future sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to take away our sins.

· We know that one was Andrew. Who was the other? John the future apostle/evangelist. Andrew and John were friends, fellow fishermen from the same village.

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"  He said to them, "Come, and you will see." 

· When have I heard Jesus say the same to me? What was my response?

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.  

· What do you think Jesus shared with them? Would it not have been the experience of the Father’s love and the outpouring of the Spirit upon Jesus? Could it have been his vision for ministry in response to the Father’s call to him?  Jesus revealed the Father’s love for him and for the world as well as God’s plan.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.  He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah"  (which is translated Anointed).

· Andrew was evangelized by Jesus and in turn went to witness what he experienced to his brother and brought him to Jesus.

· Is this not what God is asking us to do? When was the last time we witness God’s love for us to another person and led them to Jesus?

Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter). 

· Jesus gives him a new name because he will have a new mission to undertake as a future disciple and apostle. He will called to be the “rock” on which Jesus will build his Church.

· As you reflect on this passage, what is God saying to you? What will your response be?

· This is the beginning of a new year. What will be “new” in your life which will reflect your response to what God is doing in your life?

 Georges Bernanos, the great French writer and author of Diary of a Country Priest, once said: “I never forget that my greatest and all-transcending priority is my salvation.” And so as Christians, let us affirm this truth.

Is this your greatest priority? If not, the death and resurrection of Jesus has not fully transformed your life. It remains a mere past historical event with no personal relevance. For if my salvation was most impotent to Jesus, but not to me, then I wasted his time.  It is only in making this grace of salvation my top priority that I can express my deepest gratitude to Jesus for giving his life for my life. The greatest tragedy is not to die in relationship with God, not to be eternally saved. 

 As we reflect on the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, we believe that his act of commitment to the Father prepared the way for our commitment to God at the moment we were baptized. For most of us, we were mere infants, when we were baptized. We were unable to make that commitment at the time. But God made a commitment to us. He redeemed us and adopted us as his sons and daughters, sharing his divine life with us. Hopefully, at a later time of maturity of faith, we personalized our yes to God, accepted his gift of salvation and adoption and began walking with him and towards him. Without this personal response, the relationship between us is unilateral. But once we verbalized our yes to God, the fullness of our baptismal graces were received. Before our faith, we walked by sight. After it, we walked by faith. Thank God for his unconditional love and patience, waiting for us to mature.

 If we want this year to be a New Year, not just in date, but in our lives, then we must learn from the past but live in the present with openness to the future.  A New Year means new lenses, new attitude, new openness to the God who loves us always in a new way. We hear the words of Isaiah the prophet: "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it"? (Isaiah 43:18-19) This is the lens we need this year to view our different experiences. God is doing something new. We need to ask God for the grace to perceive his plan in our lives in the present moment.

 

Homily: Feast of the Epiphany Year A

 

Reading 1: What is the purpose of light? It gives clarity and dispels the darkness around us. It enables us to see when we travel. The light in the first reading refers to the revelation that leads to Jesus the Messiah. This light, we will come to learn, is Christ the light of the world, who came to dispel the darkness of sin and to fill us with the light and life of his grace.

 

Jesus is the glory of the Father revealing the plan of the Father to us. At the same time, we are to become the light, as Jerusalem was to become that light for the world. The riches spoken of are not only material riches, but spiritual riches that come to us from sharing in the light and life of Christ personally and with others.

 

The people of Israel as they heard this prophetic message anticipated the coming of the Messiah. They had just returned from their seventy-year exile in Babylon because they had broken their covenant with God, in spite of many calls from various prophets to return to the Lord. When they returned to Jerusalem, it was in shambles, its former glory destroyed, beginning with the Temple.

 

To this disheartened people Isaiah speaks a word of hope. He reminds them that what God has planned for them is something greater than their former glory.

 

As the early Church heard this prophesy, the realized that the Messiah had come and the prophesy had been fulfilled. But they also realized that Jesus will come again in glory.  As we begin this year 2021, having experienced the devastation of the past year, we are reminded by the Lord that has given us something greater than physical existence in a physical world. God has sent his Son, who has redeemed us and shared his own divine life so that we may live forever in God’s glory. In other words, as real as human life with its ups and downs is, we are to remember the Lord shines upon us and calls us to something greater.

 

Gospel: The visitation of the wise men was the fulfillment of the prophets and a revelation of God’s plan and promises in each of our lives. Life is a journey, not just from birth to death, not only from the dependency of a child to the maturity of the adult. It is a journey to a personal, transforming, and life-changing encounter with Jesus, the Lord and Savior.

 

The journey of the wise men is one of the many journeys in the Gospel narrative. The purpose of the journey is the same: an encounter with the Beginning and End of our life, the One our heart yearns for. The wise men began searching in their own world of learning. Nature provides the initial spark and openness to something new. They follow their initial lead not knowing more than a new king has been born and this one was special. Nature itself was not sufficient in itself. God’s revelation in the scriptures was necessary. They needed to hear the word of God, which, like a light, indicated the place they were to go. 

 

They continued their journey of faith and encountered the Christ child, the newborn King. They offered him their gifts. Gold to recognize his royal dignity; frankincense, his divinity and myrrh, his humanity.  Isaiah had so prophesied in our first reading.

 

Their encounter changed their lives. They returned home a different way, not retracing the past, but moving into a new future because of their encounter.

 

Today, we have seen the wonders of God in nature; we have heard the word of God and now we are about to once more encounter the person of Jesus Christ in the breaking of the bread and in communion with him. Will our lives change as a result? Will we live differently this week because of him? Or will we be like those in world who saw the same phenomena of nature and didn’t do anything about it? Will we be like the people of Jerusalem? We hear the word of God pointing us to the direction we should take, but do not go.  Will we be like the wise men and continue or journey so that we can encounter in a fresh new way the Light of the world, the One who can make a difference in our lives?

 

Reading 2: Paul affirms the true meaning of this Feast. The visitation of the wise men from the East was not an isolated coincidence but the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. It was partially made known by the prophets of the Old Testament. But it was further taught by Christ in his short life.

 

Not only the Jews were the chosen people to whom the Messiah was sent to redeem and reconcile to God, but the non-Jews, the Gentiles were also saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Jews were heirs of the promise and the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body and co-partners in the promise of God. This is the plan of universal salvation.

 "What was the first rule of our der Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will." St Elizabeth Ann Seaton

As we begin this New Year, it is good to refocus our lives and to commit them according to God's plan for us. What is that plan? That we do the will of God in all things. Without this we cannot enter the kingdom of God. This was clear from the beginning. Adam and Eve were given free will so that they can exercise that gift in union with God's will for them. Not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the will of God for them. By obeying his will because it was his will, they would remain in union with God. By disobeying his will, seeking to be like God, they separated themselves from God. How important is being in union with God for you? To remain in union with him and eventually see him face to face, involves doing the will of God "in a manner he will and. to do it because it is his will."

 FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY: GOSPEL 

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." 

· King Herod: Herod reigned from 37 to 4 BC

· It was a common ancient belief that a new star appeared at the time of a ruler's birth. Matthew also draws upon the Old Testament story of Balaam, who had prophesied that "A star shall advance from Jacob" (Num 24:17 ), though there the star means not an astral phenomenon but the king himself.

· How attentive are we to the signs God gives us?

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 Messiah 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.'" 

· Mt refers to Micah 5: 1-3 and 2 Sam 5:2

· Notice that it was the Word of God that gave meaning to the appearance of the star. How often do we go to the Word of God for guidance and direction in our life?

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."  

· Why do you think that those who knew the scriptures about the coming of the new king did not themselves go with the Magi to worship him? Knowing the scriptures is not enough if we don’t act on the Word of God.

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. 

· Bethlehem is six miles south of Jerusalem.

· Why do you think Joseph is not mentioned?

They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

· Gold: He is a King; Frankincense: He is God; Myrrh: in anticipation of his future death.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. 

· How have you experienced God’s guidance in your life?  In what ways have your journey reflected that of the magi? How obedient have you been when you didn’t understand?

· Can one ever go back to the past if they want to grow in holiness?

· What application in your life do you take from this passage?

 Sometimes, we forget who we are, whose we are and what's our inheritance and destination. Who are we? We are a child of God, chosen by him personally to exist. Whose are we? We belong to God by creation, redemption and sanctification. What is our inheritance? Shared life with God. In baptism we were given the first down payment of our inheritance by God. What is our destination? As adopted children of the Father, we are destined to see God face to face, sharing his life eternally. If we keep these truths always before us, we will have the strength to continue on our journey. We know there is a purpose for our existence, especially when there are obstacles on our path. We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the perfecter of our faith.

 It's a New Year of grace from the Father who loves us and sustains us in existence. His grace is given that we may grow in holiness in  union with  him. If you made any resolutions, did any have holiness as the goal? Yes, we may want to lose weight. Yes, we want to exercise. Yes, we want to keep our minds to stay active. But all these will be useless unless we are focused on our relationship with God. For if we are not growing in holiness, in our love of God, then we will easily back slide into some vice or sin. Jesus reminds us that we are to do the things that matter to God. What matters most? Our eternal salvation with him in glory. Be holy, for the Lord your God is holy.